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WEATHER
*Fog advisory this morning, sunshine today but stray thunderstorms are possible, high 89
LOCAL
*Religious leaders are uniting in st. Louis today in hopes of uniting the community through the power of prayer.Archbishop Robert J. Carlson will lead the interfaith prayer service calling for peace and solidarity. He'll be joined by several other faith leaders and the Community Gospel Choir of St. Louis at Kiener Plaza (500 Chestnut Street, St. Louis, MO 63101) on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
NATIONAL
*Toys 'R' Us is the latest brick-and-mortar retailer to file for bankruptcy protection after trying unsuccessfully to fend off competition from online stores and discount chains. With 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees, Toys 'R' Us becomes one of the biggest specialty chains to file for Chapter 11 and it happened as the holiday shopping season is approaching, which is when the chain does most of its business.
(Reuters)
*Hurricane Maria clobbered Dominica overnight, devastating the small island nation as it continues barreling toward Puerto Rico. It briefly downgraded to a Category 4 but has regained strength and is a Category 5 storm again with 160 mph winds.
(NY Times)
The U.S. Virgin Islands, which was already battered by Hurricane Irma last week, is now in the path of another hurricane as Tropical Storm Maria was upgraded to a hurricane on Monday.
Hurricane warnings have been issued for Puerto Rico and nearby islands Culebra and Vieques, as well as the U.S. Virgin Islands. Maria's winds were clocked at 160 miles-per-hour as it closed in on Dominica, an island with a population of 72,000 in the Lesser Antilles.
Maria is expected to arrive Tuesday afternoon at the U.S. Virgin Islands and hit Puerto Rico late Tuesday or early Wednesday. Although its already a Category 5 hurricane, the national Hurricane Center said conditions could lead to "additional rapid strengthen for the next 24 hours and possibly longer."
States of emergency have been declared in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands by President Trump. (NBC News)
Maria Will Miss The U.S.-
Hurricane Maria’s strength has rebounded.
As Florida continues to recover from Hurricane Irma, it looks like another big storm will avoid the Sunshine State. Computer models indicate that Hurricane Maria will stay well to the east of the U.S. mainland. The storm will still cause dangerous rip currents and high surf.
The National Hurricane Center says Maria, which had dropped to Category 4, is back up to Category 5 with top winds of 160 miles an hour. Forecasters say it's an "extremely dangerous" hurricane as it heads for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.
Source: NBC News
Latest Heathcare Bill May Hinge On John McCain-
Senator John McCain says he isn't on board yet with the latest GOP attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The Arizona Republican said yesterday he has the same reservations that caused him to cast the deciding no vote against an Obamacare repeal measure in July. Republicans have less than two weeks to repeal the health insurance law by a simple majority.
McCain insisted again yesterday that the Senate go through what's called regular order. That means holding hearings, adopting amendments, and presenting a bill to the full Senate, where it would need 60 votes to pass.
Meanwhile, in an apparent message to McCain, Arizona’s governor endorsed Obamcare repeal. It’s unknown how the Senator, who is battling brain cancer, will vote.
Source: CNBC
*A protest over Saturday's police shooting of an LGBTQ activist at Georgia Tech turned violent last night as officers clashed with students on campus. Protesters in Georgia set a campus police cruiser on fire and two officers were injured. Three students were arrested and charged with inciting a riot and battery on a police officer. A crowd of about 50 people had gathered for a memorial vigil for Scout Schultz who was shot and killed after allegedly approaching an officer with a knife and daring him to shoot.
SPORTS
*Cards were off yesterday, they play the Reds today, it's an away game!