For Florida, just a handful of miles may make a huge difference in Hurricane Dorian’s slow dance with the coast.

The National Hurricane Center forecasts Dorian to be 40 to 50 miles off the Florida coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, with hurricane-force wind speeds extending about 35 miles to the west.

But that’s just one point that forecasters have to choose to place the monstrous storm that packed 185 mph winds on Sunday. It could be within 100 miles of that point, which is why the hurricane center uses — and emphasizes — a shaded cone of uncertainty.

And much of the Florida coast is inside that cone.

“This thing is perilously close to the state. I think we should all hope and pray for the best, but we have to prepare that this could have major impacts on the state of Florida,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “If you look at the National Hurricane Center’s current track, I think it ends up within 30 miles of the coast of Florida. Well guess what? You do just a touch of a bump one way or another, and you have a dramatic difference all of a sudden.”

President Donald Trump, left, listens as Kenneth Graham, director of NOAA’s National Hurricane Center, on screen, gives an update during a briefing about Hurricane Dorian at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Sunday, Sept. 1, 2019, in Washington, at right of Trump is Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler, and Neil Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)




Center Director Ken Graham is telling residents don’t bet on safety just because his office specific forecast track has the storm just a bit offshore.

“The cone is so important,” Graham said.

And making matters more touch-and-go is that with every new forecast, “we keep nudging (Dorian’s track) a little bit to the left,” which is closer to the Florida coast, he said.

Dorian is a powerful but small hurricane with hurricane-force winds Sunday only extending 29 miles to the west, but they are expecting to grow a bit. That makes forecasting the storm’s path along the coast — either just off the coast, skirting it or moving inland with a direct hit — delicate and difficult. Just a few miles west or east makes the difference between devastation and bad but not horrible damage, meteorologists said.

“Where it doesn’t directly hit, it’s not going to be a huge problem,” Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach said.

With a big, sloppy hurricane — say 50% larger in size — all of Florida would be under a serious threat, but that’s not the case, said University of Miami hurricane researcher Brian McNoldy.

This is what makes this a nightmare for forecasters, McNoldy said.

It’s a combination of the small size, close-in track, like Matthew in 2016, and weak steering currents. That means just a smidge of a movement days ahead of time, while Dorian is in the Bahamas, can reverberate and mean a direct hit or not, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue.

That can happen just because of the timing of when Dorian’s eyewall collapses and is replaced, which happens normally in storms.

Adding to that problem is Dorian’s slow, almost snail-like pace. What initially looked like a Labor Day storm for the U.S. is now approaching Tuesday and Wednesday.

“People are getting impatient with this,” McNoldy said. Because the threat seems to keep sticking around, it could be a problem getting the right message across, he said.

Klotzbach said he thinks the U.S. East Coast will get “scraped,” but Dorian will stay just offshore, something Maue agrees with.

Maue warns, however, that two days of high waves and heavy storm surge — the hurricane center is predicting 4 to 7 feet from West Palm Beach north to Cocoa Beach area — could severely damage Florida’s beaches.

Residents along Florida’s coast are relieved that the forecast, for now, doesn’t have Dorian making landfall in Florida, but are still preparing for the worst.

Kevin Browning in Vero Beach has put up hurricane shutters, bought a generator and is stocked with supplies.

“I’m thanking God, now, that it’s turned a little bit towards the east, but that’s a forecast, and we never know. I’m just praying and trying to make sure that everybody’s safe. I feel for the Bahamas and I’m praying for them, and I thank God it’s not coming directly to us right now.”

___

Associated Press writers Gerald Herbert in Vero Beach, Florida, and Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed.

Source Article from https://www.aol.com/article/weather/2019/09/01/cutting-it-close-floridas-fate-may-be-a-matter-of-miles/23805102/


“To reduce violence, we must also ensure that criminals with guns are put behind bars and kept off the streets,“ President Donald Trump said. | Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

White House

09/01/2019 09:12 PM EDT

Updated 09/01/2019 09:37 PM EDT


Following Saturday’s shootings in West Texas, President Donald Trump on Sunday remained firm that his “administration is committed to working with Congress to stop the menace of mass attacks” but did not include universal background checks as part of the solution this time.

Trump largely attributed the shootings to mental health issues and said the mass attacks have “been going on for a long time” and that he wants to reduce them.

Story Continued Below

“It would be wonderful to say — to say ‘eliminate,’ but we want to substantially reduce the violent crime — and actually, in any form,” he said at the start of a briefing on Hurricane Dorian. “This includes strong measures to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous and deranged individuals, and substantial reforms to our nation’s broken mental health system.”

The president added: “To reduce violence, we must also ensure that criminals with guns are put behind bars and kept off the streets.“

After the early August shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Trump called for changes to mental health laws but also took to Twitter to mention discussions in Congress over “meaningful background checks” for people who are purchasing firearms.

“Serious discussions are taking place between House and Senate leadership on meaningful Background Checks,” Trump wrote on Twitter days after those shootings. “I have also been speaking to the NRA, and others, so that their very strong views can be fully represented and respected.”

Trump also added that he is the “biggest Second Amendment person there is, but we all must work together for the good and safety of our Country.”

Polling has indicated that the idea of universal background checks is extremely popular with the American public, even among people who do strongly favor the right to own firearms. In contrast, focusing on mental health has been a more popular approach with those who would prefer there be no new restrictions on guns of any kind.

In his Sunday remarks, Trump said, “Public safety is our No. 1 priority,” but reiterated his support to “protect our Second Amendment.”

He lauded the actions of the local law enforcement who responded to the shootings in West Texas, and also said he spoke with Attorney General William Barr.

“We will provide all possible support from the federal government in the aftermath of this wicked attack,” he said.

Earlier Sunday, as he returned to Washington from Camp David, Trump dismissed the usefulness of universal background checks.

“Background checks — I will say that for the most part, sadly, if you look at the last four or five, going back even five or six or seven years — for the most part, as strong as you make your background checks, they would not have stopped any of it.”

Trump’s previous remarks on background checks had been seen as encouraging by those who were pleased to see the president taking a position notably different from the National Rifle Association.

That has turned to impatience and frustration. “The biggest lies that the president has told include that he would do something about universal background checks,” Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro said Sunday on NBC‘s “Meet the Press.”

A gunman Saturday in the Texas communities of Odessa and Midland killed seven people and wounded 22 others after a traffic stop; among the dead was a postal worker whose truck he hijacked. On Aug. 3, a gunman killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas; on Aug 4, a shooter in Dayton, Ohio, killed nine people.

Source Article from https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/01/trump-mass-shootings-background-checks-1479452

Hurricane Dorian, a slow-moving, devastating Category 5 storm, made landfall on Sunday in the northwest Bahamas, where “catastrophic effects” were expected, the National Hurricane Center said.

The storm was forecast to have a long life, remaining a hurricane for the next five days. Hurricane watches and warnings were issued Sunday afternoon for parts of the Florida coast, where Dorian was expected to move “dangerously close” beginning Monday night through Tuesday night, forecasters said.

The storm made landfall on Sunday afternoon with estimated sustained surface winds of 185 mph and gusts reaching 220 mph at Elbow Cay, Abacos, in the northern Bahamas. The power of the storm was second only to that of Hurricane Allen in 1980, with its 190 mph winds.

“It is not very often that we measure such strong winds,” the hurricane center said.

Full coverage: Latest stories and video on Hurricane Dorian

Twelve to 24 inches of rain, and up to 30 inches in some areas, were expected in the northwestern Bahamas, which could lead to life-threatening flash floods, the center said. The Tourism Ministry said only certain parts of the northwestern Bahamas had conducted evacuation procedures, and it strongly advised visitors to leave.

Steven Strouss, a meteorologist for NBC News, said that since records began in the 1850s, the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island had never before been directly hit by a Category 5 storm.

The Nassau Guardian reported Sunday that Prime Minister Hubert Minnis broke down in tears at a news conference where he said he could only hope that those who refused to evacuate would survive the storm.

“This is probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people,” Minnis said. “As a physician, I’ve been trained to withstand many things, but never anything like this.”

At 5 p.m. ET, Dorian was about 95 miles east of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island. It was moving west at just 5 mph and was expected to continue inching westward to west-northwest for the next day or two. Forecasters said it would then likely gradually turn northwest, meaning the core of the storm “will continue to pound Great Abaco this evening and move near or over Grand Bahama Island tonight and Monday.”

Leigh Lamattina-Davis, a resident of Marsh Harbor, a town of about 6,000 people on Great Abaco, described a scene of “total devastation.”

“I am lucky to have half a house,” she said in a text message. “My neighbors are demolished.”

Source Article from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/weather/hurricane-dorian-closes-bahamas-extremely-dangerous-storm-n1048691

Law enforcement agencies are still unclear about a motive or what triggered Odessan Seth Ator to go on a shooting spree that began as a traffic stop and ended with seven dead and 22 injured in some of the worse violence the city has ever endured. 

The 36-year-old gunman shot Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Chuck Pryor and then went on a shooting spree before he was shot and killed by law enforcement at Odessa’s Cinergy Theatre while horrified theater-goers huddled on the ground outside of the theater.

Authorities on Sunday tried to piece together a timeline of who Ator shot and when and where. There are multiple crime scenes as people were shot all over town.

Gov. Greg Abbott was part of a news conference held at a command post set up at UTPB. He was surrounded by elected officials from West Texas — State Senator Kel Seliger, State Reps. Brooks Landgraf and Tom Craddick — as he spoke during a press conference Sunday afternoon at UTPB.

“I’m heartbroken by the crying of the people of the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “I’m tired of the dying of the people of the state of Texas. Too many Texans are in mourning. Too many Texans have lost their lives. The status quo in Texas is unacceptable. Action is needed.”

Law enforcement officials who sat around Abbott included Odessa Police Department Chief Michael Gerke, Texas Department of Public Safety El Paso Region Commander Orlando Alanis and FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs. Midland Police Department Chief Seth Herman and Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis were also in attendance.

Ator was identified as the gunman by City of Odessa director of communications Devin Sanchez via email after the news conference.

“I’m not going to give him any notoriety for what he did,” Gerke said during the press conference. “We will provide that information to you, but not on this public stage.”

As of Sunday afternoon, law enforcement agencies hadn’t released the list of the victims that were shot. Gerke said the seven victims that were shot and killed range in age from 15 to 57. Sanchez also stated in an email there have been eight confirmed deaths, five in Odessa and three in Midland. That number includes the gunman.

There were more than 50 members of the media at the press conference on Sunday afternoon, which included news outlets from Texas and the rest of the nation.

Gerke also detailed the gunman used an AR-type weapon and said he was unclear of how he obtained the firearm. Gerke wouldn’t give the specifics on an exact model.

Alanis said the initial traffic stop was made after a simple traffic violation — fail to signal required distance. Alanis said Trooper Pryor went through surgery Saturday and the doctors left optimistic that he will have a full recovery after rehabilitation. Conditions of the OPD and Midland Police Department officers weren’t released.

Combs said throughout the country the FBI responds to an active shooter situation every two weeks. He also said there are 135 FBI personnel in Odessa with assistance from DEA and ATF and the Postal Service.

Combs also said FBI officials do not believe this is domestic or international terrorism.

“We will be here for the duration of the time the chief needs our services,” Combs said. “Unfortunately, we will then get ready to go to the next active shooter. It’s an unfortunate statement to make, but it seems like that’s what we do. We respond to one after another of these horrible events.”

Ator owned two pieces of property located at 24 Cavalli Circle in West Odessa, the Ector County Appraisal District detailed. Griffis stated in a text message that Ector County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to that property once in 2017 after he reported a burglary.

Ator has been previously arrested and charged by the OPD with public intoxication, a class C misdemeanor, on May 26, 2014, jail records show. He also had a federal motor carrier safety violation, a misdemeanor traffic violation, which was dismissed on Aug. 17, 2018, court records show.

The Odessa American also learned that Ator was fired from a job a year ago for arguing with co-workers and trying to fight people at the workplace. The business alerted the police after he made threats against the workplace.

Source Article from https://www.oaoa.com/news/crime_justice/law_enforcement/article_d10919f8-cce7-11e9-ab95-07a8af957bf2.html

In the center of Hurricane Dorian, the eye of the storm reveals just how powerful it is.

The National Hurricane Center said in a 2 p.m. ET Sunday advisory that Dorian was a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph and it was moving west at 7 mph, located directly over Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. The storm made landfall at 12:40 p.m. in Elbow Cay and is located about 185 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Air Force and reconnaissance planes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — known as the “hurricane hunters” — have been crisscrossing the “distinct eye” of Dorian, and discovered the hurricane has become “extremely intense with a stadium effect in the eye,” according to the NHC.

HURRICANE DORIAN, CATEGORY 5 STORM, BEARS DOWN ON BAHAMAS

“Here’s a look at what scientists call the “stadium effect” inside the eye of #Dorian from @NOAA  scientists,” the NHC said on Twitter. “This happens at times in very strong hurricanes.”

The “stadium effect” makes the hurricane eye look like a bowl of a sports stadium. The effect is caused by plumes of rapidly-rising air swirling into the storm and moving outwards from the core, causing the eye of the storm to become larger as the altitude above the ocean surface increases, according to the Washington Post.

These photos provided by the National Hurricane Center shows views of Hurricane Dorian eye and the “stadium effect” in the center of the storm.
(Paul Chang/National Hurricane Center)

A photo from a Hurricane Hunter P-3 Aircraft early Saturday also showed the towering eye of the storm as it was an extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, bearing down on the northwestern Bahamas.

OFFICIALS ISSUE STERN WARNINGS AS DORIAN NEARS U.S.: ‘TAKE THIS STORM SERIOUSLY’

The Hurricane Hunters also shared photos on Twitter of the storm’s eye at night, with some illuminated flashes from lightning inside.

Dorian is currently the strongest hurricane on record in the northwestern Bahamas and is forecast to bring “catastrophic winds and storm surge” to the Abaco Islands.

“Everyone there should take immediate shelter and not venture into the eye,” the NHC said. “These catastrophic conditions are likely on Grand Bahama Island later today or tonight, and efforts to protect life and property there should be rushed to completion.”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The Bahamas may experience hurricane conditions until Monday afternoon due to the slow-moving storm, which then is forecast to turn sharply and skirt up the U.S. coast, possibly staying just off Florida and Georgia on Tuesday and Wednesday and then affecting South Carolina and North Carolina on Thursday.

But forecasters warn that Dorian’s path could easily shift and bring some of the worst conditions to coastal locations.

The forecast track of Hurricane Dorian.
(Fox News)

“If there is a difference in the track by 30 miles, that’s the difference between tropical-storm-force and hurricane winds,” Fox News Senior Meteorologist Janice Dean said Sunday on “Fox & Friends.” That’s why we have to wait for every forecast.”

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/hurricane-dorian-eye-hunters-stadium-effect-cyclone

The death toll in a
west Texas mass shooting
increased to eight Sunday, including the gunman, authorities said.

At least one of the shooting victims remained in life-threatening condition, authorities said.

Those killed ranged in age from 15 to 57 years old, Odessa, Texas, Police Chief Michael Gerke said Sunday.

He declined to name the gunman during a televised news conference.

“I’m not going to give him any notoriety for what he did,” Gerke said. No motive was given for the shootings.

Authorities said the gunman used an “AR-type weapon” in the rampage, according to the Associated Press.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who attended the news conference, listed other recent mass shootings in the state, including ones in downtown Dallas, Sutherland Springs, Santa Fe and El Paso.

“I have been to too many of these events,” Abbott said.

“Too many Texans are in mourning. Too many Texans have lost their lives,” Abbott said. “The status quo in Texas is unacceptable, and action is needed.”

Abbott also read a text message that he said was sent to him Sunday morning by the mother of a 17-month-old girl injured in the shooting. The mother described how her daughter was still playful, despite her injuries, and that surgery was planned to remove shrapnel from her chest and to fix her mouth.

The tragedy began unfolding around 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The rampage, which lasted nearly two hours, left residents of the twin cities of Midland and Odessa reeling.

The shootings began with a traffic stop and ended in an exchange of gunfire with police in a movie theater parking lot. More than 20 people were shot in apparent random attacks.

Details on the victims have yet to be released. The wounded include three law enforcement officers, said Police Chief Gerke.

The shooter, who was firing from his vehicle, has been identified only as a white man in his 30s.

“Grab your loved ones. Pray for this town,” said Russell Tippin, chief executive of the hospital where some of the victims were being treated.

“This is a scary incident,” he added in an interview with a local television station.

The shootings mark what has become an especially deadly summer of gun violence across the country.

In July, three people were killed by a gunman at a festival in Gilroy, Calif., and on the day after the Aug. 3 mass shooting in El Paso, nine people were killed in Dayton, Ohio.

Saturday’s shooting comes as Texans are still feeling shaken by the 22 killings in El Paso.

Democratic presidential hopeful and El Paso native Beto O’Rouke reacted to the shooting on Twitter, saying, “Our hearts are with Midland, Odessa, and everyone in West Texas who had to endure this again…. We need to end this epidemic.”

“Our community is devastated,” said Midland City Councilman John B. Love. “It’s just really, really horrible.”

Love, who supports gun rights, added that the country needed to have a conversation about mass shootings “because lives depend on it.”

“Something has to be done,” he said.

Residents of Midland and Odessa had been busy celebrating the start of Labor Day weekend. A nine-day country fair — the Permian Basin Fair and Exposition — opened Friday with pig races, a tractor pull and a Wild West show.

Less than 24 hours later, law enforcement officers were advising motorists to keep off the roads.

“Active Shooter! Please Share!” read a posting on the Facebook page for the Odessa Police Department.

At the time, there were unconfirmed reports of a second gunman, only adding to the chaos of the rapidly
evolving shooting rampage, which began with a traffic stop. A trooper from the Department of Public Safety stopped the gunman’s gold Honda between Midland and Odessa and was shot.

The shooter then drove west into Odessa, according to police, and began “shooting at random people.”

Zindy Galindo was heading to Walmart that afternoon with her 3-year-old son when she was nearly cut off by an erratic driver who shot at the vehicle ahead of her.

Galindo heard the gunfire, not knowing at first what it was. Then she saw the back window of the vehicle in front of her shatter.

“At that point, I panicked,” she said, “and called my husband.”

She continued to Walmart, thinking it was a case of road rage, but when she saw people running through the parking lot, she knew it was
more serious.

When the gold Honda passed by, the driver still shooting, she said, “I grabbed my
son out of the car seat and hid on the floor of my SUV.”

The gunman had apparently chosen 42nd Street in Odessa as his target. One of Odessa’s main drags, 42nd Street had a number of retail businesses — Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Starbucks — crowded with Saturday shoppers.

Vehicles parked along the street were punctured with bullets. The 17-month-old girl was
among the bystanders wounded in the attack.

Hit in the face with a bullet fragment, she was flown to Lubbock for treatment, according to a
family friend, and was in stable condition Saturday night.

A restaurant worker described the chaos of people screaming and upending chairs as they tried to find cover.

Reporters at CBS 7, who were covering the shooting from their studios inside a shopping mall, were ordered to evacuate by police, who initially believed the shooter was nearby.

They continued to report remotely on the chaos
of shoppers running through the mall until police determined the mall was clear.

The shooter fired indiscriminately along 42nd Street, and at some point abandoned his vehicle, hijacked a mail truck and continued firing.

An unidentified witness told the local television station that her letter carrier had been shot in the head during the theft of the vehicle.

Jorge Nieto was at his parents’ home in Odessa, scrolling through Facebook, when he began seeing posts calling attention to an active shooter in his neighborhood.

Walking to the front of the house, he looked outside his window and saw a body lying on the street. He wasn’t certain if it was the postal carrier or another victim.

“I didn’t hear any gunshots,” he said. “I was confused. I thought someone got in a fight.”

Nieto also described seeing a mail truck nearby with police vehicles approaching.

“It’s normal for us to see four or five cop cars in this part of town,” he said.

The shooter was en route to a movie theater complex, where after colliding with a law enforcement vehicle in the parking lot he exchanged gunfire with police officers and died.

Movie patrons fled the theater and flooded the parking lot. Some took cover in an adjacent dirt field

Video showed police approaching the stolen postal truck with their guns drawn and firing.

Officials declined to comment on whether the shooter was killed by police officers or took his own life.

A hospital had set up a staging area with grief counselors and social workers for support.

Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton said he had asked law enforcement and crime victim services to help residents recover.

“I am horrified to see such a senseless act terrorize the fine people of the Permian Basin,” he said in a statement, adding his appreciation for the first responders who helped end “this evil attack.”

As victims lie in hospitals, recovering from the shootings in El Paso and now in Odessa, the newly formed Texas Safety Commission has been meeting to consider what Gov. Abbott has described as the “next step” in responding robustly and rapidly to such shootings.

Times staff writers Ralph Vartabedian and Cindy Chang contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2019-08-31/odessa-shooting-texas-leaves-5-dead-21-injured

Trump says trade talks still planned for September after China…

“We are talking to China, the meetings in September, that hasn’t changed,” Trump told reporters Sunday on the White House South Lawn after returning from Camp David.

read more

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/01/trump-says-trade-talks-still-planned-for-sept-after-china-tariffs-go-into-effect.html

Frankie Fleuridor, an activist who works with the Haitian community in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco was worried that not everybody would be able to leave. “Some people are saying that they’re not going to go because they have nowhere to go,” he said on Saturday.

“It’s tough for people in the shantytowns,” he said. Their plywood houses are not built to withstand hurricane-force winds and are vulnerable to flooding. He said that he had rented hotel rooms for the most vulnerable, but could not afford to do more. “I’m maxed out,” he said.

Mr. Minnis, the prime minister, warned residents of the most vulnerable regions on Friday to move to higher ground, but The Nassau Guardian reported on Saturday that some residents on Sweeting Cay, a fishing village on the eastern side of Grand Bahama Island, were stranded and calling for help.

Mr. Pintard, the agriculture minister, crisscrossed Grand Bahama Island on Saturday in a last-minute effort to help to residents. Many homes are still damaged from Hurricane Matthew, which hit the island two years ago. He brought a team of workers to nail plywood on roofs, windows and doors.

He said he was concerned that many of the damaged homes would face “tremendous rain downpour and hurricane-force winds,” and that there was a shortage of both labor and plywood to prepare.

The storm’s slow pace and the low-lying islands’ vulnerability to flooding added to those concerns.

Thousands of people were at risk of losing their homes — which is their “life’s investment,” he said, adding that “catastrophic damage” would close businesses and eliminate jobs, “which we are ill prepared for.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/01/world/americas/hurricane-dorian-bahamas.html

  • By:
    Cox Media Group National Content Desk

    Updated: Sep 1, 2019 – 10:36 AM

ODESSA, Texas

More than half a dozen people are dead after a man opened fire at random Saturday afternoon in Odessa and Midland, Texas, police said. The shooter, a white male in his 30s, was shot and killed by police.

>> Read more trending news

The incident began when a Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper conducted a traffic stop, and the man pulled over fired shots, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said in a news conference.

The suspect fled the scene, and at some point abandoned his vehicle and stole a United States Postal Service truck, Gerke said.

It’s unclear exactly when and where the suspect shot the victims. Among those shot were three law enforcement officers: a Department of Public Safety Trooper, a Midland police officer and an Odessa police officer.

Police eventually shot and killed the suspect in a movie theater.

Update 10:30 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: Seven people have now been confirmed dead in the Texas shootings, according to The Associated Press.

Steve LeSueur of the Odessa Police Department said Sunday at least one person remains in “life-threatening” condition. 

A news conference is scheduled for noon.

Update 7:11 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: In a tweet, the Ector County Independent School District confirmed a student in the district was killed in Saturday’s shooting.left five people dead and 21 injured in the Odessa-Midland area of West Texas.

“We are heartbroken and outraged by the violence that struck our community and our school district today. We are learning that we have lost friends, family members, as well as one of our students. Our lives have been changed forever,” the district said in a statement that was posted on Twitter.

Update 4:18 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: Russell Tippin, CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, said 13 people were being treated after Saturday’s shootings in Odessa and Midland that left five people dead and 21 injured.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, Tippin said eight people have had surgery and that seven are in critical condition. The other person died, Tippin told the newspaper.\

Tippin also said two people have been treated and released, according to the Reporter-Telegram.

At a news conference earlier Saturday, Tippin said it was important to keep family members close.

“If you are listening to my voice, grasp onto loved ones and hold onto them and pray for this town and family and victims involved,” Tippin said. “This is a scary incident, and no one is guaranteed tomorrow. Give thoughts and prayers to families and victims in this tragic incident.”

Update 9:55 p.m. EDT Aug. 31: The suspect used a rifle in the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Elizabeth Carter told CNN.

The Department of Public Safety Trooper who was shot is in serious but stable condition, Carter said. The Midland police officer and Odessa police officer who were also shot are also said to be in stable condition.

Russell Tippin, CEO of Medical Center Health System in Odessa, said in a press conference that one of the shooting victims is younger than 2 years old. The child was flown to either a Dallas or Lubbock hospital, Tippin said.

Update 7:10 p.m. EDT: At least five people have been killed and 21 injured, including three law enforcement officers, in the shooting, Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke said.

The injured include a Trooper, a Midland police officer and an Odessa police officer, Gerke said.

The suspect, who is dead, was a white male in his mid-30s, Gerke said. His name hasn’t been disclosed.

The altercation started with a traffic stop conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety, police said.

At this time, police believe there was only one shooter.

Update 6:55 p.m. EDT: Midland Mayor Jerry Morales told CNN that one person was killed and 21 others were injured in Saturday’s shootings. Two of those injured are law enforcement officers, Morales said.

Midland Memorial Hospital is on lockdown, according to its Facebook page.

Update 6:40 p.m. EDT: Midland police officials have confirmed the shooter has been shot and killed in Odessa, according to a Midland PD Facebook post.

“There is no active shooter at this time. All agencies are investigating reports of possible suspects,” the post said.

Originial report: Multiple people were shot Saturday afternoon in Midland and Odessa, Odessa police said. Authorities advised drivers to get off the roads.

A shooter stole a mail truck and is shooting at random people in Odessa, police said. There were also reports of a shooter at the Cinergy in Midland driving a gold or white Toyota truck, Midland police said.

There were early reports of multiple shooters, but police later said they believe there was only one shooter. 

 

Source Article from https://www.wsoctv.com/news/trending-now/active-shooter-reported-in-texas/981324449

Trump’s 15% tariffs on $112 billion in Chinese goods take effect

The Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs on Chinese imports took effect Sunday, raising prices Americans pay for clothes, shoes, sporting goods and other consumer…

read more

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/01/china-starts-to-impose-additional-tariffs-on-some-us-goods.html

Chat with us in Facebook Messenger. Find out what’s happening in the world as it unfolds.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/01/us/hazmat-hotel-san-jose-california/index.html

Lyon (AFP) – A 19-year-old man was killed and another nine wounded, three seriously, on Saturday in a knife attack near the French city of Lyon, a regional official and emergency services said.

Two men, one armed with a knife and the other with a skewer, carried out the attack in Villeurbanne, a Lyon suburb, in southeastern France, the official said, without giving further details on the motive for the stabbing.

Emergency services are at work in Villeurbanne on the outskirts of Lyon, south-eastern France, after a knife attack (AFP Photo/PHILIPPE DESMAZES)

One of the men had been arrested by police but the second was on the run. The attack took place close to a metro station.

An AFP journalist at the scene witnessed a body being taken away in an ambulance and traces of blood on the ground.

The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office had been informed but had not taken charge of the case at this stage.

Last May, a parcel bomb in front of a baker’s shop in central Lyon left 14 people slightly injured.

French police and soldiers sealed off the area after the attack (AFP Photo/PHILIPPE DESMAZES)

The perpetrator, a young radicalised Algerian, who was arrested three days later, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, according to his confession.

Lyon, France’s third city, until then had remained untouched by the wave of jihadist attacks that has killed 251 people in France since 2015.

Source Article from https://www.yahoo.com/news/one-dead-nine-wounded-french-knife-attack-173524343.html

The Alaska Earthquake Center reports that a magnitude 5.0 earthquake hit southern Alaska. It was felt by people in the state’s capital. Juneau.

The center says the earthquake hit at 8:32 p.m. Saturday and had an epicenter 43 miles (70 kilometers) west of Klukwan, a village of about 95 people. The earthquake had a depth of less than a mile (about 1 kilometer.)

Several Juneau residents reported on social media that they felt the quake. One person tweeted: “Juneau just had an earthquake… I actually felt it. My bed was literally moving.”

There were no reports of significant damage.

The last big earthquake to hit Alaska took place on Nov. 30, when a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck near Anchorage.

Alaska’s massive 1964 earthquake had a magnitude 9.2.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/magnitude-50-earthquake-hits-alaska-felt-capital-city-65322054

Media captionKeir Starmer: “The purpose of the legislation… is to prevent us leaving without a deal”

MPs who want to stop a no-deal Brexit will seek to bring forward legislation against it this week, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has said.

He said the plan was to prevent the PM “from taking us out of the EU without a deal” but he did not go into detail.

Cabinet minister Michael Gove refused to guarantee that the government would abide by it if it passed, saying: “Let’s see what the legislation says.”

The government is “not doing anything to facilitate a no deal”, he said.

Mr Gove also said “some” food prices “may go up” and “other prices will come down” in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Meanwhile, the EU’s lead Brexit negotiator has rejected Boris Johnson’s demands for the controversial Irish backstop to be scrapped.

The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, with or without a deal.

The prime minister says he is willing to leave without one rather than miss the deadline, which has prompted a number of opposition MPs to unite to try and block a possible no deal.

Sir Keir told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “The legislation is intended to ensure we don’t leave without a deal, that will require an extension.

“The length of the extension is secondary, frankly. We have simply got to stop us leaving without a deal.”

Labour’s shadow chancellor John McDonnell told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday that plans to block a no-deal Brexit will be published on Tuesday.

He said the “ultimate goal this week” was to “ensure Parliament can have a final say”.

Media captionMichael Gove: “We will see what the legislation says when it is put forward”

But when asked if the government would abide by legislation preventing a no-deal Brexit, Mr Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show: “Let’s see what the legislation says.

“You’re asking me about a pig in a poke.

“And I will wait to see what legislation the opposition may try to bring forward.”

Sir Keir responded on Twitter, saying Mr Gove’s response was “breathtaking”, adding: “No government is above the law.”


What could happen next week in Parliament?

Any new law has to pass through all stages of both Houses of Parliament. This would usually take weeks, but it could be done in as little as three days this week.

However, the bill could be challenged by the government and fall at any stage. It could fail to achieve enough support from either MPs or peers in votes held in the Houses.

  • Tuesday: MPs return to the Commons after their summer recess. Opposition MPs are expected to put forward legislation to stop no deal under “SO24” or Standing Order 24 – the rule that allows MPs to ask for a debate on a “specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration”. This would be the bill’s first reading – its formal introduction to the House.
  • Wednesday: In theory, the bill would then be debated and could potentially pass through all further stages in the Commons. However, the bill must pass through a series of votes and receive backing from more than half of MPs in order to pass on to the next stage. Boris Johnson’s first PMQs as prime minister also takes place.
  • Thursday: If MPs passed the bill, it could then reach the House of Lords by Thursday, but consideration of the bill could spill into Monday. It will be debated and voted on. The House is not due to sit on Friday.
  • Monday, 9 September: If the bill passes these hurdles it could gain Royal Assent, which formally makes it law.

This could be a tight timetable as there are as few as four sitting days before Parliament is suspended. This is due to happen between Monday, 9 September, and Thursday, 12 September, under plans announced by the prime minister.

Boris Johnson says he asked for the suspension in order to hold a Queen’s Speech – which sets out a list of laws the government hopes to get approved by Parliament – on 14 October.

Another hurdle for any bill could come in the House of Lords. Although opponents to no deal have a large majority, peers wanting to block a piece of legislation could talk and talk until there is no time left.


However, opposition parties and those who are against a no-deal Brexit are split on their aims.

Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran said her party’s aim this week was to achieve an extension to Article 50 – the process by which the UK leaves the EU – and then a further referendum.

“We stand by our Stop Brexit stance but we do that via a People’s Vote and that’s step one,” she told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

Although Sir Keir suggested an Article 50 extension will be needed under the legislation plan, Labour has been clear that it wants a general election.

And while former justice secretary David Gauke wants to avoid no deal, he has said he “doesn’t want to do anything to facilitate a Jeremy Corbyn government”.

“Indeed, one of my worries about a no-deal Brexit is it will create the chaos in which Jeremy Corbyn could win a general election,” the Conservative Party MP told Sky’s Sophy Ridge on Sunday.

However, Mr Gauke said he is minded to put the national interest first if he were forced to choose between disobeying the party whip in a vote to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Referring to reports that Tories who oppose a no-deal option could lose the party whip – which means they would effectively be expelled from the party – he said: “Sometimes there is a point where you have to judge between your own personal interests and the national interest.

“And the national interest has to come first. But I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Mr Gauke said he will meet the prime minister on Monday to hear what his plan is to deliver a Brexit deal.

‘No food shortage’

Pressed on whether there would be shortages of fresh food in a no-deal Brexit scenario, Mr Gove said: “Everyone will have the food they need.”

He added: “No, there will be no shortages of fresh food.”

When asked if food prices would increase, Mr Gove replied: “I think that there are a number of economic factors in play.

“Some prices may go up. Other prices will come down.”

He said that freedom of movement will end “as we understand it”, but added that the EU Settlement Scheme was “working well”.

But trade association the BRC (British Retail Consortium) said Mr Gove’s claims on potential fresh food shortages were “categorically untrue”.

“The retail industry has been crystal clear in its communications with government over the past 36 months that the availability of fresh foods will be impacted as a result of checks and delays at the border,” a statement said.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49541942

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke says that at least 21 people have been injured by gunfire and five killed in a shooting in West Texas.

At a news conference Saturday, Gerke also says that at least three law enforcement officers were among those shot.

He spoke after a chaotic afternoon during which police reported that a suspect hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle. A man began shooting after an attempted traffic stop, then began firing at random in the area of Odessa and Midland, hitting multiple people.

Police initially reported that there could be more than one shooter, but Gerke says authorities now believe it was one shooter.

Midland police said a suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa. The Washington Post described the suspect as a white man in his 30s.

The Texas Department of Public Safety had urged residents to avoid major highways in the area. The USPS recalled its vehicles to help authorities track down the suspect, according to CBS7.

The University of Texas Permian Basin campus had gone into lockdown.

Source Article from https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2019/08/5-dead-police-officers-among-21-shot-in-random-attacks-after-hijacking-in-west-texas.html

Hurricane Dorian closed in on the northern Bahamas early Sunday as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm, likely to bring a life-threatening storm surge, hurricane-force winds and heavy rainfall.

Dorian barreled across the Caribbean overnight, with winds swirling at 150 mph as it headed toward the Southeast coast of the U.S. President Trump warned it could be “one of the biggest and strongest” storms to hit in decades.

The storm was advancing at 8 mph as it moved west, the National Hurricane Center said at 5 a.m. ET Sunday. It was about 70 miles east of Great Abaco Island and the northwestern Bahamas and 255 miles east of West Palm Beach, Fla. Its winds increased Saturday, nearing a Category 5 classification, where winds are sustained over 156 mph.

Authorities evacuated most of the northern shore and low-lying islands in the Bahamas on Saturday, and remaining tourists were sent to shelters.

Shoppers wait in long lines at Costco, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019, in Davie, Fla., as they stock up on supplies ahead of Hurricane Dorian. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

The storm could make landfall next week in Florida, Georgia or the Carolinas. The NHC has stressed that the storm’s possible path is uncertain and can change, but what is certain is that it will be a dangerous weather event.

There is a “cone of uncertainty” as to where Dorian might make landfall, Fox News meteorologist Adam Klotz said Saturday. The system could travel closer inland near Florida or it could stay out over the Atlantic Ocean more, then proceed north to the Carolinas where it could make landfall.

“Dorian is forecast to move over a deep layer of very warm waters, which is like high octane-fuel for hurricanes,” National Hurricane Center specialist Lixion Avila told the Post and Courier.

National Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said the “energy and power” of the raw system was clearly visible as of Saturday evening. While there were subtle changes in its forecast, the storm is “still a very dangerous situation over the Bahamas,” where up to 25 inches of rain might fall in some places and water levels could rise up to 15 feet above normal height.

Graham said the situation in the Bahamas is “life-threatening” especially because the hurricane becomes “slow and stalled” over that area.

Hurricane warnings were in effect for the northwestern Bahamas and a hurricane watch was in place for Andros Island. There was also a tropical storm watch in effect from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet in Florida, the NHC said in its advisory at 5 a.m. ET Sunday.

“On this track, the core of Dorian should be near or over portions of the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, and move closer to the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday,” the NHC said.

‘EXTREMELY DANGEROUS’ HURRICANE DORIAN’S PATH SHIFTS TOWARDS GEORGIA AND CAROLINAS; FLORIDA STILL IN ITS SIGHTS

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to to 30 mph from the storm’s center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles.

Jorge Ortiz works to tie down his roof as he prepares for the arrival of Dorian in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Gianfranco Gaglione)

Dorian is expected to bring a life-threatening storm surge that could raise water levels up to 15 feet above normal tides in the northwestern Bahamas, the NHC said.

In the northwestern Bahamas, 10 to 15 inches of rain is expected this weekend into next week, with 25 inches in isolated areas.

Coastal sections of the southeast U.S. could get 4 to 8 inches with up to 12 inches in certain spots, and the rainfall might cause life-threatening flash floods, the hurricane center said.

Officials in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina have declared states of emergency due to the possible impacts from Dorian.

“Although the path of #Dorian has shifted, the entire East Coast is still vulnerable to significant impacts,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “Residents in East Coast counties should continue to monitor local reports and stay vigilant.”

President Trump on Friday approved an emergency declaration for Florida and “ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Dorian,” the White House said.

“Looking like our great South Carolina could get hit MUCH harder than first thought,” the president tweeted Saturday morning. “Georgia and North Carolina also. It’s moving around and very hard to predict, except that it is one of the biggest and strongest (and really wide) that we have seen in decades. Be safe!”

Authorities have cautioned all residents to prepare and have seven days’ worth of food, water and medicine.

“It is imperative that all Floridians and their families take Hurricane Dorian seriously,” DeSantis said Friday night. “The time to prepare diminishes by the hour, particularly because we are still uncertain of where it will make landfall. Everyone should have seven days of food, water and medicine in preparation for this storm. Additionally, all residents need to be prepared to evacuate, should that be required.”

HURRICANE DORIAN’S PATH: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

No mass evacuations have been ordered yet because of the uncertainty of Dorian’s path.

“Sometimes if you evacuate too soon, you may evacuate into the path of the storm if it changes,” DeSantis said.

The Navy has ordered dozens of warships and aircraft to evacuate two bases in northeast Florida ahead of Dorian’s anticipated arrival, and “Sortie Condition Alpha” was declared Thursday for ships homeported at Mayport Naval Station at the mouth of the St. Johns River east of Jacksonville. “Sortie Condition Alpha” means units must prepare to dispatch or deploy because destructive weather is expected within 24 hours.

Aviation Machinist Mate 3rd Class Benjamin Harrell signals the crew of a P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean R. Morton/Released)

A U.S. Air Force spokesperson told Fox News there were aircraft evacuations ordered at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Miami-Dade County for 25 F-16s, Patrick Air Force Base in Brevard County for 24 C-130s, Jacksonville International Airport for 20 F-15s, Moody Air Force Base in Georgia for 2 HH-60 and 34 A-10s, MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa for 16 Kc-135s, Joint Base Charleston for 24 C-17s, and Savannah International Airport for 5 C-130s.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/hurricane-dorian-near-category-5-trump-strongest-storms-decades

“The police were out of control,” said Crystal Yip, a 20-year-old college student who was in the station when officers arrived. “They were crazy and they were mad. They were trying to express their anger by attacking people randomly.”

Yolanda Yu, police senior superintendent, said 40 people were arrested in the station on suspicion of unlawful assembly, criminal damages and obstructing officers.

“Protesters used sticks and hard objects to attack police. We used the same level of force to respond to the situation,” Ms. Yu said, replying to a reporter asking why the police had used pepper spray on commuters who were kneeling on the ground.

She said that the police had warned civilians to stay away. “Under chaotic situations, it is indeed hard to determine whether someone is a real journalist, a protester or a violent person,” she said.

The violence in Prince Edward Station began during a dispute between protesters and some older men who were insulting them. One of the men swung a hammer at the protesters, who threw water bottles and umbrellas and later appeared to set off fire extinguishers in the car. After the clashes, the subway system suspended service across much of Hong Kong. Three stations remained closed on Sunday.

The subway operator, MTR, has been a target of vandalism since it began suspending service last month to stations in places near where protests are planned. It continued that pattern on Saturday, stopping service at Sai Ying Pun Station, near the Chinese government liaison office, a site of some protests.

In the wake of the clashes, Chinese news outlets run by the Communist Party urged the Hong Kong government to take tough steps against the protesters and cited experts urging Carrie Lam, the chief executive of the city, to invoke emergency powers. An online outlet controlled by the Communist Party’s law-and-order committee said the Hong Kong protesters were using “terrorist methods.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/01/world/asia/hong-kong-protests-arrests-airport.html

ODESSA, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a shooting in West Texas (all times local):

9 p.m.

A database shows that the West Texas shooting brings the number of mass killings in the U.S. so far this year to 25, which is as many mass killings as in all of 2018.

The AP/USATODAY/Northeastern University mass murder database also shows that depending on whether the suspect killed in West Texas is included among the five people dead Saturday, the total of victims so far this year in the U.S. either equals all of last year at 140 or falls one short at 139.

The database tracks all U.S. homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed (not including the offender) over a short period of time (24 hours) regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive. The database includes information on these and other characteristics concerning the incidents, offenders, and victims.

___

8:30 p.m.

The CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, Russell Tippin, says a total of 13 shooting victims have been treated at the hospital, including one who has died. It was not immediately clear if the deceased person was among the five dead previously cited by law enforcement authorities.

Tippin says seven of the shooting victims are listed in critical condition, including several who have already completed surgeries, and two others are in serious condition.

One shooting victim, a child under the age of 2, was transferred to another facility and two others were treated and released, Tippin said. Tippin did not say where the child was transferred.

Tippin previously said that the hospital was treating 14 shooting victims. But he said that one of the patients he included earlier was injured in an incident unrelated to the shooting.

___

8:20 p.m.

Authorities say a mass shooting in West Texas began when a man being pulled over by state troopers started shooting through the rear window of his car with a rifle.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger says Saturday that one of two state troopers conducting the traffic stop was shot. She says the suspect then fled “and continued shooting innocent people,” including two other police officers.

Authorities say a total of three law enforcement officers were shot. At least five people died. There were at least 21 civilian gunshot victims.

Cesinger says the trooper is in serious but stable condition. The two police officers are in stable condition at a local hospital.

Cesinger says no one else was in the shooter’s vehicle.

___

6:55 p.m.

Russell Tippin, CEO of Medical Center Hospital in Odessa, says 14 shooting victims are being treated at the hospital, but he did not give their conditions or other information about the victims.

Tippin says social workers and professional counselors are at the hospital to provide support to the families of shooting victims. He also said the hospital has been locked down for the safety of the staff and patients.

He says: “Right now the hospital is stable, it’s secure.”

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke has said that at least five people died from the shooting. He said three law enforcement officers were injured and at least 21 civilians were shot.

___

6:30 p.m.

Police say the suspect killed after a West Texas shooting spree was a white male in his 30s.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke declined to name him but said he has some idea who he is.

He says at least 21 people have been injured. At least five people are dead.

___

6:10 p.m.

Odessa Police Chief Michael Gerke says that at least 21 people have been injured by gunfire and five killed in a shooting in West Texas.

At a news conference Saturday, Gerke also says that at least three law enforcement officers were among those shot.

He spoke after a chaotic afternoon during which police reported that a suspect hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and began firing at random in the area of Odessa and Midland, hitting multiple people. Police initially reported that there could be more than one shooter, but Gerke says authorities now believe it was one shooter.

Gerke says he believes the threat is over but authorities remain vigilant.

___

5:30 p.m.

Police said there are “multiple gunshot victims” in West Texas after reports of two suspects opening fire on Saturday in the area of Midland and Odessa.

Midland police said at least one suspect was shot and killed near the Cinergy movie theater in Odessa.

One or possibly two suspects hijacked a U.S. Postal Service vehicle and were firing at random, hitting multiple people, Odessa police said.

“At this time there are multiple gunshot victims,” Odessa police said in a posting on Facebook.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has urged residents to avoid major highways in the area, including Interstate 20.

No other details were immediately available.

Odessa is about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Midland. Both are more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) west of Dallas.

___

Source Article from https://kwwl.com/news/national-news-from-the-associated-press/2019/08/31/odessa-police-chief-21-shot-5-killed-in-texas-shooting/

Hurricane Dorian careened toward the southeastern United States on Saturday, taking an unpredictable path that has residents of four states on edge.

Dorian had swelled to a more powerful Category 4 hurricane, with raging winds of more than 150 mph. The storm could bring life-threatening storm surge as it plows up the Atlantic coast toward Georgia and the Carolinas.

And experts warned that the storm could strengthen even more before it reaches the United States.

“Dorian is forecast to move over a deep layer of very warm waters, which is like high-octane fuel for hurricanes,” National Hurricane Center senior forecaster Lixion Avila wrote in a Saturday update.

But even as officials urged residents to prepare for the worst, they struggled to deal with the storm’s unpredictable path. On Friday, it looked as if Dorian would bear down on South Florida. By Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said Dorian might skirt the state’s coast without making landfall, instead striking somewhere along the Carolina coast midweek.

Even so, officials urged Florida residents not to let their guard down. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) warned that Dorian could be dangerous even if it never ­touches land.

Jared Moskowitz, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, said “most of the east coast” of Florida will probably see high winds and flooding. “At this point, the only thing consistent about this storm has been its inconsistency,” Moskowitz said in a news release.

But the shifting track confounded public officials, who wrestled with whether to declare mandatory evacuations. Five counties issued voluntary evacuations, but only two — Martin and Brevard — planned to make it mandatory for residents on barrier islands.

Saturday evening, Florida ordered hurricane watches for five counties, from Broward County to Indian River County, as Dorian lumbered at 8 mph toward the Bahamas.

That country is preparing for “catastrophic” wind, rain and storm surge Sunday, especially in the north, said Lindsay Thompson, public information officer for the National Emergency Management Agency in Nassau.

“It’s slow moving, so it’s really not good,” Thompson said. “We are a low-lying island nation. We’re looking at a storm surge in some areas up to 12 feet, 15 feet.”

She said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis warned residents Saturday afternoon of the danger from Dorian. “He made a final appeal for people to get off the smaller islands,” she said. “He said basically, you will die if you stay.”

Hurricane-force winds extended out 30 miles from the ­well-defined eye of the storm, and tropical-storm-force winds of up to 74 mph extended outward 115 miles, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The wind field and uncertain track kept people on the east coast of Florida in active preparation mode Saturday. Florida Power and Light (FPL), which provides electricity to nearly 10 million people in the state, called in 18,000 restoration crew workers from across the country and Canada. They were deployed around the state — including at the Daytona Motor Speedway — waiting for the power outages officials said are inevitable with a strong hurricane.

FPL communications director Brian Garner said Dorian is likely to knock out power somewhere in the state.

“Rest assured that Florida remains in the cone of uncertainty, and this is still a very dangerous storm,” he said.

Floridians seemed to be heeding that warning Saturday. Water, bread, ice and plywood were selling fast at stores along the state’s east coast.

“We’re kind of last minute,” said Christyna Hooks, as she and roommate Teika Woodbury wove through the waiting cars in the parking lot of a West Palm Beach Home Depot. “Honestly, I don’t even want to put up shutters. We need wood — our landlord said it was on us to put it up — and snacks and lots of water.”

“And alcohol,” she added.

Stores selling supplies were busy, but places that would normally be crowded with tourists on Labor Day weekend were quiet. Orlando International Airport, the busiest in the state, plans to cease commercial operations at 2 a.m. Monday.

On Saturday morning, entire blocks of the Daytona Beach boardwalk were deserted, and Labor Day crowds were nowhere to be found. Amusement park rides were shut down, and crews were boarding up an ice cream shop.

Those who stayed said their heads were spinning from a week of changing expectations for the slow-moving storm.

“It’s annoying not knowing,” said Eileen Keenan, as she sipped a salted caramel mocha at a beachside Starbucks.

Keenan filled her car with gas and went grocery shopping without issue earlier in the week. After the hurricane was upgraded to Category 3 on Friday, the same station was out of gas and the same store was out of water.

Karen Cook, manager of a sprawling beachfront souvenir shop, frowned as she watched the Weather Channel on a large TV behind the cash register.

“I can’t hear about it anymore,” she said, planning to switch channels to HGTV or college football. “It’s so much stress . . . making sure we have food preparations and the kids taken care of. The waiting game, it’s just so hard. But that eye is so big.”

St. Johns County in North Florida offered free sandbags to residents, and city workers placed hundreds of them along the streets of St. Augustine.

In South Florida, residents who rushed to board up windows and stock up on supplies heading into the weekend found themselves out of the cone Saturday. But many of them were still wary.

On Fort Lauderdale’s beaches, crowds were sparse, despite sunshine, temperatures in the low 90s and a mild breeze. Lifeguard stands had yellow flags fluttering, meaning there was a medium hazard with “moderate surf and/or currents.”

Without mandatory evacuations, the highways weren’t crowded, and lines at gas stations were short.

“There have been 10 different predictions, and even though conditions are now more favorable, let’s not forget what happened in 2017,” said Broward County Mayor Mark Bogen, speaking at an 11:30 a.m. briefing in the county’s fully staffed Emergency Operations Center in Plantation.

Bogen was referring to Hurricane Irma in 2017. South Florida was in the direct path of a Category 4 storm, only to dodge a major disaster when Irma turned at the last minute and headed up the west coast of Florida instead. There was still considerable storm damage here, including significant flooding and many days without power for a number of residents — including 12 people who died in a nursing home that wasn’t equipped with a generator — but not the devastation originally predicted.

Bogen struck a cautionary tone Saturday.

“Assume you’ll lose power, ­assume you’ll be in the dark, assume the worst,” he said. “Be prepared. Be in a safe location.”

Hurricane Irma was a much bigger storm than Dorian, enveloping most of the state. The prestorm warnings and evacuation orders from state officials, such as then-Gov. Rick Scott (R), prompted one of the largest mass evacuations in the country’s history: 6.8 million people left their homes to find safer ground.

That caused massive traffic snarls on the state’s major highways. Drivers ran out of gas on the Florida Turnpike and camped out on the side of the road.

A year after Irma, a survey by the National Hurricane Survival Initiative found that 3 in 5 Floridians would refuse to evacuate, mostly because of concerns about traffic.

DeSantis, while urging residents to “remain vigilant” in the face of Hurricane Dorian, left evacuation warnings up to local officials in the state’s 67 counties.

Evacuation orders are never popular. Even evacuation suggestions irk people — as officials in the Florida Keys discovered Saturday. On Friday, when the Keys were in the cone of uncertainly, officials asked visitors to leave if they could.

On Saturday, when the new forecast showed that Dorian was no longer a threat to the islands, they reversed course.

It was good to be out of the cone, said Rhonda Holding of the Marathon Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center.

“You’d have a better chance of getting through Dorian here than you would up north,” Holding said. “It’s a beautiful, sunny day. There’s a nice breeze. It would be a good day for fishing or snorkeling.”

Jason Samenow contributed to this report.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hurricane-dorians-unpredictable-path-has-officials-residents-in-4-states-unsettled/2019/08/31/97501072-cc24-11e9-be05-f76ac4ec618c_story.html

The Trump administration continues to look for other ways to limit the ability of American companies to do business with China. The Commerce Department is moving forward with new export controls that would restrict American firms from selling sensitive technology, like artificial intelligence and quantum computing, to Chinese firms. And it has blacklisted several Chinese technology companies, including the telecom giant Huawei, from buying sensitive American technology.

“We’ve never seen anyone do what President Trump has done,” said Chad P. Bown, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. “It looks more and more like this is the new normal.”

Mr. Bown’s research shows that the trade war is entering a period of rapid escalation. Tariffs between the United States and China remained roughly constant from October 2018 to the middle of this year. But after talks between the two sides collapsed in May, the president set into motion a series of increases that will raise American tariffs on China by about 12 percentage points in six months, and will ultimately tax the vast majority of goods China sends to the United States. China, in response, has raised tariffs on $75 billion worth of American products and halted purchases of farm products.

“The trade war has been kind of on a slow burn for a while, but things are now really ramping up in a hurry,” Mr. Bown said.

On Sunday, China began charging a 33 percent tariff on American soybeans, compared with just 3 percent for those coming from Brazil or Argentina, Mr. Bown says. On Dec. 15, China will start taxing American autos and auto parts at a 42.6 percent rate, compared with 12.6 percent for those from Germany or Japan.

Those barriers are quickly reconfiguring the global economy. American imports from China fell by 12 percent in the first half of the year, while exports to China dropped 19 percent. Chinese trade with other countries has increased, offsetting some of that fall from the United States.

Some major multinational companies have announced in recent days that they are trying to quickly reduce their reliance on China. The toymaker Hasbro and clothing retailers like Express and Abercrombie & Fitch have said they will shift their supply chains to emerging manufacturing hubs in Vietnam, India, and elsewhere. Some of that shift was already underway, given China’s rising wages, but the trade war has made that move financially imperative.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/01/world/asia/trump-trade-war-china.html

Trump’s 15% tariffs on $112 billion in Chinese goods take effect

The Trump administration’s latest round of tariffs on Chinese imports took effect Sunday, raising prices Americans pay for clothes, shoes, sporting goods and other consumer…

read more

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/01/hong-kong-protests-police-storm-subway-with-batons-as-clashes-rage.html