10 things you need to know today: September 4, 2017

1. Trump reportedly has decided to end DACA

President Trump has decided to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, Politico reported Sunday, although aides and other news outlets stressed that the decision had not been finalized, and could change before an expected Tuesday announcement on Trump's plans for the program. If he goes through with scrapping DACA, Trump plans to delay its dismantling for six months. The Obama-era DACA program has granted temporary work permits and residency status to 780,000 "DREAMers," young immigrants brought into America illegally as children. A group of 300 corporate executives has pushed to save DACA. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and other Republican leaders also oppose ending the program. On Friday, Trump told reporters, "We love the DREAMers."

Politico The New York Times

2. Mattis warns of 'massive military response' to any North Korea threat

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Sunday responded to North Korea's hydrogen bomb test by saying the U.S. would answer any threat with a "massive military response — a response both effective and overwhelming." The warning came after President Trump vowed the U.S. would halt trade with any country doing business with North Korea, a thinly veiled threat toward China. South Korea on Monday practiced missile strikes "to send a strong warning to North Korea for its sixth nuclear test." The United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting requested by the U.S., Japan, France, Britain, and South Korea to discuss Pyongyang's weapons tests, the second such session in a week. A South Korean official said the North appeared to be readying another ballistic missile for launch.

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The Associated Press The Washington Post

3. Hurricane Irma, path still unclear, prompts early East Coast preparations

Hurricane Irma pushed closer to the Eastern Caribbean overnight with top sustained winds of 115 miles per hour. Even though the storm was still 625 miles and two days away from the Leeward Islands, people in South Florida crowded into stores on Sunday to begin stocking up on drinking water, food, and other essentials, hoping to beat the rush that will come if Irma heads toward the state later in the week. "No one, I mean no one, knows if #Irma will strike U.S.," tweeted Dr. Rick Knabb, a hurricane expert at The Weather Channel, "but we have time in case it does. Shop for supplies this weekend while lines short."

Sun-Sentinel The Washington Post

4. North Korea's nuclear test weighs on global markets

Global stocks fell on Monday as North Korea's sixth and most powerful nuclear test sent investors searching for safer investments. The yen, gold, and sovereign bonds rose. South Korea's benchmark stock index fell by more than 1 percent, and Japan's Nikkei lost nearly 1 percent. Europe's major exchanges opened down by more than 0.5 percent but recovered some of those gains later. U.S. markets are closed Monday for Labor Day, but U.S. stock-index futures fell, with Dow Jones Industrial Average futures down by 0.2 percent, and S&P 500 and Nasdaq-100 futures down by 0.3 percent.

Reuters MarketWatch

5. California governor declares emergency as firefighters battle record L.A. fire

California Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles County as more than 1,000 firefighters battled the biggest wildfire ever to hit the area. The La Tuna fire has burned 7,000 acres and three homes in the Verdugo Mountains north of downtown Los Angeles, and briefly forced authorities to shut down part of the 210 Freeway. A heat wave gave way to slightly cooler temperatures on Sunday. That helped firefighters gain the upper hand, clearing the way for authorities to lift evacuation orders and reopen the freeway. "You can visually see we have turned a corner," said Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, "but this is not over."

Los Angeles Times CBS News

6. Bitcoin drops after China's latest swipe against cryptocurrencies

Bitcoin's price fell by as much as 5 percent on Monday after Chinese regulators banned initial coin offerings or ICOs, which let startups raise money by selling new cryptocurrencies similar to bitcoin in exchange for cash. The practice has become popular in China and around the world, but the People's Bank of China said it amounts to illegal fundraising. The central bank earlier this year also threatened to shut down digital currency exchanges if they violated anti-money-laundering rules. The new ban doesn't directly affect bitcoin, but it contributed to negative sentiment toward digital currencies. Bitcoin has been trending down since reaching a $5,000 plateau this weekend.

CNBC

7. Prince William and Kate Middleton expecting another baby

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child, Kensington Palace has announced, a little brother or sister for 4-year-old Prince George and 2-year-old Princess Charlotte. As with her two first pregnancies, Kate Middleton is suffering from an extreme form of morning sickness called "Hyperemesis Gravidarum." The baby will be fifth in line to the throne, bumping his or her uncle, Prince Harry, "down to sixth place." Bookies are already making predictions about what the child will be named: Alice, Alexandra, and Victoria are favorites for a baby girl; James, Philip, Arthur, and Henry are favorites for a baby boy. "The queen and members of both families are delighted with the news," the palace said in a statement.

The Guardian

8. Malala urges fellow Nobel laureate Suu Kyi to denounce Rohingya treatment

Malala Yousafzai called on her fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, to condemn the country's "shameful" treatment of Rohingya Muslims. Nearly 90,000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh since Aug. 25 attacks on police posts and an army base by Rohingya insurgents started a series of clashes and a military counter-offensive that have killed 400 people. Malala, a Pakistani human rights activist and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner, tweeted that "the world is waiting" for Suu Kyi to say something. The United Nations' special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, also said it was time for Suu Kyi to "step in."

Reuters BBC News

9. Japanese princess to leave behind royal status for love

Japan's Princess Mako of Akishino officially announced Sunday that she would abandon her royal status to marry a commoner, law clerk Kei Komuro. Princess Mako, 25, is the eldest child of Prince Fumihito, officially known as Akishino. She met her fiance when they both were studying at International Christian University in Tokyo, and said she was first attracted to his "smile like the sun." They have been dating for five years. They kept their romance quiet long after Komuro proposed in December 2013, although local media reported the engagement months before the official announcement. The wedding is expected to take place in 2018.

BBC News People

10. Steely Dan co-founder Walter Becker dies at 67

Walter Becker, a co-founder of Steely Dan, died Sunday at the age of 67. He had missed performances in July due to an unspecified illness. Becker, a guitarist and bassist, started collaborating with co-founder Donald Fagen in 1967 when they were students at Bard College in New York. They worked together as songwriters and as members of a backing band before moving to California in the early 1970s and starting Steely Dan with guitarists Jeff "Skunk" Baxter and Denny Dias, drummer Jim Hodder, and singer David Palmer. "He was smart as a whip, an excellent guitarist, and a great songwriter," Fagen said. "He was cynical about human nature, including his own, and hysterically funny."

Rolling Stone