10 things you need to know today: August 31, 2019

People gather to watch the sunrise as Hurricane Dorian approaches Florida on August 31, 2019 in Cocoa Beach, Florida.

(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Jump to category:

1. Hurricane Dorian strengthens to a Category 4 storm
2. North Korean diplomat says hopes for new U.S. talks 'gradually disappearing'
3. China, U.S. expected to meet in September, but tariffs are still a go
4. Hong Kong protesters defy ban, march again
5. Death penalty trial for 9/11 plotters set for 2021
6. Trump tweets possibly classified photo of failed Iranian satellite launch
7. Google reportedly to pay up to $200 million after FTC's YouTube probe
8. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey hacked
9. Tyler Skaggs' autopsy reveals opioids, alcohol in system
10. Valerie Harper dies at 80

published 31 August 2019

1. Hurricane Dorian strengthens to a Category 4 storm

Hurricane Dorian strengthened to a Category 4 storm Friday night with winds of 145 mph. But the forecast Saturday morning indicated Florida may be spared a direct hit; the hurricane is still projected to reach the Bahamas Sunday and Monday, but its path is then expected to veer sharply to the right, so the center of the storm could avoid making Florida landfall. Still, much of Florida remains within the cone of uncertainty and a hurricane warning remains in effect for much of the northwestern Bahamas. Florida will also reportedly begin to feel tropical storm-force winds beginning Sunday. The National Hurricane Center said it's "too soon to determine when or where the highest surge and winds will occur," but Florida's east coast should remain on watch until the middle of next week.

North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Saturday that the country's expectations for restarting talks with the Trump administration were "gradually disappearing." Choe criticized U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for describing North Korean behavior as "rogue," calling the Tuesday comments "thoughtless" remarks that increased North Korea's animosity toward the U.S. "The U.S. had better not put any longer our patience to the test with such remarks irritating us if it doesn't want to have bitter regrets afterward," Choe said. Earlier in August, President Trump said he had received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promising to resume talks once joint U.S.-South Korean military drills ended. The training exercises have come and gone, but North Korea has yet to show any signs of re-engaging with Trump.

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Trade teams from the U.S. and China will reportedly meet in September in the hopes of inching closer toward a deal between Beijing and Washington, but tariff increases on $112 billion in certain Chinese goods are still expected to go into effect Sunday at midnight, as planned. The tariffs will make it 15 percent more expensive for U.S. companies to import many Chinese goods, though some tariffs have been delayed until after the holiday shopping rush. Still, the two sides have used more conciliatory language in recent days, and China's foreign ministry said Friday that Washington and Beijing are maintaining effective communication.

Tens of thousands took to the streets yet again Saturday in Hong Kong for a 13th consecutive weekend of anti-government, pro-democracy protests. The demonstrators marched in defiance of a police ban, even after the group that organized the rally, the Civil Human Rights Front, called off the events. Some protesters threw petrol bombs and attacked the parliament building, while officers used tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Police launched a crackdown Friday, arresting at least three prominent pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, as well as at least three lawmakers for their alleged involvement in the protests.

The death penalty trial for five men charged with plotting the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks will take place in 2021. A military judge on Friday said that the joint trial for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the confessed architect of the attack that killed nearly 3,000 people, and four others will begin on Jan. 11, 2021, when the military jury selection at Guantánamo Bay will begin. Mohammed's case has remained in pretrial hearings for the past seven years, with the start-of-trial dates having been requested as far back as 2012, the year the men were arraigned. Prosecutors were instructed to provide the defense with materials for the trial by October.

President Trump posted a photo of what appeared to be the site of a failed Iranian satellite launch on Twitter Friday, prompting speculation that he had disclosed U.S. surveillance secrets. Trump cited the specific location of the site shown in the image, clarifying the U.S. was not involved in the accident. The president said he has the "absolute right" to release the photograph, but Patrick Eddington, a former CIA satellite imagery analyst, said the photograph appeared to be a classified image and, if so, Trump's tweet "is no doubt welcome news to our adversaries." Eddington did say, however, that the president does indeed have the authority to declassify any federal document. But he added Twitter "is not a legitimate or responsible way to do so."

Google has reportedly agreed to pay between $150 million and $200 million following a Federal Trade Commission probe into YouTube. The FTC had been investigating the Google-owned video platform for allegedly violating the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act by improperly collecting children's data. The Wall Street Journal reports the FTC settlement "is expected to require significant changes," and Bloomberg recently reported YouTube will soon end targeted advertising on videos directed at children in order "to satisfy regulators." This comes after Facebook last month agreed to a $5 billion FTC settlement over privacy violations. Some criticized the fine on Google as too low, with Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) saying the FTC "appears to have let YouTube off the hook."

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account was taken over on Friday, suddenly posting a series of racist and anti-Semitic messages, including one that was just the N-word in all caps. Another claimed there was a bomb at Twitter's headquarters. This isn't the first time this has happened; Dorsey also had his account taken over in 2016. The tweets were apparently posted from the app Cloudhopper. Gizmodo notes Dorsey "may have connected his account to the Cloudhopper app and forgotten to revoke the privileges." The tweets have already been deleted, and Twitter quickly released a statement saying it's "aware" that Dorsey's account was taken over and that it's "investigating what happened." But screenshots of the racist messages have spread across the internet.

The autopsy report for Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who died at the age of 27 in July in a hotel room in Southlake, Texas, was released Friday. The opioids fentanyl and oxycodone, along with alcohol, were found in Skaggs' system. The autopsy also revealed that his death was accidental. The pitcher's family said they were "heartbroken" by the news and said drug use was "completely out of character" for Skaggs. They also alluded to a team employee being involved. The unnamed employee is reportedly tied to an ongoing investigation by the Southlake Police Department, although police did not suspect foul play at the time of the incident.

Valerie Harper, the beloved actress known for her role as Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda, has died at 80. Harper's death was confirmed Friday by her family, and it came following a battle with cancer. The sitcom star won three supporting actress Emmys while playing Mary's best friend on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as well as a lead actress Emmy for Rhoda, the spin-off that aired for five seasons. After being diagnosed with lung and brain cancer in 2009, Harper said in 2013, "I really want Americans and all of us to be less afraid of death, know that it's a passage." She is survived by her husband and daughter.

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.