10 things you need to know today: September 3, 2019

(Image credit: EVA MARIE UZCATEGUI/AFP/Getty Images)

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1. Hurricane Dorian stalls after killing 5 in Bahamas
2. 25 bodies found, 9 still missing after California boat fire
3. Boris Johnson hints at snap elections to prevent Brexit delay
4. Taliban claims responsibility for Kabul explosion that killed 5
5. Police find pipe-bomb-like devices near New Jersey parade route
6. Report: House Democrats to start inquiry into Trump role in hush-money payments
7. Authorities say West Texas gunman called police, FBI before deadly rampage
8. Macron offers Iran bailout to stick with nuclear accord
9. Berlin zoo announces its first panda births
10. Naomi Osaka falls to Belinda Bencic at U.S. Open

published 3 September 2019

1. Hurricane Dorian stalls after killing 5 in Bahamas

At least five people were killed as Hurricane Dorian ravaged the northern Bahamas on Monday, damaging or destroying thousands of homes. When the storm made its first landfall Sunday on Elbow Cay in the Abaco Islands, it was a catastrophic Category 5 with top sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, making it the most powerful storm ever to hit the Bahamas. Dorian moved west over Grand Bahama Island toward Florida and stalled, dropping to Category 4 status and then Category 3 as its top sustained winds dropped to 120 mph early Tuesday. Dorian was expected to turn north and spare Florida a direct hit, but authorities ordered evacuations from much of the state's Atlantic coast. Forecasters warned the track could change and send the storm directly into the East Coast.

At least 25 people were confirmed dead and 9 others remained unaccounted for Monday after a scuba diving boat caught fire off of Santa Cruz Island, California. The Coast Guard reportedly launched "multiple rescue assets" after a predawn distress call came from the 75-foot boat. Five crew members reportedly were rescued by a "good Samaritan pleasure craft." "The crew was already awake and on the bridge and jumped off," Coast Guard Captain Monica Rochester said. The passengers reportedly were asleep below deck when the fire erupted. The Coast Guard continued to fight the fire through the morning, and was "checking to see if any survivors had jumped off the boat or made it to the rocks," CBS Los Angeles reported. Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the Channel Islands, off the coast of Ventura County, near Santa Barbara.

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned rebel members of Parliament on Monday night that he could call a snap election as soon as Wednesday to head off a rumored effort to delay Brexit. "I don't want an election and you don't want one either," Johnson said. Earlier in the day, the opposition Labour Party released the text of a bill supported by opposition MPs and anti-no deal Brexit Tory rebels, which could be introduced this week in a bid to prevent a looming no-deal Brexit on Oct. 31. The Tory rebels have been warned by Johnson that if they support the legislation, they will be expelled from the party and blocked from standing as Conservatives in future elections.

Five civilians were killed and dozens more were wounded Monday in a large explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital. The Taliban claimed responsibility. An interior ministry official attributed the blast to a car bomb. "It was a horrifying explosion," a witness said. A hospital director said the victims included women and children. The blast occurred hours after U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad briefed Afghan government officials on an agreement "in principle" with the Taliban calling for the U.S. to withdraw more than 5,000 troops from the country within five months.

Authorities canceled the annual South Plainfield Labor Day Parade in New Jersey after several pipe-bomb-like devices were found near the parade route. Local police said the event was called off "out of an abundance of caution and due to the potential threat to the community." A man was arrested and charged with possessing explosive devices. The suspect, 55-year-old Thomas Kaiser, lives around the corner from the starting point of the parade, which Gov. Phil Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy had been scheduled to attend, although police said they were never in danger and the explosive devices were not strong enough to have hurt anyone. Kaiser was charged with possessing a destructive device.

The House Judiciary Committee plans to hold hearings this fall into what role President Trump played in making payments to silence two women who said they had affairs with him, The Washington Post reported Monday. Before the 2016 election, Trump's former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, set up hush-money payments in order to keep adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal quiet about their alleged affairs with Trump, he told federal prosecutors. Cohen testified that he did all of this in "coordination" with Trump and at his direction. House Democrats could start their inquiry as soon as October, and they are expected to bring attention to Trump's conflicting statements on the subject.

The man identified as the gunman who went on a deadly rampage in West Texas on Saturday made "rambling" calls to police and the FBI before killing seven people, but he made no threats, authorities said Monday. The alleged killer, 36-year-old Seth Ator, been in a "downward spiral" before being fired by his employer, Journey Oil Field Services, shortly before the shooting spree. "Right after that firing he called 911 ... and so did his employer," Odessa police chief Michael Gerke said. "And basically they were complaining at each other because they had a disagreement over that firing." Ator then called the FBI's national tip line. Ator made "rambling" statements to the FBI about "some of the atrocities that he felt he had gone through," said Christopher Combs, special agent in charge of the FBI's office in San Antonio.

French President Emmanuel Macron is offering a $15 billion bailout to top Iranian negotiators who arrived in Paris on Monday in exchange for Tehran's commitment to returning to its landmark 2015 nuclear accord. The financial incentive is intended to compensate Iran for oil sales lost because of sanctions imposed by the U.S. since President Trump withdrew from the agreement last year. The $15 billion letter of credit would give Iran the ability to receive hard currency while most of the income from its oil sales is frozen in banks. The money roughly equals half of the revenue Iran would get from oil sales in a year. Trump administration officials say the bailout would undermine Trump's effort to put "maximum pressure" on Iran.

The Berlin zoo announced early Monday that its resident panda, Meng Meng, had delivered twin cubs, the first panda births ever in Germany. "Meng Meng became a mom – twice! We are so happy, we are speechless," the zoo tweeted on Monday. Meng Meng delivered the first cub Saturday evening. The second arrived about an hour later. "Meng Meng and her two cubs coped well with the birth and are all in good health," zoo director Andreas Knieriem said. Meng Meng and the zoo's male panda, Jiao Qing, have been in Berlin since June 2017 on loan from China as part of a "panda diplomacy" program designed to promote friendly relations. The zoo pays $15 million under its 15-year contract with Beijing.

No. 1-seeded Naomi Osaka got knocked out of the U.S. Open on Monday, losing 7-5, 6-4 to 13th-seeded Belinda Bencic. Osaka, the 2018 champion, was troubled by an achy left knee during the match. "I honestly didn't move well today. You know what I mean? I felt like I was always flat-footed," Osaka said. "The knee was a little bit annoying in the movement aspect. But I think that that's something I should have overcome." Her elimination snapped a 10-match winning streak, and came a day after 2018 men's singles champion Novak Djokovic dropped out due to a shoulder injury. Bencic, now 3-0 against Osaka this year, advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face No. 23 Donna Vekic of Croatia.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.