The 11:00am Hurricane Center Update shows a slightly weaker Hurricane Irma, with continued likely forecasts slightly West of central Florida.  Mandatory evacuations of barrier islands are now underway on both coasts.  Irma has the potential to be a topography changing event for the Southwest coast line of Florida.
At 1100 AM EDT (1500 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 22.0 North, longitude 75.3 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 14 mph (22 km/h), and this motion is expected to continue for the next day or so with a decrease in forward speed. A turn toward the northwest is expected by late Saturday. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should move near the north coast of Cuba and the central Bahamas today and Saturday, and be near the Florida Keys and the southern Florida Peninsula Sunday morning.

Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 hurricane as it approaches Florida.
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In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

Donald Trump Jr. testified today before the Senate Judiciary Committee.  His four page statement is included below:
Full Statement Below
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Twenty-five years ago, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, in the area around Homestead AFB, I gained my first experience at what society looks like when it is stretched, desperate and begins to collapse.
Burning every other house on a cul-de-sac, intentionally, one-by-one, just to provide light to keep the looters at bay, well, lets say that experience is life changing.
When you witness an elderly lady walking, soaking wet, with bread bags on her feet instead of shoes, it also changes your perspective quickly.
There are some things actually worse than devastating hurricanes, one of those things is the aftermath, the anxiety, the behavior, and how desperation manifests in people you might have seen only a week prior at a grocery store. Now that same person is willing to do anything to survive or improve their lot in life, and that’s a scary reality.
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The forecasting for Hurricane Irma is still rather unpredictable. However, the entire southern peninsular of Florida is urged to hurry preparations to completion. As many long time CTH readers will note, I have zero experience with the forecasting but a great deal of experience with hurricane prep, response and recovery.

At 500 PM EDT (2100 UTC), the distinct eye of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.9 North, longitude 71.1 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 16 mph (26 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue for the next couple of days with some decrease in forward speed. On the forecast track, the eye of Irma should continue to move between Hispaniola and the Turks and Caicos Islands this evening. The core of the hurricane will then move between the north coast of Cuba and the Bahamas during the next day or two. –ADVISORY LINK–
Maximum sustained winds remain near 175 mph (280 km/h) with higher gusts. Irma is a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some fluctuations in intensity are likely during the next day or two, but Irma is forecast to remain a powerful category 4 or 5 hurricane during the next couple of days.
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Equifax said exposed data includes: names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, addresses, driver’s license numbers and credit card numbers.

(Via CNBC) Equifax, which supplies credit information and other information services, said Thursday that a data breach could have potentially affected 143 million consumers in the United States.
The population of the U.S. was about 324 million as of Jan. 1, 2017, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which means the Equifax incident affects a huge portion of the United States.  Equifax said it discovered the breach on July 29. “Criminals exploited a U.S. website application vulnerability to gain access to certain files,” the company said.
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President Trump is holding a joint press conference with Amir al-Sabah of Kuwait. Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah arrived in Washington on Wednesday ahead of a meeting with President Trump to discuss wide-ranging issues including economic and security aspects of Kuwait and the U.S.
RSBN Livestream Link – WH Livestream Link – Alternate Livestream Link

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CBS’s Charlie Rose is sharing snippets of an interview with President Trump’s former political strategist, Steve Bannon.  Two video segments below:

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Regardless of agreement or disagreement with the positions espoused therein; after watching these segments I’m left asking myself: what exactly is the value here? Who or what is the beneficiary of these interviews? What exactly is the purpose?
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The entire state of Florida is still in the forecast cone; with a slight shift eastward. However, the path is very uncertain as all models depend on a right, northward, turn and it’s a guess when/if that turn to the right takes place.
At 500 AM AST (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Irma was located near latitude 20.0 North, longitude 68.3 West. Irma is moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h), and this general motion is expected to continue with some decrease in forward speed for the next couple of days.

On the forecast track, the center should pass north of the coast of Hispaniola later today, be near the Turks and Caicos and southeastern Bahamas by this evening, and then be near the Central Bahamas by Friday. –ADVISORY LINK–
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