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Hurricane Ida which is forecast to hit Louisiana as a Category 4 storm with 140MPH winds and cause storm surges of 15 feet – New Orleans residents flee – Sunday is the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

New York Starbucks Workers United – trying to form a union, which would be the first in the US for the coffee chain if successful – “We’ve been called Starbucks partners and we want to become real partners, – Alexis Rizzo

The EPA has not rejected any new chemicals submitted Over the past five years, – falsifying risk assessments for dangerous chemicals, say whistleblowers -quickly approving them for commercial use

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis untouchable until now -Covid infection rates continue to climb as the state faces shortages of health care staff, morgue space and even oxygen for patients – The Quinnipiac poll- erosion to DeSantis’ approval rating

A Marine Corps battalion commander Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller- posted a video on Facebook demanding “accountability” from senior leaders for failures in Afghanistan. – commander said he was relieved of his duties Friday

Warnings Are Up For Louisiana – Hurricane Ida hit Cuba on Friday and it is moving into the Gulf of Mexico – expected to strike Louisiana’s coastline late Sunday – prompting evacuations along the coast.

Florida – Portable morgues have been sent to 14 hospital systems – crematoriums hit capacity due to a surge in Covid cases – record-breaking 212 daily deaths and 21,534 daily cases on average this week

Pentagon drone strike on Afghanistan – killing a man believed to be involved in planning Thursday’s Kabul airport bombing – the mastermind behind bombing that left 13 US troops and 170 Afghans dead

Sirhan Sirhan, the man convicted of assassinating Robert F. Kennedy – has been granted parole by a two-person board in California on his 16th time of asking – The decision does not assure his release

Miami Beach mayor Dan Gelber – ”We need to get rid of all-night bars and turn South Beach into something else!’ – despite a massive police crackdown -growing gun violence, stabbings and street brawls

Florida on Friday reported – 27,584 COVID-19 new cases – confirmed COVID deaths statewide total 43,640 -COVID-19 patients also accounted for 28.17% of all hospital patients. .- 54.22% of the state’s ICU hospital beds from 258 hospitals reporting data.

Hurricane watches issued for New Orleans – Ida to strike Louisiana as a major hurricane on Sunday.- expecting extreme impacts for the Gulf Coast,-potential for Ida, which strengthened into a hurricane early Friday afternoon to be a Cat 3

Florida Judge ruled government didn’t actually have the authority to ban mask mandates under the Parents’ Bill of Rights – , because it gives school districts the ability to prove their rules are reasonable limitations on parents’ rights under due process rather than giving the state license to ban them entirely.

New Orleans and Louisiana’s governor has declared a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Ida rapidly intensifies on its way to the Gulf Coast – where it is forecast to make landfall as a major hurricane on Sunday, one of the biggest threats of the 2021 season.

Twitter is beginning its rollout of Ticketed Spaces, or paid live audio rooms – experimenting” with the feature for some iOS users – Hosts can charge between $1 and $999 for their ticketed rooms

Kanye West’s Donda album launch event – joined by Kim Kardashian -emerging from the audience in a wedding dress months after filing for divorce from the rapper.

Capitol Police officers who defended Congress during the Jan. 6 attack are suing former President Donald Trump – pro-Trump militias and other associates, claiming they conspired to violently overturn the results of the 2020 election

Florida’s surgeon general Dr. Scott Rivkees will depart state government next month – Amid COVID pandemic resurgence

U.S. Capitol Police Lt. Michael Byrd – shot Ashli Babbitt during Capitol riot breaks silence: ‘I saved countless lives’ -exclusive interview with NBC News’ Lester Holt

Joe Biden – promised to ‘hunt down’ ISIS-K for double suicide bomb attack that killed 13 US troops and 90 Afghans -first bomber was being searched by Marines

The Supreme Court -decision to suspend eviction moratorium- a win for landlords and property owners, who have spent nearly a year in court fighting eviction ban

Apple lawsuit filed on behalf of iPhone app developers – preliminary settlement – Apple Concedes To Antitrust Concerns, Changes Payment Rules

Florida reported today 21,765 more COVID-19 cases and 901 deaths to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention- largest single-day increase in pandemic history

Miami Beach – Tamarius Davis, 22, a UPS driver from Georgia – charged with murder -shot Colorado tourist Dustin Wakefield -while having dinner at an outdoor South Beach Mexican restaurant

Major hurricane threat developing – becoming much more likely that parts of the central Gulf Coast would need to prepare for a strike from a major hurricane later Sunday or Monday.