January 1, Dorian Now Category 4, but Might Skirt Florida Coast

“There is hope”

Weather Underground meteorology director Jeff Masters said.

Good Morning Middle Americans!

Forecasters are still warning that no one is out of danger. Dorian could still wallop Florida with “extremely dangerous” 140 mph winds and torrential rains. The storm continues to get stronger and slow down.  We expect  landfall Monday or early Tuesday. There are more than 9 million people in the crosshairs of the storm.  Walt Disney World and President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort also remain in the cone of uncertainty. 

Stay informed with help from The Weather Channel, Windy, Weather Underground, and the National Hurricane Center

• Fraser Dixon

Court Reverses Conviction in Kate Steinle Killing

(AP) – The 1st District Court of Appeal on Friday overturned a gun conviction against Jose Inez Garcia-Zarate, an illegal alien who had been accused of killing Kate Steinle. The case became a rallying cry or anti-illegal immigration activists. Garcia-Zarate was acquitted of Steinlee’s murder back in July 2015, but he was convicted on the gun charge. 

But that conviction has now been tossed, because the judge failed to instruct the jury on one of his defenses.

Read more from the Associated Press here

Twitter CEO’s Hacked Account Sends Racist Tweets

(Reuters) – Reps for Twitter, which was co-founded by Jack Dorsey, said the phone number associated with his personal account had been compromised due to an error by his mobile provider.

“This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number. That issue is now resolved,” the company said.

One of the tweets from the hacked account said Nazi leader Adolf Hitler was innocent, while others contained derogatory comments about black people and Jews.

Find out more from Reuters here

Trump’s Personal Assistant Fired After Comments About Ivanka, Tiffany

(Reuters) – Madeleine Westerhout, who left her White House job suddenly on Thursday as President Trump’s personal assistant, was fired after bragging to reporters that she had a better relationship with Trump than his own daughters, Ivanka and Tiffany Trump, and that the president did not like being in pictures with Tiffany because he perceived her as overweight.

Read more from Politico here

This Day in History | 1997

Princess Diana dies in a car crash. She was 36 years old.