Monday morning news: September 10, 2018

Florence becomes a hurricane » Florence became a hurricane Sunday morning, prompting concern along the East Coast. Jack Beven with the National Hurricane Center expects the storm to make landfall somewhere between the Carolinas and the mid-Atlantic region by the end of the week.

BEVEN: We don’t actually have it on land at five days time but we do have it in a position to the south and southeast of the coast of the Carolinas. We are also anticipating it to strengthen.

Forecasters say Florence could develop into a Category 4 storm before it makes landfall late Thursday or Friday. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster urged residents in his state to get ready for what will likely be a direct hit.

MCMASTER: We don’t know how much, we can’t predict for sure, but we know we’re going to have a lot of wind and a lot of rain.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper also urged his state’s residents to review emergency plans and gather supplies—immediately.

After a relatively quiet hurricane season, two more storms are now churning in the Atlantic behind Florence. Tropical Storm Isaac appears headed for Central America, while forecasters expect Tropical Storm Helene to veer north without posing a threat to land.

Papadopoulos sentencing » A former Trump campaign adviser maintains top campaign officials were “fully aware” of his efforts to broker a meeting between then-candidate Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In a Sunday interview on ABC’s This Week, former foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos described a 2016 campaign meeting that included Trump. He said his suggestion of a summit with Putin was met with enthusiasm.

PAPADOPOULOS: As far as I remember, after that meeting on March 31st, I actively sought contacts to host this meeting. The campaign was fully aware of what I was doing.

President Trump has said he does not know Papadopoulos. Attorney General Jeff Sessions—who was also in the meeting—says he discouraged the idea.

On Friday, a federal judge sentenced Papadopoulos to 14 days in prison for lying to the FBI about his Russian contacts. Papadopoulos is the first person to be sentenced in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.

Kavanaugh outlook » Republicans are projecting confidence that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will earn Senate confirmation. Vice President Mike Pence spoke to CBS’ Face the Nation on Sunday.

PENCE: Judge Brett Kavanaugh showed the intellect, the temperament, the judicial philosophy that I believe should generate broad-base support in the United States Senate. And we have every confidence that Judge Brett Kavanaugh will very soon be Justice Brett Kavanaugh and take his seat on the Supreme Court.

Kavanaugh wrapped up his four-day hearing on Friday with no major missteps. But many Senate Democrats remain unconvinced of his qualifications.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware sits on the Judiciary Committee.

KOONS: I remain gravely concerned that he’s not inside the judicial mainstream on several really important precedents that would have a real impact on individual rights and liberties of Americans and on presidential power.

The Judiciary Committee still has to vote on the nomination, but Kavanaugh doesn’t need approval to go before the full Senate. Republicans plan to hold a final vote by month’s end.

California wildfires » Sunday marked the fifth straight day of closures for a major highway in northern California. Officials blocked a stretch of Interstate 5 through the weekend as a wildfire raged in and around the Shasta-Trinity National Forest near the Oregon border. The highway runs from Canada to Mexico and serves as a major artery for commerce.

Further south, another fire sprang to life Saturday in remote Napa County, threatening 180 homes.

Wildfires have ravaged California this summer. The two largest destroyed nearly 9,000 homes and more than 300 businesses. Officials say they’ve already spent most of the state’s annual firefighting budget, and the worst of the fire season is yet to come.

North Korea holds muted military parade » AUDIO: [Parade sound/cheering]

North Korea marked its 70th anniversary on Sunday with a massive military parade. While the country normally highlights its most advanced war-fighting machinery, Sunday’s celebration did not include intercontinental ballistic missiles or any mention of nuclear weapons.

Instead the anniversary events focused on civilian efforts to boost the country’s economy. Leader Kim Jong Un attended the parade but did not address the crowd.

Analysts speculated Kim toned down this year’s event to avoid raising tensions with the United States. President Trump noticed, and tweeted his thanks to Kim for making a—quote—“very positive statement.”

I’m Jill Nelson. Up next—Mary Reichard dives into the complicated legal questions surrounding conversion therapy. And Mary Coleman on raising kids with character. This is The World and Everything in It.

(NOAA via AP) This enhanced satellite image made available by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Florence, center, in the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 at 2:45 p.m. EDT. 

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