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Mindful of devastation wrought by a string of deadly US hurricanes previous year, residents in the Carolinas began the rituals of disaster preparation – boarding up windows and stocking up on groceries, water and gasoline.

US President Donald Trump, whose administration faced severe criticism for a slow response in Puerto Rico to Hurricane Maria, canceled a political rally planned for Friday in Jackson, Mississippi, over safety concerns related to Florence, his campaign said.

United States east coast is bracing for Hurricane Florence.

Florence is now a category 4 hurricane.

Elsewhere: Helene remains a tropical storm, but is expected to become a hurricane later Sunday. The storm has maximum sustained winds of about 65 miles per hour (100 km/h) with higher gusts.

Senator Patrick Leahy sought to impugn Judge Kavanaughs integrity by questioning his testimony for his confirmation as an appeals judge.

By Wednesday afternoon the numbers were down to about 5,800 in Alabama, 3,000 in MS and a little more than 2,000 in Florida.

Republicans countered Kavanaugh’s judicial opinions, which should be the greatest indicators of his qualifications, are public record and should be the focus of the hearing. He cited Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan as insisting in their confirmation hearings that...

On Thursday, Democrats picked up that line of questioning without letting on what Harris may or may not know. Sen. John Cornyn, his Republican counterpart, responded with a dig at Booker, saying that “running for president is no excuse” for leaking information.

In Supreme Court confirmation hearings, the nominee is usually the one on the hot seat. Cory Booker, D-N.J. (left) and Sen.

Day two of Senate confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh got underway Wednesday morning – a process that will culminate in massive civil rights rollbacks if Kavanaugh is appointed, according to Derrick Johnson, president of the NAACP.

Republicans also previous year reduced the margin for advancing Supreme Court nominations from 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate to a simple majority in order to force through the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first high-court nominee.

Hurricane Lane on its way to Hawaii.

FEMA will use their discretion when distributing resources and depending upon the Hurricane Lane’s impact, could expand efforts and resources.

The threat of Hurricane Lane does not deter NY visitors, Leo Wahl, 7, mom, Valerie Wahl and Ian Walh, 9, from strolling along the ocean near the Hilton Hawaiian Village as Hurricane Lane approaches Waikiki Beach on Thursday, August 23, 2018.