Strong winds from Hurricane Dorian blow the tops of trees and brush while whisking up water from the surface of a canal that leads to the sea, located behind the brush at top, seen from the balcony of a hotel in Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here's what you need to know as you start your day...
Deadly Hurricane Dorian downgraded, historic damage to the Bahamas expected
Hurricane Dorian, the unpredictable monster of a storm that has pummeled parts of the Bahamas for the past 24 hours, has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm as it remains in a standstill near Grand Bahama. The National Hurricane Center said in a news release at 1 a.m. ET, that the storm is continuing to produce wind gusts of up to 155 mph and a storm surge of 18 feet. The storm’s current movement is considered stationary.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at least five people were killed and dozens were injured. The storm has continued to impact the islands so it is difficult to determine the extent of damage, which will likely be historic.
Residents in Florida have been trying to track the slow-moving storm as it sits about 100 miles off West Palm Beach. There have been signs that the storm will make a northern turn, according to the Miami Herald. Derek Giardino of the National Weather Service said the probabilities of Dorian making a direct hit on the state’s landfall has diminished, but “is not completely ruled out.”
A mandatory evacuation of the entire South Carolina coast took effect Monday covering about 830,000 people, and transportation officials reversed all lanes of Interstate 26 from Charleston to head inland earlier than planned after noticing traffic jams from evacuees and vacationers heading home on Labor Day, Gov. Henry McMaster said.
Some 2020 presidential candidates have criticized President Trump's response to Hurricane Dorian. Pete Buttigieg slammed the president’s decision to play golf as the storm approached Florida. The White House insisted Trump has been receiving hourly updates on the storm. London Mayor Sadiq Khan renewed his public feud with Trump over the weekend by mocking the president for canceling a trip to Poland to commemorate the start of World War II only to deal with emergency response to Hurricane Dorian from the golf course.
Click here to read more on our top story. Here's what you need to know about Dorian's path. Click here for continuing coverage of Hurricane Dorian on Fox News Channel.
25 bodies recovered after scuba boat fire, Coast Guard says
The U.S. Coast Guard said late Monday that 25 bodies have been found and nine others remain missing after a fire broke out on a scuba boat anchored off an island in Southern California. Authorities will continue to search for the nine still missing but have little hope that any others will be found alive, the Associated Press reported. Only five people—all crew members—are known to have survived the fire after they jumped into an inflatable lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby vessel.
Crime scene tape surrounds the home of the alleged gunman in a West Texas rampage Saturday, on Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, near Odessa, Texas. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)
West Texas gunman was 'in trouble' before rampage, investigators say
The gunman in the West Texas rampage that killed seven people over the weekend "was on a long spiral down" before he was fired from his job on the day of the shooting, investigators said Monday. The gunman had been fired Saturday morning from his job at Journey Oil Field Services and made "rambling" phone calls to both the 911 and the FBI afterward, the investigators added. FBI special agent Christopher Combs said the gunman had gone to work that day "in trouble." Combs said Monday that the killer's home was "a strange residence," and that the condition "reflect what his mental state was going into this." The gunman killed seven people and injured at least 22 others Saturday before officers killed him outside a busy movie theater in Odessa, investigators said.
China says it will sue US over new round of tariffs
China will sue the US through the World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism over the latest round of tariffs, spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry said. The United States has put new tariffs into effect, charging 15 percent tax on about $112 billion of Chinese imports. China responded by charging taxes of 10 percent and 5 percent on a list of American goods. The two governments say they are going ahead with talks this month in Washington but neither side has given any sign it might offer concessions.
FILE - In this April 26, 2018, file photo, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis listens to a question during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mattis warns bitter political divisions have pushed American society to the “breaking point” in his most extensive public remarks since he resigned in protest from the Trump administration. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
Mattis: I was frank with Trump but never blocked his wishes
Former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he had open, frank policy discussions with President Trump, but he never sought to block or delay any of his orders. “I read at times that I was blocking or slow-rolling things that President Trump wanted,” he said in an interview on “The Journal” podcast for the Wall Street Journal that airs Tuesday. “That’s not the way I deal with things. I’m from the West. Out here, we ride for the brand.” Mattis' interview comes as his new book, "Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead" is released.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
TODAY'S MUST-READS
Chicago's bloody Labor Day weekend sees at least 35 shot, seven of them killed.
Detective Mark Fuhrman: Epstein's crimes may have gone deeper than we thought.
Kevin Hart's condition revealed after car accident.
MINDING YOUR BUSINESS
US tariffs on China are affecting thousands of household items. Here are a few of the most notable.
Trump says Brazil and South American trade deal to help farmers.
2020 Democratic donor scramble: These are the candidates with the most people shelling out cash.
#TheFlashback: CLICK HERE to find out what happened on "This Day in History."
SOME PARTING WORDS
Veteran meteorologist Roy Spencer, principal research scientist at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, warns against blaming Hurricane Dorian on climate change.
Not signed up yet for Fox News First? Click here to find out what you're missing.
Click here to find out what's on Fox News today.
Fox News First is compiled by Fox News' Bryan Robinson. Thank you for joining us! Enjoy your day! We'll see you in your inbox first thing on Wednesday morning.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
