Hurricane Dorian took aim at the Bahamas and the Florida coast on Thursday, spurred on by warm Atlantic waters as it threatens to strengthen into a dangerous Category 3 storm.

Dorian earlier sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but is expected to strengthen and slam the Bahamas and the southeastern United States with rain, strong winds and life-threatening surf over the next few days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

US President Donald Trump urged Floridians to heed official warnings. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and asked residents along the state's east coast to stock up with at least seven days worth of supplies such as food and water.

"Hurricane Dorian looks like it will be hitting Florida late Sunday night," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Be prepared and please follow State and Federal instructions, it will be a very big Hurricane, perhaps one of the biggest!"

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Hurricane Dorian looks like it will be hitting Florida late Sunday night. Be prepared and please follow State and Federal instructions, it will be a very big Hurricane, perhaps one of the biggest!
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The US&nbsp;Coast Guard on Wednesday said that all pleasure boats at the Port of Key West should seek safe harbour before the Labor Day weekend begins and ocean-going vessels should make plans to leave the port ahead of the storm.

Dorian, currently a Category 1 storm, is expected to grow into a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, with winds greater than 111 mph (178 km/h) by the time it makes landfall, most likely on Florida's eastern coast on Monday, before lingering over central Florida on Tuesday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said.

Early on Thursday, the hurricane centre said Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (137 km per hour) some 150 miles (240 km) north-northwest of San Juan, and about 425 miles (685 km) east-southeast of the southeastern Bahamas.

"On this track, Dorian should move over the Atlantic well east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and on Friday," forecasters said, "and approach the northwestern Bahamas on Saturday."

Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane by Friday afternoon and continue to gain strength until it makes landfall.

Trump issued an emergency declaration on Wednesday night for the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands, ordering federal assistance with disaster relief for the US&nbsp;territory. On Tuesday, he made a similar declaration for Puerto Rico, and also renewed a feud with island officials over how disaster relief funds from previous hurricanes.

Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from back-to-back hurricanes in 2017 that killed about 3,000 people soon after the island filed for bankruptcy. On Wednesday, it escaped fresh disaster as Dorian avoided the territory and headed northwest toward Florida.

Preparations were mounted in the Bahamas, which could be hard hit.

Jeffrey Simmons, the country's acting director of the Department of Meteorology, said severe weather could strike the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday.

Hurricane Dorian took aim at the Bahamas and the Florida coast on Thursday, spurred on by warm Atlantic waters as it threatens to strengthen into a dangerous Category 3 storm.

Hurricane Dorian took aim at the Bahamas and the Florida coast on Thursday, spurred on by warm Atlantic waters as it threatens to strengthen into a dangerous Category 3 storm. Dorian earlier sideswiped the Caribbean without doing major damage but is expected to strengthen and slam the Bahamas and the southeastern United States with rain, strong winds and life-threatening surf over the next few days, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. US President Donald Trump urged Floridians to heed official warnings. Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency on Wednesday and asked residents along the state's east coast to stock up with at least seven days worth of supplies such as food and water. "Hurricane Dorian looks like it will be hitting Florida late Sunday night," Trump wrote on Twitter. "Be prepared and please follow State and Federal instructions, it will be a very big Hurricane, perhaps one of the biggest!" Hurricane Dorian looks like it will be hitting Florida late Sunday night. Be prepared and please follow State and Federal instructions, it will be a very big Hurricane, perhaps one of the biggest! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 29, 2019 × The US Coast Guard on Wednesday said that all pleasure boats at the Port of Key West should seek safe harbour before the Labor Day weekend begins and ocean-going vessels should make plans to leave the port ahead of the storm. Dorian, currently a Category 1 storm, is expected to grow into a Category 3 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of intensity, with winds greater than 111 mph (178 km/h) by the time it makes landfall, most likely on Florida's eastern coast on Monday, before lingering over central Florida on Tuesday, forecasters at the National Hurricane Center said. Early on Thursday, the hurricane centre said Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour (137 km per hour) some 150 miles (240 km) north-northwest of San Juan, and about 425 miles (685 km) east-southeast of the southeastern Bahamas. "On this track, Dorian should move over the Atlantic well east of the southeastern and central Bahamas today and on Friday," forecasters said, "and approach the northwestern Bahamas on Saturday." Dorian is expected to become a major hurricane by Friday afternoon and continue to gain strength until it makes landfall. Trump issued an emergency declaration on Wednesday night for the US Virgin Islands, ordering federal assistance with disaster relief for the US territory. On Tuesday, he made a similar declaration for Puerto Rico, and also renewed a feud with island officials over how disaster relief funds from previous hurricanes. Puerto Rico is still struggling to recover from back-to-back hurricanes in 2017 that killed about 3,000 people soon after the island filed for bankruptcy. On Wednesday, it escaped fresh disaster as Dorian avoided the territory and headed northwest toward Florida. Preparations were mounted in the Bahamas, which could be hard hit. Jeffrey Simmons, the country's acting director of the Department of Meteorology, said severe weather could strike the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Friday.

Hurricane Dorian expected to strengthen into dangerous Category 3 storm

US Attorney General William Barr on Monday criticized "serious irregularities" at the federal prison where Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide, adding that the sex-trafficking investigation involving the disgraced financier would continue.

Epstein was found dead on Saturday, having apparently hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan. The 66-year-old was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14.

Barr, the top US law enforcement official, vowed to carry on the case against anyone who was complicit with Epstein.

"Any co-conspirators should not rest easy," he said at an event in New Orleans.

Epstein was already a registered sex offender after pleading guilty in 2008 to Florida state charges of unlawfully paying a teenage girl for sex. Prior to his conviction, he had counted the rich and powerful, including US President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, among his associates.

ABC News on Monday afternoon observed federal agents, including FBI and Customs and Border Protection, at the dock and on the grounds of Little Saint James, Jeffrey Epstein’s island home in the US Virgin Islands.

"There are FBI agents conducting enforcement operations in the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands," said FBI spokesman Guillermo Gonzalez, declining further comment.

Barr said on Saturday that he had asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate Epstein's death.

In his remarks on Monday at the Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Police's National Biennial Conference, Barr said the criminal case against Epstein was personally important to him and that his death denied his victims the chance to confront Epstein in a courtroom.

"I was appalled - and indeed the whole department was - and frankly angry to learn of the MCC's failure to adequately secure this prisoner," Barr said. "We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation."

Barr did not say what those irregularities were. The decision by officials at the Bureau of Prisons not to keep Epstein on a suicide watch has come under scrutiny.

The facility where Epstein died is run by the federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the US Justice Department.

Even before Epstein's death, public defenders had called the MCC conditions inhumane.

"At the very least, out of a case that's been nothing but tragedy, maybe this will at least shine a spotlight on a facility that has had serious problems for years and years," David Patton, executive director of the Federal Defenders of New York, said in an interview.

Patton described MCC as an "inhumane, cramped place with inadequate staffing, particularly inadequate medical staffing or mental health staffing."

A tragedy to everyone

US District Judge Richard Berman, who was presiding over the case, denied Epstein's bail request last month. A few days later, Epstein was found unconscious on the floor of his jail cell with marks on his neck, and officials investigated that incident as a possible suicide or assault, according to media reports.

"Jeffrey Epstein's death is a tragedy to everyone involved in his case," Berman said in a statement on Monday.

It was not clear why Epstein was taken off the suicide watch. He was in a cell by himself when his body was found.

At MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed on the night of Epstein's death, according to an official who was not authorized to speak on the record on the matter. In addition, guards are required to make another check every 15 minutes on prisoners who are on suicide watch.

The New York Times, citing prison and law-enforcement officials, reported that one of the two people guarding Epstein was not a full-fledged correctional officer and neither guard had checked on him for several hours before he was discovered.

The New York City medical examiner said that an autopsy had been completed on Epstein on Sunday but that a determination on the cause of death is still pending.

Epstein's death also affects civil litigation. In a court filing on Monday, two unnamed accusers of Epstein urged a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, to scrap portions of Epstein's 2008 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors there that provided immunity to his alleged co-conspirators from criminal charges.

The accusers said Epstein's death rendered moot all possible objections to scrapping the agreement.

The filing came in a long-running lawsuit by alleged victims who said prosecutors violated their rights by failing to consult them about Epstein's plea agreement, which was made on condition that Epstein cooperate with the Florida state prosecutors.

US Attorney General William Barr on Monday criticized "serious irregularities" at the federal prison where Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide, adding that the sex-trafficking investigation involving the disgraced financier would continue.

US Attorney General William Barr on Monday criticized "serious irregularities" at the federal prison where Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide, adding that the sex-trafficking investigation involving the disgraced financier would continue. Epstein was found dead on Saturday, having apparently hanged himself in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan. The 66-year-old was arrested on July 6 and pleaded not guilty to federal charges of sex trafficking involving dozens of underage girls as young as 14. Barr, the top US law enforcement official, vowed to carry on the case against anyone who was complicit with Epstein. "Any co-conspirators should not rest easy," he said at an event in New Orleans. Epstein was already a registered sex offender after pleading guilty in 2008 to Florida state charges of unlawfully paying a teenage girl for sex. Prior to his conviction, he had counted the rich and powerful, including US President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, among his associates. ABC News on Monday afternoon observed federal agents, including FBI and Customs and Border Protection, at the dock and on the grounds of Little Saint James, Jeffrey Epstein’s island home in the US Virgin Islands. "There are FBI agents conducting enforcement operations in the US Virgin Islands," said FBI spokesman Guillermo Gonzalez, declining further comment. Barr said on Saturday that he had asked the Justice Department's inspector general to investigate Epstein's death. In his remarks on Monday at the Grand Lodge Fraternal Order of Police's National Biennial Conference, Barr said the criminal case against Epstein was personally important to him and that his death denied his victims the chance to confront Epstein in a courtroom. "I was appalled - and indeed the whole department was - and frankly angry to learn of the MCC's failure to adequately secure this prisoner," Barr said. "We are now learning of serious irregularities at this facility that are deeply concerning and demand a thorough investigation." Barr did not say what those irregularities were. The decision by officials at the Bureau of Prisons not to keep Epstein on a suicide watch has come under scrutiny. The facility where Epstein died is run by the federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the US Justice Department. Even before Epstein's death, public defenders had called the MCC conditions inhumane. "At the very least, out of a case that's been nothing but tragedy, maybe this will at least shine a spotlight on a facility that has had serious problems for years and years," David Patton, executive director of the Federal Defenders of New York, said in an interview. Patton described MCC as an "inhumane, cramped place with inadequate staffing, particularly inadequate medical staffing or mental health staffing." A tragedy to everyone US District Judge Richard Berman, who was presiding over the case, denied Epstein's bail request last month. A few days later, Epstein was found unconscious on the floor of his jail cell with marks on his neck, and officials investigated that incident as a possible suicide or assault, according to media reports. "Jeffrey Epstein's death is a tragedy to everyone involved in his case," Berman said in a statement on Monday. It was not clear why Epstein was taken off the suicide watch. He was in a cell by himself when his body was found. At MCC, two jail guards are required to make separate checks on all prisoners every 30 minutes, but that procedure was not followed on the night of Epstein's death, according to an official who was not authorized to speak on the record on the matter. In addition, guards are required to make another check every 15 minutes on prisoners who are on suicide watch. The New York Times, citing prison and law-enforcement officials, reported that one of the two people guarding Epstein was not a full-fledged correctional officer and neither guard had checked on him for several hours before he was discovered. The New York City medical examiner said that an autopsy had been completed on Epstein on Sunday but that a determination on the cause of death is still pending. Epstein's death also affects civil litigation. In a court filing on Monday, two unnamed accusers of Epstein urged a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, to scrap portions of Epstein's 2008 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors there that provided immunity to his alleged co-conspirators from criminal charges. The accusers said Epstein's death rendered moot all possible objections to scrapping the agreement. The filing came in a long-running lawsuit by alleged victims who said prosecutors violated their rights by failing to consult them about Epstein's plea agreement, which was made on condition that Epstein cooperate with the Florida state prosecutors.

Jeffery Epstein co-conspirators 'should not rest easy,' says US Attorney General William Barr

An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck near remote Caribbean Islands belonging to Honduras on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami warning for the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The quake rattled windows in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa roughly 323 miles (519 km) to the east, but no damage was immediately reported.

The US&nbsp;Geological Survey said the quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.8, was centered 125 miles (202 km)northeast of Barra Patuca in Honduras and 191 miles (307 km)southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami advisory was in effect for Puerto Rico and the US&nbsp;Virgin Islands after the earthquake and warned of possible waves up to 1 meter (3 feet) above tide level.

The quake was very shallow, at only 6.2 miles (10 km), which would have amplified its effect.

It was also lightly felt in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo north of Honduras, according to Mexico&#39;s civil protection director.

The earthquake has sparked a tsunami warning for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico

An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck near remote Caribbean Islands belonging to Honduras on Tuesday, sparking a tsunami warning for the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. The quake rattled windows in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa roughly 323 miles (519 km) to the east, but no damage was immediately reported. The US Geological Survey said the quake, initially reported as a magnitude 7.8, was centered 125 miles (202 km)northeast of Barra Patuca in Honduras and 191 miles (307 km)southwest of George Town in the Cayman Islands. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said a tsunami advisory was in effect for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after the earthquake and warned of possible waves up to 1 meter (3 feet) above tide level. The quake was very shallow, at only 6.2 miles (10 km), which would have amplified its effect. It was also lightly felt in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo north of Honduras, according to Mexico's civil protection director.

7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes off  Honduras, tsunami warning issued

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Hurricane Dorian expected to strengthen into dangerous Category 3 storm

Jeffery Epstein co-conspirators 'should not rest easy,' says US Attorney General William Barr

7.6-magnitude earthquake strikes off Honduras, tsunami warning issued