Hurricane, Counteroffensive, and a Political Promise: Friday’s Up First Briefing

Hurricane Isaias is barreling toward the Gulf Coast with winds that could top 100 miles per hour, Ukraine’s military is pushing back Russian forces in the Donbas using drones and ground robots in an offensive named after a classical composer, and President Trump has explicitly pledged in writing not to attack Iran before the midterm elections — a move that lays bare the political calculus behind a deeply unpopular war. Here’s what happened and why it matters.

Hurricane Isaias: Late-Season Danger on the Gulf Coast

Mandatory evacuations are underway in parts of the Florida Panhandle as Hurricane Isaias — the first hurricane of the season — is forecast to make landfall as soon as tonight. NPR’s Debbie Elliott reported from Crestview, Florida, that the storm has been rapidly intensifying over the very warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Forecasters warn of a “very dangerous hurricane” with potentially life-threatening storm surge of five to seven feet and rainfall up to 15 inches in some areas. The likely landfall zone is narrowing to the Alabama-Florida state line, but impacts could stretch from Louisiana to Florida’s Big Bend region.