Florida reeling from Hurricane Dorian, CNN climate change town hall: 5 things to know Wednesday

Florida still bracing for Hurricane Dorian

Hurricane Dorian, which was diminished to a Category 2 status Tuesday, was about 90 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida, at 5 a.m. ET Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center said Dorian was expected to turn toward the north by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast Thursday morning. If it remains on this track, it will move "dangerously close" to Florida's east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night, the hurricane center said. In the Bahamas, at least seven people have died and more are expected, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said late Tuesday. In addition, thousands of homes are in ruins. The U.S. Coast Guard was assisting in rescue operations, he said. Meanwhile, cruise lines are scrambling to stay out of the path of Dorian and navigate port closures, resulting in extended cruises for some travelers and delayed trips, itinerary changes and shortened trips for others. Airports and flights are affected yet again as well as hundreds of flights scheduled for Wednesday have already been canceled.

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Democratic hopefuls will participate in live climate event

CNN will host a seven-hour live event tonight where 10 Democratic 2020 presidential hopefuls will appear back-to-back with CNN journalists to answer questions from a studio audience. It appears CNN has allotted each candidate roughly 40 minutes, and each segment will include an anchor interviewing a candidate. The live cable television event is slated to last seven hours. Julián Castro, former HUD secretary, will start the event at 5 p.m. ET, and the nine other candidates will follow. To participate, candidates were required to reach 2% in at least four Democratic National Committee-approved polls conducted between June 28 and Aug. 21.

Boris Johnson's Brexit plan hits a major snag

The battle over Britain's efforts to leave the European Union intensified Tuesday as rebel lawmakers took a major step toward wresting control of the Brexit process away from Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Lawmakers tentatively approved legislation that would force Johnson to request the EU delay Brexit until Jan. 31, 2020 unless a new deal is approved by the Halloween deadline – or unless Parliament votes in favor of a "no-deal" Brexit. The outcome needs to be confirmed in a series of further votes on Wednesday and later this week and means that Johnson, despite his significant efforts, likely won't be permitted to take Britain out of the EU without an exit deal. Johnson said his only remaining option was to call an October election. That could be Britain's third general election in four years, but a general election can only be called every five years unless a prime minister gets approval from two-thirds of lawmakers. The situation is subject to change, but lawmakers may vote on whether to have an election Wednesday evening.

Busy month in court ahead for R. Kelly

R. Kelly on Wednesday is scheduled to appear for the first of several court hearings this month in connection with multiple sex-crime cases against the singer. Kelly, currently in jail in Chicago, faces three hearings in September and a fourth in early October as two state and two federal cases move forward separately – an unusual situation, says former federal prosecutor Renato Mariotti. First up is a hearing Chicago on the Northern District of Illinois' federal indictment of Kelly on multiple sex crimes, including sex with underage girls, producing child pornography and obstruction of justice.

ESPN's "Body Issue" available online

Fans have already seen world No. 1 golfer Brooks Koepka reveal an image from ESPN The Magazine's annual "Body Issue," and ESPN provided USA TODAY Sports with some behind-the-scenes images from the photo shoots for Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and surfer Lakey Peterson. But the release date is finally here. A 2019 "Body Issue" photo gallery is available online today and the magazine will be out on Friday, according to ESPN. In addition to Koepka, Garrett and Peterson, the roster of athletes who participated includes a reigning MVP, a Hall of Famer, a championship soccer player, a nine-time NBA All-Star and an entire NFL offensive line. The magazine will cease print publication after this issue, ending a 21-year run, and go digital-only.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Dorian, Democrats on CNN: 5 things to know Wednesday