Trump pardons Arpaio sending a signal to people in the Mueller investigation that he can pardon them and Politico reports that Mueller has teamed up with New York attorney general in Manafort probe.

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman dinged Trump for $25 million over the Trump University case and will certainly enjoy having another go. He will now have access to fruits of the Federal investigation, as well as giving the Feds what he has been hoarding about Trump. The Presidential pardon doesn’t apply to state charges, i.e. the President can pardon treason, but he can’t fix a speeding ticket.

The CBC notes that Trump cancelled a program that would have helped disaster recovery:

Two weeks before Harvey’s flood waters engulfed much of Houston, U.S. President Donald Trump quietly rolled back an order by his predecessor that would have made it easier for storm-ravaged communities to use federal emergency aid to rebuild bridges, roads and other structures so they can better withstand future disasters.

Now, with much of the nation’s fourth-largest city underwater, Trump’s move has new resonance. Critics note the president’s order could force Houston and other cities to rebuild hospitals and highways in the same way and in the same flood-prone areas.

Back in 1995 during the recovery from Hurricane Opal we got new traffic lights that were designed to withstand 200 mph winds. Almost every light in the south county had been blown down, not for the first time, and FEMA under Clinton paid to upgrade them, so they wouldn’t have to keep replacing them. The lights are still standing after Ivan and Dennis, so it was a good investment.

Take a break for something that could have been written by Groucho Marx.

Position: 17.8N 35.6W [10PM CDT 0300 UTC].
Movement: West-Northwest [295°] near 12 mph [19 kph].
Maximum sustained winds: 115 mph [185 kph].
Wind Gusts: 135 mph [215 kph].
Tropical Storm Wind Radius: 90 miles [150 km].
Hurricane Wind Radius: 15 miles [ 30 km].
Minimum central pressure: 967 mb.

Currently about 1725 miles [2775 km] East of the Leeward Islands.

The pressure is dropping like a rock, and Irma is a Category 3 major hurricane at 4PM CDT.

Here’s the link for NOAA’s latest satellite images.

[For the latest information click on the storm symbol, or go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Hurricanes” for all of the posts related to storms on this site.]