Happening Today: Hurricane Maria, St. Louis Protests, Emmy Awards

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Maria Prompts Hurricane Watch for Puerto Rico, Could Take Direct Hit

Authorities have issued a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico as Hurricane Maria churns toward the Eastern Caribbean amid forecasts it could become a major hurricane by Monday night or early Tuesday. Maria could make a direct hit on Puerto Rico, which was spared the full brunt of Irma although much of the island had its power knocked out. Gov. Ricardo Rossello said officials had prepared about 450 shelters with a capacity for nearly 68,000 people - or even 125,000 in an emergency. He said schools were cancelled for Monday and government employees would work only a half day. Vieques and Culebra, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Saba and St. Eustatius, St. Maarten, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy, Anguilla are also under the watch. At around 5 a.m., Maria is about 100 miles east of Martinique, according to the National Hurricane Center. The center also said the hurricane is expected to become a major hurricane by late Monday or early Tuesday. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within the area.

Dozens Arrested in St. Louis in Another Night of Demonstrations

Hundreds of police officers in full riot gear responded to the streets of downtown St. Louis after another day of peaceful protests over an ex-police officer's acquittal in the death of a black man gave way to property damage and dangerous encounters with officers. Police made dozens of arrests shortly before midnight when people ignored orders to disperse. More protests were expected, with demonstrators planning to gather downtown. A judge ruled last week that Jason Stockley, a 36-year-old who left the department and moved to Houston three years ago, was not guilty in the 2011 death of Anthony Lamar Smith. The ruling set off raucous protests throughout the weekend. Hundreds of people marched through downtown streets, the posh Central West End, and the trendy Delmar Loop area of nearby University City. Protesters also marched through two shopping malls in a wealthy area of St. Louis County.

Speech to UN General Assembly Anchoring Trump's Week

President Trump is making his debut at the United Nations and taking his complaints about the world body straight to the source. In his first appearance as president, Trump was addressing a U.S.-sponsored event on reforming the 193-member organization he has sharply criticized. As a candidate for president, Trump labeled the U.N. as weak and incompetent, and not a friend of either the United States or Israel. But he has softened his tone since taking office, telling ambassadors from U.N. Security Council member countries at a White House meeting this year that the U.N. has "tremendous potential." Trump more recently has praised a pair of unanimous council votes to tighten sanctions on North Korea over its continued nuclear weapon and ballistic missile tests. Trump and U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will speak at the meeting. The U.S. has asked member nations to sign a declaration on U.N. reforms, and more than 100 have done so. The president wants the U.N. to cut spending and make other operational changes.

Georgia Tech Student-Activist Shot, Killed by Campus Police

A Georgia Tech fourth-year student, who was also an LGBTQ activist, was shot dead by campus police, officials said, and the deadly exchange was caught on camera by a witness. Officials said police encountered Scout Schultz, 21, after they received a 911 call claiming the student was armed with a gun, NBC News reported. Officers found Schultz carrying a knife. Video shows Schultz yelling "shoot me" at officers, who hold out their guns, back away and repeatedly order the student to drop the knife. Schultz was shot after walking forward and ignoring orders to drop the knife, and Schultz later died at the hospital. The officer who shot Schultz has not been identified, and it was unclear if any disciplinary action would be taken. And Schultz's family plans to address media Monday morning, the family lawyer said in a statement.

“Veep,” “The Handmaid's Tale” Win Big at 69th Emmy Awards

The dystopian vision of "The Handmaid's Tale," the deeply cynical Washington comedy "Veep" and the ever-topical "Saturday Night Live" won top series honors in an Emmy Awards ceremony that took almost nonstop aim at President Trump in awards and speeches. "Go home, get to work, we have a lot of things to fight for," producer Bruce Miller said in accepting the best drama trophy for "A Handmaid's Tale," which also won best drama writing and directing awards and a best actress trophy for Elisabeth Moss. A beaming Margaret Atwood, the Canadian author whose 1985 novel is the show's source, was onstage. Sterling K. Brown, whose role in "This Is Us" earned him the top drama series actor trophy, paid tribute to the last African-American man to win in the category, Andre Braugher in 1998 for his role as a police detective in "Homicide: Life on the Street." "Nineteen years ago, Detective Frank Pemberton held this joint," Brown, hoisting his Emmy and calling it his "supreme honor" to follow Braugher. He was good-natured as the orchestra cut into his speech, but it seemed a glaring misstep on a night in which the TV academy reveled in signs of the industry's increasing diversity.