Irma's magnitude never seen before

Late Tuesday, Hurricane Irma was churning toward the northeastern Caribbean at 185 miles an hour. The forecast had it hitting around Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Anguilla by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, before impacting the British and US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later that afternoon.

With Harvey's havoc on their minds, Floridians brace for Irma

The storm's path is uncertain but Florida was also bracing for Irma's impact, possibly this weekend.

"The magnitude of this storm ... has never been seen before in Puerto Rico," Rosselló said, WAPA reported. "Although we hope that this hurricane will not greatly impact Puerto Rico, we are bracing for what could be a very catastrophic event."

Track the storm here

Hurricane Irma,Puerto Rico ,Antigua, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, Anguilla,US Virgin Islands

Puerto Rico braces for Hurricane Irma

Puerto Rico braces for Hurricane Irma - CNN

San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN)People rushed to stores in Puerto Rico on Tuesday, emptying shelves of food and water as worry set in ahead of Hurricane Irma's expected impact Wednesday on the US territory.

Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard in preparation.

Those living on the commonwealth braced for the hurricane's potentially devastating winds and deluge, fearing if the Category 5 storm knocks out power from the bankrupt island's weakened electrical system, it may take weeks or months before power is restored.

Irma could be the strongest hurricane to ever hit the island, forecasters say. Some wonder whether Puerto Rico can rebuild.

"This is not a hurricane, this is a beast," a clerk in San Juan told CNN.

Another woman told CNN affiliate WAPA the power "is something absolutely necessary, especially due to Puerto Rico's weather. We need to have the A/C or a fan on all night."

Hurricane checklist: What to do before and after the storm

Last month, the director of Puerto Rico's power utility, Ricardo Ramos Rodríguez, said several factors have made the island's electric system "vulnerable and fragile," WAPA reported.

One of those is the shortage of employees. Many workers recently retired or left their jobs for better prospects on the US mainland, Ramos Rodríguez said.

Trump Tower Russia meeting: At least eight people in the room

Washington (CNN)The June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with Donald Trump Jr., Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort included at least eight people.

The revelation of additional participants comes as The Associated Press first reported Friday that a Russian-American lobbyist named Rinat Akhmetshin said he also attended the June 2016 meeting with Donald Trump Jr. CNN has reached out to Akhmetshin for comment.

So far acknowledged in attendance: Trump Jr., Kushner, Manafort, Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya, Akhmetshin and publicist Rob Goldstone, who helped set up the meeting. A source familiar with the circumstances told CNN there were at least two other people in the room as well, a translator and a representative of the Russian family who had asked Goldstone to set up the meeting. The source did not provide the names.

WH aides exposed to scrutiny over Russia meeting response

Akhmetshin is a registered lobbyist for Veselnitskaya's organization, which has focused on lobbying Washington to overturn the Magnitsky sanctions, according to lobbying records. The Magnitsky Act allows the US to withhold visas and freeze the assets of Russians thought to have violated human rights. Veselnitskaya founded a group purporting to seek the removal of Moscow's ban on the adoption of Russian children by US citizens, which it put in place in retaliation for the Magnitsky Act. She has also sought to repeal that law.

Earlier this year, Sen. Charles Grassley had written a letter to John Kelly, the secretary of Homeland Security, describing Akhmetshin as "a Russian immigrant to the United States who has been accused of acting as an unregistered agent for Russian interests and apparently has ties to Russian intelligence." Grassley was requesting "all information" on Akhmetshin's immigration history.

Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who has been lobbied by Akhmetshin, told CNN earlier this year that the lobbyist is someone with "an ulterior motive" who is "involved with people who've got an agenda" and has "international connections to different groups in Russia." When asked if he thought Akhmetshin was connected to the Russian security services, Rohrabacher said: "I would certainly not rule that out."

On Friday, Akhmetshin denied to The Washington Post that he was ever an intelligence agent but said he did serve two years in a Soviet military unit that handled counter-intelligence.

"At no time have I ever worked for the Russian government or any of its agencies. I was not an intelligence officer. Never," he told the Post.

Trump open to son testifying in Russia inquiries, and other things reporters learned from his Air Force One visit

Akhmetshin also told the AP the meeting was "not substantive" and he "actually expected more serious" conversation.

"I never thought this would be such a big deal to be honest," the AP quotes Akhmetshin.

The lawyer for Donald Trump Jr. has not responded. The White House has not commented yet either.

NBC was first to report the extra person at the meeting.

On June 9, 2016, Trump Jr., met with Veselnitskaya. He accepted the meeting on the premise that he would be offered damaging information about Hillary Clinton.

According to tweets published by Trump Jr. earlier this week, Goldstone sent him an email pointing to "a Russian government attorney" as the source of potential information that could damage Clinton.

"This is obviously very high level and sensitive information but is part of Russia and its government's support for Mr. Trump," Goldstone, who represents the son of an Azerbaijani-Russian businessman close to Russian government, wrote in the email to Trump Jr.

"If it's what you say I love it," Trump Jr. replied, according to an email he released.

Tim Hortons Will Sell Poutine Doughnuts to Celebrate Canada’s 150th Birthday

Tim Horton's is using a Canadian favorite to celebrate the country's 150th birthday. On July 1, also known as Canada Day, Tim Hortons will offer the poutine doughnut — a Honey Dip Donut topped with potato wedges, gravy and cheese curds — at five of its restaurants, USA Today reports. The five restaurants are: Derby, Hamburg and East Aurora in New York, Rochester Hills, Mich., and Columbus, Ohio— all of which are located relatively close to the U.S.-Canada border. their friendly neighbor next door."

The coffee chain will also offer other Canadian-themed treats on July 1, such as the Maple Bacon Iced Capp, which is topped with whipped cream, maple flakes and bacon bits, according to USA Today. Maple Timbits, which are maple flavored bite-sized doughnut holes, will also be available throughout the whole month of July.

tim hortons canada, tim hortons, canada day 2017, what is canada day, canada day deals, tim hortons poutine doughtnuts, tim hortons poutine donuts, poutine donuts, poutine doughnuts