'Most Powerful' Hurricane Irma • Obama Calls Trump's Choice 'Cruel' • Red Sox Scandal: Patch Morning Briefing

Good morning! It's Wednesday, and the week is already flying by. Here's what you need to know to start your day.

Hurricane Irma Looms Over Southern Coast And Caribbean Islands

As the National Guard is activated in Florida ahead of Hurricane Irma, the category 5 storm has set the record as the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever recorded as it made landfall on the Caribbean islands Tuesday morning. Forecasters say it is "potentially catastrophic." Those in the storm's wake are preparing for the worst by stocking up on basic supplies, securing what property they can and even preparing to evacuate flood-prone regions. While the hurricane's path and effects are still far from certain, residents and officials want to take no chances after seeing the level of destruction Hurricane Harvey brought on Texas. (Patch)

DACA Protesters Take To Streets

Recipients of the DACA program, which offered protections for some undocumented immigrants who arrived in the country as minors, face uncertainty after Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the administration would allow the policy's provisions to begin expiring in six months. President Trump has urged Congress to take up the issue legislatively, but with fierce divisions among lawmakers and an already packed calendar, it's far from guaranteed that anything will happen on this front. Protesters demonstrated across the country in opposition to the administration's decision to end the popular program, leading to many arrests. (Patch)

Red Sox Stole Yankees' Signs Using Apple Watches: Report

Welcome to the future of the Yankees-Sox rivalry. According to a New York Times report, MLB investigators found the Red Sox on the cutting edge of spying, using an Apple Watch to steal hand signals from the Yanks and other organizations and relaying them to hitters. Video purportedly shows a member of the Sox training staff in the dugout looking at his Apple Watch and conveying a message to batters, who may have been able to determine which pitch was about to be thrown. (Patch)

Quick Hits

President Obama: Ending DACA Is 'Self-Defeating' And 'Cruel' (Patch)

Robert E. Lee Descendant Resigns As Pastor After Racial Justice Remark (Patch)

NYPD Escorts Slain Officer's Son To First Day Of School (Patch)

Hurricane Irma: NFL Cancels Bucs-Dolphins Matchup In Miami (Patch)

Eagle Creek Fire Suspect Is 15-Year-Old Washington Boy

Just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, OSP officials said the boy and others are believed to have been using fireworks along the Eagle Creek Trail, essentially starting the 10,000-plus-acre forest fire. (Patch)

Toddler's Scalding By Caretaker So Severe That Boy's Skin Fell Off: Cops

The 36-year-old man put the boy in a tub of hot water after the child spread butter on the floor and himself, Chicago police said. (Patch)

Teacher Wrong In Sharing Anti-Trump Views With Students: Superintendent

A teacher is under fire for political opinions she expressed about President Trump while in the classroom. (Patch)

More Shelter Pets Coming To San Diego Due To Hurricane Harvey

More than 100 cats and dogs are scheduled to arrive Tuesday in San Diego County from shelters in areas stricken by Hurricane Harvey. (Patch)

Ex-Sheriff David Clarke Joins Pro-Donald Trump Super PAC

“David Clarke is an American patriot, and we are very proud to welcome him to America First,” the group’s president, Brian O. Walsh, said in a prepared statement. (Patch)

This Day In History

1991 — As the era of the Soviet Union comes to a close, Leningrad is renamed with its original moniker, St. Petersburg

1997 — Millions across the globe watch the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales

Famous Birthdays

1860 — Jane Addams, known as the "mother of social work" and winner of a Nobel Peace Prize

1930 — Charles Foley, co-creator of the game Twister

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images