Florida eyes a monster

First: Hurricane Idalia prompts millions to drop what they’re doing and prepare for a life-threatening storm surge that’s just hours from hitting Florida’s Gulf Coast. 

Plus: Mark Meadows spends three-plus hours on the stand trying to show his actions were just normal chief of staff things and not part of a conspiracy to subvert the 2020 election. 

And: A campaign clash over foreign policy turns uglier as Vivek Ramaswamy calls Nikki Haley a liar and then by a name she chooses not to use. Some see it as thinly veiled dog whistle. 

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