Hurricane Elsa is hurtling Saturday toward Haiti and the Domincan Republic, raising fears of flooding and mudslides in those countries before slamming Cuba and Florida.   Haitian authorities used social media to alert the population about the hurricane, urging those living near water or mountain sides to evacuate.The National Hurricane Center in Miami says the Category 1 storm was located about 635 kilometers east-southeast of Isla Beata, Dominican Republic, and was moving  west-northwest at 48 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds of 140 kilometers per hour. Elsa is expected to weaken to a tropical storm after striking Cuba, and the Hurricane Center’s long-term forecast shows it bearing down on Florida as a tropical storm by Tuesday morning. Other tracking models, though, would have the storm blowing into the Gulf or up along the Atlantic Coast.NHC: Hurricane Elsa to Weaken ‘A Little,’ Then Regain StrengthElsa to move across Caribbean Sea on SaturdayHurricane warnings are in effect Saturday for the southern coast of the Dominican Republic from Punta Palenque to the border with Haiti; the southern portion of Haiti from Port Au Prince to the southern border with the Dominican Republic; and in Jamaica beginning Sunday.  
 
A hurricane watch is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Camaguey, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Las Tunas, and Santiago de Cuba.   
 
Meanwhile, a tropical storm warning is in effect for the coast of Haiti north of Port Au Prince and the south coast of the Dominican Republic, east of Punta Palenque to Cabo Engano.  
 
The hurricane center said the outer rain bands associated with Elsa will affect Puerto Rico with rainfall totals of up to seven centimeters, with amounts as much as 12 centimeters possible through Saturday. This rain could lead to isolated flash flooding and minor river flooding, along with the potential for mudslides, the center said.     
 
Across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, rainfall of 20 centimeters with higher isolated maximum amounts possible Saturday into Sunday, possibly leading to scattered flash flooding and mudslides.  
 
The Hurricane center said there is an increasing risk of storm surge, wind and rainfall beginning Monday in the Florida Keys. The impacts could be felt northward along the Florida peninsula through Tuesday.  However, the center emphasizes there is still significant uncertainty about the Florida portion of its forecast.  
 Information from the Associated Press and Reuters was used in this report.
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On this U.S. politics edition of Encounter, John Fortier, resident scholar at The American Enterprise Institute, and Jim Kessler, executive vice president for policy at Third Way, discuss with host Carol Castiel the politics of President Joe Biden’s bipartisan infrastructure deal. Will Biden be able to garner at least 10 Republican Senators to pass the smaller, traditional bill and at the same time satisfy the more progressive wing of the Democratic Party, which intends to pass a more expansive human infrastructure package through budget reconciliation?
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American champion Sha’Carri Richardson cannot run in the Olympic 100-meter race after testing positive for a chemical found in marijuana.  Richardson, who won the 100 at Olympic trials in 10.86 seconds on June 19, told of her ban Friday on the “Today Show.” She tested positive at the Olympic trials and so her result is erased. Fourth-place finisher Jenna Prandini is expected to get Richardson’s spot in the 100. Richardson accepted a 30-day suspension that ends July 27, which would be in time to run in the women’s relays. USA Track and Field has not disclosed plans for the relay. The 21-year-old sprinter was expected to face Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce in one of the most highly anticipated races of the Olympic track meet. On Thursday, as reports swirled about her possible marijuana use, Richardson put out a tweet that said, simply: “I am human.” On Friday, she went on TV and said she smoked marijuana as a way of coping with her mother’s recent death.  “I was definitely triggered and blinded by emotions, blinded by badness, and hurting, and hiding hurt,” she said on “Today.” “I know I can’t hide myself, so in some type of way, I was trying to hide my pain.” Richardson had what could have been a three-month sanction reduced to one month because she participated in a counseling program. After the London Olympics, international regulators relaxed the threshold for what constitutes a positive test for marijuana from 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150 ng/m. They explained the new threshold was an attempt to ensure that in-competition use is detected and not use during the days and weeks before competition. Though there have been wide-ranging debates about whether marijuana should be considered a performance-enhancing drug, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency makes clear  on its website that “all synthetic and naturally occurring cannabinoids are prohibited in-competition, except for cannabidiol (CBD),” a byproduct that is being explored for possible medical benefits. While not weighing in on her prospects for the relays, USATF put out a statement that said her “situation is incredibly unfortunate and devastating for everyone involved.” Richardson said if she’s allowed to run in the relay “I’m grateful, but if not, I’m just going to focus on myself.” Her case is the latest in a number of doping-related embarrassments for U.S. track team. Among those banned for the Olympics are the reigning world champion at 100 meters, Christian Coleman, who is serving a suspension for missing tests, and the American record holder at 1,500 and 5,000 meters, Shelby Houlihan, who tested positive for a performance enhancer she blamed on tainted meat in a burrito. Now, Richardson is ou, as well, denying the Olympics of a much-hyped race and an electric personality. Richardson raced with flowing orange hair at the trials and long fingernails. “To put on a face and go out in front of the world and hide my pain, who am I to tell you how to cope when you’re dealing with pain and struggles you’ve never had to experience before?” Richardson said.
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Торги на міжбанківському валютному ринку, за даними Finance.ua, завершуються відносним посиленням гривні до 27 гривень 35,5–37,5 копійки за долар
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Котирування в парі гривня-долар трималися в широкому коридорі 27,5–28,5 близько дев’яти місяців – від початку вересня 2020-го до кінця травня 2021 року.
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Наглядова рада держпідприємства «Міжнародний аеропорт «Бориспіль» за результатами відкритого конкурсу на посаду генерального директора визначила переможцем Олексія Дубревського.

Згідно з повідомленням Міністерства інфраструктури України, Дубревський має 15-річний досвід роботи у сфері управління авіаінфраструктурою. Зокрема, у різні періоди він працював у Lufthansa, в аеропорту Донецька і ОАЕ. В останні два роки обіймав посаду директора КП «Міжнародний аеропорт «Запоріжжя».

Серед першочергових завдань нового гендиректора, згідно з повідомленням Мінінфраструктури, – поліпшення сервісу таксі при аеропорті, розвиток безбар’єрності для маломобільних груп населення, створення умов для системного підвищення кваліфікації працівників.

Наглядова рада аеропорту «Бориспіль» оголосила конкурсний відбір на посаду гендиректора 12 травня. До кінця жовтня 2020 року гендиректором аеропорту «Бориспіль» був Павло Рябікін, який потім очолив Держмитслужбу.
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Через негоду (пориви вітру, дощ, гроза) напередодні залишилися знеструмленими 300 населених пунктів. Передусім постраждали західні регіони.
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