On Friday, Tropical Storm Erin neared hurricane strength and is expected to become the first hurricane of the Atlantic season. Forecasters anticipate Erin to become a major hurricane over the weekend.

Tropical Storm Erin is nearing hurricane strength as it moves north of the Caribbean islands. Meteorologists report that Erin is rapidly intensifying and is expected to become the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season, potentially reaching category three status within days.

The storm is forecast to stay north of most Caribbean islands, though its outer bands may affect Puerto Rico and surrounding areas with rough surf and high waves. Erin is projected to reach category four strength before turning east of the US eastern seaboard, with Bermuda advised to monitor its progress closely. While the storm is likely to remain out at sea, significant wave activity is expected for Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and the Dominican Republic.

Tropical Storm Erin nears hurricane strength

People in the Caribbean are watching Tropical Storm Aaron, which is close to being a hurricane this morning. It will get much stronger as it passes north of the islands, though its outer bands could affect Puerto Rico. Meteorologist Kate Bailo at CBS News Philadelphia is tracking the storm. Kate, good morning. Good morning to you, Nate. Yeah, this storm is strengthening rapidly already and expected to go from Tropical Storm this morning to likely a major category three hurricane by the time we get to Sunday morning. So here's a look at Aaron right now and you can see how this storm has kind of exploded in size just through the overnight hours. Let's take a look at the track of Aaron because while Aaron is expected to stay north of most of the islands of the Caribbean, this is going to be a rapidly strengthening storm. By later this morning, we expect this to be the first hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic season. By Sunday morning, this is a category three hurricane. And look at this, latest update from the National Hurricane Center. By Monday morning, a category four hurricane with winds up to 130 miles an hour. By Tuesday morning, it's still a category three. And then it makes that turn before it gets to the Bahamas and generally will stay east of the eastern seaboard of the US. Now, Bermuda is gonna have to keep a very close eye on this storm as it strengthens and moves out into the open Atlantic. But the good news, again, at least for us across the eastern half of the United States, it does look like Aaron is mainly going to stay out to sea. But rough surf, rip currents, forecast waves will be very, very strong down through the islands of Puerto Rico, the Leeward Islands, and eventually the Dominican Republic, wave heights of 10 to 12 feet plus as Aaron moves through the Atlantic. Tony, I'll send it back over to you. All right, Kate, thank you very much, appreciate it.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin have arrived in Alaska ahead of their high stakes talks on Ukraine. The expected one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin has expanded to include U.S. officials Steve Witkoff and Marco Rubio and other Russian officials.

Ukraine Invasion

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Israel's far-right finance minister approved the construction of a controversial new settlement in the West Bank, saying it "finally buries the idea of a Palestinian state." But it's unclear if this move will actually go through. Rights groups swiftly condemned the plan.

Jerusalem

Middle East Conflict

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London. This comes one day before U.S. President Donald Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska to discuss a possible ceasefire in Ukraine.

London

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has announced plans to build another immigrant detention center, dubbing it the "Deportation Depot." The facility will be in North Florida.

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President Trump had a virtual call Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday in Alaska. After the call, Zelenskyy said he told Mr. Trump that "Putin is bluffing."

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At least 123 people have been killed in 24 hours, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says people will be given the opportunity to leave Gaza before a planned ground offensive, but no one is being pushed out.

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America's NATO allies stood firmly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ahead of the face-to-face meeting between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. The European leaders showed a united front that there should be no peace deal without Ukraine's involvement.

Kyiv

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement must improve conditions for detainees at New York's 26 Federal Plaza, a judge ruled Tuesday.

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National Guard troops arrived in Washington, D.C., following President Donald Trump's deployment and federalization of local police to crack down on crime in the nation's capital.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said that he had a "very good call" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, days before his scheduled Alaska meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Israel's military chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, has approved the framework of a plan for a new offensive in Gaza. CBS News Middle East reporter Courtney Kealy has more details.

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President Donald Trump said Wednesday there will be “very severe consequences” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t agree to stop the Ukraine war after Friday’s summit.

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A Wisconsin woman on Tuesday was found guilty in the United Kingdom of trying to kill a man at point-blank range in 2019. Aimee Betro, 45, was part of a plot with two other co-conspirators to murder Sikander Ali, prosecutors said.

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Record-high temperatures across Europe are fanning wildfires across the continent. Experts say a warming climate and an increase in flammable vegetation from rural depopulation are major factors.

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Hungary's PM Viktor Orbán said the EU attempts to set conditions for a meeting to which leaders of the EU were not invited. He also called for an EU-Russia summit.

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President Trump said Monday he expects that Russia and Ukraine will "land swap" certain territories as part of an eventual ceasefire deal. Mr. Trump is set to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday.

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Taylor Swift confirmed her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," in a teaser for her upcoming appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce's podcast. Swift did not disclose the release date of the album.

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U.S. President Donald Trump said that his planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday will be to "feel out" the leader as pressure mounts for Russia and Ukraine to make a peace deal.

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A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to take place in Alaska, with European leaders notably excluded from the talks. Until Europe can defend itself, it's not likely to be invited to a great power dialogue, experts have told Euronews.

Alaska

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U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that Kyiv and Moscow will both have to cede land to end the war in Ukraine and talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin this week will instantly show whether the Kremlin leader is willing to make a deal.

Breakdown