National News at a Glance

Hawaii Braces for a Rare Encounter with a Hurricane

First came an errant alert that a ballistic missile was headed for Hawaii. Then 50 inches of rain fell in one day on Kauai. Next a volcanic eruption ravaged parts of the Big Island. Now the state is facing a Category 4 hurricane. Forecasts predict that Hurricane Lane could come dangerously close to Oahu, Molokai and Maui on Friday and Saturday, and the National Weather Service warned of “significant and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides” even if the storm skirts the islands. On Thursday, the outer bands of the storm lashed the Big Island, swelling creeks and rivers and triggering road-blocking landslides.

Trump Denounces Justice Department as Investigations Swirl Around Him

President Donald Trump blamed the Justice Department on Thursday for the investigations surrounding him, lashing out at Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who countered with a rare public rebuke of the president. Asked whether he is considering firing Sessions, the president only reiterated his objection to Sessions’ recusal from the Russia investigation and his insistence that he would have chosen another attorney general had he known someone else would oversee the inquiry. In a pointed reply, Sessions warned the president not to intrude on federal law enforcement. “While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations,” he said.

New York State Eyes Criminal Case Against Trump’s Company

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is considering pursuing criminal charges against the Trump Organization and two senior company officials in connection with hush money payment to an adult film actress, according to two officials with knowledge of the matter. A state investigation would center on how the company accounted for its reimbursement to Michael D. Cohen for the $130,000 he paid to Stephanie Clifford, the officials said. Both officials stressed that the office’s review of the matter is in its earliest stages and prosecutors have not yet made a decision on whether to proceed.

Report on Starr Inquiry Leaks Is Released

Prosecutors investigating President Bill Clinton’s affair with a White House intern made “questionable decisions” in providing information to reporters, but a review found no evidence that they violated grand jury secrecy rules, according to a long-secret 1999 report released Thursday. Brett M. Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, was among the lawyers investigating Clinton, and it was his nomination that led to the report's release. But Kavanaugh was not named in it. The report was prepared by a special master appointed in 1998 in response to complaints that Ken Starr, the independent counsel investigating Clinton, had violated the law by leaking grand jury materials.

Sniper Terrorizes Residents of New York City High-Rise

Of the high-end apartment buildings on the Upper East Side, One East River Place is one of the most luxurious.But its serene facade was shattered last week when an unidentified gunman opened fire on it. Last Thursday night, a bullet crashed through the window of a woman’s apartment on the 14th floor, police said. At 1 a.m. Saturday, a bullet shattered another window in an apartment on the 32nd floor. There were no injuries, but the gunfire, which appeared to come from across the river, terrorized tenants. Police have few leads. Police have offered a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Three Men Sentenced to Prison for Violence at Charlottesville Rally

Three men who took part in a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year were sentenced this week to several years in prison in connection with a couple of the event’s most violent episodes. On Thursday, two of the men received prison time for participating in the beating of a black man in a garage. Jacob Scott Goodwin, 23, was sentenced to eight years in prison, and Alex Michael Ramos, 34, was sentenced to six years. Richard W. Preston, 53, who was described as a Ku Klux Klan leader, was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison for firing a gun at the rally.