Top Stories: Frightening Hurricane Irma; Congress Returns To Pressing Issues

Good morning, here are our early stories:-- Category 5 Hurricane Irma Brings 175-MPH Winds To Bear On Caribbean Islands.-- 6 Priorities Congress Has To Deal With In 12 Days.-- 4 Ways The U.S. Could Fight Future Election Interference.-- Calling Nurse A 'Hero', Utah Hospital Bars Police From Patient-Care Areas.And here are more early headlines:Firefighters Gain Ground On Huge L.A. County Wildfire. (KPCC)Tens Of Thousands Of Muslims Still Fleeing Bangladesh. (Guardian)Hundreds More Civilian Deaths By Boko Haram. (Amnesty International)Opening Statements This Week In Sen. Menendez Trial. (New York Times)Cuba Begins Process To Nominate New Political Leaders. (AP)Publisher Tronc Buying New York Daily News. (USA Today)Azerbaijan Conducted Secret Payment And Lobbying Effort. (Guardian)40th Anniversary Of Voyager Space Probes. (Space.com)Easter Island Residents Vote To Create Marine Preserve. (Phys.Org) Copyright 2017 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.