What's going on: Hurricane Earl barrels toward U.S.

Also: 21 U.S. soldiers killed in 48 hours in Afghanistan; Google tweaks G-mail.

Ricardo Arduengo / The Associated PressA boy takes cover from a wave caused by the approaching of the Hurricane Earl in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Monday, Aug. 30, 2010. Earl battered some islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and roof-ripping winds Monday, rapidly intensifying into a major storm on a path projected to menace the United States.

From The Associated Press:

San Juan, Puerto Rico -- Hurricane Earl, now a powerful Category 4 storm, barreled toward the U.S. coast early Tuesday after battering tiny islands across the northeastern Caribbean with heavy rain and winds that damaged homes and toppled power lines.

Earl is forecast to potentially brush the U.S. East Coast late Thursday, before curving back out to sea, potentially swiping New England or far-eastern Canada. The U.S. National Hurricane Center warned coastal residents from North Carolina to Maine to watch the storm closely.

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