MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Polo formed late Sunday off southwestern Mexico.
Polo had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph (65 kph) and was forecast to strengthen rapidly over the next few days, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Polo was expected to become a major hurricane by midweek.
Polo was moving toward the east-northeast near 5 mph (7 kph). A turn toward the east was expected Tuesday and a sharp turn toward the north and northwest on Wednesday.
Heavy rain was forecast for the Mexican states of Michoacán, Colima and Jalisco through Thursday.
Polo was centered about 270 miles (435 kilometers) south of Manzanillo, Mexico, and 270 miles (435 kilometers) southwest of Zihuatanejo, Mexico.
A tropical storm also formed Sunday in the northern Atlantic Ocean, and another in the Pacific, but both were far from land.
Tropical Storm Fay had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph (110 kph) and was centered about 385 miles (620 kilometers) southwest of the Azores. It was near hurricane strength but was forecast to weaken.
Tropical Storm Odalys was far southwest of Mexico, about 1,350 miles (2,170 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California.
It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was expected to strengthen into a hurricane in the next day or so.
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Odalys, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
This satellite image from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows Tropical Storm Fay, Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026. (NOAA via AP)
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House has issued a warning to Democrats over their planned probes into the Trump administration, going as far as claiming that such investigations — a standard oversight function of Congress -- may amount to “blatant criminality.”
White House counsel Will Scharf issued the warning in a letter dated Monday to Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee.
Garcia most likely would chair the powerful panel in the new Democratic-controlled Congress that is seated in January. Garcia warned Trump officials to “lawyer up” after his party’s stunning victories in last week's midterm elections.
In response, Scharf wrote in Monday’s letter that “threats to executive branch officials designed to deter them from public service, or process designed merely to abuse or instill fear in the recipient may cross the line into blatant criminality." The letter’s existence was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Garcia said in response to the letter that “it appears Donald Trump has something to hide” and stressed that Congress’s investigative powers do not need the “permission of the White House.”
“Congress has wide latitude to conduct investigations and oversight, an authority inherent in the power to legislate,” Garcia said. “The American people voted overwhelmingly for us to pass laws to root out corruption and abuse.”
Democrats are preparing a vast oversight agenda to look at how Trump and his family have become wealthier since he returned to office. The Republican president and his White House have long denied any wrongdoing.
Garcia also wants to look at the administration’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Other targets include Trump’s White House ballroom and other construction projects, as well as the Trump family’s role in mineral deals and Trump’s crypto dealings with special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a CNN interview that aired Sunday that “there could be” a crime to investigate if rhetoric from Democrats turned threatening. He appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone during an appearance in Missouri this week, saying “Congress has oversight authority. It always has, it always will. The Department of Justice, the federal government, works with Congress to address questions they have — whether it’s through subpoenas or letters — so we’re not going to stop working with Congress.”
“Nothing I’ve said this weekend, or in the past, should suggest otherwise,” he added.
Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed.
The U.S. Capitol is photographed Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
President Donald Trump speaks in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
New members of the 120th Congress gather for the first day of new member orientation at the Capitol, Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)
Attorney General Todd Blanche stand in the door of Air Force One was Marine One lands with President Donald Trump aboard, at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen))
President Donald Trump, followed by Dana White, UFC president and CEO, arrives to speak in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
