Greetings! Happy National Chicken Fried Steak Day to those celebrating.

Let’s get into today’s top stories.

🇯🇲 Hurricane Melissa roars to Category 4 strength. Forecasters warned Jamaica to brace for catastrophic flooding and landslides as sustained winds approached the high-130s and rain totals could top 15 inches in some basins. Emergency teams pre-positioned water, tarps, and antibiotics while clearing low-lying hospitals and prisons. Airport authorities stacked sandbags and recalibrated approach plates as carriers canceled or diverted flights. Dam managers weighed controlled releases to protect spillways, trading today’s road closures for tomorrow’s dam integrity. Public health planners flagged leptospirosis and cholera as post-storm risks when sewage systems fail. The difference between a close call and a catastrophe is often drainage, not drama.

🇷🇺 Russia touts a new nuclear-capable missile test. State media amplified claims from Vladimir Putin and his top general that a next-generation system completed a successful launch during strategic drills. Western analysts will parse telemetry hints and satellite imagery to judge whether the flight was developmental or demonstrative. Deterrence theory meets accounting here, because every test burns cash and stockpiles are not infinite. Arms controllers warn that testing without transparency narrows space for inspections and future caps. European governments will watch for posture changes at Kaliningrad and the High North that raise alert levels. Markets care because risk premia creep into energy and metals when saber-rattling turns rhythmic. The line between messaging and momentum is the one that matters.

🗺️ Trump’s redistricting push meets resistance in Indiana and Kansas. Republican legislators in both states signaled they would not reopen maps on the timetable favored by the White House, citing legal exposure and local political math. Leadership argued that mid-decade redraws invite lawsuits that swallow sessions whole. Grassroots conservatives countered that leaving seats on the table is political malpractice. Election lawyers reminded everyone that Section 2 and state constitutional constraints do not vanish because a calendar is convenient. County clerks quietly begged for stability so ballot design and machine testing do not crash into filing deadlines. The fight is less about cartography than control.

🗳️ Colorado woman convicted of voting for deceased relatives. Jurors found her guilty of forging ballots in the names of her late ex-husband and son, a scheme uncovered through signature checks and death records. Prosecutors said the case shows routine audits work when clerks have resources. Defense counsel argued grief and confusion, a plea that rarely beats paper trails and timestamps. Sentencing will weigh intent, scale, and deterrence, with guidelines pointing to potential jail time and fines. Elections officials noted that targeted fraud is detectable at tiny rates compared with total ballots cast. Integrity is built from boring processes: that remains the point.

🎬 June Lockhart, television’s quintessential TV mom, dies at 100. The star of “Lassie” and “Lost in Space” anchored mid-century family TV with a calm that outlived prime time. Tributes highlighted a career spanning Broadway debuts in the 1930s to cameo nostalgia in the streaming era. Archivists pointed to fan mail that ran for decades, proof that syndication builds second lives. Colleagues remembered a generous scene partner who knew where the camera and the kindness were. Honors will stack up quickly, as film academies and guilds mark a century of work and warmth. In an industry that sprints, she set a marathoner’s pace. The reruns will do the rest.

🏈 Former Jets center Nick Mangold dies at 41. The seven-time Pro Bowler passed less than two weeks after revealing a kidney disease diagnosis, according to family and team statements. Former teammates described a locker-room anchor who turned protection calls into choreography. Coaches noted that durability and footwork made a violent job look precise. The franchise will plan memorial tributes that reflect a decade in green and white. Health advocates used the moment to amplify awareness for silent conditions. Football measures greatness in snaps, but grief measures it in stories.

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That’s all for today!

Much obliged and many thanks for reading and sharing today’s newsletter.

See you tomorrow!