Hurricane Melissa, Menopause Drug, & Red Lighting

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Adam Rogers
October 28, 2025

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Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 on Monday with 175 mph winds as it approached Jamaica for expected landfall today. It would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Forecasters predict up to 30 inches of rain, catastrophic flooding, and a 13-foot storm surge threatening Kingston's airport and power plants.
The storm has already killed six people across the Caribbean. Cuba is evacuating over 600,000 people, while Jamaica has fewer than 1,000 people in its 880 open shelters despite officials' pleas. In the Dominican Republic, Melissa damaged 750 homes and displaced 3,760 people.
Chief meteorologist Jonathan Porter warned the storm 'can become a true humanitarian crisis very quickly', requiring international support. It is forecast to miss the US.

Argentine President Javier Milei’s libertarian party scored a landslide victory in Sunday’s midterm elections, winning nearly 41% of the vote and expanding its presence in Congress. The result gives Milei a clearer path to advance his cost-cutting and free-market reforms.
The vote was the first national test of Milei’s popularity since taking office in 2023, when he pledged to take a “chainsaw” to public spending. He has since slashed budgets for education, health, and pensions, while cutting tens of thousands of public jobs. Supporters credit him for cooling triple-digit inflation and restoring investor confidence, but critics warn of deepening poverty and crumbling public services.
Financial markets and Washington welcomed the result. President Trump congratulated Milei, whose victory helps secure a $40 billion US support package tied to his reform agenda.

The FDA approved Lynkuet, a first-of-its-kind nonhormonal drug that relieves hot flashes and night sweats symptoms that affect up to 80% of menopausal women. It’s the second drug of its class, following Veozah (2023), but the first to target two brain receptors that regulate temperature, mood, and sleep.
In global trials led by UVA Health, over 70% of women saw hot flashes cut in half within 12 weeks, compared to 43% on a placebo, with continued improvement at week 26. The drug also improved sleep and quality of life, with mild side effects like headache and fatigue.
Bayer plans to launch the drug by November at $625 per month, with copay programs for insured patients.

A Minnesota man was arrested for allegedly offering $45,000 to kill former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi in a TikTok post showing her in a sniper scope. (More)

Oil giant Exxon sued California over laws requiring companies to report emissions and climate financial risks, arguing the transparency rules violate its free speech rights. (More)

Indiana's governor called a special session Monday to redraw congressional maps, but fellow Republicans remain divided despite White House pressure to boost the GOP's slim House majority. (More)

Ten people went on trial in Paris on Monday for cyberbullying France's first lady, Brigitte Macron, by spreading false claims about her gender and sexuality. They face two years in prison. (More)

At least 196 uncontacted Indigenous groups, mostly in the Amazon, face extinction within 10 years from logging, mining, and traffickers, according to a new report. (More)

Cameroon's court declared 92-year-old President Paul Biya, in power since 1982, the winner of the latest election despite deadly protests that killed at least four people. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Monday (S&P +1.23%, Nasdaq +1.86%, Dow +0.71%). Stocks jumped to records after the US and China eased trade tensions over the weekend, with plans to strike a deal this week. (More)

Qualcomm announced Monday it will release AI chips to compete with Nvidia, which dominates the market, boosting Qualcomm's stock by 15%. (More)

Lululemon will sell NFL-branded clothes for all 32 teams starting today, its first licensed sports league collection, sending shares up 3%. (More)

Freddie Freeman's leadoff homer in the 18th inning gave the Dodgers a 6-5 win over Toronto in a record-tying 6-hour, 39-minute World Series Game 3 classic. (More)

Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz needs season-ending surgery on his non-throwing shoulder after playing through a torn labrum and fractured socket. (More)

"Yellowstone" creator Taylor Sheridan will move from Paramount to NBCUniversal, with his film deal starting in March and TV projects shifting in 2028. (More)

A man lived with a gene-edited pig kidney for a record 271 days before returning to dialysis, helping researchers work toward organs for 100,000 Americans awaiting transplants. (More)

Egyptian paleontologists found an 80-million-year-old marine crocodile fossil that's the earliest known dyrosaurid, showing the ancient group originated in Africa much earlier than thought. (More)

Researchers found Mayans predicted eclipses for 700 years by overlapping lunar calendar tables every 223 or 358 months to fix small timing errors. (More)

Woman survives being hit by a small plane.

Rockefeller Center has chosen its 2025 Christmas tree.

See a time-lapse of red lighting spotted in New Zealand.

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