NOLA water crisis, Dolphins score 70, and a Dumbo octopus.

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US News, Politics, & Government

Saltwater pushing into Mississippi River could compromise Louisiana drinking water

Saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico is making its way up into the Mississippi River, threatening the drinking water supply in New Orleans. The ongoing drought conditions in Louisiana are allowing the saltwater to move north, a term called saltwater intrusion. Towns in the southern part of the state are already under drinking water advisories and bottled water is being given to residents. The saltwater is expected to begin affecting New Orleans in mid-October. If contaminated, it could take months before fresh water returns, unless there is significant rainfall. (More)

Biden disapproval rating hits highest mark of presidency

According to a new poll, President Biden’s disapproval rating has hit the highest mark of his presidency and also showed that support from essential voting blocks is falling. Biden’s disapproval rating is up to 56% with 41% saying they approve. The survey also shows support for Biden is slipping with voters ages 18 to 24 and with Latinos, the latter of which will be key to deciding the general election. (More)

Residents prepare to return to sites of homes demolished in Lahaina wildfire

Officials in Lahaina are opening up areas of the burn zone today for the first time since wildfires tore through the community seven weeks ago. Many residents will be returning to the area for the first time since they fled during the evacuation. Two thousand buildings were destroyed by the blaze, most of them homes. For now, residents and property owners can only visit during select hours and under the supervision of Maui authorities. (More)

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World

Nagorno-Karabakh exodus grows as Armenia warns of ‘ethnic cleansing’

The first groups of Armenian civilians have left the Nagorno-Karabakh territory for Armenia, following their surrender to the Azerbaijani military last week. Leaders have said that 99.9% of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the region will leave. Although Azerbaijan has said it will guarantee the rights of those that remain, the Armenian government has warned of the risk of ethnic cleaning and advised Armenians to flee. History could serve as the best indicator of Azerbaijan’s intentions, as they have maintained a 9-month blockade of the region preventing food, water, and fuel from reaching the Armenians who were desperately in need. (More)

Canadian autoworkers ratify new labor deal with Ford

The Canadian auto workers union, Unifor, and Ford came to an agreement which covers more than 5,600 workers. The deal helps Ford avoid simultaneous strikes on both sides of the US-Canadian border. The car company offered Unifor members wage increases of up to 25% and improvements to all pension plans. (More)

Kosovo monastery siege ends after heavy gun battles

Kosovar police cleared a monastery held by at least 30 heavily armed men near the Serbian Border on Sunday. One policeman and three gunmen were killed during the battle. The fighting began when the officers were attacked from several positions by men with guns, shoulder-fired missiles, and grenades after they stopped to resolve a roadblock. The police forced the gunmen into a monastery where priests and pilgrims hid for hours in the inner temple during the standoff. Officials believe the attackers were from Serbia, which Kosovo declared independence from in 2008. (More)

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Business & Economy

Daily stock market update

US stock markets closed lower on Friday (S&P -0.23%, Nasdaq -0.09%, Dow -0.31%) ~ Friday’s dip marked the fourth straight day of losses for the three major indexes. The losing streak was largely caused by the Federal Reserve’s announcement that it intended to keep interest rates higher for longer. (More)

McDonald’s to raise royalty fees for new franchised restaurants for first time in nearly 30 years

McDonald’s is raising the royalty fee from 4% to 5% for operators opening new locations starting Jan. 1. The change will not affect current franchisees who are maintaining their current footprints or who buy a franchised location from another operator. Franchisees likely won’t feel the effects right away, but backlash will likely come due to the company’s rocky relationship with US operators. Despite the bad blood, cash flows for US operators have climbed 35% over the last five years. (More)

This Southern city is the No. 1 place to start your own business

Atlanta is the best place to start your own business, according to new LinkedIn data. It is the No. 1, US Metro area with the fastest year-over-year growth, 92%, in people starting their own companies. Austin was ranked No. 2. Both cities experienced an entrepreneurial boom during the pandemic as people left pricey cities like San Francisco and New York in search of a low cost of living and lower state income tax. (More)

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Sports & Entertainment

Miami Dolphins score 70 points vs. Broncos in record day

The Miami Dolphins destroyed the Denver Broncos 70-20 in their home opener on Sunday. Dolphins’ quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had four touchdowns before he was pulled in the first minute of the fourth quarter. He had more incomplete passes (3) than the Dolphins had scoreless possessions (2). It was the most points scored in a game since Washington dropped 72 on the New York Giants in 1966. (More)

Europe retains Solheim Cup to deny U.S. for 3rd straight time

Spain’s Carlota Ciganda defeated American superstar Nelly Korda in the day’s penultimate match to ensure that Europe would retain the Solheim Cup. The golf tournament, which pits the best women’s players in the US vs the best women in Europe, ended in an overall 14-14 tie. However, since Europe had won outright last year the US needed to win outright to claim this year’s trophy. (More)

The NFL announces 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show headliner

Usher will be the halftime show performer at Super Bowl LVIII, which will be hosted at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in February. He is currently performing a residency concert series in Las Vegas that runs through December. He have the tough job of following up Rihanna, whose 2023 halftime performance was the most-watched halftime show of all time. (More)

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Science, Health, & Tech

Risk factor for Parkinson's discovered in genes from people of African descent

A global effort in genetic studies helped a team find a previously unknown gene variant that can nearly quadruple the risk of Parkinson’s for people of African descent. Previous knowledge for genetics in Parkinson’s disease was limited to Northern European populations. Researchers identified the new variant, called GBA1, by diversifying their research. The discovery could help scientists develop a treatment specifically for people with this particular gene variant. (More)

A long-awaited asteroid sample has landed in the US

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft brought an asteroid sample back to Earth on Sunday. The mission launched in 2016 and collected the sample from a near-Earth asteroid named Bennu in 2018 before beginning the 5-year journey home. The capsule containing the asteroid sample landed in the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range. Scientists hope to study the sample from Bennu to learn more about how our solar system evolved over billions of years. (More)

COVID vaccine rollout snarled by insurance denials, canceled appointments

The federal government no longer pays for or distributes all COVID-19 vaccinations, which means public and private-sector health insurance providers must pay the full costs of the shot plus an administrative fee. Many people are finding that their insurance don’t cover the shots administered at places like Walgreens and CVS. Others are being told that their health care providers will give them the shot only to find out the doctors don’t have them. Experts say the marketplace is bound to experience issues with the switch from government to private-sector insurers. (More)

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Bonus Material

Watch: The incredible transformation of a $16,500 abandoned home.

Watch: A rare “Dumbo” octopus is caught on a deep sea live camera.

Visualizing how our digital world is connected through subsea cables.

An alligator ate a lady in Florida.