Good Morning! Today’s edition is 905 words, a 4-minute read.

What’s on tap: 

• LA Nina makes its debut

• Russia admits to downing passenger flight

• Gross harmless reason for Swiss cheese holes

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Big Stories

Texas Blocks Shaken Baby Execution

• Texas's highest criminal court halted the execution of Robert Roberson, convicted in his 2-year-old daughter's 2002 death based on shaken baby syndrome evidence. The court granted a stay, citing a similar case where Dallas prosecutors found a man 'actually innocent' based on advances in science discrediting the diagnosis.

• Evidence the jury never heard supports his innocence. His daughter had been hospitalized over 40 times and had a 104.5-degree fever at a doctor's visit two days before her death. Doctors sent her home with Phenergan, which now carries an FDA warning as too dangerous for children.

• A bipartisan group of Texas lawmakers blocked a previous execution attempt last year. Attorney General Ken Paxton maintains Roberson is guilty and took over prosecution this year. The case would have been the nation's first execution in a shaken baby syndrome case.

Weak La Nina Arrives

• NOAA declared Thursday that La Nina has formed, a natural cooling pattern in the Central Pacific that affects weather worldwide. However, this La Niña is likely too weak and short-lived to cause major impacts, with forecasters giving it a three-in-four chance of remaining weak before disappearing within months.

• La Nina typically turbocharges Atlantic hurricanes by weakening wind shear, but experts say this one arrived too late to affect the 2025 season. It usually brings more precipitation and snowstorms to northern US areas while causing winter dryness in the South, along with heavier rains in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Central America

• The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season was forecast to be stronger than normal, but has been surprisingly below average. Long-range forecasts show little formation expected over the next couple of weeks.

Prescription Drug Vending Machines

• Amazon is adding prescription vending machines to its One Medical clinics starting in December at Los Angeles locations. The kiosks will stock common prescriptions, including antibiotics, inhalers, and blood pressure medications, but not controlled substances or refrigerated drugs. Plans call for expansion to other locations in the future.

• Providers will send prescriptions to Amazon Pharmacy kiosks, where pharmacists verify them before patients collect medications immediately after appointments. The machines aim to reduce prescription abandonment, which Amazon says happens frequently when patients must make separate trips to the pharmacy

• Amazon is looking to capitalize on the struggles of traditional pharmacies, which face growing competition and shrinking drug margins. Rite Aid shut down completely after bankruptcy, while CVS and Walgreens have closed hundreds of locations nationwide. 

Quick Stories

US News

• The Senate failed its seventh vote to reopen the government Thursday with a 54-45 tally, falling short of the 60 votes needed as the shutdown enters its eighth day. (More)

• New York Attorney General Letitia James was indicted on one count of bank fraud after President Trump’s administration pushed for charges against her. (More)

• Texas arrested eight people for allegedly working under midwife Maria Rojas, who faces charges for illegal abortions and practicing medicine without a license in Houston. (More)

World

• Pope Leo XIV released his first major document Thursday, urging Christians not to ignore global hunger and poverty, continuing his predecessor Pope Francis's focus on helping the poor. (More)

• Vladimir Putin admitted for the first time that Russian missiles downed an Azerbaijani jetliner in December, killing 38 people while targeting a Ukrainian drone nearby. (More)

• Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the US of killing Colombians in Caribbean boat strikes targeting alleged drug traffickers. The White House demanded he retract his claims. (More)

Business & Economy

• US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -0.28%, Nasdaq -0.08%, Dow -0.52%). The S&P 500 and Nasdaq pulled back Thursday from record highs set a day earlier as the government shutdown continues. (More)

• The IRS raised 2026 tax brackets and deductions, with the top 37% rate now applying to individuals earning over $640,600 and married couples making above $768,700. (More)

• The US Treasury bought Argentine pesos and finalized a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina to provide market stability, sending the peso and Argentine bonds sharply higher Thursday. (More)

Sports & Entertainment

• A throwing error by Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering in the 11th inning let the winning run score, giving the Dodgers a 2-1 walk-off victory and a 3-1 NLDS win over Philadelphia. (More)

• WNBA star Angel Reese will walk in Victoria's Secret Fashion Show on October 15, becoming the first professional athlete to model in the show. (More)

• KISS star Gene Simmons, 76, passed out while driving in Malibu, crossed multiple lanes, and hit a parked car, but is recovering at home. (More)

Science, Health, & Tech

• University of Maryland researchers developed a Salmonella vaccine that proved safe in early human trials and triggered strong immune responses against typhoid fever and common food poisoning strains. (More)

• Scientists found that naked mole rats live up to 37 years partly due to a unique immune protein variant that boosts DNA repair, unlike the human version that suppresses it. (More)

• OpenAI's video app Sora hit 1 million downloads in under five days despite being iPhone-only and invite-based. (More)

Extra Credit

Ranking the best used EVs to buy in 2025.

The gross (but harmless) reason Swiss cheese has holes.

How parents are managing screen time for kids.

A good night’s sleep turbocharges your mental health.