Wall of Mud, Vaping to Quit, & a Giant Food Fight

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Adam Rogers
August 27, 2026

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At least 95 people were killed, and hundreds remained missing Wednesday after a wall of mud, rock and water crashed through the Himalayan border region between Nepal and Tibet, triggering catastrophic flooding downstream. At least 384 travelers are unaccounted for in Nepal, including citizens of India, Nepal, the United States, and Britain.
The flood swept away homes, roads, bridges, and hydropower projects, while entire settlements along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River were inundated. Rescue helicopters have been unable to land in some of the hardest-hit areas, and more than 12% of Nepal's hydropower capacity was affected.
The disaster's cause remains under investigation. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake was detected minutes before the collapse, while one regional expert said an ice-rock avalanche may have triggered it. Authorities are now warning that debris still blocking the river upstream could give way and cause a second flood, prompting evacuations from low-lying areas.

Meta has agreed to pay $17 billion and impose new child-safety restrictions on Facebook and Instagram, settling claims from 47 states that its platforms were deliberately designed to addict young users and harm their mental health.
Meta will introduce hard daily time limits and usage pauses for children, eliminate push notifications during weekday school hours, and strengthen age verification and parental controls. The company will also restrict potentially harmful content and social-comparison features such as visible like counts. An independent auditor will monitor whether the protections are implemented effectively.
The settlement follows years of scrutiny over Meta's internal research and its effects on younger users. The states' investigation began after 2021 reporting showed the company knew Instagram could negatively affect teenagers, particularly girls struggling with body image.

Nicotine vapes may be more effective at helping smokers quit than traditional nicotine-replacement products such as patches and gum, according to an updated Cochrane review. Researchers analyzed 80 randomized trials involving nearly 30,000 people and found high-certainty evidence that nicotine vapes produced higher quit rates after at least six months.
For every 100 smokers who used nicotine vapes, roughly eight to 10 successfully quit, compared with about six using nicotine-replacement therapy. Vapes also appeared more effective than non-nicotine vapes and counseling alone, although researchers had less confidence in those comparisons. Serious adverse events were rare across all of the cessation methods studied.
The findings don't establish the long-term safety of vaping or suggest nonsmokers should start. Most trials followed participants for only six months, leaving questions about relapse and prolonged vape use unanswered. Researchers also noted that many trials used older vaping devices, meaning newer products could potentially produce different results.

A federal judge lifted the final injunction blocking President Trump’s mail-voting restrictions, allowing new USPS ballot requirements to take effect ahead of November’s midterms as legal challenges continue. (More)

Sen. Darline Graham won South Carolina’s Republican Senate runoff to replace her late brother, Lindsey Graham, and will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. (More)

Chinese state-sponsored hackers breached multiple U.S. agencies, including the Federal Reserve, Senate, Justice Department and NASA, according to the DOJ. (More)

Chinese artist Gao Zhen was sentenced to three years in prison for satirical works depicting former leader Mao Zedong that authorities deemed insulting to revolutionary figures. (More)

At least 47 people were killed and more than 50 kidnapped in a major gang attack near Haiti’s capital, with a gang leader threatening to kill the hostages if authorities retaliate. (More)

Putin authorized temporary state management of businesses that fail drone-defense requirements, a move that could enable broader seizures of private assets. (More)

US stock markets closed mixed on Wednesday (S&P +0.02%, Nasdaq -0.08%, Dow -0.21%) as the personal consumption expenditures price index reading showed that inflation remains elevated. (More)

Nvidia beat quarterly expectations with $96.2 billion in revenue, more than double a year earlier, and projected 70% revenue growth next year, sending its shares up 4%. (More)

SpaceX plans to build a $100 billion launch facility in Louisiana that will become Starship’s primary launch site and support thousands of launches annually. (More)

The NFL is scrapping the Pro Bowl game and skills competitions, but will continue naming 88 Pro Bowlers each season and honor them at a Los Angeles celebration. (More)

The PGA Tour announced a 36-event schedule for 2027, including eight Signature Events, the new Sompo Championship and a three-tournament FedExCup postseason. (More)

Actor Tim Curry, best known for The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Clue and It, has died at 80. His career spanned film, television, theater, and voice acting. (More)

A “blood moon” lunar eclipse will be visible across most of the U.S. Thursday night into Friday, reaching maximum eclipse at 12:12 a.m. ET. (More)

Harvard researchers have developed a way to protect quantum information using phonons — tiny particles of sound — potentially paving the way for compact quantum networks built directly onto chips. (More)

“Swarms” of cyborg cockroaches equipped with cameras and injectors could someday locate disaster survivors and deliver emergency medical treatment in areas inaccessible to rescuers. (More)

See photos from “La Tomatina,” the world’s largest food fight.

Mapping lifetime taxes in every US state.

Someone built a functioning copy of Mazda’s suitcase car.

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