Something fishy is going on in the Baltic Sea, and it’s not the herring.

Leaks in two major pipelines for transporting natural gas from Russia to Europe sent gas gushing into the water yesterday, and multiple European governments quickly pointed to sabotage—pinning the blame either implicitly or explicitly on Russia.

• Scandinavian scientists detected two explosions nearby on Monday, and Denmark, Sweden, and Germany have all launched investigations into what exactly went down.
• Meanwhile, Russia said it couldn’t rule out sabotage either and that the situation undermined the energy security of the entire European continent.

These aren’t just any old pipes

Even before the possible sabotage, the pipelines, known as the Nord Stream pipelines, were at the center of a tense energy standoff between Russia and Europe. Russia shut down the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in August, originally citing a need for maintenance before saying that flows would only be resumed if Europe lifted sanctions placed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.

Though the leaking pipelines weren’t in operation, they were full—and it could be days before gas stops flowing into the water.

So....hope you weren’t planning a Baltic cruise anytime soon. Ships could lose buoyancy if they get too close, and the presence of methane on the sea’s surface means there could be more explosions in the area, according to the chief of Denmark’s energy agency.

What does it all mean?

In the high-stakes confrontation between Europe and Russia, the suspected sabotage shows that no European energy infrastructure is safe.

And because those pipelines won’t be up and running any time soon, the leaks up the chances that the EU will have to make it through the winter without any Russian gas, which it depended on pre-invasion. That’s a BFD: The cutoff of gas flows from Russia could lead to a European economic downturn worse than the global financial crisis of 2007–2008, Bloomberg suggests.—AR

Wall Street slapped with $2 billion in fines. The three-martini lunch may dwindle to two after a dozen of the largest finance firms agreed to pay more than $2 billion to settle probes from the SEC and CFTC. Those regulators claimed that the banks failed to adequately manage employee communications on unauthorized messaging channels, like WhatsApp and personal email accounts.

Home prices fall for the first time since Taylor Swift released Red. An index tracking US home prices posted a monthly drop in July for the first time since 2012, signaling the end of a decadelong bull market that went absolutely bonkers during Covid. Expensive West Coast metros—San Francisco, Seattle, and San Diego—saw the biggest declines.

Alzheimer’s drug shows promise. Lecanemab, an Alzheimer’s drug from Eisai and Biogen, slowed cognitive decline in patients with early Alzheimer’s by 27% over 18 months in a final-phase trial, the companies said yesterday. That rate of decline met the study’s targets and offers hope to the 6 million people in the US with Alzheimer’s that their dementia can be slowed down or delayed. The companies hope lecanemab will fare better commercially than their previous Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm—which was a total flop.

After knocking out power in Cuba, Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall today on the west coast of Florida as an “extremely dangerous major hurricane,” the National Hurricane Center warned.

If it stays on its track toward Tampa, it’d be the first major hurricane to strike the city since 1921.

And things in Tampa have changed since then. 100 years ago, the population of the Tampa Bay area was 130,000. Now, it’s a sprawling region of 3.2 million, and it’s also emerged as one of the country’s fastest-growing finance hubs. (Raymond James Financial and Cathie Wood’s ARK Investments are both headquartered in St. Petersburg.)

But densely populated and low-lying Tampa is susceptible to heavy flooding. In the worst-case scenario of damage estimates ($70 billion), Ian would rank as the sixth-costliest hurricane in US history.

What else you need to know about Ian preparations:

• More than 2 million residents are under evacuation orders.
• Schools, retailers, and even Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are closing.
• Tampa International Airport is fully closed today, and Orlando’s airport is halting commercial operations at 10:30am ET.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers home game vs. the Kansas City Chiefs is still on for Monday night, but several college football games have been disrupted.—NF

Hundreds of Qatari civilians have been drafted into military service to operate security checkpoints at World Cup stadiums in the Gulf nation, according to Reuters. Since early September, the conscripted force has been training to assist with the tournament as part of their “patriotic duty.”

The group has reportedly been training for five days a week, performing marching drills and learning how to frisk fans and uncover contraband like drugs and alcohol. The force even includes diplomats called to return from posts overseas.

If getting drafted to pat down soccer fans doesn’t sound like an ideal gig, know that this is just one of several controversies surrounding the tournament ahead of its November start.

• In August, Qatar arrested at least 60 foreign workers (deporting some) who protested after going months without pay.
• Foreign LGBTQ+ fans have sought assurances that they won’t face prosecution if they attended the tournament, as same-sex relationships are criminalized in the country.
• Qatar—where alcohol is strictly controlled—recently announced that Budweiser would be available for purchase ahead of and after (but not during) matches.

Bottom line: Qatar needs all the help it can get. 1.2 million visitors are expected to enter the country for the tournament, which is equal to 43% of the country’s entire population of 2.8 million.—MK

Stat: John Cena has gone from submitting opponents with a Stepover Toehold Facelock to helping kids with life-threatening illnesses fulfill their dreams. The legendary wrestler and actor has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the celeb who’s granted the most wishes through the Make-a-Wish Foundation—and it’s not remotely close. Cena’s granted 650 wishes since 2002; the next person on the list hasn’t granted more than 200.

Quote: “Ned Fulmer is no longer working with The Try Guys.”

Who is Ned Fulmer? Good question: He’s one of The Try Guys. Who are they? Have patience, we’re just learning all this now. The group, once part of BuzzFeed but now independent YouTube creators who’ve amassed millions of followers for their videos and podcasts, parted ways with Fulmer after rumors swirled that he’d had an extramarital affair with an employee. Fulmer tweeted a statement yesterday afternoon confirming the relationship and apologizing to his wife and fans.

Read: Stone skipping is a lost art. Kurt Steiner wants the world to find it. (Outside)

DIY phone cases: You won’t be prepared for the last one.

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Recession watch: What Hamburger Helper packages reveal about an upcoming downturn.

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Picdoku: Talk like an Egyptian in today’s Picdoku. Play it here.

If you’re hoppy and you know it…

And now, a different kind of “brew” trivia. On National Drink Beer Day, we’re asking you to name the home countries of the following beer brands. If you get a 10/10, we owe you a six pack.

1. Labatt
2. Hoegaarden
3. Presidente
4. Heineken
5. Sapporo
6. Mythos
7. Singha
8. Kingfisher
9. Paulaner
10. Coopers

At 42, Julia Haart left her insular community to find personal freedom. Despite having no formal education, Julia became a shoe designer and eventually the CEO of Elite World Group. Listen or watch here to learn more about Julia’s journey.

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