NEED TO KNOW

Hurricane Ian Approaches Florida

Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall between Tampa and Naples in Florida this evening as a Category 4 storm, with maximum sustained winds reaching 130 mph. Ian is projected to produce rainfall amounts of up to 24 inches in west central Florida and could bring dangerous storm surges along Florida’s west coast that may raise water levels as much as 12 feet in some areas.

Ian is the first major hurricane to make landfall in the US mainland this year. As of this writing, Ian was located over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico, after hitting Cuba early Tuesday as a Category 3 and leaving the entire island of 11 million people without power (see photos). In contrast, Hurricane Fiona reached Puerto Rico as a Category 1 storm last week, which is still dealing with the aftermath.

Nearly 2.5 million people in coastal Florida are under an evacuation order. See the storm's trajectory here.

Oath Keepers Trial Begins

Jury selection began yesterday in the trial against Oath Keepers-founder Stewart Rhodes for his alleged role in the storming of the US Capitol Jan. 6, 2021. Rhodes and four other members are charged with seditious conspiracy for allegedly seeking to disrupt the transfer of presidential power. Each faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Rhodes, a former Army paratrooper, established the antigovernment Oath Keepers militia group in 2009 (see overview). Prosecutors claim Rhodes organized military-style units to reject the results of the November 2020 election far in advance of Jan. 6, including by purchasing weapons and gear and mapping out access points to the Capitol grounds. Rhodes and his codefendants have pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Seventeen of the 870 individuals charged in connection to Jan. 6 are accused of seditious conspiracy, while the majority of others face disorderly conduct charges. See a running list of charges here. 

Chess Cheating Scandal

Five-time world chess champion Magnus Carlsen has formally accused fellow chess grandmaster and Twitch streamer Hans Niemann of cheating. Carlsen's allegations, released through a public statement via Twitter this week (see here), are at the center of one of the chess world's biggest scandals in recent decades.

Carlsen, 31, is the best chess player in the world and has ranked No. 1 for more than a decade. Without offering details, Carlsen alleges that 19-year-old Niemann, an up-and-coming chess player who ranks No. 49 in the world, has cheated more recently than he has publicly admitted, adding that his progress in chess has been unusual. The accusation comes after Carlsen abruptly withdrew for the first time in his career from the annual Sinquefield Cup in St. Louis upon losing to Niemann. A week later, Carlsen resigned from an online match against Niemann after playing one move.

Chess officials have neither accused Niemann of cheating nor is an investigation underway, though theories of foul play have run rampant online.

In partnership with Apollo Neuro

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IN THE KNOW

Sports, Entertainment, & Culture

In partnership with The Ascent

> Shakira ordered to trial in Spanish tax evasion case; the Colombian pop star faces up to eight years in prison if found guilty of allegedly failing to pay $14M in taxes (More)

> Harry Styles' "As It Was" tops Billboard Hot 100 for 15th consecutive week, the longest ever streak for a UK act, edging Sir Elton John and Mark Ronson (More) | Watch music video for "As It Was" (More)

> Walt Disney World joins Universal Studios Orlando in closing all of its theme parks today and tomorrow due to Hurricane Ian (More) 

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Science & Technology

> Scientists image propeller-like appendages on E. coli bacteria at near-atomic-level resolution; findings shed light on decades-old mystery around how some bacteria move (More)

> Engineers demonstrate mesh-based electronic skin capable of long-term attachment without reported discomfort from users; device may allow continuous real-time monitoring of health vitals (More) 

> China's Martian probe finds evidence that two widespread floods significantly impacted the planet's landscape roughly 3 billion years ago (More)

Business & Markets

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.2%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq +0.3%); S&P 500 closes at new 2022 low (More) | Harley Davidson spins off electric motorcycle business into separate public company, LiveWire (More)

> US home price values slowed in July at fastest rate in history of Case-Shiller Index, though July index was up 16% over last year (More)

> US regulators fine Wall Street banks and brokerages $1.8B over use of messaging apps which broke record-keeping rules (More)

Politics & World Affairs

> Nord Stream pipelines, which deliver natural gas from Russia to Europe, spring three leaks; officials allude to sabotage as the cause (More) | Kremlin says all four occupied regions in eastern Ukraine voted to join Russia, laying the groundwork for potential annexation (More) | Roughly 200,000 Russians have crossed into neighboring countries since President Vladimir Putin partially mobilized the military, officials say (More)

> Legal group sues Biden administration to block plans to offer up to $20K in student loan debt forgiveness per borrower; Pacific Legal Foundation argues the move required congressional approval (More)

> Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) backs bill reforming the Electoral Count Act; legislation would formalize the vice president's role in certifying presidential election results as ceremonial (More)

THE BEST DAYS START WITH BETTER SLEEP

In partnership with Apollo Neuro

Tired? Tired of sleep solutions that don’t work, or create dependency? Say hello to the Apollo™ wearable. Recent clinical studies have shown the Apollo Neuro technology to increase time spent in deep sleep by 19% and time spent in REM sleep by 14%, on average. What’s more, users reported feeling 40% less stressed thanks to the soothing vibrations of Apollo’s touch therapy.

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Please support our sponsors!

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