September 8: Hurricane Lowell and the Trump-Putin Ukraine Call

In Hawaii Hurricane Lowell is hitting Kauai and Niihau with heavy rain and wind gusts up to 80 miles an hour. Hurricane warnings are in effect there, while Oahu is under a tropical storm warning. Schools and government offices have closed across three islands as forecasters warn of flooding, mudslides, possible tornadoes, and dangerous surf. Kauai could receive as much as 24 inches of rain. In U.S. courts and elections Lindsay Clancy’s Massachusetts murder trial has ended in a mistrial after jurors could not reach a unanimous verdict. Clancy is charged in the 2023 deaths of her three children. Her defense argued that postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder left her legally insane, while prosecutors said the killings were planned. Her lawyer has called on President Trump to consider a pardon, though a president has no authority to pardon a state criminal case. Democratic lawmakers and former Republican members of Congress are asking the Supreme Court to block Trump’s effort to restrict mail-in voting. They argue that election administration powers rest with Congress and the states, not the White House. In the Middle East The Trump administration has sanctioned more than two dozen Iranian commercial and private airlines, along with foreign cargo providers, as part of its campaign to further isolate Tehran financially and restrict its trading links. Britain has also announced trade restrictions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, accusing settlers of participating in what it called ethnic cleansing. In Ukraine Trump and Vladimir Putin spoke by phone after U.S. envoys visited both Moscow and Kyiv in an effort to restart negotiations over Russia’s war in Ukraine. Ukraine’s allies reportedly believe the fighting could continue into 2027 after Putin’s meeting with the U.S. delegation. In technology NASA’s X-59 experimental jet has reached Mach 1.2 on its 25th test flight, meeting key targets for stability and structural performance. The aircraft is designed to produce a quieter sonic thump rather than a conventional sonic boom, with acoustic testing planned later this year. Australia is proposing rules that would allow social-media users to opt out of algorithmic recommendations. Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to $100 million.