'Do not drink the water'

Tuesday, August 30

Hinds County Emergency Management Operations deputy director Tracy Funches, right, and operations coordinator Luke Chennault, wade through flood waters in northeast Jackson, Miss., Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, as they check water levels. Flooding affected a number neighborhoods that are near the Pearl River. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Residents in Jackson, Mississippi are without safe drinking water after heavy rains and flooding caused the water system to fail. It's Tuesday's news.

Residents of Mississippi's capital city are without safe drinking water. At least three people are dead after fierce storms in the Midwest. And a Nebraska man smashed a world record with a 38-mile pumpkin paddle.

👋 It's Laura Davis. It's Tuesday. Here's the news you need to know.

But first, does this jellyfish hold the key to immortality? 👀 Scientists in Spain cracked the genetic code of the immortal jellyfish, which can repeatedly change from an adult back to a juvenile to survive. Can it teach us about human aging?

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Jackson water supply unsafe after crisis caused by flooding

The water supply in Jackson, Mississippi, remained unsafe for its 150,000 residents to drink or brush their teeth Tuesday after water-treatment pumps failed a day earlier, exacerbating a persistent water crisis in the city. Excessive rainfall and flooding of the Pearl River caused pumps to fail at a Jackson plant, officials said. "Do not drink the water," said Gov. Tate Reeves, who issued a state of emergency. "The city cannot produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets and to meet other critical needs." Officials planned to distribute water to residents in the city and surrounding areas. The city had been under a boil-water notice since late July.

•	Floodwaters drain as Pearl River crests just below major flood stage.
•	Water crisis forces Jackson State football, Deion Sanders to leave campus.

Customers at Walker's Drive-In are provided bottled drinking water and imported ice in Jackson, Miss. The restaurant is one of many businesses dealing with the city's longstanding water system problems, including being under a boil-water notice since late July. Recent flooding worsened problems in one of two water-treatment plants.

Rogelio V. Solis

One year ago, America's longest war came to an end

One year ago today, Major Gen. Chris Donahue climbed aboard the last Air Force flight out of Afghanistan, which departed just before midnight. He was the last U.S. soldier left in the country after 20 years of war, thousands of troops killed in combat and a chaotic evacuation. More than 76,000 Afghans were evacuated to the U.S. at the end of the war. A year later, advocates say hundreds of thousands of Afghan allies and their family members who would likely qualify for protection still struggle to reach safety. Why have so few made it out?

•	One year after US withdrawal, what life is like in Afghanistan today.
•	'I still have nightmares of Afghanistan.' A female journalist escaped the Taliban, but she is not free. \| Column

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at Hamid Karzai International Airport on Aug. 30 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Donahue was the final American service member to depart the country.

Handout, U.S. Central Command via Getty I

What everyone's talking about

•	Harry Styles has been accused of 'queerbaiting.' What is that?
•	Is the US housing market in a recession or a correction?
•	Mariah Carey, other celebs targeted for home invasions by Atlanta gang.
•	N.J. banned plastic bags. So people are stealing grocery store baskets.
•	'Unacceptable': FAMU players tell president why they're taking a knee.
•	Megachurch pastor steps down after DMs with woman 'crossed a line.'
•	Monkeypox case in Texas being investigated after patient dies.

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At least 3 dead, power knocked out for 1 million during storms

A wall of storms that roared through a swath of the Midwest and South with heavy rains, hail and wind gusts of up to 80 mph killed at least three people and knocked out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses at the height of the tempest. The storms could bring more havoc to the East later Tuesday and beyond. Downpours and dangerous wind gusts were possible in Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, Accuweather said.

•	Incoming heat wave could be California's hottest and longest this year.
•	Persistent droughts and heat waves have increased across the nation in recent years, affecting more than 130 million people. Nearly half the US has endured a drought in 2022. Will it get worse?

First responders on the scene at a home where a woman was fatally struck by a falling tree in Toledo, Ohio, after severe storms brought damaging winds, heavy rains and flash flooding to parts of the Midwest and the South.

Isaac Ritchey, AP

Trump lawyer set for questioning about fake electors scheme

John Eastman, the Trump lawyer who pushed efforts to assemble fake slates of electors to subvert Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election, is expected to testify Tuesday after losing a bid to quash a subpoena. Prosecutors expect to question Eastman about a Dec. 3, 2020, appearance before the Georgia State Senate in which he referred to the plan to assemble electors to support Trump. Eastman, according to court documents, told lawmakers that they had a "duty" to replace the slate of Democratic Party electors, citing unfounded claims of voter fraud.

•	A storm of investigations presses on Trump. Here's a breakdown.
•	DOJ issues new prohibitions on political activities for appointees.
•	Secret Service official named in explosive Jan. 6 testimony retires from agency.

🏈 NFL roster cut day: For hundreds of NFL players, a phone call Tuesday can bring either very good or very bad news. As 32 teams cut down their rosters from 80 players to 53 ahead of the regular season, Buccaneers DB Logan Ryan and Texans RB Marlon Mack were among those released. Here's a look at the cuts.

🎾 Not done yet: With a galaxy of stars in attendance, Serena Williams defeated Danka Kovinic on Monday night at the U.S. Open. She will take on No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round Wednesday.

Serena Williams, of the United States, reacts during the first round of the US Open tennis championships against Danka Kovinic, of Montenegro, Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

Serena Williams reacts during the first round of the US Open tennis championships against Danka Kovinic on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022.

The Associated Press

Real quick

•	Mikhail Gorbachev, former Soviet leader who paved way for end of Cold War, dies at 91.
•	Town cuts down shade trees in public square to deter homeless people.
•	Senior center residents served cleaning fluid, woman with dementia dies.
•	Russia adds to weapons stockpile with lethal drones from Iran.
•	Nearly 300,000 tomatoes spill onto highway, causing chain of crashes.
•	Biden to give primetime speech Thursday on 'continued battle for the soul of the nation.'

🌤 What's the weather in your neck of the woods? Check your local forecast here.

Nebraska man claims world record for floating in 846-pound pumpkin

It's not every day you see a guy floating down the river in a gigantic pumpkin. Duane Hansen – nicknamed "Cindefella" – paddled an 846-pound floating pumpkin for 38 miles down the Missouri River to attain a world record – on his 60th birthday, no less. It took Hansen nearly a decade to grow the giant gourd named "Berta" before he hollowed it out for his river journey. It took 11 hours of paddling, but he made it. Guinness World Records still has to approve the trek, but Hansen is set to take over Rick Swenson's 2016 Guinness World Record for "longest journey by a pumpkin boat." Gourd job, Duane!

Duane Hansen paddled for 11 hours to set a world record floating inside of a pumpkin.

Phil Davidson, City of City of Bellevue

A break from the news

•	💄 Save big on makeup, skincare at Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty sale.
•	💰 How much (and how often) you should tip hotel housekeeping.
•	🛍Labor Day 2022: 60+ best Amazon deals on home essentials, tech, more.
•	🤷‍♀️ Ask HR: "Can I file for workers' comp if injured while working from home?"

Laura L. Davis is an Audience Editor at USA TODAY. Send her an email at laura@usatoday.com or follow along with her adventures – and misadventures – on Twitter. Support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.

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