Nova Newsletter
October 7, 2025
☕ Good morning. 1,662 words for you today - 8 minute read.
The Spotlight
1. South Carolina Judge’s Home Destroyed After Reported Threats
A massive fire at the beachfront home in South Carolina. Photograph: St Paul's Fire District
A massive fire that appeared to start with an explosion destroyed the Edisto Beach home of Judge Diane Goodstein, who had recently received death threats, officials said.
Takeaways:
Three family members were hospitalized, including Goodstein’s husband, former Sen. Arnold Goodstein.
The judge was walking her dogs when the fire erupted Saturday.
State law enforcement is investigating; arson hasn’t been ruled out.
Goodstein faced online hostility after blocking a federal request for state voter files.
South Carolina Chief Justice John Kittredge said the cause remains unknown but ordered extra security for Goodstein and other judges. The fire reportedly began with an explosion that leveled parts of the three-story home.
The incident adds to growing fears of political violence targeting public officials across the U.S. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
2. Johnson Rejects Talks as Government Shutdown Drags On
Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday there is “nothing to negotiate” as the federal government remained shut down for a second week.
Takeaways:
Johnson blamed Senate Democrats for the ongoing standoff over government funding.
Democrats accused Republicans of walking away from bipartisan talks.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries challenged Johnson to a primetime floor debate.
Economists warn the shutdown could cost the U.S. about $15 billion weekly.
Johnson told reporters the House “has done its job” by passing the GOP’s stopgap funding bill and said negotiations would resume only after it’s approved. He argued Democrats “picked a fight with health care” by demanding policy changes in the spending deal.
Jeffries called Johnson’s stance “my way or the highway” and urged a televised debate to give voters transparency on the deadlock.
Pressure is mounting as federal workers brace for delayed paychecks. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
3. Skydiving Instructor Dies After Parachute Mishap in Nashville
Nashville Fire Department said it used several ladders and a pulley system to rescue the student
A skydiving instructor was killed Saturday after becoming separated from his student and parachute during a tandem jump near Nashville, Tennessee.
Takeaways:
Instructor Justin Fuller, 35, was found dead in a wooded area hours after the fall.
His 46-year-old student survived, trapped in a tree by the reserve chute.
The FAA and local police are investigating how Fuller became detached mid-jump.
Three other dives that day were completed safely.
Authorities said Fuller’s plane departed from John C. Tune Airport, and the fatal jump appeared to involve a failed tandem rig connection. The Nashville Fire Department used ladders and a pulley system to rescue the surviving student.
Fuller, a veteran instructor, had called teaching skydiving “the most rewarding job” just months earlier. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
Quick Headlines
Federal law enforcement officers in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, on October 4, 2025. Jim Vondruska/Reuters
Illinois and Chicago have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s decision to deploy 700 National Guard troops to the city. The suit calls the move “dangerous and unconstitutional,” accusing the White House of overstepping state authority. The action follows similar clashes in Oregon and escalating protests over federal immigration enforcement. Read More
Mary E. Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Medicine for uncovering how the immune system prevents attacking the body. Their discoveries on “immune tolerance” paved the way for breakthroughs in cancer and autoimmune treatments. The trio will share 11 million Swedish kronor and receive gold medals in December. Read More
Scholars say Alliance Defending Freedom “profoundly misrepresented” their research in a Supreme Court case seeking to revive conversion therapy in Colorado. The lawsuit challenges a 2019 state ban, with experts warning the case could endanger LGBTQ+ youth nationwide.. Read More
A 31-year-old Texas woman was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of aggravated assault after allegedly shooting her four children in Angleton, killing two aged 13 and 4. The surviving children, 8 and 9, remain hospitalized in stable condition. Read More
Federal agents’ “Operation Midway Blitz” left a South Shore apartment complex damaged and residents traumatized after 37 arrests. Illinois lawmakers, including Reps. Jonathan Jackson and Jesús “Chuy” García, are demanding an end to such raids, calling them abusive and unjust. Read More
Netflix premiered Famous Last Words with the late Jane Goodall in a likely final, posthumous interview after her death at 91, featuring blunt critiques of global leaders and launching the series. Read More
Deep Dive
4. Judge Halts Trump’s Troop Deployment to Portland Amid Legal Clash
Federal officers and protesters face off outside Portland ICE facility
A federal judge in Oregon has blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to deploy National Guard troops from Texas and California to Portland, citing constitutional overreach and lack of necessity.
Takeaways:
The ruling temporarily bars troop deployment to Portland until at least October 19.
Judge Karin Immergut, a Trump appointee, said the administration failed to show “any credible evidence” of unrest justifying federal troops.
California and Oregon argued the move violated state sovereignty and the Posse Comitatus Act.
The Trump administration plans to appeal, with allies calling the ruling a political attack.
A similar lawsuit has been filed by Illinois and Chicago to stop troop deployments there.
The ruling intensifies a widening legal standoff between the White House and Democratic-led states resisting what they call “unauthorized military intervention.” The order came hours after the Pentagon confirmed 200 California National Guard members had been reassigned to Portland to assist immigration enforcement.
Judge Immergut pressed federal lawyers on whether the move was an attempt to circumvent her earlier decision barring use of Oregon’s own Guard without state consent. In her order, she warned that deploying troops for domestic unrest without approval “undermines the balance of federalism.”
Illinois and Chicago followed with their own lawsuit Monday, after Trump ordered 400 Guard members from Texas to be sent to multiple cities. Governor JB Pritzker denounced the decision as “Trump’s invasion” and said it risked turning cities into “military zones.”
Legal experts say the case could define the limits of presidential power to deploy troops domestically, especially under the guise of immigration control. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
On Our Radar
5. ‘The Walking Dead’ Marks 15 Years With Massive Prop Auction
FILE. -Melissa McBride, left, and Greg Nicotero attend a panel for “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” during Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25, 2025. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)
AMC and Heritage Auctions are selling over 1,000 props from The Walking Dead to celebrate the hit series’ 15th anniversary.
Takeaways:
Online bidding runs through Nov. 1 on Heritage Auctions.
Items span the full franchise, from the 2010 premiere to spinoffs.
Top pieces include a $25,000 Pontiac Tempest and Glenn’s $1,000 guitar.
Director Greg Nicotero curated the collection, calling it a “journey” through the show’s history.
Nicotero, who’s been with the series since day one, said the auction revives memories of how the show “changed the way people make television.” He’s eyeing a few items himself, including fan-favorite props like Carol’s season-one pickaxe and zombie masks.
Nearly 15 years after its debut, the franchise continues with new spinoffs and a devoted global fanbase. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
6. Taylor Swift Drops Kelce-Inspired Video on His Birthday
Taylor Swift marked fiancé Travis Kelce’s 36th birthday with the release of her new music video “The Fate of Ophelia,” a romantic nod to the NFL star.
Takeaways:
The video premiered Oct. 5 on YouTube after debuting in theaters during “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Swift includes references to Kelce, from catching a football to walking past a door labeled No. 87.
The song explores love and rescue, inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Kelce spent his birthday in Jacksonville ahead of the Chiefs’ Monday Night Football game.
Swift said the song reflects being “saved from the fate of being driven mad by love.” Fans quickly linked its lyrics to Kelce’s real-life pursuit of her, first hinted at on his New Heights podcast in 2023.
Their love story continues to play out in chart-topping form. Read More
Share this story.
Share on Facebook · Tweet this Story · Post to LinkedIn · Email this Story
8. 🎉 This day in history
Fox News Channel Logo
On This Day — October 7
Fox News Launches, 1996 – Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation debuted Fox News Channel under Roger Ailes, reshaping U.S. cable news with a conservative voice that would soon dominate political media.
War in Afghanistan Begins, 2001 – In response to the September 11 attacks, U.S. and British forces launched airstrikes on Taliban targets, marking the start of America’s longest war.
Israel-Hamas War Erupts, 2023 – Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel from Gaza, killing more than 1,200 people and igniting one of the most violent and consequential conflicts in the region’s history.
9. Poll
Life Hack of the day
🍵👁️ Cold Green Tea Bags
Tired of dark circles or puffy eyes? Chill a couple of used green tea bags in the fridge for about 15 minutes, then place them over your closed eyes. The caffeine and antioxidants in green tea help tighten skin, reduce swelling, and boost circulation. After a few minutes, your eyes will look and feel more refreshed and awake.
That’s your morning brief. Now go show someone how smart you are. 🧠
Share The Nova: Forward this email!
Let us know how we did on the newsletter today!
Thanks for reading and have a great day!
