Nova Newsletter
October 7, 2025
☕ Good morning. 1,829 words for you today - 9 minute read.
The Spotlight
1. Trekker Digs Out of Everest Blizzard Using Pots
Villagers with oxen and horses during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet on October 5, 2025. Lingsuiye/AP
A freak October blizzard trapped hundreds of hikers on Mount Everest’s Tibetan slopes, forcing 30-year-old trekker Feng Holiday to dig through snow using cooking pots.
Takeaways:
The storm hit the Gama Valley on Oct. 3, stranding hikers at 16,400 feet.
Over 350 trekkers have been rescued; 200 more await evacuation.
Feng and her team survived a night in freezing, snow-choked tents.
Officials say supplies are stable and all personnel are safe.
Feng’s group left Youpa Village for a Golden Week trek before the storm turned deadly. She described condensation-soaked tents, heavy snowfall, and frantic digging with cookware to free teammates.
Videos shared online showed buried campsites and near-whiteout conditions.
The blizzard capped a week of deadly Himalayan weather that killed over 70 in Nepal and India.
Feng’s takeaway: “We have to respect nature.” Read More
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2. Tropical Storm Jerry Forms, Eyes Hurricane Strength
Tropical Storm Jerry formed over the central Atlantic on Tuesday and is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Takeaways:
Jerry is the 10th named storm of the season, now packing 45 mph winds.
The storm is 1,300 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands.
It could near the islands later this week as a Category 1 hurricane.
A U.S. landfall is unlikely due to a cold front steering it out to sea.
Forecasters expect tropical storm watches for the Leeward Islands as Jerry moves west.
While Jerry isn’t a U.S. threat, meteorologists warn that late-season systems forming in the Gulf or Caribbean could pose greater danger.
Experts are also tracking a developing storm pattern in the western Caribbean that could spawn new systems by mid-October.
Hurricane season’s final act may yet hold surprises. Read More
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3. Trump Team Threatens No Back Pay in Shutdown
AP Photo/ J. Scott Applewhite
The Trump administration warned Tuesday that federal workers may not receive back pay during the ongoing government shutdown, breaking from decades of precedent.
Takeaways:
The Office of Management and Budget memo says back pay must be approved by Congress.
About 750,000 federal employees are furloughed or working without pay.
The 2019 law guaranteeing back pay is being reinterpreted as nonbinding.
Democrats called the move illegal and politically motivated.
The White House memo, first reported by Axios, claims the 2019 Government Employee Fair Treatment Act authorizes but doesn’t automatically fund worker pay. President Trump said repayment would “depend on who we’re talking about.”
Democrats, led by Sen. Patty Murray, accused the administration of intimidation and vowed to fight back.
The standoff shows no signs of easing as the shutdown enters its second week. Read More
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Quick Headlines
Sean "Diddy" Combs sits with his lawyers Brian Steel and Alexandra Shapiro during a court sentencing in New York on Friday.Jane Rosenberg / Reuters
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ legal team urged a judge to assign him to FCI Fort Dix, a low-security New Jersey facility offering drug treatment and family visitation access. The rapper, sentenced to 50 months for prostitution charges, said he seeks rehabilitation after losing his career and reputation.. Read More
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu quit less than a month into his term, citing an inability to build consensus and deepening France’s political turmoil. His sudden exit rattled markets and left President Emmanuel Macron scrambling to form a new government. Read More
Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee, defending her leadership amid accusations of politicizing the Justice Department to target President Trump’s rivals. The hearing follows the recent indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, intensifying concerns that the DOJ is being used for political retribution. Read More
Peace talks between Israel and Hamas entered their second day in Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh on the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s 2023 attack on Israel. The negotiations, backed by the U.S., focus on President Trump’s plan for a ceasefire and Gaza’s transition to international governance, though key disagreements over disarmament and hostages remain. Read More
Thousands of U.S. flights were delayed as air traffic control centers struggled with staffing shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown. Major airports in New York, Los Angeles, and Denver faced disruptions, with one Los Angeles facility forced to close temporarily. Officials say the airspace remains safe, but the strain on unpaid controllers is growing as the shutdown enters its second week. Read More
A New Orleans couple uncovered a 1,900-year-old Roman grave marker while cleaning their yard, sparking an international investigation. The headstone, dedicated to a Roman sailor named Sextus Congenius Verus, matched one missing from a museum in Civitavecchia, Italy. The relic has since been turned over to the FBI’s art crime team for repatriation, as experts work to trace how it ended up in Louisiana after World War II.. Read More
Deep Dive
4. Border Patrol Shooting Sparks Clashes and Outrage in Chicago
A federal agent in an armored personnel carrier aims an air-powered gun used to fire pepper balls and rubber bullets toward protesters Saturday in Brighton Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Federal Border Patrol agents shot a woman Saturday in Chicago’s Brighton Park, igniting hours of protests and escalating tensions over the Trump administration’s expanded immigration crackdown.
Takeaways
The woman, 31, was wounded but survived after agents said she aimed a gun during an alleged “vehicle ramming.”
About 100 protesters clashed with federal officers, who deployed tear gas and pepper balls.
Gov. JB Pritzker opposed the White House’s move to deploy 300 National Guard troops to Illinois.
Local officials accuse federal agents of provoking violence as part of a broader intimidation campaign.
The shooting marks the second Border Patrol-involved incident in Chicago since “Operation Midway Blitz” began.
The Department of Homeland Security said the incident started when agents were boxed in by ten cars and “fired defensive shots” at an armed woman. But local witnesses and advocates question that account, citing a lack of verified evidence and transparency. The woman was hospitalized in fair condition and later released, according to Mount Sinai Hospital.
By noon, Kedzie Avenue had become a flashpoint. Protesters chanted “ICE go home” as agents fired tear gas, forcing brief retreats before crowds reformed. Multiple detentions followed, and officers stayed until late afternoon as residents accused federal forces of using excessive force.
Ald. Julia Ramirez, who represents the area, said the confrontation reflected “pure escalation” by federal agents. Community groups called DHS’s statements “inconsistent with what we saw on the ground,” while immigrant-rights advocates accused the government of using chaos to justify militarization.
Since the start of Operation Midway Blitz, more than a dozen protesters have been arrested at ICE facilities around Chicago. Critics warn the deployment risks deepening mistrust between immigrant neighborhoods and law enforcement.
The bottom line: A volatile mix of federal enforcement, community fear, and political defiance is turning Chicago into a test case for how far Washington’s immigration crackdown will go. Read More
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On Our Radar
5. Lopez and Affleck Reunite on Red Carpet After Divorce
Lopez and Affleck reunite on the red carpet at the premiere of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." (Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reunited publicly at the Los Angeles premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman, a film Lopez stars in and Affleck helped produce.
Takeaways:
The former couple posed together a year after finalizing their 2024 divorce.
Lopez thanked Affleck and his company, Artist Equity, for getting the film made.
Affleck called Lopez “amazing” and said he was proud of the project.
Lopez later said the film marked both “the best and worst time” in her life.
The two, who first dated in the early 2000s and married in 2022, appeared warm and friendly, sharing smiles and quiet moments during photos. Affleck kept his look classic in blue, while Lopez turned heads in a green Harris Reed gown.
Lopez told CBS that filming while her marriage was unraveling helped her “grow and become more self-aware.”
Their reunion offered a glimpse of closure and renewed respect between Hollywood’s most-watched exes. Read More
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6. Jimmy Kimmel Claims He’s ‘More Popular’ Than Trump
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked Donald Trump on Jimmy Kimmel Live! after a new YouGov poll showed him with a higher approval rating than Trump.
Takeaways:
Kimmel scored 44% favorability, compared to Trump’s 41%, according to YouGov.
He joked that “finding a toenail in your salad has a seven-point lead over Donald Trump.”
Trump’s team called Kimmel’s low viewership “sad,” prompting another round of Kimmel’s barbs.
The feud follows Kimmel’s recent brief suspension from ABC over remarks about conservative figure Charlie Kirk.
Kimmel, a longtime Trump critic, used the poll to jab at the president’s legal troubles and image, saying he’s never “paid off a porn star” or “sent masked goons into a park.”
Trump previously celebrated Kimmel’s suspension and threatened to sue ABC for reinstating him.
The late-night rivalry has become a political proxy war one fought with punchlines, polls, and pride. Read More
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8. 🎉 This day in history
An artist's rendering of the fire, by Currier and Ives. The view faces northeast across the Randolph Street Bridge. / Wikipedia
On This Day — October 8
Great Chicago Fire Ignites, 1871 – A blaze that began in Patrick and Catherine O’Leary’s barn swept through Chicago, burning for two days, killing about 300 people, and destroying much of the city.
John Lennon Releases “Imagine”, 1971 – John Lennon’s timeless anthem for peace, “Imagine,” was released, becoming one of the most influential songs of the 20th century.
Office of Homeland Security Created, 2001 – President George W. Bush announced the formation of the Office of Homeland Security, a direct response to the September 11 attacks aimed at coordinating national defense against terrorism.
9. Poll
Life Hack of the day
🌿🧴 Peppermint Oil and Water Spray
Not a fan of spiders? Good news they can’t stand peppermint! Mix a few drops of peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle and spritz around windows, doors, and corners. The fresh scent keeps spiders away naturally while leaving your home smelling clean and minty.
That’s your morning brief. Now go show someone how smart you are. 🧠
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