'Don't mess around with this'
Hurricane Idalia continues its fearsome path toward Florida. Hate crimes in major U.S. cities hit a record high for the second year in a row. And an astrophysicist hunted down a meteor to figure out where it came from.
👋 Hi pals! Laura Davis here. It’s time for Tuesday’s news.
But first: New major fear unlocked. 😳 An Australian woman was having symptoms of stomach pain, forgetfulness and depression. The problem was in her brain: A 3-inch worm.
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Warm water, stronger hurricane
As the outer bands of Hurricane Idalia began whipping the coast of Florida, officials warned residents across the state of a "life-threatening, dangerous situation." The historic hurricane was moving through the hot-tub-temperature waters of the Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday, driving a potentially deadly storm surge toward the Big Bend area of Florida's west coast as it spins toward landfall overnight or Wednesday morning. Idalia, steering winds of 90 mph, was centered about 240 miles southwest of Tampa on Tuesday afternoon.
What they're saying: "To put this system into the historical context, there are no major hurricanes in the historical dataset going back to 1851 that have tracked into Apalachee Bay. None," the National Weather Service said. "Don't mess around with this." 🌀 Follow our live coverage.
Florida on high alert: Breaking down the danger of storm surge.
Landfall prediction: Maps, hurricane tracker show Idalia's path.
Blood thinners, diabetes meds on list of drugs targeted for price cuts
Let the drug price negotiations begin. The federal government on Tuesday revealed its list of 10 prescription drugs that will be negotiated by Medicare under a new federal law, launching a process that could deliver discounts by 2026. The medications include some of the most widely prescribed or expensive drugs older Americans use for conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and autoimmune conditions: Eliquis, Jardiance, Enbrel, Stelara and more. Insulin meds Fiasp and NovoLog are also on the list. The new negotiating power comes from the Inflation Reduction Act, the sweeping climate and health legislation passed by Congress last year. 💊 Here's the full list of drugs + what you need to know.
What everyone's talking about
Crop tops for men: They're back. But are they serving a side of body dysmorphia?
DIY drama: TikTok's latest viral controversy really struck a nerve.
Is your ZIP code on the hot list? Here's which cities made the top 10.
More people are depressed here than anywhere else in the United States.
From Hollywood to Music Row: How the writers strike is hurting Nashville's music scene.
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Hate crimes in big cities hit a record high
Using a rifle with a swastika drawn on it, the man who shot and killed three people Saturday in a Dollar Tree supermarket in Jacksonville, Florida, targeted Black people because of their race, local police said. The shooting is a horrific tragedy – but hardly unique. A leading group of experts, in a new study provided exclusively to USA TODAY, has found the number of hate crimes reported to police in 42 major U.S. cities rose 10% last year from the year before. Last year, as has been the case every year since the count began, most hate crime victims were Black. 🔎 Take a closer look at the data.
Metallic spheres in the ocean? Not from Earth.
Ever since he first learned about the strange meteor crashing into the Pacific Ocean, Harvard University astrophysicist Avi Loeb has been determined to discover whether it was indeed an extraterrestrial artifact. Now, Loeb says he and a team of scientists are one step closer to making that determination. On Tuesday, Loeb said in a media release that early analysis suggests the metallic objects recovered off Papua New Guinea actually are interstellar in origin. Loeb insists the team is now confident that what they found is unmatched to any existing alloys in our solar system. ☄️ Here's everything we know.
A break from the news
🤷♀️ Ask HR: What you should consider if your job offers you a buyout.
🗺 Know where to go! Fun vacay ideas for families with neurodivergent kids.
🧢 Wearing your favorite hat a little too much? Here's how to wash it without messing it up.
Laura L. Davis is an audience editor at USA TODAY. Say hello: laura@usatoday.com. This is a compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network. Want to support quality journalism like this? Subscribe to USA TODAY here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Idalia, hate crimes, Medicare drug prices: Tuesday's news
