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October 7, 2026

	By Matthew Cullen

Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.

Source: Institute for the Study of War and AEI’s Critical Threats Project (as of Oct. 4). Josh Holder/The New York Times

Ukraine claws back some land

Ukrainian forces have embarked on a monthslong counteroffensive in an effort to block Russia from capturing the rest of the Donbas region in the country’s east. So far, analysts say, Ukraine has reclaimed dozens of square miles of territory. (See maps of the shifting front lines.)

As part of the campaign — which Kyiv is calling Operation Vivaldi, named for the famous composer — Ukraine dropped ground-based drones from the air and used them to sow chaos in Russian-controlled territory. It also pushed forward with armored vehicles, clearing Russian positions and killing more than 5,000 Russian troops, Ukraine’s president said.

In the southern Donbas, Russia continues to mount furious assaults, and President Vladimir Putin of Russia has claimed that the fall of the Donbas will happen faster than Kyiv thinks. But more broadly, Russian gains have slowed, and Western researchers generally agree Russia has gained only slightly more territory than it has lost this year.

In Russia: Authorities said no “emergency situations” occurred at an anti-plague lab where a worker died. Here’s what to know.

Luke Ihnen, one of Christa Pike’s attorneys, at a news conference today in Nashville. George Walker IV/Associated Press

Judge requires state to preserve evidence from failed execution

Lawyers for the Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike said she was angry and confused after regaining consciousness nearly a week after surviving two doses of a drug meant to kill her. One of her lawyers said her first words were apparently, “Where am I and who are you?”

The lawyer, Randy Spivey, said that Pike could not move either arm, and that she had not been able to eat because she could not swallow. They were told on Monday that she might be taken off life support to die, Spivey said, but that changed yesterday.

A state judge said she would order officials to preserve evidence from the botched execution, including syringes, drugs and IV lines. Tennessee’s assistant attorney general told the judge that he could not say whether the state would try to execute Pike again.

For more: Pike’s case has heightened scrutiny of lethal injection, but other execution methods have also led to problems.

A bomb detonated as part of a training exercise on Tarague Beach in 2002. U.S. Air Force

Justices weigh if military can explode bombs on this beach

For decades, the Air Force has used a tropical expanse of white sand on the island of Guam to dispose of expired rockets, bombs and other military waste. But a local group sued to challenge the practice, arguing that the explosions threaten the fragile marine ecosystem.

Now, the future of the beach rests with the Supreme Court. The justices heard oral arguments today from both sides, and a decision is expected by the end of June.

Gianluigi Guerica/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Scientists seek longevity secrets from a 194-year-old tortoise

Jonathan the giant tortoise was born in the early 1830s, when Andrew Jackson was president, and he has spent much of his life on the remote island of St. Helena. He is believed to be the world’s oldest known land animal.

Today, scientists announced that they had sequenced Jonathan’s genome for the first time, hoping to learn, among other things, how he has managed to live so long. The results offer some tantalizing clues, including hints that his species may have evolved to be more resilient to age-related decline.

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With recordings taken in Brazil, researchers recently documented the loudest known types of which animal?

The 2026 Strike King Bassmaster High School Championship in Buchanan, Tenn. William DeShazer for The New York Times

Youth fishing is a new home for student athletes

Bass fishing, long a hobby, is now an official high school sport in at least eight states and a competitive club competition in dozens of others. Anglers on those teams have jerseys, pep rallies and award ceremonies, and some of them are using their talents to pay for college.

Across the U.S., about 600 colleges have some kind of fishing program, roughly twice as many as a decade ago. (There’s even a bass fishing combine for potential recruits.) During the country’s most prestigious high school fishing tournament this summer, the head coach of the bass fishing team at Bethel University in Minnesota said he offered 20 scholarships.

Tag Christof for The New York Times

What would you do with an abandoned radio tower?

Lost at night during an adventure race, the architect John Jennings discovered a Cold War-era relay station towering 75 feet over the Santa Monica Mountains in California. He and his wife, Sasha Tarnopolsky, also an architect, were inspired to buy the abandoned structure in 2005 for $950,000, and set out to transform the property, perhaps into a home.

Their plans changed over the years, and local officials tried to persuade them to cut the tower in half, stalling the project. But by 2024, Jennings and Tarnopolsky had completed their renovations, and they now host weddings and other events in the tower. See the final result.

Casey Steffens for The New York Times

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