- Hurricane Harvey may be one of the costliest storms in U.S. history, with damage estimates ranging from around $72 billion to $95 billion. For context, Hurricane Sandy caused over $71 billion in damage; Hurricane Katrina topped $108 billion. [Fortune]
- Speaking of hurricanes, a Delta pilot flew directly through Hurricane Irma in order to pick up passengers fleeing San Juan. [Gothamist]
- The New York Yankees have filed an official complaint alleging that the Boston Red Sox used Apple Watches to steal signs during games at Fenway Park. [New York Times]
- One of the quirkiest legal minds in the country stepped down after over three decades on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. [ABA Journal]
- Long-running web comic Questionable Content recently wrapped up an interesting storyline on bodies and privilege (with robots!). [Questionable Content]
- 15 states and the District of Columbia have joined in a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s rescission of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (“DACA”) program. [Los Angeles Times]
- A presumably illegal pet tiger was killed in a Georgia residential neighborhood after it attacked a Dachshund. The dog escaped unscathed. [Washington Post]
- A journalist, with the aid of Shakespeare scholars, concluded that the character of Hamlet was originally written as overweight. [Slate]
FACT OF THE WEEK: The word “amethyst” comes from the Greek for “not drunken,” from the belief that drinking from a cup containing or made of amethyst would prevent the drinker from becoming intoxicated. [Encyclopædia Britannica]
SECONDARY FACT: Rigorous testing by the author has indicated that this belief is, unfortunately, incorrect.