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An 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit Russia, prompting widespread tsunami warnings. The quake, one of the four largest of the 21st century, struck Russia’s Far East early Wednesday, triggering tsunami waves that impacted Russia, Japan, and Hawaii. No major damage has been reported thus far. Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he was monitoring wave activity near the Big Island before he would lift emergency precautions, but that he expected to declare “all clear” in a few hours, according to the New York Times. Tsunami waves also reached the coasts of California, Oregon, and Washington. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration issued a tsunami threat alert for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu, urging US citizens there to be prepared to evacuate. The National Tsunami Warning Center in Alaska told the Associated Press that tsunami impacts could last for hours or up to a day in some places.—HVL

NYC mass shooter was reportedly targeting NFL headquarters. The gunman who killed four people and then himself inside a midtown Manhattan office building on Monday was “focused on the NFL,” Mayor Eric Adams said. The building houses the league’s corporate offices, as well as those of other major companies, including the investment firm Blackstone. Officials believe the shooter, identified as Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, took the wrong elevator and ended up on a floor belonging to a real estate company. A three-page note found in Tamura’s wallet criticized the NFL and alleged that he had the degenerative brain disease CTE (which is only diagnosed posthumously) as a result of playing football. Among those he killed were NYC police officer Didarul Islam and Blackstone executive Wesley LePatner, who was one of the company’s highest-ranking women.—AE

The historic transcontinental railroad merger is a go. That sound you’re hearing is every AP US History teacher racing to update their syllabus. Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern officially struck a merger deal to create the country’s first coast-to-coast railroad, the companies announced yesterday, less than a week after they were reported to be in talks. If approved, the merger would mark the first time in US history that a single company controlled rail shipments across the US. Three private companies built the first transcontinental railroad in the 1860s, but that only stretched from Iowa to California. The Wall Street Journal reports that regulators have been suspicious of rail mergers in the past due to worries that they will hike prices and lower safety standards.—AE

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