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A last-minute decision bought more time for Afghan allies stranded in Qatar, Russia stepped up pressure on Kyiv, and a $15 billion IPO disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.

Elsewhere, scientists are putting an enormous natural history collection online, China wants a bigger voice in global research, and a 23-year experiment in federal police oversight has come to an end.

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Six Flags Magic Mountain is retiring its X2 roller coaster after nearly 20 years, amid lawsuits alleging the ride caused serious brain injuries. It has been closed since July 12, when two women who rode it less than a week apart were both rushed to hospital afterward.

One of them, Naomi Greer-Wilkinson, 25, collapsed with massive brain bleeding and remains in a vegetative state. Her attorneys say more than 100 people have claimed brain injuries from the ride in two years. "Closing the ride protects future guests," said attorney Gary Dordick. "But it does nothing for the people who have already been hurt."

The Government Accountability Office told lawmakers on Tuesday that the president cannot withhold more than $800 million in spending approved by Congress past the fiscal year that ended Wednesday. Trump announced Friday night that he would impound the money from 11 appropriations accounts, targeting immigrant services and diversity programs.

Under the Impoundment Control Act, a president may hold funds for 45 days while Congress considers the request, then must release them if it has not acted. The House is out of session until after the November election. The GAO calls the maneuver, known as a pocket rescission, illegal.

The administration finalized a last-minute reprieve on Tuesday for Camp As Sayliyah in Qatar, which houses more than 1,000 Afghans who assisted the American war effort or are relatives of US service members. The camp had been due to close on Wednesday, at the end of the US budget year.

The extension runs nine months. A US official, who was not authorized to comment publicly, said it was not immediately clear whether Secretary of State Marco Rubio had signed the diplomatic note to Qatar setting out the decision, or delegated it to a subordinate.

Russian strikes targeted Kyiv's data centers again in a fresh wave of attacks, as NATO denounced Moscow's "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" over the Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad.

A Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv was diverted after a fight between pilots, landing in Saudi Arabia's Tabuk with about 150 people aboard as Israel scrambled fighter jets.

Somali pirates killed five crew members of a seized oil tanker before Puntland forces retook the vessel, a regional official said, with four more crew injured in the rescue.

Vice President JD Vance heads to Texas Wednesday as GOP redistricting gains look less certain, with Republicans who hoped for up to nine Texas and Florida seats facing tougher races.

The Gateway tunnel drill has started beneath the Hudson, one of the largest US transit projects in generations, replacing a 116-year-old passage carrying 200,000 riders daily.

Prosecutors won a murder conviction against a former "American Idol" singer, saying Caleb Flynn staged a home invasion after shooting his wife, a schoolteacher, in February.

SoftBank Group surged more than 6% in Tokyo as AI optimism lifted global shares, pushing Japan's Nikkei 225 up 1.9% while Dow futures climbed 0.5% ahead of Wednesday's open.

Singapore's $400 billion state investor Temasek will open offices in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in 2027, betting on the Gulf's economic transformation despite strains from the Iran war.

Oura pulled its $15 billion listing days after announcing it, the smart-ring maker citing uncertainty in the IPO market without saying when it might retry.

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Robots and AI are digitizing 70 million UK specimens for a vast online natural history museum, shrinking a job that would take hundreds of years to about a decade.

A San Diego firm is shipping sodium-ion home batteries, with Unigrid sending its first 100 units to European buyers and expecting to ship 1,000 more by year's end.

China has launched a journal to rival the best, with Vita part of a government plan to give it more say in what counts as quality science.

New York routed Boston 9-0 in their Wild Card opener, Cam Schlittler striking out 10 and Ben Rice homering twice with six RBIs with Aaron Judge sidelined.

Austin Riley's three-run homer off Jhoan Duran in the eighth rallied Atlanta past Philadelphia 5-3 in the opener of their National League Wild Card Series.

Chicago's White Sox beat Houston 6-3 in Game 1, becoming the first team in history to reach the playoffs after back-to-back 100-loss seasons.

The New York Liberty made history as the first No. 8 seed to oust a No. 1, sweeping the Minnesota Lynx with an 87-71 win behind Jonquel Jones's 21 points.

Florence Pugh credits Tom Holland for landing her role in Brand New Day, the Spider-Man film that has grossed $2.49 billion, making it the third highest-grossing movie ever.

Stallone turned 80 and looked back on "Rocky" half a century on, saying he can no longer claim to be an underdog: "I am a lucky dog."

China granted a singer a rare exemption after Na Ying performed an unapproved song, authorities deeming it a fragmentary performance rather than a full rendition.

What it is: A federal judge on Tuesday ended federal monitoring of the Oakland Police Department after 23 years, capping the longest-running oversight of a police force in US history. "I'm particularly grateful to the men and women of the Oakland Police Department ... for achieving substantial compliance," said Judge William Orrick. "May it ever be thus."

The detail: It began with the "Riders," a group of officers exposed in 2000 after a rookie reported abuse of power. Four were charged with making false arrests, planting evidence, using excessive force, falsifying reports, and assaulting people in West Oakland, a predominantly Black area. Three were acquitted after juries deadlocked on most charges; the fourth is a fugitive believed to have fled the country. In 2003, the year monitoring began, the city settled a class-action abuse suit involving 119 people for $11 million.

Why it matters: Compliance took 51 court-mandated reforms and 16 police chiefs. One of them, LeRonne Armstrong, was fired in 2023 after a probe found he had covered up officer misconduct. The current chief, James Beere, took office in July.

What to watch: The department slipped this month on investigating serious misconduct promptly, completing fewer than 85% of such cases within 180 days, and some civil rights groups asked for another year of monitoring. Plaintiffs' attorneys did not oppose ending it, and Orrick said it was important for the court to "get out of the way." "We did slip a little bit," Chief Beere told him. "But we own our mistakes."

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A bear called Backpack won Fat Bear Week, the Katmai champion taking more than 100,000 votes and edging Bear 910 with just over half.

Senator Eric Schmitt mixed up his mascots while accusing Jack Smith of perjury, confusing Atlanta's Hawks with Iowa's Hawkeyes, teams about 650 miles apart.

Old horses see out their days at a Texas ranch, where Michele Sleighel says the unwanted, neglected, and retired animals are allowed to be brats.

Mozart's "The Magic Flute" premieres in Vienna (1791) · Babe Ruth hits his 60th home run (1927) · Franklin Roosevelt dedicates Hoover Dam (1935) · James Dean dies in a car crash near Cholame, California (1955) · Botswana gains independence from Britain (1966)

"I came, I saw, and I was conquered, as everyone would be who sees for the first time this great feat of mankind." — Franklin D. Roosevelt, dedicating Hoover Dam, September 30, 1935

That’s today in five minutes. See you tomorrow morning for everything worth knowing.

—The Five Minute Daily Team