Eleven days in the dark.
More than 30,000 NIPSCO customers remained without electricity Saturday afternoon. Gary and Portage had the largest remaining outages; NIPSCO's working estimate has both reaching full restoration Tuesday, August 25. ABC 7 Chicago ↗
SYSTEM DAMAGE, NOT ROUTINE CLEANUP
NIPSCO reported 335 damaged poles and 27 substation outages. Roughly 370,000 customers lost power. Seven people died across Indiana, winds reached about 99 mph and estimated property damage exceeds $5 billion.
A class-action lawsuit alleges inadequate tree trimming, pole inspections and vegetation management. NIPSCO denies the allegations and says vegetation-management spending has more than doubled since 2016.
The emergency is restoration. The next story is the paper trail: spending, replacement schedules, inspections, staffing, mutual aid and whether Gary receives the same urgency as wealthier communities.
DEVELOPING · ACCOUNTABILITY FILE OPENThe 50% Canada tariff is now real.
New U.S. tariffs cover roughly $20 billion in Canadian goods. Canada says dollar-for-dollar retaliation begins September 8 against U.S. steel, dairy, appliances, farm equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics. Reuters ↗
WHAT MATTERSThe wider battlefield is heavy trucks, steel, autos and cross-border manufacturing. Tariffs create leverage; prolonged tariffs also create costs for factories and consumers.
Hormuz traffic is nearly frozen.
Only four commodity vessels crossed Thursday, none large crude or LNG carriers. Oil movement fell from more than 20 million barrels per day before the war to a seven-day average near 8 million. New U.S. sanctions are expected Monday. Reuters ↗
The deep-strike war spreads.
A Russian drone strike on a crowded shopping center in Kryvyi Rih killed at least 16 and injured more than 130, according to Ukrainian reporting. Ukraine answered with a large drone campaign against an oil refinery and logistics warehouse. Russia claimed 457 drones intercepted. Reuters ↗
Casualty and interception figures from belligerents remain attributed unless independently confirmed.
The court rejected a blanket visa suspension.
The judge ruled that the State Department exceeded the authority cited. The decision does not require every applicant to receive a visa; it preserves individual review. Reuters ↗
Karmelo Anthony was denied a new trial.
The present dispute is whether an alleged evidence agreement and courtroom handling deprived him of a fair trial, not a new finding on guilt or self-defense. The defense plans to appeal. Associated Press ↗
The United States is at wildfire readiness level 5.
Australia and New Zealand supplied teams and 270 personnel. Military C-130 tankers and 240 Army personnel are deployed. The Northwest region lists more than 2.5 million cumulative acres and over 13,000 personnel assigned. National Interagency Coordination Center ↗
Oil, yields and tariffs hit at once.
Next week brings Iran sanctions, July PCE inflation, Nvidia earnings and Jackson Hole. Higher oil, long-term yields and tariffs are simultaneous inflation risks. Charles Schwab ↗
THE NEXT
72 HOURS.
- NIPSCO restoration in Gary and Portage
- Federal disaster-declaration response
- Monday's Iran sanctions
- Hormuz vessel traffic
- Canada's retaliation list
- PCE and Nvidia earnings
- Wildfire acreage
REVOLUTIONS, CONVENTIONS AND AN AMBUSH.
Richard III died at Bosworth Field. The Haitian Revolution began. Twelve nations signed the First Geneva Convention. Cadillac was founded. Michael Collins was killed.