Daily briefing · Wednesday, September 30

Polo’s inland rain floods roads and prompts evacuations

Hurricane Polo struck Baja California Sur on Tuesday with sustained winds of 110 miles per hour, then weakened as it crossed northwestern Mexico. Its remnants brought heavy rain to the U.S. Southwest, flooding highways and prompting evacuations in New Mexico communities amid concerns about a dam failing. Rescuers also helped stranded people in Arizona and Utah. Earlier storms had already saturated the ground, allowing new rain to run off more quickly. The inland flooding shows why declining hurricane winds can accompany continuing disruption far from the coast. Hurricane Polo’s remnants bringing more rain to flood-struck U.S. Southwest

Supreme Court allows third-country deportations for now

The Supreme Court temporarily lifted lower-court requirements Tuesday that gave migrants an opportunity to object before deportation to countries other than their own. The justices will hear arguments in December about the policy’s legality and the lower courts’ authority. The Trump administration says receiving governments provide assurances against persecution or torture; challengers question whether those assurances adequately protect deportees. The order changes the procedures that apply immediately, while leaving the underlying legal dispute unresolved for the forthcoming hearing. Supreme Court lets quick deportations to third countries resume for now while it weighs Trump policy

Tokyo court recognises voice rights in AI imitation case

A Tokyo court ruled Wednesday that unauthorised use of a performer’s voice can infringe publicity rights, in a case brought by anime actor Kenjiro Tsuda against TikTok. Tsuda alleged that videos used an AI imitation of his voice. The court nevertheless dismissed his request to have the videos removed. The decision addresses how existing identity protections apply to synthetic voices, while showing that recognising a protected interest and ordering a platform to remove particular content are separate legal questions. Japan court rules human voice is protected in TikTok AI case

Right Livelihood honours legal, farming and AI research work

The Right Livelihood Foundation named Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider, AI researcher Timnit Gebru, the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association and Southern Africa’s Rural Women’s Assembly as its 2026 recipients Wednesday. Selected from 200 nominations across 72 countries, they were recognised for work involving access to justice, rural women’s rights and the social effects of AI. The farming network’s activities include preserving local seed varieties, while Gebru founded the Distributed AI Research Institute. The foundation’s annual award brings these different forms of community and research work to international attention. Right Livelihood Award honors women taking on autocrats, discrimination and unchecked AI