Good morning. Here are some of the stories we’re following at NBC News on this Tuesday:
1. Second Ebola patient on her way to Atlanta
A second American infected with Ebola in Liberia is on her way to the United States for treatment. Nancy Writebol is expected to arrive in Atlanta later Tuesday to be treated at Emory University Hospital along with her colleague Dr. Kent Brantly. Associates say both have improved since taking an experimental Ebola drug, derived in part from tobacco plants and never tried in humans. Read more in HEALTH.
2. Two tropical systems threaten Hawaii
It’s a one-two tropical punch for Hawaii: Hurricane Iselle, a Category 4 storm with estimated wind of 140 mph, is barreling toward the islands, although forecasters say it could weaken to a tropical storm by the time the worst hits on Thursday and Friday. Then comes Tropical Storm Julio this weekend. Forecasters say it’s extremely rare for two major storms to strike in such quick succession. Read more in WEATHER.
3. Tense truce in Gaza
Israel has pulled its troops out of the Gaza Strip, and a delicate three-day truce with Hamas is underway. Hamas, in what it called revenge for Israeli “massacres,” fired rockets just before the cease-fire took effect at 1 a.m. ET. Israel says it has completed its mission of destroying the tunnels that Hamas militants use to infiltrate the country. The State Department is welcoming the truce. Read more in NEWS.
4. Is Putin making it up as he goes?
U.S. officials and outside experts on the Kremlin say Russian President Vladimir Putin is winging it in Ukraine. He appears to have no strategy for locking in the gains of pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine or withdrawing from what is becoming a protracted military crisis. The danger, the officials say, is the risk of unintended consequences, like the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Read an NBC News analysis in NEWS.
5. ‘Game of Thrones’ and hot car death
A newly released police affidavit says a Kansas foster dad realized when he saw a child crying on “Game of Thrones” that he had left a 10-month-old girl inside a hot car while he and his partner smoked pot inside their house. The girl died after she was left for two hours in the car on a 90-degree day. The foster dad, Seth Jackson, has been charged with first-degree murder. Read more in NEWS.
6. One more reason to love Lucy
Research has shown that laughter can boost the immune system, improve the memory and burn calories. Now the daughter of a comic legend is promoting the therapeutic force of funny. Lucie Arnaz, the daughter of Lucille Ball, is transforming a museum devoted to her mother and putting a focus on the healing arts, including “laughter yoga” and a free show for veterans. Read more in HEALTH.
… What’s trending today?
James Brady, the White House press secretary struck by an assassin’s bullet meant for President Ronald Reagan in 1981, is being remembered as a pioneer of the gun control movement. Brady died on Monday.