Historic Flooding, Masterpieces Recovered & Spider-Man's Milestone - Monday, August 17, 2026

**Erica Mandy** (0:00)
Today is Monday, August 17th. We'll tell you about severe storms that brought flooding to the Midwest and hurricane damage to Hawaii. Also, why President Trump is cutting military drills with a long-term ally, while a son-in-law holds rare talks with leaders of a terrorist group. Plus, where four stolen masterpieces turned up. Why one dating app is changing the exact thing it's best known for, and how the latest Spider-Man movie made history again. Those stories and even more news to know next.
Welcome to The NewsWorthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.
It has been days of historic flooding in Indiana. Floodwaters washed out roads, closed off entire communities and damaged homes. There were dozens of water rescues, and sadly at least seven people have died. And keep in mind, the National Weather Service in Indianapolis had never issued a flash flood emergency before last week. Now it's issued several. The problem is more than 11 inches of rain fell in some areas over just two days, after another storm system last week. And high water on the state's White River surpassed a record set 110 years ago. Some people were even seen using kayaks to get around their own streets. Today, people should finally be able to assess the damage as the water finally begins to recede in some areas. Meanwhile, emergency workers in Hawaii are combing through the wreckage in the aftermath of La La. The storm was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane yesterday. It didn't actually make landfall on the islands, but the storm's path was close enough to destroy homes, flood roads and topple trees. One person also died there. And there's still a risk of flooding, mudslides and storm surges today. So schools, businesses and courts are closed across the state.
President Trump says he's going to cut back on the American military's joint exercises with South Korea. The US was actually supposed to start one exercise with the key Asian ally today. Like many others, the 11-day drill was meant to strengthen the two countries' ability to defend against a potential North Korean attack. But Trump says the decision was based in part because of his very good relationship with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Plus, he criticized South Korea for refusing to join US efforts against Iran. Meanwhile, North Korea is still building up its arsenal of nuclear warheads. And in the past, the US has tried to convince South Korea not to develop its own nuclear weapons by reassuring it that the US is strongly committed to its defense. Despite Trump's order, South Korea says today's exercises will go ahead as planned. Meanwhile, this is a big week in the Middle East for US negotiator Jared Kushner, who is also President Trump's son-in-law. Yesterday, Kushner held a rare meeting with the leader of Hamas, as well as other mediators, hoping to make progress on the stalled Gaza ceasefire. Today, he's set to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the US tries to get both sides to move forward with the plan.
Ukraine has intensified its pushback against Russia. Just this last weekend, Ukraine launched one of the largest aerial attacks of the war, and at least six people were killed. Over the last few months, Ukraine has been hitting warehouses, industrial plants and refineries deep inside Russia. Of course, Ukraine is still dealing with Russian attacks too. Also this weekend, strikes destroyed Ukrainian homes and torched Kyiv's landmark book market. And once again, a NATO jet had to shoot down a drone that crossed into a NATO member's airspace. It was the fourth drone shot down this year over Romania. Other NATO countries on the Alliance's eastern flank, like Poland, Latvia and Estonia, are now beefing up protection around critical infrastructure and increasingly treating Russia as a direct threat to the Alliance.
The top commander in the war with Iran has now visited the long-deployed aircraft carrier we told you about last week. Remember, sailors on board the USS Lincoln have been deployed for nine months without port visits, setting a record for consecutive days at sea. There are reports of poor living conditions, shortages of basic supplies, and struggles with crew members' morale. Well, US. Admiral Brad Cooper met with the troops stationed on the Lincoln over the weekend. He acknowledged the mental health challenges and also said his visit was awe-inspiring and praised the crew for stepping up and making mental health a priority while playing a key role in the US bombing against Iran. But President Trump has dismissed reports about the conditions on the ship. When asked whether the Lincoln's deployment has gone on for too long, Trump said, quote, no, not nearly long enough. The USS George Washington is headed to the Middle East now and is expected to take the place of the Lincoln.