Birders argue over plan to change dozens of bird names On Thursday, a major birding society will discuss how how to go about changing potentially offensive bird names. There’s resistance to the original plan to rename all birds named after people. Read more on NPR

A downed power line is officially blamed for last year’s Maui wildfire The report from the the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said that the fire that killed more than 100 people and destroyed the town of Lahaina called the fire “accidental.” Read more on NPR

Shovel by shovel, N.C. towns dig out from Helene mud and debris The small western North Carolina towns of Marshall and Hot Springs were wrecked by historic floods caused by Tropical Storm Helene’s rainfall. Days later, residents are just starting the cleanup. Read more on NPR

It’s harder to pay and travel for abortion care, but support funds are struggling Financial aid funds that help women pay for abortions — or travel to other states to access care — are struggling financially, despite abortion’s role in this year’s elections. Read more on NPR

How Democrats are targeting red seats in blue New York to help win back the House New York Democrats launched a coordinated campaign modeled on more traditional battleground state efforts. Federal, state and local leaders are combining efforts to target a group of House GOP freshmen. Read more on NPR

Kamala Harris is making an unusual pilgrimage today — to the birthplace of the GOP Harris will travel Thursday to Ripon, Wisconsin — home to the Little White Schoolhouse, where an 1854 meeting led to the birth of the Republican Party. She’ll be joined by former GOP Rep. Liz Cheney. Read more on NPR

Too much presidential politics? State legislatures are also on the ballot With so much focus on the presidential election, keep in mind these down-ballot races can lead to big changes in your state when it comes to policies like abortion, health care and criminal justice. Read more on NPR

Utah hoping Supreme Court will break precedent and transfer vast tracts of federal land to states With the new Supreme Court term set to begin, Utah is hoping the conservative justices will continue to overturn long-established legal precedents, including the federal government’s control of U.S. public land. Read more on NPR

Former Singapore minister sentenced to a year in prison in rare corruption case Subramaniam Iswaran is the first Singaporean minister to be jailed in almost fifty years. A case that has shocked a country famed for its squeaky-clean reputation. Read more on NPR

A doctor has pleaded guilty to distributing ketamine to ‘Friends’ star Matthew Perry In the months leading up to Perry’s death, Mark Chavez said in a plea deal he conspired to distribute liquid ketamine and ketamine lozenges to Perry through transactions with another doctor. Read more on NPR