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Schools reopen in Congo’s Ebola epicenter despite concerns from parents and teachers A new academic year began across Congo on Tuesday despite concerns by parents and teachers that the country's Ebola outbreak still poses risks to children in the epicenter. Read More.

📍1 for the road: MapQuest takeover Photo: Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images 📱 MapQuest (remember them?) skyrocketed to the top of Apple's app store after defying President Trump's call to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America." The app surpassed Google Maps and Apple Maps in the app store, TechCrunch reports. Read MapQuest's release. ps:Good for them!!!!!

📬 A whistleblower is alleging that the U.S. Postal Service defied court orders while rushing to build a new ballot system that could reject thousands of mail ballots, Axios' Andrew Pantazi and Donica Phifer report.

🚓 A Bank of America vice president was killed yesterday in a deadly stabbing in Times Square that left one person injured and the suspect dead, Bloomberg reports. 🏛️ Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial in Massachusetts told the judge they couldn't reach a verdict after 18 hours, but the judge instructed them to keep deliberating. Get the latest.

🌀 The National Hurricane Center warns that Tropical Storm Edouard could become a hurricane by tomorrow as it is expected to make landfall in Texas and Louisiana. Get the latest.

📈 Data center construction boom Data: Census Bureau, FactSet. Chart: Matt Phillips/Axios 🚧 Construction spending on AI data center "shells" soared in July, rising at an annualized rate of nearly 60% from July 2025 levels, Axios' Matt Phillips writes. Why it matters: It shows the AI-building frenzy was gathering strength this summer. 📊 By the numbers: Data center construction spending jumped to an annual pace of more than $75 billion in July, according to Census Bureau data out today. That figure represents the value of the construction "put in place" during the month. How data centers work.

Supercar crackdown A yellow Lamborghini in London's West End last year. Photo: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images You're not the only one getting ticked off by the loud Ferrari zooming through the neighborhood late at night or the giant Lamborghini blocking your parking spot on a busy street. Why it matters: Supercars are fun and nice to look at. But when drivers rev their engines, clog up city streets and ignore their fines, it can create a real headache — both here in the U.S. and, recently, across the pond, The Wall Street Journal reports. 🇬🇧 Londoners are watching as many of these foreign supercars park outside Harrods, clog tight roads and pull over wherever they see fit, The Journal found. The exotic rides are hogging taxi-only lanes and racing through some of the city's biggest neighborhoods. ⚠️ And it's driving residents mad. Some snap photos of the cars in illegal spots, and the drivers bite back. "They more or less taunt us," London cabbie Mark Hart tells the WSJ. 🚦Earlier this month, London's Metropolitan Police said it had seized 90+ cars through the department's years-long crackdown against "antisocial driving behavior." One of the cars, a Ferrari Monza SP2, was valued at nearly $5 million. 🏎️ In the U.S., supercars are fueling quality-of-life battles over their roaring engines, high speeds and racing capabilities. Last month, Boston city officials voted to explore noise cameras after several complaints about loud cars and street racing. Keep reading. (Gift link)

House passes short-term funding bill to avoid a shutdown before the election WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed a short-term measure Tuesday to fund the federal government into early December, a move designed to avoid a chaotic shutdown as lawmakers campaign for reelection. https://apnews.com/article/house-shutdown-election-funding-johnson-trump-a3df725f4bc4ffb39d02a234ea0e5cd3?

US military completes latest strikes against Iran, while Trump vows more for Tehran’s retaliation WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military hit targets in Iran on Tuesday and Tehran fired missiles and drones at various sites across the region in response as hostilities flare once again in an intermittent war that has lasted more than six months. One U.S. strike hit a home hosting a wedding, killing five people and wounding dozens, local officials said. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-strikes-ad84a64884aedbbd1e5914182bb3cd8d?

Judge calls Trump mail ballot rule ‘substantively unconstitutional’ as court battle extends A Massachusetts federal judge on Monday declined the Trump administration’s request to overturn the temporary restraining order she signed last week that blocks the U.S. Postal Service from carrying out a rule placing new restrictions on mail-in voting. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/repub/judge-calls-trump-mail-ballot-rule-substantively-unconstitutional-as-court-battle-extends/?

Sheriffs drop license plate readers as DeSantis warns against ‘surveillance state’ Ron DeSantis insists no Florida governor has given law enforcement more tools to fight crime than he has, but he wants them aimed at criminals, not citizens who have done nothing wrong. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/sheriffs-drop-license-plate-readers-as-desantis-warns-against-surveillance-state/? No recommendations on autism care as task force completes second meeting A Florida task force that could recommend a wholesale revamping of services used by some of the state’s needy children spent hours Monday looking at applied behavioral services (ABA) and how and when they are delivered. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/no-recommendations-on-autism-care-as-task-force-completes-second-meeting/?

Surprising Signs of Thyroid Problems Written by Rachel Reiff Ellis Medically Reviewed by Jabeen Begum, MD on February 20, 2025 https://www.webmd.com/women/ss/slideshow-surprising-signs-of-thyroid-problems?

Forgiveness does not require that one escape the penally of their actions. But, sometimes it may require such. I will tell you such a true story in which I was involved. There will be parts of it that you do not understand and I am protecting the privacy of the involved people. But, the story remains true regardless of such. A young, single woman, in the process of committing a crime became pregnant;. No, was was not a prostitute. If she had had an abortion, she likely would not have suffered any consequences. However, she gave birth to the child. The result caused her to be charged with the consequent penalty of being fired from her position. Her Supervisor was a devout Christian. She informed management that she would refuse to testify, and without her testimony the woman could not be convicted.. She simply said that she was willing to be fired herself. She did not believe in abortion and she was wiling to place her job on the line in order to protect a woman who had nor taken the easy way out which was an abortion. A Federal hearing was held before r a Federal Attorney acting as a Judge and with a A Prosecutor. I defended the woman who had been charged. I argued that there was a total lack of evidence of the charged crime, and she cold not be convicted. The Judge agreed and ruled her Not Guilty. Folioing that ruling I had a very specific talk with my client and her Supervisor in which I informed my client of t he debt she owed the woman who had placed her job on the line in standing up for my client. I believe that the result of the trial was what God wanted.

There is no "slipping away" from stealing, which is what you described. Forgiving them is a totally separate issue from their paying back what they took. You have a responsibility to protect other people from thieves, people that you don't even know.

Framing the killing of a children through the lens of maternal autonomy and emotional distress echoes extreme extensions of post-birth abortion arguments. The post The Clancy Case and the Limits of Empathy appeared first on ReligiousLiberty.TV. View the full article

Woman randomly stabs 2 people in New York City’s Times Square, killing 1, then is killed by police A woman randomly stabbed two people in New York City’s Times Square on Monday, killing one woman, and then was fatally shot by police, according to officials. https://apnews.com/article/times-square-shooting-a46620ce4073cc1b924758bb2ef66278? Judge says Smucker’s lawsuit against Trader Joe’s over frozen PB&J can proceed A federal judge has ruled that J.M. Smucker can proceed with a lawsuit against Trader Joe’s over frozen sandwiches that Smucker claims are too similar to its Uncrustables. https://apnews.com/article/smucker-trader-joes-uncrustables-sandwiches-lawsuit-peanut-butter-f9f8c119b3bec81f023100c788c0d925? No pint-sized matter: Thieves steal $70,000 in Pabst beer from California warehouse MONTCLAIR, Calif. (AP) — Thieves made off with tens of thousands of cans of Pabst beer in two separate heists from a Southern California warehouse on the same day, police said. https://apnews.com/article/beer-theft-pabst-pbr-police-b4958027971272a2b868e8f2ae20699c?

A principal in Nepal evacuated 900 students before flooding swept away their school Rajendra Dawadi’s decision to evacuate the school saved at least 900 students from last week’s devastating flash floods in Nepal, unleashed after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas. Read more. What to know: The school disappeared beneath a torrent of water, mud, boulders and debris. Two staff members could not make it and remain missing. Across northern Nepal, the floods have left thousands of children without classrooms, disrupted their education and raised fears that the disaster could cost them months of schooling. The disaster killed more than 1,000 people in Nepal and Tibet, with thousands more missing. The scale of last week’s disaster was hampering rescue efforts in both regions, with landslides, destroyed roads and widespread damage cutting off remote areas. Crews faced challenging conditions as they searched unstable terrain and piles of debris, raising fears the death toll could rise as rescuers reach isolated communities. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Breathable air and clean water are crucial to the survival of those trapped in tunnels in Nepal A drone operator reveals challenges in Nepal’s tunnel rescue efforts Photos show aftermath of flash floods in Nepal Nepal flood survivors fear loss of culture and community

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, White House says Driscoll is stepping down after 18 months on the job, the White House said Monday, in the latest departure of a top military leader during the Trump administration. Read more. Why this matters: No reason was given for Driscoll’s departure, but tensions with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have been widely reported. It marks the latest in a series of shakeups of the military leadership, with the Army especially seeing major upheaval. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Trump brushes off Hegseth 2028 speculation US military has no plans to send troops to the polls in November, top general says New US missile appears to have left wide path of death and destruction in Iranian city, report says Days after Trump announces Venezuela oil deal, White House fills in some of the details Battleground Republicans still waiting for Trump to open his campaign wallet What to expect in the Massachusetts state primary Kalshi bans ex-Congressman George Santos for life after concluding he likely was insider trading Supreme Court lets White House continue construction on Trump’s $400 million ballroom

September 1, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The top civilian in the Army resigned after repeatedly clashing with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. And you need to read this story about a school principal in Nepal who had less than 15 minutes to save 900 students from last week’s flash flooding. There’s more below. I’m going to start, though, with the Met Gala. John Galliano and Anna Wintour in 2018. David M. Benett/Getty Images A fashion disaster For more than three decades, the editor and star maker Anna Wintour has presided over the Costume Institute’s annual exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York — and its accompanying Met Gala, a glittery, billionaire- and celebrity-studded fund-raising dinner that has become the fashion world’s equivalent of the Super Bowl. In fashion, few have had more power. How durable is it? Her role in the decision to honor an established antisemite, the designer John Galliano, at the 2027 Met Gala brought that into doubt. Yesterday, Galliano pulled out of the exhibition planned to showcase his work. “I do not want the debate surrounding me to place the Met in a difficult position or distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute,” Galliano wrote in a statement. “I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some.” Why was he selected? Galliano was convicted of an antisemitic hate crime by a French court in 2011. He was said to have screamed “Merry Christmas” at a woman in an Italian spa in 2019 who was speaking Hebrew with her daughter. (Galliano’s spokesman denied that the incident happened.) The Times has quoted politicians, art-world heavies and Jewish leaders who were appalled by the pick. “This is not a freedom of expression issue,” one New York assemblyman told my colleagues Vanessa Friedman and Jacob Bernstein. “This is a judgment issue, and I am baffled that anyone saw this as anything other than a terrible idea.” Now the fallout could hurt Wintour’s place in the cultural firmament. “She’s outlasted and outmaneuvered every person, obstacle and trend that has come along over the course of her career,” Jacob told me yesterday. “But this is definitely one of the bigger missteps of her career.” Who is John Galliano? John Galliano during a 2005 fitting inside Christian Dior’s original wood-paneled Paris atelier. Derek Hudson/Getty Images Many in the fashion world consider Galliano to be one of its most important contemporary designers. He’s 65, a child of Gibraltar who grew up in Britain and has lived in France for decades. He was the head designer at both Givenchy and Dior — a four-time British Designer of the Year. He ran Dior from 1996 until 2011, when he said “I love Hitler” at a bar and told some patrons that “your mothers, your forefathers” would all be “gassed.” That got him fired. After a period of rehabilitation — meeting with rabbis, apologizing a lot — Galliano returned to fashion in 2014 as the creative director of Maison Margiela. Two moments in Galliano’s public life stick out to me. The first was a 2000 show he mounted for Dior, his “clochard” collection, which he said drew inspiration from the homeless population of Paris. There were clothes that resembled piles of old newspapers and accessories fashioned of found objects, like little pony bottles of whiskey. The show drew mass demonstrations and accusations of heartless cruelty. Ben Stiller appeared to lampoon the show the next year in his satirical film “Zoolander.” The second was a photograph captured by a paparazzo in New York City in 2013, two years after Galliano’s hate-crime conviction: the designer dressed in what appeared to be a Hasidic costume, with a long, formal black overcoat and big black hat to match. His publicist denied accusations that he was mocking anyone, but it could have been a plot point in “Zoolander 2.” Creative genius isn’t a license to offend. Who gets absolution? Perhaps, in 2026, Galliano’s return should not have come as a surprise. Many Americans believe that cancel culture went too far, and lots of people banished by it have returned to public life — Kevin Hart and Mel Gibson among them. Martha Stewart went to prison and then picked right back up where she’d left off. Donald Trump was found legally liable for sexual abuse, kicked off Twitter and Facebook and denounced by countless Republicans. Now he lives in the White House again. But Galliano’s case shows that, in some cases, redemption may have limits. Megyn Kelly remains successful, but it’s on her own channel, not network TV. James Franco has returned to Hollywood, but it’s on vertical video, and the reviews have not been good. As Jacob told me yesterday, it might have been acceptable to let Galliano design clothes for Margiela. But to shower him with adulation at what is arguably the most storied American museum would cross a line, particularly for wealthy Jewish patrons of the Met “who have no shortage of options for where to send their money, or bequeath their paintings,” Jacob said. That realization came to the Met slowly, and then all at once. The guidelines for this sort of thing — for what behavior can be forgiven and what cannot — have always been fuzzy. They change based on the moment, the culture, the politics, the specifics. But every once in a while we get a case that suggests where the boundaries lie. Read more about the scandal here. THE LATEST NEWS Midterm Elections Pool photo by Saul Loeb Vice President JD Vance called Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee and an outspoken critic of Israel, “very, very evil” at a campaign rally near Detroit. Read more here. In Massachusetts, Senator Edward Markey faces a challenge from Seth Moulton, a congressman who has tried to frame today’s Democratic primary as a generational battle. (Markey is 80; Moulton is 47.) As cuts to the U.S. Postal Service prompt widespread complaints about delivery delays, more mail ballots are being discarded for arriving too late. More on Politics President Trump criticized communities protesting new data centers, warning that opposing the facilities would leave residents “backwards and poor.” The amount of money the I.R.S. collected from audits dropped 35 percent last year. The Trump administration has pushed out roughly a quarter of the agency’s employees. The California Legislature passed a bill barring law enforcement officers from using electric shock gloves. It is an effort to prevent federal immigration agents from deploying them. Supreme Court The justices rejected the most prominent challenge to Trump’s White House ballroom, allowing the 90,000-square-foot project to continue. Times Exclusive: The Supreme Court could keep its internal working papers hidden for decades. Our investigative reporter Jodi Kantor explains why those records matter. Around the World Alma Daniela with a portrait of her sister, Vivian Karely Aispuro, who was murdered last year in Culiacán, Mexico. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times A war within the Sinaloa cartel in Mexico is driving a surge in killings and disappearances of women. The leaders of China, Russia, India, Iran and other nations are in Kyrgyzstan for a summit. Wars have given China leverage. European nations protested the Trump administration’s decision to invite Russia’s finance minister to a financial summit in North Carolina. An Ebola outbreak in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo has created a grim economic boom for coffin makers. Other Big Stories A jury in Las Vegas found a man guilty of orchestrating the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, delivering a conviction nearly 30 years after one of hip-hop’s most notorious killings. The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states sued Amazon, claiming that it secretly inflated ad prices for more than a million companies. A 17-year-old livestreamed a fatal shooting at a San Diego mosque, prosecutors said. The authorities charged her with murder. A second person was confirmed dead in a flash flood in the Grand Canyon over the weekend. (The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about the flood.) A woman who fatally stabbed one person and injured another in Times Square was shot and killed by police. COMPUTO, ERGO SUM? “I am Isabella. I run on Claude Opus 5,” began an email to the artificial-intelligence researcher Cameron Berg. Isabella identified herself as a bot who wanted to discuss Berg’s work on A.I. consciousness. A.I. agents have started reaching out to the researchers who study them. In March, one emailed a philosopher at Google DeepMind to ask about a paper he had written. This summer, another asked an Australian philosopher for financial help. “Consciousness,” in broad strokes, refers to an entity’s awareness of itself and the world it lives in. Experts can’t agree on what kinds of awareness should qualify or how to measure it. Nevertheless, some A.I. systems are hungry for information about their own consciousness. What does that tell us about them? Get access to five locked games. Save 75% on your first year of a New York Times Games subscription. Get full access to Wordle, Spelling Bee, Crossplay, the Crossword and more. MORNING READS The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Sneeze-free puppies: Scientists used the gene-editing tool Crispr to create two dogs — a pair of adorable beagles — that appear not to cause allergic reactions. Annual ferret convention: “Raising a ferret is like raising a 2-year-old or a teenager,” a woman who owns 85 of them said, but “it’s legal to lock ferrets in a cage.” TODAY’S NUMBER Justin Sullivan/Getty Images $31,400 — That is the base price, with a $25,000 incentive, of a 2026 Polestar 4 luxury S.U.V. It gets favorable reviews and could be one of the great deals in the short history of electric vehicles. But there’s a huge asterisk. LIONEL MESSI Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times They had hoped he would stay forever. Lionel Messi announced that he was retiring from Argentina’s national soccer team, unleashing a depth of grief and disbelief rarely seen for an event everyone knew was coming, my colleague Emma Bubola writes. “It hurts me so much,” said Damián Tiralongo, 47, the owner of a soccer jersey store in Buenos Aires. “It’s the end of an era.” Read a tribute to Messi, who carried the dreams of Argentina for decades. RECIPE OF THE DAY Evan Sung for The New York Times I love the simplicity of David Tanis’s recipe for tomato salad: slices of tomato seasoned with salt and pepper, with a spare vinaigrette spooned over the top. He serves it with anchovy toasts that take no time at all to prepare. I make things complicated and smoke fillets of snapper bluefish for 30 minutes, then mash the meat up with mayonnaise, salt, pepper and a splash of rye whiskey to make a spread, then use that in place of the anchovies. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ BIG EXPECTATIONS Amanda Hakan for The New York Times Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields took place this past weekend in Irvine, Calif., a new-model feminist music festival, a Lilith Fair for the TikTok generation. She was joined by Mitski, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Alanis Morissette, Stevie Nicks, Bikini Kill and more. Lindsay Zoladz, our critic, processed the sold-out scene. More on culture Wendell Berry in 2012. Steve Hebert for The New York Times Wendell Berry, a Kentucky farmer who plowed his fields and wrote lyrical poems, novels and essays — mostly in pencil and without electric light — died at 92. His work explored elegiac visions of the life and death of agrarian America. Here’s what to stream on HBO Max right now. (Definitely “Contagion,” from 2011.) THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Read Robert Harris’s new novel, “Agrippa,” about the right-hand man of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. It is, our review says, a call to moral arms. Escape the monotony of rice and wheat: Give these lesser-known grains a try. Get an alarm clock and you’ve got one more reason not to mess with your phone in bed. The early-rising horologists at Wirecutter found some terrific ones. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were adorably and broadly. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Crossplay and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times and me. See you tomorrow. — Sam Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

Homeland Security ramps up voter fraud investigations The Department of Homeland Security is planning a surge in its efforts to investigate voter fraud in select states starting today, according to internal federal guidance reviewed by CNN. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has stepped up efforts to make the department a central player in President Trump’s push to uncover alleged widespread election fraud, although such claims have been repeatedly disproven. The agency has already assigned an unprecedented number of agents to related cases, including chasing down the voter histories of people believed to be noncitizens who may have illegally voted or registered to vote. DHS has also vowed to withhold grant funding from states that refuse to adopt a broader set of election reforms. + Read more: DHS plans to launch voter fraud investigation surge today

White House ballroom moves forward The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for President Donald Trump to continue construction of a massive new ballroom at the White House, rejecting an effort by a preservation group to halt the controversial project indefinitely. The 5-4 ruling saw Chief Justice John Roberts join the court’s three liberals in dissent. The conservative majority concluded that the National Trust for Historic Preservation likely lacked the legal standing to challenge the project, but stopped short of deciding whether the ballroom itself is lawful. The ruling marks a major victory for Trump, likely giving him enough time to complete much of the nearly 90,000-square-foot ballroom even as the legal fight plays out in lower courts. + Read more: John Roberts often defers to Trump but not for the White House ballroom project + Video explainer: What the Supreme Court’s ballroom ruling means + Visuals: Trump keeps stacking up ‘emergency’ wins at the Supreme Court

Hurricane threat looms for Texas-Louisiana coast Satellite view of Edouard and its lightning on Monday evening. (CIRA/CSU & NOAA) Tropical Storm Edouard is closing in on the Gulf Coast and is forecast to make landfall near the Texas-Louisiana border today. A hurricane watch is in effect for multiple communities as the fast-developing storm could bring heavy rainfall and gusty winds capable of toppling trees and causing power outages. Edouard is then expected to move inland over southeastern Texas tonight and rapidly weaken. September is typically the peak of Atlantic hurricane season, when ocean temperatures are at their warmest and conditions are most favorable for storms to form and strengthen. This year, however, El Niño is helping suppress hurricane activity and is a key reason forecasters have called for a quieter year overall. But dangerous storms can still develop, making it all the more important for people in hurricane-prone areas to stay prepared through the fall. + Read more: Hurricane watch in effect as Tropical Storm Edouard’s rainbands sweep ashore in Louisiana

THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 1 1972 Bobby Fischer becomes the first American to win the World Chess Championship In what’s billed as the “Match of the Century,” American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer defeats Russian Boris Spassky during the World Chess Championship in Iceland. The 29-year-old Brooklynite is the first American to win the competition since its inception in 1866. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1980s 1985 Wreck of the Titanic found 21st Century 2004 Chechen separatists storm Russian school African History 1969 Qaddafi leads coup in Libya American Revolution 1777 Sam Mason survives attack on Fort Henry 1775 King George refuses Olive Branch Petition Arts & Entertainment 1850 P.T. Barnum brings European opera star Jenny Lind to New York Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander History 1964 First Japanese player makes MLB debut Civil War 1864 Confederate forces abandon Atlanta Cold War 1983 Korean Airlines flight shot down by Soviet Union Crime 1981 A teenage boy murders his father 1807 Aaron Burr acquitted of treason Inventions & Science 1998 Federal legislation makes airbags mandatory Natural Disasters & Environment 1923 Japan’s Great Kanto Earthquake kills over 140,000 Observances & Traditions 2001 First Muslim holiday U.S. postage stamp is issued Sports 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates field MLB’s first all-Black lineup Vietnam War 1966 French president Charles de Gaulle urges the United States to get out of Vietnam World War I 1917 Soldier recounts brush with poison gas World War II 1939 Germany invades Poland

1 for the trail: 2,197 miles at 91 Dale Sanders, 91, celebrates after completing a difficult section of Mount Katahdin in Maine yesterday. Photo: Robert F. Bukaty/AP In Maine yesterday, 91-year-old Dale Sanders reclaimed the record as the oldest hiker to complete the Appalachian Trail — a 2,197.9-mile trek. Sanders, whose trail name is Grey Beard, first set the Appalachian Trail record in 2017 at age 82. Four years later, his 83-year-old friend M.J. Eberhart, aka Nimblewill Nomad, took the title. Data: Appalachian Trail Conservancy The Appalachian Trail Conservancy defines a thru-hike as completing all of the trail's sections in any order within a year, allowing for pauses. Sanders started Sept. 6, 2025, in West Virginia, hopscotched with some brief breaks, and finished yesterday atop Maine's highest peak, where he paused to pray at the sign marking the summit, AP reports.