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"Christians" or other religions, including civil libertarians, often cry about government incursions into their spaces. We should hear more about their incursions into government spaces. If anti-vaxxers refuse to self isolate, let them suffer for their faith, e.g. confinement in a concentration camp like environment. AIDS is a good example of the negative impact civil/religious liberty can have on public health. A group of officials in San Francisco, which included Dianne Feinstein and Anthony Fauci [if I remember correctly] visited the bathhouses. They warned the gay community of the dangers presented by their homoeroticism in the bathhouse environment. Of course they were ignored. A generation of homosexuals was consequently decimated. Had the somewhat draconian measures required to stem HIV transmission in an uncooperative community been forcibly implemented by civil authorities, some very nice, talented people might still be alive.

🌅 Parting shot: Shore thing Photo: Ashley Corso Summer skies over Long Beach Island, N.J., where reader Ashley Corso captured a pastel evening along the dunes.

Jury convicts a man of first-degree murder for the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur LAS VEGAS (AP) — A jury found Duane “Keffe D” Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, finally bringing a measure of resolution to a case that had gripped hip-hop fans and lingered in the public imagination for decades. https://apnews.com/article/tupac-shakur-trial-las-vegas-duane-davis-0b0b080d73f91cd122b6dd438e5bbb80?

🚨 Johnson's ethics pain 👋 With the House back in session after a five-week break, Speaker Mike Johnson can no longer avoid an issue he's skirted all summer: allegations of sexual misconduct in the GOP. Why it matters: The House will vote tomorrow on censuring Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.), putting Johnson and his Republican colleagues in an uncomfortable — and unavoidable — position nine weeks from Election Day. 📢 Edwards is demanding an opportunity to defend himself, ensuring that the House's first full day back after its summer break will be about sexual harassment and a hostile work environment — not the legislative accomplishments Johnson wants his members to tout. Since our reporting that Edwards singled out two female staffers in their 20s for special attention, Johnson has deferred to the Ethics Committee. But this month, the committee determined that Edwards violated House rules on sexual harassment and recommended his censure. Between the lines: GOP leadership is not whipping the Edwards vote, leaving Republicans to decide for themselves whether to impose one of the chamber's most serious punishments on their colleague. Driving the news: Edwards mounted a last-ditch campaign to save himself from censure, circulating a 22-page letter to lawmakers arguing that the committee made an "extraordinary leap" in determining that his conduct constituted sexual harassment. But the letter was not well received among his colleagues, two sources told us. "Sexual harassment is sexual harassment and deserves to be disciplined accordingly," one House Republican told us. "While most of us are actually fighting for the American people, he was busy creeping on his staff." Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told us he's still on the fence on whether to censure Edwards. "We've got several members that are messing around, obviously, and people know it. And I just don't see Congress being the moral barometer for anything really right now." Edwards abandoned his reelection campaign this month but has resisted calls to resign. 🌎 Zoom out: It will also be the first time the House has been in session since allegations of domestic violence against Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) exploded into public view. Miller has denied the allegations. The Ethics Committee opened an investigation into Miller this month, and some Democrats discussed forcing the House to take action against him, including an expulsion push. Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) lost his primary this month but remains under an active Ethics Committee investigation over allegations that center on domestic abuse, stolen valor and financial misconduct, all of which he denies. Johnson has largely deferred to the Ethics Committee when confronted with allegations of misconduct by members of his conference. Asked today whether he supports Miller's reelection campaign, Johnson said yes. The other side: Democrats also will confront fresh ethical scrutiny within their ranks. The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) this month over allegations of sexual misconduct. Democrats have largely stayed quiet on the investigation. 🤔 What's next: The Democratic and Republican women's caucuses are expected to soon unveil their legislative package to tackle sexual misconduct on Capitol Hill. Potential reforms under discussion include changes to reporting systems, retaliation protections, increases in education and training resources, and a ban on lawmaker-staff relations. — Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

Working for the Clampdown (Jim Watson / AFP / Getty)   View in browser Desensitization is one of Donald Trump’s most powerful tools: Through repetition, he acclimates Americans to troubling and dangerous ideas. Occasionally, though, his statements and actions are so outrageous that they can still provide a shock. The president’s hostility toward the media is familiar, but this weekend provided a clear reminder that Trump hates freedom of the press and will use any government power at his disposal to try to get rid of it. Yesterday morning, Trump started off with a post on Truth Social demanding that the Federal Communications Commission do something about “THE FAKE POLLS USED BY OUR CROOKED MEDIA.” About 15 minutes later, he followed this with a long rant about Kristen Welker of Meet the Press, complaining that she had noted that Trump’s record in recent endorsements had been “a mixed bag.” Along with some casual misogyny, Trump wrote, “How can anyone be allowed to say this, working for freely given Public Airwaves? Results are attached. Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.” The reasons for Trump’s anger are plain: Polls consistently show that he is deeply unpopular, matching or exceeding his own past lows in many opinion surveys. Republicans look likely to lose the House and perhaps also the Senate in this fall’s elections, and more Democratic power in Washington would make Trump’s life more difficult. As for the endorsements, the record is clear. My colleague Will Gottsegen noted last week that most Trump-backed candidates still win, but he’s had some notable misses as well. Not only is the reporting that infuriates Trump accurate, but siccing the FCC on it makes no legal sense. The agency regulates radio and TV outlets, but much polling is conducted by print outlets and other organizations. The FCC doesn’t have any authority to punish NBC News for reporting on things the president doesn’t like, whether accurate or not. The FCC’s site states (for now) that intervening in such cases “would be inconsistent with the First Amendment to replace the journalistic judgment of licensees with our own.” If the FCC or any other federal agency can do that, freedom of the press no longer exists. But Trump doesn’t care about this bedrock civil liberty. He’s tried to wield the FCC as a political tool, and he’s been helped by its chair, Brendan Carr, a Project 2025 co-author who has advocated for the use of regulatory agencies as partisan hatchet men. Just because the FCC doesn’t have the power doesn’t mean that Carr won’t try. Before Trump was president, MAGA figures complained about what they saw as “jawboning,” when government officials found informal ways to pressure companies; now they are enthusiastic about the practice. Carr has had some success bullying major outlets, though companies have recently been finding strength to resist. Trump has also attempted to silence the press via lawsuits. He has sued ABC, CBS, The New York Times, the Des Moines Register, the publisher of The Wall Street Journal, the pollster J. Ann Selzer, the Pulitzer Prize Board, and the journalist Bob Woodward. Some defendants have settled; other suits have failed, and still more remain in process. Last week, Trump updated an absurd defamation case against the Times. Part of the goal is intimidation. Huge papers with strong legal departments such as the Times and Journal may not blanch before such lawsuits, but smaller outlets might think twice about what they publish. (Trump’s FBI director, Kash Patel, also recently filed a lawsuit against The Atlantic, demanding $250 million, in response to reporting he did not like. The Atlantic has filed a motion to dismiss, along with a request to begin seeking factual discovery from the FBI and the Department of Justice. “If Director Patel did not want to face this process, he should not have filed this suit,” The Atlantic’s editor in chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, has said.) The attitude from the president permeates the rest of his administration. The finance ministers of the G20 are meeting today in Asheville, North Carolina, but the Treasury Department barred specific reporters from the Times, Journal, and Bloomberg News. The reasons these reporters were singled out is not clear. The Treasury Department noted that a wide range of outlets had been credentialed for the event but declined to discuss the specific cases on the record. The United States won’t have much credibility to criticize crackdowns on the press in, say, China or Russia (both attendees), but then again, this administration probably wouldn’t bother. As the National Press Club said in a statement, “When government officials decide which journalists may enter the room, they begin to control which questions get asked, whose scrutiny they face and what the public gets to see and hear.” The situation is even bleaker at the Department of Defense. The Washington Post yesterday reported that top military leaders have warned Secretary Pete Hegseth that extending the war in Iran “is unsustainable and risks weakening their ability to confront threats elsewhere, including the U.S. homeland.” The reaction from the Pentagon, which has consistently tried to limit and hide information about the floundering war, was furious. One can understand why the department is, well, defensive: Failed and failing military operations have brought down administrations before. The Defense Department spokesperson Sean Parnell claimed that the report was “inaccurate” and added that “publishing highly classified assessments from the Secretary’s orders book is a crime.” That allegation is, itself, broadly misleading and arguably just false. But MAGA supporters outside the administration eagerly agreed. The Trump ally and Post columnist Marc Thiessen, who keeps insisting that the war is going swimmingly, criticized the leak that his own paper received. (Pro trip: If you’re not willing to stand for transparency, journalism is the wrong line of work.) These are the latest steps in a clampdown at the Defense Department. The Pentagon is trying to turn Stars and Stripes, a venerable military newspaper, into a propaganda outlet. (Firings there are paused during litigation.) Whether it makes sense for a government agency to house an independent publication is open for debate, but what’s clear is that Trump officials are targeting Stars and Stripes because of unflattering reporting—including on conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln—that is truthful and relevant to the public and troops. Under Hegseth, the department has drastically reduced press access at the Pentagon and, as the Post also reported yesterday, begun hiring right-wing influencers. Despite these efforts, the Iran war is deeply unpopular, and as the Post stories demonstrate, traditional outlets continue to report with depth, rigor, and accuracy on the administration’s actions. This should be a warning for the enemies of free speech who run the federal government: Targeting the press isn’t just un-American; it also doesn’t work. Related: Donald Trump’s hatred of free speech Trump’s campaign to crush the media

No verdict after 3 days of deliberations in the Lindsay Clancy trial over the killing of her kids Jurors in the Lindsay Clancy trial on Monday spent a third day deliberating without reaching a verdict on whether the former labor and delivery nurse is criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023 — a case that has drawn attention to maternal mental health after childbirth. Read More. Singer D4vd loses prominent lawyers defending him in killing of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez Singer D4vd lost his high-profile private lawyers Monday at a hearing where he entered a new not guilty plea to charges that he killed, sexually abused and dismembered 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Read More. Judge authorizes involuntary feeding of jailed suspect in deadly National Guard shooting A man refusing to eat food while jailed on charges he shot two National Guard troops near the White House, killing one of them, can be fed against his will under a judge's emergency order. Read More.

Federal Trade Commission and 22 states sue Amazon over inflated advertising prices The Federal Trade Commission and 22 states filed a lawsuit against online retailer Amazon on Monday claiming that it defrauded advertising customers. Read More.

France to supply Sweden with 4 frigates to bolster the NATO country's defense France and Sweden signed agreements Monday to supply the Nordic country with 4 modern frigates, strengthening the defenses of NATO’s newest member in the strategically important Baltic Sea region, where Russia uses key shipping lanes and airspace. Read More.

The disease that decimated American elms could help bring them back The very disease that has decimated millions of American elms in the U.S. is now being used to bring the iconic trees back. Read More.

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Massachusetts state primary Massachusetts Democrats will decide the latest head-to-head matchup between the party’s moderate and progressive wings in a state primary Tuesday, but this time, top progressives are backing the incumbent against a more moderate challenger. Read More.

United Arab Emirates intercepts an Iranian drone, and other news from the Middle East An Iranian drone was intercepted early Monday over the United Arab Emirates' territorial waters, the Defense Ministry said. The attack followed an exchange of fire between Iran and the United States over the weekend, which was the first significant military action in the war for more than a month. Read More.

Supreme Court lets White House continue construction on Trump’s $400 million ballroom WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed the White House to continue construction on a $400 million ballroom project as lawsuits play out, a win for President Donald Trump as he flexes unprecedented executive power and remakes the capital in his image. https://apnews.com/article/trump-white-house-ballroom-supreme-court-6b9434af0a2dbeffa0ca19f5cdf7d775?

DA says a teen who recorded San Diego mosque shooting livestream has been charged with murder A 17-year-old North Carolina girl who recorded a livestream of a shooting that killed three people at a San Diego mosque and then disseminated the attackers’ white-supremacist writings has been charged with murder by aiding and abetting, a district attorney said Monday. https://apnews.com/article/san-diego-mosque-shooting-20f609e3042817ab67551f4cb439685f?

⛽ 100 gallons of gas on a chart Data: U.S. Energy Information Administration. (Each week compares the cost of 100 gallons at that week's price with the cost of 100 gallons at the price at the beginning of the conflict.) Chart: Andrew Pantazi/Axios Higher gasoline prices in the first six months of the Iran conflict have cost U.S. drivers far more than they did over the same period after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Axios' Ben Geman and Andrew Pantazi report. Yes, gasoline hit an all-time high of over $5 per gallon under the Biden administration. But the elevation since the Iran war began has been more persistent. 🎨 The big picture: Axios tracked what 100 gallons of gas cost each week during the first six months of the Iran and Ukraine conflicts, compared with prices just before each war began. The cumulative extra cost of gasoline is substantially higher now. 👀 What we're watching: The average U.S. gasoline price hit $4.08 today, according to AAA. Prices will likely be near or above $4 per gallon on Labor Day weekend.

Trump: "Let data reign" Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images 🤖 President Trump has a new message for Americans rebelling over the nation's data center boom: Get over it. Trump warned Monday: "If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame." 🗳️ Why it matters: Nine weeks out from the midterms, the president is charging into a fight Republicans have been scrambling to escape — staking political capital on one of the most toxic issues in the country, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Trump wrote on Truth Social: "The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor." "If they want to be successful and rich, with far lower taxes and jobs all over the place, let Data Reign," he added. 🤝 Trump's blunt intervention comes as the AI industry mounts a far more disciplined campaign to persuade data center skeptics rather than browbeat them. Build American AI, an advocacy group linked to the pro-AI super PAC Leading the Future, is ready to unload a $50 million war chest to defend data centers in key states, starting in Kansas, Ohio and Wisconsin. 🔎 Zoom in: Prominent investor Gavin Baker laid out his own six-part case for data centers on X, which was quickly amplified by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and other tech leaders. 💧 Water: Newer facilities can sharply reduce freshwater use through closed-loop cooling and recycled water, Baker argues. He says those systems should be required for new projects. 💸 Taxes: Data centers can generate enormous property-tax revenue for local governments, Baker says, potentially outweighing the sales-tax exemptions that have drawn criticism. 💪 Jobs: The buildout is driving demand for electricians, plumbers, welders, HVAC technicians and contractors, making building-trade unions some of the industry's most important allies. 🔌 Power: Baker points to new large-load tariffs and ratepayer-protection agreements as a way to ensure data centers, rather than existing customers, pay for the new generation and grid capacity they require. ☀️ Environment: Baker argues that natural gas, renewables and batteries can meet surging demand now, with data centers ultimately moving toward solar and storage. 🌆 Towns: Data centers can turn struggling communities into beneficiaries of the AI boom. Baker points to Quincy, Washington, where data centers now account for more than half of the local property-tax base. 🥊 Reality check: Republicans in key battlegrounds have spent weeks recalibrating their positions on data centers as the issue turned politically toxic. Trump's intervention risks blowing up that escape route. How data centers work.

Kalshi bans ex-Congressman George Santos for life after concluding he likely was insider trading NEW YORK (AP) — The online prediction market platform Kalshi said Monday that it has permanently banned former U.S. Rep. George Santos for his bets on whether he’d attend the State of the Union address and has fined and temporarily banned North Carolina congressional candidate Laurie Buckhout for bets she now calls a “dumb mistake.” https://apnews.com/article/kalshi-george-santos-lifetime-ban-c8ac3e25aec55cd5509485a84f79f9e0?

Pentagon Pete Busted Handing Secret Jobs to MAGA Bootlickers The Defense Department has not disclosed which roles several conservative influencers have within the government. Pete Hegseth has hired a team of MAGA influencers who routinely support the defense secretary online for secret roles within the Pentagon, according to a report. The Washington Post found that several former military personnel turned online conservative mouthpieces have been given government roles that the Pentagon has not publicly disclosed. They include Rob Maness, a retired Air Force colonel with more than 130,000 followers on X; Kurt Schlichter, a retired Army colonel with more than 620,000 followers; and Thomas Anderson, a retired colonel who regularly defends the embattled Hegseth to his 323,000 X followers under the online moniker “CynicalPublius.” All three were given active official government email addresses with the “.civ” suffix, meaning they were considered civilian employees rather than military personnel or contractors. Because they were given civilian roles, the MAGA influencers could even change government policy, even as the Pentagon has not officially revealed what their roles are, sources told the Post. All three men were assigned to work for the office of Anthony Tata, the undersecretary of defense for personnel and readiness. Tata, an anti-Islam conspiracy theorist who falsely labeled former President Barack Obama a secret Muslim and a “terrorist leader,” is alleged to have cheated on his wife with a woman claiming to be “the internet’s most notorious astrologer.” The Pentagon did not comment on whether the MAGA influencers were being paid a taxpayer-funded salary when the Post approached it. Hegseth’s MAGA influencers were hired as “highly qualified experts” or “special government employees.” Under the law, SGEs are forbidden from working more than 130 days over a 365-day period.While their specific roles are unclear, each influencer routinely supports Hegseth and President Donald Trump online or attacks those who criticize them. Maness wrote an article for the conservative news site Daily Caller last month demanding that Hegseth root out “disloyal” government employees who have “plagued the Pentagon and the broader federal bureaucracy for years.” Schlichter also posted that “we are lucky” to have Hegseth while sharing a video of the defense secretary praising sailors aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. Those aboard the aircraft carrier have complained of dire working conditions and even feeling suicidal after spending several months deployed at sea. As noted by The Bulwark, which first reported on how Hegseth is building a “Pentagon Troll Army,” several of the MAGA influencers rushed to defend another conservative mouthpiece after she was revealed to be a special government employee. Jennica Pounds, also known as “DataRepublican” on X, falsely accused Sarah B. Rogers, the State Department undersecretary for public diplomacy, of trying to entrap her by giving her government secrets to leak online. It was later revealed that Pounds, who has nearly 1 million X followers, had been hired as a special government employee by the Defense Department after serving as a journalist in Hegseth’s handpicked Pentagon press corps, which was full of MAGA influencers, in June. “You can make a case that it’s unethical to continue reporting on your own while holding a government position. It would be a weak argument in her case. But it’s utterly ridiculous to think she’s taking marching orders and money to plant stories,” posted John Konrad, a former member of the U.S. Merchant Marine who previously said the Pentagon sought him out for an unspecified role. Anderson also defended Pounds, saying she should not have to disclose her government role because civil servants are often “prohibited from revealing their status because of the sensitive nature of their work.” Former Republican congressman and Trump critic Adam Kinzinger suggested that the revelation that Pounds was secretly working for the government would be the “scandal of the century” in any other administration. “How many more people that are blue checkmarks on X, that are putting out information on behalf of the federal government and Donald Trump and the Republican Party that are actually special government employees being paid by your tax dollars?” Kinzinger said. The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/pentagon-petes-secret-maga-troll-army-exposed/? ps:Beyond pathetic

👋 Good morning! Welcome back. In today's edition: Djokovic stunned in New York, Aaron Donald is back, Scottie passes Tiger, Messi goes wild, Curaçao wins LLWS, OBJ makes the team, and more. Yahoo Sports AM is written by Kendall Baker and Jeff Tracy. Let's sports...   SPORTS MOVE FAST. SO DO THE MARKETS. Polymarket turns sports predictions into markets you can trade. Find the matchup or future you like, take your position, then watch the price move as the action unfolds. Stay in or trade out before it's over. Your call.   🎾 US OPEN NOVAK BOUNCED IN NEW YORK (Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) For the first time in 20 years, Novak Djokovic has been eliminated in the first round of a Grand Slam. Is this the end? Dan Wolken, Yahoo Sports: For so long, Djokovic has done things that 39-year old tennis players were not meant to do. On Monday night, that battle finally turned in the direction of time and mortality. He lost 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 to Mariano Navone, not because he has lost any skills or desire, but because he has a body he can no longer tame on command. A body that, on Monday night, was crouching to the ground after long points, stumbling into his chair during changeovers and was so generally unwell that on multiple occasions he went to the corner to vomit into his towel box. And then, in the middle of the fifth game of the fifth set, when Djokovic knew it was lost, he stood behind the baseline and sobbed. "I think it was obvious that it was an awful feeling on the court for me," he said after the match. "Pretty much despised every moment I spent on court." Battling his body: Sunday was the ultimate manifestation of what Djokovic called "a condition that I have, health-wise, that has been bothering me for the past couple of years" after a loss in Cincinnati a couple weeks ago where he looked similarly exhausted almost from the start. What exactly is ailing the 24-time major champion? He hasn't said specifically, but whatever it is, it gets exacerbated by heat and humidity — not a great combination for a sport played mostly outdoors and in warm weather. Asked Sunday night if this issue was something he could fix, his response was not reassuring. "I don't know," he said. "I'm trying, man. I'm trying. Let's see." Streak snapped: Djokovic had won his previous 77 first-round matches at majors (longest streak in the Open Era) entering the day, and he was a perfect 19-0 in the first round at the US Open. No more. End of an era: The last time none of the "Big Three" (Djokovic, Roger Federer, Nadal) were in the second round of a major was Roland Garros back in 2003 (!!!).   🏈 BACK TO WORK THE RETURN OF AARON DONALD (Yahoo Sports) After weeks of speculation, Aaron Donald is officially coming out of retirement to re-join the Rams on a one-year deal worth up to $30 million. He'll team up with the newly-acquired Myles Garrett, forming a dynamic duo of future Hall of Famers. Two-headed monster: Donald and Garrett boast a combined 236.5 sacks, five DPOY Awards and 17 Pro Bowl selections. "You bring a guy in like Myles, a generational talent, and it's like, 'That can be fun,'" said Donald, whose arrival makes LA even bigger Super Bowl favorites (+500 odds). Yes, but: While Sean McVay's squad is indeed loaded on both sides of the ball, it's a long road to a championship — and winning one will require these Rams to buck a daunting trend: Over the past 30 years, the preseason favorite has had title odds of +500 or better 20 times. All 20 of those teams failed to win the Super Bowl.   💯 STAT SHEET BIG NUMBERS (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) ⛳️ $130.4 million Scottie Scheffler won the Tour Championship by three strokes on Sunday, claiming a $10 million prize that vaulted him past Tiger Woods atop the PGA Tour's all-time earnings list. Scheffler — who as of January 2022 had not won a single PGA Tour event — has now earned $130.4 million. Chasing the GOAT: Woods still laps Scheffler when it comes to wins (82 to 22) and majors (15 to 4). But the trend here is unmistakable, writes Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee: Scottie is entering all-time territory. (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images) ⚽️ 18 goals A third straight MLS MVP award is looking increasingly likely for Lionel Messi, who scored four goals in Inter Miami's 7-1 thrashing of Montréal, giving him an MLS-best 18 goals on the season. He also added his 10th assist, one off the league lead. Rewriting the record books: Messi needed just 72 MLS matches to record 20 multi-goal games. The next fastest to reach that milestone? Josef Martinez (100 matches), Robbie Keane (124), Bradley Wright-Phillips (149) and Landon Donovan (178). (Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) 🏒 $20.4 million Cale Makar and the Avalanche have agreed to a historic eight-year, $163.2 million extension ($20.4 million average annual value) that makes the superstar defenseman the first NHL player to sign a deal exceeding $20 million in annual salary. Hall of Fame trajectory: Makar, 27, is already Colorado's all-time leader among defensemen in goals (136), assists (371) and points (507). He's one of 14 players in history to win multiple Norris Trophies (best defenseman) and one of just two (Bobby Orr) to be a Norris Trophy finalist at least six times in his first seven seasons.   📸 SNAPSHOTS THROUGH THE LENS (Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) 🇺🇸 Williamsport, Pennsylvania Curaçao beat Nevada, 11-2, on Sunday to win the country's second Little League World Series title (2004*) and cap a landmark sports year for the tiny island, which earlier this summer became the smallest country (185,000 population) to ever play in the FIFA World Cup. So close, again: Nevada became the first state to reach back-to-back LLWS finals since Georgia in 2006-07. While the Peach State came away with two championships, Nevada came away with none, losing to Taiwan in last year's title game before falling short again this weekend. (Charles McQuillan/Getty Images) 🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland Was that Bill Belichick cracking a smile after North Carolina's 15-10 win over TCU to begin a season where everyone had already written his coaching obituary? It sure looked like it. More importantly, the Tar Heels finally looked like a Bill Belichick team. More from Week 0: Virginia destroyed NC State, 34-8; North Dakota State rolled over Jacksonville State, 33-7, in their FBS debut; No. 14 USC and its core of young talent beat San José State, 42-26; Memphis hung on for a 27-21 win over UNLV in head coach Charles Huff's debut. (Richard Pelham/Getty Images) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 London, England Filip Hrgović (21-1, 16 KOs) pulled off one of the biggest shockers in recent boxing history on Saturday when he stopped an exhausted Moses Itauma (14-1, 12 KOs) in Round 9 to capture the vacant IBF heavyweight world title and become Croatia's first-ever heavyweight champion. Halting the hype: Itauma, 21, was looking to become the second-youngest heavyweight champ in history after Mike Tyson, who achieved the feat in 1986 at age 20. The Brit was considered the natural successor to the heavyweight throne, but those plans were derailed by Hrgović and his iron chin. *That 2004 Curaçao squad featured two future big leaguers in Jurickson Profar (currently on the Braves) and Jonathan Schoop. How many future MLB players will this year's title-winning squad produce?   🏈 LET'S PLAY TRIVIA TIME (Elsa/Getty Images) Odell Beckham Jr. made the Giants' 53-man roster, giving the 33-year-old wideout a chance to finish his career where it began. Question: Can you name the four teams OBJ played for between his first (2014-18) and second stints (2026) with the Giants? Hint: Three AFC, one NFC. Answer at the bottom.   🏈 NEVER SAY DIE A COMEBACK FOR THE AGES (Screenshot: ESPN) William & Mary pulled off an unreal comeback against Villanova on Saturday, erasing a 10-point deficit with less than a minute remaining to take down the nation's No. 7 ranked FCS team in regulation. The Tribe began their rally with a 40-yard Max Lipinski field goal with 53 second left, cutting Villanova's lead to 32-25. Needing a touchdown, they recovered an onside kick inside the Villanova 40 after it bounced off a Wildcat. Three plays later, W&M QB Winston Watkins found WR Kai Austin for a 37-yard TD. With an extra point, they tied the game at 32-32. But the Tribe wasn't finished: Villanova QB Pat McQuaide threw deep with the clock winding down and got picked off by Cade Ellis, setting up Lipinski's 45-yard field goal to win it at the buzzer. Final score: 35-32.   Trivia answer: Browns (2019-21), Rams (2021), Ravens (2023), Dolphins (2024)

Alex Vindman shares more of his campaign war chest to help Democrats in November Vanquished Florida Democratic Senate candidate Alex Vindman is continuing to share some of his campaign fundraising largesse to help Democrats in this fall’s midterm election. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/28/alex-vindman-shares-more-of-his-campaign-war-chest-to-help-democrats-in-november/? Nixon’s ‘people-powered’ platform propels her to upset win State Rep. Angie Nixon’s striking political victory against retired Lt. Col. Alex Vindman in the Aug. 18 Florida Democratic Senate primary election startled pundits and rattled the political establishment in an electoral season marked by a groundswell of voter dissatisfaction with the status quo and desire for change. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/nixons-people-powered-platform-propels-her-to-upset-win/? Democrats aim to emulate Republicans in building state power Progressive activist Gaby Goldstein thinks her opponents are brilliant. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/repub/democrats-aim-to-emulate-republicans-in-building-state-power/?

Josephus and Jesus Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian whose writings contain the earliest surviving non-Christian account of Jesus. In his Jewish Antiquities, Josephus recounts that Jesus was a wise teacher who performed startling deeds, won many followers, was condemned to crucifixion under Pontius Pilate, and appeared alive three days later. Scholars have long argued that later Christian copyists edited this passage—called the Testimonium Flavianum—to be more sympathetic to Christianity. In a new and fascinating line of research, New Testament scholar Thomas Schmidt finds reason to believe they didn’t. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/josephus-and-jesus/? Ashkenazi Jewish Ancestry Confirmed European by mtDNA Tests A recent study on mitochondrial DNA revealed that the female line of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry closely resembles that of Southern and Western Europe, rather than the ancient Near East, as many scholars proposed in the past. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/ashkenazi-jewish-ancestry-confirmed-european-by-mtdna-tests/?

3-year college degrees grow more popular in the US, saving time and cash. But critics aren’t sold Condensed programs have exploded in popularity. As of this spring, 26 U.S. states have a college that offers at least one reduced-credit, three-year bachelor’s, according to the nonprofit research group RAND. Read more. Why this matters: Advocates say these programs are a solution to the college affordability crisis and a godsend for non-traditional students. Critics, however, worry that they’ll narrow too much what students learn, confuse employers, limit graduate school options and create headaches in fields that require state licenses. For decades, colleges have offered accelerated programs that let students finish faster, often by forgoing long summer breaks, maximizing transfer credits and condensing semester-long courses into shorter, five- to 10-week terms. But those programs maintained the same course load, measured as credits. The new programs let students finish faster by completing as few as 90 credit hours. That shaves a year off the typical 120-hour bachelor’s degree. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ As Pell grants expand, students see openings to afford short-term job training An ‘influencer’ degree? Colleges bet on content creator major as critics question its value

Iran war economic impact: Consumers struggle as investors prosper As the U.S. and Israel relentlessly bombed Iran in the opening days of war, the most dramatic predictions of the conflict’s toll were unsparing: surging oil prices, worldwide recession and economic catastrophe. But six months into the conflict, the direst predictions haven’t come true even if no corner of the world’s economy has been untouched. Read more. Why this matters: A major turnaround has unfolded since the market bottomed in late March. The Dow has gained nearly 19%, the S&P is up almost 22% and the Nasdaq has surged 27%. If those gains survive the waning months of 2026, all three indexes would post their fourth consecutive year of gains. The war’s most obvious economic consequence has been its impact on oil. With tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a crawl, the price of Brent crude climbed from a prewar close of about $72 a barrel to as high as nearly $120. Although oil prices have eased, they are still up about 20% from before the war. Oil’s price affects everything from crayons to cosmetics, but it hits anyone on the move especially hard. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ US plans to sanction another bank in effort to clamp down on Iran transactions, Bessent tells AP United Arab Emirates says it has intercepted an Iranian drone over its territorial waters WATCH: USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore en route to Thailand

Trump still teases a third presidential run, but he’s talking more and more about life after 2028 President Donald Trump has frequently suggested he wants to seek a third term, posting about mounting another campaign, donning 2028 caps and discussing ways to make it happen — even as he’s acknowledged the Constitution prohibits it. But lately, Trump has begun showing signs that even he doesn’t really believe another run will happen. Read more. Why this matters: During recent speeches, Trump has begun describing life after the White House when his term ends in January 2029. Being willing to say he’s contemplating a White House without him marks a notable shift for Trump. Going back to his first term and from virtually the moment he won a second, he’s left the door open to staying put for more than eight years. A sitting president talking about becoming a former one is always politically fraught. But with midterm elections now just nine weeks away, Trump is approaching the point of his presidency where there will be more and more reminders that his power will soon wane. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Latest AP-NORC polling on Trump Lake Ontario now called Lake America on Google Maps for US users after Trump ordered name change Moulton says Sen. Markey, 80, is too old for another term. Young Massachusetts Democrats are divided Measles deaths reported in Pennsylvania spark fight among politicians and health officials In AP interview, Attorney General Todd Blanche defends his record as political pressure mounts Hundreds show up to judge Zohran Mamdani look-alike contest

August 31, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. The U.S. and Iran traded fire for the first time in a month. More than 4,700 people are now missing in the flooding in Nepal, officials said. Climate change is making disasters there more likely. “The entire Himalayas are melting,” one glaciologist said. And there was flooding in the Grand Canyon, too: A torrent of water killed one person, and 15 people are missing. Read more here. We have more below. I want to start, though, with campaign financing. Ads paid for by undisclosed donors through nonprofits or super PACs. Dark money The November election will turn on a force you can’t see so much as feel: a vast flow of secret money disrupting races from coast to coast. A Times analysis found about $1 billion in clandestine cash inserted into the political landscape this year. It’s a staggering sum, report Shane Goldmacher and Theodore Schleifer, but still probably a low-end estimate. The money’s well hidden. Untraceable, undetectable — “billionaires, corporations and special interests hiding their agendas and involvement with relative ease,” they write. That money is working hard: funding digital and TV ads, supporting super PACs, paying for direct mail campaigns and getting influencers to boost content favorable to this candidate or that one. That door-knocker for a cause that’s only tangentially connected to a political campaign? Secret money can pay for that, too. Here are Shane and Teddy: Secret money is not new. But the pervasiveness has reached industrial scale in 2026 — and serves as a preview of its coming prevalence in 2028. Nearly every major primary and battleground race this fall has been or will be shaped by secret funds. The anonymously sourced expenditures are so big that, in some instances, they are outstripping the spending of campaigns themselves, making candidates seem like bystanders of their own elections. Both parties are looking for new ways to conceal who is contributing to this candidate or that one. Tens of millions of dollars slosh through complicated, interconnected networks of nonprofit organizations, so that they are nearly impossible to track. Still more money goes to secretly funded “policy ads” that look, as far as you and I can tell, like campaign commercials. “It’s almost like the people inside the Beltway live in a drug den, and this is just the newest drug that’s circulating,” the head of a group that has sought to reduce the role of money in politics told The Times. He called it “poison in the blood of the American political system.” How it works The biggest players this election cycle, Shane and Teddy report, are four nonprofit organizations, each of which supports Republicans or Democrats in Congress. They account for more than $460 million from hidden sources. All four outfits are registered under the federal tax code as social welfare organizations. That allows them to operate as nonprofits. But each shares office space with a super PAC. “In all four cases, the nonprofit and PAC are run by the same political strategists,” the reporters discovered, “essentially offering donors a one-stop shop to avoid disclosure while spending millions on politics.” Their playbook: “Issues” advertising. Nonprofit organizations do not have to disclose their contributors when they run commercials about issues facing the electorate: legislative debates, say, or societal problems. But in practice, those ads often root for — or bitterly attack — specific candidates by name. Giving to super PACs. Nonprofit groups can give money to allied super PACs that are required to disclose their donors. But the PACs don’t have to disclose their donors’ donors. It’s a way to launder gifts anonymously. And there are no limits on that kind of funding, Shane and Teddy report. Some super PACs are entirely funded by nonprofit groups. “Pop-up” super PACs. These groups slip through a loophole in federal disclosure laws. The last deadline for a super PAC to reveal its donors is three weeks before a federal election. A super PAC that arrives on the scene in the final days of a race can spend freely. It has to disclose its donors, but not until after the election, too late for voters to consider who’s paying to influence their ballots. Read more about the clandestine money that’s washing over the midterms. And meet the megadonors who have poured $1.2 billion into the races. THE LATEST NEWS Nepal In Bharatpur, Nepal. Atul Loke for The New York Times Nepal is starting mass burials as thousands remain missing from the floods. After the floods cut off roads and bridges in Nepal, a large drone delivered aid to isolated survivors. The devastating flash floods in Nepal and Tibet highlight the growing, unpredictable threat of melting glaciers in the Himalayas. Around the World The war in Afghanistan, America’s longest, ended five years ago. It offers lessons for policymakers hoping to avoid endless war in Iran, our military reporter writes. A passenger ferry capsized off the coast of Cyprus, leaving at least eight people dead and 18 others missing. German officials are exploring how to block the far-right AfD party from access to intelligence secrets if it wins state elections. Other Big Stories Off Florida in 2023. Jason Gulley for The New York Times The world’s coral reefs are running out of time to recover, research found. Google Maps renamed Lake Ontario “Lake America” for U.S. users after an executive order by President Trump. Rescuers saved a climber who spent more than nine hours clinging to a six-inch ledge on a California mountain during high winds. Many cancer drugs now cost more than $400,000 a year. OPINIONS Maisie Cowell Quitting is great. And men do it all the time, the author of a new book about quitting writes. The Kremlin is redefining what it means to be an author in Russia, a writer there argues. The mountains are coming undone as the world heats, a climate journalist writes. 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 First Lt. Travis Fuller died in a helicopter crash in 2005. Sophie Park for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. A loss that lingers: First Lt. Travis Fuller died in the Iraq war. As the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11 approaches, his mother asks: What was it all for? YouTube ban: He was a top lawn care influencer who found enormous success. Then everything went haywire. Rural churches: Dolly Parton’s death has highlighted the decline of the small Southern churches that shaped her folksy, inclusive faith. Metropolitan Diary: A bag check takes a funny turn. Your pick: The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was about a very posh summer camp for adults. TODAY’S NUMBER 1,100 — That is at least how many Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank by Israeli forces and settlers since the Oct. 7 attacks nearly three years ago. In that time, 67 Israelis have been killed by Palestinians in the West Bank. “What the settlers are doing here is the real threat to Israel,” a retired Israeli general who toured the region this summer told The Times. “This is more concerning to me than Iran, Gaza or Lebanon.” Read about what he saw. SPORTS Tennis: Novak Djokovic was eliminated in the first round of the U.S. Open, falling to Mariano Navone of Argentina. It was the first time in 20 years that he lost in the first round at a Grand Slam tournament. M.L.B.: The New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox, 16-1. A controversial no-catch ruling on a diving grab by center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela helped the Yankees break open a scoreless game in the fifth inning. N.F.L.: Aaron Donald, 35, is back in the league two years after retirement. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, he is rejoining the Los Angeles Rams on a one-year, $20 million contract. Baseball: The small Caribbean island of Curaçao won the Little League World Series for the second time, beating a team from Henderson, Nev., 11-2. RECIPE OF THE DAY Christopher Simpson for The New York Times Here’s a roasted tomato and white bean stew that’s summer-autumnal: a perfect shoulder-season, back-to-school meal. I’d add some kale to the mix at the end, as well as a shower of bread crumbs and another of grated Parmesan. A handful of cooked crumbled Italian sausage wouldn’t be bad, either! STACKED ACTORS Nina Westervelt for The New York Times This is super cool: how Dave Grohl builds the set list for a Foo Fighters show, cramming 31 years of rock mayhem into a three-hour celebration. Can you guess the first song? 🎸 More on culture Are we done talking about Rachel Cusk and her novel, “Life of M,” which may or may not be about Natalie Portman? We may be now. Parul Sehgal, one of our critics, lit both the book and the writer on fire. The Labor Day weekend might be your last, best chance to celebrate the United States’ semiquincentennial. See what’s on offer in museums and at re-enactments. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Read Emily Wilson’s “Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea,” a book of essays about translating ancient texts into modern language. “You don’t even have to be particularly interested in ancient literature to enjoy this book,” Jennifer Szalai writes, “though by the time you finish it you probably will be.” Hip yourself to this 20-minute workout for strong, healthy hips. Prepare for hurricane season with an uninterruptible power supply device to keep your Wi-Fi and small electronics running during an outage. The energetic line workers at Wirecutter found the best ones. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was exciting. 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