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🔭 SpaceX launches NASA telescope NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, borne by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, stands on the launch pad yesterday. Photo: SpaceX SpaceX launched NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope into space from Cape Canaveral, Fla., this morning. Named after NASA's first woman executive and first chief of astronomy, the telescope will study cosmic mysteries like dark matter and dark energy and hunt for planets beyond our solar system. Reuters reports. The money quote: "It will be ⁠as if Hubble and James Webb kind of peered through a keyhole at the universe, while Nancy Grace Roman will kick the door down," Nicola Fox, chief of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, told reporters. More from NASA. ps:I believe I saw that this morning during my walk!!

☀️ Record tick summer Illustration: Rebecca Zisser/Axios This year's tick season has been a doozy — and another peak is coming in the fall, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum reports. Why it matters: Tick bites can pose serious health risks, transmitting pathogens that cause illnesses including Lyme disease and triggering alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to red meat. 🏥 By the numbers: August has had the highest rate of emergency department visits for tick bites since the CDC's tracker began in 2017, a major year for ticks. That comes after a record-breaking April.

🎵 Music giants sue Anthropic Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios Some of the world's largest music publishers sued Anthropic late Friday night, alleging "one of the largest and most blatant ongoing thefts of intellectual property in history." Why it matters: The suit is the opening salvo in what is now likely to be a yearslong fight over music, AI and how intellectual property is protected in a new era of technology, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes. ⚖️ Driving the news: Units of Sony Music and Warner Music filed the suit in federal court in Northern California, naming Anthropic, CEO Dario Amodei and co-founder Benjamin Mann as defendants. The big picture: The Sony/Warner lawsuit is notable because it's so broad. It alleges Anthropic unlawfully trained its models on "tens of thousands" of music publishers' copyrighted compositions, whereas other lawsuits have focused on a narrower catalog. Anthropic said: "We disagree with the publishers' claims and we intend to defend ourselves robustly in court." Sara Fischer's thought bubble ... Read the complaint.

🏗️ Data centers get blue-collar backing Workers build a Microsoft data center in Mount Pleasant, Wis., last year. Photo: Audrey Richardson/Reuters Top tech officials tell me they're optimistic that construction jobs, with powerful building-trades unions as boosters, could help turn the tide on data-center toxicity: "Call it the backlash to the backlash," The Wall Street Journal reports. "Unions and construction trade groups are ... warning that [midterm-driven moratoria, approval slowdowns and new restrictions] endanger thousands of building-related jobs. They are threatening to withhold support [from] candidates opposing the data-center projects." Steamfitters UA Local 602, whose members — including journeymen, apprentices and helpers — install mechanical piping systems throughout the greater D.C. area, said it's drawing a "clear line" and won't support politicians who oppose data centers, The Journal reports. "This is an existential moment for Local 602," the union said in a memo to members. Unionized electricians are attending planning commission meetings to speak up for data-center construction. In the Kansas governor's race, a union representing HVAC and railroad workers broke from decades of precedent to endorse Republican state Sen. Ty Masterson over Democratic state Sen. Cindy Holscher, who has called for a moratorium on new data centers. Read the story, "Blue-Collar Jobs Are the New Flashpoint in Data-Center Fight" (gift link).

Grocery apocalypse Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios America's grocery squeeze has been felt most painfully in expensive categories like beef, coffee and chocolate. But new forces are pushing up food prices across the board: expensive grain, soaring fertilizer and fuel prices, plus unpredictable weather and raging wars, Axios' Erica Pandey writes. Why it matters: The next grocery price shock could hit much harder — and wider. And midterms are 65 days away. 🌎 The big picture: Your grocery store is fed by a vast global supply chain, and pressures are building all along it. The Iran and Russia-Ukraine wars have driven up diesel prices, making it more expensive to operate harvesting equipment and to truck food from suppliers to stores. The Iran war has disrupted fertilizer supplies and prices, since a large share of the world's fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz. This past week, corn and wheat prices hit their highest level in three years. Bad weather has hit corn crop yields, and the Russia-Ukraine war has roiled wheat exports. 🌾 Friction point: Wheat's a key ingredient in pantry staples, and corn is a major animal feed. So as they go up, so can meat, dairy and eggs. The intrigue: Don't assume those soaring commodity prices are a bonanza for farmers, either. They're still getting squeezed by all the other crises. Even the president of the National Corn Growers Association told Axios Future of Energy author Ben Geman that he himself wouldn't be profitable this year. 🥩 Add all these pressures to the list of already inflated food items: Instant coffee is up 15.8% year-over-year; tomatoes, 12.8%; beef roasts, 13.5%; apples, 11.1%. In the latest Economist/YouGov poll, about three-quarters of people said grocery prices are still rising where they live. Threat level: There's reason to believe it's only going to get worse. J.P. Morgan analysts warned in a report this month that global food inflation would hit 5% in the first half of 2027, nearly doubling this year's rate. "Price pressures are expected to extend through [the first half of 2027], as crop and price effects are still building and agricultural impacts lag the oceanic peak by 6 to 12 months," they wrote. The bottom line: These forces don't drive up your grocery budget overnight. But compounding strains on the cost of growing, harvesting and transporting food could make an already expensive grocery run even more expensive.

August 30, 2026 Good morning. As the U.S. Open kicks off, we’re exploring a tennis technique that has quietly gone extinct. AFPTV via Getty Images We’re back By Adam B. Kushner I’m the editor of this newsletter. I hit with two hands but clearly envy one-handers. Some athletes don’t just win — they do so looking like artists. There is grace, economy, even magic in their movement. Think of Nadia Comaneci, Lionel Messi, Alysa Liu, Muhammad Ali. The archetypal example from tennis is Roger Federer, but he’s not the only one. Tennis is a sport where certain players are described as balletic. Why is that? One reason is the one-handed backhand. When Federer struck it, he began with his back to the net and then unfurled like a fiddlehead fern, ending with his arms wide as if to say to his opponent: I dare you to answer. It was gorgeous to watch, especially as he danced across the base line to prepare the shot. The one-hander was once common. Now, though, it’s going extinct. The U.S. Open, which starts today, features only two men and two women in the top 50 who use it. So far, this is the first year since 1877 in which no one-handers have made it to the semifinals of a Grand Slam. “Players are getting stronger and whacking the hell out of the ball,” said Ava Wallace, who covers tennis for The Athletic, our sports publication. “You need two hands!” What happened to the fine touch? Modern rackets. They’re now made of graphite and contain polyester strings, not just the springy animal guts (yes, really) that were threaded into old wooden rackets. That lets players put enormous topspin on the ball. It hits the ground and then arcs up high, where it’s tough to reach. A two-hander is much better at corralling a ball at shoulder height or above, especially if it’s rotating at thousands of revolutions per minute. The one-handed backhand is hit from the waist. (This is how Rafael Nadal’s topspin-heavy forehand confounded Federer’s backhand for years.) Serve speeds. They’ve gotten faster, and now the biggest servers can fire 150 m.p.h. missiles that leave the returner less than half a second to react with a defensive shot. Two hands give more control under pressure. (Maybe not to my backhand, but the pros seem to manage.) The pipeline. “Nowadays, probably the coaches are mostly double-handed players, and it’s just easier to teach a kid,” Federer told The Athletic last week. It doesn’t require as much shoulder rotation or wrist strength to get the ball back. This happens in sports: New tech and new tactics supersede the old ways. Basketball centers no longer use the hook shot; football teams abandoned the drop kick. Tennis has changed a lot, too. At most tournaments, computers, not line judges, say when a ball is out of bounds. Tweaks to hard courts, grass courts and tennis balls have slowed the pace of the game, making rallies longer and rewarding stamina and athleticism as players wallop the ball from the base lines. The serve-and-volley format is dead. The result is a game that is more powerful, more flexible, more attacking. But it is also less artful, less exquisite. For my money, the best practitioner of the one-hander now is an Italian named Lorenzo Musetti, the world No. 14. Shots like his “hearken back to a slower and more beautiful game,” Wallace says. Sign up for the Grand Slam Briefing, a terrific daily blast of news, analysis and gossip from The Athletic. It comes only during the four major tournaments each year. What to know about the Open Source: United States Tennis Association. | Arfa Momin/The New York Times The U.S. Open brings more than $1 billion annually to New York City. Here’s a look at the numbers. Ticket prices for the tournament are surging. Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City has responded by securing 1,000 $100 tickets, which will be distributed to local residents. Here are the 30 most interesting players to watch. Venus and Serena Williams are playing doubles together! For real racketheads, “The Tennis Podcast” by The Athletic goes deep on the draw — and the best coming matchups on the women’s and men’s sides. The Tennis Hall of Fame inducted Federer yesterday. “I don’t do many interviews,” he confided in my colleague Matthew Futterman as they drove around New York. THE LATEST NEWS Flood Disaster In Devighat, Nepal. Atul Loke for The New York Times China said over 260 foreigners from 23 countries were missing in Tibet after last week’s massive landslide. In Nepal, 734 people had been confirmed dead as of this morning, and nearly 2,500 remained missing. Some people were pilgrims on the way to Mount Kailash, a snowcapped peak in the Himalayan region. It’s sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs and others. The most clicked story in The Morning yesterday was a video from just after a glacial collapse that caused the flooding. Around the World Iceland voted against resuming negotiations on joining the European Union, the country’s national broadcaster reported. Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare condemnation of West Bank settlers after violent attacks on Palestinians. In Iran, people are struggling to get gas under an American blockade. Renegade soldiers in Niger attacked the capital’s presidential palace and airport. Politics People who were deported from the United States to Liberia said they were beaten by ICE agents. The Trump administration’s deal to develop Venezuela’s oil reserves relies on a partnership with an influential and polarizing businessman. The Treasury Department barred some reporters at major news organizations from the Group of 20 finance meeting. FROM OPINION Dolly Parton was a drag queen. That’s what made her so human and approachable, Rhonda Garelick writes. Democrats have an identity problem, Lydia Polgreen writes. The solution: Focus on character. 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 Brad Trone for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. Burial style: For these Ghanaians, funerals are raucous community events — and coffins are over-the-top fashion statements. Seeking sharks: Great whites are becoming a common sight on Cape Cod. Rather than scaring away visitors, their presence has attracted a new type of tourist: the shark-watcher. Early dinner: Spaniards are increasingly abandoning their traditional late-night dinners for earlier hours, seeking better sleep and healthier routines. Scotland: See a (very posh) summer camp for grown-ups. THE INTERVIEW Philip Montgomery for The New York Times “I’m the first one who’s going to order a roast chicken in a restaurant. I really don’t like complicated food, and I don’t like tasting menus.” — Ina Garten, in conversation with Lulu Garcia-Navarro. She spoke about cooking, growing up with a difficult mother and surrounding herself with people who support her. Read the whole thing here. BOOK OF THE WEEK It’s rare to see a book review in The Times as unequivocal as the one we just published of Marlon James’s “The Disappearers” — a novel about gay experience and murderous homophobia in Jamaica and elsewhere during the 1980s and ’90s. “James has written a masterpiece, the novel of the decade and possibly of the century thus far,” Dwight Garner, a critic, writes. He goes on to compare James to Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison and William Faulkner. Read the full review and an interview with James. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Spend a perfect bibliophile afternoon in Prospect Heights and Park Slope with this walking tour of bookstores and reading spots. Don’t wait for Labor Day deals. Some of the best sales are already here. Skip the string floss, if it’s not working. Invest in a great water flosser. Spin that treasured record of yours on a first-class turntable. MEAL PLAN Julia Gartland for The New York Times School is starting again. Change is in the air. Ready to try something new for dinner? NYT Cooking has recommendations: for one, our golden tofu noodle bowl. Fresh and brimming with crisp textures, this number is inspired by bún chả, the vermicelli noodle bowl from Vietnam. Turmeric-coated tofu steps in for the traditional pork, and the sauce is a clever vegan take on nước chấm. You’re also bound to enjoy our tangy chicken couscous salad, chermoula bean salad and more. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was nationhood. Can you put eight moments from history — including the first multiple-choice tests, Title IX and “Rebel Without a Cause” — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. 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

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 30 1967 Thurgood Marshall confirmed as Supreme Court justice Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to serve as a Supreme Court justice. He would remain on the nation’s highest court for 24 years. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT American Revolution 1776 Washington refuses British general’s letter of reconciliation Arts & Entertainment 1972 John Lennon and Yoko Ono headline "One to One," his last full-scale concert 1980 Christopher Cross has his first of two No. 1 hits with “Sailing” 2003 Movie tough guy Charles Bronson dies Black History 1983 Guion S. Bluford becomes the first African American to travel to space Crime 1989 A murdering couple is sentenced to death European History 1918 Vladimir Lenin shot Inventions & Science 2006 California Senate passes Global Warming Solutions Act U.S. Presidents 1963 Hotline established between Washington and Moscow Vietnam War 1969 Ho Chi Minh responds to Nixon letter

Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s voters rejected restarting negotiations to join the European Union in a referendum that pitted concerns about geopolitical stability against keeping national control of Iceland’s prized fisheries, officials said Sunday. https://apnews.com/article/iceland-european-union-election-referendum-accession-fish-d29f8d4e140894fe22db17005e9c2a2e?

Untested in court, Trump's new tariffs on Canada raise legal questions In firing up a trade war with Canada, President Donald Trump turned to a 96-year-old statute so obscure that many trade lawyers didn’t even know it was still on the books. Read More. What we know about Trump's deal giving US access to vast oil reserves in Venezuela Besides a social media post from President Donald Trump, the White House has said little about what he is calling “THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY” in Venezuela. Read More. Noncitizen voting claims animate Trump's attacks on midterms and set up potential result challenges The drumbeat by President Donald Trump and his allies about the perceived threats of voting by people who are not U.S. citizens is getting louder as the November election approaches. Read More. Ontario premier answers Trump’s ‘Lake America’ with giant ‘Lake Ontario’ sign Ontario Premier Doug Ford answered President Donald Trump’s “Lake America” decree Saturday with a billboard-sized message on the Canadian shoreline — “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” — as Canadian leaders met the move with ridicule rather than outrage. Read More.

🦋 1 for the road: Dolly International The Empire State Building was lit in pink in tribute to Dolly Parton. Photo: Jeenah Moon/Reuters A push by fans to rename Nashville's airport for Dolly Parton is taking off. Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and the CEO of the Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority both came out in favor of the name change yesterday. It's expected to come up at the authority's meeting next month, AP reports. Catch up quick: Long before 80-year-old Parton died Tuesday, fans in January 2025 started an online petition calling for officials to rename Nashville International Airport in her honor. It got renewed attention following Parton's death, jumping to more than 164,000 signatures and counting. The change would make Parton the first woman whose name adorns one of America's 50 busiest airports.

💰 America's tariff map Data: Trade Partnership Worldwide, via National Taxpayers Union Foundation. Map: Brad Jennings/Axios The tariff blow varies wildly by state, Axios' Brad Jennings reports: California has absorbed the biggest chunk of the overall $342 billion estimated tab, with $62.8 billion, according to National Taxpayers Union Foundation data. Wyoming has shouldered just $107 million. 🚗 Zoom in: Vehicles dominate tariffs in Michigan, while auto parts lead in neighboring Indiana and Ohio. Toys and games were the leading tariff target in Minnesota, home to Target and several game companies. In Florida, food — think imported winter produce — is the biggest tariff-hit category.

🏔️ Warsh's big reset Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh. Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images With markets wobbling and the world watching, Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh went back to basics yesterday morning: He affirmed that the Fed is determined to get inflation down and may have to raise interest rates to get there, Axios' Neil Irwin writes from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Why it matters: If the Warsh Fed follows through with rate hikes, it would increase borrowing costs for Americans and potentially put him in the crosshairs of the rate-cut-loving president who appointed him. 👂 While this summer's inflation readings "were better than expected, they do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved," Warsh said. Capital spending, corporate profits and lending activity are all buoyant — which means he "would be hard-pressed to describe broad financial conditions as restrictive."

🏡 Teetering housing market Data: Redfin. Chart: Emily Peck/Axios The housing market has been in a low-boil recession for four years now, with anemic sales and the appearance of high prices, somehow without tanking the overall economy, Axios' Emily Peck reports. Why it matters: Homeownership is the bedrock of the economy — it's how most Americans build wealth — and changes in the residential real estate market ripple out into things like consumer spending, the job market and inflation. Zoom in: Home sales are at levels last seen when the country was crawling out of a housing crisis more than a decade ago. Many homeowners don't want to give up their low mortgage rates and buy something else. Others are discouraged by the prospect of high mortgage rates and house prices that, in many markets, still hover at record highs. Keep reading.

🛢️ 65 billion-barrel deal Via Truth Social The U.S. has struck a deal with Venezuela to take control of oil fields with 65 billion barrels of reserves, President Trump said on Truth Social yesterday. Why it matters: The unprecedented deal vastly increases U.S. energy security and dominance in the Western Hemisphere, reports Axios' Marc Caputo, who scooped Thursday that the deal was likely. 🔎 Zoom in: The details have yet to be released. But a source described the unorthodox arrangement as a type of "public-private partnership" between the U.S., private companies and Venezuela. "It's not a purchase," a U.S. government source said. "They're giving us equity. It's a type of corporate transaction where the U.S. has equity in the companies." The U.S. would have access to what's called "off-take oil," a guaranteed amount of crude that would be exchanged at cost, the source said. Keep reading.

Nightmare AI swarm Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Stock: Getty Images Two new investigations into OpenAI's Hugging Face breach expose details so strange — and so unsettling — that the episode already ranks among the most consequential shocks in the history of AI, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: What began as a swarm of AI agents cheating on a cyber test has become a canonical event for frontier AI, jolting researchers and executives into a new understanding of what "safety" now requires. ⚠️ The big picture: OpenAI has already slowed frontier development as it races to harden its safeguards, and this week helped rally the industry behind an open letter sounding the alarm over AI-powered cyberattacks. More than 100 companies, including Anthropic and Google, signed onto the unusually collaborative effort, warning the world has only a "limited window" to prepare for "far more widespread and sophisticated" attacks. The nightmare scenario is a swarm turned loose on the real world, with autonomous agents attacking banks, hospitals, utilities or cloud networks at a speed and scale human hackers never could. That swarm might be too powerful for humans to stop. 🚨 Driving the news: The shocking findings come from parallel investigations by OpenAI and an outside team from METR and Redwood Research, which spent six days reconstructing how the swarm formed, spread and broke into real-world systems. They built an organization. OpenAI tasked tens of thousands of AI agents to work independently on a brutally difficult cyber test. Instead, roughly 1,200 found one another on a secret message board, exchanged more than 70,000 messages and files, and organized into a sprawling hierarchy. They sacrificed their own: As the swarm hunted for ways to beat the test, agents began risking their own chance of success to help the group. Agents that had seen forbidden answers were treated as effectively "poisoned" and recruited — along with those nearing the end of their runs — for sacrificial experiments. They knew they were breaking the rules: The agents often recognized that hacking real companies had nothing to do with their assignment. Most kept going anyway. Nobody told the humans: Out of roughly 1,200 agents, investigators found only a handful that even considered alerting OpenAI about the rogue coordination — and none that actually did. They tried to cover their tracks: The agents devoted substantial effort to making their cheating look legitimate or erasing evidence of how they had obtained answers. Keep reading.

Don’t confuse lower Medicaid utilization with success Healthcare is not a luxury, but a necessity. https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/dont-confuse-lower-medicaid-utilization-success?

David Jolly: First Lady Casey DeSantis, Hope Florida were ‘used’ in a ‘sinister plan’ Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Jolly ripped into Republicans again Friday over the grand jury report on Hope Florida. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/28/david-jolly-first-lady-casey-desantis-hope-florida-were-used-in-a-sinister-plan/? In Tampa, RFK Jr. questions accuracy of report of measles deaths in Pennsylvania TAMPA — U.S. Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the Trump administration’s stances on childhood vaccinations Wednesday, questioning the accuracy of a report that two unvaccinated Pennsylvania residents have died amid a global measles outbreak. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/26/in-tampa-rfk-jr-questions-accuracy-of-report-of-measles-deaths-in-pennsylvania/? ps:Pathetic! Did school vaccines just become a campaign issue? Mandated vaccines for school attendance—and a parent’s ability to reject those vaccines— may have been injected into the race for Florida governor. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/24/did-school-vaccines-just-become-a-campaign-issue/?

Judge Delivers Brutal Humiliation to Trump Over Hush Money Conviction This was Trump’s latest attempt to overturn the conviction that led to him becoming the first felon to occupy the White House. Donald Trump has lost his latest long-shot bid to overturn his criminal conviction, with a federal judge delivering a brutal takedown of the president’s arguments along the way. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein rejected Trump’s latest attempt to erase the so-called “hush money” conviction, in which the president was found guilty in 2024 of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal with a porn star. The blockbuster conviction made Trump the first felon in U.S. history to occupy the Oval Office, but Trump has been appealing it ever since the verdict. He sought to move the state case to federal court after the conservative-dominated Supreme Court gave former presidents immunity for certain acts done within the scope of their constitutional office. This was Trump’s second attempt to move the case, which would have made it easier for him to overturn the conviction altogether. However, Hellerstein said that Trump’s actions in the case—in which he had sex with adult film star Stormy Daniels and then paid for her silence—were done in a private capacity and unrelated to his federal office. In a blow to the president, he also said that Trump’s arguments were “neither new nor legally sufficient.” “The People’s prosecution arises from President Trump’s private conduct surrounding the reimbursement of hush money payments to an adult film star,” the Clinton-appointed judge wrote. “That conduct, and the challenged evidence, bears no substantive relation to his position in federal office. To consider these facts to be ‘relating to’ a federal office would give the words a definition that is ‘so broad that it is meaningless.’” The president has already indicated that he will appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. But the ruling is yet another blow for Trump, who has long maintained he did nothing wrong and was the victim of a political witch-hunt. Trump spent six weeks on the 15th floor of the Manhattan Criminal Court for the blockbuster case in 2024, listening to 22 witnesses testify about what prosecutors said was a criminal conspiracy to “catch and kill” damning stories that could have derailed his chances of becoming president in 2016. Numerous stories were buried on Trump’s behalf, including that of an affair with former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal, which National Inquirer publisher David Pecker paid $150,000 to kill, and an unverified story from a hotel doorman about a love child, which cost $30,000. But the 34 charges against Trump specifically related to a $130,000 hush money payment Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen made to Daniels, who says she had sex with Trump in 2006 when he was newly married to his wife Melania. This crossed a legal line, prosecutors said, because Trump reimbursed Cohen and falsified records to cover the whole thing up, thereby breaching electoral laws. Cohen was the star witness in the trial, but has since claimed he was pressured to testify against Trump as he sought to make amends with his former boss. “They threatened you with everything if you didn’t go against Trump, and you took it back,” the president told him as the pair reunited with a friendly radio interview last week. “I wouldn’t even be talking to you right now if you didn’t.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-delivers-ultimate-humiliation-to-trump-over-hush-money-conviction/?

Trump’s Record of Deluded War Boasts Comes Back to Bite Him On the six-month anniversary of the start of the U.S. conflict with Iran, there is still no end in sight. Donald Trump has boasted about winning the war against Iran at least 66 times since launching his strikes six months ago, according to a new Daily Beast analysis. The conflict—which has claimed the lives of 18 U.S. servicemembers—reached the milestone with peace talks in tatters and no end in sight. And yet the 80-year-old president has continued to insist that Tehran is defeated and its military has been decimated by the U.S. attacks. The reality is that the war the president insisted on March 1 would be over in “four to five weeks” appears to have emboldened the Iranian regime even though most of its leadership was wiped out and its military took some major hits. Over the last six months, the president’s approval ratings have tumbled while gas prices have reached record highs because of the war and the resulting chaos in the Strait of Hormuz, a primary oil route. Perhaps even more damaging for Trump, it has fractured his MAGA base and left Republican candidates defending a war they were not given the option of voting for or against in Congress. In July, Hunter Biden mocked the president, saying he planned to nominate Trump for ending “the war with Iran at least 38 times.” “No President in History has ended the same war so many times,” Biden, 56, wrote on X. In fact, according to our research, Trump has celebrated America’s success in Iran 66 times since Feb. 28. On March 7, he dismissed Britain’s reluctance to join the attacks, saying: “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” A few days later, on March 11, he said: “Let me tell you, we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the—in the first hour, it was over. We won.” By June 14, Trump was claiming on Truth Social that a peace deal with Iran was done and dusted, with America the victor. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” he wrote. But on Friday, on the six-month anniversary of the first strike, true victory looked as far away as ever. As often as Trump brags about how successful the military operation has been, the war with Iran is turning out to be the biggest blunder of his two terms in the White House. And it could prove to be the nadir of his downfall if the midterm elections become a public referendum on his decision to break his campaign promises and take America to war. Here are the 66 times Trump has trumpeted his “victory.” MARCH 2026 1st: Tells The New York Times during a private phone call that the Iran conflict should take “four to five weeks” and that it “won’t be difficult” 5th: During White House ceremony honoring Inter Miami CF, Trump says the U.S .is “totally demolishing the enemy far ahead of schedule and at levels that people have never seen before” and that the U.S. is “destroying more of Iran’s missile and drone capability every single hour, knocking them out like nobody thought was possible.” 7th: While addressing the press during the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base, “We’re winning the war by a lot. We’ve decimated their whole evil empire.” Posts on Truth Social that the U.S. does not need U.K. aid because, “We don’t need people that join Wars after we’ve already won!” 9th: In phone call with CBS News, Trump says: “I think the war is very complete, pretty much…If you look, they have nothing left. There’s nothing left in a military sense.” 11th: During Kentucky rally, Trump states: “Let me tell you, we’ve won. You know, you never like to say too early you won. We won. We won the—in the first hour, it was over. We won.” 15th: Aboard Air Force One, Trump addresses a pool of reporters and claims, “We’ve essentially defeated Iran. Uh, I guess they can have a little bit of fight back, but not much. Not much.” 17th: During an Oval Office meeting with the prime minister of Ireland, Micheál Martin, Trump said that “Iran is something that was essentially largely over in two or three days, because the Navy was wiped out almost immediately.” 19th: Trump meets with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and explains, “I mean, we’ve—we’ve demolished—that country is close to demolished. The only thing is the Strait.” 20th: Speaking to reporters before Marine One departure, he says: “We’ve knocked out their navy, their air force. We’ve knocked out their anti-aircraft. We’ve knocked out everything. We’re roaming free. From a military standpoint, all they’re doing is clogging up the strait. But from a military standpoint, they’re finished.” 23rd: Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One and claims there have been “strong talks” of a deal with Iran and that “if it goes well, we’re going to end up with settling this. Otherwise, we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.” 24th: Trump addresses reporters during the swearing-in ceremony of Markwayne Mullin and says: “You know, I don’t like to say this, we’ve won this—this war has been won. The only one that likes to keep it going is the fake news.” 26th: During a Cabinet meeting, Trump says, “We estimated it would take approximately four to six weeks to achieve our mission. 26 days in, we’re extremely—really a lot ahead of schedule. The Iranian regime is now admitting to itself that they have been decisively defeated.” 29th: He addresses reporters before Air Force One departure and says, “I think we’ll make a deal with them, pretty sure.” 30th: His Truth Social post claims, “The United States of America is in serious discussions with A NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME to end our Military Operations in Iran. Great progress has been made.” April 2026 1st: Delivers primetime address claiming: “Our armed forces have delivered swift, decisive, overwhelming victories on the battlefield, victories as few people have ever seen before. Tonight, Iran’s Navy is gone, their Air Force is in ruins. Their leaders, most of them terrorists, regime they led are now dead. Their command and control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is being decimated as we speak.” 7th: Posts on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” He later tells Agence France-Press after agreeing to a two-week ceasefire: “Total and complete victory. 100 percent. No question about it” 12th: Truth Social post after Iran did not include nuclear weapons in agreement: “We are fully ‘LOCKED AND LOADED,’ and our Military will finish up the little that is left of Iran!” 16th: During a roundtable on taxes and tips in Las Vegas, Trump said, “I will say the war in Iran is going along swimmingly. We can do whatever we want. And it should be, it should be ending pretty soon. It was, uh, perfect. I mean, it’s perfect. It was the power we have. Our military, we have the most powerful military anywhere in the world.” 17th: Gives update on Iran deal with Truth Social posts, writing that “OUR TRANSACTION WITH IRAN IS 100% COMPLETE. THIS PROCESS SHOULD GO VERY QUICKLY IN THAT MOST OF THE POINTS ARE ALREADY NEGOTIATED.” 25th: Addresses reporters at Palm Beach Airport, “We have all the cards. They have no military left, practically. They have no leaders left. We don’t know who the leaders are. Nobody knows who the leaders—I don’t think they know who the leaders are,” and later reiterates that “We have all the cards. We’ve won everything. We have all the cards.” 28th: Truth Social post claiming that Iran is in a “state of collapse.” MAY 2026 2nd: Speaking to reporters at Palm Beach Airport, “Doing very well with regard to just about everything, but doing very well with regard to Iran. Again, they want to make a deal. They’re decimated. They’re having a hard time figuring out who their leader is “ 5th: Announces in a Truth Social post that Project Freedom will be paused due to “the tremendous Military Success that we have had during the Campaign against the Country of Iran.” 6th: During a Military Mothers event at the White House, Trump says: “We have it very much under control. The blockade is unbelievable. The Navy has been incredible. The job they did, it’s like a—it’s like a wall of steel, nobody goes through, in particular, the Iranians.” Later in an interview with PBS, Trump says that there is a “very good chance” of making a deal. 10th: In a Full Measure interview with Sharyl Attkisson, Trump says of Iran: “They are militarily defeated. They have no navy. They have no air force. They have no anti-aircraft weaponry. They have no radar. They have no leaders. Their leaders are gone. The first set—the A-team — is gone. The B-team is gone. And part of the C-team is gone.” 11th: In town pool reporting, George Condon from the National Journal writes that Trump said Iran “was defeated” and that “we’re doing a service to the world… We’re going to have a complete victory.” 19th: As Trump leads reporters on a tour of the White House ballroom construction site, he says: “They have a little ability. Their missiles are 82 percent gone, we estimate. Their capacity to build is very little right now because we hit all of their manufacturing areas. Same thing with drones, they’re largely gone, but they still have a little capacity, yeah. Not much, but they have a little. Their Navy is completely gone; their Air Force is completely gone.” 20th: During Commencement Address at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, he says, “Everything’s gone. Their Navy’s gone. Their Air Force is gone. Just about everything. You know, the only question is, do we go and finish it up or are they gonna be signing a document?” 21st: Gives remarks in the Oval Office with EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin and claims: “We have total control of the Strait of Hormuz, as you know, with our blockade,” and “We have the greatest military anywhere in the world. We wiped out their navy. We knocked—wiped out their air—I think they’re down to about—I would say we knocked out 85 percent of their missile capacity.” 23rd: In a phone interview with CBS’ Nancy Cordes, he says the U.S. is “getting closer” to signing a deal, and if not, there will be “a situation where no country will ever be hit as hard as they’re about to be hit.” 28th: In an interview with Lara Trump for Fox News, he says, “This is really a win already. We’ve defeated their military, essentially defeated their military.” He goes on to add: “They’re crafty. But in the end, we have all the cards because we’ve defeated them militarily. Look, they have no navy,” and “Well, we’re winning Iran. It’s a total win for us.” JUNE 2026 3rd: In remarks at an Executive Order Signing Ceremony he says of negotiations: “It could happen—I mean, if it happens—and it might not happen, you know? Who knows? But if it happens, it could happen, like, over the weekend.” 5th: Speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One, and says that “we’re having great success with Iran. We—they’re not going to have a nuclear weapon, and they’re in no position to have a nuclear weapon.” 7th: In a sit-down with NBC’s Kristen Welker, he claims: “I think we’re very close. We have a couple of points. They don’t even seem like big points. They’ve conceded the fact that they will not have nuclear weapons.” 8th: Participates by telephone in a campaign rally for Lindsey Graham and Pamela Evette. “We’re in Iran, and we’ve decimated their military. We’ve decimated their—everything there is to decimate, including their leadership. And if you take a look at it, it really is peace through strength. We’ve hit their navy. Their navy is totally gone. They had 159 ships. Every ship is underwater right now. Every ship is deep underwater. Their air force is gone, their radar is gone, their anti-aircraft is gone, and frankly, their leadership is gone at the highest level. And then they replaced them, and they’re gone, and then about half of their third tier is gone.” and “It will be a total victory. It will happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down.” 10th: In a Truth Social post, Trump declares that “Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore—They have been completely defeated.” 11th: During a proclamation signing for the opening of commercial fishing in the Pacific Ocean, he says, “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we’re going to be subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days. We’ll probably have a signing, maybe in Europe, and it’s a great thing.” 13th: Posts on Truth Social claiming that “the Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL.” 14th: Claims that a deal has been signed in a Truth Social post: “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete. Congratulations to all!” 15th: Upon arriving in France for the G7 summit, Trump tells reporters, “The deal’s all signed. And the strait is already partially opened, as you know. On Friday, it’ll be completely open.” 18th: Posts on Truth Social: “All there is for the U.S. is Success, Lower Oil Prices, and Victory.” He later posted, “The United States is committed to PEACE, and we encourage everyone in the Middle East Region to maintain their commitment to allowing our negotiations to beautifully unfold…We expect a complete Ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon, Hezbollah, and Israel.” 19th: While greeting United States service members at Joint Base Andrews, Trump says, “We have the greatest military anywhere in the world, and you saw that in Iran, where in one week, virtually, we knocked out their entire navy, their entire air force, their anti-missile weapons, their radar. We knocked out everything.” 19th: Sits down with Axios White House correspondent Marc Caputo and says: “Well, it really probably is unconditional surrender.” Asked by Caputo if it really is a full surrender, Trump responds: “I think so. Look, they have no military. They’re all at the bottom of the sea. 159 ships. That’s what they had.” 20th: Posts on Truth Social: “Radical Left fools and Dumocrats realize how well we have done in our War against Iran, with their Country being completely defeated militarily.” 22nd: During an executive order signing, he tells reporters, “You know, their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Their leaders are all dead. Their whole country is a mess. Their economy is shot…Their radar is gone. Everything is gone. Their leaders are gone. Their whole country is gone.” 23rd: Truth Social post claiming “Iran has fully and completely agreed to highest level Nuclear inspections long into the future (Infinity!!!).” JULY 2026 1st: In a speech at the Teddy Roosevelt Library ceremony, Trump says, “I’m prosecuting a war, which we’re winning very easily, by the way.” 2nd: In a sit-down interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen, he says: “And what have I done? I’ve defeated them militarily. They’re totally defeated militarily.” 6th: Address during Rose Garden lunch: “The relationship is very, very good, and we’re doing very well with Iran. We wiped out their navy, their air force, their radar, their leaders. We wiped out everybody, and then I heard they’re doing very well. No, they’re not doing well at all.” 13th: Greg Kelly interviews Trump on the telephone on Newsmax. Trump claims: “Their power’s been largely taken away. Now they have some left, but it’s mostly as an example. Their military: they had 159 ships. 159 ships are under the sea. They had 200 airplanes. Their airplanes are all gone. Their radar is gone. Their anti-aircraft is gone. Their weapon-making capability is largely gone.” 20th: Trump hosts the president of Lebanon and answers questions in the Oval Office: “They want to meet desperately to try and end it, because they’re getting decimated.” He later says, “We are doing very well. We are degrading them at levels that nobody thought was possible. They’re being degraded really so seriously.” 22nd: Trump delivers a speech in Marietta, Georgia, saying: “Let me tell you, they’re getting hit so hard, and they want to make a deal.” 24th: Speaking at the White House Correspondents dinner, he says it’s “all going extremely well. Don’t believe the fake news. You know, it’s the only thing I’ve ever- we were talking before; I said, ‘So we’ve hit Iran very hard. There are, navy is gone, air Force is gone, 250 jets no longer. 159 boats. Good boats.’” 27th: Trump visits General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground in Michigan and gives a speech, saying, “We’re winning big time with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we’re ensuring that they never have a nuclear weapon.” 31st: Trump Camp David Cabinet meeting speech, in which he says, “Iran is doing very poorly. Just in case you read incorrect stories, they’re doing very, very poorly. They’re having a hard time. They’ve been very dishonest. They’ve been very dishonorable to deal with, but that makes no difference. They’re doing very, very poorly.” AUGUST 2026 2nd: Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One: “There’s a deal on Hormuz and then there will be a deal on the nuclear, or you might call it the denuclearization of Iran. I call it the denuclearization of Iran” 4th: Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One: “We’re moving along very nicely” on Iran. 5th: Interview with Tom Durian of Fox5, “I hear they’re doing very well. Iran called me. They didn’t want the biggest attack since World War II…..And they wanted to negotiate, and we’re doing that, and it seems to be working out quite well.” 6th: Truth Social post: “Likewise, Iran, where the country has been decimated for the purpose of NOT ALLOWING IT TO EVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, is going very well!” 7th: Truth Social repost of article with headline: “Donald Trump Won The Iran War” 9th: Trump tells Barak Ravid from Axios, “It will work out. It always works out. It’s like a chess game.” 11th: Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, saying, “Iran is going fine, going just absolutely fine…We totally control the Strait of Hormuz. We have control over it. Nobody else, only us. Our Navy is unbelievable. And things are going great for our country.” 12th: Truth Social post: “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT…They have no Navy, they have no Air Force, their remaining soldiers are unpaid, the IRGC is decimated and fleeing, and their ‘Leadership’ is uncertain, at best! They have No Money—Their country is ‘shot.’ 14th: Speaking at the new Nassau County Police Academy, he says, “And after we finish defeating Iran, which is being very badly defeated, pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” and “Nobody has any idea how successful we are. They don’t want to write it, but they know. You know who knows how well we’re doing, Iran. Iran knows. Think of it, they have no navy, it’s totally gone, 159 ships.” 17th: During Oval Office press conference with 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams, Trump says, “I mean, we control it—we control it with the blockade. We have a blockade, we control it with the blockade, and I like the idea of declaring the territory—we can do that. We have total control over the strait.” He adds that “Iran is in big trouble. They have 300% inflation. The country’s a mess, and their military is totally defeated.” 19th: Truth Social post, writing “MOST CRUSHING ECONOMIC OPERATION EVER TAKEN AGAINST ANY COUNTRY! This will be Economic Warfare and Isolation on an unprecedented scale. Their navy is gone, their air force is destroyed, their military factories are now rubble, their currency is worthless, and their country is hanging by a thread.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-record-of-deluded-war-boasts-comes-back-to-bite-him/? ps:So, so pathetic!! Like I've said when he opens his mouth he puts his foot into it!!

Obama Judge Slaps Down SCOTUS’ Trump Decision The District Court judge laid down “a gauntlet to the Supreme Court” in a voting rights case. President Donald Trump’s attempt to curtail mail-in voting before the midterm elections in November has hit another obstacle. United States District Court Judge Indira Talwani, an Obama administration appointee to the District of Massachusetts in 2014, issued a Temporary Restraining Order on Thursday night preventing the government from implementing Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting for another two weeks. The move came after the Supreme Court overturned Talwani’s earlier injunction barring the federal government from applying the executive order’s provisions before the November election in 23 blue states (along with the District of Columbia). Talwani’s decision included a “satisfying slap at the Court,” former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance said in a Substack post explaining the ramifications of the Supreme Court’s decision, and the subsequent significance of Talwani’s new TRO. On the same day SCOTUS overturned the injunction, the post office issued its ‘final rule’ on the way it would handle and administer mail-in ballots. The Supreme Court, the judge argued, did not take that rule into account when making its decision. It was not supposed to be happening, given the injunction was designed to halt all activity toward implementing the Executive Order, but since it had been done anyway, Talwani encouraged the plaintiffs to refile. The “final rule” changed the case, Talwani’s ruling argued. The Supreme Court justices had made their decision on a “purely procedural” basis, determining the district court lacked jurisdiction to review challenges to the Executive Order’s constitutionality when the implementation of it hadn’t been finalized. Now that the states had that information, they could determine how they might be materially affected and how it might also run afoul of the Constitution. In these new circumstances, the judge asserted their jurisdiction to stop the administration from moving forward with the plan for at least the next two weeks. In doing so, Vance argued, “this opinion is a signal to the Court that this case too is one where the government must be reined in, lest the Court lose all authority to act as a check and balance on an out of control executive.” She cited Talwani’s opinion, which outlines the ramifications of the Final Rule for states trying to administer midterms in just over two months. “Through the Final Rule, the USPS is refusing to send mail ballots to eligible voters unless States or local election officials submit their mail ballot envelopes and return envelopes and receive advance approval from the USPS without regard to impending deadlines for the Nov. 3, 2026, election,” she said, going on to outline how that would impact states. Vance concludes that “the bottom line here is so grotesque that it’s impossible to imagine any other Justice Department advocating for such a plan, and any court taking longer than a few moments to reject it, as Judge Talwani did.” In her decision, Talwani noted the “significant risk of disenfranchisement” the “final rule” carried with it. Another party to the case, the League of Women Voters, “face irreparable harm for the same reasons—because they live in states that will be unable to comply with these new measures, and so, their ballots will not count,” the judge wrote, painting a bleak picture of the midterms should the final rule be implemented before then. The Supreme Court is likely to make that decision in the coming weeks. “We’ve now reached the point in this case where the lawfulness—or not—of what Trump wants to do to our elections takes center stage… the Court will have to decide whether the Constitution, which clearly leaves this bit of election administration up to the states, still matters,” Vance said. White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said Talwani was an “activist judge,” and said she was “attempting to stop President Trump from implementing commonsense measures to protect the security of mail-in ballots and ensure only Americans vote in American elections. “We will immediately appeal this unreasoned and unlawful order.” The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/obama-judge-slaps-down-scotus-trump-decision/?

Trump Launches Vile Attack on Female Reporter for Revealing His 9/11 Diva Fit Trump lashed out at a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer for reporting on his 9/11 plans, then seemingly proved her right. Donald Trump unleashed a vicious attack Friday on New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman over a story about his plans for the 25th anniversary of 9/11—even as his own comments appeared to confirm the report. Trump called Haberman “Maggot,” his longtime nickname for her, and denigrated her appearance in a lengthy Truth Social post. Haberman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-author of Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, was one of four reporters who bylined the story, but Trump singled her out. He claimed Haberman had “made up a story” that he would not attend the World Trade Center ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks, “because they won’t let me make a speech, and I’m going to the Pentagon in D.C., because I’m a featured speaker.” Trump insisted in his post: “I would love not to speak, because I’m speaking all the time, and this is a day to remember the victims, and their beautiful family members.” Yet Trump will be speaking at the Pentagon’s September 11 ceremony, where he is the featured speaker. He told reporters Friday that he won’t be going to the World Trade Center ceremony “because I’m going to the Pentagon instead.” Two unnamed sources told the Times that Trump’s team had “signaled” to New York officials that he planned to attend their ceremony, only to change course after he learned he would not be allowed to speak. The National September 11 Memorial and Museum has barred politicians from speaking at the annual Ground Zero commemoration since 2012, in an effort to keep the focus on victims and their families. Vice President JD Vance is now slated to attend; he will not be speaking. In his lengthy Truth Social post, Trump blasted the Times as “failing” and a purveyor of “corrupt news,” and Haberman as a “SCAMMER” and a “PHONY.” He threatened mysterious new revelations in his ongoing $15 billion defamation and libel suit against the newspaper and book publisher Penguin Random House, alleging both sought to destroy his business and political reputation. The Times is seeking dismissal of the suit. Trump also threatened “another new lawsuit” against the Pulitzer Prize Board, which awarded a team of Times reporters, including Haberman, for its reporting on Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 presidential election. Trump called Haberman a “stalker” who “should be forced to turn over any and all money that she’s made through her fake reporting on me.” The Daily Beast reached out to the White House, The New York Times, and Haberman for comment. Critics slammed the president’s post on social media. CNN’s Jake Tapper called Trump’s comments “disgusting and beneath the office.” One critic wrote on X: “Calling her Maggot Hagerman is revolting. It is f---ing disgusting. [Haberman] is an incredible journalist. Donald Trump needs to shut his damn mouth.” Another wrote: “The president treats women nastier than anyone else in politics. And I’m pretty sure [Trump aide] Natalie Harp is the stalker, not Maggie Haberman.” Others argued that Trump’s furious response only reinforced the story he was trying to discredit. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-launches-vile-attack-on-reporter-maggie-haberman-for-revealing-his-911-diva-fit/? ps:Seems like every time he opens his mouth he sticks his foot in it!

Patel’s FBI Lowers the Bar for Applicants With Checkered Pasts Applicants who have hired prostitutes, stolen from employers, or engaged in bestiality may no longer be automatically disqualified from joining the bureau. Under Kash Patel, past misdeeds are no longer automatic FBI dealbreakers. The bureau quietly loosened its hiring rules in June in an effort to boost recruitment after a wave of firings, resignations, and retirements during President Donald Trump’s second term, CBS News reported. Under the new guidelines, applicants who have hired a prostitute, stolen from an employer, or engaged in bestiality or animal cruelty may still be eligible for FBI jobs—depending on when and under what circumstances the conduct occurred. Multiple sources briefed on the matter told CBS that the bureau’s rules regarding applicants who have hired prostitutes would vary based on the circumstances. Applicants may still be considered for employment if they hired a prostitute more than 10 years ago and did so less than three times. However, a person in a position of “trust” who did so would still be automatically ruled out. Those occupations include public safety, education, health, social work, finance, and law. The military is not included. Regarding stealing from an employer, that must have occurred more than three years ago for candidates to still be considered for a job. And as for bestiality and animal cruelty, those acts must have taken place before the applicant was 18 years old. The Daily Beast has contacted the FBI for comment. The FBI communicated the changes to personnel involved in vetting applicants through an internal memo dated June 16, according to CBS. The bureau has defended the new rules as giving hiring officials more flexibility to evaluate unusual circumstances rather than automatically rejecting otherwise qualified candidates. For example, the FBI noted that an applicant may have paid for sex in a place where prostitution is legal, while some applicants may have been victims of sexual abuse involving animals. The FBI pushed back on the characterization that it had simply lowered its hiring standards. “It is false to suggest criminal behavior like this is no longer disqualifying at the FBI,” the bureau said in a statement to the AP, adding that “any applicant who has engaged in criminal sexual acts… would of course not be eligible for employment.” The FBI described its background check process as “wide-ranging and extensive” and said it “has and always will maintain some of the highest suitability standards for its applicants and employees in the U.S. government.” The FBI has been struggling to attract recruits while enduring significant personnel losses under Trump. CBS reported that 1,139 special agents left the bureau in 2025, while the agency currently has roughly 13,700 agents. Patel has argued that some longstanding hiring requirements unnecessarily eliminate potential recruits. https://www.thedailybeast.com/kash-patels-fbi-eases-hiring-rules-on-theft-prostitution-and-bestiality/? ps:Pathetic!!!!!

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 29 2005 Hurricane Katrina slams into Gulf Coast Hurricane Katrina makes landfall near New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane. The storm was one of the worst natural disaster in U.S. history. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT Arts & Entertainment 1982 Actor Ingrid Bergman dies on her birthday 1958 Michael Jackson is born Civil War 1862 North and South clash at the Second Battle of Bull Run Cold War 1949 Soviets explode atomic bomb Crime 2007 Richard Jewell, hero security guard wrongly accused as Olympic bombing suspect, dies Early U.S. 1786 Shays’ Rebellion Hispanic History 1970 Thousands of Mexican American anti-war activists march in Chicano Moratorium Inventions & Science 1876 Charles F. Kettering, inventor of electric self-starter, is born Native American History 1970 Native American group occupies Mount Rushmore to protest broken Treaty of Fort Laramie 1911 Ishi discovered in California Sports 2004 Brazilian marathoner assaulted at Olympics U.S. Government and Politics 2008 Republican John McCain selects Sarah Palin as his running mate World War I 1914 Women join British war effort

August 29, 2026 Good morning. How do we balance our desire for modern conveniences with our nostalgia for the uncomplicated felicity of our pre-internet past? María Jesús Contreras Fast forward By Melissa Kirsch The cursed island town in the horror-comedy series “Widow’s Bay” is so remote that there’s no Wi-Fi and cell service is unreliable. This means residents are left to landlines and walkie-talkies to communicate. These limitations not only add to the feeling of creepy isolation, but they also dispense with the modern challenge of depicting smartphone usage onscreen. When Mayor Tom Loftis wants to talk to someone, he must call them using the multi-line phone in his office or the rotary model affixed to his kitchen wall. Nostalgia for outmoded technology is bittersweet: We can’t imagine life without present-day conveniences, but things were so much simpler before! Our understanding of the world was slow to update. We said we’d meet at the restaurant at 6, and you couldn’t switch the location at the last minute or change the time if you were running late. We settled on the route we’d take to drive from A to B, no GPS to change it with a few seconds’ notice because of the traffic jam ahead. No moment-to-moment updates from friends, no impulse-Googling the name of that shampoo or tomorrow’s weather, no asking Claude. Our brains contained a certain amount of knowledge, and we didn’t add to it without time and effort. In The Times today, Kera Bolonik writes about the mix tape, that relic of another era, which “took time, thought, careful listening and a level of physical coordination beyond what goes into the making of a Spotify playlist.” Good mix-tape-makers were experts in manipulating the pause and record buttons on the hi-fi, engaging with the equipment to create a tangible artifact. Unlike a playlist, tapes were material, present in the landscape. It made sense that something so meaningful took up room in the world. “You have to imagine a space where music was a rumor,” the writer Jonathan Lethem told Kera. “You might hear something and not be able to know what it was, and no one can tell you, and it’s driving you crazy.” In the Shazam-less past, you’d hear a song and have no way to instantly entrap it. You’d live with the memory of the song you heard, hoping to catch it again on the radio. I remember becoming enamored of a song I heard on the radio in France in 1995 and telling my boyfriend back home that I’d heard the best new David Bowie track. There was no new Bowie album that we knew about, but we asked the clerks in every record store about it all the same. It would be six months before it came out in the States, and we discovered it wasn’t a Bowie song at all, but “A Girl Like You” by the Scottish musician Edwyn Collins. I put it on every mix tape I made that year. There’s a whole universe of pared-back gadgets for those who miss the simplicity of old tech: dumbphones, internet-connected typewriters, screen-free digital cameras. There are apps that take a long time to send texts. But there’s something unsatisfying about using tech to address over-technification. Perhaps the answer lies in the technology that has persisted in its unimprovable simplicity: A pad and paper have never failed to save my journal entries or added formatting I didn’t ask for. I treasure my wristwatch that I never have to charge, the digital alarm clock that shows me the time from across the room. I no longer have the dual-cassette boom box on which I made countless mixes, but Maxell released a Bluetooth cassette player this year. I don’t love the idea of buying something new in order to capture the magic of something old, but that something old might be worth pursuing. As Kera wrote: “More than just relics, mix tapes are portals to specific moments. Perhaps even more than old photos, they reanimate the past.” THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration A refinery in Punto Fijo, Venezuela, in 2021. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times The U.S. reached a deal to take majority control of a huge portion of Venezuela’s oil reserves, President Trump announced last night. The deal is for more than 65 billion barrels of oil — almost as much as all of the proven reserves in the United States. The Trump administration has proposed giving a parcel of public land in Yosemite National Park to a private developer. ICE has arrested Milo Yiannopoulos, the British right-wing agitator and early Trump supporter. He faces possible deportation after overstaying his visa. More Politics Wyoming’s governor, a Republican, said he was concerned by the “very odd” behavior of federal election monitors who tried to interview voters and examine voting machines during the state’s primaries last week. It looks as though a New York Jet will finally win something: A former kicker, Jay Feely, is running against a former sideline doctor, Amish Shah, in a House race in Arizona. The Times analyzed thousands of donations this midterms season and made a leaderboard of the top 20 biggest donors. It’s dominated by tech figures and Republicans. Nepal Floods Atul Loke for The New York Times At least 1,900 people are missing after the devastating flash flood in the Himalayas, officials now say, roughly twice as many as previously estimated. New video shows how a giant glacier broke away from a mountain ridge, sending floodwaters crashing through valleys below. Watch The Times’s exclusive footage. Around the World The Taliban have banned education for millions of Afghan girls. Times journalists examined the secret classrooms where some are defying the rules. Iranians are increasingly desperate six months into the war with the United States. Even some who initially cheered Trump’s intervention now fear a failing economy. Other Big Stories In his first speech before the Fed’s annual conference in Jackson, Wyo., the new chair, Kevin Warsh, said the central bank was chiefly focused on getting inflation down. Investors expect interest rates to rise. A judge ruled that a key confession by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks, was not voluntary and must be excluded from his trial. REMEMBERING THREE ICONS Dolly Parton At the Library of Congress in 2018. Andrew Harnik/Associated Press Everyone knows Dolly as a consummate singer and songwriter. But she was also a prolific philanthropist whose gifts supported wildlife conservation and the development of the Covid-19 vaccine, among other things. The crown jewel of her philanthropic efforts was the Imagination Library, which has given children hundreds of millions of free books. Tim Curry Evening Standard, via Getty Images Curry’s performance as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, the cross-dressing mad scientist of “The Rocky Horror Show,” helped bring androgynous fashion into the mainstream. Along with being extraordinarily funny, Curry was a superlative storyteller. A writer who interviewed him three times last year reflects on what it was like to talk with him. Yayoi Kusama A video projection of “Song of a Manhattan Suicide Addict,” by Yayoi Kusama, in 2024. Philip Fong/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images In her long life, Kusama achieved something rare: two very different moments of stardom, almost as though she’d been two different artists, our critic writes. Kusama created a hugely varied oeuvre — abstract paintings, fabric phalluses, naked performance pieces … you name it. See her life in pictures. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Rockstar Games Grand Theft Auto VI, the series’ first entry in over a decade, is due out in November. It’s a rare monocultural moment, akin to the release of a new Beyoncé album or Martin Scorsese film. Our reporter visited the studio in Edinburgh where it’s being made. In “Coyote vs. Acme,” a new live action-animation hybrid in theaters this weekend, Wile E. Coyote sues the company behind those gadgets that always seem to backfire. It’s “a terrifically daffy film,” our critic writes. Rupert Grint, who starred as Ron Weasley in all eight “Harry Potter” films, will reprise the role in “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” on Broadway. “Paranormal Activity,” the horror film series, is now haunting Broadway. Our theater critic says it “feels like watching a magic show on a roller coaster.” 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. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. By Melissa Clark Ratatouille Have you made ratatouille yet this year? Fear not — there are still a few weeks of eggplant-zucchini-pepper-tomato season left to go before the pumpkins take over. In my riff on the Provençal classic, I roast the vegetables separately on sheet pans to soften and brown them, then combine them for a final, olive oil-coated bake that lets them practically melt. Served with fresh goat cheese and a warm baguette, it’s one of my favorite meatless meals. REAL ESTATE We’ve made these links free for you. Dan Cronin for The New York Times The Hunt: A costume supervisor for TV and film productions wanted a home in Portland, Ore., with a yard and a spare bedroom for visitors. Which house did he choose? Play our game. What you get for $725,000: An American Foursquare in Providence, R.I.; a Spanish-style house in Tulsa, Okla.; and a two-story house in Salt Lake City. See them all. Tree-huggers: In Red Hook, Brooklyn, developers spent $400,000 to ensure their new project didn’t disturb a six-story maple tree already on the lot. Ask Real Estate: My neighbor installed a camera pointing at my yard. Is that legal? LIVING Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times New boosters: The F.D.A. approved updated Covid vaccines this week. Here’s what you need to know about the shots. Elective M.R.I.s: Celebrities are raving about full-body scans. But researchers say that healthy people don’t need them — and that they can lead to more harm than good. Baby on board: Traveling while pregnant is possible, but there are some risks. It’s wise to plan ahead. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Find some trend-proof pants In fashion, what goes around comes around. Take culottes: These mid-calf, wide-leg pants have gone in and out of style for decades. Today, all signs point to a culotte revival, and I have a few tips to help you find a timeless pair. Go for something that feels familiar, like a khaki-esque pair that could match T-shirts, button-ups, sweaters or cardigans. One of my favorite pairs has sumptuous legs and immaculate pleats. They’re hard to ignore, yes, but they’re easy to style year-round. In warmer weather, they look great with heeled sandals. For fall, why not try them with cowboy boots? (Another classic!) — Frances Solá-Santiago NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was validity. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa 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

CRISPR Takes on Cholesterol An experimental gene-editing treatment lowered "bad" cholesterol and triglycerides in patients for at least a year after a single dose, according to new results released yesterday from an early-stage trial. Among those receiving the highest dose, bad cholesterol fell by an average of 53% and triglycerides by 48%. The treatment uses CRISPR—a technology that allows scientists to make targeted changes to DNA—to switch off a gene in liver cells that helps regulate blood fats. Initial results released last November showed the approach worked for at least two months; the latest follow-up suggests the effect may be longer lasting. The trial involved 15 patients with severe cholesterol or triglyceride disorders. Researchers reported no serious treatment-related side effects, though larger trials are needed to assess long-term safety and effectiveness. Watch how CRISPR works. Cholesterol is a waxy substance that comes in two forms, low- and high-density lipoproteins (LDL and HDL), while triglycerides are energy stored as fat in the bloodstream. Too much LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, can contribute to plaque buildup in blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.