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September 7, 2026 By Sam Sifton Good morning. It’s Labor Day. Let’s start with the cookout. In Prospect Park, Brooklyn. José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times Happy Labor Day! So this is it. This is it. This is the end of the session. Summer isn’t going to be taking any more questions. We’re loading up the grill one last time for Labor Day and — who am I kidding? Where I stay, the farm stands will have tomatoes and corn through at least the end of the month. We’ve got plenty of time to mourn summer’s end at summer’s end, on Sept. 22. Today’s for cheering working people. We raise our flags and bunting high in celebration of all those who built our nation, all those who brought us the eight-hour workday and weekends off. And to celebrate, yes, we’ll get a cookout going. (My old teammates on the Cooking app have plenty of recipes for that.) It’s the American way. Steak tips I think Labor Day’s a good one for steak. If you’re lucky, you’ve been cooking outside often these last few months — easy proteins like hot dogs, burgers and brats alongside grilled ears of corn, flame-kissed baby eggplants and hobo-packed potatoes. You’ve grilled some fish, some slabs of tofu. You’re confident, know what you’re doing. You’re ready to face off with a honking big piece of beef just as Samuel Gompers intended when he championed a holiday devoted to the celebration of American workers. I’m here today to make sure you cook it brilliantly. And to do that I’m going to use words that cost me $17: reverse-searing. That is, the process of cooking a steak slowly in a warm oven, then finishing it over high heat on a grill or a plancha. Lots of people have recipes for reverse-seared steak — here’s mine. Nico Schinco for The New York Times But no matter how many times I make it, it feels new. I think that’s because reverse-searing is not a recipe so much as it is a counseling session, one that replaces the anxiety of cooking an expensive cut of meat with the peace that comes from knowing that you’ve got a sure thing. Coat the meat in a dry rub, if you like: Montreal steak seasoning, say, or a Cajun blackening situation. I go with straight kosher salt and revel in the beefiness it underscores. You’ll get a great crust regardless and, beneath it, a fantastically textured interior. And if you’ve spent a pretty penny on the meat that you’re cooking, that’s a very good feeling. You’ll need a digital instant-read thermometer. This is nonnegotiable. (Wirecutter has a guide to the best ones.) You’ll use it to track the internal temperature of your steak so that you can get it out of the oven at precisely the right moment. For me, that’s about 112 degrees. Which will take somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 to 30 minutes. But don’t use the clock as your guide. Mind Mr. Thermometer instead. Let the steak rest for another 20 minutes or so while you get your grill going, and then finish the meat when everything’s ripping hot, maybe 90 seconds a side, until the thermometer shows you something in the low 120s for rare. Give it a short rest, carve and serve to applause. Have an unlaborious day! THE LATEST NEWS Germany The far-right AfD party trounced its rivals in a crucial state election in eastern Germany — but it just missed a majority. The result shocked the country. The race gave fresh momentum to hard-right parties hoping to win across Europe next year, analysts said. Miami Airport Crash At least five people died after an Amazon cargo plane overran a runway at Miami International Airport. Travelers in the area should “expect significant delays and potential cancellations,” the transportation secretary said. Read what we know about the crash. Around the World The New York Times Indonesia has a microplastics epidemic. Trash often gets burned there, and tiny fragments of plastic are in the air, land and water. Click above to watch. Social media in China is getting really dark. A popular video is a guide to survive being homeless — a sign of economic pessimism among young people. Deportees arriving in Haiti from the United States say they have been left with no money, no protection from gangs and no place to go. Politics Work on a helipad at the White House last month. Andrew Leyden for The New York Times President Trump is relishing his Washington construction projects as the war with Iran drags on. Trump has reconciled with his former fixer Michael Cohen. But contrary to Trump’s claims, Cohen has not recanted testimony that helped convict his former boss. The Trump administration filed an emergency application again asking the Supreme Court to allow its plan to limit mail-in voting before the midterms. The former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani called for the current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, to skip this week’s 9/11 memorial ceremonies. “It offends me,” Giuliani said during an anti-Muslim rant. Mamdani has said he is going. SEABORNE BALLET By The New York Times Two U.S. aircraft carriers are helping to blockade Iranian ports, alongside 12 destroyers protecting them. But supplying the carriers and the other ships — and the tens of thousands of people living, working and eating on them — is incredibly complex. These diagrams explain how it’s done. OPINIONS She has an A.I. boyfriend. Her son has questions. Watch a video of them discussing it. The conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed almost a year ago. Erika Kirk, his widow, writes about what she has learned from grief. The artist Yayoi Kusama changed the world from an asylum in Tokyo. We can’t let fame obscure how singular she was, a curator at the Guggenheim Museum writes. Introducing bonus puzzles. Try these twists on our games, including Wordle in 1, Connections 3x3, Colorful Strands and more. New puzzles drop every Wednesday. MORNING READS In Los Angeles County. Loren Elliott for The New York Times We’ve made these links free for you. You just need to log in. Bear necessities: Bears are taking over Los Angeles backyards. See them claim the territory. Hello? Gen Z is picking up the phone — and saying nothing. Your pick: The most clicked link in The Morning yesterday was about a mathematician in her nineties and her teenage neighbor. Metropolitan Diary: “Whatever you do, don’t be yourself.” Route 66: Meet the Europeans obsessed with the U.S. highway, which turns 100 this year. Along Route 66. Nick Oxford for The New York Times TODAY’S NUMBER 270 million — That’s approximately how many meat pies Australians eat each year. Last week, 16 judges tested 1,800 single-portion pies and sausage rolls seeking the country’s best. At the Official Great Aussie Pie Competition. Asanka Brendon Ratnayake for The New York Times SPORTS U.S. Open: Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Frances Tiafoe advanced to the quarterfinals. N.F.L.: Commissioner Roger Goodell signed a contract extension through the 2030 season. It’s likely he’s the whole league’s highest-paid employee. THE NEW SEASON Charli XCX Joseph Okpako/WireImage, via Getty Images Fall’s coming, and with it a whole bunch of exciting music. The journalists who cover pop for The Times put together a list of 33 new albums and shows they’re excited to take in over the next few months. Among the releases: tracks from Riley Green, Beck, Miranda Lambert and Victoria Monét. And on the road: Charli XCX, Phoebe Bridgers and Sombr. More on culture What’s among the most enduring pieces of 9/11 art? The musical “Come From Away,” which has already been staged more than 1,000 times worldwide, including a production now in Gander, Newfoundland, where it is set. Michael Paulson, our theater reporter, brings us one of those stories that has it all: History, musical theater, a trade war and cod! Rob Reiner won a posthumous Emmy for his work on “The Bear.” The win was announced yesterday as part of a ceremony that awards Emmys for guest appearances, variety shows and technical and behind-the-scene achievements. The writer Edward Field died at 102. His use of everyday language and embrace of gay topics made him one of the most accomplished American poets of the postwar era. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS Hunter McRae for The New York Times Spend 10 minutes with Angel Oak, a centuries-old tree in South Carolina. Strengthen your happiness muscle. Basically, savor what’s good. Get one of these kitchen bins recommended by the vegetable-peeling soil enrichers at Wirecutter and you’ll compost a lot more than you did before. Read the novelist Barbara Kingsolver’s appraisal of the life of Wendell Berry, one of her most important literary mentors, who died last week at 92. It’s a beautiful essay. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were bondage and dogbane. 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

🍿 1 film thing: Hollywood's banner summer Matt Damon as Odysseus in "The Odyssey." Photo: Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures via AP It's a wrap on Hollywood's best summer in a decade. After years of new-normal ticket sales and regular spells of unease, the summer box office rallied to $4.61 billion in domestic ticket sales between May 1 and Aug. 31, according to Rentrak. 🎟️ That's a 26.1% increase from 2025 and better than every summer other than 2013. Accounting for inflation and higher ticket prices, it's less of a record season, but 2026 was still the summer Hollywood got its mojo back. (AP) Inde Navarrette and Michael Johnston in "Obsession." Photo: Focus Features via AP Gen-Z audiences filled theaters and turned low-budget films, including "Obsession," into blockbusters. Global ticket sales are up 15% compared with last year. Five movies have passed $1 billion in ticket sales, Bloomberg reports (gift link). "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," the biggest movie of the summer, has grossed $2.4 billion worldwide. No. 2 — "The Odyssey" — has made $1.63 billion. 🥊 Reality check: Higher ticket prices "disguise a deeper decline in attendance," the N.Y. Times notes. "From Jan. 1 through Aug. 16, domestic theaters sold an estimated 568.4 million tickets, down 30% from the same period in 2019, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. That amounts to roughly 248 million missing admissions." (Gift link)

Blue wave math Data: The Downballot and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios Redistricting has helped House Republicans build a seawall that can withstand a roughly 5-point Democratic wave. Why it matters: Early readings are pointing to something twice that size — enough to wash away the GOP House majority, Axios' Hans Nichols reports. Democrats have been running roughly 10 points ahead of their 2024 presidential performance in special elections this year. A swing of that magnitude would produce a comfortable 230-205 Democratic majority, according to an Axios analysis of how the battle for the House would play out under different electoral scenarios. 🖊 Between the lines: Gerrymandering since the presidential election has given Republicans more breathing room, with GOP-drawn maps creating a net advantage of roughly nine seats. But some of those newly redrawn GOP seats rest on a potentially shaky assumption: that the 2026 electorate will look much like that of 2024. A national swing toward Democrats like the one in Trump's first midterm would overwhelm the GOP's redistricting defenses. The other side: If Republicans outperform Trump's 2024 numbers by 5 points across congressional districts, the new maps would give them a massive 253-182 majority. If 2026 simply looks like 2024 — with GOP candidates winning every district Trump would've carried under the new maps, including Trump districts where Democrats held on in 2024 — Republicans would net 16 seats, producing a 236-199 majority. 🏛 State of play: Two months before Election Day, Democrats can taste the House majority, provided two conditions hold: President Trump remains unpopular, and vulnerable Republicans stay close to him. They're privately giddy that Republicans are encouraging vulnerable incumbents to attend this week's GOP midterm convention in Dallas and lash themselves to the mast of HMS Trump. 💰 Republicans are banking on their massive money advantage and a Supreme Court ruling that allows them to coordinate their campaign dollars with individual candidates.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 7 1813 United States nicknamed Uncle Sam After meat packer Samuel Wilson supplied barrels of beef to the United States Army during the War of 1812 that were stamped with “U.S.” for United States, soldiers began referring to the grub as “Uncle Sam’s.” Uncle Sam eventually gains widespread acceptance as the nickname for—and personification of—the U.S. government. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1960s 1968 Protesters disrupt the Miss America Pageant American Revolution 1776 World’s first submarine attack Arts & Entertainment 1911 Guillaume Apollinaire is arrested for stealing the Mona Lisa 1936 Rock ‘n’ roll legend Buddy Holly is born Civil War 1864 General Sherman orders civilians to evacuate Atlanta Crime 1996 Tupac Shakur is shot 1876 Minnesotans attack the James-Younger criminal gang Latin American & Caribbean History 1977 U.S. agrees to transfer Panama Canal to Panama World War II 1940 The Blitz begins as Germany bombs London

Stomach rumblings are caused by air moving through your digestive tract and doesn’t always mean you are hungry. James

Far-right Alternative for Germany party wins big in regional election but falls short of majority MAGDEBURG, Germany (AP) — The far-right Alternative for Germany party surged to a resounding victory in a regional election Sunday, but fell a little short of winning a majority in its quest to form the country’s first far-right state government since World War II. https://apnews.com/article/germany-saxony-anhalt-election-far-right-afd-c538060710a2495c72425b6468df0d40?

Keystone Kash Mocked for Boast About Five-Person Crime Wave Patel’s findings appear to run contrary to Trump’s assertion that millions of noncitizens are voting. FBI Director Kash Patel’s latest boast about his apparent crime bust is not going over well. Patel, the conspiracy theorist turned FBI boss, said his agency charged five people in three states for casting ballots illegally over the past two election cycles. The FBI claims that four noncitizens voted illegally in either the 2022 or 2024 election, and one U.S. citizen has been charged with allegedly aiding his wife’s illegal voting. “Election integrity is a top priority for this FBI. We will investigate every credible allegation of election fraud and illegal voting, following the facts wherever they lead,” Patel wrote on X. President Donald Trump has been fixated on the 2020 election, which he lost but has been obsessing over for nearly six years now. The president has claimed repeatedly, and falsely, that the election was stolen from him due to voting irregularities, which his legal team at the time could never prove in court nor present to the public. Even so, nearly every chance he gets, Trump repeats his lies that election irregularities made the results of the 2020 election fraudulent, including in a recent primetime address in which he rambled again about nonexistent voter interference in that election. He has filled his entire administration with only loyalists who believe his election claims. The second Trump administration has been fixated on the idea of noncitizens voting, even though, as proven by the FBI’s latest “bust,” cases of noncitizen voting are extremely rare and are not happening en masse as the Trump administration portrays. Patel was widely mocked for hailing this five-person arrest as some kind of proof of widespread voter fraud. “Five people across three states spanning two whole election cycles—you really cracked the code on ‘widespread voter fraud,’” one user wrote sarcastically. “At this rate, you’ll hit double digits by 2040. Pack it up, folks, the 160 million other votes were just a distraction.” “But Trump claimed millions of illegals voted in our elections. You got five?” another wrote. “You found a total of FIVE people and that’s a win? You’re basically telling us Trump was lying about his election fraud claims then,” another noted. Trump and his MAGA supporters have invoked voter fraud while pushing the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to present photo identification when voting and documentary proof of citizenship when registering.. U.S. citizenship is already a requirement to vote, and cases of noncitizen voting, as evidenced by Patel’s not-so-big bust, are very rare. The bill does not appear to have the 60 Senate votes needed to overcome a filibuster, despite Trump furiously pressuring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to just blow up the filibuster to get it passed. https://www.thedailybeast.com/keystone-kash-patel-mocked-for-boast-about-five-person-crime-wave/?

Trump Rebrands State in Bonkers Posting Spree 80-year-old Trump floated his plans to give the map of the U.S. a very MAGA makeover. Donald Trump has announced his latest in a string of plans to rename key markers of geography and history. The 80-year-old president embarked on yet another Truth Social rampage on Sunday. In one afternoon post, Trump shared a crudely altered map proposing a new name for the entire state of New Mexico. With ‘Mexico’ crossed out, Trump floated his idea: ‘New America.’ Democratic New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham responded to Trump’s post on X: “New Mexico’s name isn’t up for debate — it’s been ours since before the United States existed,” Grisham wrote. “While the President tries to distract Americans from his disastrous war in Iran, the price of gas —and everything else — keeps rising. Under Democratic leadership here in New Mexico, we’re providing families with free childcare and college, protecting access to health care and investing in housing. While the White House wastes time coloring on maps, Nuevo México is busy doing the work.” On Sunday evening, Trump made another Truth Social post on the topic, stating “Many people suggested changing the name of New Mexico, one of the great vote cheating states of all time, to NEW AMERICA. So much more prestigious and beautiful for the people of that potentially incredible State. Wow, I Love It!!!” The post also included an AI slop video of Trump putting “America” over a “Welcome to New Mexico” sign, before doing his trademark dance to the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.” Elsewhere on X, viewers of the naming proposal seemed torn between fury and incredulity. “Why stop there? New York should also be New America. New Jersey and New Hampshire, too. Pennsylvania could be Americasylvania. you should call all dogs America, and all cats, too. rename the periodic table the America Table, and call Oxygen Americagen,” one person mocked. A second slammed: “Bro stop renaming things and fix the economy.” Trump certainly has a penchant for rechristening landmarks with more MAGA-coded names. The president kicked things off at the beginning of his second term in January 2025, when he signed the executive order “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness.” As part of this order, he infamously renamed the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Last month Trump was at it again, when he officially changed the name of Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America,’ with Apple Maps bowing down to the change after Trump reportedly urged the company to make the change. The move followed rising trade tensions with Canada, but was met with clear resistance in the form of a sign declaring that Lake Ontario’s name would never change. “Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we’ve set up this sign to remind them. It’s Lake Ontario, now and forever,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said as the sign was unveiled. Trump has also suggested renaming the Strait of Hormuz after himself. Even place names unrelated to other nations have been swept up in the president’s narcissistic renaming streak. Gov. Ron DeSantis on March 30 signed legislation to allow the renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. The president has also made demands for Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station to be named after him, following the legal challenges to the attempted renaming of the Kennedy Center. While Trump’s latest social media spree—which included an AI fantasy of himself as a McDonald’s worker—is overall bizarre, experts have warned that it might be worth reading between the lines. A psychiatrist has suggested that Trump’s Truth Social flights of fancy could be signs of mental illness or fatigue, as speculation about the president’s health reaches a fever pitch. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-rebrands-state-in-bonkers-posting-spree/? ps:Absolutely pathetic!!!!!!

Heavily Armed Republican Attacks Dem Candidate in MAGA Heartland An armed man attacked Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at an Ohio fair on Sunday. A heavily armed man attacked Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Acton at a fair in Ohio’s MAGA heartland on Sunday afternoon. The man “lunged at Dr. Acton, injuring multiple people” while Acton, 60, was attending the Canfield Fair in northeastern Ohio, a campaign spokesperson said in a statement. “Dr. Acton and [her husband] Eric are grateful for the swift and decisive action of law enforcement and are praying for the recovery of those injured. This kind of violence has no place in Ohio,” the spokesperson said. The suspect who attacked Acton has been identified as 38-year-old Patrick Havas, a registered Republican. Havas barged into the Mahoning County Democratic Party’s tent and shoved his way through the crowd, knocking two people to the ground as he made his way to the front, officials on the scene told WFMJ. WFMJ said he was carrying two firearms. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine later said that Acton was unhurt and condemned political violence in an X post. Havas has been arrested and has been charged with two counts of assault and one count of disorderly conduct, according to the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Office inmate list. A graduate of Youngstown State University, Havas is a licensed nurse and lives in Canfield, according to public records the Daily Beast reviewed. The Daily Beast has reached out to Acton for comment. This isn’t the first time the Havas family has had a brush with the law: Patrick Havas’ brother, Andrew Havas, was charged with sexual misconduct with a minor following a 2008 incident involving a 15-year-old in Mahoning County, according to court records reviewed by NBC News. Andrew, who was 22 at the time, was accused of knowing that the minor was older than 13 but younger than 16 and of being reckless about the minor’s age. As part of a plea deal, the sexual-misconduct charge was reduced to a single misdemeanor assault count. Andrew pleaded guilty to the reduced charge in 2009 and was sentenced to 90 days in jail, ordered to pay a fine, and barred from having contact with the minor. Andrew later served as a volunteer Franklin County campaign chair for Republican Ohio Sen. Jon Husted. He resigned in July after NBC News contacted the campaign about the case. Husted’s campaign said Andrew had not disclosed his criminal history and that it immediately accepted his resignation after learning about it. Patrick Havas’ alleged attack on Acton drew condemnation from both sides of the aisle. In his X post, DeWine wrote, “We are grateful for the quick work of the Ohio State Highway Patrol and other law enforcement on the scene at the Canfield Fair today when a man tried to forcefully push himself toward Dr. Acton as she was speaking and injured other attendees at the Mahoning County Democrat booth.” He added, “Violence or the threat of violence at political or public events is always unacceptable. This case is now in the hands of law enforcement and will be investigated thoroughly.” The attack also drew condemnation from Acton’s Republican opponent, former DOGE boss co-chair Ramaswamy. “Candidates should be able to meet with voters without having to worry about threats or violence. What happened today is completely unacceptable and has no place in politics, and we hope that no one was hurt,” his spokesperson said. The Ohio gubernatorial contest is razor-thin, with Ramaswamy edging Acton by 2 percentage points in a Fox News poll conducted last month. https://www.thedailybeast.com/heavily-armed-man-attacks-dem-candidate-in-maga-heartland/?

Midterm mail ballots start to go to voters as litigation over Trump’s order creates uncertainty Statewide mail voting for this year’s midterm elections kicked off Friday amid a churning legal battle over President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit the practice and mounting concern over Postal Service changes that some state officials blame for a rise in rejected ballots. The developments have created a sense of uncertainty about a popular voting method used by one-third of the nation’s voters. North Carolina on Friday became the first state to widely distribute mail ballots for this year’s elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress for the remainder of Trump’s term. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Breaking: Trump administration makes another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow mail ballot restrictions Supreme Court grants Republican emergency appeal on TV ad rates before midterms A whiplash election year enters its final stretch as Trump holds wild cards After years of defying the odds, California’s David Valadao faces new test as Latinos turn on Trump Trump’s first major midterm money move: A $10M Texas Senate ad blitz New Hampshire’s Tuesday GOP primary features two familiar names from the past, and voters are fine with that Cubans and Afghans deported from US arrive in Guyana Trump administration scrubs data on gender-based bullying from school civil rights survey EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans Trump administration stalled a survey of PFAS in wastewater, former EPA officials say Kennedy Center renews call for Trump-backed shutdown after part of a ceiling collapses Watchdog report: Ex-Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer oversaw hostile work environment, misused funds Judge clears the way for a lawsuit against former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema under North Carolina’s ‘homewrecker’ law

Trump administration makes another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow mail ballot restrictions WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Sunday renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court to allow new restrictions on mail ballots in time for the midterms. https://apnews.com/article/trump-mail-voting-executive-order-lawsuit-65067233db6ebda8dedcdc3f6714a96c? ps:Pathetic Midterm mail ballots start to go to voters as litigation over Trump’s order creates uncertainty Statewide mail voting for this year’s midterm elections kicked off Friday amid a churning legal battle over President Donald Trump’s attempts to limit the practice and mounting concern over Postal Service changes that some state officials blame for a rise in rejected ballots. The developments have created a sense of uncertainty about a popular voting method used by one-third of the nation’s voters. North Carolina on Friday became the first state to widely distribute mail ballots for this year’s elections, which will determine the balance of power in Congress for the remainder of Trump’s term. Read more. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Breaking: Trump administration makes another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow mail ballot restrictions Supreme Court grants Republican emergency appeal on TV ad rates before midterms A whiplash election year enters its final stretch as Trump holds wild cards After years of defying the odds, California’s David Valadao faces new test as Latinos turn on Trump Trump’s first major midterm money move: A $10M Texas Senate ad blitz New Hampshire’s Tuesday GOP primary features two familiar names from the past, and voters are fine with that Cubans and Afghans deported from US arrive in Guyana Trump administration scrubs data on gender-based bullying from school civil rights survey EPA proposal could leave the public in the dark on data center plans Trump administration stalled a survey of PFAS in wastewater, former EPA officials say Kennedy Center renews call for Trump-backed shutdown after part of a ceiling collapses Watchdog report: Ex-Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer oversaw hostile work environment, misused funds Judge clears the way for a lawsuit against former U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema under North Carolina’s ‘homewrecker’ law

🐘 This week's "Trumpapalooza" lineup Jumbotron in the GOP's midterm convention hall during a media walkthrough last month. Photo: Tony Gutierrez/AP President Trump and his top allies will share the stage with Republican candidates in some of the nation's most competitive races at this week's GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports from a preliminary speakers list. The lineup underscores the convention's central purpose: Fire up Trump voters for November's midterms, even though the president isn't on the ballot. 🎤 Trump will speak both nights, this Wednesday and Thursday at American Airlines Center. He'll deliver the keynote on Night 1 and closing remarks on Night 2, when Vice President Vance will keynote. Also appearing: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and Donald Trump Jr. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott are among the congressional leaders who will appear. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is notably absent from the list. He is scheduled to be in Dallas this week for fundraising, and organizers say they are still adding names to the list. 🏛️ Zoom in: The convention will spotlight Republicans in races that will determine control of Congress. Senate candidates include Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, Texas Republican Ken Paxton, Michigan Republican Mike Rogers, North Carolina Republican Michael Whatley and Georgia Rep. Mike Collins. Trump won all five states in 2024, and all are now competitive. Republicans in some of the toughest races aren't attending, including Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and former Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire. On the House side, vulnerable incumbents slated to speak include New York Rep. Mike Lawler and Pennsylvania Reps. Rob Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie. See the lineup.

September 6, 2026 Good morning. If you thought this summer felt a little bit off, you’re not alone. Climate change really is making things worse. The New York Times Bummer time By David Gelles Everywhere I went this summer, foul weather seemed to stalk me. At home in New York City, temperatures soared above 100 degrees during the Fourth of July weekend. In Chicago, where I traveled for a conference, wildfire smoke from Canada blanketed the city. When I retreated to my cabin in the Hudson Valley, torrential rains flooded the house. Again. It wasn’t just me. All over the United States this summer, Americans contended with extreme weather — and other extreme nuisances — that turned our usual midyear respite into something more like an interminable series of annoyances. Blame climate change. Global warming is pushing up temperatures and making storms more intense. Persistent heat, amplified by this year’s super El Niño, is upending traditions. And it’s affecting us in smaller ways, too. In every corner of the country, people have been finding that once-cherished routines are becoming sources of discomfort, anxiety and dread. Just how bad has it gotten? The New York Times Heat. July was the warmest month on record in the contiguous United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In Philadelphia, the city’s marquee parade to celebrate Independence Day was canceled as temperatures hit 103 degrees Fahrenheit. Fireworks displays were canceled from Colorado to Delaware because of excessive heat and the risk of fires. And at Liberty Lake Day Camp in Bordentown, N.J., counselors modified outdoor sports on days when the heat approached triple digits. Instead of basketball games, campers just practiced free throws. Instead of a full pickleball match, they dinked in the kitchen line. With lots of water breaks. Pests. Warm weather is expanding the range of disease-carrying pests. Milder winters mean that fewer ticks and mosquitoes freeze and die, and tick species are expanding north into new territories. (This summer has been particularly bad.) But they are not the only pests that are spreading with the warmer weather. Jellyfish have swarmed beaches as ocean temperatures rise. And tiny biting pests known as chiggers are also becoming more prevalent across the northern U.S. Downpours. With climate change creating stronger, more powerful rainstorms, communities around the country have been dealing with sudden downpours and flash floods. Waves of extreme weather swept across America this summer, unleashing torrents of water from Colorado to Massachusetts. In the past week alone, a deadly flash flood hit the Grand Canyon, and Tropical Storm Edouard drenched parts of southeast Texas. (You can find even more examples in my full story.) Sad to say, this is the new normal. With global temperatures continuing to climb as human activity warms the planet, scientists say that more intense heat and extreme weather — and everything that comes along with them — are all but guaranteed. A few weeks ago, a day camp outside New York City held its annual end-of-season dinner for senior staff members. This year, the theme was “Wild Weather.” Counselors and staff reflected on their work moving outdoor activities inside, adapting to the smoke and helping campers beat the heat. “They were trained so well because we had something every week,” said Lauren Wexler, who oversees the camp. “It was seamless because we did it so, so many times.” Sign up for Climate Forward. David Gelles and the rest of The Times’s Climate team share news and insights for our warming world. Get it in your inbox. And if you’re in New York City, join us at Climate Forward Live on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Journalists from across the newsroom will interview government leaders, business executives and activists. You can apply to attend here. THE LATEST NEWS The Midterms At the 2024 Democratic National Convention. Thalassa Raasch for The New York Times The share of Americans who identify as Democrats has grown significantly over the past year, according to new data, suggesting that the party has an advantage going into the midterms. Republicans cannot afford to snub President Trump. But they also do not want the midterms to be a referendum on a president whose popularity is at a record low. MAGA Inc., a super PAC aligned with Trump, is planning a $10 million ad campaign to support Ken Paxton’s Texas Senate run. Missouri’s attorney general asked the Supreme Court to allow the state to use a congressional map redrawn to benefit Republicans. The state’s Supreme Court had declared it invalid. More on Politics A new Trump administration effort would allow married couples with a stay-at-home spouse to collect child care subsidies. States led by Republicans, including Florida and Texas, are restricting the use of Flock cameras amid concerns about government surveillance. Iran War The United States and Iran said they had traded strikes on each other’s ships yesterday, setting off a new round of retaliatory attacks. The attacks on ships continue to affect traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump has called the war “small potatoes.” For this Gold Star family, the costs have been high. War in Ukraine Trump’s envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner made their first trip to Kyiv. They are expected to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss ending the war with Russia. The envoys met with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow yesterday. Ukraine’s military procurement system is riddled with mismanagement, secret internal audits show. In 2024 alone, the country lost about $1.2 billion to fraud and waste. More International News In eastern Germany. Ronny Hartmann/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Voters in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt go to the polls today. The election could produce the first far-right state government in the country since the end of the Nazi era. Rescuers in Nepal yesterday freed a woman from a mostly buried house and a man from a tunnel, 10 days after devastating floods ravaged the country. Health The New York Times Last week, the C.D.C. challenged a Pennsylvania report that two people had died from measles. In the video above, our reporter Apoorva Mandavilli explains how the tension between states and the Trump administration over health issues is creating confusion. Click to watch. Times exclusive: The Justice Department has demanded phone, email, grant and payment records, as well as grand jury testimony, from scientists, including a Nobel laureate, as part of its inquiry into the origins of Covid-19. Other Big Stories After Washington blacklisted the tech giant Inspur over its ties to the Chinese military, a company subsidiary kept shipping advanced Nvidia chips to support China’s leading A.I. firms. Gen. Christopher Donahue’s vision for fighting future wars won him powerful supporters around the world. But they couldn’t save him from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s purge. Read the inside story. FROM OPINION Nat Segebre Local festivals are very American amusements, one photographer writes. See images from across the country. The judge in the Lindsay Clancy case has declared a mistrial. The jury faced a nearly impossible task, Jessica Grose argues. Introducing bonus puzzles. Try these twists on our games, including Wordle in 1, Connections 3x3, Colorful Strands and more. New puzzles drop every Wednesday. MORNING READS A lifelike reconstruction of an ancient insect. Chao Tan We’ve made these links free for you. You just need to log in. Lots of legs: Meet the earliest known insects. (Shaking hands with them will take a while.) Do the math: At 92, the mathematician Joan Birman thought that her major discoveries were behind her. Then an email from a young neighbor arrived. Gig workers: Thousands of Kenyans made a living writing essays for overseas students. Now A.I. is taking their jobs. Public influence: New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, is seen as a social media wizard. Some of his popularity comes from an army of influencers coordinated by his office. SPORTS College football: Michigan won its season opener with a contentious 47-yard Hail Mary on the final play of the game. N.B.A.: LeBron James announced an upcoming partnership with Polymarket, a prediction market service that allows people to trade on outcomes that, in some cases, involve James. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “Big Little Truths,” by Liane Moriarty: Sequels can be dicey affairs — see: “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” and “Revenge Wears Prada” — but Moriarty doesn’t disappoint with this No. 1 best-selling follow-up to her No. 1 best-selling novel “Big Little Lies,” which was adapted into an HBO series starring Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Laura Dern. Here, Moriarty brings her gaggle of mom friends back to their native Sydney, Australia (although it’s hard not to picture Monterey, Calif., where the show took place). The women are now either approaching middle age or squarely in it; their sweet kids are surly teens; and their relationships are that many more years threadbare. Solidarity and revenge are the ties that bind this rollicking page-turner — and no, reading the earlier book isn’t a prerequisite. But it does help to have a basic familiarity with the events that brought the players together. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Explore the very best Labor Day deals out there on everything from eye cream to luggage. Marvel at the most stylish people at the U.S. Open so far. Get rid of body or facial hair with this at-home hair-removal device. Spark conversation at your next dinner party with some tabletop doodads. MEAL PLAN Linda Xiao for The New York Times Summer is on its way out. Depending on your level of enthusiasm for pumpkin spice lattes, that’s either bad or wonderful news. If you want to hold onto summer as long as possible (or if you need to use up your produce), then Emily Weinstein, the editor in chief of NYT Cooking, has some awesome recipes for you. First, you should try one of the most slept-on ways to eat corn: tossed into pasta and topped with sharp cheese. She also recommends chile-garlic steak and zucchini, roasted shrimp with okra and tomatoes, and more. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was nicknaming. Can you put eight historical events — including the storming of the Bastille, the combustion of the Hindenburg and the publication of “Jane Eyre” — 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. P.S. The Interview is off today. It will be back next week. 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

Surviving 9/11: Four Jewish New Yorkers Remember That Day Twenty-five years later, four survivors relive the day terror came to New York City. https://aish.com/surviving-9-11-four-jewish-new-yorkers-remember-that-day/? Six Lessons From 9/11 A Brooklyn programmer had a chance to escape the Twin Towers but stayed behind with his paralyzed coworker instead. That story is one of six lessons from that day. https://aish.com/six-lessons-from-9-11/? 🌃 Pic du jour Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Ahead of Friday's 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a test of the traditional Tribute in Light shone over the World Trade Center footprint in Lower Manhattan this weekend, seen from Jersey City, N.J. Anniversary plans.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 6 1901 President William McKinley is shot President William McKinley is shaking hands at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, New York, when a 28-year-old anarchist named Leon Czolgosz approaches and fires two shots into his chest. A still-conscious McKinley tells his bodyguards to not hurt Czolgosz. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT African History 1966 South African prime minister and architect of apartheid assassinated American Revolution 1781 Benedict Arnold orders burning of New London Arts & Entertainment 1847 Henry David Thoreau leaves Walden and moves in with the Emersons Crime 2018 Off-duty police officer mistakenly enters neighbor’s apartment and shoots its owner to death European History 1997 Some 2.5 billion TV viewers watch Princess Diana’s funeral 1972 More Israeli hostages killed in Munich Exploration 1522 Magellan’s expedition circumnavigates globe Sports 1995 Baltimore Orioles shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. breaks record for consecutive games played 1975 Teen tennis star Navratilova seeks political asylum in U.S. World War I 1914 First Battle of the Marne begins

US strikes 3 Iranian oil tankers after saying warships were targeted with ballistic missiles CAIRO (AP) — U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers after Navy warships were targeted with ballistic missiles, the American military said Saturday, warning that it would “if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and exposed oil fleet.” Experts called it a dangerous escalation after Iran’s previous attacks at sea targeted commercial shipping. https://apnews.com/article/iran-us-war-oil-tankers-b3650799901c56a6deeca962cbaa4109?

☕ 1 fun thing: Coffee competition Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios The long-reigning pumpkin spice latte has new rivals, Axios' Carly Mallenbaum writes. Caramel, apple and cinnamon are the three most-ordered fall flavors on DoorDash, ahead of pumpkin, per data shared with Axios. Searches for "caramel apple iced coffee" are at an all-time high, according to Google Trends. Case in point: McDonald's dropped its longtime PSL and instead rolled out caramel apple pie coffee drinks this season, saying: "Step aside pumpkin spice, there's a new flavor in town!" Read on.

🏈 Stat du jour: Betting season Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios Americans are expected to bet $29.5 billion this NFL season through U.S. sportsbooks, according to the American Gaming Association. That's virtually unchanged from last year's $29.4 billion. The intrigue: That number doesn't include the billions flowing through prediction markets like Kalshi, which are soaring in popularity. Sports wagers account for 80+% of bets placed on Kalshi, NPR notes.

Pentagon's major leak hunt Photo: J. David Ake/Getty Images Federal investigators "have taken the extraordinary step of subjecting roughly 50 members of the U.S. military's Joint Staff to polygraph tests over leaks to journalists, including about how the Iran war has created a shortage of crucial munitions," the N.Y. Times' Jonathan Swan, Adam Entous, Maggie Haberman and Eric Schmitt report. The polygraphs were conducted in August, after news reports detailed diminished stocks of crucial munitions, including long-range missiles and Patriot interceptors, The Times said. Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell told the paper that the department "does not comment on internal personnel or investigative matters but takes all leaks of classified national security information extremely seriously and investigates accordingly." "Securing classified information is critical to ensuring the security of the United States and of our troops deployed around the world," he said. Gift link.

🐘 GOP confidence crash Data: University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers. Chart: Mike Zapler/Axios Another in a long list of ominous indicators for President Trump heading into the final two months before Election Day: Republicans' confidence in the economy has plummeted over the last six months at a pace unseen since COVID — reminiscent of the declines during the global financial crisis nearly two decades ago, Axios' Mike Zapler reports. 🧮 By the numbers: Republicans still have a much more positive outlook on the economy than Democrats. But since February, Republican consumer sentiment has plunged 15.1 index points, from 97.1 to 82, according to the latest University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers data. Democratic sentiment has fallen just 1.6 index points, from 41.8 to 40.2. The 82 reading is lower than at any point during either of Trump's presidencies, with one exception: December 2020, after he'd lost reelection but before he left office. Read on.

The all-about-me campaign Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images President Trump is hitting the campaign trail and doing the last thing many Republicans want: making the 59 days to the Nov. 3 midterms a referendum on him, Axios' Marc Caputo reports. Why it matters: Most Republicans are too scared to bluntly tell Trump how unpopular he is. Timidity aside, Republicans need Trump's low-propensity voters to turn out. So they're going along with a Trump-focused strategy that many believe could cost them credibility — along with seats in the House and Senate. "We have no choice. We're stuck on the boat with him whether we like it or not," said a top Republican campaign official who's in contact with Trump's political operation. "Now, a rising tide raises all boats," the official added. "But the only ones who sound sure about the tide rising is the White House." 🐘 Coming attractions: At Trump's urging, the GOP on Wednesday and Thursday will host an unprecedented midterm convention in Dallas, headlined by the president. Trump plans to appear both nights, with Vice President JD Vance as keynote on Wednesday and Trump on Thursday. 📱 Trump is also the star of his political operation's first two TV ads: The first 30-second ad, "Toughest Guy," is all about you-know-who. The second, "Tax Cut Prices," features Trump and would be more conventional for a campaign in which he's on the ballot. 📺 Inside the room: Trump essentially demanded the ads focus on him because midterms are referendums on a president anyway, and he wanted to tout his accomplishments, The Atlantic first reported (gift link). "I'm not on the ballot, but I'm on the ballot," Trump told one confidant who relayed the conversation to Axios. A Trump adviser told Axios: "Our job is to turn Trump voters into midterm voters." 🔎 The intrigue: The ads, however, are a de facto compromise between Trump and his political staff. "This is for the audience of one," Trump's confidant said, referring to the president. "If the boss wants it, he gets it." One Trump adviser said to expect more conventional ads: "We will be stripping the bark off of Democrats and supporting our candidates. ... It's not all Trump-focused ads." 🔎 Between the lines: Trump's message in his tax cut ads is good, Republican strategists say, but their research increasingly shows voters blame him for the war in Iran that's raising gas prices. "Diesel's at an all-time high. Gas is about $4 a gallon. We can't message that away," said another Republican who runs campaigns for a few federal candidates. 🔮 What's next: At a Rose Garden dinner Wednesday with dozens of House Republicans, Trump promised to campaign across the country in 35 races "to see if we can get everyone elected." If Trump wants to campaign for a candidate, it's going to be hard for them to say no, said one of the consultants involved in talks with MAGA Inc., the super PAC that backs Trump. "Say no to Trump, and he could punish you," the consultant said. "Say yes to him, and his presence might not help. This is the world we're in." Convention lineup ...

One last time: Legislative Budget Commission meets to discuss immigration, long-term outlook Florida legislators will gather one last time ahead of the November elections to go over the state’s financial outlook and sign off on budget amendments that would direct more money into the state’s immigration enforcement activities. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/04/one-last-time-legislative-budget-commission-meets-to-discuss-immigration-long-term-outlook/? Sheriffs drop license plate readers as DeSantis warns against ‘surveillance state’ Ron DeSantis insists no Florida governor has given law enforcement more tools to fight crime than he has, but he wants them aimed at criminals, not citizens who have done nothing wrong. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/08/31/sheriffs-drop-license-plate-readers-as-desantis-warns-against-surveillance-state/? Power for and by the people? St. Petersburg groups launch campaign for municipal utilities. ST. PETERSBURG — A coalition of local organizations in St. Petersburg announced Wednesday a petition campaign to try to place a measure before the public that, if approved, would make the city the first in more than 20 years in Florida to run its own electric utility. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/02/power-for-and-by-the-people-st-petersburg-citizens-launch-campaign-for-municipal-utilities/?

Lost City Found on Egypt’s Way of Horus? New excavations at Tel Abu Saify, in Egypt’s eastern Delta region, are shedding light on a major site along the ancient Way of Horus, a route that connected Egypt to the Levant. The discoveries include a massive mudbrick enclosure surrounding a temple, successive Ptolemaic and Roman roads leading into the complex, a sandstone lintel bearing Ramesses II’s titles and an inscription referring to “Horus, Lord of the City of Mesen,” as well as statues and other objects. The inscription provides evidence for the site’s possible identification with Mesen, a city known from New Kingdom sources, but whose location has not been established. https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-egypt/lost-city-found-on-egypts-way-of-horus/?

Trump Makes Jaw-Dropping Insult to the Dead of His Own War The commander in chief appears to have no respect for those who die because of his orders. President Donald Trump has dismissed his war in Iran, in which 18 U.S. service members have been killed, as “small potatoes for us.” The president, 80, was taking questions in the Oval Office on Friday when he was asked how he would describe the conflict with Iran. The question came after Vice President JD Vance insisted on Thursday it wasn’t a war despite the U.S. carrying out new strikes this week. “Can you explain to the American people, if this is not a war, what exactly is it?” ABC News’ Rachel Scott asked Trump. “Well, I’ll tell you what, a lot of people don’t call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it’s, it’s small potatoes for us. It’s not a big thing,” Trump said. “We did Venezuela, and we did this.” But the president did not stop there. He went on to compare war casualties to back up his claim that the conflict in Iran was “small potatoes.” “In Venezuela, we lost nobody, and this, we lost 18 people,” Trump said. “In Vietnam you lost 100,000 people, and in other conflicts, you lost tens of thousands of people.” Trump, who himself received five military draft deferments during the Vietnam War, went on to say that he would call the conflict with Iran “intermittent strikes” and agreed with Vance that it was not a war. “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting,” Trump rambled. “We’re taking out a lot of oil. We control the Hormuz Strait. We control it very strongly. We did a hit on certain areas around the Hormuz Strait,” he babbled about the crucial waterway between Iran and Oman. More than 50,000 U.S. troops are currently serving in the region. The U.S. carried out a series of new strikes against Iranian military targets on Tuesday, including air defense sites, radar systems, maritime facilities, and mine-laying capabilities, after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attempted to carry out attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and against U.S. service members, according to CENTCOM. Since the start of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, 18 American service members have been killed. Most recently, Sgt. Michael Swinton was killed on July 19 at Erbil Air Base in Iraq during the disposal of a downed Iranian attack drone. Trump attended the dignified transfer of the four service members killed in July at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on July 22. “It’s a military conflict, but it’s very intermittent. I could see somebody not calling it a war,” Trump said Friday. Scott was quick to push back on his “small potatoes” comment, noting that 18 service members had been killed since the war began. Trump did not respond to her pushback noting the number of service members killed, but seized on her comment about “record-long deployments” after the USS Lincoln set a record with 286 days at sea without making port before it docked in Thailand this week. “Why is it record-long? How long were we in Vietnam? How long were we in Vietnam?” Trump shot back. Scott tried to clarify that she was referencing the USS Lincoln, but the president refused to let her respond and instead spoke over her, arguing about preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon before bringing up those killed. “We lost 18 souls, 18 great souls. I was there to greet the families of those people at Dover, and they’re great. I got very friendly with some of the families. They were incredible families, but—and one is too much. But in Vietnam we lost tens of thousands of people. In Afghanistan, we lost a lot,” Trump said. ps:What a pathetic draft dodger!!!!!