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Justice Department says it’s suing Oregon and Maine as it seeks voter data in multiple states The Justice Department said Tuesday that it has sued Oregon and Maine for failing to turn over their voter registration lists, marking the first lawsuits the department has brought against states in its wide-ranging effort to get detailed voter data. Read more. Why this matters: The department said the states were violating federal law by refusing to provide electronic copies of state voter registration lists and information regarding ineligible voters. Oregon and Maine are among at least 26 states that the department has asked for voter registration rolls in recent months, according to an Associated Press tally. Several states have sent redacted versions of their voter lists that are available to the public, but the Justice Department has on multiple occasions expressly demanded copies that contain personally identifiable information, including voter names, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers. The Justice Department’s outreach has raised alarm among some election officials because the agency doesn’t have the constitutional authority to run elections. That power is granted to states and Congress. Federal law also protects the sharing of individual data with the federal government.

Foreign disinformation about Charlie Kirk’s killing seeks to widen US divisions Russia moved to amplify online conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s killing just hours after it happened, seeding social media with the frightening claim that America is slipping into civil war. Chinese and pro-Iranian groups also spread disinformation about the shooting. Read more. Why this matters: Chinese propaganda has focused on the violent nature of Kirk’s death, painting the U.S. as a nation of violent gun owners and political extremists. Russian voices have tried to tie Kirk’s death to U.S. support for Ukraine, even spreading a conspiracy theory that the Ukrainian government killed Kirk because of his criticism of that aid. Pro-Iranian groups took a different tack, claiming Israel was behind Kirk’s death and that the suspect was set up to take the fall. “We’ve seen multiple Russian campaigns attempting to exploit” Kirk’s killing, said Joseph Bodnar, senior research manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. In many cases, the campaigns aren’t adding new claims but are recycling ones that emerged from American users. “They’re picking up domestic actors and amplifying them.”

Republican Brad Raffensperger to run for Georgia governor after defying Trump over 2020 election ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia’s Brad Raffensperger, the Republican secretary of state who rejected Donald Trump’s call to help overturn the state’s 2020 election results, said Wednesday that he’s running for governor in 2026. https://apnews.com/article/secretary-brad-raffensperger-georgia-republican-governor-2026-7c19e8f80d90d0fb7aad0e30b42a97a1?

Trump, 79, Battles Jet Lag With Late Night Rage-Post Spree The president was still posting at 3:30am U.K. time. International travel has not curbed Donald Trump’s habit of late-night rage posts on Truth Social. During his state visit to the U.K., the president’s nocturnal social media spree included a rant involving an investigation into slain right wing activist Charlie Kirk which was posted at around 3:30 a.m London time. The 79-year-old slammed the FBI’s 2022 investigation into Trump and nearly 100 GOP-linked people or organizations, including Kirk’s Turning Point USA as Republicans released new details. Details of the investigation, codenamed Arctic Frost, which Republicans claim targeted GOP groups for political reasons, were announced by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley on Tuesday. Special counsel Jack Smith took over in November 2022. A furious Trump posted “Why was the wonderful Turning Point under INVESTIGATION by “Deranged” Jack Smith and the Corrupt & Incompetent Biden Administration. They tried to force Charlie, and many other people and movements, out of business. They Weaponized the Justice Department against Sleepy Joe Biden’s Political Opponents, including ME!” Grassley stated the investigation was “partisan in nature.” “In other words, Arctic Frost wasn’t just a case to politically investigate Trump,” he said. “It was a vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and Department of Justice prosecutors could achieve their partisan ends and improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.” There were no further details about why Kirk’s Turning Point was being investigated. During his first night in the U.K. on his second state visit, Trump kept to his usual random selection of Truth Social content. The presumably jet-lagged posts follow Attorney General Pam Bondi revealing the president’s minimal sleep routine. “None of us can keep up with him, we always joke,” Bondi said on The Katie Miller Show. “I don’t know how he does it. I mean, none of us know when he sleeps. He’s working all the time, and it’s just constant for him.” During the hours in the U.K., Trump posted a meme featuring special prosecutor Nathan Wade, who had a romantic liaison with District Attorney Fani Willis, who led an election interference case against Trump. The comedy video, set to a seductive Marvin Gaye song, sees Wade being asked if he ever went to a cabin with Willis, and he takes 30 seconds to answer. Willis was removed from the 2020 election interference case against Trump last December, with a court citing her relationship with Wade, who worked on the case, as a conflict of interest. Trump told Fox News at the time that the “whole case has been a disgrace to justice.” He added, “There is no way such corrupt people can lead a case.” While in the U.K., the president also re-posted a newspaper story about his call to Indian Prime Minister Modi to wish him a happy 75th birthday and shared a Fox News clip of host Sean Hannity pointing out “leftist” abuse towards Stephen Miller and his podcast host wife, Katie, who was being interviewed. The president re-posted videos of himself and his wife, Melania, landing in the U.K. and also shared no fewer than eight posts by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. One post claimed Trump was “getting amazing feedback” over his $15 billion lawsuit filed against The New York Times. “The predominant feeling and sentiment is, “IT’S ABOUT TIME!,”” he wrote, adding, “The Radical Left Media is working hard to destroy the U.S.A. We are going to stop them at each and every level!!! President DJT.” Trump revealed the lawsuit on Monday, attacking The Times for its endorsement of Democrat Kamala Harris in last year’s presidential election. In his Truth Social rant, the president accused the paper of “a decades long method of lying about your Favorite President (ME!), my family, business, the America First Movement, MAGA, and our Nation as a whole.” He also described the Times as “one of the worst and most degenerate newspapers in the History of our Country.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-79-battles-jet-lag-with-late-night-rage-post-spree/?

September 17, 2025 Good morning. Here’s the latest. Kirk assassination: Prosecutors said they would seek the death penalty for Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old suspect. He has been charged with aggravated murder. War in Gaza: Israeli troops are expected to advance into Gaza City over the next few days, after the military pounded the densely populated area with heavy airstrikes. Robert Redford died yesterday at 89. We look at his legacy, on camera and off. More news is below. First, we examine the state of the economy. A job fair in Sunrise, Fla. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Pulse check By Colby Smith I cover the Fed. The Federal Reserve is set to cut interest rates today. That will likely please President Trump, who has been calling for lower borrowing costs since he took office (though he wants even bigger cuts). It also gives us a clue as to how central bankers view the economy. How do they decide how the economy is doing? They look at metrics like hiring, consumer spending and prices. And they talk to businesses and consumers across the country to detect trends that take time to show up in the official data. What they want is a labor market in which jobs are plentiful and unemployment is as low as it can be without causing prices to rise too much. They also want to ensure that inflation stays low and stable. So just how healthy is the economy? The case for worry Trump says Americans are experiencing the “best economy we’ve ever had.” Experts say the economy is solid, but the labor market looks much more wobbly than it did at the start of the year. They’re worried about several issues: A drop-off. Job growth has slowed dramatically. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Data is Seasonally adjusted | By Karl Russell Who’s recruiting? New positions are not spread evenly across the economy. Most of the recent gains have been concentrated in the health care sector, which in the last year has accounted for roughly a third of all job growth. That is a lot for just one industry. On the prowl. It’s taking people without jobs longer to find them. As of August, a quarter of the unemployed had been looking for work for more than half a year. College graduates seem to be finding it especially challenging. The case for hope Yet in other ways the economy is humming along. Companies are not laying off workers in droves, and people are still spending money. Low firings. The unemployment rate has stayed relatively stable. That gives economists hope that the slowdown across the labor market is less about a declining need for workers and more about a shrinking pool of available people at a time when Trump is cracking down on immigration. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics | Data is Seasonally adjusted | By Karl Russell Consumers are still spending. According to yesterday’s data from the Commerce Department, retail sales rose sharply in August — even faster than economists had forecast. Americans are still buying things even as they say they feel glum about the economy, and even as prices rise on a wide range of goods and services as a result of tariffs. The disjunction has perplexed economists. “The resilience just continues to confound expectations,” said James Knightley, chief international economist at the investment bank ING. High rollers help. Wealthy households account for about half of all consumer spending, so if Americans in this group keep opening their wallets, that will help to stave off any downturn. Just this week, the stock market soared to another new high, giving them another boost. Knightly offered one caution, though: Lower- and middle-income households are under immense strain. If they keep having to tighten their belts, he wondered: “How long can this last?” Related: The Fed meeting has brought together a Trump ally and people who have been targets of Trump’s outrage. THE LATEST NEWS Charlie Kirk Shooting Tyler Robinson, 22, appeared in court via video. Pool photo by Scott G Winterton Robinson, the suspect in the Kirk killing, wrote in text messages to his romantic partner that he had “had enough” of Kirk’s “hatred” and that “some hate can’t be negotiated out,” according to prosecutors. Robinson’s mother recognized him in a photo released by officials. She and Robinson’s father then began to ask him questions — including if he would send a photo of his rifle. He didn’t. When Robinson suggested he was considering killing himself, they coaxed him back to his family home. They called a friend from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a retired deputy sheriff, and began trying to negotiate Robinson’s surrender. Attorney General Pam Bondi said she would target people engaging in “hate speech,” despite the First Amendment’s broad protections. More on Assassinations A judge tossed out state two terrorism charges against Luigi Mangione, who is charged with killing a health care executive. Mangione still faces a second-degree murder charge. Minnesota held a special election to fill the seat of Melissa Hortman, the Democratic state representative who was killed in her home in June. War in Gaza Thousands of Palestinians fled Gaza City yesterday as Israel bombed the area and said an expanded ground operation had begun. Trump has neither urged restraint nor endorsed the offensive, our colleague Michael Crowley wrote from Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu is taking his inaction as a green light to proceed. Politics Speaker Mike Johnson released a bill to keep the government running past a Sept. 30 deadline, effectively daring Democrats to allow a shutdown. Top Democrats say they oppose the bill, raising the chances of a shutdown. The Trump administration ordered several National Park Service sites to take down materials related to slavery and Native Americans. Immigrant detainees are not receiving proper mental health care, lawyers and advocacy groups say, and reports of suicide attempts are persistent. Trump arrived in Britain for a state visit, and people protested by projecting his mug shot on the walls of Windsor Castle. In the video below, Mark Landler, our London bureau chief, explains how British leaders are trying to stay on Trump’s good side. Other Big Stories Extreme heat exacerbated by climate change led to tens of thousands of excess deaths this summer in Europe, scientists said. Britain is expanding its use of live facial recognition, digital surveillance and internet regulation faster than almost any other Western democracy. Ask The Morning: Do you have questions about drones? Tell us here. We’ll answer some in a future newsletter. TRUMP’S LAWSUIT The president sued The New York Times on Monday for $15 billion, saying our 2024 campaign coverage had defamed him and sought to undermine his campaign. The suit cites articles that document his rise, the accusations made against him, his time on “The Apprentice” and the views of a former top general. “It lacks any legitimate legal claims and instead is an attempt to stifle and discourage independent reporting,” a spokesman for The Times said. Trump has sued several news organizations this year in an apparent effort to soften coverage of him. Many have settled — and altered their coverage. Speaking at a journalism conference on Monday night, our publisher, A.G. Sulzberger, compared these efforts to the “anti-press playbook used in places like Hungary, India, Brazil and Turkey.” The playbook has five components, he said: Sow distrust in independent news organizations and normalize the harassment of journalists. Exploit the civil courts to impose financial pressure. Weaponize legal and regulatory authority — things like consumer protections, civil rights laws and broadcast regulations. Encourage wealthy and powerful allies to make their own attacks. Use access and other levers of power not just to punish independent journalists but also to reward partisan media willing to echo the official line. “When journalists are kept from providing independent information to the public,” A.G. said, “it becomes far easier for those in power to act with impunity.” THE MORNING QUIZ This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link will be free. Hint: This story was the most-clicked story in the newsletter yesterday.) Denmark and Greenland, its faraway territory, have been arguing recently because: A majority of Greenlanders want to join the United States. The Danish authorities took a baby away from a Greenlandic mother. The Danish king forgot the name of Greenland’s leader on a state visit. A trending rap song in Greenland calls Denmark “daddy.” OPINIONS Kirk built Turning Point USA as an organization where community came before ideology. Democrats should follow that example, John Della Volpe writes. People, not corporations, should set the rules that govern A.I., Jill Lepore writes. Here’s a column by Bret Stephens on our culture of argument. New: The Times family subscription is here. One rate. Four individual logins. Savings for all. Now you and three others can enjoy unlimited access to The Times, while personalizing your own experience. Learn more. MORNING READS The Isle of Skye in Scotland. Emily Macinnes for The New York Times Enchanting: The isles off Scotland’s coast offer otherworldly beauty. The views go great with a splash of whisky. Something out of sci-fi: An ant in the Mediterranean is having babies that belong to a different species. Hairy times: What’s with all the beards? Speed on two wheels: John Penton, whose motorcycles revolutionized off-road racing, died at 100. In 1959, he set a transcontinental speed record, riding across the U.S. in 52 hours 11 minutes 1 second. SPORTS N.F.L. Several major stars will play next year in Saudi Arabia, a country where soccer rules. M.L.B.: The Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh hit his 55th and 56th home runs, breaking Mickey Mantle’s single-season record for a switch hitter and tying Ken Griffey Jr.’s franchise mark. Colleges: Nebraska’s No. 1-ranked women’s volleyball team drew 17,675 fans for its match against No. 18 Creighton, an N.C.A.A. record for an indoor match. ROBERT REDFORD Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times; 20th Century Fox; Getty Images Robert Redford, who died yesterday at 89, was a quintessential leading man — seductive and daring, clever and strong, with a smile that shone through in films like “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men.” Yet he so resisted being forced into a mold that he fled Hollywood for Utah, where he made perhaps his biggest contribution to film: Founding the Sundance Institute and, through its festival, ushering in a new generation of American filmmaking. As Manohla Dargis, a Times film critic, writes: He created a place where artists could cut loose, find community and make movies that he would never have starred in, much less directed himself. Unlike many in Hollywood, Redford sought something greater than himself, and he found it. Americans have been searching for Redford online. Here’s more coverage: Redford’s looks set a standard for men’s fashion. He was an “an intellectual Marlboro Man tuned to maximum Americana,” Jacob Gallagher writes. Here are 15 of his movies to stream. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Simmer Samin Nosrat’s lazy sugo until the meat is falling off the bone. Read an exploration of affirmative action. Invest in these buy-it-for-life products. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were confluence and flounce. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections, Sports Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter misattributed a quotation about Israel’s incursion in Gaza City. Israel’s military did not say that troops would “surround Gaza City from all sides.” Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Amelia Nierenberg contributed to this newsletter. Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Desiree Ibekwe, Brent Lewis, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch

Tropical Storm Gabrielle becomes 7th named storm of Atlantic season; NHC tracks 2 more systems Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed Wednesday forecast to become a hurricane in the Atlantic, but there is no immediate threat to land according to the National Hurricane Center, which was also tracking two more systems. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/09/17/hurricane-center-forecasts-new-tropical-wave-to-emerge-in-atlantic/?

THIS DAY IN HISTORY September 17 1862 Battle of Antietam breaks out Beginning early on the morning of September 17, 1862, Confederate and Union troops in the Civil War clash near Maryland’s Antietam Creek in the bloodiest single day in American military history. The Battle of Antietam marked the culmination of Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s first invasion of... read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1868 Cheyenne and Sioux battle frontiersmen at Beecher’s Island 1970s 1978 Camp David Accords signed 21st Century 2011 Occupy Wall Street begins Arts & Entertainment 1967 The Who literally spark an explosion on national television 1983 Vanessa Williams becomes first Black Miss America 1996 Oprah launches influential book club Civil War 1862 The Allegheny Arsenal explodes, killing 78 people Space Exploration 1976 NASA unveils its first space shuttle, the Enterprise U.S. Constitution 1787 U.S. Constitution signed U.S. Presidents 1796 George Washington prepares final draft of farewell address World War II 1939 Soviet Union invades Poland

🏈 1 for the road: NFL ratings juggernaut Image: Fox Sports Almost 34 million viewers watched the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Fox last weekend — the network's best-ever audience for a regular-season Sunday game. Among the factors juicing viewership (with Taylor Swift watching from the VIP suite of Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium): The game was a rematch of the last Super Bowl ... the lead-in was overtime Cowboys-Giants ... and Fox is aggressive about promoting across its platforms. It's the most-watched Week 2 NFL telecast on record, and the most-watched telecast of any kind since the Super Bowl, Fox Sports said. By comparison, about 24.6 million tuned in to watch President Trump's inauguration in January, according to Nielsen. His joint address to Congress in March had 36.6 million. The Oscars got just under 20 million viewers. 📺 Stunning stat: NFL games represented 72 of the 100 most-watched broadcasts last year. 16 were political events.

🏛️ Scoop: Alex Pfeiffer leaves White House Alex Pfeiffer — White House principal deputy communications director — is joining Watchtower Strategy, a rising public affairs firm in President Trump's Washington, as a managing director specializing in strategy and crisis communications. Why it matters: Pfeiffer is one of the most senior officials to leave the administration, which has had little Year 1 turnover — and is a veritable Rock of Gibraltar compared with Trump I. Pfeiffer, 29, quietly departed in early September after three years with the Trump operation — starting with the MAGA Inc. super PAC in 2022. Pfeiffer joined the Trump campaign in West Palm Beach, Florida, in August, then moved into the White House on Inauguration Day. Pfeiffer earlier worked for Tucker Carlson at Fox News. 👓 Between the lines: Watchtower, a public affairs firm formed in January to help C-suites navigate government, has deep wiring into Trump World, Capitol Hill leadership and upper echelons of the Fortune 100. Arthur Schwartz, a Watchtower partner, told me: "Alex is one of the most effective communicators in the Republican Party, and we're thrilled to share his talents with our clients." The Watchtower chairman is House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The CEO is Dan Conston. In addition to Schwartz, other partners are Jeff Miller, Cliff Sims and Brian O. Walsh.

🗞️ Rare newspaper bidding war Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios Hedge fund Alden Global increased its takeover offer for Dallas Morning News publisher DallasNews yesterday to $20 per share, topping a $16.50-per-share proposal from Hearst, Axios Pro Rata author Dan Primack writes. Why it matters: A bidding war for newspapers seems almost as antiquated as print editions (something Alden is pledging to maintain in Dallas). Data: Financial Modeling Prep. Chart: Axios Visuals Hearst in July announced an agreement to buy DallasNews for $14 per share. Alden subsequently submitted an unsolicited, nonbinding $16.50-per-share bid. DallasNews stuck with Hearst, which yesterday increased its own bid to $16.50 per share.

🇮🇱 Israel's costly failure A week after Israel's missile strikes in Qatar, it's clear not only that the assassination attempt against Hamas leaders failed, but that it backfired, Axios' Barak Ravid writes. Why it matters: The strike increased the feeling inside the Trump administration and around the world that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is reckless and has become a destabilizing force in the region. 💡 How it happened: Israel's plan was to take out several of Hamas' top leaders all at once as they met to discuss President Trump's Gaza peace proposal. Five Hamas members were killed, along with a Qatari security officer. But the key targets all survived. The failed attack led to the indefinite suspension of negotiations. Hamas' negotiators went underground, and outraged Qatari mediators suspended their efforts. Keep reading.

💰 Charted: Rich lose confidence Data: Morning Consult. Chart: Axios Visuals The mood among the country's highest earners is souring, Axios' Emily Peck writes from new Morning Consult data. Why it matters: The U.S. economy depends on rich people spending money. Any decline in sentiment could spell trouble ahead. 🧮 By the numbers: Consumer sentiment among those earning $100,000 or more is still in positive territory, but has fallen about 10 points over the past month, according to Morning Consult's index. The research firm measures people's feelings about their own personal finances, business conditions overall and whether a major purchase is a good idea. Keep reading.

Anduril's hot streak Anduril Industries headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. Photo: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images Defense tech upstart Anduril Industries, just eight years old, is scheming to build and fly robo-wingmen for the military, Axios Future of Defense author Colin Demarest writes. The company — based in Orange County, California — was founded by Palmer Luckey, who made billions selling his virtual reality startup to Facebook. 🔭 Zoom in: In the past few weeks, Anduril publicized ... A $1.1 billion deal with Australia for a fleet of its Ghost Shark extra-large autonomous submarines. A $159 million prototyping arrangement for the U.S. Army's Soldier Borne Mission Command effort to build a night vision and mixed reality system. A contract for "conceptual designs" of U.S. Navy drone wingmen that would fly alongside fighter jets. The big picture: Anduril, with headquarters in Costa Mesa, is the 93rd-largest defense contractor in the world when ranked by defense revenue, according to the Defense News Top 100. Now it's muscling into competition with ever bigger players. It was valued at $30 billion+ in June.

🎧 Part 2: Podcasts as center of gravity 5. Don Jr. is a JD guy: Donald Trump Jr., 47, was Vance's biggest cheerleader in the 2024 veepstakes, and there's no reason to believe he won't be behind Vance again come 2028, Jim and Mike continue. Don Jr. and Vance share an inner circle and were both close with Kirk. The Don-Vance ecosystem is more powerful than ever. 6. Family stays deeply involved: The president's son, Eric Trump, 41, has a book coming Oct. 14, "Under Siege: My Family's Fight to Save Our Nation," with a foreword by his dad. Eric Trump is a frequent family messenger on Fox News, and the book will keep him in the conservative conversation. Lara Trump — former RNC co-chair and Eric's wife — has a Saturday night show on Fox News and is likely to remain a MAGA influencer past 2028. 7. Podcasts and podcasters as center of gravity: President Trump's marathon appearances on male-oriented shows made 2024 the first "podcast election." That'll be even more true. Fox News' Greg Gutfeld said on "The Five" while discussing Kirk's death: "The media is dead to us on this story. They built this thing up. We're dealing with it. We are going to act. We don't care what the whataboutism is anymore. That s**t's dead." Alex Bruesewitz, the young Trump adviser who was the architect of the podcast strategy, has become a principal himself — a coveted guest for shows and events. 8. Even more combative MAGA: Vance used his time at the Kirk show's microphone to exhort MAGA supporters to expose liberals "celebrating Charlie's murder." "Call them out — hell, call their employer," Vance said. Vance showed he plans to carry on Trump's legacy of combative politics — and potentially even kick it up a notch. Vance took on liberals aggressively, asserting that "most of the lunatics in American politics today are members of the far left." 🎙️ The bottom line: Susie Wiles sent a clear message about MAGA's future posture during a rare public appearance, speaking on MAGA megaphone Scott Jennings' radio show the day after Kirk was killed. "I called everybody in before they went home last night and said: 'Go home, hug your children, hug your spouse, be careful, take precautions,'" Wiles recalled. "'And don't let your voice get softer. Charlie would want everybody to speak as they had been — and more.'" 📱 Let us know what you think! Just reply to this email, or write to jim@axios.com & mike@axios.com.

GOP future foretold Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios What does a post-Trump Republican Party look like? The past week has given us a clear glimpse of the most likely trajectory, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. Why it matters: As the White House and President Trump's political ecosystem mobilized after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, rising power centers — which we'd been hearing about for some time — were suddenly in plain sight. Here's what to watch, based on our conversations with top White House and MAGA officials, and reporting by Axios' Marc Caputo and Alex Isenstadt: 1. Turning Point-MAGA integration: Look at Monday's appearance by Vice President JD Vance as guest host of a memorial edition of "The Charlie Kirk Show" as an early step in the further meshing of Trump's political operation with Kirk's group. Turning Point USA was the brainchild and reflection of Kirk. His loss is a major personal and political blow to Trump and his political team, which relied on his organization to convert, amp up and turn out young voters. "We have four years to turn Trump voters into Republican voters," a top Trump adviser said. "And a big part of that was Charlie. He was the heart of that. Charlie would want us to carry on with his work. And we're going to." 2. JD as heir apparent: Vance, the GOP's most likely 2028 nominee, is expected to leverage his star power by crisscrossing the country ahead of next year's midterms — a platform in which he'll cast himself as a warrior against the left. Vance, 41, is building his political network as finance chair of the Republican National Committee, putting him in the room with top donors and state power brokers nationwide. 3. Marco Rubio as potential V.P.: Rubio, 54, is the most powerful secretary of state since Henry Kissinger — who, like Rubio, simultaneously served as national security adviser. After the slaying of Kirk, Rubio flexed his ministerial muscle by announcing he'll revoke the visa of any immigrant who mocks or celebrates Kirk's death. Moves like that, Rubio's mammoth policy portfolio, his sense of humor and his depth of both governmental and football knowledge (he's a Miami Dolphins fan) have made him a favorite of Trump's, and a constant presence in the West Wing. Trump sometimes likes to muse about Rubio or Vance or both running for president to succeed him. It's hard to see them running against each other right now: They're friends from the Senate, as are their staffs. But Rubio ran once before, in a brutal 2016 contest against Trump. So don't count it out. He could just as well bide his time and strike a deal with Vance and become his vice-presidential running mate. No one knows. "The question is: Does Marco run, and what does that look like?" said one person close to Rubio. "I don't know. No one knows. We're not sure if Marco knows. And anyone who says they know is lying." 4. Susie Wiles keeps running the show: Vance has told others he'd like her to manage his campaign, as she did Trump's with Chris LaCivita. If there's a Vance-Rubio ticket, instead of a fight, it probably gets her a lot closer to yes. Wiles has made it clear that her future in the White House, and what comes after Trump's term, is up to the president. So whether she stays past the midterms is firmly in the hands of the most mercurial mind in Washington. If she left, the favorites to succeed her are two White House deputy chiefs of staff, Stephen Miller and James Blair. ⬇️ Column continues below.

> Suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder appears virtually in court, is charged with aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and other counts (More) | FBI Director Kash Patel discusses Kirk shooting, Jeffrey Epstein case before Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday; hearing before House committee is today (More) > President Donald Trump files $15B defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, Penguin Random House over articles in the lead-up to the 2024 election, which Trump says were intended to harm his reputation, candidacy (More) > New York judge tosses state terrorism charges against man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson (More)

> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow -0.3%, Nasdaq -0.1%) as traders wait for Federal Reserve's interest rate decision today (More) > President Donald Trump extends deadline to Dec. 16 for TikTok’s Chinese parent, ByteDance, to divest the platform's US operations and avoid nationwide ban (More) > Microsoft to invest $30B in AI infrastructure, operations in the UK through 2028 as part of plans to build the country’s largest supercomputer (More)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Divers have recovered artifacts from the Titanic’s sister ship, the Britannic, for the first time since the ocean liner sank in the Aegean Sea more than a century ago after striking a mine during World War I. https://apnews.com/article/britannic-titanic-shipwreck-recovery-9a525f9831bc0d67c1c9604cc7155765?

Salt can turn frozen water into a weak power source Salt, ice and some oomph — these three simple ingredients are all that’s needed to make waste-free electricity, researchers report September 15 in Nature Materials. Straining a single cone-shaped piece of ice that’s slightly smaller than a black peppercorn and 25 percent salt by weight can output about 1 millivolt, while an array of 2,000 cones could produce 2 volts, or enough electrical potential to power a small red LED. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/saltwater-power-source?

OpenAI to launch ChatGPT for teens with parental controls as company faces scrutiny over safety OpenAI on Tuesday announced it will launch a dedicated ChatGPT experience with parental controls for users under 18 years old as the artificial intelligence company works to enhance safety protections for teenagers. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/16/openai-chatgpt-teens-parent.html?

The Mississippi River was once five miles wide and whales swam up to it from the Gulf of Mexico. The remains of these whales have been found in Michigan. James

🏛️ Parting shot! Photo: Jillian Katterhagen A stunning photo of the National Mall and the Washington Monument, snapped by reader Jillian Katterhagen, while meeting her fiancé for a picnic dinner on the Mall after work.

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios It's not just your grandma's hobby: sewing and clothing repair are catching on with younger generations, Natalie Daher writes. Case in point: At a New York City sewing center, people are picking up needle and thread to embroider, alter and make items like tote bags, skirts and pants from scratch, The New York Times' Alisha Haridasani Gupta reports. "[A] craving for crafts and community across all ages has driven a resurgence in interest in old-fashioned, hands-on skills like crocheting, knitting and embroidery." 👗 The big picture: Sewing's comeback is part of a larger trend. Many young people are embracing DIY projects and thrifting to combat fast fashion and textile waste. About a third of clothing purchases in the U.S. last year were secondhand, a Capitol One report found. Sewing in particular has grown in popularity as a way to extend the lifespan of clothes and to add personal flair — whether through a fabric patch or embroidered design — to turn everyday garments into one-of-a-kind pieces. By the numbers: There are 30 million sewists in the U.S., many of whom are teens and tweens, AP reported earlier this year citing Customcy data. Many of them are learning how to sew on TikTok, YouTube and Reddit, where online tutorials and forums offer endless advice from experienced sewers. ✂️ Natalie's tip: Don't underestimate the challenge of cutting and pinning fabric or even threading a machine. I wasn't exactly a natural when I took beginner sewing classes last year in D.C., but now I own a tote bag nobody else has. I recommend fashion journalist Emilia Petrarca's Shop Rat newsletter. Petrarca publishes an annual Repair Month series with tips for saving your most beloved garments.

Isn’t he also in a band called “Phish”? It looks like him.

I remember that show. I thought it was really slow as drama, but I also read her books on algebra later.