Good morning. In this edition:

• ⛽ Low Labor Day gas prices
• 🕸️ Spiders who keep prisoners
• 🌧️ Monsoon season

…and much more.

Ready, Set, Go: Today’s news should be a ~3.85-minute read (1,025 words).

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P.S.: We’ll be off on Monday for Labor Day. See you back here Tuesday!

"Being happy never goes out of style."

–Lilly Pulitzer (1931-2013)

Nearly three weeks after President Trump first ordered an increased federal law enforcement presence in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser has changed her view on the crime crackdown.

Bowser, who earlier this month called federalizing DC's police force an "authoritarian push" by Trump, held a press conference on Wednesday in which she applauded much of the President’s recent actions.

• She cited statistics that show a 15% overall decrease in crime in DC during the 20 days since the federal takeover compared to the same period a year ago.
• This includes a 45% decrease in violent crime as a whole, thanks to major reductions in robberies (-42%), assaults with a deadly weapon (-13%), carjacking (-85%), and car theft (-24%).

Bowser also cautioned that not every tactic has been successful, criticizing both the use of masked ICE agents in DC neighborhoods and the inefficiency of relying on out-of-state National Guard troops.

Many Americans echo her sentiments

Crime is now a relative strength for President Trump, according to an AP-NORC poll published Wednesday, which found 53% of US adults approve of how Trump is handling crime. That’s higher than his overall job approval, as well as approval of how Trump has handled other issues like immigration and the economy.

• The poll also found 66% of Americans think crime is a major problem in the country overall, and 81% say it’s a major problem in large cities.
• On the flip side, far fewer people say crime is a major problem in small towns or rural areas (20%), or in their own community (24%).

There’s also a clear red line for the public. While 55% of Americans think it’s acceptable for the US military and National Guard to assist local police in large cities, only 32% say they support the federal government taking control of major city police departments.

Looking ahead…President Trump has repeatedly suggested he may deploy troops to other major US cities like Chicago or New York City. Legal experts say Trump likely can’t deploy federal troops for law enforcement or take over local police departments—outside of DC—without state approval, or a declared federal emergency.

📊 Flash poll: In general, do you support or oppose President Trump’s handling of crime so far in his second term?

• Support
• Oppose
• Unsure/other

These aren’t trips built for crowds—they’re experiences you’ll remember forever. Modern Adventure pairs small, intimate groups with cultural icons:

• Cook alongside Michelin-starred chefs
• Explore private workshops with master artisans and see crafts come to life
• Share meals in local homes with traditional recipes
• Taste wine where it’s made in local vineyards

Every journey immerses you in local culture, sparks lasting connections, and leaves you with stories to treasure.

Here are five stats from this past week that made our team go “whoa.” Hopefully you will, too.

⛽ The national average gas price is projected to be $3.15/gallon over the weekend, which would represent the lowest Labor Day price at the pump since 2020.

🎰 Gambling logos and adverts were displayed an average of once every ~17 seconds during this year’s Stanley Cup finals broadcast, while the NBA Finals saw a rate of one every ~4 minutes, per a new study.

🤖 Companies will spend $375 billion globally on AI infrastructure this year, and a projected $500 billion next year, per investment bank UBS.

🪖 There were 1.3 million active-duty troops across the major branches of the US military last year—the lowest level in at least 70 years, and down from a peak of ~3.5 million during the Vietnam War in 1968.

🛍️ US retailers lost ~$890 billion from returns last year, up from ~$300 billion in 2019, according to the National Retail Federation.

BUSINESS & MARKETS

• 🏦 Fed Gov. Lisa Cook sues to block President Trump from firing her; judge sets hearing for this morning. (Dive deeper: Trump tries to fire Fed governor over mortgage fraud)
• 🚆 Amtrak debuts NextGen Acela trains that now run between Washington, DC, and Boston, with a top speed of 160 mph.
• 🏢 US economy grew at an annual rate of 3.3% in Q2, higher than the initial 3.0% estimate from late July, per new Commerce Department data. | Nike to lay off less than 1% of corporate staff amid a growth-focused realignment.

SPORTS, MEDIA & ENTERTAINMENT

in partnership with MorningSave

• 🏈 College football Week 1 kicked off last night and continues through the weekend, with three top-10 matchups across Saturday and Sunday. | Dallas Cowboys trade star DE Micah Parsons to Green Bay Packers for two first-round picks and DL Kenny Clark; Parsons also signs four-year, $188 million deal with Green Bay, making him the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.
• 🪩 Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend is out today. | Ariana Grande announces a global tour of latest album Eternal Sunshine; it marks her first tour in seven years.
• 🚀 Star Wars: Starfighter, starring Ryan Gosling, begins production in the UK. | Love Island USA winners Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales announce break-up one month after the finale.

*From our partners: 🍞 Cuisinart Custom Select 2-Slice Toaster for $24.99… Seven shade settings to customize browning, plus defrost, reheat, and bagel controls. Save $45 here (reg. $70) and find more great deals at MorningSave.

SCIENCE, SPACE & EMERGING TECH

• 🕸️ Some nocturnal spiders capture fireflies and intentionally keep them as prisoners so their lights attract more prey, according to new study.
• 🐍 Florida researchers recently deployed ~120 robot rabbits to use as lures in an experiment aimed at eliminating invasive Burmese pythons from the Everglades.
• 🦕 Newly discovered dinosaur species, called Spicomellus afer, had three-foot-long spikes sticking out from its neck, per Nature study.

US, WORLD & POLITICS

• 🏛️ White House names Jim O'Neill, a top deputy of HHS Secretary RFK Jr., to serve as acting CDC director after firing Susan Monarez on Wednesday; Monarez’s brief resistance to her firing ended after the White House confirmed the move. | President Trump fires Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus, a Democrat appointed by Trump in 2020; firing comes as STB is reviewing a proposed $85 billion Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger.
• 📝 Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence, reportedly surprised the CIA last week when she included an undercover officer on a public roster of 37 current/former officials she stripped of security clearances.
• 🇮🇷 France, Germany, and the UK begin 30-day process to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program.

☝️ Monsoon season arrived in the Southwest US this week, unleashing powerful storms across Arizona, Nevada, and SoCal. In Phoenix, a Dune-worthy dust wall called a “haboob” rolled in on Monday, enveloping the city in darkness and briefly grounding flights at Sky Harbor International Airport.

🤔 Did you know? Basement bowling alleys used to be a fixture in many US churches, giving communities a place to gather outside of Sunday service. Some were even built as a loophole around liquor laws, letting men serve beer on Sunday mornings before noon.

📰 Worth a read: ‘Third places’ are being reimagined—and welcoming travelers in the process

🖱️ Clickbait: AI says these are the catchiest songs of all time

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How well did you pay attention this week? Find out here.

🤖 A sym-bionic relationship: Hyundai’s newest auto plant in Georgia is a high-tech balance of human and machine.

🍿 Watch: How legendary director/filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock changed cinema forever.

⌨️ Find your type: Monkeytype is a minimalistic, customizable typing test.

1. I am a two-digit number. My digits add up to 9. I’m divisible by 9. What number am I?
2. What is the only even prime number?
3. What is the only number that can’t be written in Roman numerals?

🐾 Corgis took over Lithuania this week, as 120 teams from around Europe convened for the fifth annual Corgi Race. The pint-sized sprinters weren't done after the finish line—competitors swapped their racing stripes for tutus, capes, and crowns in a costume contest that could short-circuit the cute-o-meter.

1. There are nine correct options: 18, 27, 36, 45, 54, 63, 72, 81, or 90
2. 2
3. 0