Today's Headlines: U.S. Economy Could Feel the Sting From Trade War With Canada
Why Polling Chaos Could Create Big Problems for American Politics
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines
August 23, 2026, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time

Top News

U.S. Economy Could Feel the Sting From Trade War With Canada

A tit-for-tat trade fight between the two allies could create new headaches for consumers and businesses already stung by high prices.

Why Polling Chaos Could Create Big Problems for American Politics

Bad polls. Misleading betting odds. Surveys meant to shape narratives. Ahead of the midterms and 2028, there is suddenly serious confusion about candidate strength and voter sentiment.

How a Billionaire Shaped Trump’s Homelessness Policy

As Republicans have embraced tough measures to clear the streets, no group has led the way more than the Cicero Institute, founded by the venture capitalist Joe Lonsdale.

World

‘Attacked’ by Trump on Trade, Canada Is ‘at War’ With U.S., Carney Says

Prime Minister Mark Carney gave a powerful speech to Canadians on Saturday morning, hours after ordering negotiators to suspend U.S. trade talks despite President Trump’s punishing tariffs.

Close and Loving, or Oppressive? A Novelist Takes Aim at Italian Families.

Many Italians see themselves in Andrea Bajani’s latest novel, a portrayal of the family as a “little totalitarian system” shaped by psychological and physical violence.

How Two British Historians Made a Smash Hit Podcast

They took on topics as diverse as fall of the Aztecs, the French Revolution, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and history’s greatest monkeys. The rest is history.

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U.S.

‘It’s Been Terrible’: Thousands in Indiana Remain Without Power

Gov. Mike Braun called on the local utility to “match the urgency” of Gary area residents who have had to endure an outage approaching its second week.

For Some in a Disrupted D.C., Grand Prix Is More Irritation Than Celebration

Race preparations have snarled traffic, rerouted flights and forced the National Gallery of Art to conduct vibration tests.

Harry and Meghan See Their California Dreams, and Riches, Fade Away

Like so many others before them, Prince Harry and Meghan arrived in Hollywood with big plans. They are leaving with their star power fading.

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Politics

How a Progressive Democrat in Florida Gave Her Party New Hope — and New Fears

Angie Nixon, a state lawmaker from Jacksonville, shocked Democrats in red Florida by soundly defeating her centrist primary opponent. Now comes the hard part.

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Business

Trump’s Top Trade Representative Details Offer That Canada Rejected

In an interview, Jamieson Greer, President’s Trump’s trade representative, laid out details of what the United States offered to Canada before talks crumbled.

Paramount and California to Hold Preliminary Talks on Warner Bros. Deal

The discussions on Monday are an early effort to resolve a lawsuit that California and 11 other states filed to block Paramount’s $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

The Economy Got Used to Low Borrowing Costs. Their Exit Could Pose Risks.

After roughly two decades of ultralow interest rates, a period of rapid readjustment is ahead for the United States, the world’s largest economy and most important financial system.

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Technology

Sick of Constant Pings, They’re Sending Texts at the Speed of Carrier Pigeon

Apps that let users send digital messages at ultraslow speeds have taken off, with users reveling in a slower pace of life. (Just don’t use the them to make dinner plans.)

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New York

The Socialist, a Million-Dollar Rowhouse and Unanswered Questions

Differing accounts of where Gustavo Gordillo, a leader of the Democratic Socialists of America, lives are raising doubts about whether the city’s left-wing organizers are ready for prime time.

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Arts

Tupac Shakur Murder Trial: 5 Takeaways From Week 1

The jury heard from more than a dozen witnesses, including detectives and former gang members. The suspect, Duane Davis, addressed the judge directly.

10 Songs We’re Talking About

Jorja Smith offers a loaded invitation, Rapsody explores Africa and the cosmos, and Carly Simon returns with her first single in decades.

Tiffany, ’80s Pop Star, Is Busy Reinventing Herself

Best known for her hit song “I Think We’re Alone Now,” she is making her Off Broadway debut in “Spandex the Musical.”

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Books

These Ghosts Absolutely Love Gossip

In “The Great Wherever,” generations of spirits watch as their descendants debate whether or not to sell their ancestral home.

How Do You Stay in a Dysfunctional Family? How Do You Leave?

“The Anniversary,” a novel by the Italian novelist Andrea Bajani, examines a marriage ravaged by abuse and malice.

Fantastic New Detective Novels Worth Investigating

Our columnist on four of the month’s best releases.

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Science

Mapping America’s Largest ‘Dead Zone’

In a decades-long crisis, marine life has suffered as oxygen periodically dwindles in waters along the Gulf Coast.