Today's Headlines: Deportees Recount Harrowing Journeys to Africa: Shackles, a ‘Freezer’ and Blows
Why the United States Can’t Win Its Wars
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The New York Times
Today's Headlines
August 31, 2026, 4:30 a.m. Eastern time

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Deportees Recount Harrowing Journeys to Africa: Shackles, a ‘Freezer’ and Blows

Ten deportees said they experienced or witnessed what they called abusive or violent treatment by ICE. They spent months in detention, they said, before being sent to nations where they had no ties.

Why the United States Can’t Quit Its Wars

The country’s longest war came to an end exactly five years ago. Today it offers lessons for policymakers seeking to avoid an endless war in Iran.

Nepal Turns to Mass Burials, as Thousands Remain Missing from Floods

Only a fraction of the over 4,200 missing in Nepal are turning up among the dead, underscoring a bleak reality: The death toll is likely to keep rising for days to come.

World

Hunt Underway After Deadly Shooting at Swiss Rave

One reveler was killed and five were injured early Sunday at a dance party at a horseracing track in Switzerland’s north.

Google Maps Changes Lake Ontario to Lake America

Users in the United States will see the new label, following President Trump’s executive order last week.

U.A.E. to Review Egyptian Bank as Part of U.S. Sanctions on Iran

The Treasury Department accused Banque Misr’s branches in the United Arab Emirates of helping Iran. The Emirati central bank promised an examination.

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U.S.

One Dead and 15 May Be Missing at the Grand Canyon After Flash Flood

At least 62 people were evacuated on Saturday after flooding destroyed footbridges and damaged a campground and cabins near Bright Angel Creek in Arizona, the National Park Service said.

More Than 22,000 Ancient Artifacts Seized in Florida

The items include Egyptian statues and ancient Greek and Roman coins that date back 1,000 to 5,000 years, officials said.

Dolly Parton and the ‘Pretty Darn Good’ Southern Church

For many Americans, Ms. Parton represented an idealized style of faith: one centered in small rural congregations that prize community over ideology.

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Politics

This Governor Could Lose His Primary. A Bridge May Be to Blame.

The closure of a crucial Rhode Island bridge for safety reasons in 2023, and the traffic nightmare that followed, have dogged Gov. Dan McKee in the Democratic primary.

Postal Service Rule Could Bar Millions From Voting by Mail

A judge temporarily blocked the agency from implementing a strict new rule governing mail voting. The policy could disproportionately affect Democrats and many battleground elections.

Trump Says Venezuelan Oil Will Refill U.S. Stockpiles, but It’s Not So Simple

New projects can take years to produce meaningful amounts of oil, and that’s especially true in Venezuela, where infrastructure is in disrepair.

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Business

Dear Borrower, Someone Might Be Stealing Your Home, No Big Deal

A letter arrived in the mail from PNC Bank about an address change on a mortgage account. Was a deed theft scheme in process?

The Case of the Truly Incorrigible Cubicle Yakker

Plus: Is it normal to video-interview for a job while the hiring panel’s cameras are all off?

Help Wanted: ‘Forward-Deployed’ Humans for the A.I. Era

Start-ups are using the military-derived term to glorify customer-facing work as clients seek people to help set up artificial intelligence tools.

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New York

New York Is Relying on Office Conversions to Address Its Housing Crisis

A New York Times analysis shows that the pace of office-to-residential conversions like the former Pfizer building, where two steel columns buckled in July, has quickened sharply.

People Keep Sneaking Into New York City Sewers. No One Knows Why.

A recent spate of subterranean exploring has piqued the curiosity of New Yorkers — and concerned officials who warn of danger underground.

Is the U.S. Open More Valuable to New York Than the Knicks?

It’s complicated. But the answer is: Maybe.

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Arts

In Parton’s 60-Year Marriage, Love Fueled by Distance and Difference

Dolly Parton met Carl Dean outside a Nashville laundromat in 1964. For decades, she was as protective of her marriage as he was fiercely private.

‘Lanterns’ Season 1, Episode 3 Recap: Parents and Guardians

This week offered an in-depth look at how John Stewart got to be next in line to wear the Green Lantern ring. It wasn’t an easy road.

For the Venice Film Festival, an Island Setting for Almost a Century

Once a year, the tiny island of Lido is transformed into a rich field of artistic expression for the festival.

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Books

How Marlon James Confronted ‘the Story I Was Not Allowed to Live’

With “The Disappearers,” the Booker Prize-winning author has written his most personal novel yet.

This Masterpiece Is the Novel of the Decade, if Not the Century

Marlon James’s story of gay experience and murderous homophobia in Jamaica is a maximalist’s banquet — and the Booker Prize winner’s finest book yet.