Good morning, it's Friday, Sept. 11. It's been 25 years since the 9/11 attacks. First time reading? Join millions of insatiably curious readers. Sign up here.
Also in today's Digest: the hottest recorded month (Need To Know), AI models used for weapons development (Sci. & Tech.), Jimmy Kimmel alleging FCC threats (Sports, Ent., & Cult.), Houthi rebels seize a key port (Pol. & World Affairs), hungry Venus (Etc.), and much more.
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The American flag is flying at half-staff today as the US recognizes the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
The day remains the deadliest terrorist attack in modern history. In total, 2,977 people were directly killed—2,606 in the World Trade Center, 246 across four hijacked planes, and 125 at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Tens of thousands more were injured in the aftermath or suffer from long-term illnesses caused by the debris (read Wednesday’s write-up).
The attacks were the catalyst for protracted wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Over 7,000 US military personnel were killed, and another 53,560 were wounded across both missions. Today’s anniversary comes five years after the Taliban, which harbored al-Qaida, regained control of Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US and NATO troops in 2021. See how Afghanistan has changed here.
Roughly 83% of Americans born before 2001 say they remember exactly where they were or what they were doing when they learned of the attacks. But over a quarter of the US population was born after 9/11. See how your state teaches the history in school here.
See also how the attacks unfolded via news reports and eyewitness footage (warning—sensitive). |
August was the joint-hottest month ever recorded globally, tying July 2023, according to data released by the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. Explore the data here.
Combined global air and sea surface temperatures averaged 62.53 degrees Fahrenheit (16.96 degrees Celsius), nearly 3 degrees (1.65 C) above preindustrial levels. That exceeds the 1.5 C warming threshold set by the 2015 Paris climate agreement, though the target refers to long-term averages rather than a single month. Copernicus attributed the heat primarily to greenhouse gas emissions, compounded by a supersized El Niño warming the Pacific. Western Europe and the contiguous US both recorded their hottest summers, and the eight hottest months on record have all occurred since July 2023. Watch how El Niño shapes global climate.
August is typically cooler globally than July—a reversal that has occurred only four other times since 1940. See how much climate change influences daily temperatures in your city. |
A rematch of Super Bowl LX and an unprecedented Australian matchup marked the beginning of the 2026-27 NFL season, with 13 games to follow Sunday. This season’s first “Monday Night Football” matchup features the Denver Broncos taking on the Kansas City Chiefs (see full schedule).
Defending champion Seattle Seahawks rallied around backup QB Drew Lock to secure a 13-10 comeback win over the New England Patriots on Wednesday despite losing starter Sam Darnold to a hip injury. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers traveled to Melbourne for the NFL’s first Aussie appearance yesterday, which drew 100,000 fans. The 49ers won 27-7. Early division rivalry clashes highlight Sunday’s schedule, including NFC North foes Minnesota and Green Bay facing off (4:25 pm ET, CBS).
Off the field, a recent study found chronic traumatic encephalopathy affected at least one in four former NFL players who died from 2016 to 2021 (see previous write-up). |
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🫶 Humankind: Dolly Parton inspires a couple to donate half their roughly $155M lottery prize to charity. |
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Sports, Entertainment, & Culture |
> Jimmy Kimmel will not air his interview with Texas’ Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico, accusing the Federal Communications Commission of threatening his show; the White House denies the allegations (More) |
> Elena Rybakina defeats Coco Gauff to earn place in US Open final, will face Aryna Sabalenka tomorrow at 4 pm ET; Rybakina ended Sabalenka's 99-week reign as world's No. 1-ranked tennis player this week (More) |
> "Oh, Mary!", the Tony Award-winning Broadway and West End comedy created by Cole Escola, will debut on HBO in 2027 (More) | Watch the teaser featuring Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon (More via YouTube) |
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> Anthropic says it has blocked several possible attempts to use its AI models to create biological weapons, as well as six efforts to use AI for conventional weapons design in China, Russia, and Yemen (More) | Read the 154-page report (More) |
> Mercury is shrinking up to 30% faster than previously estimated as its hot iron core cools and contracts (More) | How big are all the planets in our solar system? (More, w/to-scale image) |
> Paleontologists discover well-preserved fossil feathers in dinosaur feces that resemble those of living birds, possibly offering clues to why some birds survived mass extinction 66 million years ago (More) |
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> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.6%, Dow -0.6%, Nasdaq -0.7%) as oil prices again top $100 per barrel, pushing 10-year Treasury yield to its highest mark since at least October 2023 (More) |
> US wholesale prices rose to 5.4% in August, a 0.4% increase from July, producer price index suggests; today's consumer price index report comes ahead of the Federal Reserve's meeting next week (More, w/graph) |
> European Central Bank raises interest rates for the second time this year, bumping deposit facility rate up to 2.5% in response to surging energy costs (More) | 30-year mortgage average rate exceeds 7% for the first time since May 2025 (More) |
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> Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seize Red Sea port city of Mokha from government forces, signaling a potential return to full-scale civil war after 2022 ceasefire (More) | See map showing how waterway access impacts oil routes (More) |
> Supreme Court again blocks Missouri's newly drawn congressional map favoring Republicans; voters will use 2022 maps, with November ballots different from August primary (More) | Which states have updated maps? (More) |
> Algeria cuts diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates after previously accusing Abu Dhabi of destabilizing actions in Libya, Mali, and Sudan (More) |
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> Voices from Ground Zero
StoryCorps | Staff. Constance watched a plane hit the north tower from her 99th-floor south tower office, and John recalls losing both his first responder sons. Their stories are among many captured in a recording booth near Ground Zero. (Listen) |
> 'Don't Sit on the Sidelines'
The Atlantic | Sally Jenkins. Kevin Dowdell spent his life heroically running toward fires. After he died responding to 9/11, his two sons spent months searching the rubble for his remains and found their own ways to carry his legacy forward. (Read) |
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Clickbait: Did Venus eat its own moon?
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Historybook: College football coach Bear Bryant born (1913); Chilean President Salvador Allende dies by suicide in midst of coup d'état (1973); Pete Rose breaks baseball’s all-time hits record (1985); Coordinated terrorist attacks in the US kill 2,977, injure over 6,000 others (2001); US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, attacked, resulting in death of four Americans (2012).
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"September 11, 2001, revealed heroism in ordinary people who might have gone through their lives never called upon to demonstrate the extent of their courage." |
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