Your Thursday Evening Briefing

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SEPTEMBER 5, 2019

Your Thursday Evening Briefing

By remy tumin and marcus payadue

Good evening. Here's the latest.

Eric Thayer for The New York Times

1. The death count in the Bahamas "could be staggering."

The authorities warn that the actual number of dead from Hurricane Dorian may be much higher than the 23 they've counted so far.

We talked to a blind father who waded to safety with his 24-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy and can't walk, on his shoulders.

Dorian, now a Category 2 storm, is hitting the Carolinas with flooding, strong winds and tornadoes. Above, Myrtle Beach, S.C. We're tracking the storm here.

The U.S.'s disaster recovery apparatus was overwhelmed even before Dorian, experts say. The Trump administration is sitting on tens of billions of dollars in unspent disaster recovery funds.

Pool photo by Ng Han Guan/EPA, via Shutterstock

2. Trade talks between the U.S. and China will resume in early October, officials announced.

Stocks around the world rose on the news.

How the talks — which would be the 13th round — will begin is anyone's guess. Above, negotiators in July.

As scheduled, they'll take place after new American tariffs kick in, which could make it difficult for the two sides to reach a deal.

Pool photo by Peter Summers

3. With a bill stopping a no-deal exit from the E.U. on its way to becoming law, the British Parliament pivoted to the next big question: general elections.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to call for a snap election but was essentially blocked by an opposition split not over whether to hold the vote, but when. The bill is now with the House of Lords, which is expected to approve it by Friday evening. The bill could get a final signoff from the queen on Monday.

At 10 Downing Street, Vice President Mike Pence reiterated the Trump administration's support for Brexit and again dangled a trade deal. The prime minister appeared gratified but wary.

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

4. A jury in Oakland, Calif., acquitted one man and could not reach a decision on a second man's role in the 2016 warehouse fire that killed 36 people.

The two men on trial were Derick Almena, 49, the master tenant and leaseholder at the Ghost Ship warehouse, and Max Harris, 29, described by prosecutors as Mr. Almena's right-hand in managing the warehouse turned ramshackle artist collective. They each faced a maximum of 39 years in prison.

Mr. Harris was acquitted, but the jury could not reach a decision on Mr. Almena. Many of the residents were living there in violation of zoning laws. The fire resulted in one of the deadliest structural fires in recent American history.

Mariah Tiffany/Viking, via Associated Press

5. Michigan State University was fined a record $4.5 million for failing to protect students from sexual abuse by Larry Nassar.

The fine is part of a settlement with the Education Department, which initiated two investigations into the university's handling of abuse allegations against Mr. Nassar, a former doctor for the American women's gymnastics team, who held several positions at the university.

Separately, after her Stanford University sexual assault case prompted public outrage, Chanel Miller, above, is leaving her anonymity behind in her new memoir. Her victim statement was read by millions.

Sarah Rice for ProPublica

6. This was in our Morning Briefing, but in case you missed it: Amazon's growing fleet of contract delivery drivers comes at a cost.

Amazon directs the drivers' destinations, deadlines and routes, but when they crash, the retail giant often escapes responsibility, a joint investigation by The Times and ProPublica found. An infant, above, died in January after a driver delivering for Amazon rear-ended her mother's car.

In other tech news, WeWork's parent company is facing investor skepticism before its I.P.O. and may reduce its valuation by billions of dollars.

Demetrius Freeman for The New York Times

7. The U.S. Open women's finals matchup will be settled tonight.

In the semifinals, Serena Williams plays Elina Svitolina at 7 p.m. Eastern, followed by the teenage prodigy Bianca Andreescu, above, against the former teenage prodigy Belinda Bencic. The men's semifinal matches are Friday night.

And as tennis winds down, football is ratcheting up. The Packers and the Bears — the N.F.L.'s most bitter and longstanding rivals — open the league's 100th season. Here's a look at the season ahead.

Dario Cantatore/Invision, via Associated Press

8. Five years, 28 people, one song: No one writes quite like Bon Iver.

Justin Vernon, above, has gone from a lone folk crooner to the leader of an experimental collective. See how he and his friends cracked "iMi," one of their most ambitious and important tracks yet, in our latest "Diary of a Song."

Brittany Howard, the Alabama Shakes' frontwoman, is also breaking new ground as she goes solo on an album that is totally, gloriously about — and for — herself, our music critic writes.

NBC

9. Twenty-five years ago this fall, six 20-somethings walked into a coffee shop on a Hollywood set. TV was never the same.

And we still can't stop watching "Friends." Wesley Morris explains how the show, with one of the best casts in history, makes excellent comedy look easy. It's "funnier, dirtier and more audacious" than we remember, he writes.

But here's why you shouldn't expect a reboot anytime soon.

The best friend? One writer argues that quirky Phoebe Buffay was the most grounded member of the sixsome all along.

Regis Duvignau/Reuters

10. And finally, the most famous rooster in France can continue to crow.

The rooster and his owner, who live on a resort island, had been sued by a retired couple who claimed that his crowing wrecked their holidays. Maurice, a judge found, had a right to crow.

"This rooster was not being unbearable," the rooster's lawyer said. "He was just being himself."

Hope you find some peace and quiet tonight.

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