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Good morning. In honor of the upcoming long weekend for many readers, we present the definitive rankings of each day in the 3-day weekend: Sunday: Nothing is better than a Sunday without the scaries. Saturday: It’s like Friday, but without work. Monday: Never going to complain about an extra day off, but it does mess with your internal clock. A classic laundry day. Agree? Great.  —Neal Freyman, Sherry Qin, Matty Merritt

MARKETS Nasdaq 15,331.18 +0.14% S&P 4,536.95 +0.28% Dow 35,443.82 +0.37% Bitcoin $49,562.75 +2.43% 10-Year 1.289% -1.0 bps Spotify $254.03 +6.57% *Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 5:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. Markets: A report showing the lowest number of jobless claims since the pandemic began helped boost the S&P and the Nasdaq to record highs. Spotify stock benefitted from Apple’s loosening of its App Store rules. Economy: It’s jobs report day . Economists expect job growth to have slowed down from the previous two months, but still to come in at a solid 725,000 jobs added in August.

INFRASTRUCTURE US Flunks Climate Prep 101 Spencer Platt/Getty Images A week of wild weather is putting more pressure on US lawmakers to upgrade the country’s infrastructure so that our future commutes don’t require a canoe. Hurricane Ida left 1 million Louisiana households and businesses without power earlier in the week, then on Wednesday dumped its leftovers on the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. At least 43 people were killed by Ida’s remnants, which brought record rainfall and flooding to the region.  To get a sense of how much water fell on NYC Wednesday night: In one hour, the city received nearly as much rain (3.15 inches) as Chicago typically gets in the entire month of September. Among the wild scenes: a swollen river in Philly, a baseball field underwater, and a guy smoking hookah while floating down an alley. It’s a wake-up call Climate change is causing once-infrequent extreme weather events to become more common, according to the IPCC’s major report from last month. But the US’ current infrastructure doesn’t appear to be up to the challenge. Massive amounts of water rushed into some NYC subway stations on Wednesday—the third time the city’s subways have flooded this summer alone. Service was suspended and was slowly resuming by yesterday afternoon.  Meanwhile, in Louisiana, the extensive power outages caused by Ida have sparked criticism of the state’s electric grid, most of which dates back to the ’50s and ’60s.   And we haven’t even mentioned the fires blazing out West, which are also exposing the weaknesses of California’s grid. Isn’t there an infrastructure bill in the works? Yep, a bipartisan plan passed the Senate this summer. It contains $46 billion for building resilience against disasters, and advocates say the bill is crucial to beef up the US’ climate defenses. For evidence that government spending can meaningfully help avoid catastrophe, they point to the $14.5 billion hurricane defense system built around New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The new levees successfully fended off the worst of Ida on Sunday.  Looking ahead...the House plans to vote on the infrastructure bill by September 27, though both Republicans and progressive Democrats, for very different reasons, have objections to it that could slow the process down. – NF

ENTERTAINMENT China Stonewalls Marvel

Marvel Marvel is introducing its first Asian superhero to its cinematic universe today. But while Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is debuting in US theaters, the movie that Marvel expects to resonate most with Chinese viewers...may not be released in China at all.  What happened: All foreign movies face censorship when entering the Chinese market, and Marvel has edited previous movies to comply with the rules there. But Shang-Chi, which Chinese authorities have blocked from appearing in theaters thus far, is facing backlash in China over a character in the comic books called Dr. Fu Manchu, Shang-Chi's father and an embodiment of popular anti-Asian stereotypes. “Fu Manchu is not in this movie, is not Shang-Chi’s father, and again, is not even a Marvel character, and hasn’t been for decades,” Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige argued. Marvel replaced the character with Iron Man’s archenemy, the Mandarin.  Feige is frustrated because lots of $$$ is being left on the table in China. China was the second-largest box office in the world before the pandemic, and Chinese moviegoers are big Marvel fans: 22% of ticket sales for 2019’s Avengers: Endgame came from China. Bottom line: Shang-Chi isn’t the only upcoming Marvel film having trouble getting past the bouncer in China. Spider-Man: No Way Home and Eternals also don’t have Chinese release dates yet. – SQ

LABOR Snacks Won't Cross Picket Lines Mondelez Thanks to a heated labor battle, the Triscuit supply could run drier than the actual cracker. Grocery stores are stocking up on Nabisco treats because of a production slowdown at bakeries and distribution facilities around the country. Why is production slowing down? On August 10, about 200 employees at a Nabisco bakery in Oregon put down whatever makes Ritz crackers so buttery and went on strike. Since then, workers in four other states have joined them. What do they want? Workers want their pensions back after the company switched to a 401(k) plan in 2018. They’re also angry about a July proposal from Mondelez International, Nabisco’s parent company, that would increase shift length but cut overtime pay.  Employees have also expressed concerns about the company’s outsourcing of work to Mexico after two recent factory closures in the US. Mondelez has denied those claims and said that, while it is moving some workers to 12-hour shifts to handle the recent spike in demand, employees are well compensated. Zoom out: Workers have been gaining leverage in a labor market where qualified employees are hard to find. This Nabisco standoff will test the limits of that resurgent power. – MM

SPONSORED BY DOLLAR FLIGHT CLUB Spend $1 Today, Save Up to $2k on Your Next Vacay You deserve a vacation that feels like vacation this year. We’re talkin’ round trip in Business Class to London from $839 or Barcelona from $1,087. Economy Class to Cabo from $151, or Greece from $259 roundtrip. Best of all, you can try Dollar Flight Club for just $1 when you sign up in the next 12 hours. Trip planning never felt so easy: Just sign up for $1 Set your departure airport Wait for the deal alerts to roll in Before you know it, you’ll be spending less on your ticket to Switzerland, and a little more on schnapps, fondue, and yodeling lessons.  Join over 1 million members taking that dream vacation this year. Just a buck in the next 12 hours will get you there—sign up today.

GRAB BAG Key Performance Indicators OpenSea Stat: Sales of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the marketplace OpenSea hit $3 billion in August, up more than 10x the total of the previous month. The explosion indicates that, at least this summer, younger retail investors have left mainstream cryptocurrencies like bitcoin to the boomers.  Quote: “I would prefer to stay out of politics.” Elon Musk, a Texas resident with a number of business ventures in the state, wouldn’t weigh in on Texas’s new law that bans the vast majority of abortions. Musk isn’t always mum on political matters—he called California’s stay-at-home orders for Covid-19 “fascist” in Tesla’s Q1 2020 earnings call. Read: The very best TV of fall 2021. (Vogue)

QUIZ Quiz Is Out of Office The feeling of getting a 5/5 on the Brew’s Weekly News Quiz has been compared to remembering there’s no work on Monday.  It’s that satisfying. Ace the quiz.

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING Walmart is bumping up hourly wages for 565,000+ employees by at least $1 to help retain its workforce ahead of the holiday season. Today in chip shortages: Ford’s US sales declined 33% in August, Tesla temporarily stopped production in China last month, and GM is idling more North American plants. WhatsApp was fined ~$270 million by the EU for privacy violations. It is the second-largest fine handed out under Europe’s GDPR privacy law. Virgin Galactic flights have been grounded by the FAA while the regulator investigates a deviation from the flight plan during the company’s July 11 mission.

BREW'S BETS Bone up. With over a million knee replacements per year, the $19.6B joint replacement industry is due for an overhaul. Monogram’s groundbreaking tech is taking a personalized approach using AI, 3D printing, and a navigated robot arm.  Invest in this new, knee-fixing company here.* It’s crypto’s world, we’re just living in it. Digital currencies are becoming more and more mainstream, from NBA merch payments to bitcoin credit cards. Teaming up with our friends at Bakkt, we’ve laid out some of the ways that crypto rules the world—and answered some questions you didn’t want to ask your friends. Read up here.* Follow Friday: Little Big World on YouTube, the produce subreddit, and 80s news screens on Twitter. Labor Day Weekend soundtrack: The new Drake album, Certified Lover Boy, is out today, plus...the first studio album from Abba in 40 years??? Finally, you can’t go wrong with the new Kacey Musgraves single. *This is sponsored advertising content

FROM THE CREW Make Them Go “oooo” at Your OOO If you’re turning this long weekend into an even longer weekend, let us take something off your Friday to-do list and offer a few well-crafted OOO messages. This first one is from our colleague, Blake Solomon: Hey friend, I’m currently enjoying some well-earned PTO. I’ll be blissfully offline from [dates of PTO]. If something urgent comes up you can reach out to [emergency contact name/email]. But as for me, I am most likely enjoying an ice cream sundae while looking out the window (feel free to make this your own as well!). I’ll get in touch with you as soon as I’m well-rested and back online. Thanks! [Name] If you’d like something a little...spicier, don’t worry, we’ve got even more OOO messages here.

GAMES Friday Puzzle Name a car brand. Write it in all capital letters. Rotate one of the letters 90 degrees and another letter 180 degrees to make a woman's name. What is it?

SHARE THE BREW We think you should share the Brew. Not only is it a smart thing to do for your friends, it’s also the smartest way to get showered in free Brew swag and exclusive content. Your referral count: 0 Click to Share Or copy & paste your referral link to others: morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=a17a7110

ANSWER MAZDA --> WANDA Source: NPR

 

September 03

FEATURED BIOGRAPHY Louis Sullivan American architect READ MORE FEATURED EVENT 1976 Viking 2's Mars landing READ MORE

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MORE EVENTS ON THIS DAY

2012: Colombian drug trafficker Griselda Blanco—who was a leading figure in the Miami drug scene in the 1970s and early '80s and was known as the “Godmother of Cocaine”—was fatally shot in Medellín, Colombia. [Test your knowledge of criminality and famous outlaws.]

2001: American film critic Pauline Kael, an outspoken reviewer for The New Yorker magazine who was celebrated as much for the provocative style of her writing as for the content, died in Massachusetts. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about film.]

1991: American director Frank Capra—who was best known for a series of beloved films that included Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946)—died at age 94. [Take our film buff quiz.]

1971: Qatar officially became independent from the United Kingdom. [Sort fact from fiction in our quiz about the Middle East.]

1970: American professional gridiron football coach Vince Lombardi—who became a national symbol of single-minded determination to win, known for leading the Green Bay Packers to victories in the first two Super Bowls—died at age 57. [How much do you know about American football?]

1962: American poet and painter E.E. Cummings—who first attracted attention, in an age of literary experimentation, for his unconventional punctuation and phrasing—died at age 67. [Take our authors and poets quiz.]

SEE ALL EVENTS ON THIS DAY

ALSO BORN ON THIS DAY

1929 Whitey Bulger American crime boss

1963 Malcolm Gladwell Canadian journalist and writer

1913 Alan Ladd American actor

1875 Ferdinand Porsche Austrian engineer

1947 Mario Draghi prime minister of Italy

1499 Diane De Poitiers French noble

SEE ALL BIOS ON THIS DAY

Mental decline of 'utterly deplorable and inept' President Biden 'can't be ignored'

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Cars and trucks are stranded by high water on the Major Deegan Expressway in the Bronx. Photo: Craig Ruttle/AP

The latest: At least 46 people were killed from Maryland to Connecticut when Ida's remnants hit the Northeast on Wednesday night and Thursday morning — 40 of them in their homes and cars.

• Of the 13 people killed in New York City, 11 were in basements, per The Times.

Axios AM

By Mike Allen ·Sep 03, 2021

Happy Friday, and happy getaway day! Smart Brevity™ count: 1,194 words ... 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu, who's becoming a national-security reporter after an epic run as newsdesk virtuoso. Breaking: Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, whose support dwindled during an unpopular COVID response, will step down. The succession race is wide open. (Reuters)

1 big thing: Biden wants abortion fight

An anti-abortion demonstrator kneels before a line of volunteer clinic escorts in Louisville in May. Photo: Jon Cherry/Getty Images

President Biden is eager for a fight over abortion — an issue he sees as politically advantageous after the conservative Supreme Court left in place the near-ban in Texas, senior officials tell Axios. Why it matters: The Supreme Court appears to be barreling toward giving red states significantly more power to restrict women's access to abortions. State of play: The White House sees abortion as a potent issue ahead of next year's midterms, with Biden under huge pressure on Afghanistan, inflation, crime and the border, Axios' Sam Baker, Jonathan Swan and Alayna Treene report. The Texas law, SB8, allows strangers to sue doctors, nurses, or even Uber drivers — anyone who performs or facilitates an abortion. "I want to see the GOP defend the idea that your nosy neighbor can sue your aunt for driving you to the hospital," a senior White House aide told Axios. Biden announced "a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision," including his new Gender Policy Council, the White House counsel's office, HHS and the Justice Department. Story continues below.

2. Part 2: All three branches of government engage on abortion

Data: Axios research. Map: Sara Wise/Axios The White House wants to elevate the Texas abortion case even though aides know a high-profile fight over abortion rights will also energize Republicans. That's because Democrats say the sheer sweep of Texas' law, and the highly unusual way it's written, make it a juicy political target. Democrats think the issue will especially help them with suburban voters, who hold the key to the House majority. "This is a massive political gift to Democrats," a senior House Democratic aide said. Reality check: On the actual issue of abortion, Dems are losing. They're unlikely to stop this trajectory, no matter how well they do in midterms. What's next: A more straightforward abortion case — a Mississippi case that's a likely vehicle for the conservative court to chip away at Roe — is teed up for the term that begins next month. The other side: "I would be careful if I were them," said an influential conservative legal figure, referring to Democrats. "The Texas law makes the Mississippi law look very reasonable," the conservative said. "The more play the Texas law gets, the easier it is to uphold Mississippi. Because the Mississippi law is no longer the end of the world." Share this story. Breaking: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he might support a law that bans abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be detected, much like the Texas law. The details. Go deeper: The next states that could pass abortion bans after Texas (our Axios PM lead), by Oriana González and Sara Wise.

3. Our COVID funk

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The pandemic isn't over, but Americans are over the pandemic: COVID fatigue is showing up in declining willingness to cooperate with public health guidance, Axios health care editor Tina Reed writes. The share of Americans who feel hopeful has plummeted to 34%, from 48% in March, according to the Axios-Ipsos Coronavirus Index. But the number of Americans saying they feel motivated, energized, inspired or resilient has risen at least as much — suggesting we're resolving to do what it takes for the long haul. Share this story.

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We are connecting communities to their American Dream

We’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment to help ensure broadband is more accessible and affordable, so low-income families like the ones Kamal works with have the opportunity to succeed. Learn more.

4. Snapshot: End-of-summer news deluge

Graphic: MSNBC

"The news gods just do this to us sometimes — they give us too much to handle," Rachel Maddow said on MSNBC. "I think they enjoy it. Too much to handle, too much to follow, too much to absorb — certainly too much to report on in any sort of orderly fashion."

5. America's climate collision

Headstones at a flooded cemetery in Somerville, N.J. Photo: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP

President Biden, who visits Louisiana today, connected the dots on America's simultaneous climate calamities: "The past few days of Hurricane Ida and the wildfires in the West and the unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey is yet another reminder that ... the climate ... crisis [is] here." The big picture: "Disasters cascading across the country this summer have exposed a harsh reality," The New York Times reports (subscription). "The United States is not ready for the extreme weather that is now becoming frequent as a result of a warming planet."

Satellite image: Maxar Technologies via AP Shortwave infrared satellite view of fire line near Sierra at Tahoe ski resort yesterday.

6. Sneak peek: Fall tech launches

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

The centerpieces of fall's new-hardware season are new iPhones, Windows 11 PCs and other devices from Facebook, Amazon and Google, Axios' Ina Fried writes from San Francisco in her column, "Signal Boost." But to see where tech is moving next, pay attention to the market's edges — niche products and surprise debuts that represent experiments and long bets. Here's what we're watching: Apple is expected to launch the next iPhone at an event some time this month, though this is unlikely to be a year in which the smartphone gets a major overhaul. Microsoft is launching Windows 11 on Oct. 5 — the biggest change in years for the venerable operating system. Facebook has promised new hardware this fall, including smart glasses it developed in partnership with EssilorLuxottica, maker of Ray-Ban. Amazon always has a slew of new hardware in the fall, and often drops in experimental hardware launches with the mainstream fare. Google has promised a Pixel 6 launch that will be the first to use the company's internally designed Tensor processor. Share this story.

7. Cover reveal: Jamie Raskin's twin crises

Cover: Harper

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a constitutional law professor who was House manager for President Trump's second impeachment trial, will be out with a memoir Jan. 4 — two days before the anniversary of the Capitol riot. Raskin says he wrote "Unthinkable" as a way "to make sense of two traumatic events in my life, the shattering loss of our son Tommy to depression on the last day of 2020 and, one week later, the bloody ... insurrection at the U.S. Capitol." "This book is a labor of love written to capture the dazzling life of a brilliant young man in crisis, who we lost forever, and the struggle to defend a beautiful nation in crisis, a democracy that we still have the chance to save," Raskin says in a statement from Harper, the publisher.

8. Comebacks: First album in 40 years

ABBA in 1979. Photo: Ron Frehm/AP

Swedish supergroup ABBA is releasing its first new music in four decades, along with a concert performance that will see the "Dancing Queen" quartet go entirely digital, AP reports. The forthcoming album — "Voyage," dropping Nov. 5 — is a follow-up to 1981's "The Visitors." A virtual version of the band will begin a series of concerts in London on May 27. "We took a break in the spring of 1982 and now we've decided it's time to end it," ABBA said in a statement. Keep reading.

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We are connecting communities to their American Dream

We’re making a $2 billion, 3-year commitment to help ensure broadband is more accessible and affordable, so low-income families like the ones Kamal works with have the opportunity to succeed. Learn more.

Rep. Ronny Jackson: Hope Other States Follow Texas on Abortion Law

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 September 3, 2021

Biden's State Department Hangs Up on US Citizen Trapped in Afghanistan Joe Biden’s poorly planned exit from Afghanistan left behind hundreds of American citizens now trapped within the borders of a terrorist-controlled country. ... Read More ›

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Congressman: Nancy Pelosi Blocked Reading Names of 13 U.S. Troops Killed in Kabul House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) blocked GOP representatives from reading on the House floor the names of the 13 United States troops who were killed in a terrorist attack in Kabul, Afghanistan last... Read More ›

DeSantis Signals He's Open to Law Like Texas' Heartbeat Act Hours after the Supreme Court declined to block a disputed Texas abortion law, Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled that he is open to similar pro-life legislation. ... Read More ›

Amid SCOTUS Ruling, Another Conservative State Makes a Major Pro-Life Announcement The Supreme Court shocked the country on Wednesday when it allowed Texas’ new abortion law to go into effect while it is still being challenged in court. ... Read More ›

Report: Afghans Arriving At U.S. Military Bases To Get $1,250 Payments Afghans arriving in the United States and being temporarily resettled at U.S. military bases will receive one-time payments from the State Department, funded by American taxpayers. . . Most of all... Read More ›

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Columnists This Guy Is Senile and Can the Media Stop Pretending He’s Not? Kurt Schlichter Abortion Enthusiasts Show Us Their True Colors Larry O'Connor Biden Is A Dirtbag Who’s Always Exploited Tragedy Derek Hunter Where Are the Fact-Checkers on Brian Stelter's Claim Fox News Was Not in Kabul? Brad Slager There's a Problem in the Upper Reaches of Our Military Victor Davis Hanson Maybe If Biden Yells Loud Enough? Chris Stigall The Biden Administration Wants You to Forget Afghanistan Dinesh D'Souza ‘I Have 180 Days to Turn Them into Revolutionaries': Teacher Caught Radicalizing His Classroom Todd Starnes Defund the World's Police Ann Coulter		Tipsheet Crenshaw Has a Warning After Biden's Disastrous Afghanistan Exit Leah Barkoukis New Zealand Police Shoot Islamic Terrorist in Grocery Store Attack Leah Barkoukis Jan. 6 Select Committee Update Has Members Calling on McCarthy to Remove Cheney, Kinzinger Rebecca Downs The ACLU Position on Vaccine Mandates is a Head Scratcher Rebecca Downs People Are Noticing An Inconsistent Talking Point After Jen Psaki Snaps At Male Reporter Rebecca Downs Not Even the Liberal Base Has Confidence in Kamala Harris: 'I Don't Think She Can Win' Rebecca Downs Biden to Launch Federal Response Targeting Texas Abortion Law Madeline Leesman
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