Tuesday, Sep 3, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering Hurricane Dorian, a decisive moment in British politics and the Afghan peace talks.

By Mike Ives

Houses on a flooded street in Nassau, the Bahamian capital, on Monday. John Marc Nutt/Reuters

Dorian churns toward the United States

After mauling the Bahamas as one of the strongest storms on record in the Atlantic, Hurricane Dorian was expected to approach the United States today as a Category 3 storm with the potential to inflict serious damage from Florida to Virginia and beyond. We’re tracking the storm and providing live updates.

The Bahamas was subjected to a particularly brutal pummeling as the storm stalled over the islands with unrelenting rain and winds that continued early today. Conditions made it difficult to determine the scope of the damage, but at least five people were killed and thousands of homes were believed to be damaged. Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called it “a historic tragedy.”

The storm was expected to turn toward the United States and arrive near Florida by late today. Forecasters warned that Dorian, while weakening, “is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.”

For you: Those in the path of a hurricane may not have much time to protect their homes. Here’s how to prepare.

Another angle: When hurricanes menace the United States, President Trump assumes the role of meteorologist in chief.

North Korea builds its arsenal

President Trump has dismissed more than a dozen North Korean missile tests in recent months as “very standard,” and appears unwilling to make statements or take actions that could jeopardize his relationship with Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader.

But American intelligence officials and outside experts believe the tests have allowed North Korea to develop missiles with a range and sophistication that could overwhelm U.S. defenses. And experts say the missiles could carry either conventional or nuclear warheads.

The stakes: Rapid improvements in short-range missiles may endanger Japan and South Korea, along with at least eight U.S. bases housing more than 30,000 troops, according to a Times analysis.

The 75-foot boat, the Conception, was based in Santa Barbara, Calif. Santa Barbara County Fire Department, via Getty Images

Tragedy off California’s coast

At least 20 people were reported dead late Monday after a scuba diving boat caught fire off the Southern California coast. Five crew members escaped, but 14 people remain missing.

It remains unclear what started the blaze or whether negligence played any role in fire, which is one of California’s worst maritime disasters in decades.

The basics: The 34 passengers were believed to have been asleep in a single room below deck that was tightly packed with bunk beds and linked to the galley by a narrow staircase.

Quotable: “I could see the fire coming through holes on the side of the boat,” said a man on a nearby boat. “There were these explosions every few beats. You can’t prepare yourself for that.”

Gun debate spills onto the campaign trail

An especially deadly summer of mass shootings has intensified pressure on lawmakers to take up gun control legislation when they return to Washington next week. Democratic presidential candidates made their case for gun control over the Labor Day weekend, though they differ on whether there is room for compromise with Republicans.

The Democratic candidates are all trying to increase pressure on President Trump, who indicated an openness to background checks, and Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, who has refused to take up two House bills on the issue.

Related: The man responsible for the shooting spree that killed seven people in Midland and Odessa, Tex., over the weekend was a 36-year-old area resident with a criminal record, the police said.

Go deeper: Joe Biden may have clear plans for gun control. But he still struggles to articulate why wants to be president.

If you have 9 minutes, this is worth it

Johanna Nordland

Waiting for rains, and finding a storm inside

As the veteran Times correspondent Rod Nordland was jogging in India this summer, he collapsed from what turned out to be a malignant brain tumor.

Mr. Nordland discovered that his “cerebral intruder” had come with silver linings. “They say that people who survive malignancy of this magnitude approach it with a positive attitude,” he writes, “and I was determined to be one of them, not a victim swept along by bad weather and worse luck.”

Here’s what else is happening

Political drama in London: Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened to call a snap general election if lawmakers from his Conservative Party defy him today by backing a measure to stop Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal.

Potential Afghanistan deal: The top American envoy said the United States had reached an agreement “in principle” with the Taliban, starting with the withdrawal of 5,400 U.S. troops.

Deportations reconsidered: The Trump administration said it would reconsider its decision to force immigrants facing life-threatening health crises to return to their home countries.

Proposed Iran bailout: President Emmanuel Macron of France has proposed compensating Iran for lost oil sales if the country agrees to return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord.

Hong Kong’s leader: Carrie Lam acknowledged that the protests in the city have left her disheartened, but vowed not to resign. Senior officials say Beijing would not let her do so even if she wanted to.

Mysterious vaping illness: U.S. physicians have treated more than 215 patients, many in their late teens and 20s, with life-threatening lung ailments.

Airport panic: Travelers scrambled for the exits at Newark Airport on Monday in a rush prompted by what authorities said was a false report.

Minnesota shooting: At least three people were injured in a shooting outside the State Fair late Monday, the authorities said.

The Weekly: If you’re reading this on your phone, you may be holding illegally mined gold from Colombia. The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about how the precious metal has replaced cocaine as the main source of income for organized crime. Read behind-the-scenes notes about the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu.

The J'ouvert street party on Monday. Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, revelers during J’ouvert, a Caribbean street party in Brooklyn. With roots in mocking slave owners and celebrating emancipation in the Caribbean, the contemporary version retains a subversive edge.

U.S. Open results: Belinda Bencic beat Naomi Osaka, the No. 1 seed and defending champion, for the third time this year on Monday. Here are today’s matchups for the women and the men.

Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, a night out after a lucky break, a lovely puddle and more tales of New York City.

Late-night comedy: Our column returns tomorrow.

What we’re reading: The Public Domain Review. “This site calls itself ‘an ever growing cabinet of curiosities for the digital age,’” writes our national correspondent Michael Wines, “and I can’t do better than that. Check out this collection of roadside-America photos, including a supper club disguised as a giant fish.”

Now, a break from the news

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.

Cook: Pasta alla vodka is an easy-to-assemble Italian-American classic.

Go: The Resonant Bodies Festival, this week in Brooklyn, gives vocal artists free rein over 30-minute sets.

(Re)watch: Our writer went from loving the chaotic movie “Spice World” as a child to dismissing it in college to now loving it more than ever.

Read: The sequel to “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which picks up 15 years after readers last saw Offred, is one of 17 new books to watch for in September.

Smarter Living: Apple, Samsung, Google and other companies will soon introduce their new gadgets. Our personal tech columnist, Brian X. Chen, advises becoming a late adopter. (His free weekly newsletter brings tech tips straight to your inbox.)

And we have six ideas for handling middle-of-the-night insomnia.

And now for the Back Story on …

September

If you’re familiar with Romance languages, you’ll recognize the first syllable of this month as “seven.” That seems to make “September” an odd name for the year’s ninth month.

But it made sense in ancient Rome.

A mosaic of the Roman months found in Tunisia that dates to the third century A.D. DeAgostini/Getty Images

There, the Greek-influenced calendar had only 10 months. A few were named for gods: March for Mars, April for Aphrodite, May for Maia and June for Juno. But the rest were numbered, and some are still with us. October was the eighth month, November the ninth and December the 10th.

According to tradition, a calendar reform around 713 B.C. introduced two new months to account for the 60 or so extra winter days. They were January, for the god Janus, and February, for the purification celebration known as Februa.

In later adjustments, the original fifth and sixth months (which had been pushed to seventh and eighth) were renamed for Julius Caesar and Caesar Augustus: July and August.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Mike

Thank you
Melina Delkic helped compile this briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Andrea Kannapell, the briefings editor, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to our “1619” audio series. The latest episode is on how slavery built the American economy.
• Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about a possible agreement between the United States and the Taliban.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Some whiskeys or breads (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.