Labor Day arrives as early as it can this year, like the teacher’s pet impatient to break out the new school supplies. For those of us who believe there is an even sweeter, even more perfect ear of corn yet to be consumed, the holiday’s hasty entrance seems a little unfair. Cling as we might to the still respectably late sunset (7:28 p.m. Eastern on Monday), point as we might to the mosquitoes that are hardly done making their meal of us, Labor Day comes striding in. “Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach,” it sings, a twisted burial hymn.
I urge you not to give up summer so readily. While it’s true that clinging to a thing or a time or a season is folly, I remind you that there are currently 23 days before fall begins on Sept. 22. I’ve been trying for a while to make the term “equinoctials” catch on as a name for those of us who believe the almanac decides when summer ends, not the purveyors of pumpkin spice everything. If I were an Instagram influencer, I’d create the #equinoctialchallenge: Do one defiantly summer-specific thing every day between Labor Day and the equinox. Go to the beach. Eat a tomato sandwich, using the kitchen sink as your plate. Pick berries. Wade in a creek. (What creek? Find a creek!) Don’t let Monday be the last time this year you throw a barbecue with all your neighbors. (Well, maybe not the ones who refuse to pick up after their dog, but most of them are fun enough.)
Yes, school is back in session or will be soon, and this might mean you’re required to concern yourself with fall’s business sooner than you’d like. Yes, it was 51 degrees last night; you considered building a fire. But these three weeks and change before summer’s official end can be a soft and gradual landing, a time of easing in and easing out. Deliberately do the things you won’t be able to once it’s cold out and dark early. Take some time to contemplate the things you like about your summer self — the way you hurry less, or how you eat more fresh vegetables — and consider how you can maintain these things into the fall. Let me be clear that the cold months have much to recommend them — I too have leaf-peeped and pumpkin-picked — but they don’t encourage the same lingering mind-set, the same unclenched openness as a day boasting double-digit hours of sunshine.
The other night, dining outside under the stars, it was impossible to ignore how loud the cicadas have become. Cicadas live underground for years and then emerge for just a few weeks to mate before they die. Late August, early September, the males’ buzzing becomes increasingly desperate. We don’t need to act with such urgency; our lives will continue after the first frost. But the cicadas’ urgent chorus acts as a reminder. The season isn’t over, but it is winding down. Dwell in it as abundantly as you can, while you can.
THE LATEST NEWS
Trump Administration
A federal appeals court ruled that many of President Trump’s most punishing tariffs were illegal. But the judges delayed the enforcement of their order until mid-October to allow the Supreme Court to consider the case.
A judge blocked a pillar of Trump’s mass deportation campaign: fast-track deportations of people detained far from the southern border.
The White House informed Congress that it planned to cancel $4.9 billion for foreign aid programs. The move will test the legality of a little-known power to claw back approved spending.
Trump terminated Kamala Harris’s Secret Service protection. Vice presidents normally lose their security six months after leaving office, but Joe Biden had extended hers by an additional year.
Emil Bove, a senior Trump administration official, has continued to work at the Justice Department even after he was confirmed for a federal judgeship.
More Politics
Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed into law a newly gerrymandered congressional map. “Texas is now more red in the United States Congress,” he said.
Senator Joni Ernst, Republican of Iowa, will not seek re-election next year. Her seat could be a crucial one in the fight over control of the Senate.
International
The Israeli military resumed daytime operations in Gaza City, ending a pause that was intended to ease the delivery of aid. It’s a sign that a full-scale invasion is near.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he would not issue visas to Palestinian officials to preclude them from attending the U.N. General Assembly next month.
Weapons will soon begin flowing into Ukraine under a new system: The U.S. sells them to other NATO countries, who then give them to Ukraine.
At least 70 people died, and more than 60 others are still missing, after a boat capsized off the West African coast.
Other Big Stories
Inflation stayed steady in July, according to the Federal Reserve’s preferred measure. That means the Fed is still on track to lower interest rates.
The assailant in the Minneapolis Catholic school shooting was transgender. Conservative activists have seized on her identity, though investigators have not yet found a clear connection to the attack.
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Taylor Swift
You may have heard? Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce got engaged this week. Here’s a timeline of how America’s royal couple fell in love. And here’s a closer look at her massive ring.
Swift’s image has always evolved to reflect the shifts in her music. Now that she’s engaged, she has a new look to go with her new status, Vanessa Friedman writes.
And let’s hear it for the couples who got engaged on the same day.
Film and TV
Darren Aronofsky’s new movie, “Caught Stealing,” stars Austin Butler as a rough-and-tumble bartender on an odyssey through a grimy, throwback New York City. Read our review.
The breakout star of “Caught Stealing” may well be a cat named Tonic. He’s a seasoned pro.
In “Roses,” Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch are in a terrible marriage. Our critic says the film is strangely bad, though not because of the actors.
“The Paper,” a spinoff of “The Office” set at a struggling local newspaper, will drop on Peacock on Thursday. Here’s what to know.
More Culture
Venus Williams may have lost this week at the U.S. Open but her fuzzy shearling racket bag was a winner.
The rapper Cardi B took the stand at her assault trial this week — and turned it into stand-up comedy, Vulture reports.
Jillian Michaels used to be a Hollywood liberal. Now, she’s a leading voice for MAHA.
CULTURE CALENDAR
???? Thursday Murder Club (Out now): In the mood for something quaint? Look no further. This Netflix movie, based on a book of the same name, follows a group of British seniors who solve murders from their retirement home. The film stars Ben Kingsley, Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, but it’s not the star power that has fans excited — people really love the “Thursday Murder Club” book series. In the last few years, I have, on more than one occasion, turned to a companion on vacation and found them rifling through the pages of one of the books.