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September 25, 2026 
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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Friday.
- Justices allow voter screening database
- East Coast braces for potent storm
- Plus, meet a group of cultured raccoons
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| Zack Wittman for The New York Times |
Supreme Court allows tool to screen voters
The Supreme Court ruled today that the Trump administration could deploy a national database, using sensitive data including citizenship information and Social Security numbers, to help states hunt for ineligible voters.
The decision is a win for President Trump, who has been pressing his administration to prove that noncitizens are voting illegally, despite evidence that it is very rare. However, states are unlikely to remove large numbers of voters off their rolls before November’s midterms because federal law mandates a 90-day “quiet period” before elections.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented from today’s decision, with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson warning that states could use the online system to cancel registrations of some valid voters. Past searches have sometimes mistakenly flagged U.S. citizens as noncitizens.
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| People in Gloucester, Mass., prepared for the nor’easter today. Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press |
Powerful storms threaten corners of the U.S.
A potent nor’easter has been crawling up the Eastern Seaboard. The storm is expected to stall just off New Jersey until early next week, bringing strong winds, coastal flooding and heavy rain to the region. Airlines have encouraged customers to keep an eye on its shifting path. See the forecast near you.
At the same time, Hurricane Nolo is spinning toward Hawaii, threatening areas still recovering from two other storms in recent weeks. Parts of the state could receive nearly three feet of rain.
For more:
- The nor’easter is likely to be the first of several East Coast storms to follow this path over the next few months, driven by a developing El Niño weather pattern.
- Watch this video to see how A.I. is reshaping the National Weather Service.
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| President Xi Jinping of China and President Trump, today in Washington. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times |
Trump-Xi summit ends with little known progress
President Xi Jinping of China concluded his three-day visit to Washington with tea at the White House and a brief tour of the National Archives. And just like yesterday, Trump was effusive in praising his Chinese counterpart, calling Xi a “spectacular” person.
But beneath the pomp, the two leaders did not seem to make any notable strides on significant matters of tension between the U.S. and China, like A.I., trade or the war in Iran. Xi’s decision to spend all of his time in the nation’s capital, and none at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, underscored how ineffectual the international body has become.
Related: Trump presented Xi with a statue of a bald eagle, his go-to gift.
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| The New York Times |
ICE’s silent surge
Federal immigration arrests have, over the past few months, soared to record highs. This happened far more quietly than the crackdown earlier this year that led to public outrage, protests and the killing of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. Instead of high-profile surges into individual cities, our reporters found, agents fanned out across nearly every corner of the country and worked with local law enforcement to target people accused of violating civil immigration laws.
In a review of dozens of incidents caught on camera, The Times showed how ICE agents carried out arrests at hospitals and airports, outside suburban schools and along rural construction sites.
More top news
Find your next show
Not everyone is going to agree with our list of the 100 best television shows of the 21st century, based on the views of 500 of the industry’s leading figures. And that’s a good thing. You can cast your own ballot here, and discuss snubs and surprises in the comments.
Or you could view the list less as an argument and more as a guide. Why not take a scroll through it and find something to watch on your next lazy weekend — perhaps tomorrow, if you’re rained out. I, for one, have been meaning to give “The Bureau” (No. 54 of the list!) a try.
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| The New York Times |
Fashion trends keep repeating themselves
Clothing styles have changed a lot since The Times was first published 175 years ago. But as we reflected on the anniversary and looked back over our archives, it became clear that many trends kept popping up decade after decade.
Take, for example, the animal prints worn by high-society dames of the 1920s and by runway models in recent years; or aviator sunglasses, which began as a tool for 1930s fighter pilots.
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| Juan Arredondo for The New York Times |
Dinner table topics
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| Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi. |
Bake this plush apple crumb cake and share it with your family.
Read “Switzy” along with our Book Review Book Club, and
