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September 22, 2026 
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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
- Trump weighs the “obliteration” of Iran
- Unions rally against A.I. threats
- Plus, a brotherly tribute to Princess Diana
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| The start of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly today. Dave Sanders for The New York Times |
Trump uses his U.N. address to threaten annihilation of Iran
President Trump told the world leaders gathered for the U.N. General Assembly today in New York that he had “a big decision” to make: He could strike a deal with Iran to finally end the conflict, or he could “annihilate the Islamic Republic” altogether.
“Do I drive them into hell with no chance of survival and no hope of future greatness or generations?” Trump asked.
The president also celebrated the American military operation in Venezuela, where the U.S. has expanded its control over the country’s oil reserves. “To the victor belong the spoils,” Trump said. His comments were striking, delivered inside an institution created after World War II with the explicit goal of resolving conflicts peacefully.
Representatives from Cuba walked out of the chamber after Trump declared Cuba to be an “absolutely failed state” and promised that the government “will fall.” Iranian diplomats sat stone-faced. On the sidelines of the event, Trump’s envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met with Iran’s foreign minister to discuss a possible deal. The president said it was a “very good meeting.”
For more:
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| Scott McIntyre for The New York Times |
Trump officials eject 750,000 from Obamacare markets
The Trump administration’s anti-fraud task force has removed more than 750,000 enrollees from the Affordable Care Act insurance marketplaces. Vice President JD Vance, who leads the effort, said that the move targeted people who either did not meet the eligibility requirements or did not even exist.
In other health news: Many Americans are taking GLP-1 drugs without an apparent medical reason to do so.
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| Nick Hagen for The New York Times |
El-Sayed campaigns with Harris, unlike many other Democrats
Kamala Harris campaigned in Detroit today alongside Abdul El-Sayed, Michigan’s Democratic nominee for the Senate. It was a rare stop for the former vice president, who has received a cold shoulder from many Democratic candidates wary of tying themselves to the unpopular Biden administration.
The visit could boost both figures. El-Sayed — who is in a tight race in a state Trump won in 2024 — needs to shore up his support from Black voters and moderates. (It’s not clear that Tucker Carlson’s support will help.) Harris is trying to maintain her influence as she considers a presidential run.
One of Harris’s potential primary opponents, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recently talked to us about how she is thinking about 2028: “Life doesn’t wait for you to be ready.”
For more on politics:
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| Tim Suitter, president of the union that represents ship builders at Bath Iron Works. Ryan David Brown for The New York Times |
Unions are rallying around the threat of A.I.
The sudden ubiquity of artificial intelligence has galvanized a labor movement that has been on its back foot for years. Many unions are now putting concerns about the technology at the top of their agenda, warning that A.I. could soon cause massive job losses and widen the gap between wages and corporate profits. The machinists union has been particularly proactive, demanding A.I. transparency in its contracts.
For more:
- A fake, A.I.-generated photo of Trump kissing a woman who resembled his personal assistant, Natalie Harp, spread widely on social media.
- Our reporter let Muse, Meta’s A.I. assistant, handle dental insurance, book dinner reservations and create a podcast. Here’s how it went.
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| The New York Times |
Since May, the Coast Guard has deployed six surveillance drones — operated by a private company — across the Great Lakes to stop the modest flow of drugs and illegal border crossings from Canada. Take a look.
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| Princess Diana in 1989. Phil O'Brien/PA, via Reuters |
A brotherly tribute to Diana, with no holds barred
In this week’s buzziest new memoir, Earl Spencer revisits the days surrounding the death of Princess Diana, his sister. The pages are full of love and vengefulness. In one section, Spencer describes telephone conversations he says he had with Prince Charles (now the king) after Diana’s death. “They read like grenades lobbed lazily over a fence and intended to destroy everything in a neighbor’s yard,” my colleague Sarah Lyall writes. Read our review and our takeaways.
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| Ella Langley in May. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters |
Mariah Carey is no longer the ruler of the singles chart
Ella Langley’s song “Choosin’ Texas,” an old-fashioned country ballad about a two-state love triangle, has now spent 23 weeks at the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. That’s the longest any song has ever held the top spot, surpassing the previous record set by Mariah Carey’s holiday staple “All I Want for Christmas Is You.”
Our critic Wesley Morris wanted to understand what’s behind its staying power. He sat down with a chart expert to get some answers.
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| The New York Times |
On this day in history
One hundred and sixty-four years ago today, then-President Abraham Lincoln issued the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, declaring that enslaved people in states still in rebellion would be free. The Times labeled the news “HIGHLY IMPORTANT” on the front page. See it here. (We made it free for all Evening readers.)
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| Ceci n’est pas une cravate. Steve O. Smith |
Dinner table topics
