A Surge of Russian Sabotage Attacks in Europe, and Musk’s Political War Chest

About this episode

<p>Plus, your Friday news quiz.&nbsp;</p><p>Here’s what we’re covering:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/world/europe/russia-europe-nato-sabotage.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Risk of Russian Sabotage in Europe: A Fight That Spirals Out of Control</a>, by Michael Schwirtz and Adam Goldman</li><li><a href="http://nytimes.com/2026/09/03/us/politics/vance-iran-press-briefing.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘I Wouldn’t Call It a War’: Vance Plays Down Recent Iran Strikes</a>, by Maggie Haberman</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/02/us/politics/trump-election-voter-fraud.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump Administration Begins Blitz to Find Elusive Voter Fraud Ahead of Midterms</a>, by Nick Corasaniti and Hamed Aleaziz</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/us/politics/trump-triumphal-arch-plans-approval.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump to Break Ground on Arch Before Getting Approval</a>, by Luke Broadwater and Emily Badger</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/us/elon-musk-republican-spending.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Elon Musk Makes His First Spending Push in Key Midterm Races</a>, by Theodore Schleifer</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09/04/world/nepal-flash-floods-rescue-tunnels" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rescuers Search Nepal Tunnel for Survivors After Finding 2 Alive</a>, by Anupreeta Das, Binod Ghimire, Sajal Pradhan, Mujib Mashal and Hari Raj</li><li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/08/21/world/asia/china-ai-life.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A.I. Is Everywhere in China. See For Yourself.</a>, by Agnes Chang, Vivian Wang, Jiwoong Hong, Aaron Byrd and Qilai Shen</li></ul> <p><p>Tune in every weekday morning, and tell us what you think at: <a href="mailto:theheadlines@nytimes.com">theheadlines@nytimes.com</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Subscribe today at <a href="http://nytimes.com/podcasts">nytimes.com/podcasts</a> or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher">https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher</a>. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.</p></p><br/> <p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.</p>