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Hurricane Irma, Apple, Pope Francis: Your Monday Briefing
• Hurricane Irma rammed ashore at the Florida Keys on Sunday before whirling up the state’s west coast, moving on a new track that spared Miami a direct hit but threatened storm surges of 15 feet, or 4.5 meters, in some areas.
The storm has been downgraded to a Category 1, with sustained winds of no more than 85 miles, or about 135 kilometers, per hour. It is set to spin over northern Florida on Monday, with Georgia next in line.
Irma has already forced one of the largest evacuations in American history. More than three million Florida households were without power, officials said. The Caribbean death toll is at least 27.
Here are our latest updates, and a continually updating map of Irma’s path.
Journalists fanned out across the area, including our own, posted what they were seeing and hearing on social media.
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• President Trump returned to the White House on Sunday after monitoring the storm from Camp David, where he also held his fourth full cabinet meeting.
Our chief White House correspondent, reflecting on the president’s short-term fiscal deal with Democrats, argues that Mr. Trump is “the first independent to hold the presidency since the advent of the current two-party system around the time of the Civil War.”
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• Pope Francis amended Vatican law on Saturday to grant bishops greater power to translate prayers into their local languages.
The change signals a shift in Vatican power away from Rome. It also reverses policies enacted by Francis’ more conservative predecessors.
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• Hourslong statements, a panel of three judges and a courtroom the size of a gymnasium.
Our correspondent offers a glimpse into a mass trial in Turkey, where nearly 500 service members and civilians stand accused of planning last year’s bloody coup attempt.
The accused face a wealth of incriminating evidence (the indictment runs to 4,000 pages); the charges include treason, murder and attempted murder.
The attempted coup left 249 people dead and more than 2,000 wounded.
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• Rafael Nadal defeated Kevin Anderson in straight sets on Sunday to capture the men’s U.S. Open singles title.
On Saturday, Sloane Stephens, ranked 957th early last month, defeated her good friend Madison Keys for the women’s title.
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Business
• China, through a $900 billion infrastructure initiative called One Belt, One Road, has promised Serbia jobs, cash and investments. But the initiative comes with at least a few strings attached.
• Apple is set to unveil its latest lineup of iPhones on Tuesday. The top-of-the-line model is expected to showcase new features like infrared facial recognition, wireless charging and augmented reality software — along with a $1,000 price tag. You can ask our consumer technology reporter questions about the new iPhones.
• Amazon, on the forefront of automation, is finding new ways of using robots to do the work once handled by human employees.
• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
In the News
• Mikheil Saakashvili, above, a former president of Georgia who is stripped of citizenship there and in Ukraine, forced his way across the Ukrainian border with a crowd of supporters on Sunday. [The New York Times]
• Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to rally in Catalonia today in a show of support for independence from Spain. [The Guardian]
• Holger Czukay, the bassist and a guiding force in the German experimental rock group Can, died on Tuesday at his home studio in Weilerswist, Germany. He was 79. [The New York Times]
• Elections in Norway, where all 169 seats in Parliament are up for grabs, remain too close to call. [Reuters]
• Instead of launching another missile, North Korea celebrated its government’s 69th anniversary by throwing a party for the scientists involved in carrying out the country’s recent nuclear test. [The New York Times]
• Two immense military exercises scheduled for this month, one in Sweden and one in the Baltic Sea, underline the rising tensions between Russia and Western Europe. [BuzzFeed]
• Producers in London said that the previews for “Hamilton” would be delayed by two weeks, forcing 16 performances to be rescheduled — and ticketholders were not happy. [The New York Times]
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
• Recipe of the day: Go for comfort with velvety Cheddar mashed potatoes.
• Here’s what you need to know about hurricanes and travel.
Noteworthy
• NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will plunge into Saturn on Friday, incinerating itself after a 20-year mission that has reshaped scientific understanding of the solar system’s most exotic planet — and its mysterious moons.
(Interested in keeping up with our space coverage? Here’s a way to sync your calendar with the solar system.)
• Every seven years, an ancient Roman Catholic procession — featuring hundreds of self-flagellating, hooded penitents — attracts thousands of tourists to a hamlet in Italy’s south.
• Egyptian archaeologists found a modest but fascinating tomb: the 3,500-year-old resting place of a goldsmith in the desert province of Luxor.
Back Story
This month in 1972, the South Pacific Forum of States recognized the Kingdom of Tonga’s sovereignty over two submerged atolls, ending the short life of a micronation unilaterally declared by an American and built on sand.
Michael J. Oliver, a Las Vegas real-estate tycoon with visions of a libertarian utopia, declared the Republic of Minerva nine months earlier. He laid claim to the Minerva Reefs, a pair of remote atolls a foot or so beneath the surface of the South Pacific, named for a ship that had foundered on one.
Morris G. Davis, a developer of the Minuteman missile, was appointed president.
The new country had its own flag and coins, and was free of taxes and regulation. To overcome the small matter of not having any dry land, they brought a barge in to dump sand.
But in June, King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV of Tonga landed at the north atoll with a brass band and a group of convict laborers. The Tongan anthem was played, and the Minervan flag was taken down.
The Tongan annexation was soon ratified, setting off a continuing dispute with Fiji. Mr. Oliver went on to foment breakaway independence movements in Vanuatu and the Bahamas. Those failed too.
Penn Bullock contributed reporting.
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