How to prepare for the Super El Niño

Plus: Trump threatens more Iran strikes  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Richard Hall | September 01, 2026     Hello there and welcome to The Brief. In this era of climate-change-induced record heat waves and erratic weather patterns, we have all become boiling frogs. It’s sometimes hard to know how and when to make changes to account for our new reality, but we offer some practical advice below on ways you can prepare for a potentially historic Super El Niño this year and the next. And keep reading to find out which entertainment product, due for release later this year, has been preordered by some 4.6 million people. IN TODAY’S BRIEF New Iran strikes ‘Dollyfest’ will go on How to stop kids wasting food Preparing for a Super El Niño 4.6 million gamers Journalists attacked         READ THIS FIRST Trump vows to hit Iran ‘hard’ after first strikes in a month Atta Kenare—AFP/Getty Images President Donald Trump vowed on Monday that the U.S. will strike Iran “hard” after the two countries exchanged their first publicly confirmed attacks in weeks. Trump told Fox News’ Trey Yingst that “there will be a response” to strikes Iran launched against U.S. forces in Jordan overnight in retaliation for an American attack on an island in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s threat comes after U.S. forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island on Sunday, marking a resumption of military action after a roughly month-long pause. CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins confirmed the strike in a statement to TIME, adding that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces “were observed preparing to launch rockets with sea mines” into the strait. The IRGC issued a statement soon after the U.S. strikes that was carried by Iranian state news agency IRNA, saying that Iran would respond to the attacks on Larak Island “with punishment for the aggressor.” —Chad de Guzman and Annika Neklason         SPONSORED Wall Street’s New Shopping List Big money is rotating into a select group of stocks for the second half of 2026. MarketBeat’s analysts tracked the move and identified 10 companies attracting fresh capital right now. The updated 10 Best Stocks to Own in 2026 report lays out the tickers, trends, and catalysts. See The 10 Names         HAPPENING SOON What you need to know about ‘Dollyfest,’ the festival in Dolly Parton’s honor Rich Fury—Getty Images for The Recording Academy A festival will be held in Dolly Parton’s honor across consecutive weekends in Tennessee and England next year, the late country music legend’s estate announced on Monday. Dubbed “Dollyfest,” the festival was initially scheduled to take place in Nashville on Parton’s 80th birthday this past January. Parton was set to serve as both the host and a performer at the event, which was also planned to include performances from several other musicians. But as Parton was dealing with health issues in recent months, she had to take a step back from the event. In the wake of her death last week, Parton’s estate announced in a Monday press release that the festival will now be held in 2027 to honor her legacy. “What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” said Danny Nozell, the founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises. “A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, DOLLYFEST is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).” —Chantelle Lee         HEALTH CHECK How to stop wasting so much food in your kid’s lunchbox Klaus Vedfelt—Getty Images Collect everything the average American kid throws away in the school cafeteria over a single year, pile it on a scale, and you'd be looking at roughly 39 lbs of food. That’s about what a typical 4-year-old weighs. Multiply that across the country, and school food waste adds up to an estimated 530,000 tons every year. Experts have a few simple tips for reducing that waste. First, see what comes home.  Which foods are untouched? Is the bologna sandwich always missing exactly one bite? “If you're really paying attention to ‘what's my kid eating?’ there really shouldn't be any waste after a couple of weeks,” says Lizzie Horvitz, founder and CEO of Finch, a platform that evaluates products for sustainability. Then, ask your kid what happened. Maybe there’s a reason they stopped eating apples. And finally, pack the amount your child actually eats. An oversized container practically begs to be filled, and parents often respond by packing more than their kid will eat. —Angela Haupt         SPONSORED Your K-Cups Sat in a Warehouse for Months Grocery store pods spend months going factory → warehouse → truck → shelf, losing the flavor oils that make coffee taste like coffee. Angelino's roasts, packs, and ships within days — 50+ flavors, compatible with Keurig®, from 39¢ a cup. New customers save 15%, no code needed. Try Fresh-Roasted Pods         IN FOCUS How should you prepare for a Super El Niño? Kevin Carter—Getty Images El Niño is here, threatening to bring warmer global temperatures as it strengthens over the Pacific Ocean. “This El Niño could be a record-setting event,” says Erin Coughlan de Perez, associate professor of climate science at Tufts University. Forecasts are anticipating it might be the strongest in living memory—but the impact will likely vary depending on where you’re located. If you live in an area that’s likely to see stormy weather this winter, preparing for El Niño doesn’t have to be complicated. “People should just think about this as preparing as they would for any kind of system that would bring more rain and increase risk for flooding,” says Emily Powell, Florida state climatologist at Florida State University. Make sure the area around your home has good drainage, clear your gutters, and patch up any leaks. Sign up for emergency alerts and pay attention to local forecasts. “These are good for providing general awareness of what's expected in terms of whether your area will be wetter than average in the coming weeks to months,” says Powell.  Some of the weather impacts that El Niño may bring—like snowstorms or flash floods—can come during a normal winter. It presents an opportunity for governments to make sure they’re prepared to tackle extreme weather events that are only becoming more common due to climate change. Cities can prepare in advance: setting up cooling centers and creating action plans to help those most vulnerable to extreme heat or helping residents understand flood risk and purchase flood insurance. “El Niño years should [in theory] be the years with the fewest disasters because we have the warning. If we actually do take this seriously, and we prepare, this could be a year where we don't have big impacts,” says Coughlan de Perez. “We shouldn't be surprised. We shouldn't be caught unaware.” Funding cuts to federal agencies, including NOAA and the National Weather Service, however, are leading to some concerns about U.S. preparedness levels when it comes to facing extreme weather. According to the Center for American Progress, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s funding has been drained to “emergency” levels. —Simmone Shah         ONE NUMBER 4.6 million Grand Theft Auto VI is set to become a cultural phenomenon later this year. The video game has received some 4.6 million preorders ahead of its November release, according to estimates from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. SOURCE: SENSOR TOWER         A VIRAL MOMENT Journalists attacked An NBC News team and the person they were interviewing were attacked by Israeli settlers over the weekend. The team was covering a rise in settler violence when NBC’s Matt Bradley said his team was attacked by masked men.         SPONSORED Introducing The First Agentic CRM Get revenue agents, workflows, and automations across every stage of your motion. Access customer data in real time through Attio's web app, MCP, API, and SDK. Then Ask Attio anything about your business and get instant answers. It's the CRM that runs the work behind every win. Try Attio Now       Linked In this addictive word-association game, find the steps that will unite two seemingly unrelated words in just four moves. PLAY NOW       ALSO WORTH YOUR TIME U.S. Duane ‘Keffe D’ Davis Found Guilty of Tupac Shakur’s Murder TECH  Google Maps Changes ‘Lake Ontario’ to ‘Lake America’ for U.S. Users POLITICS Supreme Court Hands Trump a Win in Ballroom Plans     EMAIL US: thebrief@time.com More Newsletters from Click to sign up. D.C. 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