Today’s Top Stories from NBC News

MONDAY, AUGUST 31, 2026

In today’s newsletter: Longtime Trump supporters in some of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts are voicing rare frustration with the president. The death toll climbs in Nepal as flash floods kill one in the Grand Canyon. And how Ukraine is using drones to take Russians prisoner.

Here’s what to know today.

▼ The Lead

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Trump voters express rare frustration with the president

(Frank Thorpe for NBC News)

For more than a decade, one of President Donald Trump’s greatest strengths has been the devotion of his base.

But in late-August conversations across eight of the nation’s most competitive congressional districts, there was a new willingness among his voters to voice their critiques on issues including inflation, the war with Iran and the White House ballroom construction.

An NBC News crew traveling along Interstate 80 from New Jersey to Omaha spoke with dozens of voters, many of whom remain confident in the president.

But in a major danger sign for the GOP, a set of longtime Trump supporters said they believe he has abandoned key tenets of his 2024 campaign. Some appear to have lost faith in him altogether, and others have lost the enthusiasm that might drive them to the polls in a midterm election.

“I used to be a Trump man,” said one retiree in New Jersey. “But I think what’s happened right now is terrible for the people of the United States.”

Here’s what else voters told us.

Related news:

U.S. forces struck Iranian rocket launchers on the Strait of Hormuz yesterday in their first military action in a month.

Google Maps changed the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America” for U.S. users to reflect Trump’s executive order.

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The death toll in last week’s devastating flooding in Nepal has risen to 903 people, officials said today, as the number of those missing nearly doubled to 4,247.

Heavy rain prompted fresh flood warnings for some areas over the weekend, and rescuers are still struggling to reach devastated communities.

Loved ones may face a long wait for answers, with many bodies washed far downstream and recovered in poor condition. Morgues have been overwhelmed and authorities are collecting DNA samples in the hopes of notifying relatives.

“The disaster here is overwhelming,” an operations director at the U.S.-based Crisis Response International said.

Read what else we know here.

Meanwhile, at least one person is dead and more than a dozen others are missing or unaccounted for after flash floods overwhelmed a remote area of the Grand Canyon, including a historic lodge near the bottom of the site, park officials said.

As officials try to track down those stranded, the National Park Service is asking for information about anyone who may have been hiking or backpacking along Bright Angel Creek in Arizona, as well as campers with plans to stay in the area.

It added in an evening update that a 46-year-old man was recovered from Crystal Rapids along the Colorado River.

Read the full story here.

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How Ukraine takes Russians prisoner with drones

As drones become a defining weapon of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv is increasingly using them to take Russians prisoner, service members and officials say.

NBC News spoke to one unit conducting the operations. A Ukrainian drone pilot explained how his team uses the technology to track Russians from the air and launch one-way attacks — surrounding their enemies until they give themselves up.

The practice is so widespread that a Ukrainian government project titled “I Want To Live” has published an instructional video for Russians on how to surrender to a drone.

“Establish eye contact with the drone,” the video says, “lay down your weapon. Raise your hands.”

More than 100 Russian soldiers surrendered to drones over the winter, according to a former Ukrainian official.

Read the full story here.

▼ Staff Pick

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The sardine shortage is real — and it’s not all Gen Z’s fault

TikTok wellness influencers have been hyping sardines for several years, causing the nutrient-dense tinned fish to undergo a glow-up from Silent Generation pantry staple to Gen Z’s favorite superfood.

So when sardines started vanishing from grocers’ shelves in recent months, many assumed their Gen Z devotees, who show their love for the fish in viral social media trends, were stocking up for more #sardinemaxxing.

I talked to experts, including one tinned fish company CEO, and learned sardines are in short supply for more complex reasons. Environmental changes play a role, as does one country’s recent ban on frozen sardine exports. But take heart, sardine lovers, the industry is adapting and some predict sardines will be more plentiful in 2027.

— Gina Vivinetto, trending reporter

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Novak Djokovic lost in the opening round of the U.S. Open for the first time, falling to Mariano Navone in five sets.

Olivia Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival raised $20 million for nonprofits focused on women and girls. Here’s what fans said about the event.

A New Mexico man is accused of fatally shooting his cousin after an evening of drinking escalated from an argument over enchiladas.

A man posed as a San Francisco 49ers player to defraud women of $1.3 million in a multistate romance scheme, officials alleged.

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