Good morning, NBC News readers.
We're taking a look at what was behind the demise of the secret Taliban talks. Meanwhile, Bahamians are struggling to pick up the pieces after Hurricane Dorian. And Rafael Nadal secured his 19th Grand Slam title after once again winning the U.S. Open.
Here's what we're watching today.
Divisions within Trump administration ultimately doomed secret Taliban talks
President Donald Trump’s decision to hold a Camp David meeting with Taliban leaders and Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani to solidify a peace deal to end the 18-year-long war was first discussed about a week ago, according to U.S. officials and others briefed on the discussion.
But the controversial plan was scuppered because of opposing views within his administration.
On one side were national security adviser John Bolton and Vice President Mike Pence, who objected to the idea of bringing leaders of the rogue militant group to the presidential retreat, the location Trump suggested, just days before the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that prompted the Afghan war.
On the other side, officials at the State Department argued the meeting could move the parties closer to an agreement.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo defended the decision to invite Taliban leaders to Camp David on NBC News' "Meet the Press" and the other major political talk shows on Sunday.
"We concluded this was a perfectly appropriate place," he said. "You know the history of Camp David. Lots of bad folks have come through that place."
'Everything's gone': In the Bahamas, lives shattered by Dorian destruction
A week after Hurricane Dorian ravaged the Abaco Islands as the strongest hurricane to hit the Bahamas on record, those remaining said the storm took everything from them.
On the island of Great Abaco, wrecked boats and flipped-over cars were strewn across streets of completely flattened houses. Downed power lines and the frames of buildings lined the sides of the roads.
By Sunday, Great Abaco was becoming a ghost town, as thousands of people tried to leave by plane and boat.
"These clothes on me, that's all I have. Everything's gone," said Joseph Farine, 69.
Air Force to review all layovers after crew stay at Trump's Scotland hotel comes under scrutiny
The Air Force said Sunday that it doesn't appear any regulations were broken when a military crew flying from Alaska to Kuwait stopped off in Scotland and stayed overnight at a resort owned by President Donald Trump.
But it has decided to investigate all such sleepovers anyway, it said, because of a possible perception that it's "not being good stewards of taxpayer funds."
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Plus
- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to shut down Parliament for a month in a last-ditch attempt to make sure the country leaves the European Union as planned on Oct. 31.
- Former Rep. Mark Sanford announced he is running for president, the third Republican to announce a primary challenge to Trump.
- The summer heatwaves caused 1,500 extra deaths in France, the country's health minister said on Sunday.
THINK about it
Tuesday night’s election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District could be an important bellwether for 2020, political reporter and analyst Leah Askarinam writes in an opinion piece.
Science + Tech = MACH
Strange life-forms teeming in perpetual darkness 8,000 feet deep in a Canadian mine reveal a vast "underground Galapagos."
Live BETTER
Take advantage of juicy, in-season tomatoes by whipping up this quick and easy recipe.
Quote of the day
"We lost everything, but I'm thankful to God that I'm still alive. I feel much better now that I'm in the plane. I have nothing left."
— Mailey Nord on a flight with her 8-year-old son, leaving devastated Marsh Harbour and heading to Nassau, the Bahamas' capital.
One fun thing
Rafael Nadal outlasted Daniil Medvedev to win the U.S. Open final in an epic five-set match.
Nadal, 33, beat a resilient Medvedev 6-4, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that went on for 4 hours and 49 minutes.
Medvedev, 23, proved a worthy opponent for the Spanish champion as he tried to unseat the four-time Open winner.
“A crazy match, no?” said Nadal afterwards.
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Thanks, Petra
