The Morning Brief: Germany's far-right surges while crises ripple across three continents

The political ground shifted in Germany on Sunday. Exit polls from Saxony-Anhalt project the AfD at approximately 44 percent of the vote, more than double its showing five years prior and the strongest far-right showing in any German state since World War II. The center-right CDU finished second at 18.4 to 18.5 percent. The result gives the AfD potential control over policing, education, and culture in a state of 2.1 million people, though the exit polls suggest it may fall short of an absolute majority needed to govern alone. Germany's mainstream parties have long ruled out any coalition with the far-right, meaning final vote tallies will clarify whether the state faces a political impasse with no clear path to government formation.

Meanwhile, disasters struck across three continents. In Delhi, a five-storey student hostel called Hostel Daze collapsed on Sunday around 13:30 local time, killing at least seven people and trapping dozens. Rescue work continues; Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reported that approximately 80 percent of debris had been cleared by Monday morning, with only basement rubble remaining to be searched. Gupta attributed the collapse to water accumulation combined with ongoing repair work in the basement. The building owner has been arrested, and five senior civic officials have been suspended. The collapse has raised concerns about student housing conditions across the densely populated Satya Niketan neighborhood near Delhi University's south campus, where students report systemic problems including overcrowded buildings, lack of inspections, and poor infrastructure.

In Indonesia, Mount Anak Krakatau erupted late Friday and again early Sunday, forcing the closure of eight airports including Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. The eruptions stranded more than 150,000 passengers and disrupted 712 flights across Southeast Asia's busiest aviation hub. Volcanic ash reached altitudes of up to 50,000 feet. No casualties were reported and no evacuation orders were issued, as the nearest settlement lies more than 10 miles away, but residents in ash-affected areas faced respiratory and eye irritations, prompting the health minister to urge people to stay indoors and wear masks.

In Mexico, a fireworks explosion during a village festival in Santa María Canchesda in the Temascalcingo municipality killed at least 10 people and wounded at least 60 on Saturday evening. The blast occurred near a church; preliminary reports suggest a burning straw bull effigy ignited a larger cache of fireworks stored in the building, though authorities said the cause remains under investigation.

In the United States, two disasters unfolded. A Boeing 767-300 cargo aircraft operating as 21 Air Flight 7598 overran Runway 30 at Miami International Airport on September 6 while landing from San Juan, Puerto Rico, struck multiple vehicles, and killed five people with five others injured. First responders addressed an active fuel leak and complex engine fires. The NTSB investigation will determine the cause.

Meanwhile, Hawaii's governor declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard as Hurricane Lowell, a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120-125 mph, approaches with first impacts expected by Monday evening, September 9. Lowell is the third tropical system to threaten Hawaii in just over three weeks. As of September 7, Hurricanes Karina, Lowell, and Marie were churning in the Pacific simultaneously, the region's first triple-hurricane stretch in a decade. Lowell's center is forecast to pass approximately 130 miles west of Ni'ihau or 170 miles west of Kauai between Monday evening and Tuesday morning, potentially bringing 6 to 14 inches of rain, storm surge up to 3 feet, and extremely dangerous surf conditions.

On other fronts, the Supreme Court agreed to hear challenges to rifle bans imposed by Connecticut and Cook County, Illinois, testing whether the Second Amendment protects the right to own AR-15-style semiautomatic rifles. Americans own over 30 million such rifles. The decision could invalidate restrictions in a dozen states.

An NBC News Decision Desk Poll conducted August 20 through September 1 found 69 percent of voters in swing districts oppose AI data center construction locally, with opposition cutting across party lines: 57 percent of Republicans, 81 percent of Democrats, and 71 percent of independents opposed local data center development.

In Ohio, Patrick Havas, 38, was arrested on September 6 after pushing through a crowd near Democratic gubernatorial nominee Amy Acton at the Canfield Fair. Law enforcement recovered two handguns, a Taser, and brass knuckles from Havas, who was charged with disorderly conduct and two counts of assault. He did not brandish the weapons.

In Ukraine, Kyiv experienced 76 air raid alerts in the seven days from August 27 to September 2, the highest weekly count since Russia's full-scale invasion began in 2022. Russia has shifted from primarily nighttime attacks to continuous day-and-night strikes, launching 2,800 fast drones in August, nearly twice as many as in July. Newer jet-engine-powered attack drones fly at nearly 370 mph, three times as fast as older propeller-driven Shahed drones, and are harder to shoot down.

Finally, the national average for regular gasoline reached $4.14 per gallon heading into Labor Day weekend, the highest price ever recorded for that holiday, nearly a dollar higher than Labor Day 2025 and well above the previous Labor Day record of $3.82 from 2012. California prices regularly exceeded $6 per gallon. Diesel hit $5.90 nationally. Energy Secretary Chris Wright attributed the elevation to Middle East supply disruption and said futures markets forecast lower prices by November.