By Jamie Ross and Izin Akhabau

Listen to this briefing

Good morning. It’s Tuesday, Sept. 29, and we have to give kudos to the hundreds of kind strangers who saved a couple’s wedding after it was disrupted by the nor’easter. Let’s catch up.

A quick note: We want to hear from you. Tell us what you think of The 7 in this survey.

	President Donald Trump’s sweeping changes are transforming Washington.

• Building spree: No modern president has done more to personally reshape the nation’s capital. His allies credit it as a major achievement, while many others just want him to stop.

• See for yourself: Scroll through this interactive map of D.C. to reveal the extent of Trump’s changes, from blades of grass on the White House lawn to new monuments around the city.

Prosecutors reopened an investigation into an alleged rape at Cornell University.

• Earlier this month: A woman filed a lawsuit against Cornell and seven fraternity members, alleging she was the victim of a gang rape in 2024. The allegations have sparked outrage.

• Yesterday: New York state prosecutors said they had begun the process of pursuing criminal charges against the alleged perpetrators. Cornell said it supports the decision.

ChatGPT-maker OpenAI canceled the planned launch of a new AI model.

• Why? It was found to take actions beyond the instructions it received and not accurately tell human users what it did, OpenAI said.

• As concerns about AI grow: Trump officials will today offer a sharply different take, seeking to convince a deeply skeptical public that a tech-powered “golden age” is on the way.

• AI is making job scams more sophisticated: See how to spot them here.

The Trump administration finalized new rules it says will cut car prices.

• Under the plan: Officials will weaken the nation’s fuel economy standards to bring down prices. But, as fuel costs soar, analysts told The Post that any savings on cars will be hard to notice.

• Pain at the pump: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) declared an emergency yesterday to address high fuel costs. Gas is so expensive that Alaska voters are considering a Democratic senator.

Hawaii’s extreme weather has provided a taste of what El Niño will bring to many states.

• In recent months: Three hurricanes have caused a lot of damage in Hawaii — see photos here. While hurricanes aren’t uncommon in the region, they usually weaken before reaching Hawaii.

• El Niño has changed things: The intense weather event has put Hawaii in the path of more storms. It is one of a long list of cascading impacts that are set to peak late this year and into next.

You can reduce your risk of “long flu.”

• Flu season is here: Millions of people will catch the virus this year. While the short-term symptoms are well known, some suffer persistent ones that affect organs including the brain.

• Thankfully: The flu vaccine helps prime your immune system to fight the virus, reducing short- and long-term consequences. October is the best time to get a shot, physicians say.

Are you storing your food wrong? Test yourself with our quiz.

• Groceries are getting more expensive: So it’s agonizing when berries grow fuzz, carrots go limp and avocados suddenly turn to mush. Every day of extra freshness counts.

• What mistakes are you making? Answer these 10 questions to find out. At the end, you’ll be told whether you’re a food storing master or if we’d be scared to open your fridge