Today is Tuesday, Sept. 2, the 245th day of 2025. There are 120 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Sept. 2, 1945, Japan formally surrendered in ceremonies aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, ending World War II.

Also on this date:

In 1666, the Great Fire of London began, which would destroy more than 13,000 homes and hundreds of additional structures, including St Paul’s Cathedral, over the ensuing three days.

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In 1789, the United States Treasury Department was established.

In 1864, during the Civil War, Union Gen. William T. Sherman’s forces occupied Atlanta.

In 1935, a Category 5 hurricane slammed into the Florida Keys on Labor Day, claiming more than 400 lives.

In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the National Defense Education Act, which provided aid to public and private education to promote learning in such fields as math and science.

In 1963, Alabama Gov. George C. Wallace prevented the integration of Tuskegee High School by encircling the building with state troopers.

In 1969, in what some regard as the birth of the Internet, two connected computers at the University of California, Los Angeles, passed test data through a 15-foot cable.

In 1998, a Swissair MD-11 jetliner crashed off Nova Scotia, killing all 229 people aboard.

In 2005, a National Guard convoy packed with food, water and medicine rolled into New Orleans four days after Hurricane Katrina.

In 2013, on her fifth attempt, U.S. endurance swimmer Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without the help of a shark cage.

In 2018, a huge fire engulfed Brazil’s 200-year-old National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, as firefighters and museum workers raced to save historical relics.

In 2019, a fire swept a vessel carrying recreational scuba divers that was anchored near an island off the Southern California coast; the captain and four other crew members were able to escape the flames, but 34 people who were trapped below died.

Today’s Birthdays:

Former United States Olympic Committee Chairman and former Major League Baseball commissioner Peter Ueberroth is 88.
Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw is 77.
Basketball Hall of Famer Nate Archibald is 77.
Actor Mark Harmon is 74.
Tennis Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors is 73.
Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson is 65.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is 63.
Actor Keanu Reeves is 61.
Boxing Hall of Famer Lennox Lewis is 60.
Actor Salma Hayek is 59.
R&B singer K-Ci is 56.
Electronic music DJ/producer Zedd is 36.

Napheesa Collier scored 25 points, Natisha Hiedeman added 20 points and a career-high 10 assists for her first double-double, and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Dallas Wings 96-71 on Monday night at Target Center.

Courtney Williams added 15 points and nine assists for the Lynx (32-8), who already wrapped up the No. 1 overall seed for the playoffs. Bridget Carleton had 12 points.

Paige Bueckers scored 17 points for the last-place Wings (9-33). Maddy Siegrist, Amy Okonkwo and Diamond Miller each added 12.

Collier and Williams both shot 7 for 10 as the Lynx made 55% (36 for 65) but Collier was 4 for 4 from 3-point range. Hiedeman was 4 for 5 behind the arc and Carleton 4 for 8 as the Lynx went 14 for 24 (58%). They also had 29 assists.

Dallas was 3 for 15 from long range and shot 39% overall.

Minnesota rested Kayla McBride, and DiJonai Carrington stepped into the starting lineup but did not play in the second half with a shoulder issue.

Collier had 11 points in the first quarter when the Lynx scored the last two baskets to take a 25-21 lead.

Dallas tied the score at 32 on Bueckers’ jumper with four minutes left in the second quarter but Williams, Carleton and Hiedeman hit consecutive 3s for the Lynx. After Siegrist scored inside for the Wings, Collier hit a 3 for a 44-34 lead just inside the two minute mark. It was 48-41 at the break.

Hiedeman had 10 points in the third quarter with her late 3 making it 71-59 entering the fourth.
Minnesota dominated the fourth quarter, outscoring the Wings 25-12.

The Lynx start a three-game road trip at Las Vegas on Thursday when the Wings are at Golden State.

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Hundreds gathered at the state Capitol on Monday asking Gov. Tim Walz to call a special legislative session to ban assault weapons on the heels of a mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School last week that killed two children and injured 18 children and adults.

“No one should be scared to go to school out of fear of being shot. Our schools should be where our dreams are shaped, not our nightmares,” said Timberlyn Mazeikis, a former Michigan State University student who survived a mass shooting on campus there in 2023 and now is a volunteer leader with the Students Demand Action group at the University of Minnesota.

“Minnesota lawmakers, on both sides of the aisle, must act to pass a ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” Mazeikis said. “That’s why we are at the Capitol today: to ask Gov. Walz to call a special session on public safety and demand our politicians prioritize our safety over the gun lobby’s interests.”

Walz announced last week that he was planning to call state lawmakers back to the Capitol for a special session to do just that in response to Wednesday’s shooting in Minneapolis.

Walz and fellow Democratic-Farmer-Labor leaders, including Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, have advocated for policies including a ban on semiautomatic rifles and a magazine capacity limit.

Assault weapons and high-capacity magazines are most frequently used in mass shootings and have greater destructive impact than standard handguns, said Minnesota Youth, the group that hosted Monday’s rally. “These weapons were designed for the battlefield, not our schools, churches or city streets.”

Investigators say the high-powered rifle used in the Minneapolis shootings was a semiautomatic. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told reporters Thursday that the 5.56 mm rifle fired 116 rounds in less than four minutes.

Republicans generally oppose new gun control legislation, so passage of any bill will require bipartisan support.

Senate Majority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, told the Pioneer Press last week that Walz’ call for a special session  was a “partisan stunt.”

“Republicans are committed to addressing the root causes of violence, supporting safe schools and increasing access to mental health resources,” Johnson said. “Calling for a special session without even consulting legislative leaders is not a serious way to begin.”

A coalition of gun prevention groups showed up at the Monday rally including the state chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, Protect Minnesota, Brady Northland, Brady United’s state chapter and the state chapter of the Giffords gun owner caucus, organizers said.

“At least nine out of the 10 mass shooting incidents with the most casualties since 2015 involved at least one firearm equipped with a high-capacity magazine and the use of at least one assault weapon,” said a spokesperson for Minnesota Youth.  “When the U.S. had a federal assault weapons ban on the books, it worked. State-level assault weapon bans are associated with a lower likelihood of an active shooter event. Not only are laws prohibiting assault weapons constitutional, these policies are effective — and they save lives.”

The Minnesota State Fair Grandstand opened the season with a sold out Old Dominion show and wrapped up on Monday with Taylor Swift.

Well, not the actual Taylor Swift, but her music did ring through the stands during late morning and mid-afternoon sets from Bri and the Anti-heroes. The band of six friends came together in the spring of 2023 to pay tribute to Taylor Swift. Led by vocalist and North Dakota native Brianna Helbling, the group says they have sold out every show they’ve played, including First Avenue.

Alas, the Anti-heroes’ streak is now broken, as the crowds for the two shows numbered in the hundreds, not thousands. But it was still a blast to hear songs like “”We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “… Ready for It?” performed beneath sunny skies and some of the most gorgeous weather of this year’s Great Minnesota Get-Together.

The New York-based Rock and Roll Playhouse presented the shows. The company promises families “an opportunity to rock out in an effort to educate children and encourage them to explore their creativity” and that they aim to fill “the void for shared musical experiences between parents and children.”

And, well, that’s exactly what happened during the afternoon show on Monday. Bri and the Anti-heroes took the stage promptly at 3 p.m. with “Cruel Summer,” the 2019 song that became a hit four years later thanks to its placement in Swift’s wildly successful Eras Tour.

In a nod to that two-year outing, the Anti-heroes performed the 75-minute show in mini blocks devoted to specific Swift albums, from 2008’s “Fearless” to last year’s “The Tortured Poets Department.” Helbling, who sparkled with her strong voice and cheery disposition, even (quickly) changed outfits for each record represented, with help from her mother, who was stationed backstage.

Families started to trickle into the open space in front of the stage, with more filling in with each song. Early on, the band urged everyone to move closer to the stage and they did. By the time the Anti-heroes moved into the “1989” era, the floor was hopping, with the kids — almost entirely ages 10 and under — singing and dancing with the sort of pure, utterly carefree glee rarely found outside the pre-pubescent set.

The Anti-heroes added rapped verses to “Bad Blood,” a saxophone to “Shake it Off” and led several games with the crowd, including a lively limbo contest. And, again, the kids loved it. So did a lot of the dads. It was a terrific way to bid farewell to the State Fair and Grandstand for the year.

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