Whistle-Blower, United Nations, Jonathan Van Ness: Your Weekend Briefing

Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead.

1. Details of a secret whistle-blower complaint that is said to be about President Trump continue to unravel.

Mr. Trump pressed the Ukranian president in a July call to investigate former vice president Joe Biden’s son, an apparent mix of foreign policy with his re-election campaign. Mr. Trump also urged the Ukranian leader, Volodymyr Zelensky, to talk with his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, about the matter, according to people familiar with the conversation.

On Saturday, Mr. Trump dismissed the report as a “witch hunt.” Mr. Biden insisted that he had never spoken with his son about any overseas work.

2. The United Nations Climate Action Summit convenes on Monday, giving a glimpse of how far presidents and prime ministers are willing to go.

3. Elizabeth Warren had a plan to take on big banks. In the fight to get it done, she lost her dream job but also set a path for her 2020 presidential run.

By creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as a new financial regulator, Ms. Warren, pictured above testifying before Congress in 2009, developed the approach to government that now guides her campaign. It’s the latest in our Lessons in Power series.

5. The mass shootings came one after another this summer, an average of more than one per week. By Labor Day, 126 people had been killed.

A Times review of every shooting over the unofficial summer season, from the first, in the late afternoon of May 31, to the last, on the night of Sept. 2, found that each one was distinct. Yet clear patterns emerged, including a cycle that kept repeating itself: shooting, mourning, calls for change.

President Trump is expected to decide next week whether to defy the N.R.A. and embrace a bill expanding background checks for gun buyers. Some lawmakers are appealing to his ego to get it passed.

6. Our reporters added another chapter to the Harvey Weinstein story. Above, the former movie mogul in August.

As they tried and failed to report on Mr. Weinstein, the Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey were hitting roadblock after roadblock in 2017. They decided to turn to lawyers who were in the business of fighting for women: Gloria Allred and her daughter, Lisa Bloom.

But what they discovered raised questions about the legacy of the two feminist icons. New reporting in their book, “She Said,” shows how Ms. Allred and Ms. Bloom presented themselves as allies of victims, but in reality, helped maintain their silence. They broke it down in a two-part series on “The Daily.” Listen here.

7. It appears as though Area 51’s invaders have come in peace.

Two million people marked themselves as “attending” an event organized on Facebook called “Storm Area 51, They Can’t Stop All of Us.” Nobody actually stormed the top-secret military base, and about 3,000 people descended on a small town outside of Las Vegas.

But they did come with blowup alien dolls, tin foil hats, plenty of conspiracy theories and yes, some humor. When a green alien asked if he could get a photo of one of the officers pretending to handcuff him, the officer offered these terms: “Once the handcuffs go on, they don’t come off.” The alien demurred.

8. Jonathan Van Ness is ready to tell his truth.

In a candid interview with The Times ahead of the release of his memoir, the hairstylist turned reality star talks about his success on “Queer Eye” and reveals his struggles with addiction, surviving sexual abuse and being H.I.V. positive.

“I want people to realize you’re never too broken to be fixed,” he said.

“Queer Eye” won four Creative Emmy Awards last week in the kick off to this year’s Primetime Emmys. We’ll have live coverage of the awards show tonight at nytimes.com.

9. How do you move 300 podolica cows from Puglia on a 110-miles journey to the Molise region of Italy? At a cow’s pace, of course.

One of our Books editors rode along on a transumanza, the twice yearly journey to move grazing animals between summer and winter pastures, and found a deep connection to the Italian countryside.

And now to the battle of train versus plane: Our analysis of six routes in North America found that occasionally the train was not only cheaper, but was also quicker.

10. And finally, dig into one of our Best Weekend Reads.

We sent 20 photographers to 65 block parties in New York City, above, reviewed Ta-Nehisi Coates’s debut novel, went to Greenland, where the country crowns its national soccer champion in the shortest season on earth, and more.

For more suggestions on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 10 new books our editors liked, a glance at the latest small-screen recommendations from Watching, and our music critics’ latest playlist.

And for a nice dose of good news, a couple combed a rural Montana community for their Border collie for 57 days, leaving no tip unturned. They found her last week.

Monday is the first day of fall in the Northern Hemisphere. Hope you have an easy transition.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

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