TODAY’S WEATHER

🌤️ Glasgow has the best of it today, with temperatures reaching into the low-20s, while Edinburgh will be cooler, and Aberdeen cloudy. London will - after an overcast start - get into the mid-20s later. (Here’s the UK forecast).

THE BIG STORIES
European leaders to back Zelensky in Washington | Israelis protest against war | Glasgow faces refugee pressure

📣 As Donald Trump aligns himself with Russia, Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky arrives in Washington today with unprecedented backup: Europe’s most senior political leaders, including the UK’s Keir Starmer, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Friedrich Merz.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted to US media that “they’re not coming here to keep Zelensky from getting bullied,” with memories of his Oval Office clash with Trump still fresh from earlier in the year.

Still, it’s clear they are attending at the request of the Ukrainian leader, and bring with them promises of continued support. The meeting, say observers, will be a big test of the Atlantic alliance.

• New York Times: Zelensky brings backup to the White House as Trump aligns more closely with Putin (🎁 New York Times - gift link)

• Zelensky heads back to Washington under pressure from Putin (🎁 WSJ - gift link)

• A Trump envoy claims Putin has agreed to “NATO-style” security guarantees for Ukraine. (AP)

• Trump rules out Ukraine reclaiming Crimea or joining NATO (Guardian)

• William Browder: For Putin, an outbreak of peace means certain death. His only hope is to prolong the “special military operation”. (Mail)

📣 Soaring numbers of homeless refugees arriving in Glasgow could cost the city £66 million next year. Council leader Susan Aitken has called for Home Office support, with 44% of homeless people in the city refugees, and suggestions that many are moving to Scotland because of the country’s more generous approach to housing. (The Herald has the exclusive)

📣 Huge crowds gathered in Israel yesterday demanding a deal to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas, and an end to the Gaza war. Crowds were biggest in Tel Aviv’s “Hostages Square”, and were condemned by the country’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and far-right members of his cabinet. (BBC)

• Israeli frustration over Gaza war erupts into fierce protests (Independent)

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED AT THE WEEKEND
Salmond’s widow fighting back | Ukraine faces “tragedy” | Are degrees worth it? | Swift’s Swedish gurus | Strictly obscure |

🗣️ Moira Salmond, widow of the late Scottish First Minister Alex, has appointed a team of lawyers to continue her husband’s legal action against the Scottish Government. It’s the latest piece of fallout at least partially attributable to Nicola Sturgeon’s book, launched last week and still the subject of countless - largely unflattering - reviews (£) and commentary (£) over the weekend.

Moira Salmond is said to have been galvanised by criticism of her husband in his former prodege’s book. A family friend told John Ferguson: “Moira is upset and angered by the continued attempts to smear Alex in the book – much of which is ridiculous and inaccurate.

“Alex may not be here to defend himself but his family are determined to stand up to those who continue to attack him.” (The Sunday Mail had the exclusive)

🗣️The big global story of the week was Donald Trump’s meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Trump had been talking for days about “land swaps” as a condition for peace: the BBC explores what that might mean, ahead of Volodymyr Zelensky’s trip to Washington today. The Ukrainian leader may well be faced with Putin’s demands to surrender “the entirety of the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in return for Russia freezing the rest of the front line”. Both regions are “rich in minerals and industry” and to surrender them would be a “tragedy”, one Ukrainian historian tells Joel Gunter in Kyiv. (BBC)

🗣️The annual debate about the value of degrees kicked off after A-level results were published last week. In the Telegraph, columnist Roger Bootle argued (£) that going to University in Britain is a scam. “We send far too many young people to University,” he argued. “Countless” young people have found the promise of a premium salary for graduates doesn’t come to pass, after they leave Uni with - on average - £53,000 in debt. “For many young people, their life prospects would be brighter if they didn’t go to university.

That sparked a lively discussion among readers: 15,000 voted on whether university was worthwhile today, with 72% saying “no”.

But others defended the importance of university. “Unless young people get a trade, university is no longer optional,” said one. “Raw intelligence, experience and ability is no longer enough. It hasn’t been enough for 20 years or more.” (🎁Telegraph - gift link)

🗣️ One of last week’s most-clicked links on The Early Line was to news that Taylor Swift has a new album in the works. So I can say with confidence that many of you will also be excited to learn that Swedish “uber-producers” Max Martin and Shellback, who produced her 2017 album Reputation, are involved in her latest effort too.

Even if you’ve never heard of them, you’ve almost certainly listened to their music: Martin was behind Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time, and a long line of hits before and since.

The latest collaboration with Swift guarantees the new album will launch some bang-on-trend pop hits after its release on October 3. (Sunday Times (£))

🗣️Fans of Strictly Come Dancing are perhaps less excited than their Swiftie friends after seeing the full line-up emerge over the weekend.

Game of Thrones actor Kristain Nairn was the 15th and final name to be added to the roster. He joins stars such as… [checks notes] showbiz journalist Ross King and Apprentice star Thomas Skinner, former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and soap actor Bavinder Sopal.

But, such is the show’s power, some of them might be household names by the time the run is over at Christmas. It starts on 20 September. (Mirror)

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 The Scottish Government is facing legal action over its continued failure to issue new advice to public bodies in the wake of its Supreme Court defeat over the definition of “woman” and “sex” in the Equality Act. (Guardian)

📣 The Scottish Government’s refusal to follow Westminster plans to claw back benefits claimed by fraud or error will cost the country £36 million, according to documents secured under freedom of information legislation. Social justice cabinet secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville says the move would not be in line with Scotland’s more “dignified” approach. (The Scotsman has the exclusive)

📣 Brewdog is running flat: its beers have vanished from more than 2,000 pubs across Britain as its popularity continues to wane. That accounts for more than a third of its distribution. (Mail)

AROUND THE UK & THE WORLD

📣 Large parts of Spain are on fire: up to 20 major blazes, mostly in the northwestern region of the country, with some also in neighbouring Portugal. Soldiers are being deployed to help try to fight the flames, alongside resources from across Europe, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said “unfortunately, the weather is not on our side”. (Sky News)

📣 UK house prices fell by an average of £10,000 over the summer, with half of that fall happening this month, according to Rightmove. (Independent)

📣 Police are investigating claims of drug use on the BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing. (BBC)

📣 Ozempic sales have surged 500% after the makers of the rival weight-loss jab, Mounjaro, announced UK prices would be hiked from next month to bring them in line with other nations. (Times £)

📣 Space is turning into a battlefield, with Russian hackers disrupting Ukrainian satellite TV services and growing concerns about the world’s GPS services. (AP)

📣 It’ll make a remarkable venue for someone with a spare £3 million: an abandoned fortress off the south cost of England has been transformed into a “party island” with its own nightclub, and no concerns about bothering the neighbours. (Independent)

SPORT

⚽️ The Scottish League Cup kept Scotland’s top clubs occupied over the weekend (see all the results), with a trio of talking points:

• Kilmarnock beat Dundee United with new dad Brad Lyons scoring the winner at Rugby Park. (Herald)

• On Saturday, St Mirren beat Hearts on penalties in the Paisley sunshine. (BBC)

• Rangers won, but their 4-2 struggle past part-time Alloa Athletic raised more questions than it answered about the futures of some of Russell Martin’s squad. (Daily Record)

• The quarter-final draw sees Celtic visit Partick Thistle, and Rangers play Hibs. (BBC)

⚽️ The English Premier League returned, with more games on TV than ever before. The BBC links below take you to highlights.

• The weekend’s biggest game saw Arsenal take all three points from Manchester United at Old Trafford. But United fans will take great heart from the United performance (well, maybe not the goalkeeping). (BBC)

• Manchester City got off to a flyer, winning 4-0 against Wolves. (BBC)

• World Club Cup Champions Chelsea could only manage a 0-0 draw against FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. (BBC)

• Leeds play Everton tonight (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event)