Covid appears to be on the rise and Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner file for divorce: Morning Rundown

In today’s newsletter: Republicans are in the midst of an historic spending war for the presidential primary. Covid appears to be worsening. And we learn “Price is Right” host Bob Barker’s cause of death.

 Here’s what to know today.

The GOP’s $100 million ad war

Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis’ face inside TV screens (Leila Register / NBC News; Getty Images)

The Republican presidential primary campaigns and their allied super PACs have now spent north of $100 million on television, radio and streaming ads, an historic rate of cash burning.

The spending falls into two basic categories: ads to cement former President Donald Trump’s status as the inevitable nominee and ads to stop him.

Trump’s Republican rivals are mounting an effort to blunt his momentum where it matters most: in the key early states of Iowa and New Hampshire — and a small amount in South Carolina, too. There’s been hardly any meaningful ad spending outside those three early-voting states, and it reflects how many Republicans see the early contests as really the only chance GOP challengers have to keep Trump from steamrolling to the party’s nomination.

Meanwhile, MAGA Inc., the super PAC backing the Trump campaign, has spent $18.5 million so far on national television ads. That’s more than every other Republican group and candidate in the field combined.

Ben Kamisar breaks down an advertising fight that’s ramped up faster than ever. 

All signs point to a rise in CovidHospitalizations are up. Deaths are up. Wastewater samples with Covid in them are up, too.

Experts are turning to those sources of data to know what the disease is doing, as individual cases of Covid have become more difficult to track ever since states stopped being required to report numbers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The number of hospitalized Covid patients has been rising after hitting an all-time low in late June, and that’s despite the fact that hospitals are only testing patients who are symptomatic.

NBC News’ health reporters explain what to know about the latest variants and when to expect updated Covid boosters.

Ruby Franke charged with 6 counts of felony child abuse

Ruby Franke. (KSL)

The mother of six behind the family YouTube channel “8 Passengers,” has been charged with six counts of felony child abuse by the Washington County Attorney in Utah, a spokesperson for the attorney’s office confirmed to NBC News on Tuesday.

Ruby Franke and her business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, were arrested last week after law enforcement found Franke’s 12-year-old son emaciated and with open wounds and duct tape on his wrists and ankles. The boy had climbed out of a window of Hildebrandt’s home and ran to a neighbor’s house for help.

Daysia Tolentino reports that Franke and Hildebrandt were accused of causing or permitting serious physical injury to two victims in three different ways.

Bob Barker died of Alzheimer’s disease

Bob Barker hosting

A death certificate for the longtime “Price Is Right” host shows that he died from Alzheimer’s disease.

Barker’s longtime friend, Nancy Burnet, said in a statement shared by his publicist Tuesday that he was talking and exercising until shortly before his death. He died last week at age 99.

Today’s Talker: Singer Joe Jonas said his marriage with…

… “Game of Thrones” star Sophie Turner is “irretrievably broken.” A divorce petition, exclusively obtained by NBC’s “TODAY” show, was filed in Florida, where the couple recently sold their home. Fans of the couple expressed shock over the divorce news, as the pair appeared to be healthy based on social media posts and public appearances.

Politics in Brief

A win for Biden’s brand: Former White House official Gabe Amo won a crowded Democratic primary Tuesday to fill a vacant congressional seat in Rhode Island.

Michigan Senate race: After months of being courted by top Republicans, former Rep. Mike Rogers is launching a bid for Michigan’s open Senate seat.

Jan. 6 sentence: Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio received 22 years in federal prison for seditious conspiracy in connection with the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

New York AG vs. Trump: New York Attorney General Letitia James asked a court to sanction Trump and his eldest sons in her $250 million civil case.

Texas impeachment trial: Attorney General Ken Paxton pleaded not guilty to 20 articles of impeachment as the Texas Senate began a historic trial.

Staff Pick: Women face barriers to freezing their eggs in China

I was surprised to learn that despite a looming population crisis and calls to increase the birth rate, egg freezing is forbidden for single Chinese women. Our reporters speak to unmarried women who travelled from the mainland to Hong Kong to exercise their reproductive freedom and undergo the risky, expensive procedure — and look at the social and political factors that keep these women from accessing it at home. —Annie Hill, platforms editor

In Case You Missed It

Select: Online Shopping, Simplified Labor Day deals have come and gone. But the rest of this month can be the right time to shop a number of items. Experts shared what to think about buying in September and what to wait on if possible, plus tips to help you save money.

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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com