Some people loved seeing Burning Man mired in mud. Here's why

CNN’s PM Plug-In is a weekday newsletter to catch you up on important news you may have missed during your busy day. Make sure to subscribe to stay in the know.

Maybe you heard that a little rain fell on this year's Burning Man festival, the iconic annual retreat that draws tens of thousands into the Nevada desert for a week of "radical" self-reliance and expression. Critics say the festival lost its way years ago when it became a must-do for billionaires not really interested in roughing it. As the dust settles on this year's Burning Man, we're spotlighting how the mud-caked conditions left some outside observers burning with schadenfreude.

WHAT HAPPENED

• Black Rock Desert, where Burning Man is held, got several months' worth of rain in about 24 hours last weekend, turning the sand in the desert basin – known as the playa – into what the local sheriff described as "very greasy" mud that "seems to stick to people [and] stick to tires."
• Authorities had to close the gate to the sprawling campsite and impose a driving ban, with only emergency vehicles allowed in and out. It wasn’t until days later that attendees were able to drive out. The festival's culminating moment – the burning of a huge totem – was postponed until Monday.

WHAT IT’S SUPPOSED TO MEAN TO BE A BURNER

• Burning Man was born out of a small 1986 gathering on a San Francisco beach. It grew into a gritty countercultural community of "Burners" who pooh-pooh commercialism every year within a makeshift desert "city" consisting of tents, yurts and RVs.
• The Burning Man nonprofit's website lays out 10 festival principles emphasizing community, civic responsibility and "decommodification," so there's no money changing hands on the desert playa. "Our community seeks to create social environments that are unmediated by commercial sponsorships, transactions or advertising," the website reads.

PLAY ON, PLAYA

• But critics say in some elite circles, going to Burning Man is like climbing Mount Everest with a team of professionals – a spiritual journey that you get carried on if you have enough money.
• Burners are supposed to lug a week’s worth of water and food to the festival, but desert dispatches over the years report the ultra-wealthy flying in personal chefs and erecting luxury, party-ready tents.
• Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, is a Burning Man regular, and Mark Zuckerberg reportedly once flew in for a day and even set up his own tent (we don't know whether he and Musk ever attended at the same time, or if a cage fighting ring was set up).
• Because of the festival's glitzier Burners, many were quick to poke fun at this year's muddy conditions. "It's a tiny violin emoji for me," somebody wrote on TikTok.

BURNERS GONNA BURN

• Despite the shade some threw, many in the desert took the mud in stride – several even hiked out during the driving ban. One Burner told CNN the rain and mud returned the festival to its roots, rather than exposing how it had strayed from them: "You come out here to be in a harsh climate, and you prepare for that."
• Other Burners echo the belief that preparing for the worst and collaborating to survive a difficult environment are crucial parts of the Burning Man experience. Organizers provide an extensive primer on gear everyone needs to bring for adverse conditions, including your own “poop bucket” just in case.
• The county sheriff’s office highlighted the community spirit, saying over the weekend that the majority of the stranded Burners were "in good spirits," with no shortages of food or water reported. "Whatever resources are out there, they will use and share with each other," he said.

What do you think of Burning Man? Is it a gritty spiritual journey or thinly veiled glamping? Do you know anyone who has attended? Burner or no, comment on this newsletter and tell us what you think.

Here are some other stories we're following today:

Donald Trump can add another tally to the loss column of his extensive legal battle list. A federal judge ruled today that Trump is liable for making defamatory statements against E. Jean Carroll in 2019. The judge said that when a jury found in May that Trump had sexually abused and defamed the former magazine columnist, that applies to the 2019 defamation case jurors will hear in January. That means the jury will now just have to decide how much Trump should pay Carroll, who is asking for more than $10 million. Trump denies all wrongdoing.?

The Mediterranean is getting another round of torrential rain today from Storm Daniel. Flooding has already claimed lives in Turkey, Bulgaria and Greece, which saw months' worth of rain Tuesday. The coastal city of Volos saw around 10 times its monthly rainfall — more than 14 inches — in less than 14 hours. Conditions in Greece were expected to be even worse today as the storm appeared to be forming into what's known as a "medicane."

Hurricane Idalia left a path of destruction last week as it cut through Florida’s Big Bend region — not too surprising for a Category 3 hurricane. But the storm may be responsible for something experts didn’t expect: flamingo sightings as far north as Ohio.

Just over two years after the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the UN is calling for help providing assistance to millions of Afghans "scrambling for their next meal." The UN's World Food Programme says it has had to cut emergency assistance from 10 million Afghans this year, including 2 million this month alone, as it faces "a massive funding shortfall." The organization says it needs $1 billion in the next six months to be able to feed 21 million people with lifesaving food.?

The federal budget deficit could nearly double to around $2 trillion this fiscal year, according to a government watchdog group. That spike — forecast by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget — follows a sharp drop in the deficit last fiscal year after two years of record spending on Covid-19 relief. A decline in tax revenues, coupled with mandatory spending on Social Security, Medicare and interest payments, are fueling the predicted surge. The Treasury Department's figures are more modest, but also likely to reflect a deficit increase — from $1.4 trillion in fiscal 2022 to an anticipated $1.7 trillion for the current year.

Federal safety regulators are pushing to recall 52 million air bags because they could explode. A ruptured inflator from the air bags in question killed at least two, one in the US and one in Canada, and caused at least seven serious injuries in US vehicles since 2009. The air bags are used in vehicles built by automakers such as Ford, General Motors and Toyota. Air bag manufacturer ARC says it disagrees with regulators’ “sweeping request.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will make its case for a recall at a hearing in October.

?? Stay plugged in

We're excited to bring you this PM newsletter each week, Monday through Thursday, from CNN’s Ticker Team right here on LinkedIn. Don't miss the next edition. Subscribe now — and share with colleagues, friends and family.

What did you think of today’s newsletter? Drop a comment below or send thoughts and feedback to [email protected].