NPR News: 09-16-2026 12PM EDT
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Why is the Federal Reserve expected to raise interest rates today?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Investors are predicting that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates later today. NPR Scott Horsley reports the central bank. Is trying to tap down stubborn inflation.
Inflation has been above the Fed's two percent target for more than five years now. Price hikes accelerated during the spring and summer after the US launched its war against Iran. Raising the Fed's benchmark interest rate won't do much to lower the price of gasoline or diesel fuel, which has surged to an all time high, but it would signal that the central bank is serious about curbing inflation. Expectations for a rate hike jumped after a hawkish speech last month from Fed Chairman Kevin Walsh to an audience in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Fed policymakers will also update their personal forecast today of where they think prices and interest rates will be going in the months and years ahead. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington.
Inflation, higher energy prices, U.S. military action in the Middle East are among the issues looming over the midterm elections less than two months away.
How much has the Iran war cost the United States, according to CBO and the Pentagon?
NPR's Greg Myri reports on new higher estimates on the cost of the Iran war.
One of them comes from the Congressional Budget Office and the other from the Pentagon's Inspector General. And both of these are independent nonpartisan agencies. Both reports detail the extensive damage to U.S. bases and military equipment, like the U.S. naval base in Bahrain. And this is something the Pentagon has really not wanted to talk about. The Pentagon Inspector General said the Iranian strike. Strikes damage and destroyed quote hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases, and it listed eight countries in the region where this has happened.
Why are opening acts dropping out of Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour?
NPR's Greg Myrie reporting. The Congressional Budget Office estimates at the estimates that the Iran war has cost at least thirty eight billion dollars. That estimate does not include Extensive damage to US military bases abroad. More musicians are dropping out of the tour with singer Ed Sheeran. NPRC Isabella Gomezarmiento has more.
The artists Aaron Rowe, Lucas Graham, and Phineas have all announced they will no longer perform as opening acts for Ed Sheeran's current stadium tour. The group Bioga, who has been touring with Sheeran as his backing band, also announced they will be leaving the tour. This after McLamore was kicked off Sheeran's tour for a politicized performance that included shouting Free Palestine on stage. In a statement posted on social media, Sheerin writes that the decision to remove Macklemore was made by the Tour promoters.
What are the latest developments in U.S. stock markets and recent crash investigations?
The promoter cited pressure from venue owners. All of the supporting acts leaving the tour expressed support for free speech and for the Palestinian people. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and PR News.
US stocks are trading higher this hour with the Dow up slightly at fifty two thousand one hundred eleven. You're listening to NPR News. Investigators from both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration have are expected to arrive on the scene of two separate crashes that claim the lives of at least three. Five people in Los Angeles yesterday. It all began when an SUV slammed into a city bus. Local authorities say at least two people died, six were injured. Then a news helicopter used by NBC and Telemundo went down. As it was covering the collision. Local officials say a reporter and a pilot were killed.
How do new maps reveal gaps in low‑cost birth‑control access for women in the U.S.?
as well as a third person on the ground. The cause of the helicopter crash is unknown. A new analysis shows twenty one million women in the US seeking low cost birth control live in a county with limited access. Here's NPR Selena Simmons Stefan.
The new analysis comes from two reproductive health organizations: the Gutmacher Institute, which specializes in research and power to decide, which does public education and advocacy. Together, they created interactive maps that show county by county the number of brick and mortar clinics that offer no and low cost birth control, and the number of low-income women who self-identify in surveys as needing those services.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is the Federal Reserve expected to raise interest rates today?
0:01–1:06
2
How much has the Iran war cost the United States, according to CBO and the Pentagon?
1:06–1:45
3
Why are opening acts dropping out of Ed Sheeran’s stadium tour?
1:45–2:38
4
What are the latest developments in U.S. stock markets and recent crash investigations?
2:38–3:33
5
How do new maps reveal gaps in low‑cost birth‑control access for women in the U.S.?
3:33–4:37
6
What unexpected story does ‘This American Life’ tell about David’s sudden turn of events?
4:37–5:03