NPR News: 09-17-2026 8PM EDT
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How did the Trump administration’s $7 billion federal worker buyout program work?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. A government watchdog agency estimates the Trump administration spent nearly $7 billion paying federal workers to quit their jobs last year. As NPR's Andrea Hsu reports, the move was part of a broad effort to slash the government.
The Government Accountability Office found spending on administrative leave soared last year, mostly due to the Trump administration's deferred resignation program. In early 2025, nearly all federal workers were given the option to quit their jobs in exchange for pay and benefits through at least September. The GAO estimates some 144,000 federal workers accepted the offer. The Trump administration estimated the workforce reductions would save the government $20 billion a year, far more than they spent on the buyout program. Critics of the administration say the mass exodus of talent has hobbled many agencies, making them less efficient than before. Andrea Hsu, NPR News.
What did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. say at the Children’s Health Defense conference about vaccines?
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. returned to the anti-vaccine organization he founded to give a keynote address today. NPR's Sydney Lupkin reports.
Kennedy spoke at the Children's Health Defense Conference for more than an hour. In his speech, he pointed out a rise in autism and other chronic conditions, but he was careful about not saying vaccines caused those conditions. Instead, Kennedy repeatedly said he wanted to search for answers from his position at the helm of the Department of Health and Human Services. He told the crowd that largely views vaccines as dangerous that although they may have hoped he would change policies his first day, government is slow. He assured them they had friends in the White House. To register for the event, members of the media had to agree that they assumed all risks for attending the event, including, quote, exposure to illness or contagious disease.
Why is Canada pursuing associate‑member status with the European Union?
Sydney Lepkin, NPR News.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has embraced the prospect of his country becoming the European Union's first associate member. In a speech to European Parliament, he praised cooperation between Europe and Canada, but President Trump's trade war and the relationship with the U.S. hung over the address. Carney said that closer ties with Europe would ensure no country could control Canada's markets or undermine its sovereignty. President Trump has dismissed warnings about artificial intelligence, but Trump is concerned about falling behind China, as NPR's Emily Fang reports.
President Trump has directly cited one of the reasons why he supports AI expansionism. as basically we don't build this stuff first, no matter how dangerous it could be, China's going to do it first. And there's been a very robust bait about, well, can China actually build that first?
What is President Trump’s rationale for accelerating U.S. artificial‑intelligence development?
The U.S. still has a pretty substantial lead when it comes to hardware and software abilities when it comes to AI. So can it build these frontier models faster than the U.S.? And actually, does it even really want to?
NPR's Emily Fang reporting major U.S. stock indexes rose today. This is NPR. South Korea plans to approve abortion pills for the first time to ensure safer abortions within the national health care system. The government announced that by early 2027, medication abortions will be allowed for women up to nine weeks pregnant.
How is South Korea planning to introduce abortion pills into its national health system?
In 2019, South Korea's constitutional court ordered the easing of a strict abortion ban. Artist Peter Max has died. His bold, colorful images helped to define the aesthetic of the late 1960s psychedelic and pop art movements. Max died on Monday at 88. As NPR's Chloe Veltman reports, his work appeared on everything from rock album covers to postage stamps.
Peter Max's style was characterised by neon colours, celestial motifs and optimistic themes. His most famous images included a faceless figure wearing a top hat and carrying a bright umbrella and the Statue of Liberty, which he began painting in 1976 to celebrate the United States Bicentennial. His aesthetic was often copied. For instance, people often assumed Max created the cartoon art for the 1969 Beatles movie Yellow Submarine, but that was actually Heinz Edelman, often dubbed the German Peter Max.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
How did the Trump administration’s $7 billion federal worker buyout program work?
0:00–1:00
2
What did Robert F. Kennedy Jr. say at the Children’s Health Defense conference about vaccines?
1:00–1:51
3
Why is Canada pursuing associate‑member status with the European Union?
1:51–2:41
4
What is President Trump’s rationale for accelerating U.S. artificial‑intelligence development?
2:41–3:16
5
How is South Korea planning to introduce abortion pills into its national health system?
3:16–4:07
6
What legacy did artist Peter Max leave behind after his death at 88?
4:07–4:53