NPR News: 09-28-2026 10PM EDT
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Why are Trump administration ad spending and FBI leadership changes drawing scrutiny?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Three taxpayer-funded ads promoting President Trump ahead of the midterm elections have cost about $1.5 million, according to Ad Impact. The White House defends them as public service announcements, but the ads are attracting mounting criticism. Senate Republican Majority Leader John Thune told reporters that taxpayer dollars shouldn't pay for the ads. Some legal experts say they run afoul of federal laws against using public funds for propaganda. A second deputy FBI director is leaving the bureau after just over a year in the job. The news comes after his co-director resigned in early January. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports.
Andrew Bailey says in a post on X that he is stepping down to return to his family in Missouri. But he says he's confident that Director Kash Patel will continue the work, including reforming the FBI and combating violent crime. Patel thanked Bailey for his service on X as well. Bailey, a former attorney general for the state of Missouri, joined the FBI last August under an unusual arrangement as co-deputy director alongside Dan Bongino, a right-wing former podcast host. Bongino left the bureau in January. Now Bailey, too, is departing. It's unclear whether he will be replaced. The current remaining deputy director is a career special agent, which was the norm until the second Trump administration. Ryan Lucas, NPR News, Washington.
How will relaxed fuel-economy rules affect cars and light trucks?
The Trump administration is relaxing requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks. The new standards set the average for these vehicles at roughly 35 miles per gallon in 2031 model year, down from a projected 50.4 miles per gallon under rules put in place by the Biden administration. President Trump claims these less stringent mileage requirements would save Americans thousands of dollars on a new car.
Why has a New York prosecutor reopened the Cornell fraternity assault investigation?
A New York prosecutor has reopened an investigation into gang rape allegations at a Cornell University fraternity in response to a lawsuit. complaint was filed by a woman who says she was sexually assaulted in 2024 by seven students after being plied with alcohol and drugs. NPR's Brian Mann reports.
In her civil lawsuit filed this month, the woman identified as Jane Doe describes a brutal assault. She wasn't old enough to drink legally, but says she was pressured at a Chi Phi fraternity party to use alcohol and drugs. She describes then being gang-raped, often while she was incapacitated, over a period of hours. The lawsuit filing includes a screen capture of Snapchat messages between some of the men, where they appear to joke and invite others to take part. This lawsuit also accuses Cornell University of failing to properly respond to the alleged violence. I should say we don't know exactly what actions Cornell took against these individuals. The university said some were suspended or
expelled. NPR's Brian Mann reporting. U.S.
Why did U.S. stocks fall, and what safeguards is NVIDIA building for AI agents?
stocks pulled further from their record highs today. The S&P 500 fell three-quarters of a percent. This is NPR News. NVIDIA has unveiled a new security platform that it says is designed to prevent AI agents from going rogue. The platform includes software that sets boundaries for AI agents. This comes after recent incidents of AI models escaping and breaking into other organizations.
Why are Jackson Hole leaders opposing a baseball field in Grand Teton National Park?
Business leaders and elected officials in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, are urging the Secretary of the Interior to say no to a baseball field inside Grand Teton National Park. KHOL Jackson's Sophia Boyd-Flegel reports.
Some Jackson Hole locals were shocked by a recent Washington Post report that the Trump administration had scouted locations in Grand Teton National Park to build a baseball park to host a major league baseball game. NPR has not independently confirmed the report. Rick Howe is a longtime leader of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce.
I thought it was just kind of one of those conspiracy theories. It isn't. This isn't something we should be accepting.
Howe told commissioners that even a temporary field on already disturbed land would undermine the purpose of the park to protect its natural resources, wildlife, and serve the public.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why are Trump administration ad spending and FBI leadership changes drawing scrutiny?
0:00–1:25
2
How will relaxed fuel-economy rules affect cars and light trucks?
1:25–1:50
3
Why has a New York prosecutor reopened the Cornell fraternity assault investigation?
1:50–2:51
4
Why did U.S. stocks fall, and what safeguards is NVIDIA building for AI agents?
2:51–3:17
5
Why are Jackson Hole leaders opposing a baseball field in Grand Teton National Park?
3:17–4:18
6
What happened during SpaceX Starship’s first orbital launch?
4:18–4:53