NPR News: 09-15-2026 8PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Hundreds of people convened for an event called the Pro Human Assembly in Washington, D.C. today to discuss the harms and risks brought about by artificial intelligence. They included people on opposite sides of the political spectrum, including for Mont, Senator Bernie Sanders, and conservative strategist Steve Bannon. NPR's Hulge in None was there. In their respective speeches, both Sanders and Bannon blasted the billionaires that ran the AI companies for taking humanity down a dangerous path without the public having a say. The people of this country must make the decisions about AI and not just a handful of oligarchs. The American citizens are not going to be supplicants to the oligarchs anymore. However, the two disagree on what exactly to do about the existential threats they say AI poses. Many speakers called for a pause on development of the most advanced AI, and for international coordination. The American and the Chinese government so far have spoken out dismissing these ideas.

1:01What's in None? NPR News. A scathing new report from the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General's Office found that detainees at the immigration detention facility in Florida, known as alligator alcatraz, were subjected to a slew of poor living conditions, including being held in small metal enclosures. And Pairs Vanessa Romo has more. The Americans revealed that 7090 detainees were confined to metal cages with about four feet by four feet of floor space for up to two hours. Inspectors called it unprecedented among detention facilities, and said they presented significant risk to detainees health and safety. DHS's internal report also found detainees lacked clean drinking water, adequate food, and proper medical care. Showers were infested with bugs, and staff couldn't identify which detention standards they were expected to follow. The facility, which opened in 2025, shut down over the summer following a string of lawsuits. Vanessa Romo and P.R. News. The families of the 67 people killed in last year's mid-air collision over Washington, DC, are pushing Congress and regulators for action.

2:05And Pairs Joel Rose reports they joined lawmakers and safety investigators that are rally on Capitol Hill today. Doug Lane lost his wife and son, when an American Airlines regional jet collided with an Army Black Hawk helicopter last year. Then joined with other victims' families calling on Congress and federal regulators to take action. We can tell their stories, we can ask questions, we can push for answers, we can demand action, but we cannot do everybody else's work for them. The families were joined by the head of the National Transportation Safety Board, which is pushing federal aviation regulators to do more. Congress is still deadlocked over competing safety proposals that passed the House and Senate. But Senator Ted Cruz said he hopes to pass a bill during the lame duck session after the midterm elections. Joel Rose and P.R. News, Washington. Major U.S. stock indexes slipped today as oil prices rose once again, the S&P 500 fell nearly half a percent. It's NPR. China has introduced new border control rules that could ban citizens from leaving the

3:05country if they threatened national or industrial security. The rules reflect increased competition with the U.S. in areas like AI. Americans accused and overseas criminal activities could face travel bans for up to three years. A 50th anniversary production of the musical Annie is set to open on Broadway next fall. The show originally ran on Broadway for six years and has been revived twice as Jeff London reports. In 1977, Andrea MacCardle as Little Orphan Annie stepped on stage at the Alvin Theatre on Broadway and belted this anthem. And Annie ran tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, picking up seven Tony Awards and being produced all around the country in the world and turned into films for Hollywood and TV. The 50th anniversary production will be directed by Sam Pinkleton, best known for his work on the Campy Comedy O'Merry and the Broadway Revival of the Rocky Horror Show.

4:11For NPR News, I'm Jeff London in New York. The NFL Players Association says 92 percent of its members favor playing on grass instead of artificial turf, which players say leads to more wear and tear on their bodies, that of eight resurface this year when some NFL facilities temporarily installed grass to host world cup games before returning to turf. Buffalo is making the switch to grass when it moves to its new stadium. This is NPR News from Washington.