NPR News: 09-02-2026 3PM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh. Employers could be looking at the biggest increase in 24 years and how much they pay for their staff's health benefits. The consulting firm Marsh is at with its latest annual national survey of employer-sponsored health plans. It finds companies expect to pay an average of 8% more in 2027. That's likely to lead to higher premium costs for employees. The oil giant chevron says it is expanding its operations in Venezuela, where it has operated for more than a century. This is the Trump administration partners with the private company and Venezuela that would give the United States access to 65 billion barrels of oil. And Piers will arubin with details. In an online statement, chevron said it's gotten new land in Venezuela to tap for oil. It plans to invest more than $7 billion over the next five years. And that eventually it will produce 600,000 barrels a day.

1:00For context, the entire country of Venezuela produces around 1 million barrels daily. Now Venezuela's oil infrastructure has been in disrepair for decades. Analysts say it will take time and millions of dollars to repair or rebuild it. But Venezuela is sitting on lots of oil. Chevron's move is part of a larger American push to rebuild Venezuela's oil infrastructure and to gain access to that oil. Will arubin and Piers news? The jury and Lindsey Clancy's murder trial in Massachusetts remains deadlock. Today, it told the judge that after nearly 28 hours of deliberation, it is still unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether Clancy should be held criminally responsible for the deaths of her three young children. And once again, the judge ordered jurors to continue deliberating. The jury has been weighing the defense's argument that Clancy suffered postpartum psychosis when she strangled her children to death in 2023. The prosecution argues Clancy knew what she was doing.

2:03And immigrant incustity of US immigration and customs enforcement has died hours after he was taken into detention. The latest from MPR's Vanessa Romo. The death of a Chinese man in a US territory marks the 57th death of an immigrant detainee held in the care of the government since the start of President Trump's second term. Twenty-four of those have occurred since January 1st. US immigration and customs enforcement says Liannian Way was arrested by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on August 21st, after allegedly attacking a family in their home. A day later, Way, whose legal immigration status ended in 2019, was taken into ICE custody. But before any legal action could be taken, the 51-year-old was found unresponsive by a corrections officer during morning checks, just hours later. Way's official cause of death remains under investigation. Vanessa Romo and PR News. You're listening to NPR. This school year, New York City says students and teachers will face varying restrictions

3:06on their use of artificial intelligence. Elementary and middle school students are barred from using generative AI tools. High schoolers will not be allowed to use AI chatbots, but we'll get an education in AI literacy and teachers will not be allowed to use AI to help grade assignments. Here's New York City Mayor Zaramam Donnie. In no way, shape or form, will AI replace student teacher interaction. It is the foundation of our students' educational experience. That will not change. A week after Metta and a group of state settled, a landmark lawsuit over child addiction to social media. There's a new study showing adults also struggle with time spent on their phones. And Beers John Ruech has more. According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, more than half of adults in America say they spend too much time on their smartphones. For 18-29-year-olds, it's 70%. About one in four adults in the U.S. say they're on their smartphones almost constantly.

4:07Many appear to recognize that time spent on smartphones isn't always a good thing. 45% of adults surveyed report trying to cut back on their smartphone use in the past year, but about the same numbers say they haven't. Overall, most American adults think smartphones help them stay informed and connected to others. But many, around 40%, think it hurts the amount of sleep they get. John Ruech, NPR News. U.S. stocks trading higher with the Dow Jones industrial average now up more than 250 points are roughly half a percent. This is NPR News. Imagine political debate that sounds like this. OK, most totally right, that's such a good point. Sarah laid it out very well when she laid out the two sides of the argument. It may seem like Mo and I agree too much. Yeah, that's about to change. No need to imagine this. It is real. Left, right, and center from KCRW, part of the NPR podcast network, actual facts, all sides, and good vibes only. Out every Friday, wherever you listen to podcasts.