NPR News: 09-06-2026 11AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Linda Kenyon. Ukraine President Zelensky says the first round of talks with the U.S. envoy is Jared Kushner, and Steve Whitcoff is wrapped up in Ukraine. Whitcoff said in a statement the U.S. team had been very encouraged by what he described as a substantive, important discussion. Whitcoff and Kushner were in Kiev one day after talks in Moscow with Russian President Putin, the talks at the Kremlin yesterday, and it without a breakthrough. It's Labor Day weekend, and with election day just 58 days away, NPR's moral eye since it's now just days before the start of the GOP midterm convention in Dallas. Yesterday, MAGA Inc., which is the Trump Super PAC, did make a $10 million ad by to support Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his Senate bid. And Trump's general strategy for the midterms will see this in the convention is to put himself front and center. He said to people, pretend I'm on the ballot. He thinks Republicans do better when he's on the ballot, but not all Republican candidates

1:02agree with that. The GOP convention begins Wednesday. President Trump will speak at that event that evening. Iran and the U.S. are intensifying attacks in the state of Hormuz to Iran says it has fired at six vessels in and around the waterway, while the U.S. yesterday targeted Iranian vessels. NPR's Jane Araf reports from Beirut. Iran said Sunday it targeted a U.S. submarine trying to enter the state of Hormuz where the U.S. has imposed a naval blockade. Iran did not mention casualties. It was the latest in what Iran said, where it's attacks on three oil tankers in the state and U.S. military vessels in the area, including an aircraft carrier and a destroyer. U.S. Central Command said Saturday it struck three Iranian vessels after Iran launched ballistic missiles at two U.S. Navy ships. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that any vessel trying to transit without authorization would be targeted. Jane Araf and PR News Beirut.

2:03The U.S. dismissed Iran's reported attack on the U.S. submarine as a total lie. The two largest school districts in the country this week have banned AI usage in the classrooms for at least a year, more from NPR's Sequoia Corrillo. New York City public schools, elementary and middle school students will not have any generative AI tools in classrooms this fall. The country's largest school district put a one-year pause on any learning tools that utilize the technology. That same day, the second largest district, the Los Angeles Unified School District, also banned AI for all of its students. Both districts said they would use the year to study the impact of AI on young students before making a final decision on whether or not it could be used in classes going forward. The move comes as many states are re-evaluating technology and screens role in schools. Sequoia Corrillo and PR News. You're listening to NPR. From now until October, pop star Harry Styles is performing a 39 residency in New York

3:06City. There is only concert schedule to take place in the United States this year, and fans are flying across the country to see it. NPR's Isabella Gomez Sarmiento reports. Every single night of Harry Styles' Madison Square Garden residency is sold out. Lisa Bonenberger of Las Vegas and Lindsay Husband of San Francisco got tickets for two nights. Standing outside the venue, Husband showed off her disco ball themed outfit. The two friends say they don't mind traveling to see styles because a residency is less taxing on the band and crew than a regular tour. Many fans and parents spoke with agreed, though they hope to see styles playing shows around the US again soon. Isabella Gomez Sarmiento and PR News, New York. The television academy is presenting the majority of its prime time Emmys this weekend at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremonies previously known as the Creative Arts Emmys are now part of the 78th Emmy

4:11awards. The climaxes the pit and hacks are top nominees with potential wins in the drama and comedy categories. This weekend also focuses on some behind the scenes awards and the winners in those categories are expected to include Michael J. Fox and the late Rob Reiner. The main ceremony will air on NBC on September the 14th. I'm Linda Kenyon, NPR News in Washington. As the political landscape shifts beneath our feet, we're all vulnerable to a well-funded distraction economy determined to take our eye off the ball. Our weekly politics series, if you can keep it, is here to help where our focus is not the horse race, but the state. We tackle the big political stories of the day and why they matter for our democracy. Join me Todd Zwilland and me Jen White on the 1A Podcast from WAMU and NPR.