NPR News: 09-06-2026 9AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News and Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. U.S. Special on-voice, Steve Wyckoff and Jerry Kushner are meeting Ukrainian President Volodomir Zelensky in Kiev today as the Trump administration renews its push to end the war in Ukraine. The visit comes after the two held talks in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials. During that visit, Wyckoff recounted a conversation he had with members of the Russian delegation. We were sitting outside just now, me Jared and Carol and then Yuri joined us and we were all talking about when we retire, we'll have all these incredible stories and incredible memories and yours will be right at the top of it all. The talks in Moscow produced no breakthrough with major differences still standing in the way of an agreement. Labor Day weekend travelers are paying the highest gas prices ever for this time of year. Triple A says the average price for a gallon of regular gas is $4.14, but diesel is even

1:06more expensive. It hit an all-time high today at $5.89 a gallon. NPR, Stephen Bessaha reports that can cause other prices to rise. Diesel has gone up more than $2 per gallon since the start of the war, the run. Diesel is used to fuel tractors, commercial trucks and food trucks. Diesel gives me the power to pull that 26-foot food truck. It's a heavy trailer. Chef Joe Sherota owns the Haybaby Food Truck in Central Alabama. Now costs them about $300 for two refuelers a week. Are you making up for that by having to raise prices on the food truck? A lot of people are raising prices. You can only get so much for Gemalaya. Food at the grocery store and other items on store shelves could also increase in price as transportation costs rise with the cost of diesel. Stephen Bessaha and Pierre News leads Alabama. Borders in Germany are casting valid and original election that could produce the country's first far-right state governor since World War II.

2:09NPR's Esmeen Nicholson reports from Berlin. German domestic intelligence classifies the alternative for Deutschland or AFD as extremist in the state of Saxony Unhut, but this is not deterring voters. The AFD has sought out ties with the Maga movement in the US and advocates closer relations with Russia. The party has run a campaign centered around what it calls re-migration, promising mass deportations from day one and the segregation of refugee children in schools. The candidate hoping to become Germany's first AFD state governor is 35-year-old Orish Seagman to form a salesman with a massive TikTok following. His affable image contrasts starkly with the party's radical platform. But in a country where coalitions are the norm, the AFD may struggle to form a government unless it wins an absolute majority. For NPR News, I'm Esmeen Nicholson in Berlin. This is NPR News. Part of Washington's Kennedy Center remains closed this weekend after a section of the ceiling collapsed during severe storms last week. If his shows are blaming decades of deferred maintenance and say the collapse shows the

3:13building urgently needs repairs. The Trump Align Board of Directors is fighting in court to close the entire center for two years for a $250 million renovation. AI data centers are front and center in numerous midterm election braces, despite growing public opposition to them. The White House has spoken out in favor of the facilities, including Vice President J.D. Vance. NPR's Emily Fang has more. A Gallup poll from Mayfn more than 70% of Americans are opposed to having a data center built near their home. The facility's extraordinary demands on electricity and water can drive up local utility costs. But Vice President J.D. Vance continues to defend data centers. The way to get around that is as President Trump's leadership has showed to become a nation of builders again. We've got to build more power plants. We've got to make the regulatory state easier to work with and of course that we've done that. Some politicians, mostly Republicans, have said opposing data centers could give China an advantage in a global tech race.

4:13And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has said he's investigating whether China is behind what he calls misinformation. Emily Fang and Pierre news, the White House. Police in England are still searching for 70,000 pints of Guinness that were stolen last week. Two drivers are accused of taking off with trailers loaded with the beer from an industrial park. The Guinness is worth more than $150,000. This is NPR News. 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 bomb. 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.