NPR News: 09-11-2026 12AM EDT

0:00Live from MPR News, I'm Trial Snyder. At President Trump's Republican midterm convention, Vice President JD Vance paid tribute to conservative activists Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot one year ago Thursday. Now, Charlie spoke to young men in particular. He was a young man himself and he understood where they were coming from. He understood that there was no greater calling for a young man and he would tell people this. Then falling in love, starting a family and becoming a father. The crowd in Dallas chanted Kirk's name and fell quiet for a five minute tribute video. Kirk was fatally shot while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University. Twenty three year old Tyler Robinson could face a death penalty if convicted of aggravated murder. He has pleaded not guilty. Following Vice President Vance's speech, President Trump spoke at the convention for a second time. He closed out the gathering, urging Republican voters to cast ballots. This November, with GOP control, the House and Senate at stake this fall.

1:01Swing voters in Michigan say they're worried about higher prices as President Trump ramps up tariffs on Canada. Empire observed two online focus groups this week with those voters. Empire is actually Lopez reports. The focus groups consisted of 13 people in the battleground state of Michigan who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 and then Trump in 2024. Eleven of these swing voters, a sizeable majority, said they think this escalating trade war with Canada will be bad for Michigan, which shares a border with the country. PJ was one of those voters. He participated under the condition his last name would not be used. Prices are going to go up. The more we put tariffs on stuff, the more they put tariffs on stuff, lack of trade. Prices are just ultimately going to go up for all of us. These voters say affordability and high prices remain the key issue for them heading into this year's midterm elections. Ashley Lopez and PR News. The AI company and the topic is issued a report on its efforts to disrupt so-called threat actors trying to use its AI model clawed for malicious activities.

2:04And Pierre-Shan Rewich reports that includes blocking research that could support the development of biological weapons. The kind of science knowledge that experts say makes advanced AI useful in developing cures for diseases could also potentially be used to develop bio weapons. And that risk is one of the big concerns that AI researchers and policymakers have about the technology. Anthropic noted five case studies. One involved researching how to make a mosquito-borne disease more transmissible. Another involved redesigning toxins for what Anthropic says was a national program. Anthropic says it's hard to know definitively if the cases were related to plans to build bio weapons, but it notes that it disrupted the activity and shared the information with the authorities and partners in the industry. And a note Anthropic is a financial supporter of NPR. John Rewich and PR News. On Tuesday, an Anthropic researcher resigned over concerns about what he said was irresponsible AI development. This is NPR. And a transit hub across from the World Trade Center Memorial, a grand piano is available

3:06for anyone to play. And Pierre Stinner for Vanasko reports it's there thanks to an organization founded following the 9-Eleven attacks. The thing for hope has placed over 700 pianos around the world in public spaces. The organization started as a way to connect with others devastated by 9-Eleven. Camille Zamora and Monica Unis were opera students at Juilliard in New York City at the time. Unis says a firehouse around the corner lost 12 first responders, but for a time there was hope some might return. So what do we do? We brought some friends together in the days after. We went and sang for that firehouse for the people that were still waiting. Zamora and Unis went from community sing-alongs to programming that now includes arts classes, cultural advocacy and wellness programs. They say it's all about creating a civic infrastructure to encourage connection and community through the arts. Jennifer Vanasko and PR News, New York. A major financial markets in Asia tracking Wall Street lower, Japan's benchmark knee-k

4:08day down more than 2.7 percent. After Wall Street lost ground, the S&P 500 posted a fourth straight loss Thursday with oil prices at their highest level since May. Brent crude briefly topped $108 a barrel Thursday. The San Francisco 49ers have opened the season with a victory in Australia. The Niners beat Los Angeles Rams 27-7 in front of fans packed into the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Southern Hemisphere's largest stadium. I'm Giles Snyder, NPR News.