DN Speak Daily

Tuesday, September 22, 2026

Key senators reject White House proposal on NIH grants | PBS News

Murray said that under the administration's effort, a single political appointee could kill a cancer study for no scientific reason.

"Whether lifesaving medical research gets funded or not should be determined by experts at the NIH—not a panel of lackeys chosen by Donald Trump and Russ Vought," Murray said…

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/key-senators-reject-white-house-proposal-on-nih-grants

Everyone’s talking about ‘electability.’ Our poll shows where voters stand. - POLITICO

An experiment from The POLITICO Poll shows what voters do and don’t care about in choosing their candidates…

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/21/poll-voters-electability-age-religion-2028-01084908

Christians Keep Asking What Would Change My Mind. This Would.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFsKVTUYqXs

Black Tesla employees accuse company of fostering racial discrimination in major trial

Dozens of Black employees at Tesla’s flagship plant in California said they were subject to racist slurs, unequal pay and promotions, and bullying by supervisors on a daily basis, a situation management did little to nothing to fix…

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/sep/21/black-employees-accuse-tesla-fostering-discrimination

Mike Johnson boasts about Congress' productivity despite its lack of productivity

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/FoAbIWTPM_w

Flights halted at US airports as watchdog warns over hacking threat

Senator Ron Wyden calls for swift action after GAO report finds systems guiding US aircraft vulnerable to interference…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/21/airports-flight-ground-stop-hacking-threat

‘Planetary boundaries’ necessary for flourishing of life have been massively breached, scientists warn

The planetary life support systems relied upon by humans have deteriorated to their worst levels ever recorded amid ongoing pollution and habitat destruction, according to a key yet grim annual update by scientists.

Of the nine “planetary boundaries” that help determine whether life can flourish on Earth, seven are being breached at their highest ever levels of transgression, according to the latest planetary health check, a process that was established in 2009…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/21/planetary-boundaries-breached-scientists-warn-climate-crisis

September 20, 2026

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/WhWW6R18w60

Why You Should Still Have Hope for America | ACLU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQC3FVcdKs0

Who Really Wrote The Bible? Documentary Hypothesis Explained (Justin on Atheist Experience show on YouTube)

Anne asks about Bible authorship and history. Justin provides detailed academic explanation of documentary hypothesis, multiple sources, editing over time, and political motivations behind compilation.

Interview:

YouTube video: https://youtu.be/r7wgK9ZsP4o?si=aJkgf1F9gx6nMcy5

Audio podcast: (Ann's question starts at 23:00): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-atheist-experience-30-28-with-justin/id118720919?i=1000776539232

Why the Supreme Court’s Shadow Docket Rulings Are on the Rise — ProPublica

For likely the first time in modern history, the Supreme Court decided more cases in fast-tracked, secretive proceedings than in open court. We break down how a once-rare emergency process became the norm — and what it means for public trust…

https://www.propublica.org/article/supreme-court-shadow-docket-explainer

Banished to alien lands: Trump’s secret deportation deals

After a plane journey in shackles, an Iranian woman found herself in the middle of Africa in a country she did not know existed. She is one of thousands deported from the US on the back of shadowy deals made with dozens of countries. An in-depth investigation reveals the ‘show of force’ costing American taxpayers millions…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/sep/21/trump-deportation-deals

US environment agency let Bayer pick regulations for destructive weedkiller, documents show

Environmental Protection Agency asked firm to choose rules it wanted for dicamba, then put the choices in a proposed federal rule…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/20/epa-bayer-regulation-pesticide-dicamba

Trump’s Desperate for TV Cameras Until They Tell the Truth – Mother Jones

The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC said in a joint statement of solidarity. Those five networks belong to the White House television press pool and rotate daily to provide reporting, video, and audio of the president’s daily events to share with other outlets around the world…

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/09/trumps-desperate-for-tv-cameras-until-they-tell-the-truth/

Amway and affiliates agree to pay $225 million to settle lawsuit over alleged deception of workers

In its complaint, the FTC said workers, whom Amway refers to as "Independent Business Owners," or IBOs, were falsely told they could expect to earn substantial income, exceeding $40,000 a year, or enough income to replace their full time job and retire early, when most who joined after 2020 spent more money on Amway products and training than they received from Amway.

"Amway and its affiliates misled prospective workers with false earnings claims and then pressured them to buy Amway products they were unlikely to be able to sell," said Christopher Mufarrige, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection…

https://www.michiganpublic.org/criminal-justice-legal-system/2026-09-18/amway-and-affiliates-to-pay-225-million-to-settle-lawsuit-over-alleged-deception-of-workers

ICE agent shoots and wounds Venezuelan man at traffic stop in Austin, Texas

Austin police officers were not involved in the operation or the shooting, which occurred after a traffic stop, Davis told reporters. The city’s police arrived on the scene after the shooting and could be seen on bystander video asking the federal officers what had happened and then rushing back to their squad car to get surgical gloves and a medical kit and administering first aid to the man. The federal officers could be heard saying they had called an ambulance, but they did not appear to attempt to give first aid…

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/20/man-shot-ice-agent-austin-texas

Major TV networks decline White House pool duties - POLITICO

The move could make it more difficult for images and video of President Donald Trump’s activities at the United Nations General Assembly this week to get to the American public. The television pool provides video from events where space constraints prevent every outlet from sending its own camera crew, with footage then made available broadly to news organizations…

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/21/networks-white-house-pool-duty-01086044

Middle East braces for more violence as Iran claims US is planning to renew bombing campaign

Tensions grow as Trump tells Fox News he is considering ‘wiping Iran out’ after attacks on Riyadh by Houthi rebels…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/20/middle-east-braces-for-more-violence-as-iran-claims-us-is-planning-to-renew-bombing-campaign

Starbucks baristas reel from surges in health insurance costs: ‘I’m considering a second job’

“That is another $40 each week that I am not going to have in my income, if I choose to go with it, and that’s just not something that financially I can afford,” she said. “I have to drop my insurance because the company will not cover those costs when it’s clear that they’re definitely making enough.”…

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/21/starbucks-baristas-health-insurance-surge

Senior GOP appropriator pours cold water on funding Trump’s arch - Live Updates - POLITICO

“If it was my choice, I wouldn’t put any of that money into the arch,” Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson said…

https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/09/21/congress/trump-arch-pushback-01086147

‘Jaw-dropping’ El Niño bursts through temperature record months before peak

‘Godzilla-level’ phenomenon is supercharging the climate crisis and will have a huge impact on communities across the world…

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/sep/21/super-el-nino-temperature-record

European spy chiefs warn Moscow is planning more decisive action against Nato

Exclusive: Intelligence officers say Russian campaign could intensify ‘in months, not years’ – but that panic risks playing into Kremlin psy-ops…

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/20/baltic-spy-chiefs-warn-moscow-is-preparing-for-more-decisive-action-in-europe

In the general assembly’s shadow, Mamdani looks to bolster international left - POLITICO

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to meet with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly Tuesday, the latest engagement showcasing Mamdani’s desire to build bridges with like-minded politicians outside the U.S…

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/21/in-the-general-assemblys-shadow-mamdani-looks-to-bolster-international-left-01085441