https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/democracy-now-2026-09-17-thursday/id75648468
Thursday, September 17, 2026
The Fed raises interest rates by a quarter-point : NPR
"Inflation remains elevated," Fed policymakers said in a statement. "Today's policy action will support a timelier return to the Committee's 2% goal."
The U.S. war with Iran has rekindled inflation, pushing oil and gasoline prices higher and driving the price of diesel fuel into record territory. Higher interest rates won't automatically bring lower prices at the pump, but they do signal the central bank's commitment to restoring price stability…
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/16/nx-s1-5968724/federal-reserve-interest-rates-inflation-economy
Raimondo on AI: 'You're not going to beat China if you have destabilizing unemployment' - POLITICO
The United States will lose the artificial intelligence race with China if companies allow the powerful technology to upend the American economy, former Biden Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said Wednesday.
“People say all the time, ‘We have to beat China.’ Sign me up for that mission. I want to beat China too,” Raimondo, a Democratic former Rhode Island governor, said during POLITICO’s Decoded Summit in Washington. “You’re not going to beat China if you have destabilizing unemployment. That is a weaker America which will lead to regulations.”…
New maps reveal birth control access gaps in the U.S. : NPR
There are 21.4 million women in the U.S. who need subsidized birth control living in a county somewhere with limited access. That's the major takeaway from a new analysis of contraception access from two reproductive policy organizations, Power to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute, shared exclusively with NPR. Both organizations are nonprofit and nonpartisan, and both support access to reproductive and sexual health services, including abortion…
https://www.npr.org/2026/09/16/nx-s1-5956869/birth-control-contraception-access-clinic
House speaker calls early recess before midterms amid AI regulation frenzy
“I think it shows the cowardice of the Republican party. They are canceling votes to do business for the American people because they are afraid that that impeachment resolution of Pete Hegseth would pass on a bipartisan basis,” the Democratic representative Pramila Jayapal told MediasTouch…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/mike-johnson-cancels-house-vote-hegseth
Michigan health officials express concern about common product growing in "recreational" use
MDHHS says the use of ‘laughing gas” or “whippets” has expanded into a much larger public health concern due to the widespread availability of larger, high-volume canisters.
Health officials are concerned that when used without trained supervision, the recreational use of nitrous oxide can quickly become dangerous and even life-threatening…
New report reveals prevalence of physical and sexual violence in US
Study finds more than half of US adults have experienced physical violence and nearly half sexual violence…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/physical-sexual-violence-study-us
‘We’re near a breaking point:’ firefighters say US government is failing them amid intense wildfire season
While the US continues to grapple with a critical shortage of federal firefighters – with especially large gaps in essential management positions – the Trump administration has increased pressure on firefighting forces to rapidly and aggressively contain the flames.
Nine firefighters who spoke to the Guardian under the condition of anonymity because they are barred from disclosing the information, as well as several retired firefighters, described how spread-thin crews are being pushed to their limits amid an unrelenting and extreme year of fire…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/sep/16/wildfires-government-firefighter-shortage
Iranian security forces coordinated killing, torture and sexual abuse of protesters, says Amnesty
Leaked documents and testimony reveal extent of regime’s crackdown in 2022 and how it paved the way for more brutal killings of protesters this year…
Trump administration paid federal workers $6.7B to quit, GAO audit says - POLITICO
“Trump spent billions to push out experienced and badly needed experts across government — this was the most expensive way imaginable to make government worse,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), vice chair of the Appropriations Committee, said in a statement…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/16/doge-opm-spending-01079882
Datacenter rush will create ‘tsunami’ of discarded electronics, report says
The electronic trash AI generates in the next 25 years could fill enough shipping containers to encircle the globe six times, it said. Yet, says the report by the non-profit environmental group Basel Action Network (BAN), there is no plan to deal with that waste – which typically contains toxics like lead, mercury, cadmium and forever chemicals, as well as valuable metals that are challenging to reclaim…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/sep/16/datacenters-pollution-electronics
Trump’s data center push runs into a new demand for environmental review - POLITICO
Rep. Dina Titus wants to require hyperscale data centers on federal lands to undergo extensive environmental review and public engagement…
Warsh defies Trump as Fed hikes rates and signals more to come - POLITICO
Central bankers are increasingly worried that inflation — worsened by soaring oil prices and an artificial intelligence investment boom — is not on a path back to their 2% target…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/09/16/fed-rates-trump-warsh-inflation-01079371
Trump asked Americans to help him whitewash national parks. They revolted instead
The DOI placed QR codes in national parks, inviting visitors to report content deemed ‘negative about either past or living Americans’. Instead, it became a mode of resistance…
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