9.22 | You can’t elect cheap

Mary Reichard (0:05)

Good morning. Senator Ron Johnson is accusing federal health officials of withholding or destroying COVID shot records.

Ron Johnson (0:12)

Some of these records that are vital to our investigation, that the American people deserve to see, may not exist.

Nick Eicher (0:18)

Also today, the Greenland deal and the affordability issue. Politicians promising to lower prices, but some economists say that is mission impossible.

Later, a trip to Pike's Peak.

Chad Fogel (0:30)

His creation declares his glory. We're getting to see just a glimpse of his glory.

Nick Eicher (0:35)

And world commentator Cal Thomas on The President and the Press.

Mary Reichard (0:47)

It's Tuesday, September 22nd. This is The World and Everything In It from listener-supported World Radio. I'm Mary Reichardt.

Nick Eicher (0:54)

And I'm Nick Eicher. Good morning.

Mary Reichard (0:58)

Up next, Kent Covington with today's news.

Kent Covington (1:01)

The United States wants a hotline with China for emergencies involving artificial intelligence.

US officials pitched the idea in weekend talks with Chinese representatives. Cooperation, though, will have limits. The two countries are racing for the lead in AI, and Washington restricts China's access to advanced computer chips. But US. Trade Representative Jameson Greer said Monday.

Jameson Greer (1:24)

We want to figure out the bounds of what we should and shouldn't tell each other, right? There's still national security bounds to this, but there should be a baseline understanding that each side, if there's an emergency, if there's a crisis, we should be able to have a hotline to tell each other.

Kent Covington (1:38)

Beijing has not said publicly whether it's on board.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is skipping this week's UN General Assembly, which opens today in New York. Instead, he arrives tomorrow in Washington, where President Trump will host him for talks. Trump has invited AI and tech leaders to join them for a White House dinner.

A British Navy center that tracks shipping says an unknown projectile hit a tanker Monday in the Strait of Hormuz. Two crew members were injured, though not seriously, and the ship kept moving.

No one has claimed responsibility. Vice President, JD. Vance.

JD Vance (2:13)

We continue to see a substantial amount of oil and gas flow through the Strait of Hormuz, despite the Iranians terrorizing ships every single day.

Kent Covington (2:21)

Oil tankers continue to move through the Strait, but ship trackers say the traffic is down by as much as three quarters or more from pre-war levels.

Meantime, Iran's Revolutionary Guard is threatening to further widen the war and hit new targets in the Middle East if the US strikes again. That came after President Trump told a Fox reporter on Sunday that he's in what he called deciding mode on Iran, adding that very big things will happen in the near future in that war. But US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz says Iran could end this at any time.

Mike Waltz (2:55)

He's always open to talks, he's always open to diplomacy, he's always open to crafting some kind of peace deal. But the Iranians have to come to the table with good faith and we have to know that they're actually speaking for the Ayatollah.

Kent Covington (3:09)

Iran's president heads to the UN today, but Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the country's supreme leader, has not appeared in public since taking over in March.

The US Senate is back in session after taking Monday off for the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday, and senators have some big items on the agenda. World's Harrison Waters reports now from the nation's capital.

Harrison Waters (3:31)

Lawmakers are set to debate and vote on a bill aimed at overhauling college sports. It would create federal protections for athletes to profit from their name, image, and likeness, limit transfers, and protect roster spots and scholarships in women's and Olympic sports. The bill has broad bipartisan support, though some Republicans want stronger protections governing participation in women's sports. Separately, the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on that issue on Wednesday.

Another hearing will examine FLOC's nationwide network of AI-powered license plate cameras.

Lawmakers will also consider nominations for federal courts and posts in the Trump administration, including Trump's picks for Surgeon General and FDA Commissioner. The Senate has nine scheduled session days left before its October recess. Reporting for World, I'm Harrison Waters in Washington.

Kent Covington (4:24)

Three left-leaning news outlets filed a lawsuit Monday against the Trump administration after being banned from the White House. CNN, Politico and MSNOW, formerly MSNBC, say that the White House barred their reporters because it dislikes their coverage and they want a federal judge to restore access immediately. President Trump though asserts that their reporting is comprised of unfair, quote, fiction and lies. The big TV networks share one camera on the president and on Monday they stopped participating in the White House TV pool after CNN was blocked from its turn. Several major networks, including the right-leaning Fox News Network, signed a rare joint statement saying that no administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.