Media Ban Blocked, Dolly Parton Estate Fight & Oktoberfest - Thursday, September 24, 2026

Erica Mandy (0:00)

Today is Thursday, September 24th. We'll tell you what's changed in the fight over Trump's White House media ban. Also how three world leaders used the UN stage to send very different messages about war. Plus a powerful storm headed for the East Coast. A fight over Dolly Parton's estate that's led to disturbing allegations against her nephew. And how people from Germany to Ohio are celebrating Oktoberfest. Those stories and a lot more news to know, coming up next.

Welcome to The NewsWorthy. All the day's news in less than 15 minutes. I'm Erica Mandy. Thanks so much for being here. Let's do this.

President Trump's fight with three news outlets just took a turn, with a federal judge ordering the White House to let them back in. Remember, President Trump banned CNN, MSNOW and Politico from White House grounds, making it harder for them to report on his administration. Well, late last night, the judge said it doesn't seem like the Trump administration followed the process that's required before revoking the outlet's press passes. Earlier in the day, the White House argued the ban was necessary for national security. The Justice Department also claimed CNN, MSNOW and Politico did not act professionally. It gave examples, saying their journalists have published sensitive or classified information and reported on national security matters without giving the White House a chance to respond. But the news outlets say they were only banned because President Trump doesn't like news coverage that's critical of him and that the move violates their First Amendment rights. The judge's order doesn't settle that bigger constitutional question yet, but it does let the outlets back on White House grounds for at least the next two weeks while the court takes a closer look at the case.

The leaders of two countries that have both been directly targeted by the US military took very different tones at the United Nations. First, there was Iran's president, Masoud Peseshkin, giving a rare speech in New York as a country at war with the US. And he described Americans as terrorists that violated international law by targeting civilian infrastructure. And he vowed to, quote, not bend the knee to President Trump. Of course, this comes just one day after Trump called Iran the number one sponsor of terror, plus Trump threatened to annihilate Iran if the two sides can't reach a deal.

Also yesterday, Venezuela's interim president, Jesse Rodriguez, had a much friendlier message for the US., thanking President Trump for his willingness to resume relations with Venezuela. And she called for more cooperation with the US on energy security and the economy. Another highlight at the UN yesterday was Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who called for more pressure on Russia, while warning the Russian invasion could spread to other parts of Europe. Today, the UN. General Assembly continues with high-level meetings and speeches from leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

World leaders also heard from the people building some of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems, who encouraged them to save the world by regulating the technology. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei testified before the UN. Security Council, and both warned AI could eventually become too powerful for humans to control, but they also came with specific ideas. Amadei called for countries to agree on common AI safety standards, including testing models for dangerous capabilities and making sure AI cannot be used to build biological weapons. Altman called for international standards, common measurements, and a way for companies and governments to report serious AI incidents. Both said AI power should not be concentrated in just one company or country. That's a different approach from President Trump, who told the UN this week he's against a new global system to control AI. Instead, the US says countries should share in the benefits of the technology and keep developing it. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is also on the side of more development, saying AI companies have their own incentives to build safely so they don't need more international guardrails. And while his counterparts were speaking at the UN., Zuckerberg was unveiling Meta's latest AI gadgets. For example, new smart glasses, some with cameras, and a $1,300 pair of virtual reality glasses, as well as the so-called MuseCharm. It's a new keychain-sized device for people to use to speak to their Meta AI agents.

Once again, Hawaii is dealing with a major storm with NOLO expected to become a hurricane today. This will be the fourth tropical system to affect Hawaii this season. It's not clear if this one will make landfall or pass just south of the Big Island, but either way, the heavy rain has already started and is expected to pick up throughout the day. And then the worst conditions are expected over the weekend. The Big Island and Maui could get 20 inches of rain with up to 35 inches in some areas. That could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides. The storm could also bring fierce winds, power outages, and dangerous surf and rip currents. Meanwhile, millions of people on the East Coast are bracing for a rough storm of their own. A so-called Nor'easter is ramping up now. In fact, there are already reports of flooding in parts of the Mid-Atlantic. But the biggest impacts are expected to reach New England by tomorrow and Saturday. Boston could see some of the heaviest rain with flash flooding possible in some areas. And along the coast, winds could be powerful enough to bring down trees and power lines. All that said, meteorologists caution the forecast could still change. So anyone with travel or outdoor plans in the Northeast should keep checking for updates.