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Episode Date: September 1, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Jail Snyder. With oil prices rising again following U.S. attacks on Iranian rocket launcher positions in the Strait of Hormuz. President Trump insisted Monday that Iran is a failed nation. They've got 350% inflation. They have no currency. They're not paying their soldiers. Their leaders are largely dead. Their Navy is gone.

Their Air Force has gone. Their surveillance. weapon is almost entirely gone. That doesn't mean we won't smack them. I'm speaking at the White House Monday. Brent Crude, the international standard is trading above $91 a barrel. U.S. Supreme Court allowing the White House to continue work on President Trump's ballroom project. The Justice has intervened Monday, allowing the project to go forward while a lawsuit plays out. Lower courts found construction must stop because the project does not have congressional approval. Trump administration.

says it's asking countries to voluntarily cut off business with Iran to squeeze its economy further, but the most critical country the U.S. needs to get on board. China has already said it will not cooperate. Here's NPR's Emily Fang. Previous efforts dating back to the Obama administration to get China on board with unilateral American sanctions on Iran have failed. And China has said it resolutely opposes the U.S. Treasury Department's latest calls for economic pressure tactics. Richard Nephew, a former sanctions coordinator at the State Department, says, China may ask for something in return when President Xi Jinping visits Washington next month. My expectation is that the Chinese will say, well, listen, if you're going to grant us concessions on U.S. China trade issues, or you're going to agree not to use export controls, then China might be interested.

But Chinese support is crucial because China buys most of Iran's oil. Emily Fang and Peer News, Washington. U.S. Postal Service asking an appeals court to lift. a block on its plan for an order by President Trump. That order seeks to restrict mail-in voting for the midterm election. MPR. Sancy Lomong reports a move is setting up another likely Supreme Court review. Casting a ballot by mail is still an option for eligible voters right now. But the U.S. Postal Service is appealing the latest major legal hurdle to carrying out its plan for President Trump's push to restrict mail in voting. The plan involves delivering mail-in-balance only to people

on voter lists that the states would have to turn over to the mailing agency. A federal judge in Boston found that plan is likely illegal because USPS has no authority to control voting by mail. We should note USPS is a financial supporter of NPR. So far, the Supreme Court has not weighed in on whether Trump's order is legal. And the Postal Service's new request for a review at the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is setting the stage for another Supreme Court battle. Still, there's little time left for the order to be fully carried out. North Carolina starts mailing out its ballots for the midterms this Friday. On Zila Wong, NPR News. This is NPR News.

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll is stepping down, a U.S. official not authorized to speak publicly, says that Driscoll is resigning. A reason for Driscoll's departure after 18 months on the job is not clear, but his resignation marks the latest in a series of shake-ups and military leadership and comes amid widely reported tension with Defense Secretary Pete Hagseth. Police in New York City fatally shot a woman Monday after she stabbed two people in Times Square. stabbing victims were taken to a hospital. Authorities say one died and the other is in stable condition. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch says a woman killed by officers had what she said was a documented mental health history with the NYPD, but no arrest history. Sarka greatly

and now Messi retiring from international soccer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, as John Bartlett reports. Messi retires as Argentina's most capped player. The country's top scorer and a World Cup winner with the national team in the 2022 tournament in Qatar. He originally retired from international soccer in 2016 before reversing his decision and continuing to play for La Albi Celeste, as Argentina's national team are known, and descended to near immortal status in his home country when he lifted the World Cup six years later, Argentina's first title since 1986. Messi won the Ballondeau, soccer's most coveted individual honour, a record eight times,

as well as dozens of trophies during his club career with Spanish giants Barcelona and French champions Paris Saint-Germain. 39-year-old Messi will continue to play for Into Miami in Major League Soccer. This is NPR News.