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Episode Date: September 15, 2026

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Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Rylan Barton. Attorney General Todd Blanche says the Justice Department will comply with the Supreme Court's decision rejecting President Trump's push for mail-in voting restrictions, but he says the DOJ will still investigate illegal voting. NPR's Ryan Lucas reports. Speaking to reporters in the White House Rose Garden, the Attorney General said the Trump administration disagrees with the Supreme Court's decision. But he says the administration will comply with it. That doesn't mean that we're not going to do everything in this administration that we can to make sure that there are free and fair elections. Blanche added that the court's decision has no impact on ongoing criminal investigations into illegal voting.

In Texas, meanwhile, federal prosecutors announced charges against seven non-U.S. citizens for allegedly unlawfully voting or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship. Research and audits have shown instances of non-citizens voting to be extremely rare. Ryan Lucas NPR News, Washington. The Congressional Budget Office estimates the Iran War has cost at least $38 billion. NPR's Quill Lawrence reports that does not include damage to U.S. military bases. The largest cost is the depletion of U.S. munitions, $21 billion this year. The war has used more than half the U.S. stockpile of interceptor missiles, which are often expended to shoot down much cheaper Iranian rockets and drones.

CBO estimates those will take five years to replenish. The office estimates the war will cost another $2 to $3 billion per month going forward. Higher oil prices worldwide are also hitting the military, as air operations in the war with Iran used an increasing amount of fuel. The Pentagon did not respond to CBO's questions about damage to bases. The CBO did not put a price on American service members killed in action or the future cost to care for disabled veterans. Quill Lawrence NPR News. Senate Democrats blocked legislation to regulate cryptocurrency today.

They say it doesn't do enough to rein in President Trump's personal investments. Trump brought in more than a billion dollars in crypto earnings last year. Flying around Thanksgiving will likely be more expensive this year. NPR's Stephen Besaha reports domestic flights are the most expensive they've been this year. The average domestic round-trip ticket, economy only, costs nearly $400 on kayak last week. This included tickets for Thanksgiving travel and is about $110 more than the same time last year. Kayak CEO, Pierre Bueller, says the increases have not slowed down travel searches. Previously, whenever prices go up or down, people don't quite tweak the demand they have for travel.

They tweak how they want to travel, where they want to travel. Travelers looking to drive to save money still have to deal with high gas prices. Compared with before the U.S. Israeli war against Iran started, an average gallon of regular is up about a $1.34 cents, according to AAA. Stephen Besahah, NPR News. stock indexes slip today. This is NPR. Four supporting acts have quit Ed Shearin's tour after McElmore was removed for his pro-Palestinian comments on stage. Earlier today, Sheeran said dropping the rapper was a promoter's decision, not his, but also said he refused to be drawn into a discussion about the war in Gaza, Irish acts Aaron Rowe and Bayoga, Denmark's

Lucas Graham, and Phineas posted separately on social media that they would withdraw from the tour. Rail traffic in the Netherlands has been disrupted today by what authorities described as sabotage, as Terry Schultz reports materials, including pipes, were found on the tracks in multiple locations. The company managing Dutch railways says it believes there's been a, quote, deliberate disruption of train traffic by human action, as it seeks to locate all the areas where material has been fastened to the tracks. In one location, ProRail says, a train hit the debris, but no one was injured, and the railways detection system stopped other trains before impact. Local media images show police carrying pipes between five and seven feet long away from train tracks.

It's not known when rail traffic will be able to return to normal as a police and intelligence service investigation is underway. Europe has been on high alert for sabotage attacks due to its support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. For NPR News, I'm Terry Schultz in Brussels. Armadillos have made it to Ohio. Last week, researchers found a dead armadillo on a roadside near Oxford, Ohio, near the Indiana border. It's the first time they've been found in the state in the late 19th century. Armadillos were only known to live in South and Central America. They reached Southern Illinois in 2017, and now the Buckeye State.

This is NPR News from Washington.