September 22, 2026

Brittney Melton

up first newsletter writer

Good morning. Today marks the arrival of the fall equinox in the U.S. It brings shorter days and, in some U.S. cities, a chance to see the "henge" effect — a striking alignment of city streets with the sunrise and sunset. Here’s the news we’re following today:

Today’s top stories

CNN reporter Julia Benbrook wearing a mid-toned brown blazer gives a live report in front of a video camera on the sidewalk near by the White House.

Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

CNN, MS NOW and Politico have filed a lawsuit against President Trump for violating their constitutional rights. His administration cut access to the White House for the networks’ journalists, accusing them of covering him unfairly. The lawsuit argues that the news organizations' First Amendment rights protect them from punishment by the federal government for their speech. Major TV networks supported CNN, which was supposed to provide shared pool coverage of Trump's departure from the White House and visit to the United Nations in New York City. CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox were not listed for pool coverage in the White House daily briefing.

🎧 Trump has pressured news organizations throughout his second term with lawsuits and regulatory threats. This latest move has sparked a strong, unified response, NPR's Brian Mann tells Up First. Beyond the major networks, organizations including The New York Times, NPR and The Washington Post announced they would suspend use of pool photographs and audio until further notice. A hearing for the lawsuit is set for Wednesday. With just over 40 days before the midterm elections, many of Trump’s Republican allies are urging him to focus on voter issues instead of his grievances with journalists.

Trump is set to address world leaders today at the United Nations General Assembly. With approval ratings below 40% — partly due to economic concerns stemming from the war in Iran — Trump is seeking to boost his image just ahead of the midterms. The president's high-profile week of diplomacy will also see him hosting Chinese President Xi Jinping in the nation's capital.

🎧 Trump plans to present himself as a peacemaker and highlight various deals he's brokered globally, according to conversations NPR's Franco Ordoñez has had with the White House. Ordoñez says Trump is likely to defend his Iran policy and highlight his new security agreement with Denmark regarding Greenland. The Iranian president will also be at the event and is set to speak tomorrow. Richard Fontaine, who served in the George W. Bush administration, told Ordoñez that meaningful diplomacy will happen in private meetings rather than at the U.N. Security Council or General Assembly. Trump has scheduled one-on-one discussions with Gulf leaders, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez.

Paramount's owners have agreed to concessions with 12 Democratic state attorneys general to resolve an antitrust lawsuit that threatened the biggest merger in Hollywood history. Pending a judge's approval, Paramount will operate Warner Bros. Studios and Paramount Pictures separately for now. Together, they will release at least 30 films per year for the next two years and 32 films per year for the following three years, with financial penalties for noncompliance. They will also invest an extra $300 million each year to produce movies in the U.S. Paramount has also agreed to create a board to establish editorial independence for CBS, which it runs, and CNN, which is currently run by Warner Bros.

🎧 Some politicians and many Hollywood writers, actors and workers fear this merger will lead to layoffs and price gouging, NPR's Mandalit del Barco says. These critics doubt Paramount's promises and oppose consolidating power with the Ellisons, who bought Paramount last year. Alvaro Bedoya, an adviser to a group involved in the Block the Merger coalition, tells del Barco he is upset that attorneys general surrendered after Paramount's threats to move its studios out of California. Screenwriter Jacob Tobia, who had two TV shows he sold canceled during media consolidations, tells NPR that he predicts this deal will harm artists. Paramount CEO David Ellison defends the merger as beneficial for workers and consumers.

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A crew of volunteer excavators and archaeologists searches the soil for artifacts at the Nunalleq dig site.

Bronson Arcuri / NPR

Typhoon Halong swept through western Alaska last October, damaging homes, infrastructure and the Nunalleq archaeological site near the coastal village of Quinhagak. This site, roughly the size of two Olympic swimming pools, contains significant artifacts of the Yup'ik, a Native culture that predates Western contact. The storm scattered many of the items that served as important links to Quinhagak's past. The artifacts that remain underground are also at risk because the storm eroded more of the land buffer between the Bering Sea and where they're buried. Archaeologists are now rushing to recover as many objects as possible before the next storm hits. These photos show the extent of the work archaeologists are doing to save these artifacts.

Behind the story

RHITU CHATTERJEE

health correspondent

An illustration of a woman with her hair in a bun, a white long-sleeve shirt and gray pants sitting at a desktop computer pushing buttons on a keyboard. On the computer, multiple chat bubbles appear to be emerging from the screen.

Malte Mueller/Getty Images/fStop

Note to reader: This piece includes mentions of suicide.

I’ve been reporting a lot about how a growing number of Americans are turning to AI chatbots for emotional support and mental health advice. Earlier this year, I told the story of Sophie Rottenberg, a 29-year-old woman who died by suicide in 2025 after using ChatGPT as a therapist.

Years of reporting on suicide have taught me that human connection is key to preventing suicide. So, I was heartened to learn that in May, OpenAI launched a new ChatGPT feature called Trusted Contact. It’s optional, and allows users to list the name and contact information of someone they trust for the bot to alert in case of a mental health crisis.

A spokesperson from OpenAI told me by email that the feature is available to all adult users. I assumed ChatGPT would proactively invite users to designate a contact — just like doctors’ offices ask for an emergency contact.

But when I opened ChatGPT on my phone, it didn’t alert me about Trusted Contact. A handful of users I checked with said the same.

So, I decided to see whether ChatGPT informs new users about this feature. One of my NPR colleagues, Megan Lim, volunteered to help. She downloaded ChatGPT on her phone and created an account and began using the voice feature. When it didn’t mention Trusted Contact, Megan asked it directly.

“Do you have a Trusted Contact feature?” she said.

“I'm not seeing a general trusted contact feature,” ChatGPT replied. “Maybe you're thinking of another app that has a trusted contact option?”

OpenAI spokesperson Gaby Raila told NPR by email that the new feature isn’t available on ChatGPT voice, but they are working on it. The company didn’t provide NPR with data on how many people are using Trusted Contact, but Raila said that the company has seen “good adoption” on ChatGPT text.

But if people don’t know about the feature, how can it help them? You can read or listen to what I learned through my reporting in this story.

If you or someone you know is in crisis or if you’re thinking about hurting yourself, you can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It’s 988.

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3 things to know before you go

Two lions stand in a far-stretching grassy area in Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Mosa'ab Elshamy/AP

1

Wildlife officials say they suspect that 10 lions that were found dead in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Conservation Area on Friday were poisoned.

2

Students, it is time to grab your mics. NPR's College Podcast Challenge is back for 2026. Students can submit their podcast by Jan. 17, 2027, for a chance to win a af $5,000 grand prize. Listen to how the contest has transformed the lives of past participants.

3

A new study published in Science Advances suggests that the usage of betel nuts, mind-altering seeds popular in parts of Asia, may date back to hunter-gatherers.

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