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Today’s top stories
The last U.S. forces have left Iraq, more than two decades after the U.S.-led invasion that overthrew Saddam Hussein. Iraq has declared today “Sovereignty Day.” The withdrawal comes as attacks linked to the U.S.-Iran war raise new questions about Iraq’s ability to defend itself without U.S. air defenses.
A US Air Force C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft prepares for takeoff from Camp Victory on the outskirts of Baghdad International Airport on Sept. 29, 2026.
Ammar Karim/AFP via Getty Images
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Ammar Karim/AFP via Getty Images
- 🎧 The Kurdish region of Iraq has been hit hard during the U.S. war with Iran, leaving its leaders concerned about their defenses, NPR’s Jane Arraf tells Up First. This is not the first U.S. withdrawal from Iraq: Troops also left in 2011, before returning three years later to help fight ISIS. Iran-backed militias are celebrating the withdrawal. Arraf says many Iraqis enjoying the holiday today want what they have long wanted for their families: a normal, peaceful life.
- ➡️ Listen to Morning Edition‘s conversation with retired Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, former U.S. National Security adviser, about how the final withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq impacts the Middle East.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to resume, for now, deporting migrants to countries not listed in their removal orders. The court will hear full arguments in December. The court didn’t explain why it paused a lower-court ruling blocking the policy but it asked both sides whether lower courts had authority to intervene and whether the policy violates due process or protections against torture.
- 🎧 Third-country removals allow the government to send immigrants elsewhere when their home countries refuse to accept them, NPR’s Linda Kenyon says. Immigration advocates warn the policy could cause irreparable damage. One immigrant challenging the policy says he fears being sent to a country where he would not receive treatment for his severe mental illness.
- ➡️ Mahmoud Khalil, who became a prominent face of Columbia University’s pro-Palestinian movement, is also fighting the Trump administration’s effort to deport him. He told Fresh Air that 104 days in immigration detention strengthened his resolve to challenge the case.
President Trump says that tech companies can largely self-regulate when it comes to artificial intelligence. After meeting with top AI executives Tuesday, he signed an executive order referring to the technology as “superintelligence” for government agencies and launched an AI-powered website, America.gov.
- 🎧 Trump said the Justice Department or FBI could step in if companies break the law — but NPR’s Emily Feng notes there are no new AI laws behind the meeting. Executives from six major AI companies signed a one-page document pledging to monitor their models and prevent harmful uses such as hacking. Asked whether the agreement was enforceable, Trump called it “morally binding” and said the companies would be “policing each other.”
Picture show
Shepherds attend a part time night school near Mokhotlong, Lesotho. For many, these classes, which occur roughly twice a month, are the only form of education they can access.
Tommy Trenchard for NPR
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Tommy Trenchard for NPR
In Lesotho, a small mountainous country surrounded by South Africa, young shepherds can spend months tending livestock in remote areas, often missing school. The Good Shepherd School offers flexible evening classes in reading, writing and counting. Check out these photos to see how these shepherds are balancing work and education.
Behind the story
by Meg Anderson, National Desk correspondent
Durham, N.C. – September 14th, 2026: Rob Crisp, a peer support specialist with the HEART program, responds to a call for a wellness check at a parking lot.
Cornell Watson for NPR
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Cornell Watson for NPR
Since the 2020 police killing of George Floyd, programs that send unarmed responders to some 911 calls instead of police have quietly grown — from just six in 2020 to nearly 100 today.
I wanted to understand what it takes to do that work well, so I spent a few days with the community response program in Durham, N.C.
From the back of their minivan, I watched responders handle 911 calls about things like trespassing and panhandling. They doled out bottled water, snacks and fresh socks, and defused some tough situations: An agitated man refusing to leave a parking lot, a paranoid man asking to go to the hospital, a woman needing a safer place to live.
But they often had few long-term solutions to offer.
Researchers told me this tension is common. The goal after 2020 was to avoid more police killings, not solve problems like homelessness. Now, Durham and dozens of other cities are wrestling with this bigger question: Is success resolving the crisis? Or is it to offer a path to stability, so that eventually fewer 911 calls are made in the first place?
Read my full reporting here. And if you have a story or tip about policing and public safety in your city or elsewhere, you can reach me on the encrypted messaging app Signal at mma.05.
3 things to know before you go
- NPR staff listened to nearly 1,500 podcasts and picked 20 finalists for this year’s Student Podcast Challenge. Hear the finalists and see the honorable mentions.
- Cathy Tie wants to show that her startup’s gene-editing technology could repair disease-causing mutations in embryos and help prevent inherited diseases. Editing genes in human embryos is illegal in the U.S.
- A saxophonist, a forensic anthropologist and a historian are among this year’s 20 MacArthur fellows — each receiving an $800,000 “genius grant.” Meet the winners.
This newsletter was edited by Majd Al-Waheidi.
This story originally appeared on NPR
