Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst.
Oil prices are trading higher today with international benchmark Brent Crude above $100
“of Barrel and US benchmark West Texas above $95 of Barrel.”
This after the US attacked Iranian tankers overnight, and here's Willow Rubin has more. For most of the war with Iran, Brent Crude has been trading below $100 of Barrel. Up in the past two weeks, this global benchmark of oil prices has climbed by about $20 as a result of the US and Iran once again trading fire in the region. Of course, there's much less crude oil in the market since the start of the war, but oil refineries
still need that crude to make gasoline and diesel. The shorter supply has helped push up the cost of gas to over $4 a gallon, and diesel has hit record highs for a gallon. And while this isn't the highest ever cost for a Barrel of Brent,
the latest prices and direction of the swing could signal higher sustained energy prices
to come. Willow Rubin and PR News.
“The leader of the Education Department's Special Education Office, Kelly Rogers,”
told employees this morning she's resigning from her post, even as the agency is in the midst of upheaval and downsizing. In Pierce Genaki, Mitha has more. Deputy Assistant Secretary Kelly Rogers made this announcement less than one day before staff from the Special Education Office were scheduled to move to the Department of Health
and Human Services Building, according to internal emails reviewed by NPR. That move is part of the Trump administration's historic actions to dismantle the Education Department altogether. Some employees who are not authorized to speak publicly tell NPR they are shocked by the timing. Rogers has been in this role for less than five months, during which she has expressed enthusiasm
for joining forces with HHS, according to her email, Rogers' last day will be this Friday, September 11th, Genaki Mitha and PR News.
“Newly released air quality records in New York after the terrorist attack on 9/11 have”
FDNY Union leaders demanding answers for what they call a "continuing health emergency." FDNY Association Uniformed President, James Brocey. What we learned was the air was as toxic as we said it was. What we learned is that we were dying with every breath we took down there. What we learned is that the city knew it and failed to prioritize one public safety announcement.
Two proper D-Con, three preventing us from eating down there and digesting the toxins. Four not letting people volunteer to clean up. Five not letting people get a heck of a filter vacuum and get a credit for it from the government as they self-clean their own apartments. This comes a day after Mayor Momsdani ordered the release of more than 170,000 pages of documents
on air quality and lower Manhattan after the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. President Trump gave three of his longtime aids who work in the West Wing a holiday gift of $45,000 each, according to financial disclosure forms. The three aids some of Trump's closest have federal salaries of $150,000 each.
It's not clear if that violates the federal government's policy against political appointees
getting bonuses, the news was first reported by the Washington Post.
In general, government employees are prohibited from accepting outside salaries. The White House says Trump has a long-standing practice of giving Christmas gifts. The NFL season kicks off today with a Super Bowl rematch between the Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots. The New England Patriots' Becky Sullivan reports the league is rolling out a new three strike policy for dangerous tackles.
The NFL is kicking off with four prime time games over six days. There's tonight's Super Bowl rematch in Seattle, then Thursday is the NFL's first ever regular season game in Australia. The match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at the Melbourne cricket ground. Then the rest of the week one slate follows all day Sunday and Monday night. The most significant rule change this season is a new three strike suspension system for a handful of different kinds of dangerous tackles.
Hip drop tackles, horse collar tackles, launching, blindside blocks, and hits on defenseless players. Now any player who commits three violations in any one of those categories will automatically receive a one-game suspension. Becky Sullivan and Pierre News. Whilst we're trading lower this hour, the Dow is down 339 points NAS at down 166. I'm Janine Herbst NPR News in Washington.
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