The Stateside Beat — Evening Audio Wrap · 2026-09-29

Evening audio brief for Tuesday, September 29, 2026 — tap play above to listen with slides and subtitles. Here's what happened:

Supreme Court allows Trump's 'third country' deportation policy

The Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed the Trump administration to restart its "third country" deportation policy — removing migrants to countries they have no connection to. The court temporarily cleared the way while litigation continues, reopening one of the administration's most contested immigration practices. The ruling is a significant win for a policy that has been fought over in lower courts for months, and it means removal flights that were on hold can resume while the legal challenge plays out.

Trump considers creating committee to oversee AI sector

President Trump told reporters on Tuesday he is thinking about creating a 10-person committee to oversee the artificial intelligence sector. The comments came as he hosted tech executives — including Meta's Mark Zuckerberg and Anthropic's Dario Amodei — at a White House lunch, where attendees signed an AI agreement the president described as "morally binding." The administration has been doubling down on AI this week, and a formal oversight panel would give the White House a direct hand in shaping how the fast-moving industry is governed.

Jack Smith clashes with senators over Trump probes

Former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, forcefully defending his investigations of Donald Trump — the probes that produced criminal charges against the now-president before his re-election derailed them. Smith told lawmakers he will not be silenced, drawing a barrage of Republican insults during a hearing that Politico summed up as: Republicans wanted a smoking gun and got a gaffe instead. The hearing was Smith's most public accounting yet of the cases that were dropped after Trump's 2024 victory.

Fed's Williams hints next rate increase can wait

New York Fed President John Williams said Tuesday that the Federal Reserve doesn't need to rush into another interest rate increase after last week's hike. His comments cooled market expectations for a back-to-back raise in October, with MarketWatch noting traders "may have gotten ahead of themselves." The dovish signal came even as bond yields kept climbing — the 30-year Treasury yield scaled its highest level since 2002 — and US stocks declined for a second straight session ahead of key inflation and labor data.

Rubio: RAF Fairford incident 'clearly involved' a foreign actor

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the security incident at RAF Fairford — the English air base that hosts US bombers — "clearly involved" a foreign actor. Five men were arrested early Sunday on suspicion of explosives violations and of preparing a terrorist act after local residents tipped off authorities, but British police said Tuesday that no explosive devices were found and released the suspects without charge. The arrests and the quick release are deepening the mystery around what actually happened near the base, and Washington is watching closely given the American military presence there.

CDC updates measles toll, now counts 2 deaths

The CDC now counts two measles deaths as the Pennsylvania outbreak continues to grow. State health authorities reported Monday that the outbreak there has reached 903 cases, including 114 in the past seven days. The Guardian notes the CDC's national death tally excludes the Pennsylvania deaths — a discrepancy that is itself drawing scrutiny as the outbreak spreads. Health officials are urging families to check vaccination records as the largest US measles emergency in years keeps expanding.

Sources

The Stateside Beat Audio · 2026-09-29 · Evening Wrap · Narrated edition, compiled from NBC News, Reuters, The Washington Post, WSJ, and The New York Times.