Edition, 18 stories.

Evening NOISE, Sep 22

U.S., 17:22, 6 sources.

Trump frames Iran threats and Greenland deal as US strength

BBC reported that Trump told the UN General Assembly he faces a choice between striking Iran again or pursuing a peace deal, while signing a Greenland military access deal with Denmark and rejecting global government. WSJ reported wider agreement among leaders that the UN is failing, with criticism of US actions against Iran and Venezuela alongside Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls for Security Council reform. Together the coverage links Trump's claims to a US posture centered on sovereignty and military power rather than multilateral institutions.

Signal read, tense. Autumn river. Illustration: NOISE.

Reporting used

WSJWorld Leaders Almost All Agree on One Thing: The U.N. Is Failing BBCTrump tells UN he has 'big decision' on whether to 'annihilate' Iran or make peace deal

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Signal read

Tense

US power moves, Iran standoff, and institutional disputes dominate amid tech disruption.

Sep 16, Busy. Sep 17, Tense. Sep 18, Tense. Sep 19, Tense. Sep 20, Tense. Sep 21, Busy. Sep 22, Tense, latest.

Sep 16Sep 22

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U.S., 3 stories

The White House is fighting the press in court while building its own channel, policing Obamacare rolls, and fielding GOP unease over a lavish Xi visit. Washington keeps testing how much control it can claim as its own.

17:31 White House sued after banning outlets and launching Trump TV channel Update CNN, MS NOW and Politico sued the Trump administration Monday after their reporters were barred from White House grounds, alleging viewpoint discrimination in violation of the First and Fifth Amendments, AP reported. The White House said access is a privilege, not a right, and said the First Amendment protects publication but does not guarantee a hard pass or pool seat. Days after the ban, the administration launched a 24/7 YouTube channel called Trump TV, which press freedom advocates and Democratic lawmakers criticized as state run media, NPR reported.

2 sources

Follow-up to US networks suspend pool coverage after White House bans three outlets, September 22

Reporting used

NPRWhite House launches 'Trump TV' after ban on major news outlets APNews outlets sue Trump over lost White House access, citing 'blatant violation' of First Amendment

17:22 Wicker criticizes planned Trump Xi summit ahead of meeting Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker said he wished President Donald Trump was not hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week, WaPo reported. Speaking on the Senate floor, Wicker said he would have advised against a lavish welcome and urged Trump to press Xi during Thursday's state dinner on China's military buildup, alleged support for Iran and human rights issues. He described Xi as a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator whose arsenal is aimed at the United States.

2 sources

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WaPoSenate Armed Services Committee chair criticizes Trump-Xi meeting

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17:07 Trump administration cancels 760,000 Obamacare enrollments over alleged fraud CNBC reported that CMS canceled roughly 315,000 marketplace enrollments covering about 760,000 people last month over alleged unauthorized enrollments and is verifying about 419,000 more for residency and income eligibility. Vice President JD Vance's task force led the action, estimated to save about $2.2 billion in subsidies, with officials blaming weakened safeguards for growth from about 10 million to 22 million enrollees. The removals come after enhanced subsidies expired at the end of 2025, raising premiums for many, with about 19.2 million Americans currently enrolled.

2 sources

Reporting used

CNBCTrump administration removes around 760,000 Obamacare enrollments, alleging fraud

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World, 4 stories

American envoys met Iran for the first time since June as sanctions squeeze its airlines, while Washington secured new Greenland bases. Amid threats and diplomacy, the map is being redrawn by pressure and negotiation.

17:38 US and Iran hold first talks since June amid Trump threats Trump envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, the first direct talks since June, hours after Trump threatened to annihilate Iran. Axios reported the meeting lasted three hours and cited Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, while FT emphasized Trump's warning that Iran faced potential greatness or obliteration. Trump called the meeting productive and said further talks would take place in the near future.

3 sources

Reporting used

FTUS and Iran hold first talks since June as Trump threatens ‘annihilation’AxiosU.S. and Iran officials meet in New York to discuss ending the war

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13:39 Gunman wounds at least 11 near high school in western Turkey AP reported a gunman opened fire outside a vocational and technical high school in the Turgutlu district of Manisa province, wounding at least 11 people, with three in critical condition. Police arrested a suspect described by HaberTurk as a 15-year-old student who used a shotgun taken from his grandparents house, while officials said prosecutors are investigating including claims of bullying. The attack follows two school shootings in Turkey earlier this year and comes after the government increased security at schools for the new academic year.

2 sources

Reporting used

WaPoMan convicted of shooting Palestinian students in U.S. after Oct. 7 attack APGunman opens fire near Turkish high school, wounding at least 11

16:54 Iran faces new flight curbs amid US sea pressure The WSJ reports Iranian flights are being canceled as the US threatens secondary sanctions starting Wednesday on foreign firms that provide fuel and services to Iranian airlines, adding to pressure from a US naval blockade and bottlenecks on land routes. Iran's aviation authority said flights to Baghdad and Muscat are canceled from midnight Wednesday, while Azerbaijan and Georgia have also halted Iranian airline operations and Mahan Air has suspended flights to Turkey and Oman. China and Russia are emerging as holdouts, with Mahan flights still operating to Moscow and Guangzhou and Beijing saying it will not enforce the sanctions.

1 source

Reporting used

WSJSqueezed at Sea, Iran Faces New Restrictions on Its Flights

17:36 US to build two bases in Greenland under Denmark deal The US, Denmark and Greenland signed a deal updating the 1951 defence agreement to allow US defence areas at Narsarsuaq and Mestersvig and expanded activity at Pituffik Space Base, BBC reported. The pact affirms Danish sovereignty and Greenland's right to self-determination, bars non-Nato states from military installations in Greenland, and requires approval by Danish and Greenlandic parliaments. Leaders presented it as strengthening Arctic and transatlantic security after more than a year of tension over US interest in the territory.

3 sources

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BBCUS to build two military bases in Greenland under new deal with Denmark

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Business, 3 stories

Diesel prices hit records as Washington weighs an export ban that analysts doubt, while regulators improvise crypto rules after Congress stalled. With Trump trading heavily, policy and portfolios are moving on separate tracks.

15:59 Trump backs diesel export ban as prices hit record President Donald Trump said Tuesday he supports a ban on diesel exports and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the administration is examining whether a full or partial ban is feasible for supply and refining capacity, CNBC reported. Diesel has surged to a record $6.53 per gallon nationally and $8.44 in California, squeezing farmers and truckers ahead of the midterms, Axios noted. Analysts cited in both outlets said keeping exports at home could lower US prices in the short term but would likely raise global prices and feed costs back into the US.

3 sources

Reporting used

CNBCTrump administration is examining whether a diesel export ban is feasible, Treasury Secretary says AxiosTrump backs ban on diesel exports

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17:15 Trump made over 1,000 stock trades in July, filings show A Guardian analysis of financial disclosures released Tuesday found Donald Trump made more than 1,000 stock purchases and sales in July worth between $79m and $270m. His largest sales on 20 July were between $5m and $25m each of Amazon and Microsoft stock, alongside sales of Oracle, Costco and Nvidia and purchases of Intuit and Salesforce. The White House said the portfolio is independently managed in discretionary accounts with no input from Trump or his family.

2 sources

Reporting used

GuardianTrump made over 1,000 July stock trades worth up to $270m, filings reveal

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16:46 US regulators move to write crypto rules after Clarity Act stalls CNBC reported that two days after the Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate, the SEC issued an order creating a temporary pathway for trading certain tokenized stocks and the CFTC sent a crypto rulemaking proposal to the White House for review. CNBC also reported the SEC plans to consider modernizing custody rules to address crypto assets, while Senate Banking Chairman Tim Scott called on federal agencies to set clear rules until Congress legislates.

1 source

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CNBCU.S. regulators rush to write crypto rulebook after Clarity Act stalls in Senate

Tech, 4 stories

Qualcomm is betting phones can run serious AI locally while Rabbit ditches hardware for cloud agents. Meanwhile alleged FBI data theft and fired ChatGPT contractors show the human mess behind the models.

16:52 AI risks challenge markets as Rabbit launches standalone agent The Economist reports investors are struggling to price severe AI risks including hacking, fraud and misaligned superintelligence, noting gains for cyber-security stocks like CrowdStrike and a gap in insurance for generative AI damage. The Verge reports Rabbit has launched OS3, an agentic system that runs in the cloud and operates locally across Windows, Mac and Linux for up to five devices per account without requiring its R1 hardware. Rabbit founder Jesse Lyu said the company stopped manufacturing R1 devices and is focusing on a new cyberdeck to run OS3.

7 sources

Reporting used

EconomistYou can’t trade your way through the AI apocalypse VergeRabbit’s new AI agent doesn’t need an R1 to run

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17:02 ShinyHunters claims theft of FBI personnel data risks agents ShinyHunters says it exploited an Oracle PeopleSoft flaw to steal two to three terabytes of data on FBI employees, former staff and applicants, including names, home addresses, phone numbers and spouse details, and defaced FBIjobs.gov. 404 Media reported it verified portions of a 5,000-record sample against public records, while TechCrunch emphasized the counterintelligence threat and noted wider recent targeting of FBI systems. The FBI told 404 Media it is investigating the claims about unauthorized activity affecting FBIjobs.gov.

3 sources

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404‘We Hacked the FBI:’ Hackers Say They Have Data on All FBI Employees TCHacking group ShinyHunters claims it breached the FBI, stole agents’ and applicants’ data

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16:00 Qualcomm launches two AI focused Snapdragon chips for future phones Qualcomm announced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, its first 2nm flagship chips built for on device AI, personalization and pro level camera and video performance. TechCrunch emphasizes AI features including sensing hubs for small models, local voice agents and local running of a 30 billion parameter mixture of experts model on the Extreme chip. The Verge notes the two chips share most specs including CPU layout and modem, with the Extreme offering slightly better AI, gaming and video capture such as 8K at 60fps. Motorola will use the Extreme chip in its Signature 27, with Vivo, Xiaomi, Oppo and others also adopting the chips.

3 sources

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TCQualcomm launches two new smartphone chips with emphasis on AI VergeQualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 comes in an Extreme version too

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15:28 OpenAI contractors fired for using AI to train AI, 404 reports 404 Media reports OpenAI contractors hired to review ChatGPT prompts and responses were fired for using AI tools in their work. Internal documents prohibit use of AI, including Grammarly and translation tools, and reviewers look for patterns like repetitive wording and unusually fast completion. Mercor, which hires some contractors, said it removes experts confirmed to have used AI. OpenAI declined to comment.

2 sources

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404People Training OpenAI’s AI Fired for Using AI to Train the AI

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Sports, 3 stories

Kawhi took less to stay in Toronto through big money, Atlanta shuffled wings for Finney-Smith, and the Mets bet on Green despite a losing record. Loyalty, cap math and patience all got workouts.

16:38 Mets retain Andy Green as manager through 2029 season The New York Mets removed the interim tag from Andy Green and signed him to a three-year contract through 2029, according to ESPN. Green took over in late June after Carlos Mendoza was fired with the team at 34-47, and New York has gone 37-38 since while developing young players such as Nolan McLean and Carson Benge. Owners Steve and Alex Cohen cited the discipline, accountability and positivity Green brought during a season derailed by injuries to Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor.

1 source

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ESPNMets remove interim manager tag, hire Andy Green to 3-year deal

16:06 Hawks trade Hield and Nembhard to Hornets for Finney-Smith ESPN reported the Atlanta Hawks are trading Buddy Hield, Ryan Nembhard and cash considerations to the Charlotte Hornets for Dorian Finney-Smith. The Hornets are expected to waive Nembhard, while the deal creates a $2.1 million trade exception for Atlanta and a likely $4.5 million exception for Charlotte. Hield played seven games for Atlanta last season, and Finney-Smith arrives with three years left on his $53 million contract.

1 source

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ESPNSources: Hawks trade Hield, Nembhard to Hornets for Finney-Smith

15:15 Raptors extend Kawhi Leonard for two years, $115M ESPN reported Toronto Raptors star Kawhi Leonard agreed to a two-year, $115 million extension with a player option for 2028-29, bringing his total deal to three years and $165 million. His agent said both sides discussed Leonard's long-term future since July, with Leonard expecting to finish his career in Toronto. Leonard took $11 million less than his maximum extension number and waived a $7.45 million trade kicker to give the Raptors flexibility for rising salary books.

1 source

Reporting used

ESPNRaptors agree to 2-year, $115M extension with Kawhi Leonard