News for September 21, 2026
AP Exclusive: ICE hides locations of thousands of detainees with final removal orders
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has stopped publicly revealing where it is holding most detainees who are subject to final deportation orders. ICE this week quietly removed the names of those detainees — who make up more 1/3 of the agency’s recent bookings — from its online detainee locator system. The practice applies to detainees who are subject to final orders of removal from an immigration court. Nearly 16,000 people who were arrested and booked into ICE detention in July were subject to final removal orders, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project based at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA.
China and the US are competing for AI dominance but have shared concerns over safety
HONG KONG (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are expected to meet this week to discuss artificial intelligence. The meeting comes amid rising concerns about AI’s potential threats and the competitive tension between the two countries. On Sunday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. and China discussed setting up a mechanism for AI dialogue and a notification system for AI incidents impacting national security. Both nations are worried about AI’s potential to attack critical infrastructure. Despite U.S. export controls, Chinese AI models are increasingly competitive. Accusations of technology theft remain a sore point in their relationship.
War, runaway AI and climate shocks to take center stage as world leaders meet at UN
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — World leaders are meeting under a global cloud of wars and bitter divisions for their annual meeting at the United Nations this week. And they’re facing new fears that runaway artificial intelligence could threaten humanity, and more earthly worries that climate shocks and escalating prices are already making life much tougher for hundreds of millions of people. The meeting, starting Tuesday, will also be consumed with the major wars in Iran, Gaza, Sudan, Congo and Myanmar and a burning question:. Can the leaders do anything to end them?
Wall Street pulls within 1% of its record after oil prices and bond yields ease
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are climbing with markets worldwide after oil prices and yields in the bond market gave back some of their jumps from last week. The S&P 500 rose 1% Monday and pulled within 0.9% of its all-time high set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 193 points, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.6%. They benefited from the price for a barrel of Brent oil falling back toward $100, while the 10-year Treasury yield dropped to 4.96%. The easing pressure helped indexes rise more than 1% around much of the world, from Germany to Hong Kong to South Korea.
German leader faces tough time ahead after election defeats, but no sign of leadership challenge
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is standing by his vow to stay in office after his party suffered two more regional election defeats and was voted out of a state legislature in a humiliating first. But he faces a struggle to keep his reform agenda intact. Minutes after polls closed on Sunday, the unpopular Merz said he planned to stay on as leader of both Germany and his center-right party, and said that he would push through reforms to Europe’s biggest economy. The chancellor said no one raised any “personnel questions” in party leadership meetings Sunday or Monday.
Pope Leo XIV in France to find a secular country at odds with Catholic teaching on life
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Leo XIV opens a four-day visit to France this weekend that is expected to touch on church teaching about the value of all human life. His visit comes after France in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication. Leo has emphasized the need to protect the dignity of all human life, from immigrants to the sick and unborn, most significantly in his inaugural encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence. During the Sept. 25-28 trip, Leo is also expected to discuss AI at UNESCO.
World leaders in New York to grapple with climate. Fuel prices, AI and disasters complicate things
NEW YORK (AP) — World and business leaders this week will grapple with the urgent costs of climate change. Experts say the rise of artificial intelligence and data centers, which consume a lot of energy, and higher fossil fuel prices due to wars in Iran, Venezuela and Ukraine are changing the conversation as the United Nations General Assembly meets during New York’s climate week. The toll from summer’s heat waves, wildfires and Nepal’s catastrophic flood are also pressing issues. Renewable energy is booming, but climate impacts are accelerating faster than political systems can respond.
Tiny wild cat newly identified as a species draws curious visitors in Bolivia
COROICO, Bolivia (AP) — A tiny wild cat newly identified as a species in Bolivia has become an unlikely tourist attraction. Visitors have flocked to a wildlife sanctuary near La Paz hoping to catch a glimpse of Tigrino. The small, spotted feline species was described by scientists last week. Most visitors won’t get the chance to see it, though. Tigrino is easily stressed by people, so caretakers keep him out of public view. The cat weighs just 3 pounds and is smaller than the average house cat. Scientists say Leopardus tilcayo is the first living wild cat species to be described in more than a century.
