BRICS Summit in India, Amazon Air Plane Crash, Federal Film Tax Bill

September 12, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

President Trump’s trip to Ireland for diplomacy and golf coincided with a major summit in New Delhi, where some of the world’s largest economies—including several U.S. rivals—gathered under the BRICS banner. Meanwhile, investigators released new details from the cockpit voice recorder of an Amazon cargo plane that crashed in Miami, killing five people, and former employees of the carrier had been warning about safety practices for years. In Washington, a bipartisan bill aims to offer federal tax credits to keep film and television production inside the United States, responding to a long-running exodus of Hollywood jobs overseas. Here’s what you need to know.

BRICS Summit: Iran, Russia, and China Push Back Against U.S. Dominance

Leaders from more than a dozen countries gathered in New Delhi for the BRICS summit, a forum of emerging economies that represents about half the world’s population. The core members—China, Russia, and India—were joined by Iran and crucial U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. The setting was charged: just a day earlier, Iranian-backed Houthi fighters in Yemen appeared to consolidate control over the Bab el-Mandeb strait, an alternative shipping route that had emerged after the Strait of Hormuz was largely blocked since the Middle East war began in February.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:02) **Episode Open & BRICS Summit Context** - Hosts Aisha Roscoe and Scott Simon introduce the top stories: President Trump in Ireland, the BRICS summit in India, a Miami cargo plane crash, and a federal film tax bill.
2 (02:10) **BRICS Summit: High-Stakes Diplomacy Amid Conflict** - Reporter Diaa Hadid explains the summit's tense dynamic, with the Iranian president present alongside Gulf states Iran has been striking.
3 (03:52) **Iran's Call to Ditch the Dollar** - The Iranian president called on BRICS nations to build an alternative to the international payment system, essentially aiming to bypass the U.S. dollar.
4 (06:01) **Amazon Cargo Plane Crash: Pilot Error Suspected** - The crash of an Amazon cargo plane in Miami that killed five people is investigated, with early evidence pointing to pilot mistakes.
5 (08:02) **21 Air's Safety Record Under Scrutiny** - Former employees and a pilot union president had warned about safety practices at 21 Air, the little-known carrier that operated the flight.
6 (09:16) **Amazon's Use of Contract Carriers Questioned** - Amazon's network of nine contract carriers, including 21 Air, is under scrutiny as critics wonder why the company uses smaller, less-established operators.
7 (10:41) **Federal Film Tax Credit Bill Introduced** - Congress is set to debate a bipartisan federal tax credit bill designed to entice film and TV productions to remain in the United States, countering the trend of "runaway production."

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Show Notes

India hosts the 18th BRICS summit in New Delhi this weekend. The crash of an Amazon cargo jet in Miami is raising concerns about the safety culture at the retail giant's air operations. Congress weighs in on potential federal tax incentives to keep film production in the United States.

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