NPR News: 09-13-2026 3PM EDT
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Why are AI company leaders urging a slowdown of advanced model development?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Janine Herbst. The leaders of three rival AI companies are issuing a stark warning that the technology is advancing faster than safety protections and regulations can keep up. NPR's Windsor Johnson reports they're calling for a slowdown, but it's not clear who
would set the rules or who would enforce them. The CEO of Anthropic is urging AI companies to slow the development of the most powerful models. The leaders of OpenAI, Google DeepMind, and SpaceX AI are backing the call. Sarah Kreps is a technology policy expert at Cornell University. She says the companies could benefit from helping shape any new rules, but their unusual agreement is difficult to dismiss.
When all of those companies in the lead are speaking with one voice and are competitors with each other, there might also be something going on.
Krepp says Congress could impose regulations, but the technology may evolve faster than lawmakers can respond. Windsor Johnston, NPR News. Anthropic
and Google are among NPR supporters. Delaware is holding its primary this week as voters pick House, Senate and Attorney General candidates less than two months to go to the midterm elections.
What are the implications of the $5,000 payout promise in the upcoming midterms?
Meanwhile, Republicans held an unusual midterm convention last week where President Trump promised $5,000 to each American adult if Republicans keep the Senate and House. And here's Mara Lyson has more.
The reaction has been surprisingly tepid, even among Republicans. Some are worried that even if Congress would approve such a payout because the president can't give away this money himself, it would cost more than a trillion dollars, adding to the already historically high national debt unless it was paid for by raising other taxes or more budget cuts. And then there's the element of whether this promise has any credibility with voters.
NPR's Mara Lyson reporting. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson says there's no guarantee about the $5,000. Like
every idea that the president comes up with, he's a great idea generator. We're going to process that in Congress and figure it all out.
Speaking there on NBC's Meet the Press. Investors on Wall Street are awaiting a decision from the Fed this week on interest rates. NPR's Raphael Nam has more.
How might the Federal Reserve’s rate decision affect the November elections?
The Fed has held rates steady throughout the year, even though inflation has remained fairly high. But the rising energy cost because of the war with Iran now has most investors expecting a rate hike when policymakers announced their decision on Wednesday. But it's not a done deal. The Fed has been fairly divided, and some economists believe the Fed may choose instead to keep waiting. A rate hike would come with the midterm elections coming up in November. And he will be the first under Chair Kevin Walsh, who was nominated by President Trump in the hopes that he would lead the Fed into lowering rates and not raising them. Rafael Nam, NPR News.
You're listening to NPR News from Washington. Voters in Sweden are going to the polls today in an election that's expected to be extremely close. Empire's Esme Nicholson reports recent polls show the gap is narrowing between left- and right-wing blocs.
Officials say the ferry was carrying more than 240 people when it sank in heavy seas on a trip from Surabaya in East Java to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan province. Authorities say the captain of the vessel had reported waves of up to 10 feet and issued a distress message in the early morning hours before the ship sank.
What happened in the Indonesian ferry disaster and how are authorities responding?
Officials deployed rescue teams aboard several vessels as well as a helicopter to search for survivors. Indonesia is an archipelago of some 17,000 islands where ferries are a common form of travel. Hundreds of relatives of the missing have gathered at Banjarmasin's Trasakti port waiting for news of the missing. For NPR News, I'm Michael Sullivan in Chiang Rai.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is warning that rising geopolitical tensions, supply change disruptions, and climate change issues are affecting people around the world. He made the comments at the BRICS summit in New Delhi today, where he called for stronger cooperation around the global south.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
Why are AI company leaders urging a slowdown of advanced model development?
0:00–1:16
2
What are the implications of the $5,000 payout promise in the upcoming midterms?
1:16–2:14
3
How might the Federal Reserve’s rate decision affect the November elections?
2:14–3:37
4
What happened in the Indonesian ferry disaster and how are authorities responding?
3:37–4:48
5
Why is India’s Prime Minister calling for stronger South‑global cooperation at the BRICS summit?
4:48–4:57