NPR News: 09-18-2026 10AM EDT
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Why is Warren Buffett stepping down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman and what does it mean for investors?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Korova Coleman. Stocks open mixed this morning as legendary investor Warren Buffett steps aside from his role as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. NPR Scott Horsley reports the Dow Jones industrial average slipped about 180 points in early trading.
In a letter to shareholders, Warren Buffett writes, Father time always wins. He has, however, been generous with me. The ninety six year old is handing over the chairman's job to his son Howard, Buffett had already stepped down as CEO late last year. In more than six decades at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett built a conglomerate into a trillion dollar company with businesses ranging from chocolates to car insurance. US manufacturing output declined last month, utility output was up, however, as sizzling summer temperatures boosted demand for air conditioning. And diesel prices jumped by a nickel a gallon overnight to a new record high of six dollars forty-four cents. Scott Horsley, MPR News, Washington.
What are the main arguments in the AI safety debate and who supports a coordinated slowdown?
Artificial intelligence leaders are divided over how to safely manage the rapidly advancing technology. Some warn stronger safeguards are needed, while others say each company should set its own pace. And Piers Windsor Johnston has more.
Anthropic's proposal, backed by several industry leaders, calls for slowing but not halting the development of increasingly powerful AI systems. It would place outside evaluators such as MEATER inside leading AI labs. Professor Gary Marcus, an AI researcher at NYU, questions whether that oversight would be truly independent.
One of the things they said is they should use outside organizations like meter, which actually has pretty close ties to some of these companies. You have to ask what they would actually want done and who would actually do it.
Meter calls itself independent and says it accepts no funding from AI companies. Meta and Nvidia oppose a coordinated slowdown, saying companies should make their own safety decisions.
How does the leaked Homeland Security email raise concerns about the 2024 midterm election plans?
Windsor Johnston, NPR News.
Anthropic is a financial supporter of NPR. NPR has obtained an internal Homeland Security Department email. It raises questions about the Trump administration's plans for the midterm elections. Much of the email is redacted, but it does list certain jurisdictions that offer ballot materials in different languages. This comes with a Justice Department checklist of requirements to prosecute voting crimes. There's nothing in the document alluding to enforcement in the jurisdictions that are named. President Trump is facing pushback from a Republican congresswoman. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida used her political ad this week to speak directly to Trump about immigration raids.
The same Hispanics who help you get to the White House in 2024 feel betrayed today.
Why is a federal judge blocking work on the Kennedy Center and what does it mean for Trump’s naming attempt?
I'm not talking about giving them amnesty. I'm talking about giving them a dignified life.
Salazar's Democratic opponent, Elliot Rodriguez, says Salazar has helped Trump. This is NPR. A federal judge has blocked any physical work on the Kennedy Center in Washington for at least thirty days. The order would also temporarily block any effort to demolish the building, as President Trump has hinted. Trump's wanted to put his name back on the center. The federal judge ordered his name removed. Noting that federal law only allows Congress to change the Kennedy Center's name. The State Department says it's approved the sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia.
What are the implications of the $24 billion F‑35 fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia?
The package is worth more than twenty-four billion dollars. Saudi Arabia has tried to purchase the U.S. fighter jets for years as it modernizes its military. The sale also comes as the Saudi government is fighting Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen, a vital pipeline of the Saudis has been damaged. The World Health Organization's calling for more research into therapies such as herbal medicine and acupuncture, and Pierre's Jonathan Lambert reports.
Billions of people around the globe rely on traditional medicine. For many, especially in lower income countries, a local traditional healer might be their first line of care.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is Warren Buffett stepping down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman and what does it mean for investors?
0:00–0:59
2
What are the main arguments in the AI safety debate and who supports a coordinated slowdown?
0:59–1:58
3
How does the leaked Homeland Security email raise concerns about the 2024 midterm election plans?
1:58–2:48
4
Why is a federal judge blocking work on the Kennedy Center and what does it mean for Trump’s naming attempt?
2:48–3:30
5
What are the implications of the $24 billion F‑35 fighter jet sale to Saudi Arabia?
3:30–4:22
6
How is the WHO planning to use AI to study traditional medicine and improve global health research?
4:22–5:03