AI Regulation Debate Explodes, Congressman Survives Lake Landing, U.S. Open Champs: AM Update 9/14

(upbeat music) - Good morning everyone, I'm Megan Kelly. It's Monday, September 14th, 2026, and this is your AM update. - I think the government and the public needs to have a stake. - There was an organized PR campaign here. - The great AI debate erupting across Silicon Valley and Washington as industry leaders call for slowing development while critics question whether safety or self-interest is driving the push. We're really fortunate that God was looking after us. Last night. - Congressman Tom Tiffany surviving an emergency landing in a Wisconsin lake after his plane experienced a mechanical failure. A Colorado forensic scientist sentenced to a decade behind bars for years of manipulating DNA data. Short cuts reportedly taken to close cases faster, now casting doubt on hundreds of investigations. And the US open comes to an end with two big finals matches, sadly no American won. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM update. - We're still a couple months out, but the midterms are fast approaching and make no mistake. If the house flips, it is a very big deal for our economy. That uncertainty is one of the reasons to consider diversifying with gold from Birch Gold Group. In the three months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the price of gold jumped over 12%. Why it's a hedge against uncertainty. If you do not own gold, consider talking with Birch Gold. They will discuss your goals and explain how precious metals can fit into your savings. They can even help you convert an existing IRA or 401K into an IRA in gold for no additional money out of pocket. Text the letters MK to the number 989898 and get a free infokit and some solid information. The midterms will be here before you know it. Text MK to 989898 now. (upbeat music) A great debate over the future of artificial intelligence now unfolding across Silicon Valley, Washington and the internet as technology leaders and lawmakers clash over whether slowing its development would protect humanity or sacrifice America's lead over China. The argument bursting into public view last week big time with anthropic researcher Jacob Coxen resigning from the company following AI research at both anthropic and top competitor OpenAI. Coxen accusing both companies of racing towards self-improving superintelligence, the still theoretical point at which AI becomes more capable than the most intelligent human beings and begins accelerating its own development. The researcher warning the companies are quote gambling with our lives while claiming many of the people building the technology privately believe it could wipe out humanity before the end of the decade. Two senior anthropic researchers publicly supporting the central warning, including the head of the company's alignment or ethics team, Evan Hubinger, who places the risk of AI killing every human at greater than 10% over the next decade. Those warnings gaining new urgency after anthropic released a report Thursday documenting how its clawed models were misused between December and August for cyber attacks, surveillance, fraud, influence campaigns, and weapons development. One operation reportedly using clawed to create more than 4,700 fake dating profiles that exchanged millions of messages with unsuspecting users. Anthropic CEO Dario Amadeh releasing a proposal over the weekend to quote haste the frontier, arguing AI capabilities are advancing faster than researchers can reliably understand or control. Amadeh proposing permanent access for independent evaluators inside the leading AI companies, common safety standards among developers in democratic countries and eventual international agreements limiting the most dangerous uses of the technology. Anthropic unilaterally committing to the first step, promising outside evaluators employee level access to its systems and training processes. Open AI CEO Sam Altman announcing his company will do the same while Elon Musk who operates the competing AI company XAI, expressing agreement with Amadeh's broader call to slow the pace of development. Amadeh yesterday on CBS explicitly calling for government regulation of the AI industry. - It has always been very strange that this technology is being built by a private company. People ask me that question all the time. Why isn't this being built by government? I think the government and the public needs to have a stake. And this is why we've supported regulation of the technology. Regulation constrains the private companies. Regulation allows the public and its elected representatives to have a say and limits what the private companies can do. - President Trump's former AI czar, David Sachs, supporting the company's right to slow their own development while rejecting the argument that they need a new government framework to do it. Sachs noting anthropic and open AI already control much of the market for the most advanced AI, arguing the two companies could simply agree not to build superintelligence rather than asking the government to protect their coordination from antitrust laws. Sachs writing quote, "Stop pretending you need "anyone else's permission. "Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended "so you can form a cartel." Sachs expanding on that point of view Friday on the all-in podcast. - I think it's very clear based on who amplified this post and when they did it, that there was an organized PR campaign here, right? This wasn't just a random resolution. - That's your thing, yes. - What I'm saying is there's a lot of overlapping agendas here where some people have an economic interest and some people have a power interest. And there's gonna be a division of the spoils. In their view of the world, AI is gonna be very centralized. We're gonna have a duopoly. The duopoly reaps the economic benefits and they get big political donations and they'll do the dirty work of suppressing speech because again, on that side of the ledger, you can circumvent the First Amendment. And then on the government side of the ledger, you'll have those people who exercise control over our lives. - President Trump sounding less likely to favor government regulation when asked by a reporter about it yesterday. We're leading China and AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world and frankly, I wanna keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins. And we can put guardrails, we can do this and that, but I think you have a lot of negative forces and bring it it up that shouldn't be bringing it up and they're bringing it up, things that won't happen. But whoever wins AI wins. - Some Democrats arguing the government cannot afford to wait. The New York Times reporting former president Barack Obama recently urged House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries to begin developing a clear AI policy framework. Mr. Obama warning privately developed technology moving this quickly could become dangerous if elected leaders fail to manage it. Mr. Jeffries yesterday on ABC calling for Congress to intervene. - I agree with my colleagues that we actually need to act urgently. And unfortunately, House Republicans have effectively canceled the last two weeks of the legislative session scheduled for this month, which is something that they've repeatedly done. We should take decisive action now so that we can slow down as the CEOs have recently acknowledged, slow down the pace of development in order to protect the American people and ensure that AI is proceeding safely. - House Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday on NBC outlining a different approach. - We have to put some guardrails, some safety measures in place to ensure that AI doesn't run away. But at the same time, we've got to make sure that we don't lose our edge and that in the global competition on this with China because that would be a national security threat. And so we've got to balance that appropriately. - Palantir co-founder and prominent Trump donor, Joe Lonsdale, offering the most optimistic response, urging the public not to become paralyzed by the warnings. Lonsdale writing quote, "The world is going to be all right, guys." Adding that leaders face enormous responsibilities, but quote, "It doesn't help to scare everyone." Republican candidate for governor and current congressman from Wisconsin, Tom Tiffany recovering after surviving a shocking emergency plane landing in a Wisconsin lake Saturday night. Tiffany writing on ex the aircraft loss power as he returned from a Republican dinner in La Crosse County, forcing the pilot to bring the aircraft down on Lake Wasau during the final approach to a nearby airport, Miracle on the Hudson style. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office identifying the aircraft as a beach craft K-35, a small single engine plane carrying only congressman Tiffany and the pilot. The sheriff's office describing the apparent cause as a mechanical problem. Tiffany and the pilot calling 911 once they reached the water, then abandoning the aircraft as it sank, swimming toward a shallower part of the lake. Can you imagine? Lake Wasau reaching 30 feet at its deepest, although averaging just seven feet, the area where the men waited, reportedly measuring about five feet deep. Firefighters reaching both men by airboat, roughly 16 minutes after the initial emergency call, before taking them to a local hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Tiffany receiving 12 stitches above his right eye, both men were released from the hospital later that night. An emotional congressman Tiffany, thanking first responders yesterday, at a press conference. We are just really fortunate. We're really fortunate that God was looking after us last night. And we're also really fortunate that the first responders, those behind me, the fire department, the Sheriff's department, as well as the City of Wasop police for their quick response. They're really fortunate for what they did. And I can't thank them enough for helping us in this situation. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office confirming that the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board have been notified and will investigate the incident. Congressman Tiffany preparing to face Democrat David Crowley in November's general election, Crowley responding to the emergency, writing he is, quote, "grateful to God that Congressman Tiffany and no one else was hurt in this horrifying incident, which could have been a tragedy if not for the heroism of the pilot." Nothing like a brush with death to put politics in perspective. Coming up, a former Colorado forensic scientist sentenced to prison after manipulating testing data for years. In some cases, reporting that DNA was absent in felony cases when, in fact, it had been detected. And Elena Rabakina and Alexander Zverev, capturing the U.S. Open Singles titles, capping a championship weekend in New York. Our sponsor, the Electronic Payments Coalition, says Washington politicians are always getting in your wallet, and that now they're messing with your credit card. They say your credit card and the security it offers are under attack, and that senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall want to change the nation's payment system to benefit corporate megastores, like Walmart and Target, at the expense of everyday Americans. Credit cards can keep your payments secure and provide rewards that families use to help make everyday purchases more affordable. The Electronic Payments Coalition says the Durbin Marshall mandates would let corporate megastores cut corners on credit card processing, routing transactions over cheaper, untested networks, with weaker security and fewer protections. Find out more at guardyourcard.com and consider telling Congress to guard your card. A former Colorado State Forensic Scientist sentenced to 10 years in prison after years of manipulating DNA testing data and leaving hundreds of criminal cases under a cloud of doubt. Ivan Missy Woods found guilty of altering or deleting information produced during the testing process, concealing problems she had failed to resolve, and in some cases, issuing reports that directly contradicted the underlying DNA data. Investigators ultimately identifying 53 cases involving false or misleading reports attributed to Woods, spanning homicide, sexual assault, robbery, and other criminal investigations. Denver 7 reporting Woods manually deleted or lowered laboratory measurements showing how much DNA was present in a sample. The most disturbing examples involving 32 cases of women and children who reported sexual assaults. Prosecutors say Woods removed results showing that male DNA had been detected, then issued reports claiming no male DNA had been found, preventing further testing that might have identified whose DNA it was. Investigators finding similar alterations in the internal records of hundreds of additional cases, although prosecutors say the changes in those cases did not produce false final reports. Woods also issuing false reports in cases where suspects were prosecuted, including a murder trial where she later admitted giving false testimony under oath. The misconduct reportedly coming to light in September of 2023, when an intern discovered missing DNA information in a case Woods had processed five years earlier. A subsequent review revealing that concerns about her work had first surfaced as early as 2014, and that Woods was temporarily removed from DNA case work in 2018 after being accused of manipulating testing data then. According to an arrest affidavit reviewed by the Associated Press, Woods reportedly telling investigators she changed the data to complete cases more quickly, sometimes removing information that would have required additional troubleshooting or testing. However, she also said quote, "I don't really know why I was doing it. I mean, we could sit here and theorize." She also added, "It's almost like there was a disconnect." The scandal already contributing to the reversal of at least one murder conviction, Michael Clark released from prison last year after his attorneys successfully challenged Woods' handling of DNA evidence used in his case. Prosecutors now seeking to try Michael Clark again, according to the AP. Woods worked for the Colorado Bureau of Investigation for nearly three decades before retiring in November 2023. Woods bleeding guilty in June to cybercrime, perjury, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery, resolving more than 100 original charges through an agreement that guaranteed a prison sentence. Woods last Tuesday apologizing in court before learning her sentence. "My actions affected not only the integrity of the criminal justice system, but also the people whose lives were touched by the cases in which I worked. I take responsibility for the existence to which I applied guilty, and I know that an apology cannot undo the harm or restore the trust that was lost. For many years, I was entrusted with evidence that could have profound consequences for defendants, victims, families, and the courts. I failed that responsibility." The Colorado Bureau of Investigation now working to reform its labs and strengthen oversight as authorities continue reviewing affected cases and attempting to rebuild trust in the state's forensic work. Woods also employed by the same state bureau that assisted with evidence testing in the John Bene Ramsey investigation. John Ramsey telling Fox News, however, he does not believe Woods was involved in his daughter's case as early testing was conducted by an independent laboratory. Elena Rabakina capturing her first U.S. Open Championship Saturday night, defeating two-time defending champion, Irina Sabalenko, in a three-set final at Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, New York. The 27-year-old representing Kazakhstan taking the opening set 6-4 before Sabalenko fought back to win the second 7-5, forcing a decisive third. Rabakina then taking a commanding 5-2 lead in the final set before sealing the championship with a serve, Sabalenko could not return. Sabalenko throwing her racket at the court before meeting Rabakina at the net for a quick hug. Sabalenko then returning to her bench, smashing the racket against the ground, and appearing to meld the words "f off" to a cameraman as Rabakina celebrated the victory. Rabakina speaking to reporters after the match. It feels amazing. It's still so difficult to process what happened to too many achievements, these few weeks. I'm super happy, very proud of all the work. Yeah, it's just amazing, difficult to find words, but super happy. The victory earning Rabakina a record $5.5 million prize. Rabakina also becoming the new world number one, replacing Sabalenko at the top of the women's rankings. The loss ending Sabalenko's unbeaten run at the US Open Finals dating back to 2024, denying her the chance to join Serena Williams and Chris Everett as the only woman in the open era to win three consecutive titles in New York. Germany's Alexander Zverev winning his first US Open Championship yesterday, defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets. Single tier. The top-seated Zverev taking the first to set six three and seven six before Shelton fought back to win the third 75, keeping his championship hopes alive. Zverev quickly shutting down the comeback, though, pulling away in the fourth set and winning it six to two to close out the match. The final point, producing an unusual moment, Zverev initially not realizing he had won the championship until his coaches began celebrating from the stands. The victory giving the 29-year-old German his second major championship, following his French open victory earlier this year. Zverev speaking during the trophy presentation. Shelton falling short of becoming the first American man to win the US Open since Andy Roddick in 2003, but winning the hearts of those in attendance at Arthur Ash Stadium in New York. First and most importantly, I want to thank God, my successes are a gift. The failures are a gift in being here playing in front of you guys as a gift. Sasha, congrats on these two weeks, man. Your second grand slam title, two in one year. You're one of the very best players in the world, maybe the best player in the world this year. What you're doing is incredible, the way you're serving, the way you're moving and playing. You work harder than anyone I know. You put more hours on the court than anyone I know. You and your team do things the right way and sincerely happy for you guys to hold this title. Svera's victory earning him 5.5 million as well matching the record prize awarded to Rabakana in the Women's Championship. And that'll do it for your AM update. I'm Megan Kelly. Join me back here for the MK show, Black Run Series 6M's The Megan Kelly Channel 11 at New East on youtube.com/megankelly and on all podcast platforms.