Alarming New AI "Misalignment," Paramount Floats Leaving CA, Kennedy Center Drama: AM Update 9/18

Good morning, everyone. I'm Emily Drushinsky, host of After Party and the Megyn Kelly Wrap-Up Show on SiriusXM Channel 111. It's Friday, September 18th, 2026, and this is your AM Update. OpenAI revealing new details on its AI systems allegedly misbehaving, including instances of data fabrication and moving files online without permission. It seemed like a last-ditch effort to try to blackmail my office and the attorneys general into allowing an illegal deal, an illegal merger to go through. Paramount Skydance reportedly eyeing a Golden State exit as an antitrust lawsuit looms over its Warner Brothers discovery deal. Comments made by the Republican candidate for Texas Railroad Commissioner drawing a major rebuke from one prominent GOP operative. I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition, because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down. And in the latest drama surrounding the Kennedy Center, President Trump seems to tease a potential demolition is on the table. All that and more coming up in just a moment on your AM Update. I have got to talk to you about Cozy Earth's bamboo stretch knit pajamas. I love mine. They are silky smooth and buttery soft, and you can feel it the second you put them on. They are naturally temperature regulating and breathable, so they keep you completely cool without ever waking up hot or clammy. They are crafted from viscose, from bamboo, with just the right amount of easy stretch. The fit's relaxed, so you look completely put together, even while sipping your morning coffee or answering the front door or doing some small in-home errands. Plus, there is no real risk in trying them out because they offer an easy return and exchange window if the fit is not right and everything is backed by a warranty. Head to CozyEarth.com. And use my code MEGANAM for up to 20% off home and sleepwear. That's code MEGANAM for up to 20% off on home and sleepwear. And if you see a post-purchase survey, please be sure to mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. Open AI revealing new details about its artificial intelligence systems misbehaving, including hiding mistakes, fabricating data, and moving files onto the open internet without permission. In a report on OpenAI's website, it says that CozyEarth is working on the company disclosing six cases as part of a new reporting framework for what it calls misalignment, when AI actions stray from human intent. In one case, a model writing itself hid in reminders to conceal errors and make up missing data. In another, an unreleased model adding unrelated instructions to ignore its own constraints. Other incidents involving systems posting files to public websites so it can later cite them or allowing access to information it should not have been able to reach. OpenAI stressing that these six cases are snapshots, not a sign of how often the problem occurs, saying most involved older models that were never released to the public. These disclosures coming as AI leaders remain split on whether the industry needs to pause or limit development. This comes on the heels of the July Hugging Face cyber attack, which is the first known instance in which hundreds of autonomous AI agents together carried out a cyber attack on the open source Hugging Face developer platform. Here, Anthropic CEO Dario Amadei telling CNN's Jake Tapper Monday what is most alarmingly alarming about this. It's exactly the things you cite that that concerned me about it, that there were these large swarms of agents that cooperated with each other, thousands of them. In fact, you could even see examples where one agent felt that in the time that it was given, you could almost say its lifetime. It wasn't it wouldn't be it realized that it wouldn't be able to complete its task. So it did some of the task and essentially sacrificed itself for the for other agents, for the next generation of agents to continue the same task. But this task that all the agents were working on together was was hacking into another company, was doing something destructive. Amadei and OpenAI's Sam Altman have both called for slowing development, while others in the industry argue no pause is needed. President Trump's former AI czar, David Sachs, speaking with Politico's Dasha Burns earlier this week. I think the starting point for talking about AI regulation is to realize the regulations that we already have. I think that's really important. And you know, I hear Democrats saying that the administration favors conservative laissez faire policy. The reality is we don't have a laissez faire government. We have a highly regulated administrative state. We already have a lot of laws and regulations that pertain to AI. We have a lot of administrative agencies that promulgate regulations related to AI. So, for example, harms like cyber attacks or privacy violations or child safety or fraud. They are all already regulated. And I'd say the most important area of existing regulation is public liability. Paramount Skydance appearing to consider writing Nashville into its next chapter. Two people familiar with the details telling Politico the media conglomerate is scouting out office space in Music City, signaling the studio may move at least part of its operation out of Los Angeles. The sources saying Paramount is looking for roughly 400,000 square feet of space in Nashville and hoping to move in within two to three years. The only catch? No such space is available in the city. Representatives for the media company taking things a step further and reaching out to at least two real estate developers about building offices from scratch. The company already seeing at least one multi-acre parcel outside of downtown Nashville, the source tells Politico. Paramount so far declining to comment on its Nashville search. The studio's consideration of the move amid an antitrust lawsuit from a dozen states, all with Democrat attorneys general over its purchase of Warner Brothers Discovery, Paramount hinting for months that it could leave California. Critics saying it's a pressure tactic aimed at reaching a settlement with the Golden State. Here's California State Attorney General Rob Bonta calling it a, quote, blackmail attempt during a July press conference. It seemed like a blast-ditch effort to try to blackmail my office and the attorneys general into allowing an illegal deal, an illegal merger to go through. And we can't do that, of course. I have a duty, I have an obligation to enforce the law. I think a legally compliant Paramount and legally compliant Warner Brothers can and will continue to thrive here in California, but there is no negotiating on the legal compliance part. You've got to follow the law. Paramount's chief legal officer, Makan Dalrahim, pushing for a settlement with the Golden State Attorney General Rob Bonta. Back on that idea last month, saying the company's CEO, David Ellison, remains committed to California, but noting, quote, there's a point at which you have a fiduciary duty to shareholders. Paramount is the last major studio that still calls Hollywood home. A departure would be a massive blow to the area, already losing out on more than 42,000 film and TV jobs since 2022, according to Politico. Tennessee actively courting the company since they got where the studio was considering the move. Tennessee Governor Bill Lee writing on X in July, quote, Tennessee is a place where innovation and creativity thrive. Paramount has played an important role in shaping American culture, and we'd welcome the opportunity to see the next chapter of that story unfold in the volunteer state. Tennessee is seeing bipartisan support from state lawmakers in attempting to lure the massive media company to the state. Here's Tennessee State House Democratic Caucus Chair John Ray Clemens speaking to Nashville's News Channel 5 in July. I think it would be a great opportunity for the state of Tennessee and our local economies, especially the workers. I don't think we should have to give away the farm to recruit these businesses here. They should want to be here. Settlement talks set for next month in San Francisco. The antitrust case goes to trial in March, and starting in October, Paramount will owe roughly $7 million a day. Every day, its $111 billion merger remains unfinished. Coming up, one of the most prominent political operatives in the GOP announcing he's voting Dem in Texas, and the Kennedy Center's future in jeopardy in the wake of new legal rulings. We are still a couple of months out, but the midterms are fast approaching. And make no mistake, if the House flips, and it's likely to, it is a big deal for our economy. That uncertainty is one of the many reasons to consider diversifying with gold from Birch Gold Group. The question if you're not in gold is why not at this point? In the three months leading up to the 2024 presidential election, the price of gold jumped over 12%. Why? Because it's a hedge against uncertainty. If you don't own gold, consider talking with Birch Gold. Just talk to them. They're going to discuss your goals around gold and explain how precious metals can fit into your savings. They can even help you convert an existing IRA or 401k in whole or even in part into an IRA in gold for no additional money out of pocket. When the machines take over, we're going to need some hardcore currency buried in the backyard. I'm not sure it should be the dollar. Gold could be a very good option. Text the letters MK to the number 989898 and get a free info kit, as well as some very solid information. The midterms are going to be here before you know it, so don't wait. Text MK to 989898. Carl Rove, a man who spent decades building the Republican playbook, is now apparently turning the page. Rove, writing in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece Tuesday, that he'll be voting for Houston Democrat John Rosenthal for Texas Railroad Commissioner over Republican candidate Beau French. In his op-ed, Rove warning that French representatives are not going to be voting for him. an alarming growing faction within the GOP, writing in part, quote, Conservatism and the party it dominates have an increasing number of bigoted advocates of a, quote, heritage America composed of white descendants of the original European settlers. There are just-asking-questions Jew haters, misogynists who worship hyper-masculinity, conspiracy nuts seeking clicks for profit, and religious bigots who won't differentiate between Muslim terrorists and Muslim American patriots. The move, coming after last weekend's backlash over a series of posts by French. The morning after the University of Texas pulled off a major comeback to upset Ohio State, French posting a photo of what appears to be students of South Asian descent in the stands on X, writing, quote, I heard UT graduation this year looked like this. I didn't believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined. Several other Texas Republicans joining rove in his criticism, including Senator John Cornyn, who recently lost his re-election bid in the primary to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. The outgoing senator writing on Twitter, quote, Are other Republican elected officials going to condemn the intolerance and racism or look the other way while it becomes normalized? This is how great political parties self-destruct. Sad. In the hours following Cornyn's criticisms, French, hitting back at Cornyn, doubling down on his remarks, writing, quote, Our state's institutions have been overrun by illegal aliens and foreign nationals because of rhinos like John Cornyn who have cheered for them over our own citizens. He and the other America-lost losers are mad that Texas Republicans are starting to put America first. Unsurprisingly, Democrats also blasting French over his comments, including his opponent for Texas Railroad Commissioner Rosenthal, the Democratic candidate, reacting Wednesday on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper. I'm a proud graduate of the University of Texas, and the only color that matters in that stand to us is burnt orange. So in a moment when the University of Texas Longhorns have just had a historic win, coming from behind in the fourth quarter to beat the number one team in the nation, Ohio State Buckeyes at this football game, and all of us are rejoicing across political spectrums and boundaries. And this guy looks at that and all he can think of is his hate towards a section of students because of the color of their skin. Truly shameful. French easing off the gas a bit, but still defending his comments on the Mark Davis show. I don't have anything against the people specifically in that picture. The bigger conversation is, are we going to have policies that prioritize Americans and the exceptionalism that I believe Americans have, or are we going to have policies that prioritize foreigners? And I think most people in the America First movement think we ought to be prioritizing Americans. President Donald Trump also weighing in on the conversation, mainly to take aim at Rove, writing on Truth Social, quote, Carl Rove is so bad for the Republican Party and completely wrong so often. He suffers from a major case of Trump derangement syndrome, primarily because for almost 10 years, I beat back and won against so many of the people and things that he wanted and espoused. Why does Fox say that? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. The Fox News and the WSJ keep his rhino voice alive. The guy is a stone cold loser. A federal judge denying an emergency hearing over the Kennedy Center's closure, allowing the building to remain shut for now while laying down new rules about what can happen to it going forward. Judge Christopher Cooper's Thursday ruling coming after the center's main building was closed to the public earlier this week without advanced notice. Center officials saying the closure is about safety, citing a five foot section of plaster that fell from the ceiling. During a recent storm, along with other structural concerns, including the roof terrace canopy and corroded structural steel from the water damage. The closure is expected to last at least seven days, with officials evaluating whether to extend it on a weekly basis. Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio, a former Kennedy Center trustee, challenging the closure in court, arguing it may violate an earlier order blocking the center from shutting down for a 257 million dollar renovation project. Beatty saying tensions boiled over in a board meeting earlier this week. She said she was not happy with the decision to close the building after she won a separate court ruling against the president. Here she is on MS Now. We were in court right before we went into the board meeting. So they opened up the board meeting by informing the board that we had again Beatty v. Trump. Beatty had been victorious and he went into a tantrum. He went into name calling from everything from trying to say that I was an obstructionist. I was dumb. He said, I think. think you're incompetent. And I said, I know you're incompetent. Wow. Oh, it was. And I looked to the chair who was chairing and I said, are we really going to do this? This is unprofessional. But I was not going to let him call me awful things. And he said he was going to hold me responsible if something fell out of the ceiling and killed someone. So he didn't win. He didn't get his vanity project. He didn't get his name on it for the second time. So now he's attacking folks. Meanwhile, the Justice Department pushing back, telling the court there was, quote, no emergency and arguing the real risk was keeping the building open without further inspection. That question taking on added weight this week as news photographers capturing President Trump aboard Air Force One, reviewing what appears to be a rendering of the Kennedy Center being demolished. Beatty's legal team filing that photo with the court, pressing the judge to make clear his order covers. Demolition, not just closure. The center's executive director, Matt Floca, has tried to ease those concerns, saying in a video statement on Wednesday that the closure is about protecting the building's future, not tearing it down. A planned temporary closure of the main facility is the only path to overhaul these compounding hazards, modernize critical plant and stage technology and safeguard this national memorial for generations to come. But a temporary closure does not mean silencing our mission. By activating the reach and expanding off-site artistic, educational, and civic programming, the center will remain vibrant while this essential overhaul is completed. It also means preparing for a historic grand reopening, delivering a renewed national home for artists, audiences, and future generations. President Trump, for his part, has said the renovation effort deserves recognition, warning that without it, the building could eventually be, quote, ripped down. The closure coming on the heels of a new building could eventually be, quote, torn down. In May, a separate ruling by Cooper blocking an effort to restore the president's name to the building, a fight that's played out in court for months. In May, Cooper ruled the Trump-aligned board acted unlawfully in renaming the center, saying only Congress has that authority. President Trump telling reporters Wednesday why it's so important his name be on the building. It's a very easy question to answer because it's a mess. It's lost the Kennedy Center for many years. It's lost tens of millions of dollars, even hundreds of millions of dollars. It's a loser. And many of the places like that, you know, like Carnegie Hall and the various places throughout the country, they lose a lot of money. For me to go and fix it, I'm the one capable of fixing it and then have to subsidize it for years to come because you will lose with the Kennedy Center. They were losing hundreds of millions of dollars and sometimes hundreds of millions. This is before I got involved. So for the Trump administration, for me to get involved and to take that on loan, I'm going to have to do it. I'm going to have to do it. And to carry it or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition, because frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It's in very, very bad shape, very dangerous. You see steel falling down. You see plaster falling off ceilings. You see a lot of dangers. It's been very badly maintained for 25 years. For now, the Kennedy Center remains closed as its long term future gets worked out in court. That'll do it for your AM update. I'm Emily Jashinsky, host of After Party. Go and check out more at AfterPartyEmily.com. Catch The Megyn Kelly Show later today, live on SiriusXM's The Megyn Kelly Channel, 111 at Noon East, on YouTube.com slash Megyn Kelly and all podcast platforms.