New Poll Shows Democrats Have Midterms Momentum, and Trump Calls A.I. Fears ‘a Hoax’

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Traci Mumford. Today's Tuesday, September 15th. Here's what we're covering. The Supreme Court has blocked the Trump administration's attempt to restrict mail-in voting just weeks before the midterms. It's a major loss for the president, who has claimed for years without evidence that mail-in voting is rife with fraud, while still using the method himself. At the same time, it's a resounding win for Democratic-led states and voting rights groups, which had challenged the administration's attempt to enlist the Postal Service to screen ballots, calling it unconstitutional. They'd also pointed out that the proposed system wasn't ready yet. The USPS site where states would have been required to upload voter lists was still under construction, even as some states. were already sending out ballots. Chief election officials in multiple Republican-controlled states had also urged the justices not to allow major changes to voting so close to election day, writing that it would "almost certainly lead to mistakes, delays, and confusion." The most important takeaway for voters is that mail voting will continue unrestricted, unimpeded, and unchanged by the federal government for the upcoming midterm elections. But simply having this legal question answered doesn't fully solve the quagmire that this has created for voter confidence across the country. Nick Corsoniti covers voting for The Times. He says so much confusion so close to the midterms has left state and local officials scrambling to try and reassure people that they will be able to vote and that their votes will be counted. Mail voting is happening now, so election officials will need to work quickly in order to restore trust in the state and local government. And I think that's going to be a big challenge for the state and local government. Trust in a method of voting that was used by 30 percent of the country in the 2024 election. Meanwhile, even with this big question settled for now, many of the president's other efforts to assert control over elections are continuing. Last week, the Department of Justice sent threatening letters to 30 election officials as it tries to get access to private voter data. Trump's Homeland Security Secretary has pushed for an investigation into whether commonly used voting machines can be trusted. And hundreds of federal agents have been reassigned to hunt for non-citizens on voter rolls. Trump has argued that he's trying to ensure the integrity of the vote, even as his claims of widespread fraud have been investigated and debunked repeatedly. Critics say he's sowing doubt about whether Americans can trust this year's election results. Now, looking ahead to the midterms, a new Times-Siena poll out this morning shows that Democrats have gained an edge as President Trump drags down the GOP. Americans' intense frustration over how Trump has handled cost-of-living issues in particular has made Republicans more vulnerable. In the poll, likely voters favored Democratic candidates over Republicans in their districts by close to nine percentage points. Notably, the poll also showed that voters were more willing to vote in favor of Democrat candidates than Republicans. Voters now say they trust Democrats more than Republicans on a growing number of issues, including immigration and the economy — issues that powered Trump's victory in 2024. You can find the full poll results and methodology at NYTimes.com. Three updates now on artificial intelligence and the high-stakes debate about the future of the technology. First… In Los Angeles yesterday, Jensen Wong, the CEO of NVIDIA, the AI chipmaker that's become the world's most valuable company, was on stage at a conference when his phone rang. How do we put on posts? Put them on speaker? Speaker. It was President Trump who called to weigh in on all the recent warnings from some Silicon Valley leaders about the dangers of AI. I also have common sense about AI. The robots will not be taken over. The AI will not be taken over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax. Talking to the crowd on speakerphone, Trump threw his weight behind executives like Wong, who've argued that worries about AI safety are overblown, and that the government should avoid regulation. Trump also doubled down in a series of pro-AI social media posts yesterday, where he minimized nationwide concerns about data centers as a "conspiracy," and said that the U.S. already has the only guardrail it needs around AI, which he said is a "strong and smart high-IQ president." Also, the Times has learned that the Trump administration is accelerating efforts to make AI an integral part of medical care in the U.S. In a multi-front effort at the Department of Health and Human Services, the government is throwing resources and support into projects that would use AI to diagnose and prescribe treatments to patients. That includes one pilot project that offers AI "talk therapy" to Medicare recipients who have depression or anxiety. This kind of use of AI has been framed as a way to cut costs and expand access to health care. And in a statement, an HHS spokeswoman said the department is taking a "responsible, evidence-based approach." But according to people from the American Medical Association, some officials have raised concerns that the effort is moving too quickly, and that there's outsized influence from Silicon Valley investors. In an interview, the head of the American Medical Association echoed those concerns, saying, quote, "Right now, what we have going on is that tech is the tail wagging the dog." And last AI update: "What you're seeing is threats to millions and millions of jobs, our privacy rights, our democracy, the health of our kids." In Washington today, the growing concerns about the technology are bringing together a pretty unexpected group. Senator Bernie Sanders, MAGA firebrand Steve Bannon, and a range of Democratic and Republican lawmakers are all set to take the stage at an event that's calling for a "pro-human" approach to AI. The organizers say, quote, "It's going to take a lot of time. It's going to take a lot of time. It's going to take a lot of time." The organizers say the topics they're going to cover include "avoiding concentration of power," "accountability for AI systems," and "keeping humans in charge." Across the U.S. "So what was the radar picking up on? You can actually see millions and millions of birds." Up to half a billion birds — that's billion with a B — are starting to take flight. Up to half a billion birds — that's billion with a B — are starting to take flight. flight for their annual fall migration. So we're likely going to see a big amount on the move once again tonight. Hundreds of species will fly from the northern hemisphere down to South America for a warmer climate and more food. There's the bobolink that breeds in Missouri's grassland, then flies as far as Argentina for the winter. And the cerulean warbler, which can travel thousands of miles from the Appalachian Mountains to the Andes. While the migration period typically goes until mid-November, the next two weeks will see a particularly big movement of birds. It can be a stunning sight, but for the birds, it can also be a dangerous and deadly journey. According to one ornithologist at Cornell University, over the course of an average year, at least a billion birds die crashing into skyscrapers, windows, and buildings with lights on. Ornithologists say there are a range of steps people can take to help the birds make their lives easier. One of them includes sticking film with patterns on windows to make the glass less clear. And some cities, like Minneapolis and Chicago, are asking residents to turn off or dim their lights at night right now so that the birds don't fly towards those structures. And finally, last night was TV's biggest night of the year, with Emmy Awards going out for Best Comedy, Drama, Actor, Actress, Director, etc. And the Emmy goes to Katie Dippold. And for one night at least, it was really good to be a resident of a little remote, haunted island with a tourism problem. I was talking to the guy on the ferry. We said bad things happen here. The show Widow's Bay, which mixes horror in with the gags, swept all but one of the comedy awards, going home with a whopping 14 Emmys. Sea hags unite. And for Best Drama, The Pitt won for the second year in a row, because if there's a medical emergency, America wants to watch it. A few other notable wins. I want to say to the audience, thank you so much for watching. We had a great time doing it for you. The Late Night Prize went to Stephen Colbert's The Late Show, which went off the air in May when CBS canceled it. The franchise after 30 plus years. And Apple, not HBO, not Netflix, ended the night with more awards than anybody else, which is kind of stunning considering it wasn't even in the TV game a decade ago. For the full list of last night's Emmy awards, go to NYTimes.com. Those are the headlines. Today on The Daily, my colleague Ben Castleman explains why the bond market is having such a bumpy ride and why that matters for the economy as a whole. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tracey Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.