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Episode Date: September 16, 2026

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Live from NPR News, I'm Giles Snyder. Following warnings from tech leaders about the potential harm posed by artificial intelligence, politicians, celebrities, and religious leaders gathered in Washington Tuesday, and the issue is making for strange bedfellows with Vermont independent senator Bernie Sanders and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon in the same room. Here's NPR ship Brumfield. Bannon and Sanders both talked about the possibility of AI going rogue. my colleague, Quo Gingnan, was there, and she captured what Sanders had to say.

If AI surpasses human intelligence, as many scientists believe could happen, this technology will escape human control with potentially catastrophic consequences. Bannon, for his part, spoke about the arrogance of the people building these systems. The Attorney General Todd Blanche dismissed concerns Tuesday, as politically motivated, saying they've given Democrats a talking point ahead of the midterm elections. The crypto sector suffered a major defeat after a bill, championed by the industry, failed to clear a key procedural Senate vote. NPR's Rafael NOM reports on Democratic opposition to the measure.

Known as the Clarity Act, the bill would have established a set of rules for the crypto sector for the first time in the U.S. Until now, crypto rules have been determined. by different federal agencies, making them prone to changing depending on who controls the White House. But critics have said the rules are too lenient to the crypto sector. And many Democrats said the bill wouldn't go far enough in preventing conflicts of interest for President Trump, who earned more than a billion dollars from the crypto sector last year. The crypto industry can still try to pass the bill again.

But the outlook is very uncertain. Rafael NPR News. The State Department says it's reprogramming $52 million in foreign military funding to focus more on the Western Hemisphere and less on Eastern Europe and the Middle East. And Pierce-Michel-Callelman reports it comes just after Secretary of State Marco Rubio's visit to South America. The Foreign Military Financing Program provides grants and loans to countries to buy U.S. military equipment and training. The State Department says for the last decade, 80 percent of that went to the Middle East. But now the department has told Congress that it is redirecting $52 million meant for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia, and Iraq, and moving that to Panama, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia. Secretary Rubio visited those last three countries just last week, promising to help them fight what he calls narco-terrorism.

He also wants to ensure that they rely on U.S. defense capabilities and not give a foothold to China or other U.S. adversaries. Michelle Kellerman, NPR News, the State Department. And you're listening to NPR News. To Pennsylvania now where the State Department of House says a fourth person has died from measles-related complications. From member station WPSU, Sydney Roach reports. Mifflin County Coroner Andrea Alcalde says an 18-year-old died from a rare and severe neurological complication of measles. Over the weekend, a Jefferson County coroner said a 40-year-old woman, also died from measles-related complications.

State officials say both people were unvaccinated and that no further details will be shared. In August, two infants in Lancaster County died from measles-related complications, the first such deaths in Pennsylvania in 35 years. The announcement of those deaths led to skepticism by some local officials and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. The measles outbreak is growing in Pennsylvania,

with nearly 700 cases reported, so far this year. For NPR news, I'm Sennie Roach in State College, Pennsylvania. House lawmakers, working late into the night Tuesday, approved a war powers resolution. The measure passed on a vote of 220 to 204. It would halt President Trump's ability to continue military operations against Iran without congressional approval. This is the third time the House has voted to end the war. None of the resolutions have made it to President Trump's desk. The vote came after articles of impeachment were filed Tuesday against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for waging war without Congress is okay. Stocks in Asia have turned positive, making slight gains as oil prices

remain elevated, crude-brent crude, the national standard trading above $107 a barrel. This is in...