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

Episode Date: September 14, 2026

Technology leaders, lawmakers and critics clash over whether the government should slow AI development, and whether safety or self-interest was driving the push. Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin survives an emergency landing in Lake Wausau after the small plane carrying him and its pilot lost power. Former Colorado forensic scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods is sentenced to 10 years in prison for manipulating DNA testing data and compromising hundreds of criminal cases. Elena Rybakina and Alexander Zverev capture the U.S. Open singles titles, each earning a record $5.5 million prize.  Birch Gold: Text MK to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Herald Group: Learn more at https://GuardYourCard.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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.

Shortcuts reportedly taken to close cases faster, now casting doubt on hundreds of investigations. And the U.S. 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 Birchgold 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 info kit and some solid information. The midterms will be here before you know it. Text MK to 98-9898 now. A great debate over the first. 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 Coxon resigning from the company following AI research at both Anthropic and top competitor OpenAI. Coxon 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 Claude to create more than four, 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. Amade 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 evaluator's 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 Amade's broader call to slow the pace of development.

Amadei 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. Sacks writing, quote, stop pretending you need anyone else's permission. Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended so you can form a cartel. Sacks 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. What I'm saying is there's a lot of overlapping agendas here where some people have an economic interest or some people have a power interest. And there's going to be a division of the spoils. In their view of the world, AI is going to be very centralized. We're going to have a duopoly. The doopoly reaps the economic benefits and they give big political donations. And they'll do the dirty work of suppressing speech because, again, And 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's 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 want to 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. bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up, and they're bringing up things that won't happen. But whoever wins with 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 Hakeem 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 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 X, the aircraft lost power as he returned from a Republican dinner in La Crosse County, forcing the pilot to bring the aircraft down on Lake Wausau during the final approach to a nearby airport. Miracle on the Hudson style. The Marathon County Sheriff's Office identifying the aircraft as a beachcraft 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,

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 Wausau 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 Wausau police. for their quick response. We'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, 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 Rabakana 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.

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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. Yvonne 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 casework 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's 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 pleading 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 instance to which I pled 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 state's same state bureau that assisted with evidence testing in the John Bonae 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 Rabakana, capturing her first U.S. Open Championship Saturday night,

defeating two-time defending champion Irene Sabalanka in a three-set final at Arthur Ash Stadium in Queens, New York. The 27-year-old representing Kazakhstan taking the opening set 6-4 before Sabalanka fought back to win the second 75, forcing a decisive third. Rabakana then taking a commanding 5-2 lead in the final set before sealing the championship with a serve Sabalanka could not return. Sabalanka throwing her racket at the court before meeting Rabakana at the net for a quick hug. Sabalanka then returning to her bench, smashing the racket against the ground. round and appearing to mouth the words F off to a cameraman as Rabakana celebrated the victory. Robakana speaking to reporters after the match.

It feels amazing. It's still so difficult to process what happened. Too many achievements this few weeks, I'm super happy, very proud of all the work. Yeah, it's just amazing, difficult to find words, but super happy. victory earning Rabakana a record $5.5 million prize. Rabakana also becoming the New World Number One, replacing Sabalanka at the top of the women's rankings. The loss ending Sabalanka's unbeaten run at the U.S. 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 U.S. Open Championship yesterday.

defeating American Ben Shelton in four sets, single tier. The top-seeded Zverev taking the first two sets, 6-3 and 7-6, before Shelton fought back to win the third 7-5, keeping his championship hopes alive. Zarev quickly shutting down the comeback, though, pulling away in the fourth set and winning it 6-2 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. Very first thing I want to start off with Ben, Ben, you're an incredible player, incredible person. This was your first Grand Slam final,

but I already told you you're going to be back here many, many more times. And if I would have to bet all my money on it, I would bet that you would lift this trophy one day. Shelton falling short of becoming the first American man to win the U.S. Open since Andy Roddock 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. And being here playing in front of you guys is 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. Svara'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

live on SiriusXMs, the Megan Kelly channel 11 at New East, on YouTube.com slash Megan Kelly and on all podcast platforms.