NPR News: 09-13-2026 6AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Tech billionaire Elon Musk is joining a growing chorus of artificial intelligence leaders calling for the industry to slow down. Among them is open AI CEO Sam Altman, who says his company will not rush the development of new AI systems. NPR Shandali Stuster reports the calls for caution come after a warning from anthropic that the technology could destroy humans if it's not controlled. Open AI CEO Sam Altman says his company will slow down AI advancement after a warning that a rush can make the technology uncontrollable. During an interview with Fortune magazine, Altman also said the company would delay its public offering until at least 2027 because of safety concerns. We're not rushing into an IPO. I actually think that given everything happening with safety, this would be right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public.

1:01And we don't feel pressure on that. Altman said company officials have discussed pausing runs on the technology to make progress and making it safer. Shandali Stuster and PR News. The cost of diesel is putting new pressure on the U.S. economy, raising the price of transporting and producing goods. The increase comes as farmers begin the fall harvest and demand for home heating oil starts to rise. Patrick DeHon is an analyst with GasBuddy. He says the impact extends far beyond the pump. The U.S. economy is already spending roughly $300 million more on diesel today than it was a year ago. So, coupled with higher gas prices, the cost to the economy is exceeding $700 million a day compared to costs from a year ago. Triple A says diesel now averages a record $6.20 gallon compared with $3.70 a year ago. It's about 39% above the previous record set in June of 2022.

2:01Emergency teams in Indonesia are searching for about 130 people after a passenger ferry overturned in the Java Sea. The vessel was carrying 243 passengers and crew members when it ran into severe weather. The BBC's Liza Tambune reports the crew sent a distress call after the ferry began struggling in rough seas. Search and rescue teams have deployed a ship and a helicopter to assist at the scene. All vessels passing through the Java Sea have been alerted to report any signs of survivors or wreckage. The Virgo Transport 8 carrying 243 people went missing around 2am local time after reporting severe weather on its route to Bandar Masin from Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city in each Java province. Officials say 107 people have been rescued and one body has been recovered. You're listening to NPR News from Washington. The leaders of the Brick Nations meeting in New Delhi are calling for restraint as tensions

3:06rise across the Middle East. The group is expressing concern about attacks on civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities without naming the United States or Israel. The leaders said they also opposed economic sanctions and posed without the authorization of the UN Security Council. Russia and Iran, which are both under Western sanctions, are members of the bloc. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says Bricks is not anti-Western but seeks a stronger global voice for developing economies. Election officials around the country are getting ready to mark national voter registration day this week. NPR's Hanzi Loang reports the first set of registration deadlines for the midterm election is coming up in some parts of the country. The window starts to close the first weekend of October for registering to vote or updating your registration for the midterm general election. At some places including Alaska, Rhode Island, South Carolina and the US Virgin Islands. Then October 5th is a major voter registration deadline for Arizona, Indiana, Ohio and

4:11American Samoa. October 5th is also the last state to sign up in the southern states of Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. If you're already registered, election officials recommend confirming your status and contact information before the deadline by visiting your state's official election website. Officials can remove your name from voter rolls, especially if you recently moved, changed your name or haven't voted in a while. This is NPR News.