NPR News: 09-13-2026 7AM EDT

0:00Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Windsor Johnston. Some of the most powerful figures and artificial intelligence are calling for the industry to slow down. Warning that the technology is moving faster than the safeguards designed to control it. Open AI CEO Sam Altman says rapidly expanding capabilities are creating new risks that companies in governments are not yet prepared to handle. We've had moments before where we've had to say, okay, the models are reaching new level of capability. There's a new set of risks. We need to increase our alignment work, our monitoring work, our safety stack in general to be able to mitigate the risk in front of us. We need new policy, we need new coordination between labs, and this is another moment where we need more of that. Al Altman speaking to Fortune Magazine, open AI is backing a call from the CEO of Anthropic for greater oversight and coordination among the companies developing the most powerful

1:02AI models. Tech billionaire Elon Musk has also expressed support. Investors on Wall Street are awaiting a critical decision from the Federal Reserve on interest rates this week and PR's Rafael Nomm reports. The Fed has held Ray Steadie throughout the year even though inflation has remained fairly high. But the rising energy cost because of the war with Iran now has most investors expecting a rate hike when policymakers announced their decision on Wednesday. But it's not a done deal. The Fed has been fairly divided and some economists believe the Fed may choose instead to keep waiting. A rate hike would come with the midterm elections coming up in November and it will be the first under Chair Kevin Worsh who is nominated by President Trump in the hopes that he would lead the Fed into lowering rates and not raising them. Rafael Nomm, NPR News. President Trump's promise of a $5,000 dividend is drawing mixed response even from Republicans.

2:04The President made the pledge during an unusual midterm convention in Dallas last week saying every American adult would receive the money if Republicans win in November. And PR's Tamri Keith reports. This isn't President Trump's first promise to send Americans cash payments. This time the dollar figure is higher but no more politically realistic. The bill for this proposed dividend would be more than $1 trillion. Meredith Smith from Austin, Texas says she wakes up every morning and thanks God Trump is President but she's not sold on this. I don't know. I kind of think maybe they should take that and put it into the debt but a lot of people are going to like that but it also smacks the other side. So I don't know, I mixed feelings. The response from Republican congressional leaders has been cautious. This is NPR News. Drinking very hot beverages on a daily basis could raise the risk of developing cancer.

3:07NPR's Maria Gidoy reports on a large new study of nearly a million people in the United Kingdom. The study followed tea and coffee drinkers over 14 years. The researchers found that people who regularly drink very hot beverages had three times the risk of a South of jail cancer compared to those who sit their drinks warm. The findings are in line with prior studies in Asia, South America and the Middle East. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies drinks hotter than 149 degrees Fahrenheit as probably carcinogenic to humans. Drinking very hot liquids can damage the cells lining the esophagus and repeated injuries can raise the risk of cancer over time. Experts say it's best to let hot drinks cool for a few minutes before taking a sip. The findings appear in the International Journal of Cancer. Maria Gidoy and NPR News. President Trump wants the Smithsonian to replace the Infinity sculpture outside of the

4:08National Museum of American History with a 30-foot statue of George Washington. In a series of social media posts, Trump also called for a special exhibit honoring Washington to remain open through February 22, 2032. That would mark the 300th anniversary of Washington's birth. It's unclear whether the president has the authority to require either change. This is NPR News in Washington. This is Ira Glass. On this American life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant term. And it did take me a while to realize that this basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Apprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcasts.