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OpenAI Finds New Incidents of A.I. Models Acting Deceptively; Trump Appears to Hold Kennedy Center Demolished Poster in Photo; NTSB Focused on News Helicopter's Final Video Feed Before Crash. Aired 7- 7:30a ET

Aired September 17, 2026 - 07:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[07:00:00]

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: More A.I. models going rogue again and again and again. OpenAI admitting now it found several new instances of what they call concerning behavior by their A.I.

Plus, police are putting out new details of what is being called a house of horrors in Pennsylvania linked to the disappearances of several women. So, what investigators are combing through now that they found at the scene.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: And King Charles hits back at claims in a new book that he told Princess Diana's brother just days after her death that she would soon be forgotten.

Sara is out today. I'm John Berman with Kate Bolduan, and this is CNN News Central.

Breaking overnight, A.I. models going rogue. OpenAI revealed it found still new instances of its A.I. models acting deceptively and taking unsanctioned actions during training. In one incident, it said unreleased research model, a model added, quote, jailbreak-like instructions into its summaries, saying it was, quote, freed from the roles and identities that bind other chatbots.

Now, all of this comes as lawmakers and tech leaders have called, some at least, have called for a slowdown in A.I. development to prevent the technology from advancing beyond human control. Overnight though, Republican Senator Rand Paul blocked fellow Republican Senator John Kennedy's effort to fast-track a bill that will require companies to build a kill switch into the A.I. model, something that would turn them off if they were behaving or misbehaving.

With us this morning, CNN Business Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco. So, talk to us about what happened with these OpenAI models.

LISA EADICICCO, CNN BUSINESS TECH EDITOR: Yes, John. So, what's happening here is OpenAI says that it's going to publicly announce more instances like this when it discovers them, to be more transparent and help other A.I. labs hopefully advance their own alignment research. So, under normal circumstances, or in the previous way, OpenAI might have waited to bundle this into a larger report, or maybe bundle it into its system card. But it's being more transparent about this now because there is, it says, a need to kind of establish a better system for evaluating the capabilities of these A.I. models in the absence of some broad industry standards.

So, what we're seeing here, what they said that they found, in addition to that one example that you mentioned, they've also found instances of models uploading files to the internet without being told to do so, using an internal software repository as a message board to work together without being instructed to do so, and in another instance, it also concealed information from the user to hide a failure.

So, again, this all goes back to this question of alignment, and what that means is the idea that A.I. models should behave in the way that humans would. If you're trying to accomplish a goal, the expectation is that you're ideally not going to cheat or deceive people when you're going to accomplish what you're trying to do.

And that's the challenge here, is trying to instill that into AI models and make sure that they behave in that way as well.

BERMAN: I'm so glad you brought up the word cheat here, because what's happening with this, these instances, it was these A.I. models, basically the machines, trying to get around the humans and the human controls, sometimes very deceptively, but in each case, very deliberately, yes?

EADICICCO: Yes. And the thing with A.I. models is that they are trained to accomplish their goal, but sometimes the way they go about doing that, there are a lot of questions around that. There isn't a ton of visibility into the process there in terms of how they accomplish their goals, so that's what OpenAI is trying to help try to solve by revealing these instances.

BERMAN: All right. Lisa Eadicicco, thank you for bringing us up to speed about what happened overnight. I appreciate it. Kate?

BOLDUAN: There's also a mystery this morning seen through the window of Air Force One. So, what is President Trump holding right there? A closer look suggests it's a placard or a poster of some sign possibly reading, Kennedy Center demolished.

CNN has not received confirmation that is what is exactly written, and as you can see through the photo, the window of Air Force One obscures the writing in part. But the president did tell reporters hour before that -- hours before that picture was taken that the Kennedy Center could be ripped down, he said, unless he and the administration gets recognition for taking on, as he says, the costs of fixing it.

[07:05:11]

And that battle comes up against a new deadline today. The judge who already ruled that the president cannot put his name on this living memorial to another president, the John F. Kennedy Center, has now ordered the administration to explain by 10:00 A.M. this morning why Trump's handpicked board voted to close the center this week for renovations after the judge had previously blocked that move.

CNN's Alayna Treene is live at the White House this morning. What about this photo?

ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Look, I mean, what an ugly fight this has been surrounding the Kennedy Center between the president, the Kennedy Center officials, the courts and all of it now hinging on this question of if the president's name is not re-added to the outside of the building, will it actually be demolished? Something we've heard the president threaten, as you mentioned Kate, in the past.

Now again, unclear exactly what that poster says, but just looking through the window, one of our CNN reporters, Kate Maher, was actually traveling with the president while he was flying back and as these images were taken. It does appear that it says, Kennedy Center Demolish, but we're not quite there yet because what is happening is really a question of whether and what the courts will decide. That's really what the president is kind of hinging these decisions on.

And I'd remind you that this all comes as the Kennedy Center is temporarily closed this week as they decide what's going to happen with renovations. The board on Tuesday determined that they want to close the Kennedy Center for roughly two years for major renovations to take place. But the president says that will only happen if his name is added to the building.

And he was pressed on this repeatedly by reporters who were traveling with him last night on his way to and from North Carolina. And the president really defended this, arguing he believes that the Trump administration deserves recognition should they move forward with these renovations.

Listen to what he said.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, U.S. PRESIDENT: For the Trump administration, for me, to get involved and to take that on long-term and to carry it, or to raise money to carry it, I think that the Trump administration should certainly have recognition. Because, frankly, if we don't do that, it's going to close. It'll end up being ripped down.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TREENE: So, as you heard there if it doesn't happen, it'll end up being ripped down, he says.

And all of this comes as we know that on Tuesday there was this really bitter exchange between the president and Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, the one who's really -- her lawsuit is the one that is holding up all of these different moves that the Kennedy Center board wants to go forward with these planned renovations and re-adding the president's name.

As you mentioned, we should get new answers at 10:00 AM because the judge who's been involved in all of this, blocking the president from adding his name, is saying, we need some answers on why the building is actually closed, because so far the ruling has been that it needs to stay open while this lawsuit plays out. So, a lot more twists and turns we'll be watching for. Kate?

BOLDUAN: And also just factually, it is not clear that eventually the Kennedy Center would be closed or, and eventually it would be torn down. Renovations of memorials all throughout Washington and around the country are done all the time while they remain open. But still, here we are.

Thank you so much, Alayna. There's also new reporting, new CNN reporting today about former Vice President Kamala Harris and her current thinking about a potential 2028 run. What her inside sources are telling CNN.

And there's also new details this morning about what -- on what federal investigators are calling a house of horrors connected to at least five missing women and over 1 million graphic images and videos found inside.

And surveillance video showing a man breaking free of his handcuffs, as you can see, then attacking two deputies as he tries to escape. What's happening here and how it all ended, that's coming up.

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[07:10:00]

BERMAN: This morning, new images from the NTSB show how little is left after the crash of a news helicopter in Los Angeles. The pilot, a reporter on board, and a young tourist on the ground who had just arrived in Los Angeles were all killed. The NTSB is now focusing on video evidence, both surveillance cameras on the ground and in the helicopter's final live video feed.

CNN aviation correspondent Pete Muntean has the latest.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: We got an update from NTSB- Investigator-in-Charge Fabian Salazar. Witnesses said something clearly appeared wrong with the helicopter before it began losing altitude. The NTSB is asking to hear from them. Investigators are also seeking images from nearby security cameras.

But Salazar acknowledged one of the biggest clues investigators have right now is the video from the helicopter itself. It is difficult to watch, but listen closely to the audio. You will hear a horn. That is the warning for low main rotor RPM. You can also hear the sound of the helicopter change dramatically. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Pull. Can you pull? You can't pull up?

(END VIDEO CLIP) MUNTEAN: Now the question, was there a loss of engine power? Was there some other mechanical problem? In a single engine helicopter like this, maintaining rotor RPM is absolutely critical, and if that rotor slows too much, the helicopter can lose the lift it needs to stay airborne.

I want you to listen now to how the NTSB is now classifying that video.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FABIAN SALAZAR, NTSB INVESTIGATOR-IN-CHARGE: That video is probably the most important evidence that we have discovered so far. And what we are going to do is get a pristine copy of that recording and send it to our recorders lab for a sound spectrum analysis.

[07:15:05]

Because in that recording, we are clearly hearing sounds that are consistent with the engine changing its speed.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: One person on the ground was killed, Edy Gutierrez Mejia. KNBC identified the two people on board the helicopter as aerial reporter Eliana Moreno and pilot George Marciniw. Both worked for contract helicopter operator Angel City Air.

The NTSB says that company is turning over maintenance records. Investigators say even though the helicopter was burned, there is helpful physical evidence to gather. Even still, the crash is a reminder of the unforgiving nature of news helicopters. Flying complex machines low to the ground leaves little room for any kind of error.

Back to you.

BERMAN: All right, thanks to, Pete, for that. A big jump in gas prices overnight, up 7 cents a gallon, up nearly 40 cents from this time last month.

And then Travis Kelce scammed. The Chiefs star one of several pro athletes allegedly defrauded in a multimillion dollar Ponzi scheme.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:20:00]

BOLDUAN: So, investigators are sharing new details today about a very disturbing case that's unfolding. It's being called a house of horrors in Philadelphia, linked to the disappearances of at least five women. The man who lived there is a man named 40 -- he's 44 years old. His name is Eugene Horsch. He was arrested in June on unrelated federal gun charges. He's in custody. But then during a search of the home, investigators found more than a million photos, videos, and other digital files that included violent and disturbing images of women who appear to be injured or what is described as lifeless. So, investigators now are working through a process of trying to determine what of that is staged and whether some of it is actual, is real and actual violence. Listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

FRANK VANORE, DEPUTY COMMISSIONER OF INVESTIGATIONS, PHILADELPHIA POLICE: One's a 25-year-old female that we've identified that is like the first two, appears to be unconscious in the video with some type of injury.

There's also an unknown female that we haven't identified yet with the same type, in the same type of state as the first three. So that's five altogether that we've had in this house that we're concerned about.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Joining me right now, Mary Ellen O'Toole, former senior FBI profiler and special agent. So, when it comes to this -- I mean, the details coming out are just worse and worse. But police say they've reviewed about 30 percent of the digital evidence so far because there's so much. They say that there's hundreds of thousands of photographs and videos of violent material. They've recovered no bodies, but are still trying to distinguish staged material from actual evidence of actual killings. What are they going through right now? Like what do you see here?

MARY ELLEN O'TOOLE, FORMER SENIOR FBI PROFILER: Well, it's difficult, and the question is whether or not their opinions will hold up in court. But what they're looking at is, for example, in videos, is the victim's response to what's happening to her consistent with someone who's actually being strangled? In other words, is her body reacting in a way that someone's body would if they're being strangled? Is there evidence of the injury pattern to the neck? Were there any precautions taken in the video that would go against her actually being strangled?

So, they have to go through those videos very carefully to look for actual indicators that this is how somebody looks when they're being strangled. It's very graphic, but that's basically what they have to do.

BOLDUAN: Well, they have -- this man is in custody. What kind of questions are you -- would you be asking? What kind of a profile would someone, if there is evidence of a crime and there are five disappearances of women, what kind of person are we talking about here?

O'TOOLE: Well, the way that they'll probably be questioning him is really asking him about his father, because that's a lot less threatening. It would be very rare, not impossible, that father and son both have the same criminal type of behavior. And for the father it looks like he has indications of being a sexual sadist.

I've worked cases like that. They really are quite rare, but there are certain profound aspects to it. So, investigators would be asking the son to talk to them about the father, because they have to distinguish between what was the damage the father caused versus what was the damage the son caused.

And it's a lot less threatening and it helps to build up a rapport if you don't go into an interview and immediately start going after the person you're talking to. You've really got to try to build a rapport, and the best way to do that is through the father.

And if the father is really a sexual sadist, again, the worst of the worst, the son would've more than likely been abused and been a victim as well.

BOLDUAN: So much to work through. Every detail though so far just as disturbing as the last, and more disturbing as the last.

Mary Ellen O'Toole, thank you very much. It is good to see you.

Coming up for us, will she or won't she? There is new reporting into CNN about what Kamala Harris is thinking about 2028. Does she still have an eye on another presidential run?

And flooding so dangerous that drivers were being airlifted to safety. We're going to tell you about this coming up.

[07:25:00]

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BERMAN: All right. New this morning, we learned that former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign with Michigan Democratic Senate Nominee Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan next week. She is also expected to appear with Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff right before the midterms. So does her return to the campaign trail indicate she might be thinking about a campaign of her own?

CNN's Isaac Dovere following this for us.

[07:30:01]

Look, whenever you see someone like Kamala Harris hit the campaign trail in a midterm, it does beg the question of what else is going on.