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CNN Headlines: Democrats and GOP Split About Calls to Regulate Artificial Intelligence; Amazon Pauses Operations with Cargo Airline Involved in the Deadly Miami Runway Crash; Severe Weather Slams Parts of U.S. Northeast, Leaving Roads Flooded and Drivers Stranded. Aired 5-5:30a ET
Aired September 14, 2026 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[05:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're leading China in A.I., we're the sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins A.I., wins.
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BRAD SMITH, ANCHOR, CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS: The debate around A.I. Now, Democrats and the GOP in Washington are split about calls to regulate it. We'll have the latest developments surrounding this. Plus, hear the dire message from Anthropic CEO.
Amazon pausing operations with the cargo airline involved in the deadly Miami runway crash. What we're learning this morning. Plus, severe weather slammed parts of the northeast over the weekend. It left roads flooded and drivers stranded. Where the threats are heading today.
Good morning, everyone, I'm Brad Smith, I'm glad that you're with us this morning. Let's get this started. It is top story. The politics and risks of Artificial Intelligence. As A.I. companies in the U.S. and abroad continue to make stunning developments, the CEO of Anthropic is calling for an industry-wide slowdown due to the safety risks.
We'll hear more from him in just a moment. But first, lawmakers are now weighing his words as they prepare to return to Capitol Hill this week. Some calling for an emergency session to work up some regulations, while others push back, saying beating China on A.I. is far more important.
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REP. MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA): If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate A.I., we will lose the race to China, and that is a threat to every single American. So, we've got to have balance. It is a top priority, but we don't need everybody to panic right now. REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): 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 A.I. is proceeding safely.
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SMITH: President Trump traveling in Ireland, jumped into the fray as well, downplaying the risk, in fact. He says, the U.S. is already leading China on A.I., and he wants to keep it that way.
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TRUMP: Whoever wins A.I. wins, and we can put guardrails, we can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up, and they're bringing up things that won't happen. But whoever wins with A.I. wins. You know, it's an expression that I came up with, and it's true.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: For its part, China has hit back at suggestions that it poses an A.I. threat, saying Monday that confrontation will slow progress on global A.I. rules. Now, to the man who sparked this latest round of debates over A.I. safety, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei spoke earlier to CNN's Anderson Cooper.
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ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, I do just -- had need to ask again to you, I mean, do you believe, earnestly believe that A.I. could kill all humans? And what percent chance do you think it is?
DARIO AMODEI, CEO, ANTHROPIC: So, you know, I -- you know, it's funny. I agree with Jacob much more than I disagree with him. You know, and it's -- you know, it's an interesting resignation because when he left, he said, you know, I think Anthropic is the most responsible player, right?
I think Anthropic is the most aware of these issues. He wasn't calling out us. He was calling out the dynamic --
COOPER: Right --
AMODEI: Of the industry as a whole moving too fast. Now, I -- you know, I think I already said, you know, these sort of unconditional probabilities, you know, I -- you know, I used to kind of talk in that way because it's kind of an easy way to express.
I think there's some chance that things go wrong. But -- you know, but -- you know, but it's not -- it's not all that high. But again, I think it's more illuminating to think in terms of, you know, how do you decompose those probabilities?
What are the paths in which things go well? And what are the paths in which things go poorly? And so instead of saying, you know, it's a 10 percent chance, that sounds like it's a roll of the dice. I think it's much more illuminating to say, well, that forks into different paths.
And if we take the right paths, then the chance of something going wrong is very low. If we take the wrong path, then the chance of something going wrong could be -- could be even higher than that. And so, let's focus on our agency and our ability to take the right paths instead of the wrong paths.
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[05:05:00]
SMITH: CNN's Anderson Cooper speaking to Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on the safety concerns in the A.I. field, coming straight from one of the top executives in that field. We'll have more from that interview this hour. Amazon is pausing operations with the cargo airline that was involved in last week's deadly runway crash in Miami.
This according to "Reuters". The company says that it spent the past week supporting the investigation and reviewing the circumstances surrounding the accident before deciding to pause work with 21 Air. That's the operator of Flight 7598.
The crash happened September 6th when a Boeing 767 cargo jet went off the runway while landing at Miami International Airport, killing five people. As investigators work to understand what happened, preliminary cockpit recording reveals a pilot voiced concern about the aircraft's speed as warning alarms sounded before touchdown.
Let's turn now internationally to the war with Iran. A push by Gulf diplomats and Iranian officials to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. It's now on hold. A meeting was scheduled for today to discuss details, but now it's been pushed back indefinitely.
Notably, American diplomats have not been a part of these discussions. Months of private talks were held to develop a legal framework to charge ships for passage, with Iran and Oman collecting the fees. President Trump maintains that Iran wants to make a deal with the U.S.
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TRUMP: Look, it could end before the Midterms, but it will end after the Midterms. And Iran, I will tell you this. Iran wants to make a deal so badly; they are calling constantly. They want to make a deal. They've got to make the right deal. I'm not going to make a deal that's no good.
Ultimately, get out unless we decide to stay and keep the oil like Venezuela.
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SMITH: The President is now back in Washington after his trip to Ireland. His schedule today includes a series of policy meetings that are closed to the press. We are learning more about the terrifying moments before a Wisconsin Congressman's plane crashed into a lake over the weekend.
Tom Tiffany says that he was on his way home Saturday evening when the aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau Downtown Airport. The pilot warned Tiffany that they were going down just moments before the emergency landing.
Seconds later, the plane hit the water but stayed upright, allowing both men to escape. They climbed out, called 9-1-1, and waited on top of the sinking aircraft before swimming to shore and reaching shallow water. Tiffany said that they are grateful to be alive.
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REP. TOM TIFFANY (R-WI): Gravity of this is probably just hitting me at this point because we were making jokes every step of the way last night, though, we knew it was a serious situation. And -- but we tried to keep it light through the whole thing and we're just really fortunate.
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SMITH: Both men were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after they were rescued. Tiffany says that one key decision by the pilot may have saved their lives, saying that the pilot raised the landing gear before the water landing.
The FAA is expected to lead the investigation into what caused this emergency landing. The U.S. Senate returns to Capitol Hill today after a five-week recess, but it's still not clear if Republican Senator Mitch McConnell will be there.
The 83-year-old former Majority Leader has been away from the Senate for about three months because of health issues. His office says he was hospitalized in June after a fall. So far, there's been no word from McConnell or his aides on whether he'll be back today.
Earlier this year, McConnell announced that he will not run for re- election. His current term ends in January. You are looking at drivers caught stranded in Connecticut over the weekend. Heavy rain across the northeast triggered flash flooding.
Now, flash flood warnings were issued in several states Sunday as rain swallowed intersections and roads turned into rivers. A similar scene captured on camera here in Paterson, New Jersey. This is where the mayor is calling for federal help after flooding overwhelmed the city again.
Today, severe weather threat is much further west with forecasters calling for thunderstorms in parts of Nebraska and Iowa. We'll continue to monitor any developments there. Lots more to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
[05:10:00]
Jurors on the Lindsay Clancy murder trial are speaking out about the holdout juror that led to a mistrial in the case. Plus, the TSA is making security changes for travelers that could make things more efficient. But will it be safer?
And for a lot more questions here at the supermarket, perhaps, where things stand with the illness that sickened thousand over contaminated iceberg lettuce, what the CDC is now saying about the Cyclospora outbreak. We've got details on that and much more coming up.
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[05:15:00]
SMITH: TSA is launching a new program that allows you to go through security without a ticket. It's called Gateside, and is available to PreCheck members. CNN Transportation Analyst Mary Schiavo spoke to my colleague Fredricka Whitfield about why this could raise some security issues.
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MARY SCHIAVO, CNN TRANSPORTATION ANALYST: It does present some serious safety problems. First of all, many airports and some of these on this list. I mean, I know the LAX Airport well, it's busy, it's crowded.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Yes --
SCHIAVO: There's not a lot of room.
WHITFIELD: Yes --
SCHIAVO: The facilities that the airport already can't handle, the number of passengers and travelers and wheelchairs and red caps and airport personnel at peak times as it is, it is way overcrowded. So, the facilities cannot handle this.
We won't even get into the bathrooms. Then the checkpoints, you know, TSA this Summer, we had in some cases, five and six-hour waits to get through the TSA checkpoint. Now, granted, the government was open and closed and open and closed.
But what people have forgotten is that since 9/11 along, the attacks, attacks on the airports themselves and crowds at airports have occurred. Two-thousand-and-two in Los Angeles. In Atlanta, there was somebody who got a gun out of his checked luggage.
Pakistan, there was attack right on the airport, Kabul, Leipzig, they were going to use drones to attack the airport. So, anywhere you have mass numbers of people, it's a terrorist, literally a potential terrorist attack point.
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SMITH: So, this new program is just available at 13 airports, but it could roll out to others in the coming months. New this morning, there is a troubling update as the measles outbreak grows in Pennsylvania. A 40-year-old woman has died after contracting the virus, making her the third person in the state to die from complications. The woman lived in Jefferson County in north-central Pennsylvania.
Officials say that she was not vaccinated against the measles. The county coroner confirmed her death on Sunday. As of Friday, the CDC said that there were at least 676 cases of the highly contagious virus.
More than 100 people have also been hospitalized for treatment. The CDC says getting the MMR vaccine is the best way to prevent contracting measles. Sticking with the CDC, the CDC says the Cyclospora outbreak linked to contaminated iceberg lettuce has ended. Investigators are still working to figure out exactly how the parasite contaminated the lettuce.
CNN's Marybel Gonzalez though has more on where the investigation stands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARYBEL GONZALEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The months long Cyclospora outbreak linked to iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico and recalled by Taylor Farms de Mexico, is over, according to the CDC.
JENNIFER LAYDEN, ASSOCIATE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE & SURVEILLANCE, CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION: They know that the product is now off the shelf, the associated implicated product. And then second, it's been -- the cases have dramatically decreased.
GONZALEZ: Cyclospora spread to 21 states, killed two people and sickened more than 12,000 others, marking the largest outbreak on record in the U.S.
DHAVAL DESAL, PEDIATRIC PHYSICIAN & INTERNAL MEDICINE DOCTOR: The big symptoms are abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting. We are hearing this, quote, "explosive diarrhea". But think diarrhea that's multiple episodes per day, not going away associated with cramping.
GONZALEZ: While the CDC says the public health threat is no more, experts recommend always taking steps to ensure food safety.
LAYDEN: Washing it, washing your hands is really important before and after working with food, keeping it stored at the right temperature when appropriate, cooking it, not letting it sit on your shelves longer than the expiration date.
GONZALEZ: Meanwhile, the FDA is continuing its outbreak investigation.
LAYDEN: There's still an important effort to continue to investigate, to really get to the root cause of what caused it, and the purpose of them continuing to investigate it is so that they can find that out and then implement strategies to prevent future outbreaks.
GONZALEZ: I'm Marybel Gonzalez reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE) SMITH: Right, thank you Marybel. Still to come on CNN HEADLINE
EXPRESS. Dozens are missing this morning after a ferry capsizes in the sea. Details on the rescue mission later in the hour. And America has a problem. A literacy problem.
The startling numbers out about our kids and the struggle to learn how to read. Stay with us. You are watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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[05:20:00]
SMITH: Across the country, teachers are going viral on social media for revealing a growing literacy crisis in the classroom. They say that most of their students can't read. CNN's Isabel Rosales reports with more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, a lot of my students could not read.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Kids are not reading. Kids cannot read.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I teach seventh grade. They are still performing on the fourth-grade level.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So, yesterday, I came to the realization, my students can't read.
ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Teachers are sounding the alarm all over social media, warning that their students are struggling to read and write.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Literacy crisis is worse than you think it is. I'm a high school history teacher. They are past the point of me teaching them how to read higher than an elementary school reading level.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ain't nobody talking about how they just keep moving, passing them on. They just keep passing them on, passing them on, passing them on, passing them on, passing them on.
ROSALES: But is there actually a literacy crisis in America? America's reading scores just hit a troubling milestone. U.S. 15-year- olds are reading at historic lows, and they've been on this downward trajectory since 2012.
[05:25:00]
Plus, a national analysis of state test scores shows the same trend. Reading scores for fourth and eighth graders have fallen to their lowest levels in years. Turns out it's not just the U.S. reading scores that have fallen from their peak across many industrialized countries. But why?
SHARON VAUGHN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE MEADOWS CENTER FOR PREVENTING EDUCATIONAL RISK: The COVID isn't helping this? There's no question about that. But it's further complicated by a knowledge gap.
Teachers need to understand the science of reading so that they can implement it. The problem isn't everywhere. It's not in every school. It's not in every district.
ROSALES: From social media to smartphones and A.I., students are also facing more distractions than ever before. As for their teachers, watching them fall behind, it's clear that this is a problem we can't afford to ignore.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Are you joking right now? These are our future leaders, our future doctors, our future nurses, our future -- please.
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SMITH: Thank you, Isabel. Straight ahead on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, it is moving so fast. A.I., the concerns over the speed of its growth and what it will mean for the world. We'll hear from the head of one of the largest A.I. companies straight ahead.
And the dramatic rescue of a 70-year-old hiker from Michigan who went missing for a week. It's a story that you don't want to miss. Keep it right here. You're watching CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS.
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