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CNN Headlines: Trump Dismisses A.I. Concerns As CEOs Call For Slowdown; Senate Back On Capitol Hill After 5-Week Recess, Will Mitch McConnell Return?; Zverev Defeats Shelton To Claim Men's Single Title In U.S. Open Championship. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired September 14, 2026 - 05:30   ET

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

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[05:30:53]

BRAD SMITH, CNN ANCHOR: It is half past the hour. Let's hit the refresh button on our top stories.

Amazon has pushed operations with 21 Air, pausing them right now as the cargo airline involved in last weeks deadly runway crash in Miami continues its own investigations. As we're seeing Reuters report the company made the decision after supporting the investigation and reviewing the circumstances. The crash happened September 6th, when a Boeing 767 cargo jet went off the runway while landing at Miami International Airport, killing five people.

A federal judge says that the Trump administration broke the law when it cut FEMA staffing. The judge found that homeland security did not have the authority to stop the contract renewals of thousands of disaster response workers. In a separate filing, the judge also blasted FEMA and Homeland Security officials for deleting signal messages that may have been evidence in the case.

And artificial intelligence will loom large at the upcoming summit between the U.S. and China in Washington, taking place later this month. Anthropic CEO is calling for an industry wide slowdown. President Trump disagrees.

CNN's Julia Benbrook explains why.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIA BENBROOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Donald Trump spent his weekend here in Ireland. But he is going to have a lot to deal with as he returns home. This was a two-day trip, and there was a mixture of official meetings as well as more personal endeavors like attending the Irish open, which took place at one of his properties here.

But while he was on this trip, there have been growing concerns about artificial intelligence and the lack of regulations on it. A number of lawmakers, former A.I. employees and even A.I. executives are raising concerns about the rapid growth of this industry. Some companies, like Anthropic and OpenAI, are even calling on congress to put into place federal safety regulations to intentionally slow the pace of development.

Trump was asked about all of this as he walked the golf course on Sunday. Take a listen.

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We're leading China in A.I. We're the most sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because 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 it 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.

BENBROOK: So, some strong words from Trump on this. He is making it very clear where he stands. He said not once but twice. Whoever wins A.I. wins. He has said that he wants the United States to be a leader on this.

While speaking over the weekend to CNN, House Speaker Mike Johnson said that they need to be able to find a balance between national security and the immediate security of making models safe. He has said that he is open to a meeting with tech leaders in Washington to discuss this. He said one potential issue he sees is that they may want different things when looking for those regulations. Johnson says he has spoken about this topic overall with Trump.

Reporting in Dublin, Ireland, Julia Benbrook, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. CNN's Julia Benbrook traveling with the president, thank you.

Now, to the leader of one of the biggest A.I. companies in the U.S., Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei spoke earlier to CNN's Anderson cooper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN HOST, "AC360": So I do just 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, ANTHROPIC CEO: 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.

[05:35:02] Now, 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. And I think that the way to take the right paths is for the industry to work together again. You know, well, well talk about the proposal that I put out today. But at the end of the day, the industry has to work together and it's harder. But to some extent, the world has to work together.

If we go too slow, I still believe that the wrong people will be in charge of the technology. And you know that again, will bring the probability of things going wrong very high. And so, we need to go. We need to all work together and go exactly at the right pace.

We need to get it exactly right. And then the probability of things going wrong can be very, very low.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Well, the Senate is back in session today after a five-week recess. And the big question this morning, will Mitch McConnell make his return after a three-month absence?

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju has the latest for us

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Still a lot of uncertainty. I mean, the McConnell team has been very guarded about his return, about his prognosis, about the -- his recovery after he initially fell.

Remember that fall happened on June 14th at his home. It took him until July 12th to disclose what had actually happened, which led to a whole range of conspiracy theories, questions about what happened to him, a lot of speculation about what's going on with them. They've released a couple of statements and a couple of photos about it.

But really, other than that, not a whole lot other than the fact that he did fall at his home, he was briefly unconscious. He was taken to the hospital. He developed a mild case of pneumonia, his office says, and that he has been on the road to recovery.

He was in an outpatient/inpatient rehab facility. Later was discharged from that facility and has been recovering at home. And when will he return?

And those questions are also significant because there are bills that require significant single vote to advance, particularly out of some key committees. One of them was the farm bill, very significant bill for rural America, for food policy here in the United States. That bill stalled in a key committee right before the summer recess because they were down one Republican vote, and all Democrats voted against it in that committee.

That one Republican vote was Mitch McConnell, who was absent at that time. So, this does have an impact on the legislative agenda. No, he's not running for reelection. He is still a senator until January.

But McConnell has a whole history of increasingly health scares over his -- in recent years. And a lot of his recent falls that he has had stem from childhood polio that he had and had recovered from childhood polio, but still has issues with walking and certainly become an issue in his older age.

Big question is when will he return? Lawmakers still don't know, though.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: All right. Thank you, Manu.

We are learning new details about the holdout juror in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. Other jurors in the case who have spoken out say that the man showed an ongoing skepticism of the insanity defense, but wasn't able to point to any evidence to prove his argument. One juror told NBC 10 that, quote, :he had the hardest time getting off the fact that Lindsay viciously killed her children."

Meanwhile, President Trump is weighing in on the case, including a request from Clancy's attorney for a pardon.

Here's what he said to reporters on the tarmac during his visit to Ireland.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: It's a very sad situation. I certainly heard that. But it's -- look, it's a very sad -- there is no winner there. There's no -- there's no win no matter what you do. It's -- three children are dead. So I don't know. But it's actually a state situation, you know, not a federal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: Clancy attorney, Kevin Reddington, has acknowledged that President Trump does not have the power to pardon her. But he said the presidents influence could go a long way.

A Wisconsin congressman is describing the scary moments before a plane that he was on went down. Tom Tiffany says he was flying home Saturday night when the plane lost power near Wausau downtown airport.

[05:40:01]

He says the pilot warned him they were going down just before the plane hit the water. The plane stayed upright, giving them time to get out. call 911 and climb on top before it sank. They swam to shore and were rescued. Both were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Tiffany says they're thankful to be alive.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. TOM TIFFANY (R-WI): It's quite a night, quite a day and, just grateful for the Lord for sparing us to see another day.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: The FAA is expected to lead the investigation into what caused the emergency landing.

The U.S. Open men's singles championship was Sunday, and it had almost everyone on the edge of their seat. Germany's Alexander Zverev defeated American Ben Shelton in four sets, regaining control after Shelton rallied to take the third. Shelton's loss disappointed a home crowd hoping to see an American man win a grand slam title would have been the first time in 23 years.

But it was a major win for Zverev, who now has a second grand slam title under his belt. And CNN's Patrick Snell caught up with him courtside after the big win.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: Well, many congratulations. You are holding a magnificent piece of silverware. But let's start with the moment you clinched it. You appeared to not initially realize you'd won the title.

What was going through your mind at that moment?

ALEXANDER ZVEREV, U.S. OPEN MEN'S SINGLES CHAMPION: I thought I thought it was 5-1. I thought it was 5-1 instead of 6-2. So I thought, I have one more game left.

So I was quite focused. I was quite calm, but then I was luckily on the side of my team and they were all screaming that it's over. So I'm very happy that it was.

SNELL: They confirmed it.

ZVEREV: Yeah, they confirmed it for me.

SNELL: What a moment that was. What a year it's been for you, Sacha. You win the French Open. Now,

the U.S. Open.

At the start of the year, though, would you ever have dreamt it possible that you would go on to win? Not just one, but two grand slam singles titles?

ZVEREV: Yeah, of course, that's what you work for. But definitely, if you would have given me a paper at the beginning of the season for one grand slam title, I would have signed it, that's for sure. But standing here with two is absolutely amazing and I couldn't be happier.

SNELL: You've spoken before about the scar tissue over the years, the doubts that creep in. Would you ever win a grand slam singles title, a major? How do you reflect back on that now, and how high is the bar moving forward?

ZVEREV: Yeah, it's funny, the scar tissue started here six years ago, but, yeah, I mean, I definitely had tough moments, especially I think in Paris. I had a lot of stress in me. But here I was just enjoying my time on the court because I won in Paris already. So, it was much more enjoyable, a lot of fun on the court and, definitely happy with how I played.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SMITH: And well-done and congratulations.

Next up on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, Celine Dion back on stage after battling a rare disorder. More on her amazing comeback coming up. And speaking of comebacks, book retailer Barnes and Noble says don't close the book on us. They're opening several new stores across the country. What's fueling the bookstore revival, straight ahead.

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[05:47:40]

SMITH: Let's go around the globe to see what else is making headlines today.

We begin in Indonesia. It's where rescue crews are searching for dozens of people after a ferry boat capsized in rough waters. The captain reported waves as high as ten feet. More than 200 people were on board at the time. And so far, they've rescued more than 100. At least six people have died.

Former CIA chief David Petraeus was at a Ukrainian train station when it was reportedly targeted by Russian drones this weekend. A different train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had recently passed through a passenger train was struck, but not injuries -- no injuries were reported. This happened after a -- near the country's border with Poland, and Ukrainian railways say its possible the drones were targeting trains carrying European officials and security personnel. Today is Pope Leo's 71st birthday and his second birthday as pope. He

became the first U.S. born leader of the Catholic Church last year after the death of Pope Francis. Since then, Pope Leo has spoken out on a range of issues, including artificial intelligence, climate change, global conflicts and human rights. It's time for buzz express, the stories that have people talking. And first up, the Primetime Emmy Awards are tonight.

CNN's Elizabeth Wagmeister breaks down this year's top contenders and the categories that could bring some surprising results.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELIZABETH WAGMEISTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: TV's biggest night is being hosted by one of TV's biggest stars. Mariska Hargitay from "Law & Order" is the host for this year's Emmys.

Now, it's going to be a showdown between some of television's biggest series. "The Pit" leads all nominations with 25 nominations going into the night, "Hacks" not far behind with 24.

But let's first talk about "The Pit," which is expected to dominate in the drama categories. "The Pit" won for best drama last year, and it's expected to win in that category again, as well as its star, Noah Wiley, who, of course, Emmy voters have known and loved since his days on "E.R."

Now, in his next medical drama, "The Pit", he won for best actor in a drama last year, likely is going to win again. His co-star, Catherine Lanossa, who won last year in her category, is also expected to win on Monday night.

Now, when we go over to the comedy category, here's where we could get some more surprises. "Hacks" has the most comedy nominations with 24, and this is "Hacks"' fifth and final season. Typically, Emmy voters will award shows that are saying farewell with their final season. But this year, Apple's show, "Widow's Bay," has been a late-in-the-game hit, drawing a ton of fans both online, but also becoming a huge critical darling.

So, "Widow's Bay" could beat Hacks in the big comedy category, but Jean Smart is expected to take her fifth and final trophy for "Hacks" in her category. Now, fun fact, if Jean Smart wins, she will make Emmy history. She will become the only woman to ever win for every single season of the same show.

So, a lot to come. I will be on the red carpet, and I'll be backstage interviewing the winners all night, so make sure to stick along with us for all of our Emmys coverage.

Back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH : All right. Thank you, Elizabeth. And as Elizabeth mentioned, Emmy night starts right here on CNN

tonight. All your favorite stars, live interviews, and of course, the fashion. CNN and variety "Red Carpet Live; TV's Biggest Night" reams live with an all access subscription.

After six years, Celine Dion, one of the bestselling music artists of all time, is back on stage.

She kicked off her concert series in France over the weekend, performing her first full concert since stepping away from touring because of a rare neurological disorder. Dion fought back tears as she completed the show. An emotional milestone that left many fans inspired. It was the first in a series of 26 concerts, many of which are already sold out.

Still to come on CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS, a Grammy winning rapper on trial in an alleged murder for hire plot, is acquitted. So why is he still in custody? We've got those details coming up.

And Walmart agrees to settle a federal lawsuit for $50 million. We've got the details on the allegations in that case, coming your way.

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[05:56:51]

SMITH: In today's Money Express, Stellantis is recalling over 200,000 Jeeps over a tire pressure issue.

Megan Dice joins us from the Nasdaq Market Site with more details -- Megan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MEGAN DICE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there. Two vehicle brands by Stellantis have put out safety alerts. More than 239,000 Ram 1500 pickup trucks for model years 2025 to 2026 are being recalled. This is all over an issue with a rearview camera.

Now, Ram parent automaker Stellantis said a radio software error may prevent the backup camera from working, which could increase the risk of a crash.

And Jeep is recalling more than 328,000 Grand Cherokees. This is all over incorrectly installed rear coil springs that could detach while being driven. Stellantis will begin contacting owners of both recalls later this month. And for more information here, you can visit the NHTSA website.

Walmart has agreed to pay $50 million to settle a federal lawsuit related to its alleged role in the nation's opioid crisis. The Justice Department sued the retailer in 2020, alleging that its pharmacies filled thousands of invalid prescriptions for opioids and other controlled substances, along with the monetary settlement, Walmart will establish stronger safeguards to prevent improper drug refills, they say in the future, the DOJ and Walmart both saying they are satisfied with the agreement.

And the comeback of retailer Barnes and Noble, appears to be going strong, the bookseller said it's opening 28 new stores in 2026, with dozens more planned in the years ahead. It's an amazing turnaround for a company that was closing stores and struggling to compete with online retailers just a few short years ago. The retailer credits strong sales and a new strategy that gives local booksellers more control over their stores.

And that's your money matters weekly wrap up. I'm Megan Dice at the Nasdaq Market Site.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: Thank you, Megan.

Let's get a check in on some of the stories making news across the country. A federal jury acquitted the Grammy-winning artist Lil Durk of conspiracy stalking, resulting in death, and murder for hire charges. This was tied to an alleged plot targeting rival rapper Quando Rondo. Prosecutors argued Lil Durk helped orchestrate the attack, but his defense team maintained that he was not involved. Despite the acquittal, he remains in custody awaiting trial on a separate racketeering charge that was severed from this case.

And in Mississippi, an arrest has been made in the case of a black woman found hanging from a tree. Twenty-nine-year-old Tasia Fortune was found dead at an abandoned property last month. Police say a 51- year-old black man was taken into custody and charged with murder on Friday.

CNN is working to determine if he has legal representation. The arrest comes as the medical examiner ruled the death a homicide. Officials say more arrests are expected.

And in Michigan, the Coast Guard rescued a 70-year-old hiker who went missing for a week. He disappeared in Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior. Other hikers, state troopers and K-9 teams found him Saturday. A helicopter airlifted him to the hospital for treatment. A speedy recovery.

That does it for CNN HEADLINE EXPRESS. I'm Brad Smith.

"CNN THIS MORNING WITH AUDIE CORNISH" starts right now.