AI Slowdown Calls Rattle Stocks as Trump Rejects Limits

EPA Repeals Power Plant Emissions Limits, Seeks Broader Rollback

Supreme Court Keeps Mail-Ballot Rule Blocked Ahead of Midterms

Diesel Hits Record, Treasury Yield Tops 5% Before Fed Meeting

Iran-Backed Houthis Tighten Grip on Second Major Oil Route

AI Slowdown Calls Rattle Stocks as Trump Rejects Limits

Shares of AI companies fell worldwide Monday, Sept. 14, after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for slower advances and stronger safety oversight, with the Philadelphia semiconductor index losing nearly 6% and Nvidia falling 3.4%. OpenAI's Sam Altman endorsed the proposal and separately ruled out a 2026 stock offering, while President Donald Trump rejected new AI limits, arguing they would weaken the U.S. lead over China. At Monday's All-In Summit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed predictions of AI-driven human extinction as "made up" and questioned their scientific basis and forecasters' track records, citing what he described as failed predictions about replacing radiologists and automating most software coding.

The dispute carries economic stakes: Federal Reserve researchers' figures show that investment in software, computing equipment, data centers and power facilities contributed about 1.18 percentage points to first-quarter 2026 annualized GDP growth of 2.1%, roughly 56% of the total. If slower AI development translated into reduced infrastructure spending, it could substantially weaken economic growth by cutting investment in construction, equipment and related services.

CNN / UPI / CNBC / Axios / Quartz / TechStartups / Yahoo News / Daily Signal / Fortune / All-In / Podcast Rex / Federal Reserve / BEA

EPA Repeals Power Plant Emissions Limits, Seeks Broader Rollback

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday, Sept. 14, that it is repealing a 2024 rule requiring existing coal-fired and new gas-fired power plants to sharply reduce carbon dioxide emissions beginning in the 2030s. The requirements generally called for carbon capture equipment, which traps the gas before it leaves smokestacks. The agency estimated that repeal would save the power industry more than $300 billion. It also proposed a separate rule, expected to become final next year, that could prevent future administrations from imposing greenhouse gas limits on power plants. Environmental and public health groups pledged to sue, citing pollution and health concerns, while the agency and utility groups questioned the existing rule's legal basis and reliance on technology they said was unproven at scale. Power plants rank behind only transportation among U.S. greenhouse gas sources, making the rollback a major change in federal efforts to limit climate pollution.

NPR / NBC News / Al Jazeera / PBS / MPR News

Supreme Court Keeps Mail-Ballot Rule Blocked Ahead of Midterms

The Supreme Court on Monday, Sept. 14, rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to let a new Postal Service rule governing mail ballots take effect. In an unsigned order, the justices said the government was unlikely to succeed in challenging the lower court's preliminary injunction. Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The rule, issued after a presidential executive order on mail voting, would require election officials to link voter information, including names and home addresses, to unique barcodes on outgoing ballot mail. Two federal district judges had blocked the regulation, including one appointed by Trump, and states had begun mailing ballots while its status remained unsettled. The interim decision keeps existing mailing procedures in place as the November midterms approach, while the underlying lawsuit continues.

NPR / NBC News / CNN / The Hill / Votebeat / KSAT / Supreme Court

Diesel Hits Record, Treasury Yield Tops 5% Before Fed Meeting

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note briefly reached 5.014% on Monday, Sept. 14, its highest level since October 2023, as energy costs surged and expectations of a Federal Reserve rate increase grew. The national average diesel price reached a record $6.23 a gallon, while regular gasoline averaged $4.31, according to AAA. A shutdown of Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline after drone strikes and the postponement of talks on reopening the Strait of Hormuz added to supply concerns. Brent crude traded above $109 a barrel before settling at $105.68, while U.S. crude settled at $101.39. Higher Treasury yields increase borrowing costs, while diesel prices affect freight and farm expenses that feed into consumer prices. The Federal Reserve, which has held its benchmark rate at 3.5% to 3.75% since July, meets Sept. 15-16 amid expectations of its first increase since 2023.

NBC News / CNBC / CNN / TheStreet / NPR / Al Jazeera

Iran-Backed Houthis Tighten Grip on Second Major Oil Route

Iran-backed Houthi gains in the Red Sea threaten to squeeze global oil supplies and raise fuel prices by putting a second major shipping passage at risk while the Iran war already restricts the Strait of Hormuz. The Yemeni rebels seized Greater and Lesser Hanish islands Monday, Sept. 14, after government-allied forces withdrew, extending advances that included the port of Mokha and Perim Island inside the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Bab el-Mandeb is the narrow southern entrance to the Red Sea, a gateway for ships traveling between the Indian Ocean and Egypt's Suez Canal. Before the Iran war, in the final quarter of 2025, Hormuz carried roughly 20% of global oil supply and Bab el-Mandeb just over 5%, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data. Pressure on both passages could give Iran and its Houthi allies greater leverage over oil deliveries, including Saudi shipments using the Red Sea to bypass Hormuz. Further disruption could delay deliveries, force tankers onto longer routes and drive up gasoline, diesel and freight costs for consumers worldwide.

ABC Australia / Washington Times / Euronews / TRT World / EIA

SEPTEMBER 15 1931: DIRIGIBLE BRIEFLY DOCKS AT EMPIRE STATE BUILDING

A small dirigible managed a short-lived docking at the new Empire State Building’s mooring mast before strong winds forced it to pull away. The much-publicized experiment dashed hopes that the skyscraper’s spire would serve as a convenient midtown Manhattan airship port.

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Sources

1. CNN / UPI / CNBC / CNBC / Axios / Quartz / CNBC / Quartz / TechStartups / Yahoo News / Daily Signal / Fortune / All-In / Podcast Rex / Axios / Federal Reserve / Federal Reserve Data / BEA
2. NPR / NBC News / Al Jazeera / PBS / MPR News
3. NPR / NBC News / CNN / The Hill / Votebeat / KSAT / Supreme Court
4. NBC News / CNBC / CNN / TheStreet / NPR / Al Jazeera
5. ABC Australia / Washington Times / Euronews / TRT World / EIA Oil Transit Data / EIA World Oil Transit Chokepoints