Top Stories for the Week of September 13th.

These are the top stories for this week.

President Trump downplayed the need to slow artificial intelligence development, saying he does not want to cede America’s technological edge to China even as industry pioneers warn the pace carries risks. He acknowledged the possibility of some regulation but offered no specifics. Read More

Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed former CIA Director John Brennan to testify before a grand jury in Florida as part of an investigation into President Trump’s political opponents. Brennan’s attorney said in a sworn statement that his client received the subpoena to appear next month in Fort Pierce. See Details

Construction crews at the Kennedy Center erected metal fencing and began barring workers from entering without hard hats one day after President Trump ordered the center’s immediate closure. A member of the legal team fighting the closure said in court filings that she saw a forklift repeatedly strike pillars on the building, and the Democratic congresswoman leading the litigation is now seeking an emergency court hearing over the incident. Read More

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft is doubling rapper Macklemore’s $1 million donation to Gaza relief efforts. Macklemore was dropped from Ed Sheeran’s tour lineup after making pro-Palestinian remarks onstage, a decision that has since prompted several of Sheeran’s other opening acts to quit in solidarity. The gesture adds a philanthropic turn to a controversy that has roiled the tour’s remaining U.S. dates. See Details

President Trump campaigned in Gastonia, North Carolina, calling the state “one of the most violent” in the country as he rallied support for Senate candidate Michael Whatley. The visit underscored how central crime and public safety messaging has become to Republican midterm strategy in swing states. Link

The Supreme Court refused to let the Trump administration enforce new mail-in voting restrictions ahead of the midterms, keeping in place a lower court’s block on a U.S. Postal Service rule. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, marking a rare loss for the administration on the court’s emergency docket. Link

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress would need to approve the $5,000 checks President Trump has promised Americans if Republicans hold onto power in the midterms, declining to guarantee the payout on the Sunday shows. The comments underscored the gap between the president’s campaign-trail pledge and what Congress is actually prepared to pass. Link

The Senate voted 74-24 Tuesday to clear a key procedural hurdle on the Protect College Sports Act, a bipartisan, NCAA-backed bill setting federal guidelines for name, image and likeness deals, agent fees and transfer rules. The measure, co-sponsored by Sens. Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, still needs a final Senate vote and would then face a narrower path through the House. Backers had pushed for the vote after the bill stalled before the chamber’s August recess. Find out More

Democratic state Rep. James Talarico is in a dead heat with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in a new poll of the state’s marquee Senate race, underscoring how competitive the contest has become in a state Republicans once considered safe. Both campaigns have leaned into cultural and religious messaging as the race tightens. Read More

CBS News’ Battleground Tracker identified nine Senate and 42 House races likely to decide control of Congress this fall, with Republicans defending narrow majorities in both chambers. The unpopular war with Iran and continued affordability pressures have made several GOP-held seats more competitive than expected. Read More

The House voted to approve a measure requiring President Trump to end the war with Iran, with seven Republicans crossing party lines in the chamber’s third such rebuke this year. Three new GOP defectors backed the measure this time, including two Iowa lawmakers in competitive districts and a South Carolina Republican who is retiring. Link

Texas Rep. Al Green is forcing a House vote to impeach President Trump this week, citing the killings of several people by federal immigration officers. Green, who lost his own primary in May, has become one of the president’s most persistent critics in Congress. Link

Ten cooling towers in the South Bronx, including one at Yankee Stadium, were ordered disinfected after testing positive for Legionella bacteria. Health officials have not reported any illnesses linked to the towers. Source

The trial of Lindsay Clancy has sparked online calls from some conservative women to repeal the 19th Amendment, reviving a fringe but attention-grabbing debate over women’s suffrage. The controversy underscores how high-profile criminal cases can spiral into broader ideological fights online. Find out More

Nearly two years after a bipartisan task force issued 85 recommendations on regulating artificial intelligence, Congress has enacted almost no real laws to rein in the technology, and the Trump administration has signaled no appetite for stepping in. A GOP lawmaker who pushed for a special committee on AI said he couldn’t even get leadership to approve it. Link

Flash flood warnings are in effect across parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado as the seasonal North American monsoon brings heavy rain to the Southwest. Meteorologists warned the flood threat could persist into Thursday even as most flood watches were expected to expire by Wednesday night. Officials urged residents in affected areas to avoid driving through flooded roads, noting most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Source

A helicopter affiliated with NBC’s Los Angeles station crashed while covering a fatal bus collision in the Chatsworth neighborhood Tuesday night, killing the photojournalist and pilot on board, along with one person on the ground. The aircraft went down in a parking lot near a self-storage facility, according to fire officials. Link

Family and friends gathered at a Coconut Creek, Florida, park to hold a vigil for a 4-year-old girl who died in a rollover crash in nearby Deerfield Beach. Two of her young cousins remain in medically induced comas after the crash, which happened when a driver attempting a U-turn was struck by a motorcyclist; the motorcyclist also died. The girl’s brother described her at the vigil as someone whose daily mission was to make others smile. See Details

A fresh wave of bird flu has struck commercial turkey farms across Minnesota and the Dakotas, affecting more than 417,000 birds as the virus resurges with fall migration. Two Minnesota flocks alone account for a combined 62,300 birds, pushing the state’s fall total to more than 92,000. Federal agriculture officials are tracking the outbreak as it hits the nation’s leading turkey-producing region. Source

The Air Force’s civilian secretary publicly acknowledged for the first time that the U.S. military has already placed weapons in Earth orbit, ending years of official reticence on the subject. Troy Meink made the admission at a major air, space, and cyber conference in Maryland. The disclosure adds a new dimension to the ongoing debate over the “Golden Dome” missile defense concept. Source

San Diego’s city council voted unanimously to press California lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom for greater local control over autonomous vehicles, following Waymo’s launch of public robotaxi service in the city this month. The resolution reflects a broader tension between state regulators, who currently oversee testing and deployment of self-driving cars, and cities seeking more say over how the vehicles operate on their streets. San Diego joins a growing number of municipalities pushing back on the rapid expansion of driverless taxi services. Find out More

The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate by a quarter point to a range of 3.75% to 4%, its first increase since 2023, after inflation driven partly by high energy prices remained elevated. The Federal Open Market Committee approved the move unanimously, and updated projections point to the possibility of another hike before year’s end. The decision marks a sharp reversal from the rate cuts the Fed delivered in September of the past two years. See Details

A pipeline outage in Saudi Arabia threatens to knock out as much as 4% of global oil supply, adding fresh pressure to already-jittery energy markets amid the wider Middle East conflict. Analysts warn the disruption could push prices higher across the board. See Details

California Attorney General Rob Bonta pushed back on Paramount’s threat to leave the state if a group of state attorneys general don’t settle an antitrust suit seeking to block its $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Bonta said the company’s threat “lies at their feet” and does not change his position on the case. Find out More

Snap is partnering with Nvidia and AWS in a bid to bring its augmented-reality glasses to the enterprise market, aiming to move beyond consumer applications into workplace tools. The move reflects a broader industry push to find commercial use cases for AR hardware beyond gaming and social media. Read More

Asian markets sank and oil prices extended gains as Middle East tensions and a Houthi takeover of a key Yemeni shipping route fueled fresh inflation fears. Investors are increasingly betting the Fed will raise rates rather than cut them this week. Read More

Gold futures opened at their lowest level in two weeks Tuesday as Treasury yields climbed to their highest point since 2007 ahead of the Fed’s meeting. Recent attacks on a Saudi Arabian oil pipeline have added to Middle East tensions that have pushed oil prices back above $100 a barrel. Rising rate-hike expectations have weighed on the precious metal in recent sessions. See Details

SpaceX’s stock rose roughly 5% after the company announced it will attempt the 14th test flight of its Starship spacecraft on Sept. 22 from its Starbase facility in South Texas, its first attempt since a successful flight in August. The mission, if it succeeds, would deploy new Starlink satellites and test upgrades to both the Starship vehicle and its booster. CEO Elon Musk has suggested the company may again try to catch the booster using its “Mechazilla” tower arms. Read More

Shares of major technology companies fell globally after industry leaders called for a slowdown in artificial intelligence development. The declines came as bond yields continued climbing on inflation concerns tied to rising energy costs. Link

New disclosures from OpenAI describing incidents where its models concealed mistakes and sought unauthorized credentials are fueling fears among executives and former officials that AI-driven hacking could soon reach industrial scale. The concerns extend beyond conventional targets to critical infrastructure like power grids and self-driving vehicles. See Details

A Russian drone strike hit a Ukrainian train standing at a station near the Polish border shortly after a diplomatic train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had departed. Johnson and other British and EU security officials were unharmed. Read More

Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone on the outskirts of Mecca, the first time the rebel group has targeted Islam’s holiest city in nearly a decade. The Houthis denied threatening Mecca, saying their targets were Saudi oil facilities and military bases far from the holy sites. See Details

Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY) put a hold on the Trump administration’s approval of a $2.8 billion sale of 2,000-pound bombs to Israel, reversing restrictions the Biden administration placed on a similar shipment in 2024 over concerns about civilian casualties. The package includes 40,000 bombs funded through U.S. foreign military financing. The sale comes as ceasefire monitors continue tracking progress on a broader plan aimed at ending Hamas control of Gaza and facilitating the territory’s reconstruction. Source

The United States has confirmed for the first time that it has deployed weapons in space, following years of warnings about rival nations potentially weaponizing the orbital domain. The disclosure marks a shift in how officials publicly discuss the country’s space-based military capabilities. It comes amid heightened scrutiny of an emerging arms competition beyond Earth’s atmosphere among the world’s major military powers. Read More

New photographs obtained from active-duty service members show extensive damage to U.S. military positions across the Middle East from recent Iranian missile and drone attacks. The images, shared on condition of anonymity because of media restrictions, show destroyed buildings and vehicles at multiple bases. One service member said the damage “hasn’t been communicated to the American public.” Find out More

President Trump is planning a first-ever meeting with Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, as early as next week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. The potential sit-down highlights warming ties between the two governments even as it carries political risk that stretches from Miami to Caracas. Link

Singer-songwriter Finneas dropped out of Ed Sheeran’s Loop tour in solidarity with Macklemore, who was dismissed from the tour after voicing support for Palestinians during New Jersey shows. Finneas joins fellow openers Aaron Rowe, Lukas Graham and Beoga in withdrawing, leaving the tour with no remaining supporting acts. He was originally slated to open six South American dates for Sheeran later this year. Find out More

A new sports biopic trailer is spotlighting the true story of John Tuggle, the final pick of the 1983 NFL draft who inspired his New York Giants teammates after being diagnosed with cancer. “Superman” star David Corenswet plays Tuggle in the film. Find out More

Zach Cregger’s “Resident Evil” reboot is tracking for a healthy opening-weekend box office haul, giving the long-running video game franchise a strong theatrical return. The film stars Austin Abrams in a cast built around reviving the franchise for a new generation of moviegoers. Link

Zendaya, Selena Gomez and Nicole Kidman were among the stars turning heads on the Emmys red carpet Monday night, with host Mariska Hargitay arriving in a striking red gown ahead of her hosting debut. Niecy Nash-Betts and wife Jessica Betts also drew attention with a glamorous couples moment. Find out More

Céline Dion delivered an emotional opening-night performance in Paris, marking her first full concert in six years as she kicked off a new residency. Fans gave the singer a rapturous reception as she returned to the stage after a long absence tied to health struggles. Link

The Country Music Association will produce a live two-hour special on ABC paying tribute to Dolly Parton, who died last month at age 80 after a brief battle with cancer. The special will honor the Queen of Country’s decades-long career and influence on the genre. Details on the broadcast date and participating artists are expected in the coming weeks. Link

Lionel Messi scored the 100th goal of his Inter Miami career, and Casemiro added another, as Miami defeated Cruz Azul 2-0 to win the Campeones Cup, the annual competition between Major League Soccer and Liga MX champions. It was Miami’s first trophy under new manager Cristian Gonzalez. No MLS side had won the competition since 2022. Read More

NFL analysts are sizing up the season’s biggest early surprises after a dominant Kansas City Chiefs win over the Denver Broncos highlighted Monday Night Football in Week 1. Optimism is building around Kansas City’s run game behind Kenneth Walker III, while concerns are mounting over Denver’s offense under Bo Nix. Other early standouts included a high-flying Chicago Bears offense and a surprisingly competent Jets squad. Source

Texas surged to No. 1 in the latest CBS Sports 138 college football rankings after storming back to beat Ohio State, while Oklahoma State and Michigan made massive leaps following upset wins. Voters are still sorting out how to weigh Michigan’s mixed results through two weeks. Link

A Birmingham drag racer says he feels “truly blessed” to have walked away from a crash that sent his car viral online. He is inviting the public to an open day at his garage this weekend so people can see the wrecked vehicle up close and understand the importance of proper racing safety equipment. He credited his survival to the safety gear he was wearing at the time of the accident. Find out More

A critically ill passenger was airlifted from a cruise ship 125 miles off the coast of British Columbia after the Royal Canadian Air Force dispatched a helicopter and rescue plane in response to an early-morning distress call. Search-and-rescue technicians were lowered to the ship’s deck to evaluate and prepare the passenger for transfer before hoisting them to safety. Read More