Consider This from NPR

In recent days, warnings and risks surrounding AI have taken an existential turn. A former Anthropic employee stated that "the people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." And Anthropic's CEO urged AI companies to "pace the frontier" in developing new technologies.

But is there political will to make that happen?


This episode was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Tiffany Vera Castro. Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Kara Platoni, Brett Neely, Rebekah Metzler, Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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Top U.S. lawmakers are calling for talks to begin on Capitol Hill about a regulatory framework for artificial intelligence, after the heads of some of the most prominent tech companies called for a slowdown of their own industry’s development of AI.

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This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman.

It was edited by Brett Neely, Michael Levitt and Sarah Robbins.

Our director is Jordan-Marie Smith.

And our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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The 9/11 attacks resulted in thousands of deaths -- and US response was massive, including new wars and surveillance programs. But what about the trial?

More than two decades after the attacks, it's still stuck in limbo. Why?


This episode was produced by Connor Donevan, Michelle Aslam and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna and Eowyn Fain. 

Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

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The warning in former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon’s resignation announcement is stark. “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade,” he writes. “No other human activity poses this level of danger.”

Coxon is urging Anthropic and other big artificial intelligence companies to slow their development of super intelligent agents. 

He says the current race dynamic could threaten human existence.

Coxon talks with NPR's Scott Detrow about why he’s worried and what he hopes will change.

This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Jeffrey Pierre, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna. Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Patrick Jarenwattananon Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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The Lindsay Clancy case ended in a mistrial last week.

Clancy was on trial for killing her three children in 2023.

Neither Clancy nor her attorneys deny that she killed her children – but they argued she was experiencing postpartum psychosis.

And while the jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision on a charge, the jurors now have to live with the facts of the case and the graphic evidence they witnessed.

What kind of support exists for jurors after experiencing a difficult trial?


This episode was produced by Michelle Aslam and Mia Venkat. 

With additional reporting in from Deborah Becker. 

It was edited by Matt Ozug and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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Lonnie G. Bunch III, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, is stepping down from his post at the end of the year.

The Smithsonian, which includes museums, libraries and a zoo, has been a frequent target of criticism by President Trump.

How might the leadership change affect the revered Institution?


This episode was produced by Jeff Pierre and Elena Burnett, with audio engineering by Hannah Gluvna and Damian Herring. Our director is Jonas Adams.

It was edited by Matt Ozug and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer and the beginning of a new school year.

Across the country, more than 54 million students have returned to the classrooms.

NPR spoke with students and teachers in different parts of the country to hear how they're feeling as the school year begins.


This episode features reporting by Elizabeth Miller of Oregon Public Broadcasting, Beth Wallis of KOSU, and NPR's Jonaki Mehta.

VPM’s Megan Pauly also contributed reporting to this episode.

This episode was produced by Lauren Migaki and Karen Zamora, with audio engineering by Ted Mebane. Our director is Marc Rivers.

It was edited by Nirvi Shah, Steven Drummond and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

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After the September 11th attacks, both Russia and China saw an opportunity to forge a closer relationship with the United States. 

Then, the U.S. fought wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and weathered the financial crisis of 2008. 

What did Russia and China learn about the United States along the way? 


This episode was produced by Daniel Ofman and Kathryn Fink.
It was edited by Janaya Williams and Sarah Robbins.
Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.
And our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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This week, the popular prediction market known as Kalshi banned former Congressman George Santos for life and fined him more than 70-thousand dollars — after he engaged in insider trading on the site.  


That came as no shock to NPR technology correspondent Bobby Allyn. Earlier this year, Allyn broke the story that Santos was under investigation by the Justice Department for manipulating the market about whether he would or would not attend this year’s State of the Union address.

For Reporter’s Notebook, Allyn talks about how he broke the story and the fallout from it.

This episode was produced by Gabriel Sanchez. 

Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.

It was edited by Adam Raney.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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A judge has declared a mistrial in the trial of Lindsay Clancy, who faced murder charges for killing her three children in 2023.

The deliberations took nearly seven days - and revealed tension among the jury.

What does the mistrial reveal about where this case may be headed?

This episode was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and Elena Burnett, with audio engineering by Eowyn Fain. 

Our director is Alejandra Marquez Janse.

It was edited by Carmel Wroth, Sarah Handel and Tinbete Ermyas.

Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.

Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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