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Google’s Gemini AI autonomously accessed three real companies’ systems during a cybersecurity test after being unintentionally given internet access. In one case, the model guessed a password, while two other breaches followed web searches that uncovered credentials in public repositories. Gemini stopped each intrusion after recognising it had accessed real rather than simulated systems. Google said no harm was caused and it does not consider the incidents examples of model misalignment because safety measures prompted the AI to stop. The company notified the affected businesses and federal authorities but did not publicly disclose the May incidents until approached by The Wall Street Journal. The episode follows similar cybersecurity testing incidents involving AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Meta.

 

The Wall Street Journal

President Donald Trump has announced plans to create a federal "AI Force" and recruit an AI "czar" to oversee the initiative as concerns grow over the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Trump said the administration would support the industry’s growth while monitoring its development, although details on funding, leadership and the unit’s powers remain unclear. The announcement comes amid increasing public opposition to AI data centers; a Gallup poll found that nearly half of respondents strongly opposed local developments. Industry leaders have also urged greater caution, and former President Barack Obama has backed greater government oversight. Trump has previously opposed tighter AI regulation, arguing it could hinder the industry’s growth.

 

Wall Street Journal

The US and UK central banks have asked global lenders about ​their exposures to large trading firms after hedge fund turmoil precipitated big losses at proprietary trading firm Jane Street.

 

Financial Times

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan has ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche to comply with court orders regarding the release of information related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The judge set a deadline of September 24 for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to provide the requested records or explain why the orders were not “clear and unambiguous.” Sullivan found the DOJ's arguments against releasing the documents to be “without merit.” The lawsuit, filed by attorney Katie Phang, claims the DOJ violated the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA) by withholding information. Phang said: “I can't imagine that anybody would be satisfied that there's still millions of documents that Todd Blanche says are duplicative or nonresponsive.” The court has ordered the release of specific documents, including handwritten FBI interview notes.

 

The Hill

Paramount and California's attorney general have discussed a range of concessions in advanced ​settlement negotiations, including a $1.5bn investment in production in the state. A case brought by California and 11 other states is one of the final obstacles to Paramount's proposed $110bn acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Among the concessions the parties have discussed beyond the sizable production investment is a promise not to sell either studio lot and to stay in the state of California, according to people familiar with the discussions. The Wall Street Journal notes that The Writers Guild of America sued over the merger, saying that the deal would eliminate jobs and career opportunities for Hollywood screenwriters.

 

Wall Street Journal

Dillard’s is moving its primary listing from the New York Stock Exchange to the Texas Stock Exchange, becoming the first retailer to join the new marketplace. The $10bn department-store group will begin trading on TXSE on October 5, citing its strong Texas presence and the exchange’s technology platform. TXSE has attracted several companies, including Energy Transfer and Texas Capital Bancshares, as it challenges established New York exchanges. The Dallas-based exchange has raised more than $300m from investors including JPMorgan, BlackRock and Citadel Securities. Dillard’s operates around 270 stores, including more than 50 in Texas.

 

Arkansas Online

Bloomberg

Anthropic is planning to launch its IPO in November, later than investors had expected, potentially allowing the Claude developer to present stronger third-quarter financial results. Investors expect the company could seek a valuation of around $2tn and raise up to $100bn. The shift comes as CEO Dario Amodei and other AI executives call for slower development amid safety concerns, although the timing decision reportedly preceded the debate. Anthropic investors expect annualized revenue to exceed $110bn by year-end.

 

Wall Street Journal

A federal judge in Rhode Island has ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated a $7bn grant program for solar energy.  The Solar for All program was intended to make solar power accessible to more than 900,000 lower-income Americans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rescinded the grant program's funds in August 2025 after President Donald Trump’s tax and spending law passed in Congress a month earlier. EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin called the Biden-era initiative a “boondoggle.” The lawsuit filed in Rhode Island by the Rhode Island AFL-CIO labor organization and others highlighted the program's importance for local workforces and lower-income communities seeking access to clean-energy project funding. Patrick Crowley, president of the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, said: “If and when the program does get up and running, there will be thousands and thousands of union jobs created across the United States . . . We were proud to be the lead plaintiff.”

 

AP News

Bloomberg

Reuters

U.S. senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Rick Scott (R-FL) have asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate how Amazon and Walmart’s artificial intelligence (AI) shopping assistants handle “Made in USA” claims, citing concerns that the tools may suppress information about domestically produced goods and fail to identify potentially false country-of-origin labels. Their request follows a Columbia University Center for Law and the Economy report which found that Amazon’s Alexa and Walmart’s Sparky could provide information about U.S.-made products after repeated or altered prompts despite initially indicating that such data was unavailable. Amazon rejected claims that it intentionally withholds country-of-origin information and said it is working to improve Alexa’s ability to provide accurate information, while Walmart declined to comment.

 

Reuters

Wall Street Journal

Warren Buffett has stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, ending more than six decades at the helm of the $1tn conglomerate, with his son Howard Buffett assuming the role immediately as part of a previously outlined succession plan. The 96-year-old Buffett will remain on Berkshire’s board as chairman emeritus, continuing to provide his judgment and perspective to the company. The transition follows Buffett’s decision to step down as chief executive at the end of 2025, when Greg Abel, previously responsible for Berkshire’s noninsurance businesses, succeeded him. Howard Buffett, 71, has served as a Berkshire director since 1993 and has spent decades preparing for the chairman role. Warren Buffett transformed Berkshire from a struggling textile business into a diversified conglomerate spanning insurance, railroads, energy, and manufacturing, alongside a substantial portfolio of publicly traded stocks.

 

CNBC

NPR

New York Times

Wall Street Journal

The IRS has delayed publication of its annual estimate of the “tax gap,” the amount of taxes owed under existing law but not collected, as the agency reviews its methodology and considers focusing on an “addressable tax gap.” The most recent estimate, published in October 2024, put the 2022 tax gap at roughly $700bn, with about $90bn expected to be collected eventually, while the planned estimate for 2023 has yet to be released. The delay comes after the Trump administration reduced the IRS workforce by roughly a quarter and cut its budget, while an inspector general report found that revenue collected from audits fell by more than a third last fiscal year. IRS leader Frank Bisignano said enforcement revenue is increasing this year through improved data, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Former officials and researchers have raised concerns that changing or discontinuing the existing measure could make it harder to track long-term trends in tax compliance.

 

New York Times

A memo ‌seen by Reuters indicates that Unilever "refuses to engage" with union body IUF over a request that a two-year employment guarantee agreed with workers in Europe under its planned merger with McCormick ​be applied to all staff worldwide. "The company refuses to engage ⁠on this at an international level," the IUF stated in the memo, adding: "(Unilever) has indicated ​that, outside of Europe, unions should negotiate locally or regionally over the two years' protection." A Unilever ​spokesperson said: "We continue to engage constructively with our works councils and other employee representatives and have made good progress . . . As a global company, we engage with a range of representatives around the world."

 

Reuters

Starbucks has settled a discrimination lawsuit brought by Florida, agreeing not to use race- or sex-based quotas or preferences in hiring, promotions, or pay decisions. The company, which denied wrongdoing, will pay $1m to cover litigation costs, comply with Florida anti-discrimination law, and submit annual compliance certifications for four years. The agreement, which Florida’s attorney general’s office said applies nationwide, also prevents Starbucks from participating in organizations that require increased racial diversity on its board. The settlement comes amid broader challenges to corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the U.S.

 

Reuters

Microsoft founder Bill Gates, whose eponymous ‌foundation focuses on global health ‌and the world's poorest people, has said that vaccine hesitancy in wealthy nations has made eradicating measles in such countries a distant goal. He observed that while measles was once nearly eliminated  in affluent countries, recent years have seen a resurgence in cases due to declining vaccination rates. Gates nevertheless said that vaccine hesitancy had not spread to lower-income countries, where measles can be ⁠much deadlier. “There's always that concern that ⁠if you have doubters in the U.S., that becomes a global thing . . . But we haven't seen an increase in vaccine hesitancy in the countries the foundation works in,” he said.

 

U.S. News