AI alarm bells reach Capitol Hill and diesel prices hit all-time high after key pipeline shuts: Morning Rundown

Dire warnings about AI shock Congress, but action is unlikely before the midterms. Oil prices rise and diesel hits a new high after a weekend of attacks in Iran. And why female athletes are speaking out against Sydney Sweeney’s new advertisement.

Here’s what to know today.

Congressional action on AI is unlikely before Election Day

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Stark warnings about AI systems are setting off fresh alarm bells on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and even some Republicans saying Congress must act quickly.

However, it’s unlikely lawmakers will do anything before Election Day to address the dangers. Congress still has not passed any comprehensive legislation to rein in or create guardrails for AI, nor is there any consensus about how to tackle the issue.

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Reps. Lori Trahan and Jay Obernolte authored a bipartisan bill that would establish rules for major companies. So did Reps. Ted Lieu and Nathaniel Moran. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar have also teamed up.

But despite countless committee hearings, task forces and ideas, nothing has gained enough traction.

House GOP leaders have also shown no urgency in prioritizing more sweeping regulations. Here’s what to know during the chamber’s final week in session before the midterms.

More politics news:

• Barack Obama urged Democrats to create a “very clear” plan around AI, saying that’s what he would be doing if he were running for president in 2028.
• A Russian drone struck a train near the Ukraine-Poland border shortly after senior visiting officials — including the former prime ministers of the U.K. and Sweden — passed through, Ukraine’s state rail operator said. Another train, with former CIA Director David Petraeus on board, was still at Yahodyn station when the drone struck, according to the operator.

• James Blair, the chief of Trump’s MAGA Inc. super PAC, is “cautiously optimistic” the Republican Party can keep its majority in Congress this year. In the first episode of “Here’s the Scoop: Election Edition,” he addressed the dissatisfaction with the economy and Iran war, and what it’ll take for the GOP to win in the elections.

Saudi Arabia’s list of big problems is growing

Saudi Arabia is running out of places to turn.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which Saudi oil exports have traditionally passed, has been largely closed to shipping for months. The kingdom’s East-West Pipeline has also been shut, possibly damaged by drone strikes. And this week, Iran-backed Houthi rebels has launched a lightning assault that further threatens a crucial chokepoint on the Red Sea.

As the crisis widens, analysts warn that Saudi Arabia is running out of the work-arounds that have allowed it to absorb disruptions to its crucial oil exports. The kingdom could soon be forced to choose between escalation and accepting a dramatically more dangerous regional environment.

Read the full story.

Meanwhile, the price of oil jumped Monday. Adding to investors’ worries, a meeting set for today between Iran and Gulf countries regarding Hormuz was postponed “in the interests of consensus,” Oman’s foreign minister wrote on X. The international oil benchmark, Brent crude, rose as high as $108, while U.S. crude oil touched $103 per barrel.

On top of that, the price of diesel fuel continues to set new all-time highs. The national average price of diesel rose to $6.23 per gallon on Monday, AAA also reported.

Female athletes hit back at Sydney Sweeney’s sexualized ‘just sports’ ad

A new advertisement featuring a mostly nude Sydney Sweeney posing with sporting equipment has incensed female athletes, who say it reinforces the sexualization they have spent decades fighting.

The ad was for prediction market platform Novig and shows the “Euphoria” actor using footballs, basketballs and protective padding to cover her breasts and genitals.

It sparked a wave of pushback, including from former UCLA gymnast Gracie Kramer, an NCAA champion and two-time All-American. Kramer told NBC News the issue is bigger than Sweeney.

“When sexualization is used as a way to get men interested in women’s sports, it reinforces the exact narrative we’ve been trying to dismantle,” she said. “This isn’t celebrity drama to me. It’s about the culture we’re creating for the next generation of girls in sports.”

Read what other athletes said.

More sports news: NFL Sunday

Yesterday was the highest-scoring Week 1 Sunday in NFL history, according to NBC Sports research. When the day’s 13-game slate had finished, teams had combined to score an average 53.3 points per game, exceeding the previous record of 51.15 points in 2019. Here’s what you missed:

• The Dallas Cowboys dropped their opener in primetime to the New York Giants, 28-20, in John Harbaugh’s debut as coach.

• The Chicago Bears’ offense was firing on all cylinders, scoring 59 points in a win against the Carolina Panthers.

• The Buffalo Bills beat the Houston Texans 36-31 thanks to a spectacular performance by Josh Allen.

Previewing the Emmys

Mariska Hargitay, who plays the beloved Olivia Benson on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” will take the stage tonight as host of the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards.

This year’s event pits longtime favorites against breakout stars. HBO’s “The Pitt” leads the nominations with 25, followed by “Hacks” with 24. Several shows in their first seasons have garnered multiple nods: “Widow’s Bay” is up for 19 awards and “Pluribus” for 18.

Stephen Colbert could get a parting gift from the television academy. His “Late Show” received nine nominations. Rhea Seehorn is also one to watch — she’s expected to snag her first Emmy as the star of Vince Gilligan’s “Pluribus.”

Here’s everything you need to know, including start time, the red carpet and how to watch.

Staff Pick: A family seeks answers about a young ICE detainee’s untimely death

“Why haven’t they handed over my son’s body?” That’s what the father of Prisciliano Trejo Ricano asked when he called me last month.

It had been nearly three weeks since Trejo died in a Georgia hospital on July 24, shortly after he was released from ICE custody. The 29-year-old had gotten sick while in immigration detention. It was leukemia, his family and lawyer were told, though he had shown no signs of health issues before his detention.

The phone call I got from his father was my first glimpse into the challenges the family has faced in their quest for answers about what kind of medical care Trejo received in detention and what exactly led to his hospitalization. I discovered that Trejo’s death was one of the first known to have occurred after a new policy — which no longer requires ICE to issue a detailed detainee death report for anyone who dies within 30 days of being released from custody — went into effect.

After waiting nearly six weeks to receive Trejo’s remains, his family was finally able to mourn him in a two-day funeral service just before Labor Day weekend. Before the funeral, his father told me he often replays in his mind every detail he remembers of his son’s last days alive at the hospital, hoping that hidden deep within his memories lie some of the answers to his outstanding questions. — Nicole Acevedo, reporter

Read All About It

• Amazon said it is pausing operations with 21 Air, the cargo carrier involved in the Miami crash that killed five people.

• A 40-year-old woman died from measles complications in Pennsylvania, marking the state’s third death associated with the disease this year.

• A Louisiana man has been arrested in connection with a grisly stabbing spree that left four people dead and one in critical condition, officials said.

NBC Selected: Online Shopping, Simplified

Jazz shoes are the new “it” shoe for fall — but are they supportive? Here’s what podiatrists want you to know. Plus, we talked shop with “Summer House” star Carl Radke. He says these five things fuel him while marathon training, filming and running a business at the same time.

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