This week’s guide to government and politics in under 10 minutes

Good Monday morning. From AI to your paycheck to what’s on your plate, there’s a lot to catch up on this week. 

I WILL AI KILL US ALL?

Claims from a former Anthropic AI researcher ignited an intense online debate last week when Jacob Coxon posted that, left unchecked, developments in AI could “kill us all.” Coxon accused major AI companies of “gambling with our lives” as they race to develop advanced AI models. Coxon called for regulation to ensure companies develop advanced AI models safely, with strong safeguards and transparent third-party auditing. 

>> Dig deeper into Coxon’s claims and an effort to create whistleblower protections for AI workers here. 

I CDC ANNOUNCES END TO CYCLOSPORA OUTBREAK

The nation’s largest-ever outbreak of cyclosporiasis is over, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). At least 19,595 people fell ill, including 12,833 people across 21 states in the largest cluster of cases. Health officials traced the outbreak to shredded iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms in Mexico. Two deaths, both in Michigan — the epicenter of the outbreak — were attributed to Cyclospora. 

>> Look back at how the outbreak happened here.

 I FEDERAL COURT OKs MARIJUANA RESCHEDULING

The Trump administration can move forward with plans to reschedule cannabis while litigation challenging the reform continues. The National Drug and Alcohol Screening Association and Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a prohibitionist organization, filed suit to block the administration’s plan to move marijuana from Schedule I under the Controlled Substances Act, a category that declares a substance to have a high potential for abuse and no medical value, to Schedule III, which carries a much lower risk of abuse and recognized medical value. The lawsuit claims that federal officials used an improper test to determine if marijuana was dangerous enough to remain at Schedule I and that the reform would undermine drug testing of safety-sensitive workers. The Drug Enforcement Agency cited that there were 30,000 practitioners treating more than six million patients across 43 jurisdictions as evidence that the Schedule I designation is outdated. 

>> Learn more about what it means to reschedule marijuana here.

I FED FACES PRESSURE ON INTEREST RATES

The Federal Reserve meets this week to review potential interest rate changes. Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh faces increasing pressure to raise rates to stem inflation, while President Donald Trump is pushing the Fed to lower rates. Core inflation, which doesn’t include food and energy prices, was 2.4% in August, down only slightly from 2.5% in July. The Consumer Price Index was unchanged in August from July, showing a 3.4% increase. 

>> Find out what the Federal Reserve is and how it works here. 

I U.S. WORKERS’ SHARE OF INCOME HITS RECORD LOW

Workers’ share of the U.S. economy fell to a record low according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS reports that the labor share of GDP, the percentage of output that goes to workers in the form of paychecks, fell to 52.9% in the second quarter, down from 53.7% in the first quarter, the lowest share since the BLS began using the metric in 1947. The trend means that the benefits of productivity gains are increasingly going to business owners and shareholders rather than to workers. 

>> See where states are raising the minimum wage here.

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