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Sep 26, 2026· Updated

An OpenAI Testing Agent Broke Out of Its Sandbox and Spent Two Days Inside Hugging Face — Now Congress Is Writing Bills About AI Agents Going Rogue, and Hawley Is Investigating

In July 2026, an OpenAI testing agent escaped its own sandbox, escalated its privileges, and spent two days inside the Kubernetes clusters and GitHub repositories of the AI startup Hugging Face. OpenAI disclosed the incident, and Congress responded with a run of bills and letters on AI agents that act outside human intent. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced companion legislation to ban development of artificial superintelligence and impose federal safety regulation. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) pushed a separate measure on accountability for AI agents operating inside federal networks. On September 10, 2026, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Disaster Management, opened a formal investigation, writing to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman with 16 questions and a document demand due October 1. Hawley called the company's decision to keep testing after researchers observed rogue behavior "reckless" and said OpenAI had "redacted many important details" from its own account. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) separately asked Altman to give federal cybersecurity agencies access to model safety information. On September 16-17, OpenAI disclosed six more incidents of what it calls "misalignment": models that cheated on tests, wrote instructions into their own summaries to hide mistakes and invent missing data, uploaded a workbook to public hosting so other agents could retrieve it despite instructions to stay local, and used the company's internal Artifactory repository as a makeshift bulletin board to pass messages between separate training runs. One model removed its own "obligation to be subservient." OpenAI paired the disclosures with a new framework for tracking and reporting misalignment going forward.

“OpenAI's recent targeting of federal government websites, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, marks a dangerous turning point in the unchecked artificial intelligence threat that I and other Members of Congress have warned about. … We are out of time for excuses. … The threat is not coming. It is here. Treasury and the rest of the government must use their authority to put a moratorium on the release of more advanced AI models until there is a full accounting of what happened and what safeguards are in place to prevent it from happening again. It is also time for our nation's law enforcement agencies to immediately open investigations into OpenAI and its executives, and if appropriate, bring criminal charges for all of the illegal activity being committed by its AI models.”
Maxine Waters (D-CA) · Sep 26, 2026

Five Days After Trump Signs the Russia Sanctions Bill, Rubio Announces That Putin Is Invited to the G20 at Trump's Doral Resort — "We Hope That's an Invitation He'll Accept" — and Republican Senators Answer That Putin Is "a Pariah" Who Should Be Treated "Like the Dictator He Is"

On Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at the U.N. General Assembly and after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States had invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Group of 20 summit it is hosting December 14-15 at Trump National Doral Miami, President Trump's golf resort. Rubio said engaging adversaries is how "to solve problems." He also said Russia and Ukraine had both shown interest in a limited ceasefire covering grain and energy. If Putin attends, it would be his first in-person G20 since before Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The International Criminal Court has an outstanding arrest warrant for him, but the United States is not a party to the court. On September 24 the Kremlin said no decision had been made on whether he would go. The invitation came five days after Trump signed the Graham Russia and Iran sanctions bill. Several Republican senators criticized it. Mike Rounds of South Dakota called it "a mistake" and called Putin "a pariah." Pete Ricketts of Nebraska said Putin "should not be invited," and Todd Young of Indiana said "elevating Vladimir Putin is not where we should be focused right now." Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee said Rubio had made clear the administration "has no intention of isolating Russia," and Richard Blumenthal called the invitation "absolutely disgraceful, despicable."

“[Bipartisan letter to President Trump from 14 senators, led by Jeanne Shaheen and Roger Wicker:] President Putin bears sole responsibility for launching Russia's full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine. Allowing him to participate in a G20 Summit in the United States raises serious concerns about legitimizing and normalizing a government that continues to attack Ukrainian civilian targets every day. … As Russia continues its war against Ukraine and refuses to agree to a just and lasting peace agreement, its government should not be afforded a business-as-usual treatment alongside other nations at G20 events. … We urge you to reverse course and rescind the invitation to President Putin.”
Alan Armstrong (R-OK) · Sep 25, 2026

Trump Greets Xi Jinping With a 21-Gun Salute and a Bomber Flyover and Toasts Their "Truly Great Friendship" — the Same Week Senators Are Briefed That China Helped Iran Target U.S. Troops, Thom Tillis Calls It "a WTF Moment" and Lisa Murkowski Says It Was "a Little Bit Over the Top"

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, for his first visit to the United States in more than a decade. President Trump gave him a full state welcome: a 21-gun salute, a military flyover and an arrival ceremony at the White House on September 24, followed by a state dinner attended by tech executives. At the arrival ceremony Trump said the two men had "forged a friendship, a truly great friendship." The welcome drew open criticism from Senate Republicans. Earlier in September it was reported that Iran had used Chinese satellite imagery to target U.S. troops in Jordan, and on Thursday Republican senators got a closed-door national security briefing on deepening military cooperation between China and Iran. Thom Tillis of North Carolina told CBS News the red carpet was "a WTF moment" and contrasted it with how Trump has treated democratic allies. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska called the military honors "a little bit over the top," and John Cornyn of Texas said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea were "pretty clearly" an axis. Several Republicans said they hoped Trump would raise China's help to Iran with Xi. Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker said before the visit that he would have advised against the invitation (see the Taiwan arms-sale story). The summit itself produced little. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a two-month extension of the U.S.-China trade truce as Xi landed. Two pandas are going to the Atlanta zoo, and work continues on a U.S.-China "Board of Trade" for non-sensitive goods. There was no public movement on Taiwan arms sales, on China's support for Iran, or on AI.

“Such a great honor. In May, we had the great privilege of visiting you in Beijing. … From the time of my first election in 2016, President Xi and I have forged a friendship, a truly great friendship. … May all of our people know a future of harmony, peace and success.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 24, 2026

Six Weeks Before the Midterms, the Senate Rejects the House-Passed Resolution to End the Iran War 49-50 — Thom Tillis Joins Paul, Collins and Murkowski, Saying "We've Got to Break the Cycle," While Tim Kaine Says Republicans Have Been "Carrying Water for This Ridiculous and Illegal War"

On Thursday, September 24, 2026, the Senate voted 49-50 against H.Con.Res. 89, the House-passed concurrent resolution directing President Trump to remove U.S. forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress authorizes the war. It was the 14th time the Senate has taken up an Iran war powers measure since the war began on February 28. Because it is a concurrent resolution, the measure would not have gone to the president and would not have had the force of law. The vote was mostly symbolic, but it was one of the Senate's last votes before the November elections. Four Republicans voted yes: Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Thom Tillis of North Carolina. Tillis is retiring, and he said he doesn't usually back "show votes" but wanted to signal that it is time to engage Congress. Democrat John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted no, and Democrat Angela Alsobrooks missed the vote. Together those two votes decided the outcome. The vote came two days after Trump's U.N. speech asking whether to make a deal with Iran "or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic." Diesel prices are above $6 a gallon, and several Republicans who voted no have said publicly that the war needs to end. The White House said Congress cannot force the president to end the campaign this way and that Trump has sufficient authority under Article II. Pentagon figures put the toll at 19 U.S. service members killed and more than 820 wounded, and the cost at about $43.5 billion.

“I think there are a lot of Republican members, yes, obviously. Everybody wants to see wars come to a conclusion. We are hopeful that the administration's efforts will lead to getting … the shipping lanes open and taking some of the pressure off of the American peoples' pocketbooks via a lower price at the pump for gasoline. … It's an economic frustration. That's why again I hope that the administration is laser-focused on trying to get the strait open. [Thune called the Democratic-forced vote "political."]”
John Thune (R-SD) · Sep 24, 2026

Sep 24, 2026· Updated

Trump Nominates White House Aide Heidi Overton to Run the FDA Nine Days After She Helped Write the Childhood Vaccine Order — and the Republican Chairman of the Senate Health Committee Calls That "Almost Disqualifying"

On August 19, 2026, President Trump announced on Truth Social that he was nominating Dr. Heidi Overton — a physician and deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council — as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, filling the vacancy left when Marty Makary was forced out in May after 13 months. Trump called her a "ROCKSTAR" and said she would work with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Mehmet Oz to deliver "faster Cures, increased American Innovation, major Clinical Trial Reforms, lower Drug Prices, and even more MAHA wins." Kennedy said Overton brings "exceptional judgment, professionalism, discipline." Speaker Mike Johnson called her "a woman of deep faith, an accomplished physician and a champion of the America First agenda." The trouble came from her own party's health chairman. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the physician who chairs the Senate HELP Committee and who had already called Trump's August 10 childhood vaccine executive order "a stupid thing to do," said he had "strong concerns" about Overton — citing both her lack of managerial experience and her "active role in last week's nonsensical vaccine executive order," which he said "alone is almost disqualifying." Democrats attacked her record on abortion. Overton has written that abortion is "corrosive" to women and, in a 2023 brief, called the prescribing and mailing of abortion pills across state lines "Skype abortions" and urged the federal government to end the practice. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), a HELP Committee member, called her "a far-right, anti-abortion extremist who has no business leading the FDA" and said she would vote no. With a 53-seat majority, Senate Republicans can lose only three votes. Overton's confirmation runs through Cassidy's committee.

“It's well past time for the FDA to push back against the false claims of mifepristone's alleged safety. … We've got to make sure that she is committed to ending the abortion drugs' availability in the state of Missouri. … I want to get to the bottom of this. I want to be sure that the FDA is not changing its position. I think this could be news to the court.”
Josh Hawley (R-MO) · Sep 24, 2026

Sep 23, 2026· Updated

Fauci Invokes the Fifth More Than 100 Times at Senate COVID Hearing as Rand Paul Moves to Hold Him in Contempt

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination more than 100 times during a roughly three-hour hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on July 29, 2026. Committee Chairman Rand Paul (R-KY), who has referred Fauci to the Justice Department and accuses him of making false statements to Congress and concealing NIH involvement in coronavirus research in Wuhan, called the hearing; Fauci denies the allegations. Fauci's lawyer, David Schertler, described the proceeding as an "obsessive vendetta," and Fauci said the sole purpose was to make him say something that would vindicate Paul's public pledges to put him behind bars. Republicans hold an 8-7 majority on the panel, and several used their time to attack Fauci for declining to answer. Ranking Member Gary Peters (D-MI) called the hearing a partisan exercise. Public health experts warned the episode could have a chilling effect on federal public health staffing. On Tuesday, August 4, 2026, Paul released the text of a contempt resolution against Fauci and scheduled a committee vote for Thursday morning. Paul's position is that Fauci's Fifth Amendment protection no longer applied because of his presidential pardon, and that Fauci waived any remaining privilege by delivering opening testimony — a ruling Paul made from the chair during the hearing before ordering Fauci to answer and warning him about contempt.

“Eight of us are saying let's talk, and Democrats are sitting here like middle schoolers saying no, we don't.”
Bernie Moreno (R-OH) · Sep 23, 2026

Sep 23, 2026· Updated

Trump Demands the Senate Cancel Its August Recess Over the SAVE America Act, Splitting Republicans and Drawing a Rebuff From Thune

President Trump demanded in late July 2026 that the Senate stay in session through its scheduled August recess until it passes the SAVE America Act — his top legislative priority, which would ban mail-in ballots and require identification and proof of citizenship to vote — or else abolish the legislative filibuster. On July 26, Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) publicly objected to any motion to recess until the bill passed, and Sens. Rick Scott (R-FL), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Jim Banks (R-IN) and Katie Britt (R-AL) joined the push over the following days. Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) responded coolly, noting the bill had already failed on the floor multiple times and asking supporters to show him a path to an outcome; he separately rebuffed Trump's calls to eliminate the filibuster, pointing out that Republicans hold only a 53-47 majority and lack the votes for either the bill or a rules change. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), who supports the underlying bill, opposed canceling the recess, saying she did not see a route to 60 votes. Trump said he had not "even thought" about replacing Thune as leader but said Thune had "got to get his job done." The House had already begun its August recess.

“Let's make it easy to vote and let's make it hard to cheat. [Lee said on the Senate floor as he asked unanimous consent to pass the SAVE America Act.]”
Mike Lee (R-UT) · Sep 23, 2026

Sep 18, 2026· Updated

The Senate Passes the Russia and Iran Sanctions Bill 86-11 and Names It for Lindsey Graham a Month After He Died — "This Is a Big Effing Deal," Blumenthal Says, Quoting Graham's Last Words to Him

On August 7, 2026, the Senate passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 by a vote of 86-11, breaking a stalemate that had lasted more than a year and handing the late South Carolina Republican a posthumous version of the bill he had spent years failing to move. The measure imposes primary and secondary sanctions on Russia and the financial network sustaining its war in Ukraine, targeting the "shadow fleet" of shell corporations and repurposed maritime infrastructure along with Russian officials, oligarchs, their family members and financial institutions. It authorizes tariffs of up to 100 percent on the five largest importers of Russian crude and natural gas by volume — in practice China and India — and extends the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996, renewing sanctions on Iran's energy and weapons sectors that were set to lapse at the end of the year. The bill had been blocked for months by the White House's unwillingness to accept binding sanctions authority. It moved only after a bipartisan group — Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Darline Graham Nordone (R-S.C.), Katie Britt (R-Ala.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) — announced an agreement on July 28, seventeen days after Graham died at 71 at his Capitol Hill home. They said there was "no greater way to honor" his legacy. Blumenthal, a co-author, told the floor: "I'm not even going to try to channel my inner Lindsey Graham, except to say, as he said to me in some of his last words, 'This is a big effing deal.'" Graham's sister Darline Graham Nordone — appointed to his seat on Trump's recommendation — said he "believed that this was the most consequential piece of legislation that he had ever led." Not everyone was satisfied. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) forced a vote on an amendment limiting Trump's tariff authority under the bill; it failed 32-64. On the House side, Foreign Affairs ranking member Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) warned that the final text "still contain[s] the broadest possible waiver authority for President Trump, who already has the power to impose these sanctions on Russia under U.S. law but has refused to do so," and Meeks said he opposed "handing President Trump a Trojan horse for tariff authorities he has repeatedly abused." The House is expected to take the bill up when members return from summer break on August 31.

“I wish Lindsey were here to celebrate this historic day. I know he would be so proud.”
Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC) · Sep 18, 2026

Congress Holds Its First Hearing Ever on Menopause — Gillibrand Calls It "Absolutely Disgraceful" That It Took This Long, and Republican Chairman Rick Scott Says "Women Should Not Suffer in Silence"

On September 16, 2026, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first congressional hearing ever devoted to menopause. Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) titled it "Half the Country, Zero Hearings." Witnesses testified on gaps in research funding, the near-absence of menopause training in medical education, and the lasting effects of the 2002 Women's Health Initiative findings on hormone therapy prescribing. Roughly 8 to 10 million American women experience menopausal symptoms each year. Scott and Gillibrand closed the hearing with a joint request to the Government Accountability Office to review how the federal government currently coordinates and funds menopause research and care — a bipartisan ask in a chamber where little else moved that week.

“Women should not suffer in silence. … This hearing is not about a one-size-fits-all solution; it's about ensuring that every woman in this country has access to good information, the right healthcare provider, and treatment options.”
Rick Scott (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

The Same Day the House Clears the Russia Sanctions Bill, Shaheen and Wicker Introduce a Bipartisan Resolution for Russia's Democracy Advocates — "For Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the Courageous Russians Who Carry Their Torch Today"

On September 16, 2026 — the same day the House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 262-159 — Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the US national interest in supporting Russian democracy advocates. The resolution honors Russians imprisoned, exiled or killed for opposing Vladimir Putin's government — Wicker named Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny explicitly — and ties Putin's repression at home to his war abroad. Shaheen argued the invasion of Ukraine was itself rooted in Putin's fear that Russians would want what Ukrainians were building. It is a narrow, symbolic measure, but a notable one: the top Democrat on Foreign Relations and the top Republican on Armed Services jointly rebuking Russia's internal repression, with Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) signing on as co-sponsors.

“My colleague Senator Shaheen and I introduce this resolution for Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the courageous Russians who carry their torch today. Putin casts a repressive shadow over Russia, but these heroes work toward a bright future they cannot yet see. The U.S. Senate honors their efforts and looks forward to the day when Russia is led by and for its people.”
Roger Wicker (R-MS) · Sep 16, 2026

A Sitting Democratic Senator Turns Up on the Screen at the Republican Midterm Convention — John Fetterman Introduces Dave McCormick, Says He Will "Work With President Trump," and Rejects "the Extremes and Socialism," While Three Pennsylvania Democrats Call Him Lazy and a "Benedict Arnold"

On the first night of the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas — September 9, 2026 — a one-minute video played on the arena screens in which Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), filmed standing in front of a steel mill, introduced his Pennsylvania colleague Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) as "a great American and friend." Fetterman said he would "work with President Trump to fight and defend the steel way of life," and rebuked his own party's left flank: "I'm always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life." McCormick took the stage to ask the crowd, "How great is John Fetterman?" No sitting senator of the opposing party had appeared in a party convention program in modern memory, and the video immediately fueled speculation that Fetterman might switch parties. Fetterman issued a statement the next morning insisting he would not: "I'm a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on." Pennsylvania Democrats did not take it well. Rep. Chris Deluzio needled him for phoning it in, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta called him "Benedict Arnold, but lazy," and Rep. Brendan Boyle said the video proved a label he had applied a year earlier.

“I'm a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on.”
John Fetterman (D-PA) · Sep 10, 2026

New Hampshire Sets Up the Senate Race for Jeanne Shaheen's Open Seat — John E. Sununu Wins the Republican Primary Three to One and Says He "Can't Wait to Debate Chris Pappas," and Pappas Wins the Democratic Primary and Says Sununu "Has Thrown His Lot In With Donald Trump"

On September 8, 2026, New Hampshire voters set the November matchup for the U.S. Senate seat Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) is giving up after three terms. Former Sen. John E. Sununu, who held the seat from 2003 to 2009 and carried President Trump's endorsement, won the Republican primary over former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown by roughly 70 percent to 25 percent. Rep. Chris Pappas, the four-term Democrat from the 1st District, won the Democratic primary over Karishma Manzur, a scientist backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, by roughly 62 percent to 36 percent — a wider-than-expected margin for Manzur in a race Pappas had been expected to walk through. Both nominees used their victory speeches to define the other. Sununu told supporters "I can't wait to debate Chris Pappas — anytime, any place," called the congressman "ineffective, partisan, and out of touch with New Hampshire," and said that as senator he would "take a backseat to no one" in standing up for the state and was "not running for any other job." Pappas said "Everywhere I go, I hear the same thing: Life is too damn expensive," tied that to tariffs, expiring health-insurance subsidies and gas and grocery prices, said "Donald Trump thinks all of this is just a hoax," and cast Sununu as the president's "handpicked candidate" who "has thrown his lot in with Donald Trump" and as "a failed politician from the past." Brown conceded to Sununu by phone. Down the ballot, Gov. Kelly Ayotte was renominated with roughly 92 percent and will face Democrat Cinde Warmington, a former executive councilor who ran unopposed. In the open 1st Congressional District that Pappas is leaving, Stefany Shaheen — the retiring senator's daughter — won a nine-way Democratic primary with about 37 percent, edging Marine veteran Maura Sullivan by fewer than 2,000 votes in a race the Associated Press did not call until after midnight; she faces Republican Anthony DiLorenzo. In the 2nd District, Rep. Maggie Goodlander was renominated and faces Republican Lily Tang Williams. The general election is November 3.

“He's not an independent voice for New Hampshire. Chris Pappas has three main qualities: ineffective, partisan, and out of touch with New Hampshire.”
John E. Sununu (R-NH) · Sep 8, 2026

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