The article critiques Anthropic's proposal to embed METR as an independent evaluator of AI safety practices, arguing that METR lacks meaningful independence due to social and institutional ties to Anthropic, is insufficiently staffed, and has no binding authority—making it fundamentally unlike banking regulators and an inadequate check on frontier AI development.
President Trump is pressuring Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh to cut interest rates, escalating tension over Fed independence as inflation remains elevated at 3.4% annually. Trump adviser Kevin Hassett signaled the president will react strongly if the Fed raises rates Wednesday, reviving concerns about political pressure on monetary policy.
Science writer Kevin Bass published a viral thread in September 2026 alleging that METR, a nonprofit conducting safety evaluations for major AI companies, receives funding traced through multiple foundation layers to Anthropic investor Dustin Moskovitz, raising questions about its independence. The claims rely on public IRS filings and SEC records but lack definitive proof of direct funding to METR itself, while METR disputes the allegations and the timing coincides with Anthropic's disclosure of a security incident and METR's launch of an independent investigation.
The US Federal Reserve faces a critical rate-setting meeting this week with markets expecting a 25-basis-point rate hike to combat persistently high inflation at 3.4 percent, well above the Fed's 2 percent target. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh's credibility is being tested as he must decide whether to raise rates despite unprecedented pressure from President Trump and his administration to keep rates low ahead of November's midterm elections. The decision comes after years of elevated inflation driven by tariffs, energy shocks, and economic stimulus.
Psychologist Peter Gray's new book argues that modern childhood in affluent Western countries has become heavily controlled and surveilled, with children over-scheduled, over-supervised, and lacking freedom or unsupervised time. Gray traces how parental oversight and government intervention have intensified over decades, citing statistics showing dramatic declines in children's independent mobility and linking this shift to rising mental-health problems among young people.