What's Happening

US News

Guess Who's Back, Back Again

What's going on: Congress returned to Capitol Hill yesterday after a six-week break (seriously, who do we talk to for that kind of PTO?). Their to-do list is stacked and messy, and some lawmakers are diving right in. Congress released more than 30,000 pages of Epstein-related documents yesterday, though most were already public. A bipartisan pair of lawmakers will join survivors for a press conference today to demand more (new) files be released. Meanwhile, Senate GOP leaders want a short-term funding patch to dodge a Sept. 30 shutdown, while Democrats push for concessions. Republicans are also weighing rule changes to fast-track President Donald Trump’s nominees for key jobs — including a Federal Reserve governor, Bureau of Labor Statistics chair, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director. Welcome back, everyone.

What it means: Keeping the government funded would be a big enough lift for Congress, but Trump is piling on his own demands. He wants lawmakers to extend his 30-day takeover of the DC police past its Sept. 9 expiration — a move Senate Democrats are almost certain to block. Trump also wants Republicans to pull together a sweeping crime bill on the double. Sound vague? Some GOP lawmakers agree. The challenge is whether Congress can finish its must-dos while juggling the priorities Trump keeps layering on. Add the Epstein files hanging over the Hill, and the potential fallout could test support from his base.

Related: Court Blocks Trump From Acting Like a National Police Chief (Politico)

Technology

ChatGPT To Get Mental Health Guardrails

Note: This story contains discussion of suicide.

What's going on: OpenAI announced yesterday that it will roll out some of its new safety guardrails for teens and people in emotional crisis within the next month. The move follows lawsuits and tragic cases linked to its chatbot. Parents of a 16-year-old who died by suicide in April sued the company for wrongful death, saying it’s responsible. The Wall Street Journal reports that a 56-year-old killed his mother and himself after ChatGPT reinforced his paranoid delusions. Currently, the chatbot directs users who appear to need help to crisis hotlines, but doesn’t notify law enforcement. The new plan: Route crisis chats to a more advanced model, incorporate advice from more than 90 doctors, and allow parents to link accounts and receive alerts if their child shows signs of acute distress.

What it means: OpenAI is under pressure to prove it can protect users’ mental health as public trust is tested by these tragedies. Other tech companies face similar scrutiny: Meta now directs teens away from self-harm or suicide chats to expert resources, and states including New York and California are pursuing laws to ensure safeguards. Still, experts warn that AI has limits and should not replace a therapist. A recent study in Psychiatric Services found that three popular AI bots gave mixed responses to crisis questions. The study’s lead author said the changes by OpenAI are encouraging, but he warned against “relying on companies to self-regulate in a space where the risks for teenagers are uniquely high.”

Related: Back-to-School With AI: What Parents Need To Know (CBS News)

Fashion

A New Era for Vogue

What's going on: Chloe Malle is stepping into some iconic shoes. Vogue’s editor-in-chief role, long held by the indomitable Anna Wintour, is now hers. Malle isn’t a stranger to the masthead — she’s been with the magazine for 14 years, runs Vogue.com, and co-hosts The Run-Through, a weekly podcast that mixes fashion and culture. “Fashion and media are both evolving at breakneck speed, and I am so thrilled — and awed — to be part of that,” she said in a Vogue post. She calls herself a “proud nepo baby,” the daughter of actor Candice Bergen (who graced the cover and played the glossy’s top editor on SATC) and the late French director Louis Malle. Sorry, LinkedIn hopefuls — the job may have been posted online over the summer, but this was never going to be an open casting call.

What it means: Wintour may be stepping back, but she’s not hanging up those shades just yet. She’s staying on as Vogue’s global editorial director, which means she’ll still have a hand in shaping the publication behind the scenes. Since she took over in 1988, Wintour turned the magazine into an empire — one that blurred the line between fashion bible and cultural oracle, with influence stretching from runways to the White House. Now, it’s Malle’s turn to keep Vogue relevant in a world where Gen Z gets its style cues from TikTok instead of magazine spreads. Her challenge: Can she make Vogue feel just as essential to the next generation as it did when Wintour ruled the front row?

Related: Jennifer Aniston Revealed Why She Always Skips the Met Gala (Glamour)