A look ahead at the key events leading the news agenda next week, from the team at Foresight News. Delivered to your inbox on Fridays.
Leading the week
Congress is back in earnest next week as the Senate begins voting on appropriations bills on Monday (September 11) and the House returns from recess on Tuesday (September 12) ahead of a looming September 30 deadline to avert a government shutdown. The Senate got started this week, and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been touting the bipartisan approach as the only way forward for House Republicans ahead of their return.
But the GOP faces divisions within the party as well as across the aisle – while Speaker Kevin McCarthy has argued a short-term continuing resolution will be needed to buy the time to push through conservative priorities, Freedom Caucus rebels have said they won’t back a short-term spending bill without hardline language around border control and Justice Department ‘weaponization’. A possible impeachment investigation against President Joe Biden will also be front and center as Republicans return to Washington, with the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz threatening to block spending bills and oust McCarthy as Speaker if an inquiry isn’t on the agenda.
It’s a big week for tech news, kicking off on Tuesday (September 12) with the launch of Apple’s iPhone 15. The ‘Wonderlust’ event is also expected to feature two new Apple Watches and updated AirPods Pro, but the big change will be the end of Apple’s lightning chargers as it moves to the standard USB-C.
Fellow tech giant Google will be having a less positive PR day, as a huge federal antitrust trial gets underway in DC. The case, brought by the Department of Justice and state attorneys general, accuses Google of abusing its monopoly power through agreements with companies like Apple to maintain its position as the default search engine and suppress competition. Alphabet reached a tentative settlement this week in a separate antitrust case in California brought by a coalition of states who accused the company of monopolizing the distribution of apps on Android devices.
While the courts investigate legacy practices, Chuck Schumer is looking to the future as he hosts the first AI Insight Forum on Wednesday (September 13), bringing together big names from the tech industry, civil rights, labor, entertainment and defense research to discuss how Congress should handle artificial intelligence. Attendees at the closed-door summit, which aims to figure out how to balance innovation and safety as the use of AI becomes more widespread, reportedly include Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as well AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who represents the actors’ union SAG-AFTRA.
Looking abroad
Russian President Vladimir Putin will be in Vladivostok on Tuesday (September 12) to give an annual address at the Eastern Economic Forum. While Putin’s speech would normally be closely-watched anyway – last year he railed against ‘brazen, aggressive attempts’ by the West to ‘subordinate’ other countries – this year’s visit includes the possibility of a secretive meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The New York Times reported this week that intelligence officials believe Kim will make a rare trip abroad this month to discuss supplying Russia with weaponry for its war in Ukraine, likely via a train journey to Vladivostok. Since Putin will already be in the far eastern port, all eyes are on the four-day forum, which opens on Sunday (September 10), to see whether the talks materialize.
Israel’s judicial reform will be back in the spotlight on Tuesday (September 12) when the Supreme Court hears challenges to the ‘reasonableness’ legislation that was passed in July despite a months-long protest movement. For the first time ever, all 15 Supreme Court justices will hear the case, which argues that the government’s move to limit the court’s ability to review whether government decisions are ‘reasonable’ will weaken democracy by removing a legal check on the cabinet’s power. Supporters argue that the clause allows the court to override the elected parliament, and a decision to strike down the legislation could set up a constitutional crisis if the government refuses to accept the ruling.