Axios

Peloton is debuting its first foldable treadmill — also its most affordable one ever — and new AI-powered coaching tools in a deeper push into running.

Why it matters: The fitness brand — which has been struggling to stem a slide in subscribers since its post-pandemic peak — wants to broaden its image beyond its trademark bikes and classes.

Australian space object imagery startup HEO has raised $25 million in Series B funding, Axios is first to report.

Why it matters: The company uses cameras and sensors attached to satellites to take "flyby" images of other satellites and spacecraft in orbit — a technique that it says provides a more complete picture than relying solely on Earth-based tracking.

• That lets space companies and governments see objects in orbit, to help them better understand what's going on with their spacecraft and satellites — or those of adversarial nations.

A handful of specific AI use cases highlight an opportunity for the technology to overcome some of America's widespread skepticism and win broader trust, according to a new Morning Consult poll shared exclusively with Axios.

The big picture: Practical applications that keep people alive, safe and protected from scams could prompt skeptics to reconsider their attitudes.

Anthropic is now pacing to generate more than $100 billion in annual revenue, up 50% from just two months ago, the New York Times reported Friday.

Why it matters: The company's growth is accelerating at almost unfathomable rates as it heads for what could be the largest initial public offering in history.

WASHINGTON — Proposed changes to ease corporate reporting rules and the growing use of AI are fueling a broader debate over what safeguards are needed to maintain trust in the U.S. financial markets, financial reform and regulatory experts said at an Axios event.

Why it matters: Federal regulators, lawmakers and advocates are debating how much oversight is needed — and what form it should take — amid significant deregulation efforts.

Axios' Courtenay Brown spoke with Better Markets co-founder, president and CEO Dennis Kelleher and Public Company Accounting Oversight Board chair Jim Logothetis. The Sept. 16 event was sponsored by the Center for Audit Quality.

What they're saying: Kelleher raised concerns about a proposed Securities and Exchange Commission rule change, which would eliminate quarterly reporting requirements, potentially undermining public confidence in the financial system.

• "I think the implications for investors, markets and our capital system is actually pretty serious, and people should pay attention to it," Kelleher said.
• Logothetis said less-frequent reporting would not be "that big of a deal" for his organization, which oversees auditing of U.S. public companies.

AI's integration across industries, including auditing, still warrants human expertise to effectively use the technology, Logothetis said.

• "An audit is part science and part art," he said, but the art piece "involves professional skepticism, it involves judgment."
• Kelleher called for a "people-centered AI agenda" and warned against pursuing "a profit-maximization AI agenda," criticizing the Trump administration's hands-off approach to AI.

Zoom in: Debate over financial oversight also extends to crypto. The Clarity Act, a bill aimed at establishing a clearer regulatory structure for the sector, failed to advance in a procedural Senate vote this week.

• Kelleher, who has criticized the legislation backed by President Trump and the crypto industry, said the sector requires more robust guardrails, "not phony regulation, which is what the industry is proposing."

Content from the sponsor's segment:

During a View From the Top conversation, president and CEO of the American Institute of CPAs Mark Koziel said using AI in auditing requires another layer of human oversight to ensure accuracy and public trust.

• "We could trust AI to a degree, but that verification will always still need to take place," Koziel said.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a presumptive presidential candidate, is getting louder on AI, releasing an executive order amid the Washington stalemate.

Why it matters: Democrats with national profiles this week are seizing on AI alarm, making their positions clear and Newsom – despite some deference shown to other 2028 contender Kamala Harris – wasn't going to sit this one out.

About 25% of Americans don't think measles vaccines for children are safe, according to new polling.

Why it matters: The U.S. is experiencing its highest number of measles cases in decades as childhood vaccination rates decline and Trump administration officials continue to cast doubt on vaccine safety.

White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles announced Wednesday she is cancer free.

The big picture: Wiles, President Trump's most trusted adviser, announced in March that she had early stage breast cancer, but planned to stay on the job as she sought treatment.

The U.S. is open to discussing shared risks with China in upcoming AI talks this weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Axios.

Why it matters: The Trump administration has flatly rejected calls from industry to pace or slow down the development of AI, citing a fierce race against China.

Curing disease is one of AI's most tantalizing use cases, fetching billions of VC dollars, but thus far it's generated more excitement than evidence.

• That's the thrust of a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, which calls the clinical impact of AI "disappointingly limited."

The big picture: The researchers find that while AI has gotten good at identifying drug candidates, it hasn't done much to prove those predictions will survive the complexity of human biology.