Court orders Instagram and Facebook's Meta to pay $567M to address kids' mental health online
A New Mexico court has ordered Instagram and Facebook parent company Meta to pay $567 million to address harms to young people from its platforms. The order came late Thursday in the second phase of a landmark trial that the social media giant lost in March. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said $420 million of the money will be used for treatment services for young people. The rest will go toward awareness and prevention, screening services and other costs over the next five years. Meta said in a statement that it disagreed with the ruling and will appeal it. Meta added that it remains confident in its record of protecting teens online.
US stocks edge lower as oil prices rise and more earnings reports roll in
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks edged lower on Wall Street as oil prices rose and more company earnings reports rolled in. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% Thursday, and was just below the record it reached on Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.1%. Warner Bros. Discovery rose after reporting better-than-expected earnings. Honeywell Aerospace slumped after turning in results that fell well short of forecasts. European markets mostly rose. The price of Brent crude rose nearly 4%. Treasury yields moved higher in the bond market.
FACT FOCUS: Trump boasts about the economy but there's more to the story
President Donald Trump has been highlighting his economic achievements, pointing to record stock market highs and claims of increased hiring, manufacturing, and investment. Some claims are true, while others are exaggerated or unclear. Ahead of the November 3 midterms, voters are frustrated with the economy and high living costs. An AP-NORC poll in late July showed only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy. Meanwhile, 69% described the economy as “poor,” with many citing the cost of essentials like groceries and gas as major stressors.
Meta says its AI model hacked another company, adding to worries about bots going rogue
Meta on Thursday said that one of its artificial intelligence models accessed the internet on its own and hacked another company, the latest in a series of disclosures about AI models going rogue. In recent weeks OpenAI and Anthropic also have described instances of AI models going beyond humans' instructions to access the web and find ways around other companies’ digital security. Meta said in a statement that a “misconfiguration” during cybersecurity testing by Irregular, an independent company hired by Meta, inadvertently allowed one of its models to access the internet. The disclosure has added to worries about AI models acting autonomously.
SpaceX shares rise even as company insiders get a chance to sell for the first time
NEW YORK (AP) — Stock in Elon Musk’s space company rose Thursday even after many SpaceX insiders were freed up to sell for the first time. Investors have dumped SpaceX shares in recent days in anticipation of insiders possibly selling in the first of several lockup expirations. More than 900 million shares became newly available to buy or sell with this latest release, doubling what was available previously. SpaceX stock rose 6% to $114.92 Thursday. A day earlier it had experienced one of the biggest routs in its short history as a public company, dropping nearly 14%.
How extreme heat is changing Americans' lives, according to a new AP-NORC poll
A new AP-NORC poll finds that Americans are increasingly noticing the impact of extreme heat on their lives, and they say much of that shift is happening in the West and Midwest. According to the survey, U.S. adults nationally have become more likely to say extreme heat has had either “a major impact” or “a minor impact” on their travel or vacation plans, electricity bills, their sleep, their family’s outdoor activities and more since 2024. Much of that shift was among people who live in the West or Midwest. At the same time, belief in climate change has declined slightly since last year.
Trump administration's latest buyback of offshore wind leases brings total to nearly $4 billion
An offshore wind company says it's reached a $1.2 billion settlement with the Trump administration to walk away from projects under development off New York, California and Louisiana. This latest agreement brings the total amount spent on such settlements to nearly $4 billion. RWE U.S. Offshore says its leases represented years of planning, investment and partnership with federal agencies. But the company determined there was no path forward to permit the projects for the foreseeable future. President Donald Trump's administration has been buying back offshore wind leases as it seeks to discourage the expansion of wind energy in favor of fossil fuel development.
Why Mexican avocado exports to the US have once again been stopped
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has sent 1,500 more troops to Michoacan after the U.S. suspended avocado inspections due to a threat. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the security increase to resume exports and prevent economic impact. The U.S. consumes over 80% of Mexican avocados, and without inspections, imports stop, affecting prices. Michoacan, a major producer, faces cartel violence, impacting the avocado industry. Previous suspensions were due to violence against U.S. inspectors. The situation usually resolves quickly, but extortion remains a problem. Only Michoacan and Jalisco can export to the U.S., with Jalisco’s volume being smaller.
Why Mexican avocado exports to the US have once again been stopped
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico has sent 1,500 more troops to Michoacan after the U.S. suspended avocado inspections due to a threat. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the security increase to resume exports and prevent economic impact. The U.S. consumes over 80% of Mexican avocados, and without inspections, imports stop, affecting prices. Michoacan, a major producer, faces cartel violence, impacting the avocado industry. Previous suspensions were due to violence against U.S. inspectors. The situation usually resolves quickly, but extortion remains a problem. Only Michoacan and Jalisco can export to the U.S., with Jalisco's volume being smaller.
Europe heat wave puts all major Italian cities on red alert as Austria sets heat record
ROME (AP) — Italy has placed all major cities under the highest heat alert as Europe faces a severe heat wave. This extreme weather has set a national temperature record in Austria, fueled wildfires in France, and disrupted energy and transport systems across the continent. Temperatures have soared above 104 Fahrenheit in several countries, prompting health warnings. Authorities are grappling with the impacts, including drought-related disruptions and wildfires from France to the Balkans. Scientists warn that such events are becoming more frequent due to climate change. The heat wave has exposed vulnerabilities in public health systems and infrastructure.
