New Mexico jury says Meta harms children's mental health and safety, violating state law
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A New Mexico jury finds that social media conglomerate Meta is harmful to children’s mental health and in violation of state consumer protection law. The jury announced its verdict Tuesday as another jury deliberates a similar case in California against Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. State prosecutors said Meta prioritized profits over safety in violation of the state’s Unfair Practices Act and failed to adequately monitor the platforms for child sexual exploitation. Attorneys for Meta say company discloses risks and makes efforts to weed out harmful content and experiences, but that some bad material gets through its safety net. A Meta spokesperson says the company will appeal.
Chances of a Federal Reserve rate cut fade as inflation worsens
WASHINGTON (AP) — The jump in gas prices stemming from the war in Iran has had another impact that may also affect many Americans’ finances: Higher interest rates. Longer-term interest rates have risen quickly since the war began Feb. 28, pushing up the cost of mortgage loans, auto loans, and business borrowing. And with inflation measures likely to rise in the coming months, the prospect of interest rate cuts this year by the Federal Reserve is fading. Wall Street investors instead see the odds rising of an actual rate hike instead.
Oil falls more than 5% and Asian shares gain over Trump's talk of negotiations with Iran
HONG KONG (AP) — Oil prices have fallen more than 5% and Asian shares have gained over possibilities of a de-escalation of the Iran war and negotiations between the U.S. and Iran. Brent crude, the international standard, has dropped 5.9% to around $94 per barrel. President Donald Trump’s claims of progress being made from talks with Iran this week and his postponement of a deadline to “obliterate” Iran’s power plants have fueled optimism that an end to the Iran war could come soon. On Wall Street, the S&P 500 lost 0.4% Tuesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged down 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% lower.
Prosecutor conceded lack of criminal evidence in Federal Reserve investigation, transcript shows
WASHINGTON (AP) — Newly released court records indicate the Justice Department's investigation of a $2.5 billion renovation project at the Federal Reserve didn’t find any evidence of a crime before a judge quashed government subpoenas, dealing a severe blow to the probe. During a closed-door hearing on March 3, Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Massucco couldn't point to any evidence of fraud or criminal misconduct stemming from Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony about the renovation project. Eight days later, Chief Judge James Boasberg quashed government subpoenas issued to the Federal Reserve. The exchange between the prosecutor and the judge is contained in a transcript for the hearing, which was sealed from the public.
It's a bad time to hunt for new jobs, most US workers say in new Gallup poll
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new Gallup survey finds that Americans’ outlook on the job market is increasingly pessimistic. The negative shift may seem incongruous with the low unemployment rate, but the findings likely reflect an ongoing hiring drought. Just 28% of workers in a quarterly Gallup survey conducted in the last part of 2025 said now is a “good time” to find a job, with 72% saying it is a bad time. Those figures are a sharp reversal from just a few years ago, in mid-2022, when 70% said it was a good time. Pessimism is especially pronounced among young people and college graduates.
OpenAI pulls the plug on Sora, the viral AI video app that sparked deepfake concerns
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI is shutting down its social media app Sora, which went viral last fall as a place to share short-form videos generated by artificial intelligence but also raised alarms in Hollywood and elsewhere. OpenAI said in a brief social media message Tuesday that it was “saying goodbye to the Sora app” and that it would share more soon about how to preserve what users already created on the app. The company behind ChatGPT released Sora in September as an attempt to capture the attention, and potentially advertising dollars, that follow short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube or Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook.
FDA flags misleading claims for cancer drug by biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health officials have issued a warning about controversial statements made by biotech billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong about one of his company's cancer drugs. Soon-Shiong recently told a podcast host that his company’s bladder cancer drug may be able to treat, cure or prevent other forms of cancers. The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to the company ImmunityBio, calling the comments false and misleading. The company's stock fell more than 21% after the news. The injectable drug is approved for patients with a hard-to-treat form of bladder cancer. But Soon-Shiong described it as a “cancer vaccine” that “could cure cancer.” The FDA says that's false and misleading.
Small comforts fade and big worries grow as fuel prices surge globally
People around the world are cutting back on spending as high gas prices stretch household budgets. From Argentina to Germany to the Philippines, drivers say rising fuel costs are forcing them to give up everyday comforts — from weekend outings to even a nightly beer. The spike is tied to the war in Iran, now in its 24th day, which has disrupted oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz. Even though global oil prices fell Monday on hopes for a breakthrough in the conflict, no relief has materialized yet at the pump. Motorists around the world say they're cutting whatever costs they can while warily eyeing what might happen if the war drags on.
Judge questions Pentagon's motives for labeling Anthropic as a security threat in battle over AI
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge weighing the merits of the Pentagon’s designation of rising Silicon Valley star Anthropic as a security threat repeatedly questioned the government’s reasons for vilifying the company following a dispute over how its artificial intelligence technology can be used in war. During a 90-minute hearing, Judge Rita Lin probed into why President Donald Trump’s administration took the extraordinary step of labeling Anthropic as a supply chain risk after balking at the company’s attempt to prevent its AI technology from being deployed in fully autonomous weapons or surveillance of Americans. The judge indicated she will rule on Anthropic's request for an order reversing the Pentagon's actions by the end of the week.
A media-rating company says a Trump agency is threatening its livelihood
A company that evaluates news outlets and websites to see which produce reliable journalism says it's under attack by the Trump administration. NewsGuard has sued the Federal Trade Commission over an agency investigation that the company says is threatening its livelihood. NewsGuard's ratings system is used to help advertisers and artificial intelligence companies decide which news sites they can trust with their business. Conservative groups and the television network Newsmax says the ratings system is trying to censor conservative thought. The FTC says its investigation of NewsGuard is part of a broader effort to see whether advertiser boycotts violate antitrust laws.
