Roomba pioneer aims to crack the household market again with an AI-powered pet robot
The robotics pioneer who helped unleash the Roomba vacuum is now betting that you might one day replace your beloved dog or cat with a plush robot that follows you around your home and adapts to your daily habits. Colin Angle unveiled a four-legged prototype of that artificial pet, called a Familiar, on Monday. Imagine a creature the size of a bulldog with doe-like eyes and bear cub ears and paws, extending itself into a greeting stretch that invites you to pat its touch-sensitive fake fur. The lifelike machine, powered by the latest artificial intelligence technology, would not have been possible when Angle co-founded iRobot in 1990.
OpenAI president discloses his stake in the company is worth $30B
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Greg Brockman, OpenAI’s president and CEO Sam Altman’s top lieutenant, disclosed in court Monday that his stake in the artificial intelligence company is worth nearly $30 billion. Brockman, who also said he did not invest in OpenAI, took the witness stand Monday in the landmark trial that centers on the 2015 birth of ChatGPT maker OpenAI as a nonprofit startup primarily funded by Musk before evolving into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.
AP, Washington Post, Reuters and Minnesota Star Tribune among Pulitzer winners for 2025 work
NEW YORK (AP) — The Washington Post won the Pulitzer Prize for public service for scrutinizing the Trump administration’s sweeping, choppy cuts and changes to federal agencies. The Associated Press won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for an investigation into mass surveillance tools and their impact in China. Reuters won the award Monday for reporting on U.S. President Donald Trump’s use of executive power. Spanning three years, thousands of pages of documents and numerous interviews, the AP project found that American companies help lay the foundations of the Chinese government’s system for monitoring and policing its citizens.  Reuters’ work looked at how Trump has used the federal government to expand presidential authority and to try to punish his foes.
Asian shares slip and oil pares gains on Iran war uncertainties
HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks are trading lower, tracking losses on Wall Street after U.S. stocks fell from record highs. Oil prices fell back on Tuesday after jumping the day before as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated. U.S. futures edged higher. Markets in Japan, South Korea and mainland China were closed for holidays. The fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was tested Monday after the U.S. military said it had sank six Iranian small boats targeting civilian ships, while two U.S.-flagged ships successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz. On Monday, the S&P 500 fell 0.4%, down from its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.1% and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite dropped 0.2%.
Associated Press global investigation into government surveillance efforts wins Pulitzer Prize
NEW YORK (AP) — The Associated Press has won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting for stories on the expansion of government surveillance efforts in China and the role that U.S. tech firms played in it. The Pulitzer board recognized AP staffers Dake Kang, Garance Burke, Byron Tau and Aniruddha Ghosal, along with contributor and independent journalist Yael Grauer for what it called “an astonishing global investigation into state-of-the-art tools of mass surveillance." Also included was a story about the expansion of license plate surveillance of drivers in the United States.
Argentina's Milei restores press access to presidency after a ban sparks backlash
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Javier Milei of Argentina has restored press access to his government headquarters. It comes more than a week after his decision to block credentialed reporters from the building triggered backlash from lawmakers and press freedom advocates. Journalists said early Monday that they could enter the Casa Rosada, or Pink House, for the first time since April 23. That was when Milei’s spokesperson announced the closure of the press room used for decades. The ban added to a list of attacks and reprisals against news organizations by Milei, whose hostility toward the press mirrors the aggressive approach of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump.
Actors and studios strike a tentative 4-year deal, easing fears of another Hollywood shutdown
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Television and movie actors have reached a tentative four-year contract agreement with studios and streaming services. The deal must be approved by the board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and ratified by members. If approved, it would prevent a repeat of the 2023 actors strike. The agreement was announced Saturday in a joint statement from SAG-AFTRA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Details will remain private until the union's board reviews them. Key issues included protections against AI for actors and improved residuals. Negotiations took about six weeks.
Shares of eBay take off on a $56 billion buyout bid from GameStop's Ryan Cohen
Shares of eBay are soaring before the opening bell after Ryan Cohen's GameStop announced an attempt to take over the company for about $56 billion, seeing it as a vehicle to compete with online retail giant Amazon. GameStop said that its approximately 1,600 U.S. stores could become drop-off and shipping locations. One proposal includes live sales broadcasts from GameStop locations featuring eBay products. GameStop said that it started accumulating shares in eBay beginning in February and currently has a 5% stake.
Wall Street falls from its records and oil prices jump after fighting flares in the Middle East
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell from their record heights, while oil prices jumped following escalations in the Middle East that may undermine the ceasefire in the war with Iran. The S&P 500 fell 0.4% Monday, coming off its latest all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.1%, and the Nasdaq composite slipped 0.2%. Stocks turned lower after the United Arab Emirates, a U.S. ally, said it came under attack by Iran for the first time since the ceasefire took hold in early April. The attacks appeared to be in response to President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran war has put foreign workers in the Gulf at greater risk while raising the cost of going home
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — The Iran war has made life even more precarious for millions of foreign workers in the Middle East. They have helped build the Gulf Arab states’ modern, oil-fueled economies — with many not fully sharing in their prosperity. At least 28 were killed in missile and drone attacks before a fragile ceasefire took effect in early April. Now they face an even sharper version of a long-standing dilemma, whether to keep working in the Gulf Arab countries, where wages are much higher — hoping that the truce endures — or return home, to their already poor countries where prices have soared because of the conflict.
