Anthropic races toward a Wall Street debut with a confidential SEC filing
Artificial intelligence company Anthropic is moving toward going public on Wall Street, the latest chapter in its meteoric rise from a little-known research laboratory to one of the leading AI companies valued at $965 billion. Anthropic said Monday it has submitted a confidential filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Anthropic said last week it had raised $65 billion in private funding that will push its valuation to $965 billion, a whopping number that makes the five-year-old maker of the Claude chatbot one of the world’s most valuable startups.
Florida sues OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming company concealed serious risks of ChatGPT
MIAMI (AP) — The state of Florida has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and CEO Sam Altman, claiming the company knowingly released and aggressively marketed ChatGPT to the public while concealing serious risks. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Monday that the company suppressed internal safety warnings and deceived users about the true nature and dangers of the product. The lawsuit mentioned two recent criminal cases in which the suspects allegedly used OpenAI to plan the attacks. OpenAI says its models repeatedly encouraged the individuals to seek real-world support, including from mental health professionals. The company also says it has cooperated with law enforcement in both cases.
Trump is facing a new inflation warning from the bond market, adding to his midterm challenges
WASHINGTON (AP) — The world is getting more uptight about lending money to President Donald Trump’s government. The energy price spike triggered by the Iran war has seeped into the price of bonds that help fund the U.S. government. That's caused interest rates to climb in ways that are worsening affordability pressures, creating a new risk for Republicans in November’s elections. Trump says a task force on fraud could find enough savings to balance the budget. Economists say that's probably unrealistic because of the magnitude of the deficit. Voters are concerned about high food and gas prices. Higher interest rates make it harder to buy or renovate a home, afford a new car or manage credit card debt.
Jerome Powell uses JFK award speech to warn against political pressure on Fed, courts and schools
BOSTON (AP) — Former Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to deliver a broad defense of independent institutions while accepting the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in Boston. Powell, who frequently clashed with President Donald Trump during his eight years leading the central bank, warned against political interference in monetary policy and described the Federal Reserve’s independence as a “priceless asset.” He also defended universities, courts and Congress as pillars of democracy. The award also honored residents of Minnesota’s Twin Cities for their actions during a federal immigration crackdown that led to thousands of arrests and two deaths.
Nvidia bets on AI personal computers with new 'superchip' powering Windows laptops
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Nvidia has unveiled powerful new chips to bring advanced artificial intelligence to Windows laptops and desktops. These superchips will be powering new personal computer models from brands like Microsoft and Dell, and are set to roll out in the fall of this year, according to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Huang spoke at the annual Nvidia GTC conference in Taipei on Monday. Nvidia and Microsoft are aiming to reinvent the personal computer, he said, and the new laptops and desktops will be able to run AI agents locally. Analysts say Nvidia's move could revolutionize the PC market, drive AI applications at home, and offer more choices for consumers.
Pentagon bars journalists from its press office, saying it has become a 'classified space'
NEW YORK (AP) — The Defense Department has declared its press office a classified space, barring journalists from entry. It was yet another move restricting journalists' access to Pentagon officials. Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez confirmed the move on X, stating it was due to speechwriters handling classified material in the space. Valdez emphasized there was "nothing controversial" about the decision. This change comes amid rising tensions between the U.S. media and the second Trump administration. Last October, many reporters turned in access badges over new restrictions. The New York Times has sued the Defense Department twice, arguing these restrictions violate the First Amendment.
Scott Pelley of '60 Minutes' accuses CBS News head Bari Weiss of 'murdering' the show, report says
NEW YORK (AP) — Reports say Scott Pelley has accused CBS head Bari Weiss of "murdering" the hugely successful “60 Minutes.” The longtime correspondent made the remarks during a tense meeting with the newsmagazine's staff and new producer Nick Bilton. The Status website reports that Pelley grilled Bilton about the firings last week of Bilton's predecessor Tanya Simon, and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Pelley reportedly also told Bilton, a former technology journalist, that he had slender qualifications for his job. Weiss, a polarizing figure, has called for a "new approach" to keep the show thriving. She did not attend the meeting.
Iran war forces farmers to seek fertilizer alternatives from cow dung to compost
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Governments around the world are being pressed to find and support alternatives to reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers as the Iran war drives up prices. The Gulf region produces 30% of globally traded chemical fertilizer. That’s caused concerns about food supply. Experts say the shift away from chemical fertilizer could benefit the environment since its production and use cause significant global greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change. In Senegal, farmer Abou Sow has turned to organic compost. In Brazil and India, farmers are exploring biofertilizers and natural farming. But there are challenges including in scaling up availability.
Oil prices rise, but not by enough to keep Wall Street from more records
NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices rose following the latest fighting to threaten the U.S.-Iran ceasefire, but Wall Street isn’t very worried, and U.S. stocks ticked to more records. The S&P 500 added 0.3% Monday to its prior all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.4% to likewise set records. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose more than 4%, which pushed up Treasury yields and hurt companies with big fuel bills. But strong profit reports from U.S. companies and continued strength for big technology stocks kept Wall Street's momentum going.
More Mandelson files released in UK bring bad news for Starmer, but many questions remain unanswered
LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces more embarrassment with the release of files about former U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson. The documents were published Monday. They run to more than 1,500 pages and include emails and texts. A handwritten note from Mandelson pledged that the government would “never regret” giving him the job. Mandelson was a friend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson was fired as U.K. ambassador to the United States after nine months. Fallout from the appointment has left Starmer fighting for his job. Critics say the decision to give Mandelson the key diplomatic job shows poor judgment by Starmer who is under pressure to resign.
