Florida AG Rejects Meta Settlement but Takes $1.2M From Deloitte Over DEI
Florida’s attorney general this week rejected the $18 billion settlement with Meta, calling it too soft on the social media giant formerly known as Facebook. Florida will pursue its own litigation against Meta. “The payouts to the states are peanuts …
Auto and Home Insurance Consumers Getting Used to Using AI: JD Power
“Just as we’ve seen with the internet and mobile apps, AI is rapidly becoming a critical conduit to key policy shopping, research and account management decisions among auto and home insurance customers,” said Tony Soloman, director, insurance intelligence at JD …
Meta Settlement Opens New Front in Global Fight Over Social Media Harm
Meta’s move to restrict teenagers’ use of social media in the U.S. shows companies have tools to better protect young people online, Australian officials said on Thursday, while in the Philippines, an official said the U.S. company had pledged to …
Romania Probes Cause of Black Sea Cargo Ship Sinking
A merchant ship caught fire and sank off the coast of Romania in the Black Sea on Thursday evening, likely after being hit, Romanian President Nicusor Dan and authorities said. The Romanian Border Police on Friday confirmed the fire on …
War in Iran Continues to Drive Interest in Renewables
Six months after US-Israeli strikes disrupted Middle Eastern fossil fuel production and turned the Strait of Hormuz into a naval battleground, the world is getting a fuller picture of how the Iran war has reshaped the economics of energy. A …
Police Reports Undercount Cellphone Use Before Crashes: Study
A new study drawing on telematics data confirms that far more drivers are using cellphones in the lead-up to crashes than is reflected in police reports, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The data, derived from driver-enrolled safe-driving …
OpenAI, Anthropic Urge Cyber Defense Action as AI Models Improve
Artificial intelligence companies OpenAI and Anthropic PBC, along with more than 100 other tech and financial services organizations, warned that businesses and governments must do more to prepare for and defend against AI-enabled hacks. In an open letter Thursday, the …
Kalshi Weather Odds Are Coming to a Weather App Near You
Kalshi Inc. has entered a partnership with The Weather Company to bolster the data it uses to settle contracts in rapidly growing weather and climate prediction markets. The prediction platform is seeking to establish market-implied probabilities as another source of …
Researchers Discover Additional Backdoors in Chinese-Made Zbtlink Routers
More than a dozen models of Chinese-made Zbtlink routers ship with at least two backdoors that could allow for invasive remote access akin to “surveillance,” according to new findings from cybersecurity firm VulnCheck. The two new backdoors — dubbed “Darklantern” …
China Flexes its Auto-Safety Chops With Huge Recall of Tesla, Other Cars
A huge recall in China last week aims to address a long-standing fear of EV owners: potentially being trapped in their cars when the power fails. It also highlights how Beijing is now spearheading new auto safety standards for some …
Delaware Helps Firms Pay for Insurance, Trade Shows, Travel to Grow Exports
Many small business wanting to grow by selling to customers in other countries learn the costs for trade shows, international travel, insurance, and market research can be an obstacle. Delaware has a program — The Compass Grant— that helps cover …
US Widens Lettuce-Related Cyclosporiasis Probe to 20 States
U.S. health authorities have widened their probe into a cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to iceberg lettuce from central Mexico after detecting cases in three additional states, raising the total to 20 states, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers …
Analysis: Meta’s Social Media Settlement Leaves Its Money Machine Unscathed
Meta Platforms emerged from its biggest legal challenge in the U.S. with its core business intact. The social media giant agreed on Wednesday to pay as much as $18 billion over a decade and limit how teenagers use Facebook and …
LA Fire Zone Set to Get $3 Million Homes Funded by Muni Bonds
More than a year after wildfires devastated Pacific Palisades, a nonprofit is advancing a plan to tap the public debt market to create housing in the slow-to-recover Los Angeles wealthy enclave. Uplifters Foundation plans to build new $3 million houses …
Court Approves Bank of America’s $72.5 Million Settlement With Epstein Accusers
A federal judge said on Thursday he would grant final approval to Bank of America’s $72.5 million class-action settlement with women who accused the second-largest U.S. bank of facilitating their sexual abuse by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District …
DOJ to Challenge Dismissal of Harvard Civil Rights Suit
The Trump administration told a federal judge it will challenge the dismissal of its lawsuit against Harvard University alleging that the school violated civil rights laws by failing to protect Jewish and Israeli students after the October 2023 attack by …
NY City Mayor Mamdani Assembles Executive Panel to Smooth Ties With Business
More than a dozen corporate executives have been recruited by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to serve on a new business advisory council, as the democratic socialist leader seeks to improve his relations with a business community wary of …
Owner of Home on Fire Stole First Responder’s Rescue Truck: Police
A New Hampshire man faces multiple charges after police say he stole a rescue truck from one of the first responder agencies responding to his burning home in Dalton. At approximately 3:50 a.m. on August 25, State Troopers were responding …
Mercury Insurance Founder Joseph Dies at Age 104
George Joseph, who founded Mercury General Corp. nearly 65 years ago, has died at age 104, the company announced this week. Joseph served as chairman from the company’s founding and led Mercury as CEO for 45 years, ending his time …
Buc-ee’s Faces Backlash in Ohio Over Logo Lawsuit with Mini Mart
A lip-licking alligator, a smiling moose and a hat-wearing bear are among the many cartoon animals to have found themselves in the crosshairs of Buc-ee’s, the popular Texas convenience store chain that has a penchant for protecting its buck-toothed beaver. …

