Parents of children who died by suicide or self-harmed after talking to AI chatbots urged Congress to take action Tuesday as lawmakers push to pass bills to protect kids online and hold tech companies accountable.
Why it matters: Growing concerns over kids' use of AI chatbots, and the lawsuits that follow, are putting the pressure on Congress to act and companies to rethink how they launch products for young users.
President Trump's $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times — his fifth complaint against a major news company in the past two years — represents a notable shift in conservatives' approach to free speech issues.
Why it matters: For years, conservatives targeted Big Tech firms for alleged censorship, while criticizing newsrooms but mostly avoiding legal action against them.
President Trump on Tuesday extended the deadline for a ban on TikTok again, this time until December,as reports indicated a potential deal with China includes the launch of a new app under U.S. control.
Why it matters: The repeated extensions come despite Congress passing a law just last year, with bipartisan support, to force the app's immediate sale or ban.
If the bizarrely steady pattern for the price of bitcoin holds from the last two Bitcoin Halvings, then the oldest cryptocurrency's final all-time high for this cycle should hit within a month.
Why it matters: That's a gigantic "if," but this is something of a matter of faith among bitcoiners that the halving — the way the network reduces its inflation every four years — ultimately governs how its price ebbs and flows.
Robert Redford, the iconic actor who died Tuesday at 89, left a legacy that stretched beyond movies into environmental activism.
The big picture: Redford, who founded the Sundance Film Festival and pioneered the independent film scene, spent decades sounding the alarm on climate change.
Rap star Cardi B announced dates for a 2026 U.S. tour in tandem with her second studio album, out Friday.
Why it matters: The Little Miss Drama Tour will be the Grammy winner's first tour in six years and first headlining arena run, according to Live Nation.
Bank of America's monthly survey of global fund managers is the most bullish since February, showing the biggest jump in growth expectations among investors since October 2024.
Why it matters: The bulls see a reaccelerating economy as a reason to charge ahead.
YouTube has expanded its likeness detection technology to all creators in the YouTube Partner Program as part of its efforts to address the risks of generative AI.
Why it matters: Creators' businesses are threatened by their likeness being cloned by AI tools without their permission.
The Walt Disney Company, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery on Tuesday filed a joint lawsuit against Chinese AI firm MiniMax, alleging large-scale piracy of their respective studios' copyrighted works.
Why it matters: It's the second major AI lawsuit from the firms this year, suggesting Hollywood is starting to take a more aggressive stance in protecting its intellectual property.
Companies are reacting to pressure from Republican officials and right-wing activists and quickly firing anyone who attempts to justify or minimize the killing of Charlie Kirk — or even criticize the slain conservative activist.
Why it matters: These firings could be legal, lawyers say, but they demonstrate fast-changing norms around free speech that many find troubling.
After years of competing to build the best model for understanding all the world's writing, AI makers are now racing to build models that better understand the physical world.
Why it matters: Robots are one main use, but giving AI an understanding of real-world physics is also key to powering everything from video games to architecture.
OpenAI is developing a "different ChatGPT experience" for teens and plans to use age-prediction technology to help bar kids under 18 from the standard version, the company announced Tuesday.
Why it matters: New research and a handful of lawsuits are raising alarms about ChatGPT's risks to teens' mental health.
AI agent-driven e-commerce could get a boost from a new Google-backed software standard unveiled Tuesday that aims to make chatbot-enabled purchases smoother and more trustworthy.
Why it matters: Industry analysts expect consumers to rapidly embrace buying stuff with the help of AI — but only if they can count on a chatbot doing exactly what they tell it to do.
Shoppers spent more than expected in August: Retail sales rose 0.6%, while the previous month's figures were revised higher, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday.
Why it matters: Consumers continue to open their wallets, despite rocky labor market conditions and higher inflation that has raised concerns about the health of the economy.
Alden Global on Tuesday increased its takeover offer for Dallas Morning News publisher DallasNews to $20 per share, topping a $16.50-per-share proposal from Hearst.
Why it matters: A bidding war for newspapers seems almost as antiquated as print editions (something Alden is pledging to maintain in Dallas).
President Trump on Monday filed a $15 billion defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and four of its reporters, claiming the paper is a "full-throated mouthpiece of the Democrat Party."
Why it matters: Trump frequently sounds off on the Times' coverage of his administration, campaigns, business dealings and legal cases. The suit is an escalation of his long-running feud with the news organization.
President Trump and MAGA spent years lampooning censorship, discrimination against conservatives, and progressive "cancel culture."
Now in power — and riding an outpouring of grief and fury over Charlie Kirk's tragic killing — they're enforcing speech codes to punish ideological opponents.
Why it matters: Backed by the Trump administration, digital vigilantes are demanding arrests, firings and deportations for anti-Kirk posts and remarks.
President Trump's push for companies to report earnings semiannually instead of quarterly could force companies to rethink strategies for engaging retail investors.
Why it matters: Retail traders lack the access to corporate leadership that institutional investors historically enjoy. Fewer earnings reports could make it harder for investor relations teams to keep the retail crowd engaged.
President Trump suggested on Monday that U.S. public companies should not be required to report earnings quarterly, but on a six-month schedule instead, subject to Securities and Exchange Commission approval.
Why it matters: The potential shift could have huge implications for Wall Street, financial markets, traders and companies.
RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia voters are raising questions about data centers and rising electricity rates as the state's November election nears — and energy officials, businesses and others are scurrying to answer them.
Why it matters: With most other states' elections happening a year from now, Virginia is seen as a bellwether of how hot-button political issues will play out nationally.
President Trump's high-profile crackdown on drug advertising could quickly hit a wall due to legal challenges and the changing ways medicines are marketed to the public.
Why it matters: Trump's targeting of misleading direct-to-consumer ads isn't backed by legal authority to actually ban pharmaceutical advertising.
The Canadian founder of a Canada-based direct air capture startup would have preferred to sell to a company there over the U.S. oil producer who ultimately bought it: Texas-based Occidental Petroleum.
Why it matters: The insight, revealed to Axios in an interview that published this week as part of a new episode in the "Shocked" podcast, provides a glimpse into the sometimes-surprising factors at play in major deals.
President Trump was a key booster of a series of grisly TV ads portraying the dangers of fentanyl — commercials that are now drenching the airwaves in several U.S. cities.
Why it matters: A multimillion-dollar campaign by a Trump-aligned group is running the ads in areas hit hard by the fentanyl epidemic — including West Virginia, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. — and is part of the White House's latest anti-drug push.
