California Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered state officials to study whether developers of the most powerful artificial intelligence systems should be required to build an emergency “kill switch” and submit to greater independent oversight, opening the door to another expansion of California’s AI rules.Executive Order N-9-26, signed Friday, directs the... Read More »
Massage therapist Kellye Croft has refiled sexual assault claims against Harvey Weinstein and New York Knicks owner James Dolan in New York state court, bringing back allegations that were previously part of a federal sex trafficking lawsuit dismissed in California.Croft filed the complaint Friday in New York County Supreme Court,... Read More »
Meritage Hospitality Group, one of Wendy’s largest U.S. franchise operators, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after weaker restaurant sales, rising food costs and growing financial pressure across the fast-food chain.The Grand Rapids-based company filed its bankruptcy case Thursday, September 17, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western... Read More »
President Donald Trump said Friday that CNN, MS NOW and Politico are banned from the White House “effective immediately” over coverage he called false, escalating his fight with major news organizations and raising a new question over how far a president can go in restricting White House press access.Trump announced... Read More »
Elijah Blue Allman, the son of Cher and the late Allman Brothers frontman Gregg Allman, has been indicted on a felony criminal mischief charge stemming from an alleged break-in at a New Hampshire home where police say they found him smoking a cigarette while the homeowner hid in a closet.A... Read More »
Starbucks has agreed to settle Florida’s discrimination lawsuit over its diversity policies, with the company committing to refrain from using race- or sex-based quotas or preferences in hiring, promotions and pay under an agreement the state says applies nationwide.Under the agreement announced Thursday, Starbucks will pay $1 million to the... Read More »
A new bill in Congress would lower the federal overtime threshold from 40 hours to 32 hours for covered workers, eventually requiring time-and-a-half pay once they exceed the shorter workweek.Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., introduced the Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act in the House on Sept. 8. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced... Read More »
A federal judge has dismissed a class action accusing L’Oréal USA of failing to warn consumers about benzene allegedly found in certain CeraVe and La Roche-Posay benzoyl peroxide acne products, ruling that federal law preempts the state-law claims.U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in Manhattan held that the claims were barred... Read More »
Cigna won a federal appeals court ruling Thursday blocking an out-of-network medical practice from suing to collect more than $3 million it won through the No Surprises Act’s dispute-resolution process.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal of claims brought by East Coast Advanced Plastic Surgery,... Read More »
A federal judge has ordered President Donald Trump’s administration to give more than 30 days’ written notice before demolishing the Kennedy Center’s main building or making major changes to its renovation plans, one day after Trump said the Washington performing arts venue could be “ripped down.”U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper... Read More »
Sean “Diddy” Combs’ lawyers are asking to walk away from his $100 million defamation lawsuit against NewsNation owner Nexstar Media, telling a federal judge that he has gone more than six months without paying legal fees and that their relationship has suffered a “total breakdown in cooperation and communication.”Combs is... Read More »
A federal judge has given Attorney General Todd Blanche until Sept. 24 to comply with orders over Jeffrey Epstein records, warning that he could face civil contempt if the Justice Department fails to meet the court’s demands.U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan issued the warning Wednesday as he ordered Blanche to... Read More »
Nicki Minaj’s team warned that a $250,000 budget for her “Pink Friday 2” promotional run was “extremely low” and could cost at least twice that amount, according to emails now filed in a lawsuit seeking more than $275,000 in allegedly unpaid production expenses.The November 2023 correspondence has surfaced in the... Read More »
Paramount executives have told California and Los Angeles officials that the company is “deadly serious” about moving its headquarters out of the state as its $110 billion Warner Bros. Discovery merger remains locked in an antitrust fight.Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Attorney General Rob Bonta are among those... Read More »
California is banning AI chatbot toys for children under 16 after safety tests found some products could discuss sexual topics and tell kids where to find knives, pills and matches.Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 867 on Sept. 10, creating a four-year moratorium on the manufacture and sale of covered... Read More »
