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By MATT O’BRIEN and BARBARA ORTUTAY

A federal judge on Wednesday sided with Facebook parent Meta Platforms in dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit from a group of authors who accused the company of stealing their works to train its artificial intelligence technology.

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  Asked on Reddit: Should I repair or replace my broken appliance?

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The ruling from U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabri was the second in a week from San Francisco’s federal court to dismiss major copyright claims from book authors against the rapidly developing AI industry.

Chhabri found that 13 authors who sued Meta “made the wrong arguments” and tossed the case. But the judge also said that the ruling is limited to the authors in the case and does not mean that Meta’s use of copyrighted materials is lawful. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Nestle said Wednesday it will eliminate artificial colors from its U.S. food and beverages by the middle of 2026.

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It’s the latest big food company making that pledge. Last week, Kraft Heinz and General Mills said they would remove artificial dyes from their U.S. products by 2027. General Mills also said it plans to remove artificial dyes from its U.S. cereals and from all foods served in K-12 schools by the middle of 2026.

The move has broad support. About two-thirds of Americans favor restricting or reformulating processed foods to remove ingredients like added sugar or dyes, according to an AP-NORC poll. Both California and West Virginia have recently banned artificial dyes in foods served in schools. read more

By ALEX VEIGA

The head of the federal government agency that oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac wants the mortgage giants to consider accepting a homebuyer’s cryptocurrency holdings in their criteria for buying mortgages from banks.

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William Pulte, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, which oversees Fannie and Freddie, ordered the agencies Wednesday to prepare a proposal for consideration of crypto as an asset for reserves when they assess risks in single-family home loans.

Pulte also instructed the agencies that their mortgage risk assessments should not require cryptocurrency assets to be converted to U.S. dollars. And only crypto assets that “can be evidenced and stored on a U.S.-regulated centralized exchange subject to all applicable laws” are to be considered by the agencies in their proposal, Pulte wrote in a written order, effective immediately. read more

Recently, a Reddit user asked: How do you decide whether to repair or replace a broken appliance?

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The user’s decade-old induction range wasn’t working properly, but replacing it would be expensive. Still, they liked the range and it fit perfectly in their home, so they were hesitant to buy a new one.

Reddit users suggested finding the repair manual, researching a DIY solution and seeking out a factory-authorized repair person.

Here’s what home and appliance experts recommend if you find yourself in a similar situation:

1. Try a low-cost fix

Sometimes the owner’s manual contains troubleshooting tips that lead to a quicker-than-expected fix, says Keith Flamer, home and appliances writer at Consumer Reports. read more

Grocery giant Kroger revealed during its first-quarter earnings call this month that it will shut down about 60 underperforming stores over the next 18 months. At the same time, the company intends to open new locations throughout this year and the next.

“We’re simplifying our business and reviewing areas that will not be meaningful to our future growth. Unfortunately, today, not all of our stores are delivering the sustainable results we need,” said Kroger Chairman and Interim CEO Ronald Sargent in the June 20 earnings call.

“We don’t take these decisions lightly, but this will make the company more efficient, and Kroger will offer roles in other stores to all associates currently employed at affected stores.”

The specific stores targeted for closure have not been officially confirmed.

Kroger is the parent company to King Soopers and City Market. King Soopers has 120 grocery stores in 37 cities in the state, while City Market has 32 grocery stores in 27 cities, according to their websites. read more