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By BERNARD CONDON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Six months after Elon Musk left the Trump administration to the great relief of Tesla investors worried about boycotts, the world’s richest man has announced some good news: Sales of Tesla cars are back.

Well, maybe.

The electrical vehicle maker run by Musk reported Thursday that car sales jumped 7% in the three months through September after plunging for most of the year as people turned off by his embrace of President Donald Trump and far right politicians in Europe balked at buying his cars.

But the jump comes with significant caveat: Tesla benefited from consumers taking advantage of a $7,500 tax credit before it expired on Sept. 30, a surge in buying that helped all EV makers.

In fact, many Tesla rivals saw sales jump more. Fellow EV maker Rivian Automotive reported a 32% increase.

Tesla stock rose sharply on the sales news, but then fell into losses as financial analysts expressed skepticism whether the new number signals a true turnaround given all the anti-Musk backlash. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

NEW YORK (AP) — As uncertainty deepens amid the U.S. government’s first shutdown in almost seven years, the gold frenzy continues to climb to new heights.

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The going price for New York spot gold hit a record $3,858.45 per troy ounce — the standard for measuring precious metals — as of market close Tuesday, ahead of the shutdown beginning overnight. And futures continued to climb on Wednesday, dancing with the $3,900 mark throughout the day.

Gold sales can rise sharply when anxious investors seek “safe havens” for parking their money. Before Wednesday, the asset — and other metals, like silver — have seen wider gains over the last year, particularly with President Donald Trump ‘s barrage of tariffs plunging much of the world into economic uncertainty. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER and PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The government shutdown that began Wednesday will deprive policymakers and investors of economic data vital to their decision-making at a time of unusual uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy.

The absence will be felt almost immediately, as the government’s monthly jobs report scheduled for release Friday will likely be delayed. A weekly report on the number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits — a proxy for layoffs that is typically published on Thursdays — will also be postponed.

If the shutdown is short-lived, it won’t be very disruptive. But if the release of economic data is delayed for several weeks or longer, it could pose challenges, particularly for the Federal Reserve. The Fed is grappling with where to set a key interest rate at a time of conflicting signals, with inflation running above its 2% target and hiring nearly ground to a halt, driving the unemployment rate higher in August. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN

If the future of the internet looks like a constant stream of amusing videos generated by artificial intelligence, then OpenAI just placed its stake in an emerging market.

The company behind ChatGPT released its new Sora social media app on Tuesday, an attempt to draw the attention of eyeballs currently staring at short-form videos on TikTok, YouTube or Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook.

The new iPhone app taps into the appeal of being able to make a video of yourself doing just about anything that can be imagined, in styles ranging from anime to highly realistic.

But a scrolling flood of such videos taking over social media has some worried about “AI slop” that crowds out more authentic human creativity and degrades the information ecosystem.

“These things are so compelling,” said Jose Marichal, a professor of political science at California Lutheran University who studies how AI is restructuring society. “I think what sucks you in is that they’re kind of implausible, but they’re realistic looking.” read more

The Legends Panel at the 2025 IAAPA Expo will feature four members of the Universal Creative team that help mold the new Epic Universe theme park.

“Legends of Epic — The Creators of Universal Epic Universe” will feature Eric Parr, senior vice president, creative studio; Jody Keller, vice president, advanced technology, media and immersive experiences; Steve Blum, executive vice president, engineering and safety; and Katy Pacitti, senior director, executive producer, who was the creative lead for the theme park’s How to Train Your Dragon — Isle of Berk area. The Universal Orlando Resort theme park debuted in May.

The Legends sessions are moderated by Bob Rogers, chairman of BRC Imagination Arts and IAAPA Hall of Famer.  It will be the 23rd Legends Panel at the event, held at Orange County Convention Center.  Previous topics have included the history of Epcot; the making of the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride at Islands of Adventure; and the use of video games in theme parks. read more