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Nvidia leads the US stock market higher

Nvidia leads the US stock market higher

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By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market ticked higher on Wednesday, led by its most influential stock, Nvidia.

The S&P 500 rose 0.6% and pulled a bit closer to its all-time high set late last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 129 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.8%.

Nvidia helped lift the market and climbed 1.6% after Meta Platforms announced a long-term partnership where it will use millions of chips and other equipment from Nvidia for its artificial-intelligence data centers.

“No one deploys AI at Meta’s scale,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said. Because his company is the most valuable on Wall Street, Nvidia’s stock was the single most powerful force pulling the S&P 500 higher.

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Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids’ Instagram use in social media trial

Mark Zuckerberg quizzed on kids’ Instagram use in social media trial

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By KAITLYN HUAMANI and BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Mark Zuckerberg and opposing lawyers dueled in a Los Angeles courtroom on Wednesday, where the Meta CEO answered questions about young people’s use of Instagram, his congressional testimony and internal advice he’s received about being “authentic” and not “robotic.”

Zuckerberg’s testimony is part of an unprecedented social media trial that questions whether Meta’s platforms deliberately addict and harm children.

As of early afternoon, Zuckerberg has not directly answered the central question of the case: whether Instagram is addictive. The plaintiff’s attorney, Mark Lanier, asked if people tend to use something more if it’s addictive.

“I’m not sure what to say to that,” Zuckerberg said. “I don’t think that applies here.”

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over... Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over... Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun) Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case. Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case. Adam Mosseri, CEO of Instagram, arrives in court to testify in a landmark social media case that seeks to hold tech companies responsible for harms to children, Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

1 of 4 Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for a landmark trial over whether social media platforms deliberately addict and harm children, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

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Attorneys representing the plaintiff, a now 20-year-old woman identified by the initials KGM, claim her early use of social media addicted her to the technology and exacerbated depression and suicidal thoughts. Meta Platforms and Google’s YouTube are the two remaining defendants in the case, which TikTok and Snap have settled. read more

Disney World: ‘Frozen’ ride updates, seadragons arrive at Epcot

Disney World: ‘Frozen’ ride updates, seadragons arrive at Epcot

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Elsa and Anna have had work done. Kristoff, too. It’s fun to say and pretty accurate, too, as animatronics within Epcot’s Frozen Ever After ride have been upgraded.

It’s all from the neck up on the figures, and most observers are giving thumbs up to the projects.

Imagineers say the figures now have a more lifelike articulated head with silicone skin. Previously, the faces were created with projections. It was a look they had had since the ride — a revamp of Maelstrom — opened in 2016. Disney says technology has improved in that time.

So if you’re a science hater, you might go look these royals in the eye now. I would say they’re less … ghostly now.

A decade ago, it seemed fresh and modern.

“Their faces are clean, crisp-looking and perfectly animated,” I wrote in a recap in 2016. “Disney fans have seen this look on gem-mining workers at the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train ride in Magic Kingdom.”

Also noted was the dramatic combination of music, backward motion, visual effects and Elsa arm-ography during “Let It Go,” which remains a highlight. read more

Orlando’s final International Builders’ showcase is ‘the house that light built’

Orlando’s final International Builders’ showcase is ‘the house that light built’

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For all the glass, all the concrete, the giant slabs of stone, the car elevator, the most memorable and impactful feature of the 2026 New American Home is its celebration of light.

And that was intentional. It’s why owner Jason Eichenholz calls it “The House that Light Built.”

This is the first time the National Association of Homebuilders has selected a private residence as its showcase for the International Builders’ Show, which runs Feb. 17-20.  Eichenholz, founder and CEO of Relativity Networks, commissioned the design and collaborated with architect Michael Wenrich and Alair Homes Orlando to bring the vision to reality.

More than 5,000 visitors will tour The New American Home this week during the International Builders Show in Orlando. The 16,612-square-foot showcase was built by Alair Homes Orlando. (Courtesy of NAHB/Photo Ian Roth Photography)
More than 5,000 visitors will tour The New American Home this week during the International Builders Show in Orlando. The 16,612-square-foot showcase was built by Alair Homes Orlando. (Courtesy of NAHB/Photo Ian Roth Photography)

“The reason it’s the house that light built is I’ve spent the last 30 years of my career doing science, engineering, and commercialization of light-based products: spectrometers on Mars, or measuring things at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, or cancer detection systems, or lidar for self-driving cars,” Eichenholz told GrowthSpotter. “And now, the next generation of telecommunications and hollow core fiber in my newest company, Relativity. So, that’s what we’ve done. That’s what I’ve done professionally, and that’s how I’m able to build the house that we have today.” read more

Used EVs under $25,000 propel sales even as new models languish

Used EVs under $25,000 propel sales even as new models languish

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By Kyle Stock, Bloomberg News

Traffic may have dried up at EV dealerships after the end of federal purchase incentives, but sales of used electric cars and trucks have only accelerated.

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Almost 89,000 used EVs changed hands in the last three months of 2025, up 13.5% from a year earlier, according to Cox Automotive. What’s more, the inventory of used electric machines is turning over in about 50 days, slightly faster than for gas-powered cars. By contrast, sales of new EVs fell 36% in the fourth quarter of last year.

“The buzz word for the year is ‘affordability’ for a really good reason,” said Liz Najman, director of market insights at Recurrent, which provides range estimates and other EV-centric data to car dealers and shoppers. “You can get a two or three-year-old EV for 50% off and you’re talking about something with a lot of technology and a warranty on the battery.” read more