How Elon Musk’s crusade against government could benefit Tesla
By KIMBERLY KINDY and BRIAN SLODYSKO
WASHINGTON (AP) — Elon Musk has long railed against the U.S. government, saying a crushing number of federal investigations and safety programs have stymied Tesla, his electric car company, and its efforts to create fleets of robotaxis and other self-driving automobiles.
Bayer backs broadened effort to shield popular weedkiller from claims it failed to warn of cancer
By HANNAH FINGERHUT and DAVID A. LIEB
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A renewed and expanded effort from chemical giant Bayer to shield itself from lawsuits that claim its popular weedkiller Roundup causes cancer brought dozens of protesters to the Iowa Capitol building Monday begging lawmakers to reject it.
Elon Musk-led group proposes buying OpenAI for $97 billion. OpenAI CEO says ‘no thank you’
By MATT O’BRIEN, AP Technology Writer
A group of investors led by Elon Musk is offering about $97.4 billion to buy OpenAI, escalating a legal dispute with the artificial intelligence company that Musk helped found.
First homes and weddings have never been more expensive — here’s how to afford both
By Taylor Getler, NerdWallet
Weddings and homeownership are two major goals for many couples, but affording both takes years of careful saving and planning. In 2024, the median age at first marriage was 28 for women and 30 for men, according to U.S. Census data. Yet the National Association of Realtors reports that the median age of first-time home buyers in 2024 was 38. Picture a typical American couple waiting nearly a decade after marriage to become homeowners.
If you’re recently engaged, following these do’s and don’ts could help you dramatically shorten the timeframe for reaching your homebuying dreams.
Do: Ask for donations to a house fund instead of gifts
Judy Buchman and David Shpitalnik of the Bronx, New York, chose this strategy and were able to fund almost half of their down payment with wedding gift money.
Using the wedding planning platform The Knot, the couple registered for a new home cash fund that allowed guests to give any amount. “We are so lucky to have a lot of our small kitchen appliances and other materialistic things already … so we really just wanted to set up a nice foundation for our future home.”
Star sighting: Vincent Tong, voice of Kai, at Legoland Florida
Vincent Tong, the voice actor who brings Kai to life in the “Lego Ninjago” TV series, visited Legoland Florida during the Winter Haven theme park’s Lego Ninjago Weekends event.
Tong was involved with exclusive meet-and-greets and held a special School of Spinjitzu class in the attraction’s Ninjago Land. He also took a spin on Ninjago the Ride.
Tong has participated in 84 episodes of “Ninjago” since 2019. Kai is the series’ ninja of fire and is accordingly considered hot-headed. The character is topped by brown, spikey, flame-like hair.
Tong has also been in 35 episodes of “Lego DreamZzz” as Logan plus given voice to Jack in “Polly Pocket,” as Steve Lombard in “My Adventures With Superman” and as Huckleberry Pie in “Strawberry Shortcake” productions. His live-action self can be see as Levi in “An Unexpected Valentine” on Hallmark Channel.
Lego Ninjago Weekends includes big collaborative builds, “Lloyd’s Elemental Challenge,” the new Thunderfang Scavenger Hunt, the Whip Around Dance Party, character interactions with Master Wu, Kai, Sora, Zane, Lloyd and others. This year’s version of the event wraps up with sessions this Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The activities are included with regular Legoland Florida admission.