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No, visiting Epcot is not the same as traveling to China or Italy or France, but on some level, the experience of eating and drinking “around the world” is supposed to impart a sense of adventure, to bring back memories of visiting distant nations or inspire the next jaunt abroad.

And so, I’ve long found it interesting that many of the Epcot festivals’ most popular food items, year after year, skew toward the domestic side of the culinary fence.

Epcot Festivals chef Tony Marotta had some sound theories upon hearing my observation.

“[American Adventure] is one of our busiest areas in the park, especially later in the day,” he noted. “It’s where a lot of the entertainment is, so you get the crowd back there.”

True. But although Walt Disney World certainly draws a formidable global audience, most of its visitors are American. And my theory says that most Americans want to eat American.

But also, who doesn’t love a lobster roll?

Pictures: First look at the 2025 Epcot International Food and Wine Festival read more

Meta has removed a Facebook page used to track the presence of immigration agents at the request of the Department of Justice, the company confirmed on Tuesday.

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Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a post on X that “following outreach” from the DOJ, Facebook removed a “large group page” that was being used to target ICE officials.

Meta said in a statement that the group “was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm.”

Meta is the latest tech company to restrict tools used to track ICE agents on its platform. Earlier this month, Apple and Google blocked downloads of phone apps that flag sightings of U.S. immigration agents, just hours after the Trump administration demanded that one particularly popular iPhone app be taken down. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

Beyond Meat’s shares were trading below $1 Tuesday as investors fretted over the company’s plans to cut its debt by issuing more shares.

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  NASA’s JPL to lay off 550 employees in move to create ‘leaner’ workforce

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It was further bad news for the plant-based meat maker, which has been struggling with weak demand for its burgers, sausages, tenders and other products. Beyond Meat’s net revenue was down 15% in the first six months of this year.

El Segundo, California-based Beyond Meat said Monday that most of the holders of its convertible notes had agreed to a plan to help the company reduce its debt load by $800 million and extend the time until that debt matures. read more

By Sybilla Gross, Bloomberg News

Silver prices touched an all-time high above $52.50 an ounce, as a historic short squeeze in London added momentum to a rally that’s been fueled by surging demand for safe-haven assets.

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Spot prices rose as much as 0.4% to $52.5868 an ounce in London, surpassing a peak set in January 1980 on a now-defunct contract overseen by the Chicago Board of Trade — when the billionaire Hunt brothers attempted to corner the market. Gold also climbed to another record high, building on eight straight weeks of gains. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — OpenAI is partnering with Walmart to let shoppers make purchases directly within ChatGPT, furthering the artificial intelligence company’s push to turn its chatbot into a virtual merchant as it seeks to boost revenue.

In an Tuesday announcement, Walmart said the new offering will give customers the option to “simply chat and buy.” That means the retailer’s products would be available through instant checkout in ChatGPT — allowing users to buy anything from meal ingredients or household items, to other goods they might be discussing with the chatbot.

“For many years now, eCommerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses,” Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said in a prepared statement. “That is about to change.”

Sam Altman, cofounder and CEO of OpenAI, added that the partnership would “make everyday purchases a little simpler.”

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Meta removes ICE-tracking Facebook page in Chicago at the request of the Justice Department read more