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This Fall, Hollywood Tries to Balance Box Office With the Ballot Box - Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus.

Three weeks after the U.S. presidential election in November, Ridley Scott will present his latest big-screen opus. “Gladiator II” returns the prodigious filmmaker to ancient Rome for a story about a power, the survival of Rome and the fate of democracy.“Hopefully,” Scott says, “it will be a good omen.” This fall, Hollywood will be trying — with everything from swaggering historical epics like “Gladiator II” to the high-seas adventure of “Moana 2” — to capture the nation’s attention at a time when much of it will be directed at the polls.

Music

ON THE BEAT WITH NEW FEATURES AND FRESH COMPETITION

CALIFORNIA LAWMAKERS APPROVE LEGISLATION TO BAN DEEPFAKES, PROTECT WORKERS AND REGULATE AI

California lawmakers approved a host of proposals this week aiming to regulate the artificial intelligence industry, combat deepfakes and protect workers from exploitation by the rapidly evolving technology.

YOU USE SPOTIFY TO LISTEN TO MUSIC.HERE'S HOW MONEY FROM ADS AND SUBSCRIPTION FEES FLOWS TO ARTISTS

Every day, millions of people use Spotify to stream music.

ROBOT WAITERS IN KENYA CREATE A BUZZ.BUT THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS FOR HUMAN LABOR

Children giggle as young people flash their smartphones to film robots carrying plates of freshly prepared meals on their inbuilt trays to deliver to diners in a busy eatery in Kenya's capital.

SPORTS BOATS SET OUT ON A VOYAGE TO ELECTRIFY THE WATERS IN THE SAME WAY TESLA ELECTRIFIED THE ROADS

Grant Jeide looked like another dude riding the rollicking waves left in the wake of a 23-foot (7-meter) boat ripping through the water at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour on a river in Northern California’s Delta earlier this summer.

HYUNDAI UNVEILS 2025 ELECTRIC SUVS AIMING FOR BROADER APPEAL WITH IMPROVED RANGE, CHARGING OPTIONS

Despite slowing U.S. electric vehicle sales, Hyundai this week rolled out the 2025 versions of its Ioniq 5 electric SUV with improved battery range and charging aimed at broadening the appeal of vehicles to be built at a massive new Georgia factory.

HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN AI IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO BE DANGEROUS? REGULATORS TRY TO DO THE MATH

How do you know if an artificial intelligence system is so powerful that it poses a security danger and shouldn't be unleashed without careful oversight?

EVEN DOLLAR STORE CHAINS ARE SEEING A PULLBACK IN SPENDING AS HIGHER PRICES SQUEEZE MORE CONSUMERS

Dollar Tree is slashing its full-year earnings and sales forecasts as its customers continue to struggle with higher prices and spend less.

ESPN NETWORKS, ABC AND DISNEY CHANNELS GO DARK ON DIRECTV ON A BUSY NIGHT FOR SPORTS 7

ESPN has gone off the air on a major carrier for the second straight year during the U.S. Open tennis tournament and in the midst of the first full weekend of college football.

UK COMPETITION WATCHDOG CLEARS MICROSOFT'S HIRING OF AI STARTUP'S CORE STAFF

British regulators on Wednesday cleared Microsoft’s hiring of key staff from startup Inflection AI, saying the deal wouldn’t stifle competition in the country’s artificial intelligence market.

ON THE FIRST DAY WITHOUT X, MANY BRAZILIANS SAY THEY FEEL DISCONNECTED FROM THE WORLD

The blocking of social media platform X in Brazil divided users and politicians over the legitimacy of the ban, and many Brazilians had difficulty and doubts over navigating other social media in its absence.

ANOTHER NEW JERSEY OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT RUNS INTO TURBULENCE AS LEADING LIGHT SEEKS PAUSE

Another offshore wind project in New Jersey is encountering turbulence.

VOLVO BECOMES LATEST CARMAKER TO SCALE BACK ELECTRIC AMBITIONS EASES GOAL TO AT LEAST 90% BY 2030

Sweden-based Volvo Cars has eased off on its pledge to stop selling cars with internal combustion motors by 2030, saying slow rollout of places to charge up and withdrawal of purchase incentives will leave room for a few cars that still need fossil fuels.

FOR MANY INVESTORS AND INTELLECTUALS LEAVING CHINA.IT'S JAPAN -NOT THE US― THAT'S THE BIGGER DRAW

One by one, the students, lawyers and others filed into a classroom in a central Tokyo university for a lecture by a Chinese journalist on Taiwan and democracy — taboo topics that can’t be discussed publicly back home in China.

MAGIC JOHNSON BUYS A STAKE IN THE NWSL'S WASHINGTON SPIRIT

Magic Johnson has bought an ownership stake in the National Women’s Soccer League’s Washington Spirit, the basketball great-turned entrepreneur’s latest addition to his professional sports team portfolio.

TICKETMASTER'S PRICING FOR OASIS TICKETS IS UNDER INVESTIGATION IN THE UK

The U.K.’s competition watchdog has launched an investigation into the way more than one million tickets were sold for next year’s reunion concerts from iconic 1990s Britpop band Oasis.

VERIZON IS BUYING FRONTIER IN $20B DEAL TO STRENGTHEN ITS FIBER NETWORK

Verizon is buying Frontier Communications in a $20 billion deal to strengthen its fiber network.

California Gov.Gavin Newsom Nudges School Districts to Restrict Student Cellphone Use - California and South Carolina could become the next states to limit cellphone use in schools, with state officials taking up the issue this week.

California and South Carolina could become the next states to limit cellphone use in schools, with state officials taking up the issue this week. California Gov. Gavin Newsom is sending letters to school districts, urging them to restrict students’ use of smartphones on campus. South Carolina’s State Board of Education took up guidelines to tell local districts to ban cellphone use during class time, but postponed a final vote until next month to take more time to craft the proposal.

FRENCH JUDGE EXTENDS POLICE CUSTODY FOR TELEGRAM CEO PAVEL DUROV

A French investigative judge extended police custody for the CEO of the popular messaging app Telegram, Pavel Durov, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

CANADA IMPOSES A 100% TARIFF ON IMPORTS OF CHINESE-MADE ELECTRIC VEHICLES, MATCHING THE US

Trudeau said Canada also will impose a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace,” he said.

SCHOOLS ARE COMPETING WITH CELLPHONES.HERE'S HOW THEY THINK THEY COULD WIN

Isabella Pires first noticed what she calls the “gradual apathy pandemic” in eighth grade.

COMIC RELIEF US LAUNCHES NEW ROBLOX GAME TO HELP CHILDREN BUILD COMMUNITY VIRTUALLY AND IN REAL LIFE

The notion that online gaming could help players develop charitable habits seemed bold when the anti-poverty nonprofit Comic Relief US tested its own multiverse on the popular worldbuilding app Roblox last year.

HIGH RENTS ARE FORCING SMALL BUSINESSES INTO TOUGH CHOICES LIKE RAISING PRICES OR CHANGING LOCATION

While many costs have come down for small business, rents remain high and in some cases are still rising, forcing many owners into some uncomfortable decisions.

FAKE ONLINE REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS ARE A HEADACHE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.THEY HOPE THE FTC CAN HELP

Online reviews and testimonials are a key way that small businesses can attract new customers and boost sales of products.

MARKETING EXEC WANTS TO SHIFT VERIZON'S TRANSACTIONAL IMAGE INTO ONE MORE TIED TO PEOPLE'S LIVES

Verizon Communications has long enjoyed its position as the leading provider of mobile services in the U.S. But a new trend of price-conscious customers holding onto their old phones has hurt the bottom line for telecom companies seeking to capitalize off the sale of new mobile phone lines.

US LABOR REGULATOR SAYS AMAZON IS A JOINT EMPLOYER OF SUBCONTRACTED DELIVERY DRIVERS IN CALIFORNIA

Prosecutors at a federal labor agency have determined that Amazon is a joint employer of subcontracted drivers who delivered packages for the company in California, pushing back on claims from the online retailer that they are not its employees.

NVIDIA IS WALL STREET'S 2ND-MOST VALUABLE COMPANY.HOW IT KEEPS BEATING EXPECTATIONS, BY THE NUMBERS

Nvidia may have exceeded Wall Street estimates as its profit jumped — buffeted by the chipmaking dominance that has cemented Nvidia’s place as the poster child of the artificial intelligence boom — but investors seemed less than impressed.

CRUISE WILL DISPATCH SOME OF ITS TROUBLE-RIDDEN ROBOTAXIS TO JOIN UBER'S RIDE-HAILING SERVICE

Cruise’s trouble-ridden robotaxis are joining Uber’s ride-hailing service next year as part of a multiyear partnership bringing together two companies that once appeared poised to compete for passengers.

FUTURE OF SPORTS STREAMING MARKET, CONSUMER OPTIONS UNDER FURTHER SCRUTINY AFTER VENU SPORTS RULING

With the U.S. Open tennis tournament beginning Monday and college football kicking into high gear, this was supposed to be the week when some expected the Venu Sports streaming service to have a soft launch at least.