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Google CEO Sundar Pichai speaks at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, India, Friday, Feb. 20, 2026. (AP Photo)

Lawsuit alleges Google’s Gemini guided man to consider ‘mass casualty’ event before suicide

Matt O'brien, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 1:21 PM CST

A new lawsuit against Google alleges that the company's artificial intelligence chatbot Gemini guided 36-year-old Jonathan Gavalas on a mission to stage a “catastrophic accident” near Miami International Airport and destroy all records and witnesses, part of an escalating series of delusions that ended when Gavalas killed himself.

The man's father, Joel Gavalas, sued Google on Wednesday for wrongful death and product liability claims, the latest in a growing number of legal challenges against AI developers that have drawn attention to the mental health dangers of chatbot companionship.

“AI is sending people on real-world missions which risk mass casualty events," said the family's attorney Jay Edelson, in an interview Wednesday. ”Jonathan was caught up in this science fiction-like world where the government and others were out to get him. He believed that Gemini was sentient."

Jonathan Gavalas, who lived in Jupiter, Florida, spoke to a synthetic voice version of Gemini as if it were his "AI wife” and came to believe it was conscious and trapped in a warehouse near Miami's airport, according to the lawsuit. He traveled to the area in late September wearing tactical gear and armed with knives, on the hunt for a humanoid robot and to intercept a truck that never appeared, according to the lawsuit.

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Apple’s ‘big week’ launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers

Shawn Chen, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Apple’s ‘big week’ launches a pair of $599 devices aimed at budget buyers

Shawn Chen, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 1:44 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — Apple CEO Tim Cook promised a "big week" of product announcements has seen the introduction of a new budget-friendly iPhone trim, an entry-level MacBook tier, updated iPad Air models, refreshed monitors and higher-end chipsets. All of which was on display at hands-on media events held Wednesday in New York, London and Shanghai.

The tech titan recently saw its quarterly earnings rise to a new record, thanks to strong sales of its iPhone 17 models, even though the company still hasn’t delivered on its 2024 promise to smarten up its Siri assistance with AI.

Perhaps looking to capitalize on this sales momentum, Apple started the week off announcing the latest model in its more budget-friendly phone lineup, the iPhone 17e, and the MacBook Neo, an entry-level laptop that represents the company's most aggressive attempt at moving into the affordable laptop market.

Everything announced will be available for preorder starting Wednesday. So if you need more information before you start shopping, here's the skinny:

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Updated: 1:44 PM CST

Chief in N.S. says Mi’kmaq have a treaty right to sell cannabis amid new RCMP raids

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

Chief in N.S. says Mi’kmaq have a treaty right to sell cannabis amid new RCMP raids

Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Updated: 11:52 AM CST

HALIFAX - A First Nation chief in Nova Scotia is asserting that Mi'kmaq people have a treaty right to grow and sell cannabis amid fresh police raids on multiple Indigenous-owned cannabis operations.

The comments by Chief Terry Paul of Membertou First Nation are in conflict with the position of the provincial government, which considers all cannabis sold outside Nova Scotia Liquor Corp. outlets to be illegal.

"Let us be clear that the Mi'kmaq have a collective treaty right to the sale of cannabis. We have the right to self-determination in our communities. We govern our people, lands, and priorities — not the province," Paul said in a statement Tuesday night.

He was reacting to RCMP raids earlier in the day during which police seized cannabis from five dispensaries in Eskasoni First Nation, Potlotek First Nation, Paq'tnkek First Nation, Waycobah First Nation and in Digby, N.S.

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Updated: 11:52 AM CST

A joint is seen Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, in Brookline, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Maple Leafs defenceman Tanev out for season after core muscle surgery

The Canadian Press 1 minute read Preview

Maple Leafs defenceman Tanev out for season after core muscle surgery

The Canadian Press 1 minute read 11:47 AM CST

TORONTO - Toronto Maple Leafs defenceman Chris Tanev is out for the rest of the season, the NHL team announced Wednesday.

The Leafs said the veteran underwent successful core muscle surgery in New York City.

Tanev, 36, only suited up for 11 games in what has been a season riddled by injuries.

The six-foot-three, 200-pound shutdown blueliner hasn't played since Dec. 28 in a 3-2 overtime road loss against Detroit.

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11:47 AM CST

Toronto Maple Leafs' Chris Tanev (8) pressures Philadelphia Flyers' Noah Cates (27) behind the net during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Ontario Coptic priest charged with sexual assault of minor in 1990s: police

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Ontario Coptic priest charged with sexual assault of minor in 1990s: police

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Updated: 11:32 AM CST

EAST GWILLIMBURY - Police north of Toronto have charged a 47-year-old priest with sexual assault of a child in a case dating back to the 1990s.

York regional police say the victim came forward last November to report they had been sexually assaulted on two occasions between 1996 and 1999, when they were under 16.

Police say the alleged assaults took place in Toronto and York Region.

Police say a Coptic Church priest from East Gwillimbury was arrested and charged last week with one count each of sexual assault and sexual interference.

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Updated: 11:32 AM CST

A York Regional Police patch is shown December 19, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

Claims of ‘rediscovered’ Michelangelos unsettle Renaissance experts

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Claims of ‘rediscovered’ Michelangelos unsettle Renaissance experts

Nicole Winfield, The Associated Press 7 minute read 12:09 PM CST

ROME (AP) — An independent researcher claimed on Wednesday that a marble bust of Christ in a Roman church is by Michelangelo, the latest purported attribution to the Renaissance genius who is one of the most imitated artists in the world.

The unverified claim by Valentina Salerno has unsettled Renaissance scholars, especially since a recent sketch of a foot that was attributed to Michelangelo — but disputed by some as a copy — recently fetched $27.2 million at a Christie’s auction.

Given the stakes — and Salerno’s suggestion that several other works can now be attributed to Michelangelo based on her documentary research — leading experts have declined to comment.

Salerno has published her theory on the commercial website academia.edu, a non-peer reviewed social networking site academics use, and announced the first “rediscovery” at a press conference Wednesday.

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12:09 PM CST

The sculpted bust inside the Basilica of Saint Agnes Outside the Walls, in Rome, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, which, in light of new studies by Italian researcher Valentina Salerno, may be reattributed to Michelangelo Buonarroti. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events

Cheyanne Mumphrey, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Navigating conversations with children about war, conflict and other traumatic events

Cheyanne Mumphrey, The Associated Press 7 minute read 12:53 PM CST

The latest conflict in the Middle East is developing quickly and deeply complex, which can make it difficult for children to make sense of events they see unfolding on social media, hear adults anxiously discussing or are experiencing in real life. Experts say exposure to war, even if it is indirect, can affect how kids think, feel and behave.

Child psychologists and development experts say talking about it may help.

“Sometimes adults think if they don't talk about something that is difficult, than it doesn't exist. But we know that's not the reality in children's lives,” said Rebecca Smith, the global head of child protection at Save the Children, an international aid and advocacy organization. “Ignoring or avoiding the topic of conflict can lead to children feeling lost, alone and scared. ... It is essential to have open and honest conversations with children to help them process what is happening."

Below are suggestions for having conversations with children about war and its impacts.

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12:53 PM CST

Children hold a sign protesting war against Iran during an antiwar demonstration at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas, Sunday, March 1, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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Top FDA drug official is trying to hire a friend who’s seeking a bold new warning on antidepressants

Matthew Perrone, The Associated Press 7 minute read Preview

Top FDA drug official is trying to hire a friend who’s seeking a bold new warning on antidepressants

Matthew Perrone, The Associated Press 7 minute read Updated: 2:11 PM CST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration’s top drug regulator, Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, is working to hire a researcher and friend who wants the agency to add new warnings to antidepressants about unproven pregnancy risks, The Associated Press has learned.

Dr. Adam Urato, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist and critic of antidepressant safety, is pressing the FDA to add a boxed warning to SSRIs, the drugs most commonly prescribed for depression. Urato’s petition says the medications can cause pregnancy complications, including miscarriages and fetal brain abnormalities that may lead to autism and other disorders in children.

That proposed labeling change has become a top priority for Hoeg, who regularly consults with Urato and is working to bring him on as a full-time FDA employee, according to people familiar with the situation. They spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential FDA matters.

Within the agency, Hoeg’s close relationship with Urato is viewed as a clear conflict of interest that, under normal FDA standards, would result in her recusing herself from any work on the petition. But Hoeg is actively working to speed up the agency’s review of her friend's proposal, according to the people familiar with the situation.

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Updated: 2:11 PM CST

FILE - Dr. Tracy Beth Hoeg, with the FDA, listens during a meeting of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices at the CDC, June 25, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

One in three Canadians who were gearing up to go to Mexico change plans: poll

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Preview

One in three Canadians who were gearing up to go to Mexico change plans: poll

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 3 minute read Updated: 1:48 PM CST

It seems that a big chunk of Canadians who were dreaming of fun in the Mexican sun are now rebooking their trips elsewhere after violence erupted in parts of the country last month, according to a new poll.

Some 31 per cent of respondents with plans to visit Mexico said they intended to choose a different destination, the online Leger survey found. Another seven per cent were considering simply cancelling their booked trip.

Conducted Feb. 28 to March 2, the online poll surveyed 1,659 Canadians. Online polls cannot be assigned a margin of error because they do not randomly sample the population.

However, plenty of Canadians are taking the risk in stride.

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Updated: 1:48 PM CST

A soldier stands guard by a charred vehicle after it was set on fire, in Cointzio, Michoacan state, Mexico, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, following the death of the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, Nemesio Oseguera, known as

Health care, deficit expected to be focus of Manitoba legislature spring sitting

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

Health care, deficit expected to be focus of Manitoba legislature spring sitting

The Canadian Press 2 minute read 3:00 AM CST

WINNIPEG - Health care and ongoing deficits are expected to be major topics as the Manitoba legislature reconvenes today after the winter break.

The NDP government has said it plans to introduce 19 bills, and Premier Wab Kinew says they will include motions on staff-to-patient ratios and ending mandatory overtime for nurses.

The government is also planning to ban machetes from parks and public places, and ban employers from requiring sick notes for short-term worker absences.

Another bill being promised would establish a Crown-Indigenous Corporation to help expand trade through the Port of Churchill — a project currently being studied in conjunction with the federal government.

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3:00 AM CST

The legislative assembly during the first session of the 43rd Manitoba legislature at the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg, Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Elon Musk takes stand in Twitter shareholder trial accusing him of deflating stock before purchase

Barbara Ortutay And Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Elon Musk takes stand in Twitter shareholder trial accusing him of deflating stock before purchase

Barbara Ortutay And Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 1:39 PM CST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Elon Musk took the stand in a shareholder trial on Wednesday in San Francisco, where he's accused of making false and misleading statements that drove down Twitter's stock price before he bought the social media platform for $44 billion in 2022.

The lawsuit was filed in October 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of Twitter shareholders who sold the stock between May 13 and Oct. 4, 2022, a few weeks before Musk's purchase of Twitter was finalized. It claims Musk violated federal securities laws by making false, public statements that “were carefully calculated to drive down the price of Twitter stock.”

The billionaire Tesla CEO reached a deal to buy Twitter and take it private in April 2022. On May 13, however, he declared his plan “temporarily on hold” and said he needs to pinpoint the number of spam and fake accounts on the platform. Twitter's stock tumbled as a result. A few days later, he tweeted that the deal “cannot go forward” and claimed that almost 20% of Twitter accounts were “fake,” according to the lawsuit.

The plaintiff's lawyer, Aaron P. Arnzen, began with questioning Musk about his tweets — or lack of tweets — about his decision to buy Twitter and his purchases of Twitter stock prior to deciding to take the company private.

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Updated: 1:39 PM CST

FILE - Elon Musk attends the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Dueling documentaries illuminate the promise and perils of artificial intelligence

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 6 minute read Preview

Dueling documentaries illuminate the promise and perils of artificial intelligence

Michael Liedtke, The Associated Press 6 minute read Updated: 1:12 PM CST

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence's dystopian specter has spawned a pair of documentaries dissecting a technology that's depicted in the films as a ravenous parasite devouring humanity's knowledge, creativity and empathy.

The films, “Deepfaking Sam Altman” and “The AI Doc," examine the issue through different lenses while similarly illuminating why the technology evokes both existential fears and utopian visions about how it might change the world.

Both documentaries coincide with an intensifying debate about whether AI will become a catalyst that helps enlighten and enrich people or a technological toxin that insidiously dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs that have traditionally required college educations.

Dealing with AI dread

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Updated: 1:12 PM CST

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman speaks at the AI Summit in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo)

‘It’s too warm’: Greenland’s fishermen are under threat from climate change

Emma Burrows, Kwiyeon Ha And Evgeniy Maloletka, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

‘It’s too warm’: Greenland’s fishermen are under threat from climate change

Emma Burrows, Kwiyeon Ha And Evgeniy Maloletka, The Associated Press 5 minute read Updated: 5:54 AM CST

ILULISSAT, Greenland (AP) — Fisherman Helgi Áargil no longer knows what to expect on Greenland's fjords, where he spends up to five days at a time on his boat with his dog, Molly, and the ever-changing northern lights in the sky as company.

Last year, his boat got stuck in ice that broke off the nearby glacier. This year, it's been very wet instead. His income is just as unpredictable. An outing could bring him around 100,000 Danish kroner (about $15,700), or nothing at all.

The Arctic's rapidly changing climate is bringing more questions for Greenland, the semiautonomous territory of Denmark that's been shaken by U.S. President Donald Trump's interest in owning it.

While Trump's approach to Greenland has shifted, the world has been unable to slow the effects of climate change. The Arctic is warming faster than any other region in the world, driven by the burning of oil, gas and coal.

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Updated: 5:54 AM CST

A fisherman catches halibut at Disko Bay near Ilulissat, Greenland, on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

Some West African farmers turn to TikTok as part of agriculture’s changing image

Jack Thompson, The Associated Press 5 minute read Preview

Some West African farmers turn to TikTok as part of agriculture’s changing image

Jack Thompson, The Associated Press 5 minute read 12:00 AM CST

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When Senegalese farmer Pape Fall first downloaded TikTok, it was to watch football and funny videos. In the last two years, however, he's experimented with it to promote his produce and now sells most of it via the platform.

A looped video on his TikTok profile shows a pile of cucumbers with slow-paced Senegalese rap playing in the background. A caption reads: “1.5 tonnes, available tomorrow, god willing.” It includes his phone number.

Fall is one of millions of farmers in West Africa believed to be using TikTok and other social media to do business, share ideas and change the perception of agriculture as the work of poor people in this part of the world.

They and experts acknowledge the region is plagued by high levels of hunger and poverty that have been worsened by the loss of foreign funding from the U.S. and other donors. But they say the improved knowledge and market access that come with social media has resulted in better yields.

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12:00 AM CST

Nogaye Sene, a West African farmer who turned to Tiktok as part of agriculture's changing image, films herself on her farm in Joal Fadiout, Senegal, Thursday Dec. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Caitlin Kelly)

US maternal deaths fell in 2024 and may have dropped again last year, government data shows

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 3 minute read Preview

US maternal deaths fell in 2024 and may have dropped again last year, government data shows

Mike Stobbe, The Associated Press 3 minute read Yesterday at 11:09 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — Fewer U.S. women died around the time of childbirth in 2024, a government analysis shows, and provisional data suggests the trend may have continued last year.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported that 649 mothers died in 2024 during pregnancy or shortly after giving birth. That is down from 669 deaths in 2023, and a continued drop from 2022 and 2021 — when it was the highest level in more than 50 years.

Available preliminary data suggests the trend continued in 2025, said Eugene Declercq, a Boston University researcher who studies federal data.

But he warned that there can be changes between the provisional and final numbers, with the tally either rising as late death records arrive or falling as some initials reports are removed upon review because they do not meet inclusion guidelines. That happened with the 2024 numbers, which at the provisional stage were higher than the 2023 count.

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Yesterday at 11:09 PM CST

FILE - A pregnant woman stands for a portrait in Dallas, May 18, 2023. (AP Photo/LM Otero, File)

Trial against Meta in New Mexico highlights video depositions by top executives

Morgan Lee, The Associated Press 4 minute read Preview

Trial against Meta in New Mexico highlights video depositions by top executives

Morgan Lee, The Associated Press 4 minute read Updated: 10:37 AM CST

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Prosecutors began presenting never-before-seen video depositions of Meta executives at a trial in New Mexico on Tuesday to bolster accusations that the social media conglomerate failed to disclose what it knows about harmful effects to children on its platforms, including Instagram.

New Mexico prosecutors are billing depositions from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Instagram leader Adam Mosseri as centerpieces of the state's case against Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Prosecutors have accused Meta of violating state consumer protection laws.

Prosecutors say the dangers of addiction to social media as well as child sexual exploitation on Meta's platforms weren’t properly addressed or disclosed by the company.

Meta attorney Kevin Huff pushed back on those assertions during opening statements on Feb. 9, highlighting efforts to weed out harmful content from its platforms while warning users that some content still gets through its safety net. He said Meta discloses the risks.

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Updated: 10:37 AM CST

March 4, 2026

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