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    South Carolina prosecutor seeks death penalty in murder case after Biden reduced sentence to life

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    Tony Ramos
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    COLUMBIA, S.C. — A local prosecutor in South Carolina said Tuesday he will seek the death penalty against a man whose federal death sentence for killing two bank employees in a robbery was commuted to life in prison by President Joe Biden at the end of his term.

    Brandon Council, 40, did not appear in state court in Horry County as prosecutors formally let the court know that if he is convicted of murder they will ask a jury to sentence him to death.

    State murder, armed robbery and other state charges against Council were dropped in 2019 after a federal jury found him guilty of similar charges and sentenced him to death.

    But in December, Biden reduced the death sentences of 37 federal inmates, including Council, to life in prison, saying he felt the federal use of the death penalty had to stop and he did not want the next administration to resume executions he had halted.

    That led Solicitor Jimmy Richardson to obtain new indictments against Council in Horry County in August which open the door to a state death penalty trial.

    Council walked into the CresCom Bank in Conway in August 2017, waiting for a minute before shooting Donna Major as the stunned teller held papers in front of her face trying to protect herself. He then followed manager Katie Skeen into her office and shot her in the forehead as she hid under her desk, authorities said.

    Council left the bank with $15,000. He was arrested in North Carolina several days later after buying a Mercedes with the stolen money, according to his confession read in court.

    Families and law enforcement angry at Biden’s decision urged local officials to review cases. In Louisiana, prosecutors in Catahoula Parish were able to get a first-degree murder charge refiled against Thomas Steven Sanders in the 2010 death of a 12-year-old girl. That would allow the state to seek the death penalty against him.

    Richardson said prosecutors had dropped the state charges in case anything ever happened to change the outcome of the federal case, including commuting his sentence.

    “If there was a bump, we could always come in and try our case. And that’s why we dismissed them. So our powder could be dry,” Richardson told reporters after the hearing.

    The other inmates who had their sentences reduced are being moved to Supermax prisons “where they will spend the rest of their lives in conditions that match their egregious crimes,” U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi posted on social media last week.

    Bondi called the commutations a betrayal of the families of victims and a stain on the justice system, comments that Richardson echoed when Biden’s decision was announced.

    The bank teller’s daughter, Heather Turner, said the victims of the crimes weren’t considered.

    “The pain and trauma we have endured over the last 7 years has been indescribable,” Turner wrote on Facebook, describing weeks spent in court in search of justice as “now just a waste of time.”

    “Our judicial system is broken. Our government is a joke,” she said. “Joe Biden’s decision is a clear gross abuse of power. He, and his supporters, have blood on their hands.”

    Attorneys for Council argued at his federal trial his life should be spared because of a troubled childhood, especially after the grandmother who raised him died. They said he showed remorse and cooperated with investigators.

    After his arrest, Council asked investigators if the women at the bank were still alive and cried when he found out they were dead, investigators said.

    “I’m a doofus. I’m an idiot,” Council told police. “I don’t deserve to live.”

    Horry County had a second inmate have a federal death sentence commuted. Chadrick Fulks was convicted of kidnapping a woman from the parking lot of a Conway Walmart and killing her during a series of crimes across several states. His state charges were dismissed and court records indicate they have not been reinstated.

    Biden did leave three men on federal death row.

    They are Dylann Roof, who carried out the 2015 racist killings of nine Black members of Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina; 2013 Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev; and Robert Bowers, who fatally shot 11 congregants at Pittsburgh’s Tree of life Synagogue in 2018, the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S history.

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    Kentucky has kicked people off food benefits using data that doesn’t tell the full story

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    Tony Ramos
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    LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A single mother who relied on federal food assistance lost her benefits in 2020 after Kentucky investigators concluded she’d committed fraud.

    The state alleged she had made multiple same-day purchases, tried to overdraw her account a few times, entered a few invalid PINs and sometimes made “whole-dollar” purchases that are unlikely during typical grocery runs.

    The woman from Salyersville in Appalachian Kentucky had an explanation: She worked at the store. She would sometimes buy lunch there and then get groceries after work. Her child would also occasionally use her card.

    An administrative hearing officer kicked her off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regardless, based solely on the allegedly suspicious shopping pattern. She sued — and won.

    “It is draconian to take away SNAP benefits from a single mother without clear and convincing evidence that intentional trafficking was occurring during a time when food scarcity is so prevalent,” Franklin County Judge Thomas Wingate said in his 2023 decision.

    Over the last five years, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services has brought hundreds of fraud cases that are heavily reliant on transactional data with the goal of revoking people’s food benefits.

    Judges, lawyers and legal experts said in interviews and in court documents that such evidence proves little. Kentucky Public Radio reviewed dozens of administrative hearing decisions and court documents from the last five years in which the cabinet relied on shopping patterns to prove a person had “trafficked,” or sold, their benefits.

    Kentucky is so aggressive in disqualifying people from SNAP benefits that the state is second in the nation for per-capita administrative disqualifications, behind Florida, according to the most recent federal data from 2023.

    In the last decade, disqualifications in Kentucky rose from fewer than 100 in 2015 to over 1,800 in 2023. And more than 300 others have been accused of selling or misusing their benefits since January 2024, according to records obtained by Kentucky Public Radio.

    Another Franklin County judge in 2023 ordered the cabinet to stop disqualifying individuals based solely on transactional data, but since the decision, at least three lawsuits allege the health agency continues to bring such cases.

    Transactional data alone cannot prove intent to commit fraud nor show the actual result of any individual transaction, University of Kentucky law professor Cory Dodds said, adding, “I’m not saying that folks didn’t do it, didn’t commit the fraud, but I don’t think the cabinet in a lot of these cases has met their burden of proof, either.”

    Kentuckians receive notice of their alleged suspicious activity through mailed letters, in which they’re asked to voluntarily waive their right to a hearing and automatically accept the punishment. On first offense, that’s generally a one-year SNAP ban. They’re also required to repay the full amount the state says they misused.

    Often, these cases involve a relatively small amount of money. Records show that more than 900 people have been kicked off for “trafficking” or misuse for less than $1,000 since 2022. The lowest amount alleged was 14 cents.

    The state has leaned heavily on administrative hearing waivers since 2015, and by 2023, almost a quarter of all disqualifications were via waiver. Some lawsuits allege individuals did not fully understand the consequences of the waivers and were encouraged to sign by officials.

    Kentucky Public Radio reviewed more than two dozen cases since 2020 in which the cabinet accused an individual of trafficking using only spending patterns, despite the participants’ denial or lack of response — and with no other evidence or interviews presented, according to administrative hearing decisions.

    Kendra Steele, a spokesperson for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, declined to schedule an interview with cabinet officials after multiple requests. Steele said in an email that “we have never” brought trafficking cases based solely on transactional data and acknowledged it would not be sufficient to prove intent.

    In response to a different question, Steele wrote the investigation into fraud allegations consists of looking into income, living situations “and patterns of spending that are indicative of trafficking.” She did not indicate how any of those factors could be used to prove intentional misuse or selling of SNAP benefits, or how it differs from relying on transactional data — which is inherently a pattern of spending. Steele said in another email that they also interview vendors and SNAP recipients.

    Roughly 4 in 25 Kentuckians suffer from food insecurity, similar to the national rate of about 14%, according to an Associated Press analysis of U.S. Census Bureau and Feeding America data.

    The USDA will stop collecting and releasing statistics on food insecurity after October, saying Sept. 20 that the numbers had become “overly politicized.” The decision comes in the wake of federal funding cuts for food and nutrition safety net programs nationwide.

    In the last fiscal year, 1 in 8 Kentuckians benefitted from SNAP, formerly called food stamps. Food insecurity in Kentucky’s rural areas is even more stark, and legal representation harder to come by.

    “The people who benefit from these programs are some of the folks that we need to be helping the most in this country,” Dodds said. “It’s our fellow Kentuckians who are going hungry as a result of baseless allegations of waste, fraud and abuse.”

    The cabinet denied KPR’s request for case notes on individual fraud accusations starting in early 2024 that would include the evidence used in the accusations. But administrative hearing decisions reviewed by KPR from 2020 through 2023 included evidence the cabinet relied on; hearing officers would frequently say a person had trafficked their benefits based on shopping patterns the state deemed suspicious.

    National legal experts who specialize in SNAP access say an overreliance on transactional data isn’t unique to Kentucky. Transactional data was initially meant as a tool to identify potential fraud cases — not as a means to prove it, Georgetown law professor David Super said.

    He’s studied SNAP disqualifications for decades, and has seen many cases where he believes transactional data is misconstrued as direct evidence of wrongdoing, instead of requiring a state to build cases with witnesses, affidavits, video evidence and plea deals.

    In one redacted 2023 state administrative hearing decision, a hearing officer decided a woman in the eastern Kentucky city of McKee had trafficked her benefits because she had made eight back-to-back transactions in a year. The decision also said she’d checked her balance several times, made a few insufficient fund attempts and had incorrectly entered her PIN number a few times.

    She lost her SNAP benefits for a year. In an appeal, the woman told the state she has two kids and had recently discovered she was pregnant.

    “Everyone forgets to get something and has to go back in the store and get it,” she wrote, defending her back-to-back purchases.

    She received another hearing, but the outcome didn’t change.

    Cabinet officials acknowledged in cross examinations during a 2023 case that back-to-back transactions and whole-dollar purchases aren’t forbidden under SNAP rules, nor are recipients told that the cabinet considers them suspicious.

    But all of these things are used as evidence — sometimes the sole evidence — that a person misused their benefits.

    Kristie Goff, an AppalRed legal aid lawyer in Prestonsburg in southeast Kentucky, used to see many of these cases, though they’ve declined in the last year.

    “There have been very few instances in cases I have handled, where a client was not able to give me a perfectly reasonable explanation for those transactions, and none of it was trafficking,” Goff said. “There are no receipts, there’s no video footage to show that someone’s doing anything wrong. It’s just a number written on a paper.”

    While saying purchasing history is insufficient to prove trafficking, Kentucky judges have stopped short of demanding that the state change how it trains employees or conducts its SNAP investigations.

    In response to an open records request, the cabinet provided KPR with documents used to train investigators on intentional program violations. They appear to almost exclusively discuss transactional data, including investigating back-to-back payments, large transactions and whole-dollar purchases.

    In 2020, Michigan appellate judges decided transactional data alone is never sufficient to prove that a business — or person — fraudulently used SNAP benefits.

    Dodds believes that should be the standard for all states, including Kentucky.

    He is in the early stages of systematically reviewing thousands of SNAP benefit trafficking hearing decisions between 2020 and 2023. Data from about 700 decisions in 2020 alone already shows that many Kentuckians have been denied benefits before the state presents what he considers real evidence of guilt.

    “There are maybe a handful of cases that I would say there was real evidence that they had done something wrong,” Dodds said. “There was one where a woman was on the phone with the hearing officer while she was actively trying to sell her benefits. … But cases with non-transactional data are exceedingly rare.”

    ___

    Associated Press data journalist Kasturi Pananjady contributed to this report.

    ___

    This reporting is part of a series called Sowing Resilience, a collaboration between the Institute for Nonprofit News’ Rural News Network and The Associated Press focused on how rural communities across the U.S. are navigating food insecurity issues. Nine nonprofit newsrooms were involved in the series: The Beacon, Capital B, Enlace Latino NC, Investigate Midwest, The Jefferson County Beacon, KOSU, Louisville Public Media, The Maine Monitor and MinnPost. The Rural News Network is funded by Google News Initiative and Knight Foundation, among others.

    The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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    Hegseth rails against ‘woke,’ lays out standards in speech to top generals, admirals

    By
    Tony Ramos
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    In a speech Tuesday morning before an auditorium packed with several hundred of the nation’s most seasoned military commanders, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called for an end to “woke” culture in the military and railed against a litany of complaints such as diversity and probes into hazing.

    “The era of politically correct, overly sensitive, don’t-hurt-anyone’s-feelings leadership ends right now,” Hegseth said at the gathering at a Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia — a secure site an hour south of the nation’s capital.

    Hegseth called for “no more division, distraction or gender delusions” in an extraordinarily blunt speech on the importance of the “warrior ethos,” a term he uses to describe the spirit that makes combat units effective.

    Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.

    Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    “We must be prepared,” he said. “Either we’re ready to win or we are not.”

    Hegseth — who served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army National Guard and was deployed to Guantanamo Bay, Iraq and Afghanistan — issued new directives that will raise physical standards for everyone in uniform to a “male level,” toughen grooming standards, lift restrictions on rules of engagement, do away with racial quotas, and end restrictions on hazing for boot camp recruits.

    He demanded no more “fat generals,” saying all service members would need to meet fitness tests and grooming standards.

    “No more beardos,” he said. “The era of unacceptable appearance is over.”

    “Simply put, if you do not meet the male level physical standards for combat positions, cannot pass a PT test or don’t want to shave and look professional, it’s time for a new position or a new profession.”

    Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.

    Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

    He said he is also “overhauling” the DOD’s Inspector General’s Office that is investigating him for creating a culture of “walking on eggshells” that he said “has been weaponized, putting complainers, ideologues and poor performers in the driver’s seat.”

    “Foolish and reckless political leaders set the wrong compass heading and we lost our way. We became the ‘Woke Department,’ but not anymore,” he said.

    He justified the firing of Gen. CQ Brown as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti and other senior leaders.

    Hegseth said his rationale “has been straightforward,” contending it’s hard to change a culture with people who benefited from that previous culture.

    Brown never pushed “quotas” for promotions within the military, which relies on a merit-based system that Hegseth claimed wrongfully punished too many people for “toxic leadership.” Brown and others pushed the idea of recruiting from a broader section of America so that the military would look more like the nation it serves.

    President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.

    Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

    The secretary added that the department is “clearing the way for leaders to be leaders.”

    “You might say we are ending the war on warriors,” Hegseth, who now goes by the title “secretary of war,” said.

    He told his audience that if all the new standards he has unveiled makes their “hearts sink,” then they should resign.

    Military members listen as President Donald Trump addresses senior military officers gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, September 30, 2025.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    Hegseth pressed hard, as part of the broader rebranding ordered by Trump, the importance of enforcing combat standards that keep troops lethal.

    Trump followed Hegseth with his own speech, saying that as president, he would have their backs and that he is committed to making the military “stronger, tougher, faster, fiercer and more powerful than it has ever been before.”

    The president argued the military’s job is not only to protect the U.S from threats abroad, but also what he repeatedly referred to as a domestic enemy in American cities.

    “I told Pete, we should use some of these dangerous cities as training grounds for our military National Guard,” said Trump, who claimed “We’re under invasion from within.”

    President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of senior military leaders convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, September 30, 2025.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    For the majority of his speech, Trump talked about several other topics, including his claims that he has ended more foreign conflicts than previous presidents.

    Members of the military wait for President Donald Trump to arrive for a meeting convened by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, at Marine Corps Base Quantico, in Quantico, Virginia, September 30, 2025.

    Kevin Lamarque/Reuters

    Trump also took shots at his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, and his handling of the United States troops’ from Afghanistan, calling it “was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

    The president also took credit for the rise in military enlistments and ending what he claimed were unfair promotions and standards.

    Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shakes hands with President Donald Trump as Trump takes the stage to address senior military officers gathered at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia, September 30, 2025.

    Andrew Harnik/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

    “We went through political correct where you had to have people who were totally unfit to be doing what you’re doing,” he said. “Now it’s all based on merit.”

    President Donald Trump speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, September 30, 2025 in Quantico, Virginia.

    Alex Wong/Getty Images

    Last week, general and flag officers at the one-star level and above were told to fly to Quantico from their duty stations with just several days’ notice and no hint as to what the meeting might be about.

    The Pentagon declined to comment on the meeting, and speculation quickly spread that the meeting might have to do with urgent cuts to the military force or the national defense strategy, which would set new priorities for the second Trump administration and could change how troops train and equip themselves.

    The Defense Department, which now coined by Trump and Hegseth as the “Department of War,” has not said how much it cost to fly in so many people last minute, although it is widely expected to cost several hundreds of thousands of dollars.

    Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks to senior military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, September 30, 2025.

    Andrew Harnik/Pool via Reuters

    The event comes as the government is careening toward a potential shutdown that could force some 2 million troops to work without pay if a spending bill doesn’t pass Congress by midnight Wednesday.

    Most military personnel are on track to be paid Oct. 1, officials said Monday. But after that, troops would be at the mercy of negotiations on Capitol Hill, which remain at a stalemate.

    According to a contingency plan posted by the Pentagon this weekend, all active-duty troops would be required to keep working. The plan says contracts can move forward, too, but under increased scrutiny with priority given to efforts to secure the U.S. southern border and build Trump’s U.S. missile shield known as “Golden Dome,” as well as operations in the Middle East and shipbuilding.

    There had been speculation that the commanders traveling from around the world to hear Trump and Hegseth speak on Tuesday could get stuck away from their assigned work locations if the government shuts down that night. But according to government guidance, personnel must return home as soon as possible if a shutdown occurs while on work travel.

    Any travel costs incurred after the shutdown are reimbursable once spending resumes.

    -ABC News’ Karen Travers, Isabella Murray and Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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    DoorDash unleashes fleet of delivery bots, called Dots, onto streets of Phoenix

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    Tony Ramos
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    DoorDash customers in the Phoenix metro area may have their next meal delivered to their homes not by a Dasher, but a Dot.

    The delivery company on Tuesday unveiled a friendly-looking red autonomous delivery bot named Dot, calling it the first such robot with the ability to maneuver within bike lines, on roads and sidewalks, and built expressly for local commerce. 

    The company touted Dot as a more efficient and economical way of delivering orders of smaller-sized goods, such as toiletries for example, that don’t require a vehicle for transport.

    “You don’t always need a full-sized car to deliver a tube of toothpaste or pack of diapers. That’s the insight behind Dot,” Stanley Tang, co-founder and head of DoorDash Labs, the robotic solutions arm of the business, said in a statement. “The breakthrough wasn’t just making it autonomous, but in making it reliable and efficient to serve the needs of local businesses and consumers,” Tang said.

    Dot can move at up to 20 miles per hour, ensuring food deliveries arrive in a speedy manner. It is also smart and nimble enough to navigate doorways and driveways, the company said. It stands about five feet tall, and can carry up to 30 pounds of merchandise. 


    DoorDash Dot by
    DoorDash on
    YouTube

    DoorDash said its AI-powered “Autonomous Delivery Platform” makes decisions about which orders are best suited for Dot delivery, based on the delivery location and other factors. 

    “Whether that’s a Dasher, a Dot on the road, a drone in the air, or a sidewalk robot, the platform orchestrates these decisions in real-time to optimize across our entire global network,” the company said. 

    Mesa Mayor Mark Freeman touted the partnership as one that positions the Phoenix suburb at the forefront of the future of local delivery. 

    “Seeing these autonomous delivery robots on streets throughout Mesa demonstrates how these advanced technologies can meet daily needs while strengthening the local businesses at the heart of our community,” he said in a statement. 

    Megan Cerullo

    Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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    Controversy over AI-generated actress, Tilly Norwood

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    Tony Ramos
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    Hollywood stars are raising concerns over an AI-generated actress known as Tilly Norwood. She was created by Eline Van der Velden, an actor who founded the world’s first AI talent studio. Van der Velden said she’s spoken with several talent agents vying to represent her AI character, drawing sharp criticism.

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    South Africa’s ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa found dead outside Paris hotel

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    Tony Ramos
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    South Africa’s ambassador to France was found dead on Tuesday at the foot of the Hyatt Regency hotel, a high-rise tower in the west of Paris, the Reuters news agency reported, citing the Paris prosecutor’s office.

    South Africa’s government, in a statement sent to CBS News, confirmed that Ambassador Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa had died, noting with “deep sorrow and profound regret the untimely passing” of the diplomat.

    “The circumstances of his death are under investigation by the French authorities,” the South African foreign ministry said in the statement.

    ambassador-mthethwa.jpg

    South African Ambassador to France Nkosinathi Emmanuel “Nathi” Mthethwa is seen in a file photo provided by the embassy. 

    Handout/South African Embassy in Paris


    Mthethwa was reported missing by his wife on Monday evening, according to Reuters, which said she had received a worrying text message from him before calling police.

    Reuters cited the prosecutor’s office as saying Mthethwa was staying in a 22nd story room, in which a secured window had been found forced open.

    French media, including the Le Parisien newspaper, said investigators believed Mthethwa likely had killed himself.

    Mthethwa previously served as the Minister of Police in South Africa between 2009 and 2014. Within the last few weeks, a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into alleged corruption, criminality and political interference in the country’s criminal justice system started work.

    Two weeks ago, the provincial police commissioner in South Africa’s Kwa-Zulu Natal province, Nhlanhla Mkwanazi, alleged at the commission that when Mthethwa was the national police minister, he interfered in an investigation into a head of criminal intelligence by asking the Inspector General of Intelligence to drop charges all charges against him.

    In a statement, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Mthethwa “untimely passing” was a a moment of “deep grief” for the nation, adding that he had “served our nation in diverse capacities during a lifetime that has ended prematurely and traumatically.”

    Sarah Carter

    contributed to this report.

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    Trump, Hegseth rally troops at rare meeting, rail against "woke" standards

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    Tony Ramos
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    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth touted the new name, the Department of War, saying “the era of the Department of Defense is over.”

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    SecuGen Corp. Announces Unity 20 USB-S: A Versatile, Platform-Agnostic Fingerprint Reader for Developers

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    Tony Ramos
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    The Unity 20 USB-S is a smart, all-in-one fingerprint recognition system that provides fingerprint image capture, template extraction and matching

    SANTA CLARA, Calif. /California Newswire/ — SecuGen is pleased to announce the immediate availability of the Unity(tm) 20 USB-S, a fully programmable fingerprint reader designed for developers and system integrators who need a platform-agnostic biometric solution.

    The Unity 20 USB-S is a smart, all-in-one fingerprint recognition system that provides fingerprint image capture, template extraction and matching, as well as advanced fingerprint management capabilities, all in a single ultra-compact device. It features SecuGen’s MINEX-compliant biometric algorithms and its flagship U20-ASF fingerprint sensor that is FBI-certified for PIV/Mobile ID FAP 20 for high quality imaging. With its Serial-over-USB architecture, it enumerates as a standard CDC/ACM virtual COM port-using built-in drivers for modern Windows, Android, Linux, and macOS(r).

    SecuGen Corp. Announces Unity 20 USB-S

    This approach eliminates dependency on OS-specific biometric frameworks and device drivers while reducing integration risk from OS updates. It also enables rapid deployment in resource-constrained IT environments and compatibility with VDI/thin-clients and remote desktop sessions that support USB or COM-port redirection.

    “With the Unity 20 USB-S, we’re giving developers a portable biometric platform that minimizes integration friction,” said Dan Riley, SecuGen’s Vice President of Engineering. “Serial-over-USB means no custom drivers, no OS update risks, and a consistent interface across every operating system.”

    SecuGen also offers complimentary developer tools that take advantage of key features of Unity 20 USB-S:

    * Built-in Fingerprint Management System (FMS) API for rapid application development in C/C++, .NET, Python, Java-and any language that can open a serial port

    * Well-documented serial command set, with provided sample code

    The Unity 20 USB‑S is designed for a wide range of high‑security applications, including financial self‑service (ATMs, ITMs), government secure workstations, industrial kiosks, healthcare terminals, and retail operator sign‑on. Its robust, all-in-one authentication capabilities make it ideal for environments requiring strong and dependable identity verification.

    “At SecuGen, we understand how critical it is for developers to have tools that are both powerful and easy to integrate,” said Won Lee, CEO of SecuGen. “The Unity 20 USB-S reflects our commitment to enabling developers to innovate quickly and deliver reliable, secure biometric solutions without unnecessary complexity.”

    The Unity 20 USB-S is available now through SecuGen’s global reseller network. Learn more about the product at https://secugen.com/products/unity-20-usb-s.

    About SecuGen:

    SecuGen Corporation (www.secugen.com) is a world-leading provider of advanced, optical fingerprint recognition technology, products, tools and platforms for physical and information security. SecuGen designs and develops FBI-certified fingerprint sensors and readers, OEM components, developer kits, and software, including NIST/MINEX-compliant algorithms. Known for high quality, ruggedness, and performance in a wide variety of applications and environmental conditions, SecuGen products are used by world-leading financial, medical, government, educational and corporate institutions and are sold through an extensive network of reseller partners including original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors and system integrators around the world. Learn more: https://secugen.com/.

    SecuGen and Unity are trademarks or registered trademarks of SecuGen Corp. in the United States and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Android is a registered trademark of Google LLC. Linux is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. macOS is a trademark of Apple Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

    Sales and media contacts: https://secugen.com/contact

    Learn More: https://secugen.com/

    This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2025 California Newswire® (CaliforniaNewswire.com) – part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA – all rights reserved.

    Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.

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    New HR Study Reveals Published Authors Command 2x Higher Rates and 86% Hiring Preference in Professional Services

    By
    Tony Ramos
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    LOS ANGELES, Calif. /California Newswire/ — A groundbreaking new study from The Evolution of Publishing Institute reveals that published authorship creates a dramatic “Author Authority Premium” in professional services, with published authors commanding overwhelmingly higher preference rates, premium fees, and enhanced credibility compared to non-author counterparts with identical qualifications.

    The comprehensive survey of 100 Los Angeles residents examined hiring preferences across three key professional service categories, uncovering striking advantages for professionals who have written books.

    The Evolution of Publishing Institute

    KEY FINDINGS:

    Hiring Preferences Heavily Favor Authors:

    * 86% prefer hiring marketing consultants who are published authors (vs. 14% for non-authors)

    * 82% prefer business consultants with published books

    * 69% prefer financial advisors who have authored books

    Significant Pricing Power:

    * Published authors can potentially command 2x higher consultation rates on average

    * Fee premiums range from 40-65% across professional service categories

    Trust and Credibility Multiplier:

    * 86% trust content more when created by book authors vs. 14% for industry experts without books

    * Content trust multiplier of 6.1x higher preference for author-created materials

    Professional Branding Impact:

    * LinkedIn headlines mentioning authorship see 44 percentage point boost in effectiveness

    * 72% find professional branding more compelling when authorship is highlighted

    SPEAKING AND THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ADVANTAGES

    The study also revealed substantial benefits for conference speaking and thought leadership positioning:

    * 83% prefer CEOs who authored business books as conference speakers vs. 17% for non-author CEOs

    * 68% view executives with published books as better qualified for thought leadership roles

    * Authority boost of +66 percentage points for published authors in speaking contexts

    INDUSTRY IMPLICATIONS

    “This data suggests that writing a book could be one of the best investments you can make in your career,” says Sara O’Neil, a board member at the Evolution of Publishing Institute. “It boosts your credibility and gives you a true edge over the competition.”

    The findings indicate that books serve as powerful third-party validation of expertise, with published works creating what researchers term “credibility economics” in professional services.

    STUDY METHODOLOGY AND LIMITATIONS

    The survey was conducted among 100 Los Angeles residents using hypothetical scenarios comparing professionals with identical qualifications except for published authorship status. Researchers note that results are based on stated preferences rather than actual hiring decisions, and the study assumes generic “published author” status without considering book quality, publisher, or sales success.

    Results may vary by specific professional service niches, and the sample was limited to Los Angeles residents.

    ABOUT THE EVOLUTION OF PUBLISHING INSTITUTE

    The Evolution of Publishing Institute conducts research on the intersection of publishing and professional development. More information is available at: https://publishingevolution.org/.

    Learn More: https://publishingevolution.org/

    This version of news story was published on and is Copr. © 2025 California Newswire® (CaliforniaNewswire.com) – part of the Neotrope® News Network, USA – all rights reserved.

    Information is believed accurate but is not guaranteed. For questions about the above news, contact the company/org/person noted in the text and NOT this website.

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    Happy Jewelers Partners with Foster Love & Tina Sadri to Make a Lasting Impact – OC Weekly

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    Happy Jewelers has always been a jewelry store known for their exquisite custom designs and unmatched customer care. The family-owned business also takes pride in giving back to causes close to its heart, specifically those in Orange County. This year, Happy Jewelers partnered with Foster Love and local influencer Tina Sadri. Together, they sought to shine a light on what it means to use business for good.

    A Partnership with Purpose

    Happy Jewelers has long focused on supporting children and healthcare initiatives. Foster Love, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering foster youth, was a natural fit. What began as a client relationship blossomed into an annual tradition of donations, with 2025 marking their biggest contribution yet.

    “This isn’t just about jewelry,” said the Happy Jewelers team. “It’s about showing that a family-owned business can care deeply about its community and invest in the futures of foster kids right here in Orange County.”

    Foster Love mentions, “Having Happy Jewelers’ continuous support means so much to Foster Love. They’ve stood by us year after year, including as the VIP Lounge Sponsor at our 2023, 2024, and 2025 galas. Their commitment shows real care for children in foster care, and it gives us the consistency we need to keep growing our programs and reaching more youth.”

    A Timeless Gift for a Worthy Cause

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DOpMl4CD1O5

    For this year’s Foster Love gala, Happy Jewelers donated a classic diamond set valued at nearly $30,000. The three-piece collection, featuring a tennis necklace, tennis bracelet, and diamond studs, was designed to be timeless, versatile, and a staple in any jewelry collection.

    “With close to 50–60 carats of diamonds, it’s a show-stopping set,” said the team. “We wanted something everyone would covet, so that bidding could raise the most funds possible for foster youth programs.”

    “Happy Jewelers has had a direct impact by helping us raise more than $33,000 in just one year. That funding is very important because it goes straight into programs that benefit children in foster care. Their sponsorship has also made a difference at our galas, helping us create a great experience for guests and inspiring even more generosity,” said Foster Love.

    Amplifying the Message with Tina Sadri

    https://www.instagram.com/reel/DNqmon5v2Wb

    To spread the word, Happy Jewelers partnered with Tina Sadri, a Middle Eastern lifestyle influencer in Orange County. Tina unboxed and styled the jewelry organically for her followers, even allowing them to vote on which set would be donated. Her authentic connection to Foster Love helped bring fresh awareness to the cause, proving the power of collaboration between local businesses and influencers.

    More Than Jewelry: A Commitment to Community

    Happy Jewelers is no stranger to supporting people through life’s happiest and hardest moments—whether it’s crafting an engagement ring, redesigning heirloom jewelry, or creating memorial pieces. That same care extends to their philanthropic work.

    “People trust us with their most important life moments,” the team explained. “So it’s our responsibility to use that trust and give back to our community. This is about more than selling jewelry—it’s about making a real difference.”

    Foster Love also shared, “Working with Gabe, Danny, and the Happy Jewelers team has been a real pleasure. They are genuine, kind, and professional, and their support has made a big difference for Foster Love. We’re truly grateful to them—and to Lina, David, and the whole team—for their generosity and partnership.”

    Looking Ahead

    As the Foster Love gala has now ended, Happy Jewelers hopes their sparkling donation will inspire a ripple effect of community engagement.

    “Every diamond we set is crafted with love and intention,” they said. “This donation is no different; it’s our way of celebrating the community that has always trusted and supported us.”

    For more information about Happy Jewelers and their products, visit their website:

    https://happyjewelers.com



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    Former Vice President Kamala Harris gives message of hope during book tour stop in Los Angeles – Orange County Register

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    Former Vice President Kamala Harris, before a theater full of supporters in Los Angeles, struck a tone of hope, saying that although the present time may seem dark for those gathered, it’s important to continue fighting for a better America.

    “Our spirit cannot be defeated with an election or by an individual or a circumstance. ‘Cause then they’re winning. And the fight does take a while, and we’re in it and we can’t walk away from it,” Harris said during an appearance at The Wiltern theater on Monday night, Sept. 29.

    “Know times like this require us to fight fire with fire,” the former vice president added.

    The Los Angeles event was the third stop in her multi-city tour to promote her book, “107 Days,” which was released last week. The title references the length of her unsuccessful presidential campaign last year after then-President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection.

    Monday’s sold-out event, dubbed “A Conversation with Kamala Harris,” was moderated by Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, hosts of the podcast “I’ve Had It.”

    During the roughly hour-long conversation, Harris said she predicted most of what has occurred since President Donald Trump resumed office in January. However, she said, she did not anticipate the “capitulation” by some universities, law firms and media companies, which she felt had given in to the president’s demands.

    “I always believed that if push came to shove, the titans of industry would be among the guardians of our democracy. And I have been deeply disappointed,” she said.

    Unlike her first tour stop last week in New York City, where pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted her talk, Monday’s event was absent such interruptions.

    Instead, the few times that members of the audience yelled out, they shouted lines like, “Madame President,” and, at the end of the evening, chanted “MVP! MVP!”

    If any attendees of Monday’s event had hoped to hear Harris share her plans for the future — including whether she intends to run for president again — they left without any firm answers.

    The former vice president, who in July announced she would not mount a bid to become California’s next governor, did not offer specifics about her future plans.

    For now, Harris, who will turn 61 on Oct. 20, has 15 more speaking engagements lined up to promote her book, including stops in Houston and San Francisco this weekend. She’s scheduled to speak again at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.

    As of Monday, nearly all of the events, including the L.A. stop in October, were listed on the book’s website as sold out.

    Check back for updates. 

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    Norco flag football team routs Corona, secures top seed for Big VIII League tourney – Press Enterprise

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    CORONA — There are several new faces on the Norco girls flag football team this season.

    1 of 25

    Corona’s Jaslene Negrete and Norco’s Madisyn Contreras fight for possession in a pass intended for Negrete in a girls flag football game at Centennial High School on Monday, Sept. 29, 2025. (Photo by Milka Soko, Contributing Photographer)

    Expand

    So, it was not much of a surprise when the Cougars lost 4 of 5 games to begin the campaign.

    “I think we’ve formed a lot of chemistry through the season,” sophomore wide receiver Ryleigh Kennedy said. “There are lot of great individual players here, but it took a little while for everyone to get on the same page.”

    The Cougars now are on a roll. Mya Arriola tossed five touchdown passes, three landing in Kennedy’s hands, as Norco cruised to a 30-6 victory over Corona to secure the No. 1 seed for the Big VIII League tournament.

    Norco (12-4, 4-1 in league) has won 11 straight, including four league games by a combined score of 90-32.

    “We had to make a lot of changes to what we doing on offense and defense,” Cougars coach Wade Lockett said about this turnaround. “Things are really clicking, and we’re playing the way we’re capable of playing.”

    Kennedy jammed a thumb during warmups and made a trip to the trainer’s table early in the second period. The injury didn’t appear to hinder Kennedy’s ability to catch the ball, as she had six receptions for 88 yards.

    Kennedy is softball player primarily, but one of the first sports she excelled at was motocross.

    “I broke a few bones (hand and leg) riding dirt bikes, so I’m used to dealing with some pain,” Kennedy said.

    Norco was facing fourth-and-goal from the 21 on the opening possession of the game. Arriola tossed a pass toward the corner of the end zone, and Kennedy was able to look it the ball into her hands for a touchdown.

    Corona (12-10, 3-2) looked to match, but the Panthers turned the ball over on downs on the ensuing drive.

    Norco next possession was beginning to stall, but Kennedy returned from her visit to the trainer to haul in a 16-yard touchdown catch from Arriola that extended the Cougars lead to 12-0 with 6:13 left in the first half.

    Maya Lopez then intercepted a pass, and in a funny moment started to return the ball in the wrong direction. Her flag was pulled and Norco took over on the Corona 25. On the next play from scrimmage, Arriola rolled out to her left and fired a ball to Kennedy, who made a tip-toe catch on the sidelines for another touchdown.

    “The catches she (Kennedy) and everyone else made today were amazing,” said Arriola, a three-year starter who completed 18 of 25 passes for 205 yards Monday. “I’m just really proud of how far our team has come.”

    Corona’s lone score came on the opening drive of the second half. Arlene Cabrera completed 7 of 8 passes during that possession, including a 4-yarder to center Hope Luga that got the Panthers on the scoreboard.

    But Corona had no answers defensively, as Norco scored a touchdown on 5 of 6 possessions Monday night.

    “We just didn’t execute,” Panthers coach Jim Bowers said. “We knew exactly what (Norco) was going to do, but we couldn’t stop them. Bottom line is you have to execute the game plan to win big games like this one.”

    Arriola added touchdown passes to Syria Johnson and Ryley Rocheleau (both 5 yards) in the second half.

    “She can make all the throws and her leadership is incredible,” Lockett said of Arriola. “I’m going to miss her next year, and it’s going to be hard to replace someone like her. She has been absolutely phenomenal for us.”

    Cabrera completed 14 of 26 passes for 150 yards, and Luga finished the game with four catches for 48 yards.

    Norco will host the first two rounds of the Big VIII League tournament Monday, Oct. 6. The Cougars will have a first-round bye and play Roosevelt (No. 4 seed) or Centennial (No. 5) in one semifinal. Santiago is the No. 2 seed and also has a first-round bye. The Sharks will face Corona (No. 3) or King (No. 6) in the other semifinal.

    The final games of the league tournament, including the championship match, will be played Monday, Oct. 13.

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    Both sides dig in ahead of threatened government shutdown

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    WASHINGTON — Washington is barreling toward a government shutdown Tuesday night, with few signs of an off-ramp as Democrats and Republicans dig in for a fight over government spending.

    Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill is insisting on an extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits as part of a package to fund the government. At least seven Democratic votes are needed in the Senate to pass a seven-week stopgap bill that cleared the House last week.

    But Republican lawmakers and the White House have dismissed the proposal, with senior officials in the Trump administration threatening to use unique legal authorities granted during a government shutdown to conduct yet more mass firings of federal workers.

    Bipartisan congressional leadership met with President Trump at the White House on Monday afternoon in a last-minute effort to avert the crisis. But neither side exited the meeting with expectations of a breakthrough. On the contrary, Republican leaders in the House told the GOP caucus to plan to return to work next week and said they would hold a news conference on Wednesday anticipating the government’s closure.

    “We are not going to support a partisan Republican spending bill that continues to gut the healthcare of everyday Americans, period, full stop,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday.

    House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer talk to reporters outside the White House.

    (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

    Vice President JD Vance said he thought the country was “headed to a shutdown,” labeling Democratic calls for healthcare tax credits an “absurd” demand that amounts to an “excuse for shutting down the people’s government.”

    “You don’t use your policy disagreements as leverage to not pay our troops,” Vance said. “That’s exactly what they’re proposing out there.”

    When the government shuts down, the law requires all nonessential government services to cease, requiring most federal workers to go on furlough or work without pay. Essential services — such as national security functions and air traffic control — are not affected.

    Ahead of the meeting, Trump told reporters he hoped Democrats would agree to “keeping our country open,” before proceeding to criticize their proposals.

    “They’re going to have to do some things, because their ideas are not very good ones,” Trump said. “They’re very bad for our country. So we’ll see how that works out.”

    But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he thought his message was beginning to resonate with the president after their meeting Monday afternoon.

    “We have very large differences, on healthcare, and on their ability to undo whatever budget we agree to, through rescissions and through impoundment,” Schumer said. “I think for the first time, the president heard our objections and heard why we needed a bipartisan bill. Their bill has not one iota of Democratic input. That is never how we’ve done this before.”

    “We’ve made to the president some proposals,” Schumer added. “Ultimately, he’s a decision-maker.”

    Schumer faced widespread ridicule from within his party in March after reversing course during the last showdown, choosing then to support the Trump administration’s continuing resolution to fund the government at the height of an aggressive purge of the federal workforce.

    At that point, Schumer feared a shutdown could accelerate the firings. But Schumer is now defiant, despite the renewed threat of layoffs, after the White House Office of Management and Budget circulated a memo last week directing federal agencies to relieve workers on discretionary projects that lose funding after Oct. 1.

    “This is an attempt at intimidation,” Schumer said in response to the memo. “Donald Trump has been firing federal workers since day one — not to govern, but to scare. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with funding the government.”

    Vice President JD Vance talks to reporters as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune listen.

    (Alex Brandon / Associated Press)

    Still, Schumer began gauging his caucus Monday afternoon on the prospects of a continuing resolution that would in effect delay a shutdown by a week, briefly extending government funding in order to continue negotiations.

    Betting markets had chances of a shutdown soaring above 70% by the end of the day on Monday.

    Speaking Monday on “Fox & Friends,” Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the president’s position was “the reasonable and commonsense thing to do,” calling on Democrats to continue funding to the military and its veterans.

    “All we are asking for is a commonsense, clean funding resolution — a continuing resolution — to keep the government open,” Leavitt said. “This is a bill that keeps the government funded at the exact same levels as today, just adjusted for inflation.”

    “So there is zero good reason for the Democrats to vote against this,” she added. “The president is giving Democrat leadership one last chance to be reasonable.”

    But Jeffries dismissed Leavitt as “divorced from reality” in a podcast interview.

    “In what world will any rational American conclude, after we’ve been lectured throughout the year about this so-called mandate that the Republican Party has in this country, and their complete control of government in Washington, that because Democrats are unwilling to gut the healthcare of the American people as part of the Republican healthcare crisis, that it’s us shutting the government down?” Jeffries said.

    “Nobody’s buying that,” he continued, “outside of the parts of the MAGA base who basically, seemingly, will buy anything that Donald Trump has to peddle.”

    Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he would call a vote on funding the government Tuesday afternoon.

    “This is purely and simply hostage-taking,” Thune said Monday. Whether it passes or fails, he said, is “up to the Democrats.”

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    Newsom signs AI transparency bill prioritizing safety

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    SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Monday that will create new transparency measures for large AI companies, including public disclosure of security protocols and reports of critical safety incidents.

    Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) said Senate Bill 53 will create “commonsense guardrails” to ensure groundbreaking innovations don’t sacrifice safety and transparency amid the rapid growth of AI technologies. Newsom said the bill strikes the right balance of working with the artificial intelligence companies while not “submitting to industry.”

    “California has proven that we can establish regulations to protect our communities while also ensuring that the growing AI industry continues to thrive,” Newsom said in a statement.

    The bill was introduced this year after Newsom vetoed a broader bill last year, which was also authored by Wiener. That bill, SB 1047, was supported by Elon Musk and prominent AI researchers but was opposed by Meta and OpenAI.

    In his lengthy veto message last year, Newsom called SB 1047 “well-intentioned” but added that it was not the “best approach to protecting the public from real threats posed by the technology.” In punting the measure last year, Newsom announced that his administration would convene a working group of AI leaders and experts to develop more workable protections that became the basis for SB 53.

    The new law will require companies to disclose their safety and security protocols and risk evaluations. It mandates reporting of critical incidents — such as cyberattacks or unsafe behavior by autonomous AI systems — to the state’s Office of Emergency Services.

    Cal OES would begin publishing annual reports in 2027 that anonymize and aggregate critical safety incidents it receives. SB 53 also strengthens whistleblower protections for employees who report violations.

    The attorney general in California will be able to bring civil penalties of up to $1 million against companies that violate the new law.

    “With a technology as transformative as AI, we have a responsibility to support that innovation while putting in place commonsense guardrails to understand and reduce risk,” Wiener said in a statement.

    The bill was opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce and the Chamber of Progress, a tech industry association.

    “This exhaustive approach compels developers to allocate significant time and resources toward preparing for hypothetical risks rather than addressing actual, demonstrable harms,” wrote the Chamber of Progress.

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    Former Vice President Kamala Harris gives message of hope during book tour stop in Los Angeles – Press Enterprise

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    Former Vice President Kamala Harris, before a theater full of supporters in Los Angeles, struck a tone of hope, saying that although the present time may seem dark for those gathered, it’s important to continue fighting for a better America.

    “Our spirit cannot be defeated with an election or by an individual or a circumstance. ‘Cause then they’re winning. And the fight does take a while, and we’re in it and we can’t walk away from it,” Harris said during an appearance at The Wiltern theater on Monday night, Sept. 29.

    “Know times like this require us to fight fire with fire,” the former vice president added.

    The Los Angeles event was the third stop in her multi-city tour to promote her book, “107 Days,” which was released last week. The title references the length of her unsuccessful presidential campaign last year after then-President Joe Biden ended his bid for reelection.

    Monday’s sold-out event, dubbed “A Conversation with Kamala Harris,” was moderated by Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, hosts of the podcast “I’ve Had It.”

    During the roughly hour-long conversation, Harris said she predicted most of what has occurred since President Donald Trump resumed office in January. However, she said, she did not anticipate the “capitulation” by some universities, law firms and media companies, which she felt had given in to the president’s demands.

    “I always believed that if push came to shove, the titans of industry would be among the guardians of our democracy. And I have been deeply disappointed,” she said.

    Unlike her first tour stop last week in New York City, where pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted her talk, Monday’s event was absent such interruptions.

    Instead, the few times that members of the audience yelled out, they shouted lines like, “Madame President,” and, at the end of the evening, chanted “MVP! MVP!”

    If any attendees of Monday’s event had hoped to hear Harris share her plans for the future — including whether she intends to run for president again — they left without any firm answers.

    The former vice president, who in July announced she would not mount a bid to become California’s next governor, did not offer specifics about her future plans.

    For now, Harris, who will turn 61 on Oct. 20, has 15 more speaking engagements lined up to promote her book, including stops in Houston and San Francisco this weekend. She’s scheduled to speak again at The Wiltern in Los Angeles on Oct. 28.

    As of Monday, nearly all of the events, including the L.A. stop in October, were listed on the book’s website as sold out.

    Check back for updates. 

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    Ducks edge Sharks with 3-goal flurry in preseason game – Press Enterprise

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    ANAHEIM — The Ducks scored three times in less than three minutes during the second period to get past the San Jose Sharks, 3-2, on Monday night at Honda Center.

    They improved to 3-2-0 this preseason with a rematch in San Jose slated for Wednesday.

    Cutter Gauthier, Radko Gudas and Frank Vatrano each sounded the goal horn. Ville Husso made 22 saves, including several timely ones.

    Former Duck Pavol Regenda and Adam Gaudette scored for San Jose. Jakub Škarek stopped 27 shots.

    The Ducks bookended the game with scoreless periods, but they cranked up their offense in the middle frame.

    “In the first period, they played hard and they worked … we were doing a lot of good things,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “Obviously, scoring bang-bang-bang, it was like, OK, we liked what we saw, and that was our production.”

    The Ducks took control with a lineup full of NHL talent against the “B” team of the league’s worst franchise two years running.

    Beckett Sennecke, the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2024, drew a penalty, and then Gauthier, the No. 5 overall pick in 2022, converted on the power play.

    A give-and-go play between Alex Killorn on the wall and Ryan Strome below the goal line sucked in all four San Jose penalty killers, one of whom, Cole Clayton, knocked the puck off Killorn’s stick. It went straight to Gauthier in the right circle, where he snapped home the game’s first goal.

    Just 47 seconds later, the Ducks popped in a second puck. This time it was the captain, Gudas.

    Some gritty work low in the zone again overextended the opposing defense, allowing Sam Colangelo to find Gudas in the high slot, where he flicked a shot past his Czech countryman Škarek.

    “We kept it simple, we got the puck in, we tried to create energy for the other lines and tire their ‘D’ out,” said Nikita Nesterenko, who earned the secondary assist.

    At the 9:13 mark, the Ducks struck off a rush that was keyed by a saucer pass from Strome to Tyson Hinds, whose own brilliant pass found Vatrano for an insurance marker just after he streaked past Clayton.

    “(Vatrano) did a great job crashing the net and it was a great pass from (Strome), so I’ve got to give credit to those guys,” Hinds said.

    Regenda deflected Shakir Mukhamadullin’s one-timer from the right point to break up Husso’s shutout with a power-play tally at 13:29.

    With 4:03 remaining in the match, Gaudette drew San Jose to within a goal.

    Gaudette’s next attempt created a deflection opportunity for Ty Dellandrea, who had a game-high six shots, all of which were denied by Husso as he earned a 3-2 win.

    McTAVISH PRACTICES

    Center Mason McTavish signed a six-year, $42 million contract extension on Saturday and was at his first practice of training camp on Monday, speaking with reporters afterward.

    Like former Ducks Jamie Drysdale and Trevor Zegras, McTavish’s negotiations gnawed into training camp and at a time when a new coach was implementing fresh systems (then it was Greg Cronin, now it’s Joel Quenneville). McTavish said he “talked to those guys and you can kind of know what to expect at that point. I figured it was going to be a while.”

    “I still don’t really know why it takes that long. It’s a cliché, but it’s just the business side of it,” McTavish said. “I’m very fortunate and grateful to be back here.”

    McTavish, who will likely play in the preseason finale against the Kings on Saturday afternoon, was less enthusiastic about the departure of Zegras over the summer, when he was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

    “That sucked. Brutal. I pretty much spent every day with him. He’s happy there, which is good,” McTavish said. “It’s tough seeing your best friend kind of go away. At least he knows a couple of guys there, Jamie, obviously. It’ll be good to see them on the road.”

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    Riverside Philharmonic will play spooky music at Halloween-inspired show – Press Enterprise

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    The Riverside Philharmonic’s next concert in late October will feature music ripped from scary movies and shows.

    The Halloween-themed performance is called “Thrillers … from Screen to Stage.”

    It’s scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25, at Riverside City College’s Coil School for the Arts, 3890 University Ave., Riverside.

    Tomasz Golka will lead the orchestra through music from classic movies such as “Psycho” and “Vertigo.” It also will play other seasonal selections, including the overture from Broadway’s “The Phantom of the Opera.”

    For ticket and other information, click here.

    In addition to the upcoming performance, the Philharmonic has announced Jamie Azpeitia-Sachs as its new executive director.

    Azpeitia-Sachs has experience in the performing arts nonprofit sector, arts management and education, a news release states. She has worked more than 20 years in ballet education and performing arts leadership.

    She is a member of the Riverside County Board of Education.

    “I look forward to working with the musicians, staff, and supporters of the Riverside Philharmonic to deepen our connection within the Inland Empire and inspire audiences through exceptional live music,” Azpeitia-Sachs said in a news release.

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    How Electronic Arts’ $55 billion go-private deal could impact the video game industry

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    NEW YORK — In what could become the largest-ever buyout funded by private equity, video game maker Electronic Arts has agreed to be acquired in a deal valued at $55 billion.

    Beyond the potentially record-breaking price tag, the deal could bring wider shifts in the gaming world. Electronic Arts owns popular titles like Madden NFL, Battlefield and The Sims — and going private could potentially grant the company more freedom in developing and distributing future games. Still, what its future under new ownership could look like has yet to be seen.

    The proposed buyout also marks the latest move from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF to invest in gaming. If the transaction gets the green light, PIF would join Silver Lake Partners and Affinity Partners, run by U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ElectronTheic Arts’ new owners. The companies aim to close the all-cash acquisition by the first quarter of 2027.

    Here’s what we know.

    The size of the video game market has attracted significant investment from large investors in recent years. And analysts note that Redwood City, California-based EA brand and lineup of titles make it a popular acquisition target — particularly as competition grows.

    One of EA’s biggest rivals, Activision Blizzard, was snapped up by technology powerhouse Microsoft for nearly $69 billion in 2023, for example, while the competition from mobile video game makers such as Epic Games has intensified.

    PIF, Silver Lake and Affinity’s combined offer to acquire EA far exceeds the $32 billion price tag to take Texas utility TXU private in 2007, which had previously shattered records for leveraged buyouts. A leveraged buyout means a company is purchased largely using borrowed funds, and requires the acquired company to repay the debt taken on to finance the deal.

    It’s possible that the deal could give EA more freedom in future development and distribution of its games. By going private, EA will be able to retool operations without worrying about market reactions.

    Still, time will tell whether there will be any significant shifts in operations.

    EA has faced criticism for recent moves toward live-service gaming — which features a continuous stream of new content often aimed to keep players online longer — and other monetization efforts that have been seen as aggressive among some gamers. Its proposed buyers haven’t indicated any plans to part from those models. In Monday’s announcement, EA and the firms looking to acquire it just pointed broadly to coming growth.

    “Looking ahead, we will continue to push the boundaries of entertainment, sports, and technology, unlocking new opportunities,” Andrew Wilson, CEO of EA, who will continue to stay in the top seat if the go-private deal goes through.

    Still, some analysts are skeptical about whether a buyout is the best thing for EA right now — particularly ahead of its “Battlefield 6” launch slated for October 10. “It is still unclear to us why EA would agree to be acquired right before a very promising BF6 launch,” TD Cowen analysts Doug Creutz and Mei Lun Quach wrote in a Monday note.

    The analysts had previously pointed to the positive responses “Battlefield 6″ received from players in its testing period — noting that expected revenue could push up EA’s share price even further.

    Others have similarly argued that the proposed acquisition price — which divvies up to $210 per share — undervalues what EA has to offer. Meanwhile, Nick McKay of Freedom Capital Markets thinks an increase in share price is likely limited, given the success of EA’s sports offerings being baked into the price, and that the pricing makes sense.

    After being taken private, formerly public companies often undergo extensive cost-cutting.

    EA hasn’t indicated any expected cuts spanning from its proposed buyout at this time, although the company has gone through several layoff rounds recently. After jettisoning about 5% of its workforce in 2024, EA ended March with 14,500 employees and then laid off several hundred people in May.

    The company has also shuttered many game studios over the years. Just this past May, EA reportedly canceled the development of a video game based on Marvel’s “ Black Panther,” for example, as part of the closure of Cliffhanger Games.

    Among investment risks raised following EA’s go-private offer on Monday, TD Cowen’s analysts pointed to the possibility of key talent leaving the company as a result of a buyout, or other potential “value-destroying” acquisition impacts.

    Among EA’s proposed buyers is Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF — which has increasingly upped its gaming investments. It already holds a 9.9% stake in EA, and is also a minority investor in fellow gaming giant Nintendo.

    Amanda Cote, an associate professor and director of the serious games certificate at Michigan State University, noted that the attempted EA acquisition is particularly in line with PIF’s recent moves in esports, with competitive gaming platforms like ESL FACEIT also among its portfolio today.

    “EA’s game portfolio simultaneously aligns with Saudi Arabia’s expansions into sports, gaming, and esports,” Cote said, alluding to EA’s esports and sports properties like Madden Football and EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA).

    At the same time, she also noted human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, have been highly critical of Saudi Arabia’s overall investments in sports and esports — with some accusing the nation of “sportswashing” to distract international attention. “This proposed deal is likely to face similar criticism,” Cote added.

    Among the other notable names in the proposed buyout is Kushner.

    The deal still needs shareholder and regulatory approval, although most analysts don’t expect notable headwinds under the current administration. In a Monday note, Baird Equity Research analysts wrote that the “connections to both the Saudi government and the Trump administration” could be “viewed as a strategic asset for EA in navigating any regulatory speed-bumps.”

    _______

    AP Business Writers Michael Liedtke and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

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    A new policy on access at the Pentagon has journalists and the Trump administration at odds

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    Journalists who cover the Pentagon and the Trump admnistration are in a standoff about new rules that limit the access of the media to most areas within the Pentagon and appear to condition overall entry to the building on an agreement to restrictions in reporting.

    Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s team characterizes the changes as an effort to protect national security and the safety of those who work at the Pentagon, while many in the press see it as an effort to exert control and avoid embarrassing stories.

    Journalists who want to hold on to badges that permit access to the Pentagon were told on Sept. 19 they must sign a letter acknowledging the new rules by this Tuesday or the badge “will be revoked.” The new policy says that Defense Department information “must be approved for public release by an appropriate authorizing official before it is released, even if unclassified.” Classified material faces even tighter restrictions.

    That level of control immediately alarmed journalists and their advocates.

    “Asking independent journalists to submit to these kinds of restrictions is at stark odds with the constitutional protections of a free press in a democracy, and a continued attempt to throttle the public’s right to understand what their government is doing,” said Charles Stadtlander, spokesman for The New York Times.

    In a subsequent letter to the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, Hegseth aide Sean Parnell suggested that journalists misunderstood some of the new rules. He said, for example, that the restriction against releasing unclassified information is the policy that Pentagon officials must follow — not something the journalists must abide by.

    “It should come as no surprise that the mainstream media is once again misrepresenting the Pentagon’s press procedures,” Parnell said in a post on X. “Let’s be absolutely clear: Journalists are not required to clear their stories with us. That claim is a lie.”

    However, the new policy says that journalists who encourage Pentagon officials to break the rules — in other words, ask sources for information — could be subject to losing their building access.

    While it appeared that Parnell sought to soften some of the hard edges of his policy in response to questions raised by the reporters’ committee, there’s still enough confusion to merit a meeting to clear things up, said Grayson Clary, a lawyer for RCFP. There’s some wariness among news organizations about what they would be agreeing to if they sign the letter, and it’s not clear how many people — if any — have done so.

    The new rules continue a tense relationship between the press and the Hegseth team, which had already evicted some news outlets from their regular workspaces in favor of friendlier outlets and limited the ability of reporters to roam around the Pentagon. Hegseth and Parnell seldom hold press briefings.

    Parnell did not respond to a request for comment by The Associated Press.

    “It’s control, just 100% control,” said Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic magazine. Goldberg, who is not stationed at the Pentagon, wrote the most embarrassing story of Hegseth’s tenure so far when he was inadvertently included in a Signal group chat where Hegseth and other national officials discussed an imminent attack on Houthis in Yemen. The brouhaha became widely known as “Signalgate.”

    Pentagon leadership was also reportedly unhappy over a story that said Elon Musk was to get a briefing on military strategy for China, leading President Donald Trump to stop it, and other stories about initial assessments of damage in the military strike against Iran.

    No American reporter accredited to the Pentagon that he knows is interested in subverting national security or putting anyone in the military in harm’s way, Goldberg said.

    In his own case, Goldberg did not report on what he learned until after the attack was over. He said he contacted officials in the group chat to ask if there was anything he learned that was harmful to the country in any way. He did not include in his story the name of a CIA official mentioned in the messages who was technically still undercover, he said.

    “The only people in Signalgate who were putting American troops in harm’s way were the national leadership of the United States by discussing on a commercial messaging app the launch times of strikes on a hostile country,” he said.

    Access to officials in the Pentagon has been invaluable in helping reporters understand what is going on, said Dana Priest, a longtime national security reporter at The Washington Post who is now a journalism professor at the University of Maryland. With the exception of a few areas, reporters are not permitted under the new rules to walk through the Pentagon without an official escort.

    Priest said the corridors of the Pentagon were like areas around Congress where reporters buttonhole politicians. Priest recalled staking out military officials waiting for them to come out of a bathroom.

    “They know the goal of the media is to get around the official gobbledygook and get out the truth,” Priest said. “They may not help you. But some of them want to help Americans know what is going on.”

    Experienced national security reporters know there are many ways to get information, including through other channels of government and people in the private sector. “The Pentagon is always very well versed in the advantages of controlling the story, so they always try to do that,” she said. “The reporters know that. They’ve known that for decades.”

    Reporters who don’t follow the new rules won’t necessarily be expelled immediately, Parnell told the reporter’s committee. But access will be determined by Hegseth’s team.

    While reporters already stationed in the Pentagon were given until Sept. 30 to sign, they were allowed to request an additional five days for legal review.

    Although the Times, Washington Post and Atlantic all put out statements against the Pentagon’s plan, none of the publications would say what they have recommended that their reporters do — perhaps an indication that they consider negotiations potentially fruitful.

    President Donald Trump hasn’t hesitated to fight the media when he thinks he’s been wronged, launching lawsuits against CBS News, ABC News, The Wall Street Journal and the Times. Yet he’s also frequently accessible to the press, more so than many of his predecessors, and there has been some uncertainty in the White House about the Pentagon’s policy.

    When a reporter asked, “should the Pentagon be in charge of deciding what reporters can report on?” the president replied, “No, I don’t think so. Listen, nothing stops reporters. You know that.”

    Goldberg noted that it’s more than just an issue for reporters. “The American people have a right to know what the world’s most powerful military does in their name and with their money,” he said. “That seems fairly obvious to me.”

    ___

    David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social



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    Marines say they hit recruiting goals and point to ‘unapologetic’ standards

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    QUANTICO, Va. — The Army, Navy and Air Force, with encouragement from the Trump administration, all announced this summer that they had met their recruiting goals months ahead of schedule.

    That is a major shift from the past several years when the military has failed to meet its recruiting goals because of complications from the COVID-19 pandemic, tight job markets and a growing generation of young Americans struggling to meet fitness and academic standards. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed the turnaround as an early victory, arguing that recruits had been put off by what he called a weakened military under Democratic President Joe Biden.

    However, the uptick began well before President Donald Trump won office again in November, and a major driver has been programs the services started years ago to boost numbers.

    While the Marine Corps didn’t wade into the fray earlier, it is now claiming success. And the general in charge of the effort says the politics of the moment have had no impact on Marine recruiting.

    “The Marines are probably the most inelastic of the services,” Lt. Gen. William Bowers told The Associated Press this month. “We appeal to a certain type of young man or woman — that really doesn’t change with the economic winds.”

    “They want to be part of that mystique,” he added.

    Data provided by the Corps shows that it has recruited 30,536 active duty and reserve enlisted Marines — just one person over its annual goal. It also recruited 1,792 active duty and reserve officers, beating its goal by two people.

    Officials say the figures are not the result of a struggle to meet the numbers but a reflection of how careful the Corps has to be in not overrecruiting.

    Bowers said that when he took the job as deputy commandant for manpower and reserve affairs, he moved the date for 500 recruits to head to boot camp until after September to avoid the Marines growing past their congressionally authorized size.

    Formal recruiting figures for all the military services are typically announced after the fiscal year ends on Sept. 30.

    The Marines also beat enlisted recruiting goals by a single person last year. The service made its enlisted recruiting goal by 351 Marines in 2023, when the Army, Navy and Air Force all missed their targets by thousands of recruits. The Army alone came up about 10,000 short.

    However, the Corps in 2022 also had to dip into its pools of delayed-entry applicants — the same pool Bowers is now bolstering — to make its goals.

    The Marines have not altered their entry requirements and are “unapologetic” about their standards.

    “Everywhere I’ve been in the country, the American people know the Marine Corps has very high standards and that we stick to them,” Bowers said. He added, “If you try to appeal to everybody, you won’t get the people you maybe really want.”

    But there is also an inherent contrast with the other military services.

    Both the Army and Navy stood up programs at their boot camps that offer remedial academic or physical training to recruits who don’t meet standards at the time they ship out.

    The Navy also has started a program that allows up to 20% of its recruits to score below 30 out of 99 on the military’s academic test as long as they met specific standards for their chosen job. It also raised the maximum enlistment age by two years, to 41.

    Army and Navy officials said none of those programs is a lowering of standards.

    The Corps doesn’t offer the lavish cash bonuses that some services do to attract recruits. The U.S. military overall spent more than $2 billion over the past three years to recruit service members, with the Corps accounting for just over 2.5%, or about $51 million, of that.

    Gen. Eric Smith, the Marine commandant, famously told a conference in 2023 that “your bonus is you get to call yourself a Marine.”

    Part of what enables Marines to maintain this bravado is that they are by far the smallest service, with roughly 170,000 people. That means the recruiting goals are also smaller.

    In contrast, the Army is made up of more than 450,000 troops with a recruiting goal for 2025 of 61,000 recruits. The Navy is made up of more than 440,000 sailors, and its goal for 2025 was 40,000.

    The Marines also have had a decades-long emphasis on recruiting, Bowers says. “Culturally, we are different because we were set on a different path years ago.”

    That history makes the success of the Corps difficult to emulate or easily replicate. Bowers said Marine officials had conversations with the Army and played a role in the service working to set up a cadre of career recruiters, but he also concedes that “we got about a 45-year head start.”

    The Marine Corps has played an oversized role in Trump’s administrations.

    During his first term, Trump picked two retired Marines for key positions: Gen. James Mattis as defense secretary and Gen. John Kelly as head of the Department of Homeland Security and later chief of staff. Both later left the administration and have been critical of Trump.

    Since taking office this year, the Trump administration has turned to Marines again. It sent active duty Marines to Los Angeles to protect federal property and personnel during protests against immigration raids.

    It further thrust the Marine Corps into the political spotlight, and the deployment was challenged in court.

    Now, Marines are part of a U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean that is stoking fears of invasion in Venezuela and adding to speculation that Trump could try to topple its president, Nicolás Maduro.

    Asked about the political attention, Bowers wasn’t concerned, arguing it is an opportunity for the Corps to show that it is able to succeed in a crisis and act as a positive force.

    “Whenever Marines are committed to a crisis, we turn in a performance that’s successful,” he said. “We’re downright good for the youth of America.”

    Bowers also wasn’t bothered by the prospect that what Americans think of Marines might be changing.

    “I have not seen that,” he said. “What I have seen is that the American people know that our commandant has insisted on very high standards to become a Marine and that the Marine Corps will absolutely never compromise those standards.”

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    Youth-led unrest in Madagascar has left at least 22 people dead, UN says

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    Protesters set fire to a newly built cable car station, which only operates for three hours a day, powered by a generator due to a lack of electricity in the capital, in Antananarivo, Madagascar, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Sarah Tetaud)

    The Associated Press

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    YouTube agrees to pay $24.5 million to settle Trump lawsuit: Court filing

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    YouTube has agreed to pay $24.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump and other plaintiffs after he was suspended from the platform in 2021, according to a court filing.

    According to the filing, $22 million will be used to support Trump’s construction of a White House State Ballroom and will be held in a tax-exempt entity called the Trust for the National Mall.

    Another $2.5 million will go to the other plaintiffs in the lawsuit — including the American Conservative Union, Andrew Baggiani, Austen Fletcher, Maryse Veronica Jean-Louis, Frank Valentine, Kelly Victory and Naomi Wolf — according to the filing.

    An illustration photo shows YouTube logo on a smartphone.

    CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images

    “This Notice of Settlement and Stipulation of Dismissal shall not constitute an admission of liability or fault on the part of the Defendants or their agents, servants, or employees, and is entered into by all Parties for the sole purpose of compromising disputed claims and avoiding the expenses and risks of further litigation,” the filing stated.

    A spokesperson for Google, which owns YouTube, referred ABC News to the notice of settlement when contacted for comment on Monday.

    YouTube suspended Trump’s account following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying at the time that an uploaded video violated its policy for inciting violence. It restored Trump’s channel more than two years later, citing that voters could “hear equally from major national candidates in the run-up to an election.”

    Trump’s lawsuit alleged that YouTube prevented him from “exercising his constitutional right of free speech” by banning him indefinitely from the platform.

    YouTube is the latest social media company to agree to settle with Trump this year over the suspension of his accounts following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

    President Donald Trump arrives for a news conference with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the State Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 29, 2025, in Washington.

    Alex Brandon/AP

    In January, Meta agreed to settle with Trump by making a donation of $22 million to his presidential library and paying $3 million in legal fees, according to a letter from Meta’s attorneys.

    In February, X agreed to pay about $10 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported.

    This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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    You can now buy things through ChatGPT with new “Checkout” tool

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    ChatGPT wants to be your personal online shopper. 

    A new “Instant Checkout” feature lets users buy products noted by the AI-powered bot in a chat without having to navigate outside the app, ChatGPT creator OpenAI announced Monday. 

    For example, if you query ChatGPT for the “best mattress under $1,000” or “gift for an avid reader,” the tool will suggest relevant products. If consumers wants to purchase one of ChatGPT’s recommendations, they can now do so within the chat.

    Currently, ChatGPT users can buy directly from U.S. Etsy sellers from within a chat. Through a partnership with Shopify, ChatGPT will soon give consumers access to more than 1 million vendors, such as cosmetic company Glossier, shapewear company SKIMS, shoemaker Steve Madden and more, according to OpenAI.

    The new feature marks ChatGPT’s foray into so-called agentic commerce, with the app acting as a shopper’s agent. In other words, ChatGPT interacts with both the buyer and the seller, while the merchant processes payment and fulfills the order. Merchants pay ChatGPT a small fee on completed transactions, OpenAI said. 

    “This marks the next step in agentic commerce, where ChatGPT doesn’t just help you find what to buy, it also helps you buy it. For shoppers, it’s seamless: go from chat to checkout in just a few taps. For sellers, it’s a new way to reach hundreds of millions of people while keeping full control of their payments, systems, and customer relationships,” OpenAI said in a statement.

    For now, the technology, which the company co-developed with payment processor Stripe, only supports single-item purchases, OpenAI said. 

    Discovering products in AI conversations

    Shopify said on Monday that it wants to allow merchants to sell to customers “anywhere AI conversations happen,” as more Americans rely on generative AI tools like ChatGPT to help them make decisions. 

    “Shopping is changing fast. People are discovering products in AI conversations, not just through search or ads,” Vanessa Lee, VP of product at Shopify, said in an article on the company’s website. “This will let our merchants show up naturally in those moments and give shoppers a way to buy without breaking their flow. It’s a really exciting shift for commerce.”

    Shopify said it wants to position its merchants at the forefront of a sea change in how online commerce is conducted. 

    “We’re making sure our merchants thrive in the era of agentic commerce,” said Lee. “We’re helping everyone from indie brands to household names reach shoppers in entirely new ways.”

    E-commerce giant Amazon is also wading into the world of agentic AI. Through its “Buy for Me” feature in the Amazon Shopping App, shoppers can purchase goods from vendors who don’t sell their products on Amazon.com without leaving the Amazon ecosystem. 

    “If a customer decides to proceed with a Buy for Me purchase, they tap on the Buy for Me button on the product detail page to request Amazon make the purchase from the brand retailer’s website on their behalf,” Amazon explains on its corporate website. “Customers are taken to an Amazon checkout page where they confirm order details, including preferred delivery address, applicable taxes and shipping fees, and payment method.”

    OpenAI on Monday also said it has added new parental controls to ChatGPT aimed at protecting young users of the AI platform. The company, which allows users as young as 13 to sign up, faces public pressure to ensure the safety of ChatGPT for teenagers. 

    In August, the technology company vowed to change ChatGPT after being sued by the parents of a 16-year-old who alleged the chatbot led their son to take his own life. 

    Emily Mae Czachor

    contributed to this report.

    Megan Cerullo

    Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting.

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    ChatGPT introduces new parental controls for teens

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    ChatGPT introduces new parental controls for teens – CBS News










































    Watch CBS News



    Parents can now connect their ChatGPT accounts to their children’s and get notifications when sensitive issues are raised. Jo Ling Kent has more from Los Angeles.

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