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Things didn’t quite go as planned as Cedar Point’s historic coaster opened over the weekend at the popular amusement park.

According to local reports and social media footage, the brand-new roller coaster, which marks the country’s first tilt coaster, left riders suspended facing straight down for several minutes.

A spokesperson for the Ohio park told PEOPLE Siren’s Curse “experienced a delay that paused the ride’s operation.” The spokesperson said the ride’s “safety system performed as designed, the ride was restarted” and reopened shortly after with no injuries reported.

Reports indicated the ride was stopped for just under 10 minutes.

Video footage showed maintenance workers bringing the ride back from its tilt following the malfunction.

The new attraction, Siren’s Curse, is known as a “tilt coaster,” where the track that detaches from the lift hill and tilts forward to re-attach with the track of the 90 degree vertical drop.

BREAKING: Sirens Curse at Cedar Point is testing!

This tilt function looks insane if this is actually how slow it goes…. 👀

Makes me even more excited for the full size version going in at Qiddiya. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/NvXAcWnDti

— Wallin Ballin (@wallin_ballin) May 19, 2025

Upon opening, the roller coaster marked the first tilt coaster operating in the United States, with just one other such coaster open worldwide – Gravity Max at Lihpao Land in Taiwan.

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Siren’s Curse is the park’s 17th roller coaster. The coaster, manufactured by Vekoma, climbs a height of 160 feet and reaches speeds of 58 miles per hour, traveling just under 3,000 feet of track.

Located in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point is approximately a five-hour drive away from Chicago.

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New, extended Costco hours now in effect, but there's a catch

Things didn’t quite go as planned as Cedar Point’s historic coaster opened over the weekend at the popular amusement park.

According to local reports and social media footage, the brand-new roller coaster, which marks the country’s first tilt coaster, left riders suspended facing straight down for several minutes.

A spokesperson for the Ohio park told PEOPLE Siren’s Curse “experienced a delay that paused the ride’s operation.” The spokesperson said the ride’s “safety system performed as designed, the ride was restarted” and reopened shortly after with no injuries reported.

Reports indicated the ride was stopped for just under 10 minutes.

Video footage showed maintenance workers bringing the ride back from its tilt following the malfunction.

The new attraction, Siren’s Curse, is known as a “tilt coaster,” where the track that detaches from the lift hill and tilts forward to re-attach with the track of the 90 degree vertical drop.

BREAKING: Sirens Curse at Cedar Point is testing!

This tilt function looks insane if this is actually how slow it goes…. 👀

Makes me even more excited for the full size version going in at Qiddiya. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/NvXAcWnDti

— Wallin Ballin (@wallin_ballin) May 19, 2025

Upon opening, the roller coaster marked the first tilt coaster operating in the United States, with just one other such coaster open worldwide – Gravity Max at Lihpao Land in Taiwan.

Trump Administration May 20

Trump announces ‘Golden Dome' plans; RFK Jr. faces Senate grilling

Recalls May 20

FDA recalls cucumbers due to multistate salmonella outbreak sickening over 20 people

Siren’s Curse is the park’s 17th roller coaster. The coaster, manufactured by Vekoma, climbs a height of 160 feet and reaches speeds of 58 miles per hour, traveling just under 3,000 feet of track.

Located in Sandusky, Ohio, Cedar Point is approximately a five-hour drive away from Chicago.

This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.

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Popular jewelry store to open at Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg

• Tech stocks have boomed back from April lows, leading the market higher and on the verge of a new record.
• Some of the biggest tech stocks have again led the way, but it’s the Communication Services sector of the S&P 500, led by Meta and Netflix, that has bested returns of the S&P’s tech sector itself.

In recent years, the technology sector, especially its biggest names like Apple, had developed the reputation of being the safest choice in a volatile stock market. Tech stocks are now back, even after the big hit many took in 2025’s first half.

At the first half’s closing low on April 8, the S&P 500 was down 15% year-to-date. At its closing high last Friday, the index was up 5% YTD. Over the past month through last Friday, tech was up 8.67%, leading the S&P 500. Over the past quarter, tech was up 22.30%, its best quarterly performance since the second quarter of 2020’s Covid boom.

But one sector that has a healthy tech-bent has done even better than the tech sector itself: the Communication Services sector of the S&P 500. Last week, it was up over 6%, leading all sectors, and year-to-date, it has turned in better performance than tech.

The Communication Services Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLC) is up over 11% year-to-date, while Technology Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLK) is up a little under 9%.

What’s led Communication Services to outperform the tech sector itself?

The “service”-based nature of the sector has enabled it not only to sustain but also to thrive in a volatile market, according to Matt Bartolini, State Street Head of SPDR Americas Research.

“When we look at it on a cross-asset momentum, it ranks one across all other sectors,” said Bartolini, speaking on CNBC’s “ETF Edge.”

Another way to put it: “No one is cancelling Netflix,” said Todd Sohn, Senior ETF & Technical Strategist at Strategas Asset Management. 

A look under the hood of XLC is important to understand the relative outperformance.

Roughly 36% of XLC is in its top holdings: Meta, Netflix, and Alphabet. While Alphabet has been a notable laggard in tech this year, Meta, with a weight of 18.57% in the ETF, has been outperforming since April and is up by over 20% YTD. Netflix is hovering around its all-time high, and is up close to 50% this year. 

That’s more than covered for Alphabet’s losses, even though it has the second highest weighting within XLC. And investors have been moving into the ETF this year, with roughly $1.6 billion in flows to date, about three times higher than XLK, which has seen near $500 million in inflows to date, according to ETFAction.com. 

“XLC has been a strong performer, aided by its top holding, Meta, as well as other stocks,” said Todd Rosenbluth, Head of Research at VettaFi. “Netflix has been a star this year,” he added.

Betting less heavily on the top-heavy tech names in indexes and sectors has worked well here, too with Invesco’s S&P 500 Equal Weight Communication Services ETF (RSPC), up close to 11% year-to-date.

For the pure-play tech sector bet offered by XLK, it is led by the likes of Microsoft, Nvidia, and Apple, with the latter a similar drag on performance in the tech sector as Alphabet has been to communication services.  

“XLK has the Apple headwind. Semiconductors are on the rebound, but are coming off a significant correction too,” Sohn said. 

Apple is down by 18% this year, and it is the only “Magnificent 7” stock to recently trade below both its 50- and 200-day moving averages.

The Roundhill Magnificent 7 ETF (MAGS), which is an equally weight Mag 7 portfolio, is up only a little over 2% this year.

Overall, tech-focused ETFs are doing well, with the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ), up close to 17% over the past quarter, and roughly 8% this year. And Vanguard’s Information Technology ETF (VGT) has seen sizable flows, at close to $3.5 billion YTD, but its 6% year-to-date gain is well behind XLC, almost half the level.

But there are additional examples from the market showing that the communication services bet has been the better way to leverage some top names associated with tech-led rallies, especially in a year when international stocks have beaten the U.S. market. A communication services ETF with a higher exposure to foreign stocks, the iShares’ Global Communication Services ETF (IXP), is up over 15% this year, beating XLC by a notable margin.

“It’s due to their exposure to non-U.S. stocks,” Rosenbluth said. “International stocks have been stronger performers and provide diversification benefits,” he added.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter that goes beyond the livestream, offering a closer look at the trends and figures shaping the ETF market.

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Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina won't run in 2026 after opposing Trump's bill

A body has been recovered and two women have been hospitalized after, officials said, after a fire caused at least three rowhomes in the city’s Nicetown section to collapse early Sunday.

According to police, the incident happened after crews responded to a call for a fire at a section of row homes along the 1900 block of West Bristol Street at about 4:48 a.m. on Sunday.

Less than 10 minutes after the initial call went out, officials confirmed the total collapse of three row homes.

In a morning update, Assistant Fire Chief Charles Walker told NBC Philadelphia’s Neil Fischer that a body was recovered from the scene.

Just before 5am, we responded to an explosion on Bristol St. in Nicetown. This became an all-hands response. There are 2 reported injuries and sadly, one reported fatality. Placed under control @ 6:33. Many partners still on scene & more info to come. pic.twitter.com/oHSHGi9ANY

— Philadelphia Fire (@PhillyFireDept) June 29, 2025

The remains, that Walker said he believed belonged to a woman, were recovered by a K9 that was being used to do a search through the rubble.

Also, he said, crews are working carefully to ensure that there isn’t an additional collapse as crews work at the scene.

“This has been a very critical scene in regards to safety,” he said.

Also, officials said, two women, an 82-year-old and a 63-year-old, were taken to the hospital due to the incident — one due to smoke inhalation and the other because of burns she suffered in this fire.

However, officials have not yet provided further identifying information on those hurt, but a fire official said one of the victims was listed in critical condition and the other was stable.

In a Sunday afternoon update, a representative of City Council President Kenyatta Johnson said one of the injured women is a staffer in Johnson’s administrative office.

“She has served through many council presidents. She is beloved. We like to call her the ‘council staffer at large’ because when you work for the council president’s office you work for everybody,” communications director for City Council, Vincent Thompson told NBC10.

Also, the collapse may have been the result of an explosion, as neighbors told NBC10 that they heard a loud bang when the incident occurred.

“Glass was breaking, debris was flying. I didn’t know what to do. I just took off running,” a neighbor said.

Another neighbor, Michelle Noland, who lives behind the collapsed rowhomes, said her home has also been damaged.

“Dining room window blown out,” she said. “Back door, sink… it took out the back of the house basically.”

In an update at about noon on Sunday, Mayor Cherelle Parker said the collapses happened as the result of an explosion, although fire officials have not confirmed an explosion took place.

“An explosion occurred on the 1900 block of West Bristol Street,” said Parker, calling for prayer for the neighbors on the block and the first responders still working at the scene.

Parker said she has met with the families of victims and said that there is a fund being set up for families involved in this incident.

Fire officials said the incident seems there may have been an explosion, but they are still working to determine the cause the fire that led to the collapse.

Ten people who live in the area have been told to evacuate, officials said.

An investigation into this incident is still ongoing.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

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1 dead, 2 injured after three row homes collapse following explosion in Philadelphia

NOTE: The livestream of this year’s parade has concluded.

One of the world’s largest Pride celebrations took place Sunday morning as the 2025 Chicago Pride Parade marched through the streets of Lakeview.

Hundreds of thousands of revelers and parade participants gathered on and along the route, which primarily winds its way through the Lakeview neighborhood on the city’s north side.

The parade stepped off near the intersection of West Sheridan and Broadway at 11 a.m., then will make its way down Halsted before heading east on Belmont. Another turn in the route comes at Broadway, with the parade finishing at Diversey and Cannon.

TaskForce Prevention & Community Services, an LGBTQ+ youth-focused health and wellness organization, will serve as the “Out Front” leader for this year’s parade, with Drs. Maya Green and Catherine Creticos serving as Grand Marshals.

If you’re planning to attend events after the parade, bring plenty of water and sunscreen, as temperatures are expected to soar into the low-90s, along with heat indices near 100 degrees, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

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Illinois' gas tax goes up this week. Here's what you need to know

Illinois motorists will notice a slight price change at the pump this week, as the state’s gas tax is set to rise.

Under provisions of a law passed in 2019, the state’s gasoline tax rises each year based on the Consumer Price Index, a measure of inflation’s impact on the price of goods in the U.S. economy.

That increase takes effect on July 1, the same day that the new fiscal year begins in the state, according to state officials.

So how much is the tax going up?

For motorists whose vehicles run on gasoline, the tax is increasing to $0.483 per gallon, an increase of 2.77% over Fiscal Year 2025.

For diesel fuel, the tax is increasing to $0.558 per gallon, an increase of 2.39%, according to the state’s Department of Revenue.

Where does that tax rate rank Illinois?

Those tax rates do not include other levies, including sales taxes, excise taxes, federal fuel taxes and additional fees wholesalers put on fuel. When those are figured in, Illinois has one of the highest fuel tax rates in the nation, according to research by the Tax Foundation.

Indiana also ranks in the top five, according to the group.

What do gas taxes pay for?

According to the Illinois Road and Transportation Builders Association, fuel taxes go toward maintaining and building infrastructure in the state of Illinois

Under provisions of the Illinois Transportation Taxes and Fees Lockbox Amendment, lawmakers are prohibited from using those transportation funds for anything other than their intended use, according to Ballotpedia.

Could changes be coming?

There is growing concern nationwide that gasoline taxes are not keeping pace with the need for infrastructure repairs and construction, and as a result some states are taking steps to find other sources of revenue.

Those shortfalls are occurring largely because vehicles are more fuel efficient, or in the case of electric vehicles, because they don’t use any fuel at all while still causing wear and tear on roadways and bridges.

One source of revenue some states have explored is using a tax on each mile driven by a motorist, with states like Oregon initiating such programs. Illinois has mulled such a proposal, but that legislation was not brought up for a vote before the end of the spring legislative session.

Indiana has also sought additional revenue streams, recently passing legislation that would permit any interstate highway within the state to be converted into a toll road with federal approval.

According to the Reason Foundation, the measure is the first to be passed in the U.S.

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GE Appliances moves washing machine production from China to Kentucky with $490 million investment

GE Appliances announced a nearly half-billion-dollar project Thursday that it says will create 800 new jobs and shift production of clothes washers from China to its massive manufacturing complex in Kentucky.

The $490 million investment positions the Kentucky home appliances company to rank as the biggest U.S. manufacturer of washing machines, it said.

“We are bringing laundry production to our global headquarters in Louisville because manufacturing in the U.S. is fundamental to our ‘zero-distance’ business strategy to make appliances as close as possible to our customers and consumers,” CEO Kevin Nolan said. “This decision is our most recent product reshoring and aligns with the current economic and policy environment.”

The announcement comes as President Donald Trump attempts to lure factories back to the United States by imposing import taxes — tariffs — on foreign goods. He has slapped 10% tariffs on imports from most countries and put 30% levies on Chinese goods. GE Appliances says nearly all the steel used in its U.S. manufacturing for its appliances comes from American steelmakers.

GE Appliances said the project will move production of a combo washer/dryer and a lineup of front load washers from China to the Bluegrass State. In all, production of more than 15 models of front load washers will shift to the company’s sprawling Louisville production complex — known as Appliance Park, it said. Once the added production is in place, the total area devoted to clothes care production at the Louisville complex will equal 33 football fields, it said.

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Kentucky Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who has criticized Trump’s tariffs, hailed the company’s deepening commitment to the state.

“Today’s announcement brings more appliance manufacturing back to the United States and solidifies Kentucky and Louisville as the global headquarters of GE Appliances,” the governor said.

The redesigned factory will become its most advanced manufacturing plant for clothes washing production, the company said, featuring the latest in automation, robotics and material-handling technologies including automated guided vehicles and autonomous mobile robots.

The new manufacturing lines will open in 2027, the company said.

Next door at the complex’s Building 1, the company produces top load washers and front load dryers.

GE Appliances handles product design and engineering work at its Louisville headquarters but lacks overall production capacity to make all of its products at its U.S. plants. So it contracts with other manufacturers, including in China, for some of its production. The company said its core business strategy is to base production in the United States, and the investment announced Thursday is another step toward achieving that goal.

“Manufacturing in Louisville puts production closer to our designers, engineers and consumers so that together we can create our most innovative laundry platforms,” said Lee Lagomarcino, vice president of clothes care at GE Appliances.

The $490 million infusion into Appliance Park is the latest round of investments in recent years as part of the company’s growth strategy. It builds on the company’s previous investments of $3.5 billion in U.S. manufacturing in the past decade, with more than one-third of the amount going to Appliance Park.

Appliance Park in Louisville employs about 8,000 workers and is home to five plants that produce washers, dryers, dishwashers and refrigerators as well as parts and components. GE Appliances also has manufacturing plants in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Connecticut.

GE Appliances is a subsidiary of the China-based Haier company.

___

Associated Press Writer Paul Wiseman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.

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Gov. Pritzker issues statement after Supreme Court's birthright citizenship ruling

• Nvidia shares rose for a fifth consecutive day toward new highs as investors shrugged off China export fears.
• The rise in shares has helped the AI chipmaking giant regain its seat as the most valuable company with a market value of $3.8 trillion.
• CEO Jensen Huang raised concerns about getting locked out of the massive $50 billion China market.

Nvidia stock rose for a fifth consecutive day Friday as the chipmaker notched fresh highs and investors shook off China concerns.

The rise in shares has helped the artificial intelligence chipmaking giant regain its seat as the most valuable company.

The stock is up 66% since hitting its 52-week low in early April. Its market capitalization last stood at about $3.8 trillion, putting it ahead of Microsoft and Apple. It gained more than 9% this week.

Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives estimated that both Nvidia and Microsoft will hit the $4 trillion market cap club this summer, and reach $5 trillion over the next 18 months.

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Nvidia had a rough start to 2025 as fears of tariffs and China export controls on semiconductors dampened sentiment. Earlier this year, the Trump administration told Nvidia that it would need an export license to ship its H20 processors to China. The chip was introduced following rules shared by the Biden administration.

CEO Jensen Huang raised concerns about getting locked out of the massive $50 billion China market and said the changes effectively cut off sales without a “grace period.” He said Nvidia’s recent quarterly results would have been better if the company could sell chips in the world’s second-largest economy.

Nvidia held its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, where Huang called robotics the biggest opportunity for the chipmaker after AI. The company’s business unit, which includes automotive and robotics segments, reached $567 million in sales, or about 1% of revenues last quarter.

“We’re working towards a day where there will be billions of robots, hundreds of millions of autonomous vehicles and hundreds of thousands of robotic factories that can be powered by Nvidia technology,” he said.

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Fireball seen shooting across the sky in Southeast U.S. may be from meteor

A possible meteorite was spotted shooting through the sky in the Southeastern U.S. on Thursday.

The National Weather Service office in Charleston said there were “many reports of a fireball” across the region just before noon.

“It is not certain, but the satellite-based lightning detection shows a streak within cloud free sky over the NC/VA border, over Gasbury, VA,” between 11:51 to 11:56 a.m., the weather service said.

Videos shared on social media showed the fireball shoot down into a wooded area in South Carolina.

Kathryn Farr shared video of her car’s dashcam as she was driving south on Interstate 85 toward Anderson, South Carolina, around 12:25 p.m.

“Not something you see everyday,” she wrote on Facebook.

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Another view from Andrew Corley Road in Lexington, South Carolina, showed the suspected meteorite burning bright white with an orange flame tail before fizzling into a wooded area.

The Newton County sheriff’s office in Georgia said it was notified by the National Weather Service that the fireball was likely a meteor, “and they believe more could possibly be on the way.”

“At this time, we do not have any information on where the meteor may have landed,” the sheriff’s office said, noting the fireball was reported by residents in and around Covington.

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:

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Mariska Hargitay recalls learning about her biological dad from a Jayne Mansfield super fan

• Microsoft is scrapping its iconic blue screen of death, known for appearing during unexpected restarts on Windows computers.
• The company revealed a new black iteration in a blog post.
• The new black unexpected restart screen is slated to launch this summer on Windows 11 24H2 devices.

It’s a bittersweet day for Windows users.

Microsoft is scrapping its iconic “blue screen of death,” known for appearing during unexpected restarts on Windows computers. The company revealed a new black iteration in a blog post on Thursday, saying that it is “streamlining the unexpected restart experience.”

The new black unexpected restart screen is slated to launch this summer on Windows 11 24H2 devices, the company said. Microsoft touted the updates as an “easier” and “faster” way to recover from restarts.

The software giant’s blue screen of death dates back to the early 1990s, according to longtime Microsoft developer Raymond Chen.

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Microsoft also said it plans to update the user interface to match the Windows 11 design and cut downtime during restarts to two seconds for the majority of users.

“This change is part of a larger continued effort to reduce disruption in the event of an unexpected restart,” Microsoft wrote.

The iconic blue screen was seemingly everywhere in July of 2024 after a faulty update from Crowdstrike crashed computer systems around the world.

Selcuk Acar | Anadolu | Getty Images

Digital boards are seen due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cyber security services to US technology company Microsoft, it was observed that some digital billboards in Times Square in New York City, United States, displayed a blue screen and some screens went completely black on July on 19, 2024.

Harun Ozalp | Anadolu | Getty Images

The blue screen of death errors on computer screens are viewed due to the global communications outage caused by CrowdStrike, which provides cyber security services to US technology company Microsoft, on July 19, 2024 in Ankara, Turkey. 

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4 suburban Chicago's Mariano's grocery stores are closing this summer. Here's where and when

Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was visibly upset on the field Tuesday night when a fan at the Chicago White Sox’s Rate Field allegedly yelled something about his late mother.

The 31-year-old All-Star heard the taunt during his at-bat in the top of the seventh inning.

Marte was consoled by teammates and his manager Torey Lovullo as he fought back tears when he took the field for the bottom of the inning.

Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017.

The fan was ejected, according to The Arizona Republic, after Lovullo and D-backs bench coach Jeff Banister requested him to be removed from the stadium. The fan was banned indefinitely from attending White Sox home games, the team reportedly told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers on Wednesday.

After the game, Lovullo said he heard what the fan said during Marte’s at-bat — which came hours after the star second baseman hit a home run in the top of the first.

“[Marte] put his head down, and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure,” Lovullo said, via the Arizona Republic.

“I could see he was sobbing. It hurt. [I told him], ‘I love you and I’m with you and we’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.'”

D-backs shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, a fellow Dominican, called for the fan to be disciplined by MLB.

“That can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “Everybody knows how Ketel is. He’s fun. He plays the game hard. I feel bad for him. I feel mad about it.

“I hope MLB can do something with that guy. I don’t know who it was, but they’ve got to do something. We can’t continue to do that **** here in MLB … he should be banned, for sure. Everybody knows Ketel lost his mom. She was the world to him.”

As the Diamondbacks returned to Rate Field on Wednesday, the White Sox sent a clear message on the incident.

“Baseball is family,” a message on the scoreboard read. “The White Sox community supports Ketel Marte.”

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Taylor Swift surprises attendees with performance at Travis Kelce's TEU event

A 22-year-old fan who heckled Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte during a game against the Chicago White Sox at Rate Field on Tuesday night has been banned indefinitely from the South Side ballpark.

Marte was seen in tears on the field after the spectator yelled a derogatory comment about Marte’s late mother during a seventh-inning at-bat in Arizona’s 4-1 win over Chicago.

According to a White Sox spokesperson, the security staff at the ballpark relayed that the fan was “very apologetic and remorseful after the fact, and admitted to being very inappropriate and stupid with his comments.”

Arizona manager Torey Lovullo and bench coach Jeff Banister asked for the fan to be removed from the game. Before Wednesday’s series finale, Lovullo said he “had little bit of an interaction with the fan” as he was yelling at Marte.

“He wasn’t getting it and was very pompous, and it didn’t sit right with me,” Lovullo said. “It was just a gross comment you wouldn’t say about anybody, let alone someone who lost their mom.

“We need better baseball fans. Baseball deserves better.”

Marte’s mother, Elpidia Valdez, died in a car accident in the Dominican Republic in 2017. Marte, who hit a solo home run in the first inning Tuesday night, was seen visibly upset during a pitching change in the bottom of the seventh.

The 31-year-old All-Star heard the taunt during his at-bat in the top of the seventh inning and was consoled by teammates and his manager Torey Lovullo as he fought back tears when he took the field for the bottom of the inning.

“I just reacted as a dad would when I went out to change pitchers,” Lovullo said, according to the Arizona Republic. “I could see he was sobbing. It hurt.”

“(I told him): ‘I love you and I’m with you, and we’re all together and you’re not alone. No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you heard, that guy is an idiot. It shouldn’t have an impact on you.’”

After the game, Lovullo said he heard what the fan said during Marte’s at-bat.

“[Marte] put his head down, and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure,” Lovullo said, via the Arizona Republic.

Marte declined to comment on the incident through a team official. Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo said the fan “should be banned, for sure” and called for Major League Baseball to intervene.

“That can’t happen,” Perdomo said. “We can’t continue to do that … here in MLB.”

As the Diamondbacks returned to Rate Field on Wednesday, the White Sox sent a clear message on the incident.

“Baseball is family,” a message on the scoreboard read. “The White Sox community supports Ketel Marte.”

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Talking to children about war: What to say at every age

• Anthropic’s use of books to train its artificial intelligence model Claude was “fair use” and “exceedingly transformative,” a federal judge ruled.
• Amazon-backed Anthropic’s AI training did not violate the authors’ copyrights since the large language models did not reproduce the authors’ work.
• The decision is a major win for AI companies as legal battles play out over the use and application of copyrighted works in LLMs.

Gerry Miller | CNBC

Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box outside the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 21st, 2025.

Anthropic‘s use of books to train its artificial intelligence model Claude was “fair use” and “transformative,” a federal judge ruled late on Monday.

Amazon-backed Anthropic’s AI training did not violate the authors’ copyrights since the large language models “have not reproduced to the public a given work’s creative elements, nor even one author’s identifiable expressive style,” wrote U.S. District Judge William Alsup.

“The purpose and character of using copyrighted works to train LLMs to generate new text was quintessentially transformative,” Alsup wrote. “Like any reader aspiring to be a writer.”

The decision was a significant win for AI companies as legal battles play out over the use and application of copyrighted works in developing and training LLMs. Alsup’s ruling begins to establish the legal limits and opportunities for the industry going forward.

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A spokesperson for Anthropic said in a statement that the company was “pleased” with the ruling and that the decision was, “Consistent with copyright’s purpose in enabling creativity and fostering scientific progress.”

CNBC has reached out to the plaintiffs for comment.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, was brought by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace Johnson in August. The suit alleged that Anthropic built a “multibillion-dollar business by stealing hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books.”

Part of the lawsuit centers around a set of roughly 7 million books that Anthropic pirated and retained as part of a “central library.” The startup ultimately decided against using these pirated materials for training its LLMs.

Alsup ordered a trial for how the pirated books were used to create Anthropic’s central library, which will evaluate any resulting damages.

“That Anthropic later bought a copy of a book it earlier stole off the internet will not absolve it of liability for the theft, but it may affect the extent of statutory damages,” the judge wrote.

WATCH: Anthropic unveils next AI models

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For those concerned about AI’s impact on the job market, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s recent announcement may add even more fuel to the fire.

In a memo to Amazon employees on June 17, Jassy shared that the company plans to cut down their corporate workforce in the next few years due to “efficiency gains” from using AI.

“As we roll out more Generative AI and agents, it should change the way our work is done,” Jassy wrote. “We will need fewer people doing some of the jobs that are being done today, and more people doing other types of jobs.”

Earlier this year, a World Economic Forum report found that 48% of U.S. employers plan to reduce their workforce because of AI.

While not all recent job cuts have been directly linked to AI, several other major tech companies are also looking to reduce their headcount: in May, Microsoft announced that they plan to cut 3% of their workforce, and Google recently offered another round of buyouts through their “voluntary exit program” to employees across the company.

Klarna has reduced its workforce by about 40% due to AI, CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski told CNBC in May, and Shopify CEO Tobi Lütke told employees in an April memo that they can’t make new hires unless they can prove artificial intelligence isn’t capable of doing the job.

Here’s what AI gains could mean for the job market, according to an expert.

“It’s going to hurt for certain parts of the population”

Kate Lister, president of consulting firm Global Workplace Analytics, says that she isn’t fully convinced that recent tech layoffs are wholly due to AI.

She poses a question: “Would you rather have your shareholders or potential investors read that you’re laying off people because things are going to get better as a result of your investments in AI, or would you rather say that business isn’t very good, and we’re going to lay people off?”

Many tech companies are still dealing with the aftermath of “explosive” hiring during the pandemic, which could be another possible reason for job cuts, according to Lister.

At the same time, Lister says that AI’s threat to certain jobs is “inevitable” in the long term.

“We’ve known this is coming for a very long time — not even specific to AI, but for the last 10 years we’ve been saying that we need a skills upgrade,” she says.  

She lists administrative and customer service roles as two professions that may be particularly vulnerable to AI in the short term. For now, she says, blue collar workers might be “safer” from AI-related job cuts than white-collar workers.

“In recent months, job security has been stronger in the trades than in many traditional white collar jobs,” Nich Tremper, senior economist at business software company Gusto, told CNBC Make It in April.

Lister urges companies to consider “the real need to upgrade skills” and prepare their employees for the AI boom.

In Lister’s view, AI has the potential to streamline productivity, take over busywork and help workers avoid burnout.

“I think it will make us a whole lot more intelligent, a whole lot more efficient, and allow us to do the jobs that we as humans are good at,” she says.

However, she says, “unless we take a step backward and train people to make the most of it, it’s going to be hard,” adding that she foresees “a lot of unemployment.”

Still, according to Lister, it’s not yet time to panic: AI still has a long way to go before it can fully replace human employees.

“It’s not there yet by any means. It’s going to have to get a lot better before it starts taking jobs,” she says. “But the fact is, it’s going to hurt for certain parts of the population.”

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Man, 63, wounded by stray gunfire in West Side Chicago neighborhood

Heat advisories and warnings remain in effect for the Chicago area and beyond.

All of Cook County, including the city of Chicago, is under an extreme heat warning Sunday, as are Kenosha County in Wisconsin and LaPorte County in northwest Indiana, according to the National Weather Service.

With scorching temperatures and a whole summer ahead of us, knowing how to protect yourself is crucial.

One way to get through is by drinking lots of water and staying in the shade. Experts also advise wearing light, cool clothing.

According to the National Weather Service, you should avoid strenuous outdoor activities and check up on vulnerable populations. The NWS lists infants, young children, older adults, people with chronic medical conditions and pregnant women as those at a higher risk.

The city of Chicago has six cooling areas at these community service centers:

• Englewood Center: 1140 W. 79th Street
• Garfield Center: 10 S. Kedzie Ave.
• King Center: 4314 S. Cottage Grove
• North Area Center: 845 W. Wilson Ave.
• South Chicago Center: 8650 S. Commercial Ave.
• Trina Davila Center: 4312 W. North Ave.

In Chicago, you can also go inside public libraires or police stations for relief from the heat.

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Extreme heat hit the Chicago area this weekend. Here's how to stay safe

The price of oil rose and U.S. stock futures fell as global markets react to the U.S. strike against nuclear targets in Iran.

The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 3.3% to $79.60 a barrel. U.S. crude rose 3.1% to $76.16 a barrel.

On Saturday, U.S. forces attacked three Iranian nuclear and military sites, further increasing the stakes in the war between Israel and Iran.

Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.5%, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.4%. Treasury yields fell slightly. The modest moves indicate markets are taking the latest development in stride.

The conflict, which began with an Israeli attack against Iran on June 13, has sent oil prices yo-yoing, which has in turn caused see-saw moves for the U.S. stock market, because of rising and ebbing fears that the war could disrupt the global flow of crude. Iran is a major producer of oil and also sits on the narrow Strait of Hormuz, through which much of the world’s crude passes.

An Iran retaliation that included closing off the waterway would be technically difficult to pull off but traders are afraid Iran could severely disrupt transit through it, sending insurance rates spiking and making shippers nervous to move without U.S. Navy escorts.

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Some analysts think Iran is unlikely to close down the waterway because the country uses it to transport its own crude, mostly to China, and oil is a major source of revenue for the regime.

“It’s a scorched earth possibility, a Sherman-burning-Atlanta move,” said Tom Kloza, chief market analyst at Turner Mason & Co. “It’s not probable.”

Kloza thinks oil futures will ease back down after initial fears blow over.

Ed Yardeni, a long-time analyst, agreed, writing in a report that Tehran leaders would likely hold back.

“They aren’t crazy,” he wrote in a note to investors Sunday. “The price of oil should fall and stock markets around the world should climb higher.”

Other experts aren’t so sure.

Andy Lipow, a Houston analyst covering oil markets for 45 years, said countries are not always rational actors and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Tehran lashed out for political or emotional reasons.

“If the Strait of Hormuz was completely shut down, oil prices would rise to $120 to $130 a barrel,” said Lipow, predicting that that would translate to about $4.50 a gallon at the pump and hurt consumers in other ways.

“It would mean higher prices for all those goods transported by truck, and it would be more difficult for the Fed to lower interest rates.”

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The U.S. men’s national team can end the Concacaf Gold Cup group stage on a positive note.

After entering the tournament on a rare four-game losing streak, Mauricio Pochettino’s side has turned it around with a 5-0 rout of Trinidad and Tobago and a 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia.

They are nations the U.S. should be getting results against, but international wins shouldn’t be taken for granted at any level.

Next up for the U.S. is the group finale vs. Haiti. Even though the U.S. is through to the knockout rounds, a win would solidify its spot in first place and keep momentum going. Haiti is still mathematically alive, but need a win and a Trinidad and Tobago upset over Saudi Arabia to have a shot.

The chances may be slim, but that’s why the game is played. Here’s how to watch the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup group game:

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When is the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup game?

The U.S. and Haiti will meet on Sunday, June 22.

What time is the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup game?

Kickoff time is set for 7 p.m. ET, 4 p.m. PT.

Where is the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup game?

AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is the venue for the action.

Where to watch the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup game on TV

The USMNT-Haiti game will be broadcast in English on FOX. TUDN and Vix will carry the game in Spanish.

Where to stream the USMNT-Haiti Gold Cup game online

The USMNT-Haiti game will stream on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports mobile app in English. TUDN and Vix will carry the game in Spanish on its respective platforms.

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