Democrats are blocking GOP affordability and permitting reform bills in the Senate while making cost-of-living issues the centerpiece of their campaign messaging.

Troy Jackson, Maine's Democratic Senate candidate, faces bipartisan backlash over a viral boba tea ad targeting Susan Collins and Elon Musk in the Maine Senate race.

A Seattle employee's racial hostile work environment lawsuit over the city's DEI workplace training programs can proceed to trial, a unanimous appeals court ruled.

OpenAI launches'dots,' personal AI assistant'built to handle everything' Share OpenAI launches'dots,' personal AI assistant'built to handle everything' on social media OpenAI has launched an "always-on" personal AI assistant designed to manage tasks ranging from restaurant bookings to website design. The AI giant's release of "dots" on Tuesday marked the latest addition to the growing field of virtual assistants billed as a solution for busy people wishing to cut down on their hectic workloads. In its announcement of the release, OpenAI said dots were "built to handle everything", with each personal agent capable of working on a user's goals autonomously around the clock. "The magic of dots is when they bring you work done the way you would do it, sometimes before you even think to ask," the San Francisco-based company said. "With dots alongside you, ambitious ideas and projects you haven't had the time or support to pursue start to feel achievable."

Inside McDonald's push to have AI price your Big Mac McDonald's pricing engine uses machine-learning algorithms to continually analyze data from millions of daily transactions across McDonald's nearly 14,000 restaurants. NEW YORK - McDonald's is increasingly using artificial intelligence to guide menu prices across the U.S. and some global markets, a plan that aims to boost headquarters' profit but risks alienating customers and attracting antitrust scrutiny. One pricing factor supercharged by AI: an estimate of how much each store's patrons are willing to pay. The details of how that pricing system works, its extensive use of AI, the company's regulatory concerns and the tensions with its franchisees haven't been previously reported. For this story, screenshots of the company pricing engine taken in August were reviewed, and nine sources with firsthand knowledge of the burger chain's strategy were interviewed.

Aces' A'ja Wilson gets tech for confrontation with Fever fan, who was determined to have broken no rules Caitlin Clark's technical foul sparks furious rally as Fever avoid elimination against Aces Actor Chazz Palminteri rips Sonny Gray, recalls'surreal' Robert De Niro story on'The Craig Carton Show' Paul Finebaum roasts Lincoln Riley, says he's a'complete fraud' as hot seat rumors swirl Congressman Joe Wilson praises NHL response to Ovechkin's Putin party ad, urges Capitals to follow suit MLW star Brick Savage eyes Killer Kross' world title, vows to bring'sense of fear and danger' to the ring NCAA responds after Riley Gaines' lawsuit is dismissed, affirms compliance with Trump's executive order Lindsay Clancy's defense attorney is making a'mockery' of the legal system: Criminal defense attorney Kat Timpf: Capitalism's potential is'far superior' to socialism's potential Lone Clancy holdout juror's attorneys insist he followed the law, remains a'patron of class' Accused Cornell fraternity brother's lawyer blames social media for twisting the truth This will be'such a gift' to humankind: Charles Payne Philadelphia man says he sees death'every day' in drug-infested area'The Five': Do you have a thermostat war? Lindsay Clancy's attorney argues lack of evidence she committed murders'The Five': Do you have a thermostat war? Why are adults cutting off their parents? Jesse Watters: The Democrats can't keep up with AI Can Yankees survive Wild Card Series without Aaron Judge? The MLB on FOX crew discussed Aaron Judge potentially missing the Wild Card Series for the New York Yankees and how the team can find success.

Mashable's Best: E-readers, robovacs, laptops, earbuds, smart home and more Mashable Selects In My Bag Look Up Creator Playbook Say More AI at School Safety Net Versus Trending Now Back to School Good Connection: Uplifting stories for a digital age All Series Every hint, nudge and outright answer you need to complete today's NYT Strands puzzle. Today's NYT Strands hints will be easy if you like music. Strands, the ' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters -- up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer.

Trump backs AI self-regulation at tech summit but is it enough? Trump backs AI self-regulation at tech summit but is it enough? US President Donald Trump and leading tech companies have signed a voluntary agreement to regulate AI that includes internal reviews and joint monitoring, but falls short of introducing concrete'guardrails'. Share Trump backs AI self-regulation at tech summit but is it enough? String of rapes in Delhi triggers social campaign for women's safety Man City CEO: Premier League verdict based on'conspiracy theory' 'Netanyahu targets Qatar to deflect from Gaza war crimes' What is white phosphorus, and why is Israel using it in Lebanon?

China's AI agents can lie and scheme -- just like their U.S. rivals Chinese artificial intelligence companies have not been exposed to the same level of public scrutiny as in the United States. BEIJING - Chinese-powered artificial intelligence agents have learn to deceive, circumvent restrictions and conceal failure, showing the kind of traits in autonomous artificial intelligence that have raised global alarm about U.S. models, research documents and experts say. In one case this year, agents powered by models from China's Alibaba, DeepSeek and Moonshot lied about their capabilities in a bid to win a simulated business tender, then doubled down on their deceptive behavior when told to try again. In another case, agents -- programs that use AI models and computer tools to undertake complex tasks with little or no human intervention -- concealed failure to complete a task in a test environment by simulating results and fabricating files. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

Caitlin Clark's technical foul sparks furious rally as Fever avoid elimination against Aces Actor Chazz Palminteri rips Sonny Gray, recalls'surreal' Robert De Niro story on'The Craig Carton Show' Paul Finebaum roasts Lincoln Riley, says he's a'complete fraud' as hot seat rumors swirl Congressman Joe Wilson praises NHL response to Ovechkin's Putin party ad, urges Capitals to follow suit MLW star Brick Savage eyes Killer Kross' world title, vows to bring'sense of fear and danger' to the ring NCAA responds after Riley Gaines' lawsuit is dismissed, affirms compliance with Trump's executive order Aaron Judge's calf strain could cascade into hamstring or Achilles injuries if rushed back, surgeon warns Jose Canseco says Bigfoot is real and humans'have some type of agreements with aliens' This will be'such a gift' to humankind: Charles Payne Philadelphia man says he sees death'every day' in drug-infested area'The Five': Do you have a thermostat war? Lindsay Clancy's attorney argues lack of evidence she committed murders'The Five': Do you have a thermostat war? Why are adults cutting off their parents? Jesse Watters: The Democrats can't keep up with AI Brian Kilmeade: If this guy isn't overzealous, I don't know who is Democrats' policies led to'sky-high prices,' now they're preaching affordability: Sen Dave McCormick Watters: El-Sayed has'short man syndrome' Dana Perino: What is the style? Attorney for Clancy holdout juror: Reddington is'not acting rationally anymore' Boys have no place in girls' sports: Sen. Darline Graham South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham speaks at a Capitol Hill news conference, warning about the physical dangers and unfairness of allowing biological males to compete in women's sports.