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‘Demonic oppression’ and ‘girly convos’: the podcast wooing young women back to Christianity

Girls Gone Bible is on tour in the US, touting a regressive ideal of femininity through discussions of abstinence and mental health struggles

At first glance, the crowd gathering outside a music venue in Red Bank, New Jersey, could have passed for a group of sorority rush hopefuls – or Ella Langley fans on their way to the country star’s show. Most of them were under the age of 30. They wore cowboy boots, maxi sundresses and soft, bouncy blowouts, scrolling on their phones outside the doors as they waited for friends to arrive.

But one accessory gave them away: the Bibles they toted. These women were there to pray.

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© Photograph: Jessie Wardarski/AP

© Photograph: Jessie Wardarski/AP

© Photograph: Jessie Wardarski/AP

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John Ternus Replaces Tim Cook as Apple CEO

Big technology and management changes are greeting John Ternus, whose long-serving predecessor, Tim Cook, will stay on as executive chair.

© Brendan McDermid/Reuters

John Ternus, right, who became Apple’s chief executive on Tuesday, with Tim Cook, who held the job for 15 years, at the Sun Valley Conference in Idaho in July.
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FTC and 22 States Sue Amazon Over Advertising Practices

Regulators say the e-commerce giant forced more than a million advertisers to pay more than they should have. The company denies the claims.

© Vincent Alban/The New York Times

The Federal Trade Commission and the states said Amazon misled brands and sellers into paying more for ads; the company is denying the accusations.
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US trade regulator and 22 states accuse Amazon of taking $20bn with secret surcharges

FTC alleges in lawsuit that online retailer ‘secretly and systematically overcharged’ advertisers for years

The US’s main trade regulator and 22 states sued Amazon on Monday, alleging the online retailer “secretly and systematically overcharged” advertisers on Amazon.com.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) said these practices led to higher costs for customers on items like groceries and other essential goods that are sold on Amazon.

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© Photograph: Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Charles-McClintock Wilson/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

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Study A.I. Consciousness? The Bots Would Like a Word With You.

Given access to email, A.I. agents have started reaching out to the philosophers and researchers exploring deep questions about them.

© Benjamin Rasmussen for The New York Times

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AI could cause global economic downturn, Bank of England governor tells G20

Andrew Bailey, in role as financial stability watchdog chief, warns advanced models risk destabilising system

The Bank of England’s governor, Andrew Bailey, has joined the throng of figures warning about the global risks posed by the most advanced artificial intelligence technology.

In a two-page letter sent to international finance ministers and central bank governors as part of his role as chair of the international Financial Stability Board (FSB), Bailey said “frontier” AI models were “showing increasingly sophisticated autonomy and problem-solving abilities, as well as threat capabilities”.

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© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

© Photograph: Richard Drew/AP

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How Meta’s $17.1 Billion Social Media Settlement Came Together

State attorneys general spent months in negotiations. Then, as its legal losses mounted, the social media giant’s new top lawyer brought a huge settlement to the table.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta’s $17.1 billion agreement with states followed losses in court over claims that the social media is addictive and harmful to children.
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Social Media and the Myth of the Big Tobacco Moment

Smoking used to be everywhere, the way Facebook, TikTok, Snap, YouTube and Instagram are now. Society decided to break the habit, but it took a long time.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta will pay up to $17.1 billion over a decade and make changes to its social media properties to make them less compulsive for young people.
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OpenAI and 100 Others Warn That Window to Defend Against A.I. Attacks Is Narrowing

In an open letter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others said that a wave of A.I.-enabled cyberattacks was coming and that organizations and governments needed to prepare themselves.

© Anna Rose Layden/Reuters

Sam Altman of OpenAI, which has joined more than 100 tech companies in publishing an open letter warning of a wave of cyberattacks driven by artificial intelligence.
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“Anxious Generation” Author Jonathan Haidt on the Meta Settlement

In “The Anxious Generation,” he laid out the evils of social media for kids. The landmark Meta settlement seems to agree.

© Lila Barth for The New York Times

Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book on the harms to children from social media was a best seller.
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Meta Projected It Could Spend $10 Billion on Anthropic’s A.I.

The social networking giant projected it could spend $10 billion annually on Anthropic’s tools, illustrating the friend-foe relationships underlying the A.I. race.
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Did Meta’s Big Settlement Actually Help It?

The tech giant’s landmark deal with states over teen use of social media may cost the company less than expected. It may hurt rivals more.

© Josh Edelson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Shares in Meta rose yesterday after the social media giant announced a landmark legal settlement.
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Nvidia’s Profit Doubles to $59.69 Billion Thanks to A.I. Spending

Quarterly revenue also more than doubled, to $96.22 billion, the company said, topping expectations on Wall Street.

© Manuel Orbegozo for The New York Times

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s chief executive, made a big bet years ago on chips and software for artificial intelligence.
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Mark Zuckerberg Wants to Make Sure YouTube and TikTok Share His Pain

Meta, the social media giant, agreed to change the way children interact with its apps. That could be trouble if its competitors don’t abide by the same rules.

© Anna Barclay/Getty Images

To settle the suits, Meta agreed to drastically rein in children’s’ access to marquee products like Instagram and Facebook.
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A Movement to Restrict Social Media for Children Has Taken Hold Globally

Governments around the world have passed or proposed a range of bans or restrictions on young teens using addictive social media platforms.

© Jeremy Piper/Reuters

A 15-year-old using social media apps in Australia in July, more than half a year after the country had implemented a ban on children under 16 using many platforms.
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