OpenAI and Meta say they're fixing AI chatbots to better respond to teens in distress
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — OpenAI and Meta are adjusting how their chatbots respond to teenagers and users showing signs of distress. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, plans to introduce new controls for parents to link their accounts to their teen's account. Parents can choose which features to disable and receive notifications if their teen is in distress. The company says ChatGPT will redirect distressing conversations to more capable AI models. Meta is blocking its chatbots from discussing self-harm and suicide with teens, directing them to expert resources. A recent study found inconsistencies in AI responses to suicide queries, highlighting the need for safeguards,
Man is found dead at annual Burning Man festival in Nevada, a sheriff's office says
RENO, Nevada (AP) — Authorities say a man has been found dead in a pool of blood at Burning Man, and the death at the yearly art and music festival in the Nevada desert is being investigated as a homicide. Deputies were alerted Saturday about a deceased man Saturday at the gathering in the Black Rock Desert about 110 miles northeast of Reno. A sheriff's statement Sunday said officers found the single white adult male lying dead on the ground. His identity wasn't known. The sheriff’s office said it appeared to be a singular crime and urged festivalgoers to be vigilant of their surroundings and acquaintances. The festival ends on Monday.
Army football player and his dad save a man from flames after a car crash near West Point
FORT MONTGOMERY, N.Y. (AP) — An Army football player and his father pulled a man from a crashed car just before it burst into flames near the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, earning praise from the institution for “heroic” and “selfless” actions. Video of the daring rescue early Sunday shows sophomore safety Larry Pickett Jr. and his father, Larry Pickett Sr., grabbing the man out of the driver’s seat and carrying him away from the vehicle. Authorities say the white sedan smashed into a utility pole on Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, New York, about 4 miles from West Point. Video of the rescue, recorded by Pickett Jr.’s sister, Lauren, shows sparking wires surrounding the vehicle.
11-year-old boy fatally shot in Houston after 'ding dong ditch' doorbell-ringing prank, police say
Houston police say an 11-year-old boy was fatally shot after a prank in which he rang the doorbell of a home and ran away. Police said Sunday the boy apparently was playing “ding dong ditch” — a prank in which a person rings a doorbell and flees before the door is opened. Police say they have not yet arrested anyone in connection with his death as of Sunday evening. The boy has not yet been identified. Other “ding dong ditch” games have also turned deadly in recent years.
Man apologizes for taking Kamil Majchrzak's hat from a young fan at the US Open
NEW YORK (AP) — A man who took tennis player Kamil Majchrzak’s hat from a young fan at the U.S. Open has apologized on social media and said he has returned it. Piotr Szczerek posted an apology on social media Monday after video of the incident went viral over the weekend. The broadcast showed Szczerek snatching Majchrzak’s hat from a boy after a match Thursday night. Szczerek wrote on Facebook that he made a mistake thinking Majchrzak was giving him the hat for his sons, who had asked earlier for an autograph. Majchrzak said on social media that he reached out to the boy's family and met with him Saturday to give him a new hat and take photos with him.
'Weapons' regains the top spot as the summer box office winds down
LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Weapons” crawled its way back to the top of the box office during the Labor Day weekend. The movie generated $10.2 million during its fourth weekend in theaters. Universal’s 50th rerelease of “Jaws” also made a splash in theaters, securing the second spot with $8.1 million domestically. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for the data firm Comscore, says this summer's box office is likely to narrowly miss last year's summer earnings, and failed to meet the typical pre-pandemic summer box office benchmark of $4 billion. He says that “there were casualties this summer. It’s a very crowded summer, very competitive."
Thousands of redheads celebrate their strands at a festival in the Netherlands
TILBURG, Netherlands (AP) — Thousands of redheads from all over the world are gathering in the southern Dutch city of Tilburg for a once-a-year festival to celebrate their flaming locks. The 2025 edition of the Redhead Days festival this weekend includes music, food trucks and workshops tailored to particular needs of redheads, including makeup explainers and skin cancer prevention. The festival continues a two-decade tradition of bringing redheads together to celebrate their unique and vibrant manes.
Lost boy wandering elevated monorail line in Hersheypark is saved by another parkgoer
HERSHEY, Pa. (AP) — A lost boy is safe after wandering a monorail line high above the crowd at Hersheypark. A news release from the chocolate-themed park says the boy was reported missing at around 5:05 p.m. Saturday after he became separated from his parents. While employees searched for him, he made his way to a closed monorail station and then onto the tracks. A video posted to social media shows a park visitor climbing onto a building, jumping onto the tracks, and scooping up the boy to cheers from below. The park says he was reunited with his parents and was unharmed.
Tennis player Sorana Cirstea says trophy was stolen from her New York hotel room during the US Open
NEW YORK (AP) — Tennis player Sorana Cirstea says the trophy she received after winning a recent women’s tournament was stolen from her New York hotel room while she was playing in the U.S. Open. Cirstea pleaded for the trophy’s return late Saturday night, two days after she was eliminated from singles play in Flushing Meadows. Cirstea, a 35-year-old from Romania, won her third career singles title earlier this month in the Cleveland warmup tournament for the U.S. Open. She went on to lose to No. 11 seed Karolina Muchova in the second round in Flushing Meadows. The hotel said it had no comment.
Suspended Little Leaguer's bat sells for nearly $10,000 at auction
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The bat tossed in the air by a New Jersey Little Leaguer to celebrate a home run that earned him a suspension later lifted by a judge has sold for nearly $10,000 at auction. All proceeds from the sale of 12-year-old Marco Rocco’s signed bat will be donated to the program he plays for, Haddonfield Little League. The auction drew 68 bids. Marco’s bat flip on July 16 in the final of the Little League sectional tournament resulted in an ejection, a one-game suspension and a legal fight. But his father took Little League to court and won an emergency temporary restraining order that allowed Marco to play.
