Fed Chair Says Inflation Is Too High & USC, UCLA Announce AI Majors

In his first major speech as Fed Chair, Kevin Warsh told the Fed's annual Jackson Hole conference that inflation — currently at 3.7%, above the Fed's 2% target — remains a top concern, and warned the central bank will act if prices don't ease. Warsh didn’t offer “forward guidance” on interest rates, signaling he wants a quieter Fed that lets economic data drive policy instead of public commentary. The Fed's next rate decision comes in mid-September.

Meanwhile, USC and UCLA are launching new degree programs focused on artificial intelligence in an effort to keep up with a fast-changing job market. USC is introducing its first undergraduate AI degree, where students will learn to build AI systems for fields like robotics, drug discovery, and agriculture. UCLA is taking a different approach. The university is introducing a new Digital Humanities department that combines AI with subjects like history, sociology, and the arts. Both schools are emphasizing ethics and tools to spot bias, misinformation, and errors.

And, Blake Lively has been awarded about $407,000 in attorneys’ fees and court costs following the dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against her. Lively had asked for more than $8 million, but a federal judge found the hours billed by her attorneys were unreasonable and opted to award her a much smaller amount. It could be the final chapter in the high-profile legal battle between the two “It Ends With Us” stars.

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What the New "Skydance" Means for Hollywood

After a nearly year-long legal battle, the biggest merger in Hollywood history closed on Tuesday. The $111 billion deal combines Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, and the mega media compa...

8 Okt 4min

How GLP1s are Changing Restaurant Menus

For decades, American restaurants have been super-sizing their menus. Now, with about 30 million Americans on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic, many are scaling back. Customers who eat ...

6 Okt 3min

Nvidia’s $150B Stock Buyback & Rams and Chargers Fall Under .500

Nvidia is making a big bet on itself. The chipmaker authorized what it calls the largest stock buyback in history, adding $150 billion to its existing program and bringing its total authorization to $...

28 Sep 3min

Diesel Prices Hit Record Highs & Rams and Chargers Week 3 Preview

Diesel prices are hitting record highs, averaging $6.50 a gallon, up more than 70% since the start of the Iran war, according to AAA. The spike comes right as U.S. farmers are harvesting corn and soyb...

25 Sep 3min

Trump Sued Over White House Press Ban

CNN, MS NOW and Politico are suing the Trump administration after their reporters were denied entry to the White House and stripped of their press credentials.The news organizations say the credential...

22 Sep 4min

Introducing: House of Troy

House of Troy is a new podcast from LA Times Studios tracing the rise and fall of USC football, from coach Pete Carroll’s back-to-back national titles in the 2000s, to the Reggie Bush scandal, to the ...

22 Sep 16min

FCC Approves Middle East Investment in Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal & Newsom Accuses Trump of ‘Retribution’ in Federal Probe

The Federal Communications Commission approved Paramount’s request to allow foreign investors to take a substantial stake in the $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Three Middle Eastern sovereign we...

18 Sep 5min

3 American Men Reach US Open Quarterfinals & Rams Season Opener Preview

For the first time since 1995, three American men — Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, and Alex Michelsen — have reached the US Open quarterfinals. It feels like a milestone moment for American tennis. Now ...

8 Sep 3min