Warner Bros gets a new offer from Paramount in heated bidding war

NEW YORK (AP) – Warner Bros. Discovery says it’s reviewing a new takeover offer from Paramount but it continues to recommend a competing offer from Netflix to its shareholders.

Trump hits Iran with new sanctions as nuclear talks near

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration on Wednesday imposed another tranche of sanctions on people and companies accused of enabling Iran’s ballistic missile program, drone production and illicit oil sales as the U.S. presses Tehran to make a deal ahead of nuclear talks this week.

Despite differences, China and Germany Seek to Deepen Ties

BEIJING (AP) – There are many things that China and Germany do not see eye-to-eye on – notably Russia’s war in Ukraine – but the leaders of the world’s second and third largest economies nonetheless pledged Wednesday to work to deepen ties in an era of global turbulence.

Editorials from The Washington Post, New York Times, The Guardian and others

Excerpts from recent editorials in the United States and abroad:

Home Depot tops expectations in the fourth quarter

Home Depot’s fourth-quarter performance was muted by ongoing caution from American consumers in a weak housing market, but the home improvement retailer topped Wall Street expectations. The Atlanta company earned $2.57 billion, or $2.58 per share, for the three months ended Feb. 1.

Hegseth and Anthropic CEO to meet over military's use of AI

WASHINGTON (AP) – Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth plans to meet Tuesday with the CEO of Anthropic, with the artificial intelligence company the only one of its peers to not supply its technology to a new U.S. military internal network. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has made clear his ethical concerns about unchecked government use of AI.

Reddit hit with $20 million UK data privacy fine over child safety failings

LONDON (AP) – Britain’s data privacy watchdog slapped online forum Reddit on Tuesday with a fine worth nearly $20 million for failures involving children’s personal information. The Information Commissioner’s Office said it issued the penalty worth 14.5 million pounds ($19.5 million) because the failures resulted in the platform using children’s data “unlawfully.”

Spirit Airlines expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy by summer

Spirit Airlines’ parent company says it expects to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the late spring or early summer, after striking a preliminary deal with its lenders and secured creditors that provides the support needed to finish its restructuring.

US consumer confidence improves modestly in February

WASHINGTON (AP) – The American consumer’s confidence in the U.S. economy improved slightly in February after cratering a month earlier. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose to 91.2 in February from an upwardly revised 89 last month.