Tech company CEO resigns after controversy over video captured at Coldplay concert

Tech company CEO resigns after controversy over video captured at Coldplay concert

By ALEX VEIGA AP Business Writer

A tech company CEO has resigned after controversy over a video captured on the big screen at a Coldplay concert.

Andy Byron resigned from his job as CEO of Astronomer Inc., according to a statement posted on LinkedIn by the company Saturday.

“Astronomer is committed to the values and culture that have guided us since our founding. Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” the company said in its post on LinkedIn.

The move comes a day after the company said that Byron had been placed on leave and the board of directors had launched a formal investigation into the incident, which went viral.

A short video clip from Coldplay’s concert Wednesday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, showed a man and a woman cuddling and smiling, his arms wrapped around her, as she leaned back into him. When they saw themselves on the big screen, her jaw dropped, her hands flew to her face and she spun away from the camera. He ducked out of the frame, as did she.

Lead singer Chris Martin had asked the cameras to scan the crowd for his “Jumbotron Song,” when he sings a few lines about the people the camera lands on.

“Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” he joked.

Internet sleuths identified the man as the chief executive officer of a U.S.-based company and the woman as its chief people officer.

Pete DeJoy, Astronomer’s cofounder and chief product officer, has been tapped as interim CEO while the company conducts a search for Byron’s successor.

Most concert venues warn attendees that they can be filmed

It’s easy to miss, but most concert venues have signs informing the audience that they could be filmed during the event. Look for them on the walls when you arrive and around the bar areas or toilets. It’s common practice especially when bands like to use performances for music videos or concert films.

The venue in this case, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, also has a privacy policy online which states: “When you visit our location or attend or participate in an event at our location, we may capture your image, voice and/or likeness, including through the use of CCTV cameras and/or when we film or photograph you in a public location.”

Once captured, a moment can be shared widely

“They probably would have got away with it if they hadn’t reacted,” said Alison Taylor, a clinical associate professor at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Still, Taylor and others stress how quickly such a video lead to an internet search to find the people involved — and note that it’s important to remember that such “doxing” isn’t just reserved for famous people. Beyond someone simply spotting a familiar face and spreading the word, technological advances, such as the rising adoption of artificial intelligence, has made it easier and faster overall to find just about anyone in a viral video today.

“It’s a little bit unsettling how easily we can be identified with biometrics, how our faces are online, how social media can track us — and how the internet has gone from being a place of interaction, to a gigantic surveillance system,” said Mary Angela Bock, an associate professor in the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Journalism and Media. “When you think about it, we are being surveilled by our social media. They’re tracking us in exchange for entertaining us.”

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AP Business Writer Wyatte Grantham-Philips contributed to this report from New York.

Parry makes the first hole-in-one at this year’s British Open

Parry makes the first hole-in-one at this year’s British Open

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The British Open at Royal Portrush has had its first hole-in-one.

English golfer John Parry hit an 8-iron at the 192-yard No. 13 that landed at the front of the green, took a couple of bounces and hopped straight into the cup.

There were big celebrations on the tee, with Parry congratulated by playing partner Justin Leonard, the 1997 Open champion.

“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing,” Parry said after shooting a 4-under 67 in the third round to be 3 under for the tournament.

The 38-year-old Parry guessed it was “about” the 10th hole-in-one of his career.

“Definitely the best one, 100%,” he said.

Parry is making his second appearance at a British Open, after St. Andrews in 2022.

Parry makes the first hole-in-one at this year’s British Open

Parry makes the first hole-in-one at this year’s British Open

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The British Open at Royal Portrush has had its first hole-in-one.

English golfer John Parry hit an 8-iron at the 192-yard No. 13 that landed at the front of the green, took a couple of bounces and hopped straight into the cup.

There were big celebrations on the tee, with Parry congratulated by playing partner Justin Leonard, the 1997 Open champion.

“The atmosphere was absolutely amazing,” Parry said after shooting a 4-under 67 in the third round to be 3 under for the tournament.

The 38-year-old Parry guessed it was “about” the 10th hole-in-one of his career.

“Definitely the best one, 100%,” he said.

Parry is making his second appearance at a British Open, after St. Andrews in 2022.

Chevron gets go ahead for $53B Hess deal, and access to one of the biggest oil finds this decade

Chevron gets go ahead for $53B Hess deal, and access to one of the biggest oil finds this decade

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN AP Business Writer

HOUSTON (AP) — Chevron has scored a critical ruling in Paris that has given it the go-ahead for a $53 billion acquisition of Hess and access to one of the biggest oil finds of the decade.

Chevron said Friday that it completed its acquisition of Hess shortly after the ruling from the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. Exxon had challenged Chevron’s bid for Hess, one of three companies with access to the massive Stabroek Block oil field off the coast of Guyana.

“We disagree with the ICC panel’s interpretation but respect the arbitration and dispute resolution process,” Exxon Mobil said in a statement on Friday.

Guyana is a country of 791,000 people that is poised to become the world’s fourth-largest offshore oil producer, placing it ahead of Qatar, the United States, Mexico and Norway. It has become a major producer in recent years.

Oil giants Exxon Mobil, China’s CNOOC, and Hess squared off in a heated competition for highly lucrative oil fields in northern South America.

With Chevron getting the green light on Friday, it is now one of the major players in the Stabroek.

“We are proud of everyone at Hess for building one of the industry’s best growth portfolios including Guyana, the world’s largest oil discovery in the last 10 years, and the Bakken shale, where we are a leading oil and gas producer,” former Hess CEO John Hess said in a statement. “The strategic combination of Chevron and Hess creates a premier energy company positioned for the future.”

Chevron also said that on Thursday the Federal Trade Commission lifted its earlier restriction, clearing the way for John Hess to join its board of directors, subject to board approval.

Chevron announced its deal for Hess in October 2023, less than two weeks after Exxon Mobil said that it would acquire Pioneer Natural Resources for about $60 billion.

Chevron said at the time that the acquisition of Hess would add a major oil field in Guyana as well as shale properties in the Bakken Formation in North Dakota.

“Given the significant value we’ve created in the development of the Guyana resource, we believed we had a clear duty to our investors to consider our preemption rights to protect the value we created through our innovation and hard work at a time when no one knew just how successful this venture would become,” Exxon Mobil said Friday. “We welcome Chevron to the venture and look forward to continued industry-leading performance and value creation in Guyana for all parties involved.”

Chevron’s stock rose more than 3% before the market open, while shares of Hess surged more than 7%. Exxon’s stock climbed slightly.

Super Quick Chicken Fried Rice

Super Quick Chicken Fried Rice

This recipe is a lifesaver on busy nights. It’s fast, flavorful, and uses ingredients most of us already have on hand. Think stir-fried chicken, veggies, egg, and rice all in one pan.

Ingredients

  • 1 package (12 ounces) frozen mixed vegetables
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 pound cooked chicken, chopped
  • 3 cups cold cooked rice
  • 3–4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the veggies
Warm 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add frozen vegetables and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, or until they are tender but still bright.

2. Scramble the eggs
Push the veggies to one side. Add the beaten eggs to the empty side of the skillet. Let them cook, gently scrambling until they are set. Mix them together with the vegetables.

3. Add chicken and rice
Give the pan a little more space, then add another tablespoon of oil. Stir in the chopped chicken and cold rice. Break up any clumps and mix everything well.

4. Season it up
Pour in the soy sauce and stir to coat the rice evenly. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, allowing the flavors to come together.

5. Serve it hot
Spoon into bowls and enjoy right away. It makes a great all-in-one meal that feels comforting and satisfying.

Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ canceled by CBS, ends May 2026

Stephen Colbert’s ‘Late Show’ canceled by CBS, ends May 2026

By ALICIA RANCILIO and ANDREW DALTON AP Entertainment Writers

CBS is axing “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” in May 2026, the host told an audience at a taping Thursday.

The announcement came three days after Colbert spoke out against Paramount Global, parent company of CBS, settling with President Donald Trump over a “60 Minutes” story.

“I am offended,” Colbert said in his monologue Monday night. “I don’t know if anything — anything — will repair my trust in this company. But, just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

He said the technical name in legal circles for the deal was “big fat bribe.”

Paramount and CBS executives said in a statement the cancellation “is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount.”

The most recent ratings from Nielsen show Colbert as winning his timeslot, with about 2.417 million viewers across 41 new episodes. It also said his late night show was the only one to gain viewers so far this year.

And this week, “The Late Show” was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding talk show for the sixth time. It also won a Peabody Award in 2021.

The comedian and TV personality began by telling the audience he was sharing something he learned the night before, that “Next year will be our last season. The network will be ending the Late Show in May… it’s the end of the Late Show on CBS. I’m not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

Colbert’s “bribe” reference was to the pending sale of Paramount to Skydance Media, which needs Trump administration approval. Critics of the $16 million deal that ended Trump’s lawsuit over the newsmagazine’s editing of its interview last fall with Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris suggested it was primarily to clear a hurdle to that sale.

Colbert followed “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart’s attack of the Trump settlement a week earlier. Stewart works for Comedy Central, also owned by Paramount.

Colbert took over “The Late Show” in 2015, after becoming a big name in comedy and news satire working with Stewart on “The Daily Show” and hosting his own Comedy Central show, “The Colbert Report.”

He succeeded David Letterman, who began the show in 1993. Colbert’s 10th anniversary as host is in September.

The show has gone in a more political direction since he took it over. Alongside musicians and movie stars, Colbert often welcomes politicians to his couch.

As Colbert announced his show was ending, he had just said that Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California was one of the night’s guests.

“If Paramount and CBS ended the Late Show for political reasons, the public deserves to know. And deserves better,” Schiff said on the social platform X.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, released a similar statement, saying “America deserves to know if his show was canceled for political reasons.”

Colbert has targeted Trump for years. From 2005 to 2014, “The Colbert Report” aired a satirical riff on right-wing news talk shows.

In his first “Late Show” monologue in September 2015, he said he was beginning “the search for the real Stephen Colbert.”

His first guests were actor George Clooney and Jeb Bush, who was then struggling in his Republican primary campaign against Trump.

“Gov. Bush was the governor of Florida for eight years,” Colbert told his audience. “And you would think that that much exposure to oranges and crazy people would have prepared him for Donald Trump. Evidently not.”

Late-night TV has been facing economic pressures for year; viewership is down and many young viewers prefer highlights online, which networks have trouble monetizing. CBS also recently canceled host Taylor Tomlinson’s “After Midnight,” which aired after “The Late Show.”

But Colbert has been leading in the late-night entertainment ratings for several years. While NBC has acknowledged economic pressures by eliminating the band on Seth Meyers’ show and cutting one night of Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” there had been no such visible efforts at the “Late Show.”

Colbert’s relentless criticism of Trump, his denunciation of the settlement, and the parent company’s pending sale — can’t be ignored, said Bill Carter, author of “The Late Shift.”

“If CBS thinks people are just going to swallow this, they’re really deluded,” Carter said.

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AP Media Writer David Bauder contributed from New York.

Wall Street hangs near its record as PepsiCo and United Airlines fly and health care stocks sink

Wall Street hangs near its record as PepsiCo and United Airlines fly and health care stocks sink

By STAN CHOE AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street rose to records on Thursday following better-than-expected updates on the economy and a mixed set of profit reports from big U.S. companies.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.5% to top its all-time high set a week ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 229 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.7% to its own record set the day before.

Trading was calmer than Wednesday’s, when President Donald Trump jolted financial markets by saying he had discussed the “concept” of firing the chair of the Federal Reserve but was unlikely to do so. Such a move could help Wall Street get the lower interest rates it loves but would also risk a weakened Fed unable to make the unpopular moves needed to keep inflation under control.

A strong profit report from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. helped drive tech stocks, and its net income soared nearly 61% in the last quarter from a year earlier. The chip maker said it’s seeing strong demand from artificial-intelligence and other customers, and TSMC’s stock that trades in the United States rose 3.4%.

Other stocks involved in AI also climbed, and a 1% gain for Nvidia was one of the strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500.

PepsiCo jumped 7.5% after delivering revenue and profit that topped Wall Street’s expectations. The drink and snack giant also stood by its financial forecasts given in April, which projected lower full-year profit than previous forecasts due to increased costs from tariffs and a pullback in consumer spending.

United Airlines flew 3.1% higher after reporting a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It also said it’s seen an acceleration in demand from customers that began in early July, and it’s expecting less uncertainty about the economy to hurt its business in the second half of this year.

Lucid Group’s stock surged 36.2% after it said Uber Technologies is aiming to use 20,000 or more of its vehicles over six years in a robotaxi program. Using an autonomy system by Nuro, it expects to launch “later next year in a major US city.”

Uber, which plans to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Lucid and Nuro, saw its stock edge down by 0.3%.

On the losing side of Wall Street was Abbott Laboratories, which fell 8.5% despite delivering results for the latest quarter that edged past analysts’ expectations. The health care company cut the top end of its forecasted range for revenue growth over 2025.

Elevance Health dropped 12.2% after reporting a weaker profit than analysts expected. It cut its forecast for profit in 2025 because of rising medical cost trends in its Affordable Care Act business, along with other factors.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 33.66 points to 6,297.36. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 229.71 to 44,484.49, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 153.78 to 20,885.27.

In the bond market, Treasury yields were mixed following several better-than-expected reports on the economy.

One said that shoppers upped their spending at U.S. retailers by more last month than economists expected. Such spending, along with a relatively solid jobs market, has helped keep the U.S. economy out of a recession.

A separate report said that fewer U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, which could be a signal of limited layoffs. A third suggested unexpectedly strong growth in manufacturing in the mid-Atlantic region.

Such solid data could keep the Federal Reserve on pause when it comes to interest rates. The Fed has been keeping rates steady this year, after cutting them at the end of last year. The Fed’s chair, Jerome Powell, has been insisting that he wants to wait for more data about how Trump’s tariffs will affect the economy and inflation before the Fed makes its next move.

That’s because while lower interest rates could goose the economy and prices for investments, they would also give inflation more fuel. And prices may already be starting to feel the upward effects of tariffs.

Thursday’s strong economic helped push the two-year Treasury yield, which closely tracks expectations for the Fed, up to 3.91% from 3.88% late Wednesday.

Longer-term Treasury yields held steadier, though, and the 10-year yield edged down to 4.45% from 4.46%. The Fed has less influence over these yields, where investors in the bond market carry more sway.

Bond investors had briefly driven longer-term yields higher on Wednesday, when fears were high that Trump may fire Powell. The president has been angrily calling for Powell to cut interest rates, and a less independent Fed may end up pulling short-term rates lower in the near term. That could allow inflation to run higher in future years. Longer-term yields then relaxed after Trump said he was unlikely to fire Powell.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose across much of Europe and Asia.

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AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.

Prodded by lawsuits, North Carolina seeks to tighten voter ID records for roughly 200,000 people

Prodded by lawsuits, North Carolina seeks to tighten voter ID records for roughly 200,000 people

By GARY D. ROBERTSON Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina election officials on Thursday launched an online database of voter registration records for 103,000 people who need to add their driver’s license numbers or partial Social Security numbers to the state’s records, a move critics worry could disenfranchise some voters.

The State Board of Elections began the process in an effort to resolve a lawsuit by President Donald Trump’s Justice Department and — conservatives say — to help safeguard elections in the ninth-largest state.

Nearly all of the people whose names are included in the online database have registered to vote since 2004, but didn’t include the numerical identifiers. That’s partially because for many years the state’s registration form didn’t make clear that both state law and the federal Help America Vote Act required registrants to provide the ID information if they had it.

The absence of numerical IDs has muddled election administration and voter eligibility in North Carolina for over a year, and played a prominent part in a very close 2024 judicial race.

The state has more than 7.5 million registered voters and is considered a perpetual battleground. Most recently, Trump defeated Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by about 3 percentage points in the 2024 election.

Sam Hayes, the newly installed executive director of the state election’s board, said he’s discussed the “Registration Repair Project” with Justice Department attorneys and is hopeful it will settle the litigation. While U.S. attorneys haven’t offered evidence of voter fraud related to the absent numerical IDs, they contend accurate registration rolls help ensure fair and reliable election results.

People included in the newly launched online database can provide an ID number through the Division of Motor Vehicles website or by visiting their county election board offices. Registrants who haven’t provided the ID information by early next month will get letters and postage-paid return envelopes allowing them to complete the process.

Hayes said those who don’t will have to vote provisionally the next time they cast a ballot — meaning their ballots may not count in some state and local races without correct ID information. Municipal elections in North Carolina are held starting in September.

A former iteration of the State Board of Elections — led by a Democratic majority instead of the current Republican one — acknowledged the missing ID numbers in late 2023 and updated the voter registration form. The board declined to take further steps to collect the information, pointing out in part that the state’s photo ID mandate for voters would affirm their identity.

Lawsuits followed, first by state and national Republicans last summer who claimed voter rolls contained ineligible voters. Then the Justice Department sued in May, a few weeks after the new GOP-controlled board took office.

“We’re going to fix this problem,” Hayes said. “We must put this issue behind us so we can focus our attention squarely on preparations for accurate and secure municipal elections this fall.”

Several advocacy groups and individuals have raised concerns that the DOJ litigation will result in eligible voters being removed from the rolls. The Democratic National Committee threatened last week to sue the state board this fall, saying its plan violates the National Voter Registration Act.

“The DNC applauds efforts to add identification numbers missing from the North Carolina voter file. But those efforts should not disenfranchise eligible voters,” DNC Litigation Director Dan Freeman said Thursday.

But Hayes told reporters the project won’t remove any eligible voter from the rolls.

“Instead, it will result in more complete voter rolls and full compliance with state and federal law,” he said.

In addition to the 103,000 voters included in the online database of those with missing ID numbers, almost 100,000 more whose records lack the identifiers will be contacted later, election officials said Thursday. Those voters will be allowed to continue casting regular ballots because there’s evidence, for example, that they supplied a number or an alternate ID allowed under the Help America Vote Act, said Paul Cox, a board attorney.

Severe weather in tropical storm’s wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency

Severe weather in tropical storm’s wake triggers North Carolina state of emergency

By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina can seek federal funding to help its overloaded response efforts to Tropical Storm Chantal, which killed at least six people and left damage from flooding in its wake, as Gov. Josh Stein announced a state of emergency Thursday.

A one-two punch from Chantal followed by severe weather in the state’s center has “overwhelmed the response and recovery efforts of local governments,” according to Stein’s executive order.

Some rivers reached record-breaking levels from the storm, including the Eno River in Durham, one of several cities where some residents lost access to safe drinking water because of damage to the water system. In some places, the storm dumped as much as 9 to 12 inches of rain, according to the governor’s office.

Chantal hit at the end of the July Fourth weekend, and several days of severe weather plowed through as people were still picking up the pieces from damage caused by the tropical storm’s remnants.

The emergency declaration, which took effect Wednesday, jumpstarts the process for North Carolina to seek federal recovery assistance if needed. It covers 13 counties in the state’s center, some of which are home to populous cities like Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.

Local law enforcement agencies have confirmed at least six deaths from the storm. Businesses were wrecked and many residents were displaced from their homes after emergency responders rescued them from flooding.

A 58-year-old woman called 911 on her way to work after her SUV got caught in floodwaters, but the call disconnected and she was later found dead a little ways from her unoccupied vehicle, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

Rescuers searched for days in Chatham County only to find two missing canoers had died, the county sheriff’s office said, while another woman died when floodwaters swept her vehicle off the road, the State Highway Patrol said.

Two people died in Alamance County, including a missing 71-year-old man found dead inside his vehicle covered in flowing water, the sheriff’s office said. The Graham County Police Department said a missing 23-year-old woman was found dead inside a submerged vehicle.

Many people were also rescued during the storm. In one neighborhood north of Durham, the city’s fire department said it did more than 80 water rescues amid the flooding. The fire department in Chapel Hill rescued more than 50 people while teaming up with neighboring agencies, mostly near apartments, officials said.

North Carolina governor doesn’t appeal ruling on who gets say over highway patrol commander

North Carolina governor doesn’t appeal ruling on who gets say over highway patrol commander

By MAKIYA SEMINERA Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s Democratic Gov. Josh Stein decided Wednesday against appealing a trial court ruling that did not go in his favor last month, securing a small victory for Republican lawmakers whom the governor was challenging.

The case focused on whether Stein has the authority to choose his own State Highway Patrol commander. The GOP-dominated legislature passed a law in December 2024 — just before Stein was sworn into office — that included a provision stating the governor was required to keep the current incumbent, Col. Freddy Johnson, in the position. Stein then sued.

After hearing arguments in court last month, a panel of Superior Court judges decided unanimously to dismiss the case, saying the provision wasn’t unconstitutional.

Johnson, who was appointed by former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper in 2021, was a defendant in the lawsuit. Cooper was also a plaintiff.

Stein believed the provision to be “ambiguous” on whether he would be allowed to remove Johnson from his position if necessary, which is why he initially challenged the provision, according to a Wednesday news release from the governor’s office.

That ambiguity could have led to the interpretation that the commander could keep his post, even if he refused his duties or abused his power, the governor’s office said.

“Making a Commander of the State Highway Patrol unremovable for any reason would threaten public safety, and I am relieved the Court did not endorse such a result,” Stein said in a statement. “I continue to have confidence in Colonel Freddy Johnson’s ability to lead the State Highway Patrol effectively, and I look forward to continuing to work with him to keep people safe.”

Attorneys representing GOP House Speaker Destin Hall and Senate leader Phil Berger successfully argued in court last month that the governor’s arguments against the provision were largely hypothetical. Additionally, Stein’s legal representation and a lawyer for Johnson both reaffirmed that there was no personal conflict between the governor and the State Highway Patrol commander.

Stein has also challenged various other parts of the sweeping state law that eroded many powers of the governor and several other top Democrats holding statewide office. One of the most consequential changes transferred the power to appoint State Board of Elections members from the governor to the state auditor, who is a Republican.

The governor is still challenging that provision in court. State Auditor Dave Boliek’s appointments to the board — which shifted from a Democratic to Republican majority — have stayed in place as the provision’s constitutionality continues to be debated in courts

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