AP Business SummaryBrief at 1:46 a.m. EDT

Missed paychecks and airport delays: Pressure mounts on Congress to end the funding shutdown

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressure is mounting on Congress to end the funding shutdown. It's resulted in travel disruptions, missed paychecks and even warnings of airport closures. But lawmakers have yet to resolve the underlying issue of reining in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement operations. Senators are expected to vote Thursday on a Republican proposal that would fund the Transportation Security Administration and much of the Department of Homeland Security, except the immigration enforcement and removal operations. But it’s expected to fail. Democrats argue the GOP plan falls short in putting guardrails on federal officers engaged in immigration sweeps. Congress is set to leave town by week’s end for its own spring break recess as calls intensify for an end to the 41-day stalemate.

Jury finds Instagram and YouTube liable in a landmark social media addiction trial

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury has found Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services. The decision Wednesday came after more than 40 hours of deliberation across nine days and more than a month since jurors heard opening statements in the trial. The plaintiff is a 20-year-old woman identified as KGM in documents and her lawyers called her Kaley during the trial. She says she became addicted to social media as a child and that this addiction exacerbated her mental health struggles. The companies must pay her a total $6 million in damages.

Southeast Asia revisits nuclear power plans for AI data centers Iran war disrupts energy supplies

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) — Nuclear power is getting a second look across Southeast Asia to prepare for surging demand for power for artificial intelligence-focused data centers. Analysts say the Iran war energy crisis is also adding momentum to nuclear interest and action in the region. Countries are reviving mothballed nuclear plans and many have set ambitious targets. If met, nuclear energy will be added to national power grids across half of Southeast Asia in the 2030s. Nations like Malaysia say nuclear can satisfy the region's energy-hungry data center industry, which has caught the eye of tech giants like Microsoft, Google and Nvidia, without raising carbon emissions. But longstanding concerns around atomic energy remain.

What men and women think about gender and pay, according to a new AP-NORC poll

NEW YORK (AP) — A new AP-NORC poll finds that men and women have different views on who has the advantage when it comes to earning competitive wages. Equal pay emerged as the biggest source of concern for women in the poll — compared to getting an education, a job or a promotion — and an area where men and women are far apart in their perception of gender equity. About 3 in 10 working women say they've personally experienced wage discrimination, compared to about 1 in 10 working men. The findings come at a time when men’s earnings are rising faster than women’s, and the gender wage gap is widening. It also comes as President Donald Trump’s administration dismantles federal agencies and legal tools designed to investigate wage discrimination.

EPA approves sale of a higher-ethanol fuel to try to lower gas prices

The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it would allow gas stations to continue selling slightly cheaper E15 this summer in a move that may be good for drivers and corn growers but will likely contribute to air pollution. The higher ethanol blend is usually limited to use in winter months. But the summer waiver for E15 has become commonplace in recent years, and both Republicans and Democrats have called for it to become year-round and permanent to lower prices at the pump. In some states it’s already allowed. But not all experts are convinced the move will substantially lower gas prices.

Supreme Court sides with Cox Communications in a copyright fight with record labels over downloads

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has sided with internet service provider Cox Communications in its copyright fight with record labels over illegal music downloads by Cox customers. The justices ruled unanimously Wednesday that Cox bears no liability for the copyright violations of its customers. Cox was accused of not doing enough to deter or cut off customers who downloaded music they didn’t pay for. The music companies are disappointed by the ruling and say there was" overwhelming evidence" that Cox "knowingly facilitated theft.” Cox is praising the court for affirming that internet service providers "are not copyright police.”

Asian stocks mostly fall and oil climbs again over Iran war de-escalation uncertainties

HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stocks are trading mostly lower and oil prices have gained as a de-escalation of the Iran war remains uncertain. U.S. futures are down 0.1%. Brent crude, the international standard, have risen more than 1% to around $98 per barrel. Tehran on Wednesday dismissed a ceasefire plan by the U.S., after U.S. President Donald Trump's administration offered a 15-point proposal to Iran. Iran also launched more attacks on Israel and Gulf Arab countries. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 gained 0.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.8%.

TSA boss warns of airport shutdowns, but no deal yet on day 40 of Homeland Security funding fight

WASHINGTON (AP) — The acting head of the Transportation Security Administration says it may have to shut down operations at some airports if the budget impasse drags on as travelers are experiencing record waiting times. In testimony Wednesday before a House committee, Ha Nguyen McNeill described the mounting hardships facing unpaid airport workers. Bills and eviction notices are piling up, and some workers are resorting to plasma donations to make ends meet. Her appearance on Capitol Hill comes as the latest offer to end a funding impasse and put restraints on President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda is running into fierce resistance. But there appears to be no end in sight on the 40th day of the stalemate involving the Department of Homeland Security.

Melania Trump shares the spotlight with a robot at an education and technology event

WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump often commands the attention of any room she enters, but on Wednesday, she shared the spotlight with a robot. The humanoid robot Figure 03 accompanied the first lady on Wednesday as she arrived at the White House East Room for the second day of a summit she had convened with counterparts from around the world through her Fostering the Future Together global initiative. They have been discussing ways to empower children through education, innovation and the use of technology, including artificial intelligence. The robot thanked Melania Trump for the invitation to the White House.

Verdicts against social media companies carry consequences. But questions linger

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Two landmark jury verdicts against social media companies have arrived in a long line of lawsuits alleging harm to children who use platforms including Instagram and YouTube. Penalties in excess of $380 million were assigned by the juries in California and New Mexico in cases that hold uncertain implications for Meta and YouTube. The California jury’s decision Wednesday in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit could influence the outcome of thousands of similar lawsuits accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm. New Mexico's trial is heading toward a second phase to determine whether Meta created a public nuisance with its social media platforms and should pay for public programs to fix matters.