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Korean automakers Kia and Hyundai have agreed to an estimated $200 million class action legal settlement over claims that many of the companies' cars and SUVs are much too easy to steal.

The Walt Disney Company has pulled the plug on a $1bn office complex in Orlando, following a warning from Disney leadership that billions of dollars in projects were on the line after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis escalated his feud with the company. The development scheduled for construction in the Orlando area was set to bring 2,000 jobs to the region, with 1,000 employees expected to be relocated from southern California. In an email to employees on 18 May, Disney’s theme park and consumer products chair Josh D’Amaro pointed to “changing business conditions” for the cancellation of the 60-acre Lake Nona Town Center project, according to The New York Times, which first reported the move. “I remain optimistic about the direction of our Walt Disney World business,” he added, noting that the company has still planned $17bn in projects over the next decade its Disney World campus. “I hope we’re able to,” he said. For years, Florida legislators and the governor’s office enjoyed a close relationship with the state’s largest taxpayers, among the state’s largest employers, which has wielded enormous political influence while bringing in billions of dollars to the state each year. Now, the company and DeSantis allies are suing one another, following a year-long feud over opposition to what opponents have called Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law that boiled over into political and legal battles that could shape the company’s business in the state. Moments after board appointed by Mr DeSantis voted to strip the company’s control of its Florida park, Disney filed a federal lawsuit against the governor and state officials alleging a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” for “expressing a political viewpoint.” The lawsuit follows the governor’s state takeover of the Reedy Creek Improvement District, now the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, made up of conservative activists and DeSantis loyalists, a move that followed Florida Republicans’ punitive measures against the company after its public opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” law. Days later, the board voted to sue Disney in state court. In March, Disney slammed the governor’s “anti-business” approach to the company, which Mr DeSantis has accused of advancing a “woke agenda” while his administration targets LGBT+ people and their families with sweeping laws to control public school education, healthcare access and speech. The governor dissolved a decades-old municipal district that allowed Disney to control its own land use, zoning rules and public services, without putting a tax burden on Florida residents. In effect, Disney taxed itself to foot the district’s bill for its municipal needs. “Does the state want us to invest more, employ more people, and pay more taxes, or not?” Disney CEO Bob Iger said on a conference call with analysts last week. A statement from Disney said the company has decided to pull out of the new campus construction “given the considerable changes that have occurred since the announcement of this project, including new leadership and changing business conditions.” The “Parental Rights in Education Act” – what opponents have called “Don’t Say Gay” – prohibits instruction of “sexual orientation or gender identity” from kindergarten through the third grade and any such discussion “that is not age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students” in other grades. The governor recently expanded the law to explicitly extend such restrictions to all grades. Critics have warned that the broadly written law threatens to freeze classroom speech involving LGBT+ people and issues, from civil rights history lessons to discussion of LGBT+ students, school staff and their families. Following passage of the Florida law, lawmakers across the US and in Congress have introduced similar legislation, including more than two dozen measures in current legislative sessions. Read More DeSantis v Disney: Why Florida’s governor is at war with the Mouse ‘We will not be erased’: Critics slam Ron DeSantis for unprecedented bills attacking LGBTQ+ people Penguin Random House sues Florida school district over ‘unconstitutional’ book bans Florida teacher under investigation for showing Disney movie with LGBT+ character speaks out

Another day, another TikTok trend. This time, the platform is obsessed with Young Thug's lyrics, "Did you pray today?" The viral audio has already racked up 23 million views under the hashtag alone. The lyrics originate from the rapper's 2016 song, 'Gangster Sh*t' – making users more confused as to why it's randomly cropped up now. Unlike most popular uploads to the platform, there is no trend attached to the lyrics. Instead, TikTok users are simply using the song to upload random snippets from all corners of the internet. Others are using the lyrics to poke fun at everyday situations. It appeared to take off on TikTok earlier in May with many people using the sound with a purple-toned filter to mirror the aesthetic from the mid-2010s, according to Know Your Meme. One of the first uploads was said to receive almost 150,000 views in just ten days. It didn't take long for people to comment on how catchy the lyrics were, with one writing: "I can't stop singing this song!" Another reiterated: "I can't get this verse out of my head." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter @papi_ximena Did u pray today? 🤨🤨 It comes after yet another bizarre time-passing trend took the platform by storm: the 'OKOKOK / LALALA test'. The quiz is inspired by the popular Tyler the Creator's song, 'See You Again' featuring Kali Uchis. It essentially determines what "vibe" you give off, depending on what you hear first. In the song, Tyler can be heard repeating "Ok," while Kali sings "Lalala". Supposedly, if you join in on Tyler's part, you are level-headed and introverted. Whereas, if you are on Kali's side, you're more crazy and extroverted. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Google, Twitter, Facebook and other tech companies fueled by social media have dodged a legal threat that could have blown a huge hole in their business models

Exxon Mobil Corp. said the prospect of the world reaching net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 is

The suspect in the fatal stabbing of Cash App founder Bob Lee on the streets of San Francisco has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pushing to keep AM radio in the nation’s cars

Election falsehoods are thriving on Twitter after former President Donald Trump dug in on those claims during a recent CNN town hall

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says Congress “must move quickly” to regulate artificial intelligence and has convened a bipartisan group of senators to work on legislation

ChatGPT is now a smartphone app, which could be good news for people who like to use the artificial intelligence chatbot and bad news for all the clone apps that have tried to profit off the technology

White House negotiators meeting with Republicans to hash out a deal to avert a historic US default have

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2023--