Price pressures: Inflation stayed stubbornly elevated last month as gas prices rose in a snapshot of what consumer prices looked like before the U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran sent energy costs soaring, The Associated Press reports. Consumer prices rose 2.4% in February compared with a year earlier, t he Labor Department said Wednesday, matching January’s 2.4% increase. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices climbed 2.5% from a year ago, also matching January’s level, which was the lowest in five years. Both figures are above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. The Associated Press has the full story. YouTube detection tool: YouTube is launching a pilot program that allows government officials, political candidates and journalists to detect and report videos using artificial intelligence to replicate their likeness without permission. As The New York Times reports, participants submit a video selfie and government ID to enroll. Once verified, they can access a dashboard showing videos YouTube’s systems have identified as potentially using their image. From there, users can flag those videos for review and possible removal as platforms grapple with the spread of AI-generated deepfakes. The New York Times has the full story. Costs balloon: Tokyo-headquartered UBE Corp. says it will push back the launch of its planned battery materials plant at Cornerstone Energy Park in Waggaman, citing soaring construction costs and supply delays, reports Indian Chemical News. The Japanese chemicals group said that the capital investment for its dimethyl carbonate and ethyl methyl carbonate facility would rise to $700 million, up from $500 million originally disclosed in 2024. The plant’s startup has also been delayed from November 2026 to first quarter 2027. Read more from Indian Chemical News. ...read more read less