By KELVIN CHAN, AP Business Writer

Disney is investing $1 billion in OpenAI and will bring characters such as Mickey Mouse, Cinderella and Luke Skywalker to the AI company’s Sora video generation tool, in a licensing deal that the two companies announced on Thursday.

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At the same time, Disney went after Google, demanding the tech company stop exploiting its copyrighted characters to train its AI systems.

The OpenAI agreement makes the Walt Disney Co. the first major content licensing partner for Sora, which uses generative artificial intelligence to create short videos.

Under the three-year licensing deal, fans will be able to use Sora to generate and share videos based on more than 200 Disney, Marvel, Pixar and Star Wars characters.

AI video generators like Sora have wowed with their ability to quickly create realistic clips based merely on text prompts. But a flood of such videos on social media, including clips depicting celebrities and deceased public figures, has raised worries about “AI slop” crowding out human-created work alongside concerns about misinformation, deepfakes and copyright.

Disney and OpenAI said they are committed to responsible use of AI that protects the safety of users and the rights of creators.

“This agreement shows how AI companies and creative leaders can work together responsibly to promote innovation that benefits society, respect the importance of creativity, and help works reach vast new audiences,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said.

Disney CEO Robert Iger said the deal will “extend the reach of our storytelling through generative AI, while respecting and protecting creators and their works.”

As part of the deal, some user-generated Sora videos will be made available on the Disney+ streaming service.

Disney will also become a “major customer” of OpenAI and use its technology to build new products, tools, and services. It will also roll out ChatGPT for employees.

Also Thursday, Disney sent Google a cease and desist letter, demanding that the tech company stop using Disney content without permission to feed and train its AI models, including its Veo video generator and Imagen and Nano Banana image generators.

It has previously issued similar cease and desist letters to Meta and Character.AI and has filed litigation with NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery against AI image generator Midjourney and AI company Minimax.

Disney accused Google of “infringing Disney’s copyrights on a massive scale,” according to a copy of the letter dated Dec. 10 seen by The Associated Press. The letter included examples that it says Google’s AI systems easily generated, such as characters from Star Wars, The Simpsons, Deadpool and The Lion King.

Google has also been “intentionally amplifying” the problem by making the infringing content available across its many channels including YouTube, Disney said.

Disney said Google hasn’t taken any measures to mitigate the problem even though it has been raising the concerns for months. “Google’s mass infringement of Disney’s copyrighted works must stop,” the letter said.

Google did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

By HANNAH SCHOENBAUM, Associated Press

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Lawyers for the 22-year-old Utah man charged with killing Charlie Kirk are due in court Thursday as they push to further limit media access in the high-profile criminal case.

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A Utah judge is weighing the public’s right to know details in Tyler Robinson’s case against his attorneys’ concerns that the swarm of media attention could interfere with his right to a fair trial.

Robinson’s legal team and the Utah County Sheriff’s Office have asked Judge Tony Graf to ban cameras in the courtroom.

Prosecutors have charged Robinson with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 shooting of the conservative activist on the Utah Valley University campus in Orem, just a few miles north of the Provo courthouse. They plan to seek the death penalty.

Robinson was expected to appear in person Thursday after making previous court appearances via video or audio feed from jail, according to a transport order.

A coalition of national and local news organizations, including The Associated Press, is fighting to preserve media access in the case.

Graf has already made allowances to protect Robinson’s presumption of innocence before a trial, agreeing that the case has drawn “extraordinary” public attention.

FILE – Defense attorney Greg Skordas, left, speaks before Judge Tony Graf, background, in Provo, Utah, as Tyler Robinson, in monitor at right, accused of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk, attends the court hearing virtually from prison on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025. (Scott G Winterton/The Deseret News via AP, Pool, File)

Graf held a closed hearing on Oct. 24 in which attorneys discussed Robinson’s courtroom attire and security protocols. Under a subsequent ruling by the judge, Robinson is allowed to wear street clothes in court during his pretrial hearings but must be physically restrained due to security concerns. Graf also prohibited media from filming or photographing Robinson’s restraints after his attorneys argued widespread images of him shackled and in jail clothing could prejudice future jurors.

Michael Judd, an attorney for the media coalition, has urged Graf to let the news organizations weigh in on any future requests for closed hearings or other limitations.

The media presence at Utah hearings is already limited, with judges often designating one photographer and one videographer to document a hearing and share their images with other news organizations. Additional journalists can typically attend to listen and take notes, as can members of the public.

Judd wrote in recent filings that an open court “safeguards the integrity of the fact-finding process” while fostering public confidence in judicial proceedings. Criminal cases in the U.S. have long been open to the public, which he argued is proof that trials can be conducted fairly without restricting reporters as they work to keep the public informed.

Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, has called for full transparency, saying, “We deserve to have cameras in there.” Her husband was an ally of President Donald Trump who worked to steer young voters toward conservatism.

Robinson’s legal team says his pretrial publicity reaches as far as the White House, with Trump announcing soon after Robinson’s arrest, “With a high degree of certainty, we have him,” and “I hope he gets the death penalty.”

Attorney Kathy Nester has raised concern that digitally altered versions of Robinson’s initial court photo have spread widely, creating misinformation about the case. Some altered images show Robinson crying or having an outburst in court, which did not happen.

P.J. Fleck extolled attributes and virtues of the 31 incoming freshman players signed to the Gophers’ 2026 recruiting class last Wednesday. He even shouted out notable things about some of their parents and siblings.

For instance, Tolleson, Ariz., receiver Rico Blassingame’s mom and dad love craft beer. Beverly and Ryan will likely be spotted with pints in a local brewery when visiting their son next fall.

The kid brother of Janesville, Wis., offensive lineman Gavin Meier was exceptionally inquisitive during a recruiting meeting in Fleck’s corner office at the U. Kenny peppered the head coach with questions.

The mother of Newberry, Fla., receiver Hayden Moore “makes the best macaroni and cheese in the world,” Fleck exclaimed. Heidi carefully sent a sample of the dish to Minnesota for Fleck to eat, and Fleck revealed some no-longer-secret ingredients to her recipe (sharp Sargento and mozzarella cheeses).

After a 35-minute rundown of each new player, Fleck was asked a question about the importance of connections with members of each player’s family.

“I think it’s absolutely critical,” Flek responded. Then he went on a rant about another facet of his job: retention of current players on the roster.

Since last summer, the NCAA has allowed athletic departments to distribute revenue sharing payments directly to players, so whether a current player comes back to a school or not includes a direct financial component. That often entails the Gophers working with someone from outside the player’s immediate family to represent them in negotiations.

“Those parents are so important to me, but there’s people that say, ‘Don’t talk to the parent, I’m the agent,’” Fleck said in front of media members and a group of program boosters inside the U’s locker room at Huntington Bank Stadium last week. “Nah, I’m going to talk to the parent. … And I’m going to talk to the kid,”

Fleck said an unnamed player recently walked into his office and said, “It’s just business.”

“I said, ‘It’s not business here. There is a piece of business here. But this is not business. This is a life program,’” Fleck said. “And these guys knew exactly that, because I give that line.”

Fleck leans on his “Row The Boat” culture and incorporating off-the-field facets, such as volunteering, into how the U operates. On the business side, he said detailed contract negotiations are handled by the Gophers’ General Manager, Gerrit Chernoff, and Director of Player Personnel, Marcus Hendrickson.

“We don’t have to talk money,” Fleck said about his personal meetings with existing players.

“But that kid is going to sit down there and have a man-to-man business conversation before he goes and runs your company or you hire him,” Fleck said as he gestured to boosters.

Fleck added that type of difficult conversation will prepare the player for life after college, giving an example of star players perhaps having an important dinner with the leadership of an NFL team before being drafted.

“We better get comfortable being a little uncomfortable and that’s OK,” Fleck said. “I’m not trying to trick a kid. The salaries are kind of set by the market. I just want to talk to the kid and I’m going to talk to the parent. People don’t like that; they don’t like that. But that is my promise to families.”

As part of the House v. NCAA settlement, $20.5 million will be distributed by the Gophers athletic department and other major programs nationwide to individual players in 2025-25 academic year. Each football team has approximately $15 million to distribute in shares to players. Name, image and likeness (NIL) sums are in a separate pot. For rev share, star players at vital positions will receive the most money, and the rest will trickle on down the line with the smallest allotments going to low-rated freshman buried on the depth chart.

Since the end of the 2025 regular season, the Gophers have had 10 total players announce intentions to enter the transfer portal when it opens Jan. 2. Nine of them were back-ups, former walk-ons, special teams contributors or freshmen likely looking at long waits to receive playing time in a few years.

Then there’s Fame Ijeboi, a redshirt freshman running back who showed promise with 515 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns in 11 games last season. The Pennsylvania product stepped up in 2025 when staring tailback Darius Taylor was again sidelined by injuries.

Through his representatives, Ijeboi said Tuesday he plans to enter the portal with three years of eligibility remaining. That’s a blow to the Gophers’ depth and player development at an important position.

“There’s going to be some guys we keep; some guys we can’t keep,” Fleck said in general about player retention during the Rate Bowl news conference on Sunday. “… That’s true for everybody in the country, but I’m really proud of our guys and the maturity that they handle all this with. It’s a tough few weeks; it is.”

The Gophers did an exceptional job retaining players after the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Only a few key players left those off-seasons. During this period, programs are in wait-and-see mode for who might not be coming back for 2026.

Last year, the Gophers worked ahead on player retention during their second in-season bye week. This year, it’s been happening more after the regular season ended less than two weeks ago.

“You don’t know who is coming back,” Fleck said. “There are a lot of things being said. There are different negotiations being done. It’s very unique, but I think coaches and players are learning a lot from all of this. You know what fits you and what doesn’t. That is OK. At the end of the day, you are going to create a football team that fits you, that they selected to be there and that you learn about as a football coach in who you bring in.”

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GREENBELT, Md. (AP) — A federal judge in Maryland ordered Kilmar Abrego Garcia freed from immigration detention on Thursday while his legal challenge against his deportation moves forward.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must release Abrego Garcia from custody immediately.

“Since Abrego Garcia’s return from wrongful detention in El Salvador, he has been re-detained, again without lawful authority,” the judge wrote. “For this reason, the Court will GRANT Abrego Garcia’s Petition for immediate release from ICE custody.”

The Department of Homeland Security was highly critical of the judge’s order and vowed to oppose it, calling it “naked judicial activism” by a judge appointed by President Barack Obama, a Democrat. “This order lacks any valid legal basis, and we will continue to fight this tooth and nail in the courts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, the department’s assistant secretary.

Messages seeking comment were left with Abrego Garcia’s attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg.

Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he originally immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. An immigration judge in 2019 ruled Abrego Garcia could not be deported to El Salvador because he faced danger from a gang that targeted his family. When Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported there in March, his case became a rallying point for those who oppose President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Abrego Garcia was returned to the U.S. under a court order. Since he cannot be deported to El Salvador, ICE has been seeking to deport him to a series of African countries. His lawsuit in federal court claims Trump’s Republican administration is illegally using the deportation process to punish Abrego Garcia over the embarrassment of his mistaken deportation to El Salvador.

Meanwhile, in a separate action in immigration court, Abrego Garcia is petitioning to reopen his immigration case to seek asylum in the United States.

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Additionally, Abrego Garcia is facing criminal charges in federal court in Tennessee, where he has pleaded not guilty to human smuggling. He has filed a motion to dismiss the charges, claiming the prosecution is vindictive.

A judge has ordered an evidentiary hearing to be held on the motion after previously finding some evidence that the prosecution against Abrego Garcia “may be vindictive.” The judge said many statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”

The judge specifically cited a statement by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche that seemed to suggest the Justice Department charged Abrego Garcia because he won his wrongful deportation case.