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The WNBA Has a Politics Problem
The WNBA has become a battleground for left versus right fighting, sparking culture wars over race, gender and sexual orientation.
Aisha Wahab Wins California Special Election to Replace Eric Swalwell
Aisha Wahab, a Democratic state senator in California, will fill out the term of Eric Swalwell, who resigned from the House amid accusations of sexual misconduct.
AP report: Federal agents seize devices from ex-Rep. Eric Swalwell in sexual misconduct probe
Federal agents seized electronic devices from former Rep. Eric Swalwell and searched his Washington home as part of an investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct by the ex-Democratic congressman from California, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The Lucid Air Air Sapphire Beats Genuine Mid-Engine Supercars From 0-200-0 MPH
Big luxury sedans aren't supposed to be capable of such nutty performance but the fastest Lucid put on a show for Car and Driver.
Lindale business owner jailed for selling counterfeit luxury goods
A Lindale business owner is behind bars after he was charged with selling counterfeit merchandise of six different high-end fashion brands, according to court records.
What Parents Need to Know About Sexual Abuse in Youth Sports
The public SafeSport list is one of the most powerful tools for parents looking to research their kids’ coaches. But many families have no idea it exists or how to use it. Critics also say the organization has serious flaws.
The scandal that has gripped Australian sport – and started a difficult conversation
Sexual assault claims have led to one of the AFL's biggest teams 'torpedoing' their season but the scandal's impact stretches beyond sport
Genesis GV90 packs luxury features reminiscent of Chinese SUVs
The Genesis GV90 puts the brand in the same company as the Cadillac Escalade IQ, the Mercedes-Maybach EQS SUV, and the Lucid Gravity.
Tumbles Reno offers STEAM program combining fitness and science
Classes blend movement with lessons on different areas of S.T.E.A.M.
Astronomers spot the closest, fastest star ever seen orbiting our galaxy's monster black hole
A star is whipping around the Milky Way's central black hole incredibly fast, setting a record for the tightest orbit ever observed
Child Sexual Abuse Is Preventable | Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
We could end CSA by focusing on solutions that work—and scaling them at a national level.
Surging Unemployment Is Milei’s Biggest Political Threat in Argentina
President Javier Milei lowered inflation and poverty in Argentina, while eliminating its budget deficit. But the nation’s labor market is still mired in the crisis he was elected to confront.
The Museum of Science to open new Bloomberg wing in October
The state-of-the-art, 10,000-square-foot performance and presentation space overlooking the Boston and Cambridge skylines will open in October.
Concierge business owner explains services wealthy clients request
From unpacking groceries to driving a Bentley from England to Italy, a luxury concierge business owner explains what services clients request and why.
Mike Caruso arrested on child sexual abuse charges
The arrest came one year to the day after Gov. DeSantis appointed Caruso as Clerk.
Happy Health secures $75M to expand AI-powered care in the home starting with sleep apnea
Digital health company Happy Health secured a $75 million series A funding round to continue building its artificial intelligence-powered platform for continuous home-based care. | The startup’s smart ring—dubbed Happy Ring—was first cleared by the FDA in 2024.
Democrats enter their thirst trap era
The left is leaning into candidates who look young, energetic and even desirable, with fresh faces often eclipsing the older guard.
Apple's iPhone Ultra design keeps getting weirder
From the camera cutout to the screen shape, this could be one unusual iPhone.
Apple's Camera-Equipped AirPods Confirmed: See Them in Action
Apple is working on camera-equipped AirPods that appear to be nearly ready to launch, based on a video MacRumors found in the macOS Tahoe 26.7 release candidate. In a short demo, a man holds a book up so the camera in the AirPods can see the title. "With Visual Intelligence, your world becomes savable. See something you like? Just ask me to save it for later," says the voiceover text.
(BPRW) USHER'S NEW LOOK, BET AND BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GREATER DETROIT PARTNER TO EXPAND PATHWAYS AND DEVELOP THE NEXT GENERATION OF ENTERTAINMENT LEADERS THROUGH BET NEXT GEN PROGRAM
(Black PR Wire) New York, NY - Usher's New Look, Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Detroit and BET Next Gen, BET's leadership development initiative, today announced a collaboration designed to expand access to careers in media, music...
NYC sexual violence prevention program expanding statewide
For more than two decades, the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault has worked at the intersection of prevention, research, policy change and education.
House Ethics Committee announces sexual misconduct investigation into Rep. Jimmy Gomez
The committee said it is investigating allegations that Gomez engaged in “inappropriate sexual contact with a House staffer.” He said he did not violate the law or House ethics rules.
House ethics panel opens sexual misconduct investigation into Rep. Jimmy Gomez
The California Democrat said that he had “made personal mistakes outside my marriage” and that will cooperate with the investigation.
Lamborghini's most extreme car just sold out its future
Scarcity is the oldest pricing trick in luxury, and it only works when the scarcity is real. Anyone can print “limited edition” on a box. Very few companies can cap production at a hard number, refuse to move it, and still watch buyers pay a premium for the privilege of waiting a year to take ...
The Next Career Ladder Is Business Ownership
Citizens’ Mark Valentino argues that the next generation of entrepreneurs does not necessarily need to build a company from scratch to own one. Valentino examines the succession wave facing America…
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rises to highest level since August 2025
Small business optimism increased in July, with the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Optimism Index rising 2.4 points to 99.8, above its 52-year average of 98.0. The reading marks the highest level since August 2025. Of the index’s 10 components, eight increased and two decreased. Hiring plans improved substantially and contributed the […]
Supreme Court rebuffs Trump’s bid to overturn $5 million verdict in Carroll case
The president was found liable of sexually assaulting and defaming E. Jean Carroll in the high-profile civil case.
Turning Stone Resort Casino Earns AAA Four Diamond for 3 Hotels
Three hotels at Turning Stone Resort Casino have received the prestigious AAA Four Diamond Award, highlighting the resort’s commitment to luxury and high-quality service.
BIG PIVOTS: The Nexus of Climate Change Politics in Colorado
Our Colorado mountain town is being hammered by climate change. We are responding in many ways…
Charlotte Sports Business Fellowship completes Year 5 with 2026 cohort
The 16 fellows spent the past 12 weeks gaining experience with their assigned companies and completing site visits at each of the 15 participating organizations.
BUSINESS ‘Punk, intense and all-encompassing’: Chicagoan Dawn Heilung brings trans artists into focus
Gender Fucked Productions (Gender Fucked) Founder and former Executive Director and Artistic Director Dawn Heilung uses many labels to describe themselves— queer, bisexual, pansexual, polyamorous, trans, non-binary, transfeminine—because “I don’t think one can fully encompass my experience.” “I started [the trans, enby and queer arts and event production focused nonprofit] Gender Fucked Productions in 2022 because […]
Trump reduces military exercises with South Korea, citing good ties with Kim Jong Un
The president cited the cost of the drills and said he did not want to send a signal that is "totally inappropriate and hostile" to North Korea. He also criticized South Korea for not helping him on Iran.
Trump says White House needs ‘military complex’ as courts block his ballroom
When Trump first unveiled his plans for the new East Wing addition, he said it was needed to host VIP guests. More recently, he is calling it a 'desperately needed National Security structure.'
Watch Inside the Business of Ultra Luxury Travel
Luxury Travel and Event Expert Olivia Ferney sits down with Lisa Mateo, Joe Mathieu and Carol Massar on Bloomberg This Weekend and shares how she has built a business catering to ultrawealthy clients whose requests can range from six-figure vacations to elaborate celebrations, while creating a social media following of more than 1 million.
Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man in new ‘Avengers’ project with Disney
Robert Downey Jr. returning as Iron Man in new Disney project at Disneyland, where an ‘Avengers’ ride will unite him with Anthony Mackie, Chris Hemsworth, and Jeremy Renner.
Harrison Ford returning as Indiana Jones in new Disney project
Harrison Ford will return as Indiana Jones inside Disney World’s new Animal Kingdom ride based on the film series. The ride replaces Dinosaur, which closed ahead of a new Tropical Americas land.
Estée Lauder Companies (EL) Expands Color Science Research For Shade Matching
Estée Lauder Companies (NYSE: EL) announced a research collaboration with the University of Leeds and Dr. Kaida Xiao focused on advanced color science for complexion products. The partnership aims to improve shade matching accuracy in luxury foundations and related complexion lines using visual perception science. The work is expected to inform future formula development and product testing in the prestige cosmetics segment. For investors tracking how advanced data and perception science...
Big Pivots: Ambition, affordability and the nexus of climate change politics
In Crested Butte, Republican voter registration barely breaks 5%. Given this political makeup, Crested Butte might seem like a strange venue for dissecting American polarization over climate change. The national pace of climate action, however,...
'Sterling Point' is Prime Video's best YA show, and its biggest outlier
How "Sterling Point" sets itself apart from Prime's stacked YA catalog.
Helaine Cohen
With a background in marketing and technology, Helaine Cohen founded ChicagoCondoFinder.com, a website for people searching for condos in Chicago. Last year, the site had 290,000 visitors who drove more than $40 million in buyer business. In 2018, Cohen announced a partnership to expand the brand and team with real estate veteran Sam Tarara. As a broker, Cohen represents sellers in a wide range of prices, but her expertise is primarily in the luxury condo market.
Treasury Wine Estates profit slides as US business reset weighs on year
Luxury demand for Treasury Wine Estates brands such as BV, Frank Family and Daou showed resilience, but lower volumes, weaker margins and the U.S. supply chain overhaul pressured fiscal-year results.
Georgia massage business shut down after complaint led to sexual battery arrest
Police in Georgia say a complaint at a massage business led to a sexual battery arrest — and the business was then shut down.
EXCLUSIVE FTC probes health records giant Epic Systems, sources say
Epic Systems, a healthcare database company that holds the medical records of hundreds of millions of Americans, is facing an antitrust investigation by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Beau Rivage’s EIGHT75 entertainment venue returns with new look
BILOXI, Miss. (WXXV)- A new era of nightlife is arriving on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Beau Rivage’s signature lounge and live entertainment venue, EIGHT75, has gotten a major makeover with a new look and a new vibe. The space has been completely reimagined with rich colors, luxurious details, a 41-foot marble bar, and a new performance stage. Thursday night, Beau...
Graham Platner to speak at labor rally
Former Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is scheduled to be the featured speaker at a Labor Day rally in what may be one of his first public appearances since a sexual assault allegation ended his candidacy.
Graham Platner to speak at labor rally, one of his first public events since ending Maine campaign
Former Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is scheduled to be the featured speaker at a Labor Day rally in what may be one of his first public appearances since a sexual assault allegation ended his candidacy
In China, treatment for mental-health problems is a luxury
The government wants to improve a patchy and uneven systyem
Car crashes into Trap House Chicken on Normandy Blvd.; owner says business will stay open
A car crashed into Trap House Chicken on Normandy Blvd. Wednesday afternoon, sending the popular restaurant into cleanup and recovery mode — but its owner says the doors will stay open.
ARMK Q2 Deep Dive: Nexus Expansion and Core Business Growth Drive Momentum
Food and facilities services provider Aramark (NYSE:ARMK) reported revenue ahead of Wall Street’s expectations in Q2 CY2026, with sales up 9.3% year on year ...
Exclusive: D.C. sports radio veteran Andy Pollin is off the air
He had hoped to retire in 2028, marking 50 years in the business.
Luxury second-home tax survives temporary court block, for now
The tax applies to second homes worth more than $5 million.
Manhattan home health aide stabbed by client with dementia after serving her pancakes
Barbara Salberg, 66, was hit with a slew of charges including attempted murder following the stabbing in her luxury Upper East Side apartment.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son arrested, faces charges of sexual exploitation of minor
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Jay Boebert has been arrested and accused of recording and sharing a video depicting himself having intercourse with a minor, according to court records. The case originates in Garfield County in Western Colorado and was filed Thursday. Tyler Boebert, 21, is accused of five counts in total: three charges […]
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son arrested, charged with sexual exploitation of child
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Jay Boebert has been arrested and accused of recording and sharing a video depicting himself having intercourse with a minor, according to court records. The case originates in Garfield County in Western Colorado and was filed Thursday. Tyler Boebert, 21, is accused of five counts in total: three charges […]
Saber's newest game trailer takes a shot at Gearbox's CEO, if you look closely
The first hint that something might be up with the recent debut trailer for Saber Interactive’s Rideshare Stimulator is an unusual choice of words—aside from that second one in the game’s title. “Don’t take your passengers too seriously,” the trailer’s narrator says, as he describes this upcoming game. It a car game about the gig work of driving eccentric people to their destinations, a riff on Crazy Taxi. And then, he says: “When I think I’ve met the randiest of passengers, someone even stranger gets in.” “Randiest”? That suggests “randy,” which usually means having strong sexual desire. Yet none of the oddball backseat occupants featured in the trailer seem particularly lustful. One is an old man who considers his grandson a failure, another shares the theory that birds might control traffic lights, another says he’s banned from an aquarium. A little later, there’s a license plate, shown 63 seconds into the trailer, on the front of an SUV: USB DRV It’s a Texas plate. The symbol between those letters is a cog wheel. If you know, you know. That’s a reference to Texas-based Borderlands game development studio Gearbox Software (their logo features a cog wheel). More specifically, it’s a reference to Gearbox’s CEO Randy Pitchford, who in 2018 found himself explaining the nature of video he’d saved on a USB drive that was found at a Medieval Times restaurant before being returned to the studio: “It was ‘barely legal’ porn. This girl’s handle was ‘Only 18.’” The “girl” in the video had committed a solo sex act that Pitchford, an avid practitioner of magic, found remarkable. “I realized, this is not a sex worker…This is a fucking magician.” Back then, the USB drive was central to competing lawsuits against Gearbox by the studio’s former lawyer and by Gearbox against him. A settlement in late 2019 “exonerated” Pitchford, per the Hollywood Reporter. The USB story has resurfaced at times, now in a trailer from a company that not long ago was corporate brethren with Gearbox. Saber vs. Gearbox The head of Saber told Game File that the reference is payback. “The dig is because Randy took shots at Embracer in Borderlands 4,” Saber CEO Matt Karch told me when I asked him about the license plate. “Without Embracer, Randy is performing magic tricks at birthday parties for a living.” Having interviewed Karch during a cross-country flight in late 2024, I can confirm that Karch was unimpressed with Pitchford during their time both working in the Embracer group. I’d approached him not out of surprise that there was animosity but that it was manifesting publicly now. Gearbox was founded in 1999, worked on a port of Halo early on, and developed hit series such as the loot-based sci-fi shooter Borderlands before it was purchased by The Embracer Group in early 2021 for $363 million (with a possible earn-out of over $1 billion, if certain targets were hit by 2027). Saber was founded in 2001, worked on a remaster of Halo early on, had a big hit with zombie shooter World War Z and was purchased by Embracer in early 2020 for $150 million, with a potential earn-out of up to $375 million. For a few years, the Embracer group was a voracious acquirer of game studios. Then, as investment dried up, it choked. In March 2024, Embracer sold Saber to an investment company controlled by Saber CEO Matt Karch, and it sold Gearbox in an all-stock deal to long-time Borderlands publisher Take Two Interactive. Other studios were shut down. Hundreds of developers were laid off. Gearbox didn’t say much about their Embracer experience, nothing too direct, at least. In the summer 2024, Pitchford told reporter and occasional Game File contributor Nicole Carpenter that Borderlands 4’s story was in some way thematically connected to Gearbox’s experience at Embracer: “There’s this cultural and emotional shift in me, personally, and at the studio. What does it mean to trade some autonomy for organization?” When Borderlands 4 came out, there was something stranger: the matter of “Embracer’s Bluff,” a location in the game featuring an AI-powered toilet and a large trash dump, according to a detailed Kotaku account of the place. Gearbox never commented on it; Take Two never got back to me about it when I asked them last year. By contrast, since Saber exited Embracer, Karch has been one of Embracer’s biggest defenders, casting their management as well-meaning and supportive despite the layoffs and studio closures that resulted from their excessive expansion. Like others, Saber’s Karch saw Embracer’s as a shot. With Rideshare Stimulator’s trailer, he’s returned fire. “It’s amazing to me how fast people forget those who went above and beyond for them,” Karch told Game File. A rep for Gearbox did not comment by press time. Game File is a reader-supported publication. Your backing makes my reporting—including any coverage of trailer-based beefs—possible. Good news! I’m currently running Game File’s first big sale of 2026. You can get a one-year subscription for 23% off. Click here to take advantage of the limited-time offer. And thank you for your support! Item 2: In brief… 🚫 Wal-Mart has laid off the staff of Restart, a games media outlet launched in 2024, Aftermath reports. 🟥 A GTA VI preview is on the way, at last, via an “extended look” that will premiere, unusually, on Netflix at 3pm ET on August 27, then officially go live elsewhere six hours later. Last week, Game File noted that Take Two label Rockstar Games is overdue for showing off GTA VI, based on the timing of the initial hands-off previews of GTA V and Red Dead Redemption 2. During a call with investors, Take Two CEO Strauss Zelnick said pre-orders for GTA VI were “unprecedented and astonishing,” but added the company can’t predict how many of those pre-orders represent bonus sales vs. sales that otherwise would have been made at launch. During the same call, Zelnick was noticeably bullish on the future of playing games over streaming cloud connections (predicting wider adoption in three or so years). He sounded unbothered by Sony’s plans to stop making discs for new games (he said the business is 90% digital already and predicted that there could still be limited edition physical editions of games “in the same way there’s still vinyl in the recorded music business.”) 👀 Take Two wrote off $43 million in their spring quarter after deciding “not to proceed with further development of an unannounced title in its pipeline from a third-party developer.” 🤔 Some rare age-demographics from a big publisher: Capcom recently told investors that “users in their 20s account for approximately half of the users of both Pragamata and Resident Evil Requiem.” Item 3: The week ahead Tuesday, August 11 Game releases: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered (Switch 2; already out for PC, PS5, Xbox) continues the Bethesda strategy of putting Elder Scrolls games on everything; Royalty Free-For-All is a Smash Bros.-style fighting game featuring public domain characters such as Mother Goose brawling with Oliver Twist in a stage based on the original Little Shop of Horrors movie. Wednesday, August 12 Game release: Pro Jank Footy (PC, console) is an arcade-style Australian Rules Football game with increasingly ridiculous rules, the more you play (I enjoyed the Steam demo) Thursday, August 13 Game release: Super Mario Sunshine (Switch 2, originally released in 2002 on the GameCube) is released for Switch 2’s Nintendo Switch Online service. This game is the black sheep of 3D Mario games. It’s the successor to the breakthrough Super Mario 64 and the rare Mario game built around a single (vacation resort) theme. Mario’s got a water-spraying backpack, a Yoshi pal and a lot of blue coins to collect.
Surgery center to transition services to Marshall Health Network
Three Gables Surgery says procedures will transition to Marshall Health Network - St. Mary’s Medical Center and Marshall Health Network - Cabell Huntington Hospital.
US Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son arrested, faces charges of sexual exploitation of child
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Boebert has been arrested and faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child, according to court records. The case originates out of Garfield County in Western Colorado. Tyler Boebert, 21, faces five counts in total: three charges of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of contributing to […]
US Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son faces charges of sexual exploitation of child
U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler Boebert faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child, according to court records. The case originates out of Garfield County in Western Colorado and was filed on Thursday. Tyler Boebert, 21, faces five counts in total: three charges of sexual exploitation of a child and two counts of contributing […]
Bose CEO Lila Snyder on the fight for high-quality audio
Snyder on the company’s move into luxury audio, licensing the Bose brand, and what happens to great sound in the AI era.
Florida Is Betting That NIL Isn't Everything in Recruiting
Rejecting flashy million-dollar bidding wars and luxury penthouses, the Florida Gators are targeting prospects who prioritize professional development and long-term stability over the immediate lure of massive payouts.
How to improve employee retention: Strategies to boost engagement and reduce turnover
Watch this Quick Take with Yeo & Yeo’s Amy Cell to learn employee retention strategies that build engagement, strengthen loyalty and reduce turnover.
The video game industry's new cheat code: AI prompts
Experts predict AI will eventually create full games.
Apple Explores Shaking Up Its Smartwatch for a New Era
Also: The company’s big iPhone event approaches.
Asking Eric: Mother says ‘no politics’ but keeps talking politics
Mom shuts down political conversations with the letter writer attempts to rebut her.
Japan football association investigates four referees over KFA sexual entertainment allegations
The JFA is investigating four Japanese referees linked to matches cited in allegations that the KFA provided sexual entertainment to foreign officials in 2011 and 2012.
Valley Health Systems hosts annual back-to-school event, free supplies for students
The backpack is filled, the supplies are checked off, but there are still a few things that families need to take care of before that first day creeps up.
Did Caviar just spill the beans on the iPhone Ultra and the iPhone 18 Pro design, specs and release date?
The luxury phone customizer has fresh new “insider” details pages alongside its now-live pre-orders for the phones. It’s not uncommon for Caviar to kick...
Friday Sports: Red & Black host playoff game Saturday and more
Here’s a recap of your North Country sports this Friday.
OC Jim Bob Cooter discusses health at wide receiver | 2026 Training camp media availability
While unfortunate to have veteran players out for a day or two, the Colts offensive coordinator appreciates the chance to better evaluate younger players who now get a chance to run routes they might not otherwise.
A Spa in the Middle of the Desert? It’s Actually a $500,000 Bathroom
The owners enlisted an interior designer to create a nature-infused luxury retreat inside their Arizona home.
New CSS Attacks Can Break Webmail Defenses to Steal Passwords and Tokens
Outlook CSS techniques can spoof Microsoft sign-in and capture passwords, while Gmail image-set() can trigger external requests from malicious email c
KFA apologizes over sexual entertainment allegations involving foreign referees
The Korea Football Association said it was “deeply sorry” for its actions in the early 2010s, as a police raid and wider scrutiny of its former president and national team coach have ratcheted up the pressure for changes at the organization.
Football association apologizes amid claims it provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees
The national football association apologized Saturday over allegations that it provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees before and after i...
Health and safety complaints trigger state investigation at NKY long-term care facility
After a sexual assault allegation & a wrongful death lawsuit, an independent care facility is now under a state investigation.
Lee County science teacher arrested on 10 counts of possession of child sexual abuse material
A science teacher employed by the School District of Lee County was arrested after agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement say they found several files of child sexual abuse material on hard drives in his home.
Football federation provided sexual entertainment for foreign referees: gov't audit
The national football federation apparently provided sexual entertainment to foreign referees before and after international matches held in Korea...
Bridging Gaps in Women’s Health: Research driving change in sexual violence prevention
Because its effects extend far beyond the initial trauma, sexual violence is an important, and often overlooked, women's health issue.
Free Savannah workshop to help business owners improve cash flow and profits
The UGA Small Business Development Center will offer a free Savannah workshop to help business owners improve cash flow, increase profits and access capital.
Cardiologists share vaccine recommendations for heart patients: Flu, COVID-19 and more
The American College of Cardiology has shared an updated guidance that highlights the importance of vaccination for patients with a history of CVD.
OpenAI makes major upgrades for free and paid ChatGPT users
The upgrades will help both paid and free users.
HHS proposes cutting many federal education and health guidelines for Head Start
A year after withholding funding from the antipoverty preschool program, the agency run by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now says deregulation will allow the program to serve more children.
RWS Global partners with Silversea to elevate onboard entertainment on Silver Shadow and Silver Whisper
NEW YORK, N.Y. — RWS Global, the world leader in groundbreaking live moments across entertainment and sports, today announced a new partnership with Silversea, the leading experiential luxury and e…
KFA accused of providing sexual entertainment to foreign referees before 2011 matches
According to the broadcaster, the Korea Football Association used corporate cards to provide sexual entertainment to referees before multiple international matches in 2011.
Scandal Leaves North Carolina G.O.P. With No Candidate and Little Time
Representative Chuck Edwards’s decision to drop his re-election bid amid sexual harassment charges came as a Democratic farmer, Jamie Ager, was already making inroads.
Will Trump Try to Keep His Qatari-Gifted Flying Palace?
Recent comments from Eric Trump indicate that the Qatari-gifted luxury Air Force One won’t be heading for his dad’s presidential library after all.
Katey Sagal says she’s surprised to still be ‘very sexual’ at age 72
Katey Sagal said she imagined that sex ‘would be a distant memory’ when she reached her 70s: ‘I’m at this age of my life and still into it.’
Mass. cyclospora cases spike amid national outbreak
The state reported 104 new cases in July.
Rep. Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid after censure recommendation for sexual harassment claims
The House Ethics Committee said there is "substantial reason to believe" Rep. Chuck Edwards violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces. Edwards denied any wrongdoing.
567-million-year-old fossils rewrite the dawn of animal life
A spectacular fossil site in Canada contains 567-million-year-old creatures that may represent some of the earliest animals to move, reproduce sexually, and develop recognizable body plans. The discovery pushes key evolutionary milestones back by up to 10 million years and suggests complex animal life may have first flourished in the deep ocean.
Dems rally behind Michigan prosecutor to champion party in crucial House race
In her career as a prosecutor, Christina Hines described her work as helping victims of sexual abuse and human trafficking.
Telegram CEO Says Extortionist Manipulated Apple Into App Store Removal
Telegram was subject to a "takedown extortionist" who planted AI-modified child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to get Apple to remove the app from the App Store, Telegram CEO Pavel Durov said today. Apple removed Telegram from the App Store for about 40 minutes on Monday night after discovering CSAM, but reinstated the app after Telegram removed the content.
Beyond 'Pawn Stars': How One Entrepreneur Turned Hidden Wealth Into a Business Opportunity
Years of valuing luxury assets taught Michael Manashirov that true entrepreneurship isn't just about recognizing value—it's about finding better ways to unlock it.
Telegram says Apple suspension followed content norms violation by one user
Apple said its review found the content had violated guidelines prohibiting child sexual abuse material.
Health alert issued for popular Costco food
A recall wasn't implemented since this product isn't available for purchase anymore.
MrBeast Sales Slow, Angel Stock Falls, MUBI and Neon Look for Hits, and Will an NBA Franchise Set a Sales Record?
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) You probably remember egg prices spiking a few years ago. This led to a lot of debate between the pro-market/pro-competition/antitrust/Neo-Brandesian crowd and the center/center-right/center-left/abundance/libertarian crowd over the cause, whether it was the avian flu outbreak or whether industry consolidation led to price fixing, using avian flu as a convenient cover. Basel Musharbash wrote a whole investigation at BIG looking at it. Well, two years later, we have our answer: it was price fixing. The Justice Department found proof, via emails, of price fixing. Indeed, just the threat of an investigation brought prices down two years ago: I bring this up because at least half a dozen of my favorite political writers and pundits, who were skeptical about price fixing at the time, haven’t written any mea culpas on this issue. It’s really dispiriting and makes it much, much harder to trust their work on other issues. If you take a hard stand on an issue, then you get it wrong, you need to explain how and why you got it wrong. Or update your priors. This is how epistemological bubbles are formed! All of which is to say, it’s time for another installment of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. Last issue, I mostly focused on the “wrong” side of the equation, so today’s is a bit more balanced, but with one big mea culpa (though I still stand by my original concerns). Let’s dive right in! Subscribe CORRECTION: UFC Didn’t Release Subscriber Data (But Seems to Have Bragged About It Internally) In my analysis of the viewership of UFC Freedom 250, I wrote... “Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers.” Well, that datecdote did not come from a PR rep, but from great reporting from James Faris at Business Insider. The actual quote was this: “Paramount’s flagship streaming service generated about a million new subscribers on the day of its first-ever UFC event, Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow told employees in a town hall on Tuesday morning, three staffers who attended the meeting told Business Insider.“ This wasn’t the biggest goof in the world; even Faris emphasized to me that this is more a “clarification” than a correction. Still, it sounds like, internally, the folks at Paramount were very happy about this result—and I’m guessing they were happy with this news getting out—even though the gains didn’t last through the quarter, dropping to 700K adds. RIGHT: MrBeast’s Struggles Continue... I’m very skeptical about MrBeast’s burgeoning media “empire” and, in particular, its $5 billion valuation, as I wrote earlier this year and last year. Sure enough, according to Business Insider, regarding its “booming” consumer products division_:_ “US sales volume grew 13% year-over-year in 2025, following a 33% leap the previous year, according to a presentation deck dated May 2026....A February 2025 investor deck viewed by Business Insider showed Feastables’ net revenue more than doubled in 2024 from 2023, to $215 million, and was forecast to grow 74% in 2025, to $375 million.” [Emphasis mine.] If you told investors that you projected 74% growth but delivered 13%,1 that’s not ideal. But it’s not just MrBeast. Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime had sales drop in half for their energy drinks. It’s one thing to build a successful entertainment company and an entirely different thing to succeed in the heavily-consolidated-but-also-very-competitive consumer packaged goods space! CPGs are dominated by a few firms with very wide moats compared to YouTube, which has few barriers to entry. These businesses require different skill sets and have completely different business environments. WRONG: Does the NBA Have an $8 Billion Bidder? Almost as soon as I published my article about the NBA’s finances, casting skepticism on NBA expansion, I saw this Front Office Sports headline: One group “claims to have already raised $8 billion” for the Vegas expansion team. I mean, wow. That’s just $2 billion less than what the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at when they were sold just last year. And they’re arguably the most popular team in the NBA. (Side note: the new owner is now under an investigation for fraud in how he went about financing the Lakers and the Dodgers purchases.) So much for the “dried up” language I used in that article. (This is why I usually stick to my “Entertainment Nuance Guy” tone in articles...) I went off old information—from April, when I read/heard about the NBA downplaying expansion efforts—instead of doing a quick double-check for new news. That said...if you read the article, the market for Seattle is “slow”, with just one reported bidder. So I wasn’t entirely off. This goof has annoyed me since I first published it, mainly because it undercut that article’s real point, which I stand by: NBA franchises are really overvalued right now. Now, I get why NBA teams are overvalued. When it comes to owning sports teams, it’s basically never wrong to assume that some rich person somewhere will care more about owning a team (or just being part of a group since they’re so expensive) than the actual financials. There are only so many teams to own, and opportunities to buy in preferred markets don’t come along very often. This explains why the teams sell for such high multiples (usually above a 10 to 12.5 revenue multiple, which is very high). You only need one person to overpay! Beyond the ultra-wealthy luxury good explanation, I worry NBA teams are becoming speculative assets. More and more private equity investors are buying into NBA teams. But the value, in owning a team, comes from selling it later, not any meaningful relationship to revenue or profit growth. In other words, the newer NBA owners are increasingly expecting someone later to buy their inflated asset. That’s not sound economics; that’s the “greater fool” theory at work.2 At some point, actually making money has to matter. Especially since revenue growth is now below the growth of the stock market. (And this matters because the NBA doesn’t have easy levers to pull to drastically lower their costs—half of their revenue has to go to players and then you actually have to run a team, including coaching, training, travel, media expenses, and more—or raise revenues aside from one-off expansions in America and overseas.) I just don’t see how investors make their money back buying NBA teams, except for selling at a higher price later on down the line. But if revenue/profit growth continues to slow, at some point, someone will be left holding the bag. RIGHT: Baseball and Basketball are about equally popular. Related to the above, I wanted to cite two quick pieces of evidence for one of my other theories: that the NBA and MLB are about as popular as each other, but the NBA gets much, much better media coverage. One YouGov survey has that fans prefer basketball to baseball by 52% to 48%, which I’m guessing is within the margin of error for that poll. That’s virtually even, meaning they’re about the same popularity. Over on NBC, a recent Red Sox-Yankees game averaged 4 million viewers, higher than Sunday Night Basketball’s average of 3.4 million on the same network. A Yankees-Dodgers game averaged 3.9 million two weeks ago. Not every game averages this much, but it shows you that baseball isn’t far off from basketball, depending on the matchup. Altogether, the NBA is just slightly more popular than baseball, but NBC is paying MLB a fraction of what they pay the NBA, a point I’ve made before. RIGHT: Angel, MUBI and Neon Updates... I’ve long been skeptical about many of Hollywood’s buzziest startups/smaller indie studios. It’s not that they don’t make great movies—films like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once are amazing—or that they’re not (rightfully) pushing the majors to make better films, but...they get a ton of hype, and that hype often doesn’t live up to the reality or difficulty in scaling up. Starting with MUBI, well, The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on MUBI’s struggles last April, best summarized by the subheader “After Sequoia valued Mubi at $1 billion, a left-wing revolt sent the indie film company into a tailspin”. MUBI lost $7.3 million on $200 million in revenue in Q4 2025, but reportedly hit a record 1.7 million subscribers at the end of Q1. As for Neon, Department M purchased a “significant stake” in the company earlier this year. How much is that “stake” worth? According to Deadline, “No financial figures for the Neon-Department M deal were disclosed.” So...that’s not great! If it was a big valuation, we’d hear about. Also, I found this curious: “Both Neon and Department M already have separate partnerships with Qatar. The Qatar Film Committee has a slate deal in place with the former, and a biopic production pact with the latter.” Color me skeptical about much Middle Eastern investment dollars. See: LIV Golf. Finally, as for Angel (formerly Angel Studios), their stock very, very slightly popped last month after Young Washington ($20 million budget) which made $45 million in the US, but their stock is still way down from its opening. Smaller Updates RIGHT: The WGA should focus on antitrust concerns! I’ve been on this for years. Post-WGA/AMTPT deal in 2023, I wrote an article for the Ankler calling on the WGA to focus and organize against industry consolidation. Sure enough, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Paramount-WBD merger, and people are organizing around this issue now. I wish this energy had coalesced earlier (specifically to lobby Washington much earlier), but better late than never! WRONG: Actually, the chip shortage might be due to market manipulation. In my last “Long Reads for the Long Summer” article, I shared an article about how LLMs are causing memory chip prices to spike, which will make all electronics more expensive. Well, turns out, three RAM manufacturers control 90% of the market, and now a private lawsuit accuses them of price-fixing. So yeah. WRONG/UPDATE: The Odyssey will hold! Two weeks ago, I wrote, “As of this moment, we haven’t had a super-blockbuster, though The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday could all cross the $500 million mark. (At this point, The Odyssey would need a very strong hold to get there.)” Well, it’s safe to say it’s going to have that hold! It only dropped 30% in weekend two and IMAX screenings are sold out all month. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also off to a great start. RIGHT: People are rushing to get shows out yearly. I’ve long been bullish on yearly, weekly-released shows, and Leslie Goldberg at The Ankler wrote about how many people in town are now listening. WRONG: Mark Carney reverses Canada’s stance on homegrown production. After writing about Canada installing domestic production quotas, Canada has backed off. WRONG: I don’t trust Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s online “views”. When I originally wrote about the latest Spider-Man film’s record-breaking trailer, I thought this was just YouTube views, but after watching this Corridor Crew video and doing more research, well, it’s all social views of the trailer globally. Really? That stat includes TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts views. Basically, I don’t trust it anymore. (This film will probably set record, but I trust the pre-sales data more.) RIGHT: Celebrity Production companies are still struggling. I’ve written about this for years, but the company that I didn’t track was Kevin Hart’s HartBeat, which was valued at $650 million but is struggling now and might just end soon, especially after Kevin Hart pulled his endorsement deals. And Bad Robot is moving to NYC. CORRECTION: SpongeBob is a “second run” title. In my 2025 recap article, I had _SpongeBob SquarePants_labelled as a “library” title, when it is still a “second run” show, with new episodes still coming out on Nickelodeon. CORRECTION: In my last “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong” update, I offered a correction from Doug Creutz and misspelled TD Cowen. Thanks, Grammarly! 1 Though he could have increased prices to make up for the gap, he couldn’t have increased them that much. 2 There’s a theory, which I think that Daryl Morey created and Bill Simmons popularized, that, to be successful building your team, you only need a handful of bad GMs in the league to take advantage of. To be clear, Daryl Morey’s theory was also for signing bad contracts, that you could always get out of bad contracts. Basically, there’s always someone who will make a bad trade. It’s not the same exact thing, but similar enough to the Greater Fool Theory that I really like it.
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