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Phillies news: Bryan de la Cruz, Luis Arraez, Kevin Gausman
Today is the day to pass judgement
Successful AI integration should start with identifying business needs
John Loury and Amanda Orson emphasize identifying business needs and data quality as keys to successful AI integration in operations.
New York Yankees Announced Cody Bellinger Update Before Cardinals Series
On Sunday, the New York Yankees finished their series with the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.The Yankees won by a score of 2-1.They took two out of three games in the series.New York Yankees Announced Cody Bellinger UpdateThe Yankees continue to play without key players such as Cody Bellinger, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.Bellinger has […] The post New York Yankees Announced Cody Bellinger Update Before Cardinals Series appeared first on HEAVY.
Yankees Land Luis García Jr. to Fix Slugging Woes
The Yankees traded four prospects for Luis García Jr., bringing a .560 slugging percentage and 23 home runs to a lineup missing Judge and Stanton.
Judge says injunction doesn't cover football players who signed pro deals
The judge who granted the right to play another year of college sports to some athletes whose eligibility ran out last school year issued a new order Sunday that makes clear that does not include football players who signed pro contracts this summer.
Court order clarification: Seniors cannot transfer
A Colorado judge clarified that the court order was only meant to grant the seniors a fifth season and the decision did not make them exempt from rules regarding roster limits and transfer windows.
Colorado judge issues clarification to class-wide injunction for NCAA eligibility
A Colorado judge issued an important clarification Aug. 2 to their July 31 injunction for class of 2022 athletes in NCAA.
Why the NCAA is fighting back against a U.S. District Court's ruling
On the heels of Friday's stunning development that saw a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado grant blanket eligibility for 2022 grads, NCAA fights back
Big 10 & SEC Now Back Protect College Sports Act As Injunction Issued
Two big college sports law events happened Friday: a judge issued a nationwide NCAA eligibility injunction and the Big Ten & SEC now support the PCSA.
Federal judge’s NCAA eligibility ruling sends shockwaves through college sports
Colorado Judge Charlotte Sweeney ruling would allow athletes from the Class of 2022, who have not redshirted, a fifth year of eligibility. How that impacts N.C. State, UNC, Duke and the rest of the ACC.
Judge strikes down Houston minority contracting rule, leaving business owners uncertain
For more than four decades, Houston’s Minority, Women and Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) Program has helped connect certified businesses with city contracting opportunities. Now, a federal judge’s ruling is changing part of that process.
U.S. cites 'unauthorized travel' to end DACA status for a mother of 3
Jessica Treviño, 34, filed a lawsuit through her attorney this week asking a federal judge to intervene.
Judge rejects lawsuit from 26 states challenging Medicaid work requirements
A U.S. District Court judge ruled that the states were unable to show they would be irreparably harmed by complying with the policy, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is covering 90% of the associated costs.
Yankees news: Adley Rutschman and Jo Adell could be targets
Trade deadline targets and needs; Schlittler building Cy case; Judge wants team to be aggressive.
Judge dismisses suit against Medical Aid in Dying Act days over lack of standing
It will legalize medically assisted suicide for terminally ill adults with fewer than six months to live.
Yankees' Aaron Judge Update Just Changed Everything
The most recent update on New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge just changed everything before the MLB trade deadline.
Aaron Boone Grows Frustrated Over Giancarlo Stanton’s Injury Timeline
As the MLB trade deadline approaches on August 3, the New York Yankees are beginning to search for options to fill the hole of their current injured superstars.Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Carlos Rodón are several of Yankees down with injuries. Stanton’s return has been weary since he hit the injured list at the […] The post Aaron Boone Grows Frustrated Over Giancarlo Stanton’s Injury Timeline appeared first on HEAVY.
Plane Jane reads Law Roach after ‘Project Runway’ exit: ‘Bus driver wig!’
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ alum Plane Jane reads Law Roach after her ‘Project Runway’ elimination, during which the ‘Drag Race’ judge dragged Plane’s look that she originally wore to the season 16 premiere.
Wisconsin judge says voters who have returned absentee ballot for state primary cannot get a new one
Wisconsin voters who have already returned their absentee ballots for the state's primary are not allowed to void those and request a new one, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Judge: Voters who have returned absentee ballot can't get new one
The Dane County Circuit Court judge on Wednesday ruled against Democrats, who filed a last-minute lawsuit ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.
Abbott Reappoints Ten Judges To Texas Business Court
Governor Greg Abbott reappointed all ten judges of the Texas Business Court Divisions to new two-year terms beginning September 1, 2026.
Prosecutors say Charlie Kirk was attacked for his politics, US judge blocks Houston's minority contracting program and more ➡️
☀️ Good morning from The Legal File! Here is the rundown of today's top legal news: 📝 EEOC stopped hearing federal workers' class action cases, union claims in lawsuit REUTERS/Andrew Kelly The U.S.
The Science Behind the AI Panic Is Shakier Than You Think
A column by Sascha Lobo Is AI making us dumb? So asked DER SPIEGEL on its cover a while ago. After a few weeks of recovery and a therapeutic intervention with the help of my AI, I feel able to respond. That’s a bit unfair, of course; the article itself is more nuanced than the loud cover, the image of a schoolkid with dull prompt questions, or the subtitle: “AI is conquering the schools, and educators fear a disaster.” The short answer to “Is AI making us dumb?” is: no. The long answer is more interesting, and even carries a preliminary glimmer of the spectacular. Unfortunately, it requires a detour into the sphere of artificial intelligence, into the mogul-field terrain of technology assessment, the attention economy, and the destructive virus of cultural pessimism. Along with narrowing the scope to AI’s effects on education and work rather than on intelligence. Because the honest version of the question would be: Does AI help us learn and work, or not? Generative AI, which set off the still-ongoing hype with ChatGPT, has only existed in relevant distribution since late 2022, early 2023. For a technology-driven transformation of people and society, that is extremely short. For that reason alone, research is still in its infancy. And technology assessment is not a fast discipline anyway. Prominent voices from Elizabeth Eisenstein to RAND to Tom Wheeler say we still cannot conclusively judge the consequences of the printing press. Its invention is a mere 580 years back, and some scholars would rather not circulate assessments that might have to be retracted in two or three hundred years. We’re Going Through Growing Pains A phenomenon that already caused upheaval in social media research makes serious assessment of AI’s consequences even harder: the “moving target” problem of LLM-ology, as the linguist Sean Trott called it in 2025. AI develops so quickly and so unpredictably that researchers often end up studying snapshots of the past. There are concepts, from morphological analysis to anticipatory governance, for keeping research, planning, and regulation halfway meaningful anyway. But even with those, universally valid statements are rare. DER SPIEGEL - The German View is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe We should therefore treat findings about the interplay between humans and AI as far more procedural and situational. Unfortunately, this challenge comes at the worst possible time. We are going through growing pains: AI’s everyday impact has grown very large very fast, and with it the longing for guidance. Annoyingly, the body of solid knowledge has not exploded along with it. Experts cannot be moved to broad consensus on even banal statements about AI. Sascha Lobo, born in 1975, is an author and strategy consultant focusing on the internet and digital technologies. Together with Jule Lobo, he explores the debates of the day in the podcast “Feel the News – Was Deutschland bewegt” (”What Moves Germany”). Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says software developers are dying out. Bill Gates considers coders one of only three professions that will survive the AI tsunami. Top tech economists find virtually irrefutable arguments both for and against an AI bubble. The same naturally applies to the structurally youth-hostile debate over whether AI is good or bad for young people. The gap between the demand for insight and the supply of solid knowledge creates an orientation vacuum. This vacuum of AI cluelessness is filled, as the attention economy described by Georg Franck in 1998 would have it, with half-knowledge (funnily enough, often AI-generated), marketing, and self-marketing. After all, infinite money is at stake, along with academia’s best current shot at global fame. But this iridescent froth of interpretation operates more by the algorithmic principles of the digital public sphere than by seriously earned insight. That is why dramatized, fear-feeding claims about AI are so promising. It tempts parts of academia into distorted drivel, and parts of the media then sensationalize the published drivel once more. Was the Research Aimed at a Desired Result? How badly this can influence academia and public perception is demonstrated by one of the most-discussed studies on AI’s effects: “Your Brain on ChatGPT.” The MIT study by Nataliya Kosmyna also gets plenty of space in the SPIEGEL cover story. What was measured and interpreted: lower brain activity in people who write with AI assistance, compared to people who only google or write without any tools. As is common with preprints, the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, and it contains substantial weaknesses that experts have sharply criticized. The first round had 54 participants in three groups, the second only 18, who reportedly also came from MIT’s own orbit. There was no preregistration (committing in advance to what you want to find out with which data). In their analysis, Stanković et al. even discovered an opposite effect that the study does not further explain. Some measurement data has not (yet) been published. And the EEG analysis method used is considered too imprecise to support such far-reaching conclusions. The biggest criticism, though, is the suspicion of an activism-driven study. In an interview with Time, lead author Kosmyna said she published the study immediately, rather than after full peer review, because she feared politicians might otherwise decide to put ChatGPT in kindergartens. She considers that absolutely harmful. It is legitimate to hold such a view. It just seems unscientific to approach a study with it, and then to design the setup so that the chance of a fitting desired result remains as high as possible. Ideologies Collide It is not easy to separate genuine AI insights from studies that trivialize and weaken well-founded AI criticism. The same goes for the opposing, AI-enthusiastic narratives, because the pro-AI side works against it with billions in resources. Ideologies collide, fed by egos, PR strategies, moral posturing, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Doomsday marketing makes the search even harder: AI companies can profit from warnings about the dangers of AI, whether through the notoriety of apocalypse narratives or because, in some target groups, danger translates into power. Some seemingly negative findings are therefore quite welcome in the AI industry. If you try to get at the findings presumably less influenced by interest groups, the picture in education seems relatively clear: AI can improve educational outcomes when the right AI is used the right way, namely pedagogically. Simply dumping an AI chatbot into a classroom, by contrast, accomplishes little. Huge surprise. But something else is also obvious: whether they are allowed to or not, kids use AI for school, which is why the controlled integration of AI tools into education is, in the medium term, entirely without alternative. In the world of work, the landscape of findings is more complex and requires more differentiation. A series of serious studies points to an AI effect that suits neither the alarmists, regulation fetishists, and AI opponents, nor the trillion-dollar corporations with their armada of paid scientists, PR professionals, and ecosystems: working with AI helps the inexperienced (at least for now) considerably more than it helps the pros, in certain fields of work, and provided they know how to use it correctly. Missing Domain Knowledge Among the experienced, the professionals, and the high flyers, by contrast, despite frequent time savings, partially negative effects and new problems are emerging. Take the jagged frontier problem: AI solves task A brilliantly and fails completely at task B, even though both look similar even to professionals. Or the verification-cost problem, in which AI’s greater productivity gets eaten up by the enormous effort of checking its output. Or the illusion of competence, because AI makes new domains seem easily penetrable, until you painfully discover that deep domain knowledge is missing. Taken as a whole, the effects of working with AI do lean positive. But the promise that AI works as a turbocharger for everyone and boosts practically everything simply refuses to materialize. The AI magic the world has been feeling since ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 has so far barely shown up in most companies’ numbers. The consulting firm McKinsey has coined a term for this, the “gen AI paradox,” and believes that work processes and corporate structures would have to be rebuilt quite fundamentally to realize AI’s benefits at scale. Reuters just reported that only 3.3 percent of Microsoft’s customers have subscribed to the AI package Copilot. That may be down to the product; in other areas we continue to see soaring successes and new AI triumphs. But after the first quarter of 2026, disillusionment is the word for all too many AI projects at traditional companies: because the promised revolution of AI agents has so far failed to arrive or been postponed, and because of the leveling effect that many of the studies cited here suggest. Against Inequality The societal effects, on the other hand, appear rather encouraging. Many previous technologies operated on the Matthew principle, named for the Gospel verse about giving to those who already have: they tended to reward the more competent and more privileged. AI, however, seems more often to have an equalizing effect once a threshold of access and education is crossed. Some anecdotal insights point in this direction, for example, how an unemployed man in Leipzig successfully defended himself in court in 2025 against fraud accusations from Germany’s federal employment agency — without a lawyer, armed only with ChatGPT. The AI made mistakes and cited invented court rulings, but in the end the man walked away unpunished. And a key capability of artificial intelligence is its capacity to learn: set up correctly and fed with data, it can keep getting better. It is a question of time, or more precisely of AI innovations and training data, until even free AI chatbots write better legal briefs than law graduates with perfect exam scores. Whether that will make anyone dumb is something the world’s press will surely inform us of in due time. Subscribe Leave a comment
Jewish lawyers say they feel snubbed from Mamdani judicial panel
The 18 legal professionals Mamdani appointed will evaluate judges for family court and criminal court.
Federal judge strikes down City of Houston's minority, woman, small business program as unconstitutional
A federal judge has ruled the City of Houston’s Minority Women and Small Business Enterprise Program is unconstitutional.
City of Houston's minority, woman, small business program ruled unconstitutional
A federal court has ruled the City of Houston's Minority Women and Small Business Enterprise Program as unconstitutional, according to court records.
Judge finds Vermont's federal grants can't be rescinded if political priorities shift
“This ruling is an important step toward protecting Vermont’s federal funding, now and in the future, from arbitrary termination based on the shifting priorities of the Trump Administration,” Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark wrote.
NC Business Court gets new top judge
North Carolina Business Court Judge Adam Conrad takes over as the court’s chief judge effective Saturday. He takes over from current Chief Judge Michael Robinson, who is retiring.
Suffolk judge orders a third mental health evaluation for Nesconset teen charged with killing ex-girlfriend Emily Finn
The New York State Office of Mental Health found Austin Lynch, 18, was not competent to stand trial after he was charged with the second-degree murder in the killing of Emily Finn, who had visited him at his home to return his belongings following a breakup.
UMW’s Summer Science Institute Showcases Student Discovery From Lab to Lectern
byOne by one, University of Mary Washington students stepped to the podium or stood beside posters, ready to present the results of 10 weeks of intensive research to faculty, classmates and judges. As the symposium progressed, students grew increasingly confident, discussing their findings and fielding questions like seasoned researchers.Now in its 27th year, the Irene […]
Judge orders immigration officials to release key witness in Texas ICE shooting
The witness was one of three passengers in a van driven by Lorenzo Araujo Salgado when he was shot by an ICE officer during a traffic stop.
Comey says seashells post was political speech — not a threat — as he presses to dismiss charges
James Comey is urging a judge to throw out federal charges against him. He's arguing that a photo of seashells he posted on social media was not a call to violence against President Donald Trump but protected political speech.
Comey says seashells post was political speech, not a threat, as he presses judge to dismiss charges
Former FBI Director James Comey is urging a judge to throw out federal charges against him.
Comey says seashells post was political speech - not a threat - as he presses to dismiss charges
Former FBI Director James Comey is urging a judge to throw out federal charges against him
Comey says seashells post was political speech - not a threat - as he presses to dismiss charges
Former FBI Director James Comey is urging a judge to throw out federal charges against him.
US appeals court upholds injunction that blocks Trump's order to create a federal voter list
A federal appeals court has upheld a judge's ruling that halted President Donald Trump's efforts to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot.
AI-Generated Mental Health Advice Misjudged Due To Differences In Stateless Versus Contextual Evaluations
Evaluations of AI dispensing mental health advice are often done in a manner that is radically different from real world usage. I showcase this. An AI Insider scoop.
Meet the blind SW FL singer who inspired America's Got Talent judges
Blind singer Sarah Hardwig earned a standing ovation on America's Got Talent. Here is her inspiring story.
In Rush to Track Down Air Force One Leaks, DOJ Reversed Its Own Process
A judge’s remarks on subpoenas to reporters cast attention on two administration officials under consideration for powerful cabinet posts, Todd Blanche and Jay Clayton.
Judge dismisses DOJ's Kentucky voter data lawsuit
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit against Kentucky election officials, ruling they don’t have to hand over voter data to the DOJ.
Siri Settlement Approved: Apple to Pay Owners of Some iPhone Models
In May, Apple agreed to pay $250 million to settle a U.S. class action lawsuit over Siri AI's delayed launch, and eligible iPhone users could receive up to a $95 payout. Apple's settlement has now received preliminary approval from a judge, according to a July 17 court document. However, there is no settlement website yet, and it may take months before eligible customers can begin submitting claims.
Federal judges allow new Tennessee congressional map
A federal judicial panel has allowed a new Tennessee congressional map that splits apart a majority-Black district in Memphis
Landlords sue Rent Guidelines Board over rent freeze
The landlords in the lawsuit want a judge to void the freeze.
Colorado justices to hear embryonic donation dispute
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will decide whether lower court judges properly applied its framework for adjudicating disputes over the fate of pre-embryos, in which one person wants to use them to become a parent and the other wishes to donate them. At least three of the court’s seven members must […]
Trump administration admits legal errors and withdraws subpoenas of 3 NYT reporters
Criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the government on Thursday grudgingly withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about President Donald Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.
Health inspections of Tacoma ICE center remain on pause as legal battle continues
The Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma remains closed to state health inspectors despite a judge’s order two weeks ago opening the region’s largest immigrant detention center to state officials.
With Judge's Timeline Uncertain, Yankees Faces a Deadline Balancing Act
The race in the AL East has gotten tighter, adding pressure to the Yankees to make a deadline deal.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s trial set to begin in June 2027
The criminal trial of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027, a federal judge said Wednesday.
More Americans identify politics as ‘greatest source of risk’ to their safety: Gallup
More Americans are identifying politics as the “greatest source of risk” for their everyday safety, according to a recent report. The Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll, conducted with Gal…
“America’s Got Talent ”onstage mishap nearly derails country band’s performance
Judge Mel B was visibly surprised.
Judge to rule on state’s reluctance to expand children’s health insurance program
A Florida circuit court judge listened to arguments Tuesday regarding the state’s reluctance to expand Florida KidCare – a subsidized children’s health insurance program.
Trump must divulge financial details about businesses in $10bn BBC lawsuit
US judge’s ruling could open up window into first family’s multiple ventures, in drawback of lawsuit on media
Apple's $634M payment to Masimo now set in stone after Judge tosses appeal
The Masimo trial ultimately failed to get a permanent ban on Apple Watch sales or use of the blood oxygen sensor, but the final verdict will have Apple pay $634M to Masimo's new owner Danaher after the appeal was rejected.
US attorney who Trump fired minutes after he got the job sues to get it back
A former US attorney in Washington state is suing the Trump administration for firing him less than one hour after a panel of federal judges unanimously voted to appoint him to the role.
Nintendo customers have no legal right to tariff refunds, company tells judge
Nintendo says Switch buyers got what they paid for, urges court to dismiss lawsuit.
Heritage Valley Health System seeks to disqualify whistleblower attorney, law firm in case against nurse
Heritage Valley Health System on Monday asked a federal court judge to disqualify the Pittsburgh attorney and law firm that is pursuing a whistleblower...
Trump Lashes Out at National Academies of Sciences Over Climate Guide For Judges
Trump claimed without evidence that the manual was “fraudulent, biased, and misleading.”
UFC Freedom 250 Fails to Knock Out The Ratings
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) If UFC fans wanted one image to say, “Hey, Paramount+ is crushing it with their UFC rights deal,” I could provide that image. Here it is: (Reminder: this is my creation of the Nielsen Top 30, since Nielsen doesn’t combine the lists or include sports. I take all three lists and combine them. Some streaming TV shows probably have higher ratings than many of the films on this list.) Look at that! UFC Freedom 250 is number one! It topped the Nielsen “Top 30” list for shows and films that made the top ten the week of 15-June. So if you’re a UFC fan or supporter of Paramount+, that’s the good news for you this week. This program topped the ratings charts for one week. Everything else is bad news, or at least a huge caveat to that story, which I’ll explain today in the first part of this week’s Streaming Ratings Report—for the weeks of 8-June and 15-June—which is a double issue since I’ve been writing on a bunch of topics recently. UFC Freedom 250 is one of the biggest streaming events of the year, and super relevant to Paramount+’s strategy, so it merited its own article. Let’s dive in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of June 8th to June 21st 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Check Out My Interview on UFC 250 at MMA Draw After you read this article, if you want even more thoughts on UFC and Paramount-Skydance/Paramount+, I did a written interview with MMA Draw. They asked me to answer some questions about UFC Freedom 250, and I was happy to chat with them. Find it here: [ The MMA Draw Newsletter Did Paramount really overpay for the UFC? What the data tells us so far If you know the history of American television, you also know that combat sports is often a leading indicator of the future… Read more a day ago · 10 likes · 1 comment · Nate Wilcox and Zach Arnold ](https://www.themmadraw.com/p/did-paramount-really-overpay-for?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) I never thought I’d need a combat sports newsletter in my life, but the good folks at MMA Draw publish an excellent one on UFC, MMA, pro wrestling, boxing and more, analyzing both the sports themselves and the politics, economics and antitrust issues that impact them. Check the article and their newsletter out! Paramount+ Has Its Best Sporting Event of All Time…But Was It Worth It? Before we look at the UFC Freedom 250 data in particular, let’s talk about what we can’t say. Namely, let’s start with the lack of comparisons. First off, I’d love to put a chart out comparing this fight to past UFC fights on Paramount+…but we don’t have the data. This is the first time we’ve gotten Nielsen data about a Paramount+ UFC fight. As far as I can tell, Paramount provided data for the first fight, but it was a proprietary datecdote (saying it had “an average minute audience” of 5 million “views”) and then, for two fights, we got the linear viewership numbers when they aired on CBS, but no streaming data. Everything else was crickets. We also can’t compare this fight to other fights/combat sports on streaming, in particular the MMA and boxing, because Netflix also didn’t use Nielsen to track those events, opting for TVision and VideoAmp, respectively. (This isn’t Paramount’s fault, but does still suck.) We also can’t compare to UFC’s fights that used to be on ESPN+, since we don’t have any data for that, plus Disney+ didn’t have marquee fights. The comparisons would not be apples-to-apples. Can we compare to past Pay-Per-View fights? Absolutely not. The comparisons would absolutely NOT be apples-to-apples. That didn’t stop Paramount+, though, who bragged that their UFC events have reached drastically more people than past PPV fights. Duh. Sorry, but I gotta make this point again. A basic tenet of economics is that the cheaper something becomes, the more people consume or buy it. That’s Econ 101. (Sometimes pundits call things “Econ 101” that are actually like Econ 210 or even PhD-level economics, but no, this is really like first or second class basic economics.) Yet I still see one analytics firm consistently say that more people watch films on streaming than PVOD proves streaming which means that the streaming window is more valuable than the PVOD window. No, it’s not! Same thing here. Pay-Per-View events back in the day could be really, really, really expensive! So whole groups of people pitched in to buy them. That increased the perceived value of, say, the Mike Tyson fight. Or a UFC numbered event. So yes, the fact that Paramount+ makes numbered UFC fights essentially “free” if you’re already a Paramount+ member means consumption will go up. Obviously. Same for Netflix and their boxing matches. They’re talking about fights that used to cost consumers, in some cases, $50 in 1996…which is over $100 in today’s dollars. Over 1.6 million people paid that to watch the Tyson-Holyfield fight! Again, streaming is essentially “free”. Or $10 to $20, depending on what streamer we’re talking about and what tier you’re on. No wonder more people are “watching”. (Plus, Nielsen’s out-of-home viewing also helps these numbers.) UFC Freedom 250 Did Well…But I Have A Lot of Worries So what can we compare the fights to? Well, the good news is Nielsen put out that the fight averaged 7.0 million viewers for UFC Freedom 250, which is a solid number for a fight. We also know the length, at roughly 4 and a half hours. (I saw different run times, but this seems to be the consensus considering it started at 8 pm, had a delay and then finished after midnight on the East Coast. If you assume a shorter run time, then yes, the total hours viewed would go down.) That means I have the two numbers needed to add this to my Nielsen database. And then…I can compare this viewership to the NFL: And, uh, not great. But also within striking distance, mainly because the runtime for this event was so long. I’d also add that this event had viewership equal to a regular season NFL game on streaming, but if anything, it was more comparable to an NFL playoff or Super Bowl-esque event. And you can compare viewership to the top football games on broadcast, cable and streaming, and it’s not impressive at all: We can also compare it to other sports that week, including the NBA Finals and start of the World Cup: Again, not great. The NBA generated roughly four times as many average viewers each game for its NBA Finals. The World Cup has similarly big numbers. Also, that’s just a tiny fraction of the 25 most watched sporting events each week. The NBA, NHL and FIFA World Cup had many, many more games racking up hours. We could also compare this to other streaming programs to get an idea of “is this a good investment?” and here is how it ranks compared to other top Paramount+ programs: The worry here? Well, unlike scripted programming, which has rewatchability, older fights/sporting events have very little library value. Very, very few people are rewatching these fights, especially years from now. 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. Then, in their quarterly earnings report, they only ended up with 700K subs. Not great! They claimed they dropped lower-value international subscribers, but that’s why I tend to discount subscriber additions when they’re leaked to the press.1 I expect we may see a bump again for UFC Freedom 250, but I’d caution using subscriber growth so soon after these events to judge the success, since new subs with high churn (see Peacock) aren’t great either. Also, analysts often want to attribute all subscriber growth to their favorite/pet show, and that just doesn’t make sense. The biggest caveat for UFC Freedom 250 and Paramount’s very first UFC marquee event is that these could be high watermarks for the sport. UFC Freedom 250 had an incredible amount of earned media coverage compared to most UFC fights. I mean, it had wall-to-wall national news coverage in the lead up to the event. (The first fight also had a lot of promotion from Paramount since it was first.) Other fights could reach this bar—say the Conor McGregor return to the Octagon—but they’ll be fewer and far between. Was This Deal Worth It? All to ask: is this Paramount deal worth it? In this case, I think the UFC Freedom 250 numbers are more distracting than helpful. This fight did well and compares well to other top sporting events. But we know that the first marquee event was at least a third smaller, if Paramount’s own data is to be believed. And it’s likely the other fights are much, much, much smaller. And then you get to the paycheck that Paramount-Skydance paid. FIFA’s World Cup cost about the same for Fox, but clearly generated multiples more total viewership. (Though it’s only every four years.) The NBA is much more expensive, but until the playoffs, they likely didn’t pay for itself. Even still, Disney, NBCUniversal and Amazon Prime Video likely overpaid. So, in that context, the NBA may be an overpay that makes the UFC look not so bad. But two overpays don’t make an underpay, to paraphrase the old cliché about wrongs and rights. And looking at UFC Freedom 250 as the likely ceiling of MMA on Paramount+, Paramount-Skydance likely paid too much. Share 1 I would love regular reports on subscriber additions by programs, but as is, it’s mostly leaked or rumored in haphazard ways.
US judge temporary halts Paramount-Warner entertainment giant merger
Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin issues 14-day restraining order preventing $110B transaction, sets hearing on preliminary injunction for Aug. 3 | Anadolu
NY Attorney Letitia James praises federal judge’s ruling to pause entertainment industry merger
A FEDERAL JUDGE’S restraining order on Monday halts an $81 million Paramount/Warner Brothers Discovery merger.
Trump Attacks National Academies Over Climate Chapter in Judges’ Manual
The president joined Republican officials who slammed the National Academies of Sciences for a chapter about climate science in an educational guide for judges.
Paramount's WBD deal is on pause after judge orders merger delay
A judge issued a temporary restraining order stopping Paramount Skydance's acquisition of WBD after a lawsuit by California and 11 other states.
Trump calls for review after climate manual for judges withdrawn
President Trump called for a “review” on Sunday of an updated judges’ manual that he claims the left improperly influenced. It follows the removal of a controversial climate science chapter from th…
MLB News: Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Trade Deadline, Ken Griffey Jr, Red Sox streak
Plus, is Paul Skenes better than ever?
Yankees Get Notable Max Fried Update After First Rehab Start
The New York Yankees have spent the last two months watching their team get picked apart by injuries. Max Fried has not pitched in a major league game since May 13. Carlos Rodón has been dealing with left elbow inflammation. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton remain sidelined on the position player side.The Yankees have stayed […] The post Yankees Get Notable Max Fried Update After First Rehab Start appeared first on HEAVY.
More Bad News for Aaron Judge, Yankees
The New York Yankees are missing their biggest star right now and that won't change any time soon.
Yankees news: Pushing the chips in despite a missing Judge
If Judge returns this year, the Yanks need to be aggressive; deadline targets; Schmidt rehabs; Boone is old-school
New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone Provides New Aaron Judge Update
The New York Yankees have been navigating their schedule without the help of slugger Aaron Judge.As recently announced, Judge has been transferred to the 60-day IL as of July 18 due to a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.Manager Aaron Boone has now provided an additional statement on Judge’s status.Yankees’ Aaron […] The post New York Yankees’ Aaron Boone Provides New Aaron Judge Update appeared first on HEAVY.
Liberal circuit judge blasts SCOTUS conservatives, says Hawaii will defy high court
Justice Todd Eddins accused the Roberts Court of reviving discredited 1857 and 1896 rulings while dismantling constitutional rights and democracy.
Yankees Face Trade Deadline Warning After Dire Aaron Judge News
The New York Yankees will need to take an aggressive approach to the trade deadline with Aaron Judge out, an insider suggests. The post Yankees Face Trade Deadline Warning After Dire Aaron Judge News appeared first on HEAVY.
Yankees' Aaron Judge Drops Major Injury Update About Himself
The New York Yankees superstar opened up about his injury status.
Yankees news: Aaron Judge not yet cleared for baseball activities
Judge still with some healing yet to do; Lombard ranks highly among prospects; Fried makes rehab start.
Dodgers edge Yankees 2-1
Max Muncy hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning on Gerrit Cole’s 103rd and final pitch, lifting the Los Angeles Dodgers over the New York Yankees 2-1 on Friday night in their first game in the Bronx since winning the 2024 World Series. New York (54-43) dropped to 18-20 without captain Aaron Judge, still sidelined by a fractured rib. On a night with smoke in the air from Canadian wildfires, New York led on an unearned run against Roki Sasaki in the fourth.
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Smith County sheriff, DA and county judge sound off on upcoming budget
Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith, District Attorney Jacob Putman and County Judge Neal Franklin join Blake Holland to discuss the upcoming budget.
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Smith County sheriff, DA and county judge sound off on upcoming budget
Sheriff, DA and county judge discuss pay raises, staffing shortages and what’s at stake in Smith County’s next budget
Yankees share Aaron Judge injury update on broken rib
Aaron Judge’s rib is healing, but not at the point yet in which he can start baseball activities.
Science by merit, not political favor
The right to be judged by a jury of your peers is a bedrock of American democracy. This principle applies not only to the judicial system but also to how the federal government evaluates and awards billions of dollars in grants to natural…
More Trust and Estate Disputes Are Becoming Business Litigation
As more families transfer business interests, commercial real estate, and other complex assets, trust and estate advisers may need to brush up on partnership law, corporate governance, contractual rights, tax planning, or real property law, FBFK Law’s Holly Gilani says.
Connecticut judge pushes for mental health court after daughter’s overdose death
A Connecticut Superior Court judge who lost his daughter to a fentanyl overdose is now working to build the state’s first mental health court.
Trump immediately fires the new court-appointed top prosecutor in Seattle
President Donald Trump fired the new top U.S. prosecutor in Seattle on Wednesday less than an hour after the attorney was unanimously appointed by the federal judges in the district, highlighting tensions between the courts and the president over the powerful positions.
AI Isn't Replacing The MBA. It's Redefining What Business Leaders Need To Know
Employers are automating entry-level jobs & paying a premium for MBA grads. Judgement, not output, is now the real curriculum.
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?
'America's Got Talent' judges clash over country singer's bold original performance
Howie Mandel's lone "no" vote drew loud boos after a Mississippi country singer's original song divided "America's Got Talent" judges Tuesday.
Cody Bellinger Takes Subtle Shot at Yankees Teammate Aaron Judge
There could be trouble in paradise with the New York Yankees.New York has one of the top teams in the MLB this season, and that is without star hitter Aaron Judge on the injured list. However, despite Judge being considered one of, if not the best hitter in baseball, it appears his teammate, Cody Bellinger, […] The post Cody Bellinger Takes Subtle Shot at Yankees Teammate Aaron Judge appeared first on HEAVY.
T rex fossil ‘Gus’ sells for $50.1m at New York auction, setting new record
Skeleton judged to be one of the largest and most complete ever unearthed was excavated on a ranch in South Dakota
Bryce Harper Makes Honest Statement About Yankees Star Aaron Judge
Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge are two of the most notable stars in all of baseball.Both players are 2026 MLB All-Stars, but Judge has been out with an injury since May 31.At his recent media availability on Monday, Harper made an honest statement about Judge (h/t SNY Yankees).Reporter: “What’s one player in MLB history you’d […] The post Bryce Harper Makes Honest Statement About Yankees Star Aaron Judge appeared first on HEAVY.
Justices Kagan, Barrett to testify on need for additional security funding
As of July 1, there were 370 threats made against federal judges in Fiscal Year 2026, which ends on September 30
Justices Kagan, Barrett to testify on need for additional security funding
As of July 1, there were 370 threats made against federal judges in Fiscal Year 2026, which ends on September 30
The Quintessential Trump-era Politician
In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
New lawsuits over NCAA eligibility are likely only the beginning
After a judge in Ohio ruled in favor of 24 athletes seeking eligibility, a new lawsuit threatens the NCAA's "five years to play five seasons" rule.
Judge: Trump sought to ‘manipulate the judicial process’ with his IRS lawsuit and attempted $1.8B fund
A federal judge Monday said a controversial lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump against the IRS sought to “manipulate the judicial process” and that he acted in bad faith in bringing it.
Judge blasts Trump’s IRS lawsuit as filed for ‘improper purpose'
The judge characterized the lawsuit as an exercise in self-dealing in which he sued an entity that is effectively under his control
Judge blasts Trump’s IRS lawsuit as filed for ‘improper purpose'
The judge characterized the lawsuit as an exercise in self-dealing in which he sued an entity that is effectively under his control
Four small businesses to compete in finals of Verizon’s Small Business Super Pitch
Selected from a nationwide competition, four businesses will make live pitches to judges including soccer legend and entrepreneur Carli Lloyd, then head to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ FinalNEW YORK, July 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Friday, July 17, 2026, days before the world’s top two soccer teams battle for the FIFA World Cup 2026™, a different kind of high-stakes championship is taking place just minutes away. Four American small businesses will gather at the Antique Loft in Hoboken, NJ to g
The winning tune: Music school awarded $10K prize
PHILADELPHIA -- Before delivering her final pitch to judges and attendees at the MLB All-Star Small Business Luncheon at Citizens Bank Park, Shana Pistilli, founder and executive director of the Rubato School of Music and winner of the 2026 MLB & Mastercard Small Business Contest, wanted to talk about one
Judge tosses remnants of Proud Boys seditious conspiracy case after Trump's broad clemency
The judge who presided over the Proud Boys leaders' trial saw no basis to preserve the convictions after Trump's sweeping act of clemency last year.
Charges against California dad who drove family off cliff dropped after mental health treatment
A judge has dismissed all charges against a California radiologist accused of trying to kill his family by driving his Tesla off a cliff in 2023.
Judge holds Justice family business reps personally responsible in multimillion-dollar dispute
That conclusion, to 'pierce the corporate veil,' would allow the court to hold the owners personally responsible for the companies' liabilities.
Is Melco Resorts & Entertainment (NasdaqGS:MLCO) A Bargain After Its Sri Lanka Launch?
Melco Resorts & Entertainment stock has had a difficult run over the past few years, yet its current valuation checks paint a more supportive picture for investors trying to judge whether the market has become too pessimistic. Over the past 5 years, the share price has declined 63.2%, which signals that sentiment around Melco Resorts & Entertainment has been weak for a prolonged period. The recent opening of City of Dreams Sri Lanka can support expectations for the company to grow its...
A road trip to save democracy? These judges say it's worth a shot
Bipartisan judges are touring the Midwest to warn citizens about the dangers of a politicized judiciary.