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At least 11 people were killed and dozens wounded when gunmen opened fire during a Jewish holiday event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday, Australian officials said.
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Live Updates
• At least 11 people have been killed in a shooting targeting the Jewish community on Australia's Bondi Beach, police say. The attack took place as hundreds gathered to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, and has been declared a terrorist incident. The victims include an Israeli citizen, according to the country's foreign ministry.
• Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation” and said that “an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.” Israeli officials reacted with horror and anger, with several accusing the Australian government of allowing a surge in antisemitism.
• Police also confirmed that there are two known suspects — one is dead while the other is in a life-threatening condition in hospital. Officers have secured and removed explosive devices found in a nearby vehicle.
Israel's Knesset parliament building in Jerusalem was lit up with the colors of the Australian flag on Sunday night, as a gesture of solidarity with the country's Jewish community following the deadly attack at Bondi Beach on the first day of Hanukkah.
“The Knesset bows its head in memory of the victims of the horrific terror attack in Sydney and stands alongside the Jewish community in Australia,” Knesset speaker Amir Ohana said.
It's nearing 5 a.m. in Sydney, where the sun will shortly be rising the day after a fatal shooting attack on Australia's famous Bondi Beach.
At least 11 people were killed in the attack, with another 29 people injured, according to police. A 12-year-old girl and a rabbi are among the victims, Alexander Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told CNN.
Here's what we know about the shooting:
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that people celebrating Hanukkah should not be worried about their safety, and should “celebrate proudly,” following a shooting targeting the Jewish community that killed at least 11 people on Australia's Bondi Beach.
Peter Doocy of Fox News said on air he “just got off the phone” with Trump and asked whether Americans observing Hanukkah should be worried about their security.
“Straight from the president, his message to people celebrating Hanukkah today, he said, ‘they do not need to be worried. They should celebrate proudly, and they should be proud of who you are, celebrate proudly,'” Doocy said.
A bystander who is being hailed as a hero for tackling one of the gunmen during the Bondi Beach attack has been undergoing surgery after being wounded in the attack, his cousin said.
The man was seen in footage widely circulated on social media wrestling a firearm from one of the shooters. He was shot and was taken to hospital for an operation, CNN affiliate 7News reported.
Speaking to 7News from outside a Sydney hospital, his cousin said he had been told by doctors his relative was “OK,” and they would soon be allowed to go inside and visit him.
“He's a hero, 100%, he's a hero,” he said. “He has two shots, one in his arm here, and one in his hand.”
The social media footage showed a bystander tackling and wrestling a firearm from one of the gunmen in the Bondi Beach mass shooting on Sunday. The man was later praised as a “genuine hero” by New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns.
In the full version of the video, after being disarmed by the bystander the shooter seems to reposition himself on a bridge, rearm and start firing again.
The shooting at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday targeted people celebrating the first night of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that usually falls between late November and late December and lasts for eight days.
During Hanukkah, Jewish people commemorate the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the re-dedication of the Second Temple of Jerusalem around 165 BC.
Jewish people believe that when the Maccabees, an army led by the priest Mattathias, began preparing the Temple for the re-dedication, they found that they only had enough oil to light the Temple for one night. It ended up lasting for eight days, until the delivery of new consecrated oil. Candles are lit each night of Hanukkah to commemorate the miracle.
Nowadays, Jewish people celebrate this holiday by placing candles on a special candelabra called a menorah or hanukkiyah. Every night, another candle is added until the total reaches eight on the last night. The candles are placed in the menorah from right to left but are lit from left to right.
Another symbol of Hanukkah is the dreidel, a four-sided spinning top. Before the Maccabean Revolt, it was illegal for people to read the Torah. When soldiers came through while they were reading the sacred text, Jews pretended to play a gambling game involving the tops to avoid detection.
King Charles said he and Queen Camilla are “appalled and saddened by the most dreadful antisemitic terrorist attack” which targeted the Jewish community at Bondi Beach on the first day of Hanukkah.
In a message sent to the Australian people, the monarch said, “Our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected so dreadfully, including the police officers who were injured while protecting members of their community.”
Charles commended emergency responders as well as members of the public “whose heroic actions no doubt prevented even greater horror and tragedy.”
“In times of hurt, Australians always rally together in unity and resolve. I know that the spirit of community and love that shines so brightly in Australia - and the light at the heart of the Chanukah festival - will always triumph over the darkness of such evil,” he added.
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales also sent a message, saying their “thoughts are with every Australian today.”
The couple offered their “deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives” before adding that they “stand with the Jewish community in grief.”
A Rabbi based in the US on Sunday described how his nephew was caught up in the fatal shooting at Bondi Beach, hiding with his daughter as bullets flew past them.
“He described to me how he was literally hiding as the shooting was going on,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of the American Friends of Lubavitch, told CNN.
“He says he was holding his daughter, praying. The bullets were whizzing right by him. He said it was a horrific experience.”
He said that Sydney, a city which has always prided itself on multiculturalism, has now “taken a turn for the worse, in a very major way.”
Adding that Australia is home to the largest community of Holocaust survivors outside of Israel, Shemtov continued, “Many people wanted to get as far away from the horrors of the Holocaust after it ended and went to Australia, and rebuilt their lives very successfully … and were very productive in the development of Australia as a nation.”
Australia's National Terrorism Threat level is currently set at “probable,” according to the Australian government. This level is in the middle of five tiers on a scale which informs the public about the likelihood of a terror attack taking place in Australia.
The five levels are ranked from the highest chance of an act of terrorism happening to the smallest likelihood. They are — Certain, Expected, Probable, Possible and Not Expected.
When a terror threat level is “probable,” it means that there is a more than 50% chance of a terror attack taking place or being planned in Australia in the next twelve months, Australia's New South Wales (NSW) Police Force says on its website.
On a page which sets out the National Terrorism Threat Level, Australia's National Security agency says that the country's security landscape “has entered a vulnerable period and is being challenged by new threats with concerning trajectories.”
In a section about what a possible terrorist attack might look like in the country, National Security says that “attacks in Australia are likely to be low-cost, using readily available weapons, and simple tactics.”
The “most likely” location for such a terrorist attack is a “crowded place, in a major city,” it continues. This is also “most likely to be conducted by an individual (known as a lone actor) or a small group,” it adds.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he believes the Australian government poured oil on the flames of antisemitism through its silence on anti-Jewish sentiment in the country.
“A few months ago, I wrote a letter to the Prime Minister of Australia. I said that their policy was pouring oil on the flames of antisemitism and encouraging the hatred of Jews that is raging in the streets of Australia,” Netanyahu said ahead of his weekly cabinet meeting.
“Antisemitism is a cancer that spreads when leaders remain silent, and they must replace weakness with strength in facing it.”
“That did not happen in Australia - and today, something terrible occurred there. A cold-blooded murder,” Netanyahu added.
Some context: Speaking earlier, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the attack as “an act of evil, antisemitism, terrorism that has struck the heart of our nation” and said that “an attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
Among those killed in the attack on a Hanukkah event in Sydney's Bondi Beach was one Israeli citizen, according to the Israeli foreign ministry.
Another Israeli was wounded and is receiving treatment at a local hospital in Sydney, the foreign ministry said.
US' Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said in a post on X that he “strongly condemns” Sunday's fatal attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
“Antisemitism has no place in this world. Our prayers are with the victims of this horrific attack, the Jewish community, and the people of Australia,” Rubio said.
The US Embassy in Australia, based in Canberra, also posted to X about the terror attack, writing that it was “heartbroken” by the news and offering its “sincerest condolences to the families of the victims of this senseless act that targeted the Jewish community on the first night of Hanukkah.”
The embassy urged Australia-based US citizens to avoid the immediate Bondi Beach area, follow guidance from local authorities and inform loved ones of their status.
Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Australia “must take significant action” after “a sharp rise in antisemitism,” a statement by the Israeli Foreign Ministry said.
Speaking to his Australian counterpart Penny Wong, Saar expressed “sorrow and pain, on behalf of the people of Israel, over the murderous antisemitic attack in Sydney.”
He told the Australian foreign minister that there had been an increase in antisemitism in the country since October 7, citing examples of chants against the Israeli military, the burning of Israeli flags during marches marked by “overt expressions of hatred.”
Saar said “security” for the Jewish community in Australia “can only be achieved through a true change in public atmosphere.”
Australia, which has seen large-scale protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, formally recognized the State of Palestine in September alongside several other Western nations, drawing criticism from the Israeli government.
Saar described slogans like “Globalize the Intifada,” “From the River to the Sea,” and calls for violence against the Israel Defense Forces as “illegitimate” and “not part of free speech,” and warned that they “ultimately lead to the kind of violence witnessed today,” linking them directly to the Bondi Beach attack.
Saar earlier wrote on X that the Australian government “must come to its senses.”
A 12-year-old girl and a rabbi are among the victims of the fatal shooting in Sydney, Alexander Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told CNN's Victor Blackwell a short while ago.
“I know everyone who was there (at the Hanukkah celebration). That's an event where I attend with my family every single year,” Ryvchin said, adding that he was scheduled to speak at the event as he has done for the last decade, but had to drop out last minute due to scheduling conflicts.
A rabbi who was at the event, who Ryvchin described as “one of the kindest and most beautiful human beings I've ever known,” is among the dead, he said.
Another of Ryvchin's friends “lost his 12-year-old daughter, who succumbed to her wounds in hospital,” he said.
“We're a very close knit community, and this event is kind of the gem of our year. It's something we look forward to every year,” he told CNN, adding that it is usually a “joyous day.”
“The fact that it's turned into a blood bath, the fact that people plotted, acquired weapons, came there knowing that there would be children there, that there would be elderly people, families, defenseless people, just gathered there in peace, and they slaughtered them in cold blood. This is something that will transform our country,” he said.
Warning: Graphic content
We can now bring you some of the video we mentioned earlier, which shows a bystander tackling and wrestling a firearm from one of the gunmen in the Bondi Beach mass shooting on Sunday.
The bystander was praised as a “genuine hero” by New South Wales State Premier Chris Minns. In the full version of the video (which we are not showing here), after being disarmed by the bystander, the shooter seems to reposition himself on a bridge, rearm and start firing again.
Police around the world are stepping up their presence at public Hanukkah events in the wake of Sunday's deadly terror attack in Sydney, which police said targeted the Jewish community.
In New York, the NYPD said it was deploying additional resources to public Hanukkah celebrations and synagogues “out of an abundance of caution.”
London's Metropolitan Police said that while there was no information suggesting a link between the attack in Sydney and the threat level in London, the force would step up its police presence, carry out additional patrols and engage with the Jewish community in the wake of the tragedy.
“It is an awful reality that Jewish communities across the world continue to face a higher level of threat. At a time when London's Jewish communities are coming together to begin the celebration of Hannukah, we know this attack will be the cause of not just terrible upset but also significant heightened concern about safety,” the Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
Police in Berlin said they would deploy increased forces and intensify their security measures ahead of a Hanukkah event in the German capital this evening, in light of the attack.
“Even though there are currently no concrete indications of a threat to Berlin following the suspected attack in Australia, we remain vigilant and alert,” Polizei Berlin said on social media.
A fatal shooting incident took place at Australia's popular Bondi Beach on Sunday, in an attack that police said targeted the country's Jewish community.
If you're just joining us, here's what we've been reporting so far:
At least 11 dead: At least 11 people were killed in the attack, with another 29 injured, police said at a press conference earlier. No details have yet been given about the victims of the shooting.
One person in custody: Of the two suspected attackers, one is in custody in critical condition and the other was shot dead at the scene, according to police. Authorities have so far not provided any details about the identities of these suspects.
Jewish community targeted: More than 1,000 people were attending a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach when the shooting occurred, police said, adding that the attack was “designed to target Sydney's Jewish community.”
Police declare terror incident: The fact the shooting took place on the first day of Hanukkah, as well other circumstances including the types of weapons at the scene and the offenders, led a terrorist incident to be declared a few hours after the attack, police said.
Australian PM addresses Jewish community: Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shared a message with the Jewish community earlier, telling them: “Your fellow Australians stand with you tonight in condemning this act of terror.” The country will never submit to “division, violence or hatred,” he added.
Israeli leaders react with horror: A number of Israeli officials reacted angrily to the shooting, with many accusing the Australian government of allowing a surge in antisemitism.
Jewish council “horrified and shaken”: Additionally, the Jewish Council of Australia called the attack a “horrific act of antisemitic violence during the Jewish festival of light and hope.” In a statement, it said that “many within our community have just received the worst news of their lives,” adding: “In moments like this, we hold each other close.”
CNN's Tal Shalev, Tamar Michaelis, Sophie Tanno, Hilary Whiteman and Mostafa Salem contributed to this reporting.
The CEO of the Australian Jewish Association has described the fatal shooting at Bondi Beach as an “entirely foreseeable” tragedy, saying that Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese's government had been warned many times about rising antisemitism.
“What happened tonight is a tragedy but entirely foreseeable.The Albanese government was warned so many times but failed to take adequate actions to protect the Jewish community,” Robert Gregory said.
He added that many members of the Jewish community are now pondering whether they have a future in Australia, in the wake of the deadly attack.
Earlier, police said they had located a vehicle linked to the deceased gunman which they believed contained “several improvised explosive devices,” at the scene in Bondi Beach.
The IED's have now been removed from the vehicle, a police official said.
The crime scene is no longer an exclusion area, the official added.
The force's rescue bomb disposal unit had been working at the scene on Campbell Parade, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon said at a news conference earlier.
It is approaching midnight local time in Sydney, Australia, where at least 11 people were killed in a shooting at the city's Bondi Beach earlier today.
The scene of the attack has been cordoned off by authorities. Police vehicles are parked near the cordons, with members of the public being ushered away from the area.
Here are some images from the scene:
Australia is unaccustomed to mass shootings. Strict gun laws were introduced in 1996 after a shocking attack at Port Arthur, when 35 people were killed by a lone gunman.
Buying a gun requires extensive checks, and though gun crimes occur, they are usually targeted and limited in scope.
According to the Australian Institute of Criminology, 31 homicides by firearm were recorded in Australia from 2023–24, the most recent figures.
Mass attacks are also uncommon. One of the most recent also took place in Sydney's eastern suburbs, when a man armed with a knife killed six people in Westfield shopping center at Bondi Junction in April 2024. The perpetrator, who was shot at the scene, had a history of mental health issues.
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Reporting by Christine Chen in Sydney;
Additional reporting by Alasdair Pal, Sophie Royle and Aaron McNicholas
Editing by Christina Fincher
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Syria has arrested five people suspected of having links to the shooting of U.S. and Syrian troops in the central Syrian town of Palmyra on Saturday, the Interior Ministry said on Sunday.
Reuters, the news and media division of Thomson Reuters, is the world's largest multimedia news provider, reaching billions of people worldwide every day. Reuters provides business, financial, national and international news to professionals via desktop terminals, the world's media organizations, industry events and directly to consumers.
Access unmatched financial data, news and content in a highly-customised workflow experience on desktop, web and mobile.
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With cheap drinks and friendly locals, Jimmy's Corner is a New York institution. But a real-estate developer has ordered its closure – can it survive?
Founded by Jimmy Glenn, a former boxer turned trainer, in 1971, Jimmy's Corner has stood, defiantly unchanged, as Times Square has boomed around it.
The neighborhood bar, a New York City institution which attracts locals and tourists alike, has had the same pictures on the walls for decades – some of the bar's regulars have been coming almost as long – kept the same furniture, and maintained remarkably low pricing. In a perhaps unintentional nod to its history, there is also several years' accumulation of dust in some areas.
It's a beloved spot, a piece of New York history that has endured as Times Square transformed from a den of inequity into one of New York's main tourist attractions. But Jimmy's Corner may now have met its match, after the building's landlord ordered its owner to shut down this famous watering hole.
“It felt like losing my parents again,” Adam Glenn, Jimmy Glenn's son, who took over the bar in 2015, told the Guardian.
After being told he was being evicted, Glenn filed a last-ditch lawsuit against the Durst Organization, the giant New York developer which owns the building, alleging Durst took advantage of his father when re-negotiating the bar's lease 10 years ago.
It has left people who drink in the bar on tenterhooks. Jimmy, who also worked as a boxing cutman, ran a gym, and was friendly with Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson, died in 2020, aged 89, but Glenn has kept the bar has continued unchanged, even down to the prices: a pint of beer is $3, in a neighborhood where some places charge four times that.
In an area of Manhattan full of bars, most of which are bigger, brighter, and have more modern toilets than Jimmy's, its close-knit atmosphere is just as important to its appeal.
“It's a true dive bar in midtown. It's nice and small and tight. And when you meet people, you have to talk to them. You can't, like, wander off,” said Walter Trice, a Jimmy's regular who was drinking a beer in a small area at the back of the bar on Thursday evening.
“There's no frills here. They don't talk about politics. It's all straightforward. And there's no wifi here, so your phone basically doesn't work. Basically, you have to talk to each other.”
Karolina Collado, 31, was drinking what she described as “the coldest Corona in all of New York City” – something she attributes to the bar's well-functioning fridges. She drinks in the bar most weeks, including to “pre-game” before playing softball.
“I like the bartenders here. They make you feel great, we have genuine conversations. And I've met a lot of people here who are awesome. They all have different personalities, and we all vibe out. It's a nice experience,” she said.
Glenn said his father would be “incredibly hurt” by the potential closure. It's painful for him, too, given Jimmy's is also where Glenn spent key passages of his childhood.
“I've been working in this bar since I was old enough to push or move something. I remember being three years old, and it would take me 20 minutes to load a bucket of ice, but I would stand on the chair and load a bucket of ice and push it to the front,” he said.
“I have so many of my memories here. That's where we had our family time. We celebrated birthdays. We did Thanksgiving here, Christmas, New Year's [Eve]. Most of the major family events were happening at the bar: one, because we loved it there, and two, because we couldn't afford to take a break. We needed to work.”
When Jimmy Glenn opened the bar in 1971, Times Square was very different from the light-strewn, tourist-stricken place it is today. Back then, the area was known as a hub for prostitution, peep shows and general vice, and Jimmy Glenn and his bar served as a safe haven. Glenn said most nights his father would stand outside the bar, keeping an eye on the street.
“For a lot of our neighbors, and people who were young in the 70s and 80s and were in that neighborhood, a lot of them would say, ‘I didn't feel safe coming home late at night if Jimmy wasn't there,'” Glenn said.
“We've been guardians of this block. We have kept people safe.”
Glenn said his father was close to the Dursts for decades, but he believes he was “tricked” into agreeing to a lease provision where the Durst could evict Jimmy's Corner when he died.
“I think my dad would be incredibly hurt and disappointed, because he would have expected better from them,” Glenn said, adding that his father saw the Dursts as “part of the family”.
“But I also think my dad would be very proud of me, because my parents didn't raise me to be the kind of person who lays down just because someone is bigger than you, just because they have more money than you.”
A spokeswoman for Durst said: “For decades, we did everything we could to help keep the bar's doors open, including providing extremely favorable rent. After Jimmy's tragic death, we decided to sell the building, and we went above and beyond our lease obligations due to the personal relationship with Jimmy.”
The spokeswoman said Durst told Glenn over a year ago he would have to vacate the building, and offered him $250,000 to do so – Glenn disputes this, and says he was initially offered no money to leave.
For the Jimmy's Corner patrons, it is unclear what will happen next. Glenn said he always knew the bar couldn't last for ever, given the soaring value of property in Times Square. If he is forced to close, he plans to open a bar somewhere else, keeping true to Jimmy's Corner authenticity and, regulars hope, pricing structure.
Even so, the loss of this last vestige of an older New York would be painful for anyone who has eagerly squeezed their way into Jimmy's for a cheap drink and a vivid experience.
“I gotta to be honest, I'm going to be heartbroken,” said Nelson Martinez, 46. “I've been coming here for years, and for me this is a landmark. It's very historic.”
“One thing I love about this place compared to a lot of other bars is that it's a very friendly environment. As long as I've been coming here, no matter how much people drink, people socialize, you know. People come from all over the world.
“You have your regulars, and you have your tourists. But no matter who comes in this bar, this bar brings out the best in people.”
Protesters wave a Union Flag during a demonstration in Orpington, near London, in August.Alberto Pezzali/The Associated Press
In the past year, tens of thousands hostile to immigrants marched through London, chanting “send them home!” A British lawmaker complained of seeing too many non-white faces on TV. And senior politicians advocated the deportation of longtime U.K. residents born abroad.
The overt demonization of immigrants and those with immigrant roots is intensifying in the U.K. – and across Europe – as migration shoots up the political agenda and right-wing parties gain popularity.
In several European countries, political parties that favour mass deportations and depict immigration as a threat to national identity come at or near the top of opinion polls: Reform U.K., the AfD, or Alternative for Germany and France's National Rally.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently called Somali immigrants in the U.S. “garbage” and whose national security strategy depicts European countries as threatened by immigration, appears to be endorsing and emboldening Europe's coarse, anti-immigrant sentiments.
Amid the rising tensions, Europe's mainstream parties are taking a harder line on migration and at times using divisive language about race.
“What were once dismissed as being at the far extreme end of far-right politics has now become a central part of the political debate,” said Kieran Connell, a lecturer in British history at Queen's University Belfast.
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Immigration has risen dramatically over the past decade in some European countries, driven in part by millions of asylum-seekers who have come to Europe fleeing conflicts in Africa, the Middle East and Ukraine.
Asylum-seekers account for a small percentage of total immigration, however, and experts say antipathy toward diversity and migration stems from a mix of factors. Economic stagnation in the years since the 2008 global financial crisis, the rise of charismatic nationalist politicians and the polarizing influence of social media all play a role, experts say.
In Britain, there is “a frightening increase in the sense of national division and decline” and that tends to push people toward political extremes, said Bobby Duffy, director of the Policy Unit at King's College London. It took root after the financial crisis, was reinforced by Britain's debate about Brexit and deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic, Duffy said.
Social media has exacerbated the mood, notably on X, whose algorithm promotes divisive content and whose owner, Elon Musk, approvingly retweets far-right posts.
Across Europe, ethnonationalism has been promoted by right-wing parties such as Germany's AfD, France's National Rally and the Fidesz party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Now it appears to have the stamp of approval from the Trump administration, whose new national security strategy depicts Europe as a collection of countries facing “economic decline” and “civilizational erasure” because of immigration and loss of national identities.
The hostile language alarmed many European politicians, but also echoed what they hear from their countries' far-right parties.
National Rally leader Jordan Bardella told the BBC he largely agreed with the Trump administration's concern that mass immigration was “shaking the balance of European countries.”
Policies once considered extreme are now firmly on the political agenda. Reform UK, the hard-right party that consistently leads opinion polls, says if it wins power it will strip immigrants of permanent-resident status even if they have lived in the U.K. for decades. The centre-right opposition Conservatives say they will deport British citizens with dual nationality who commit crimes.
A Reform UK lawmaker complained in October that advertisements were “full of Black people, full of Asian people.” Conservative justice spokesman Robert Jenrick remarked with concern that he “didn't see another white face” in an area of Birmingham, Britain's second-largest city. Neither politician had to resign.
Many proponents of reduced immigration say they are concerned about integration and community cohesion, not race. But that's not how it feels to those on the receiving end of racial abuse.
“There is no doubt it has worsened,” said Dawn Butler, a Black British lawmaker who says the vitriol she receives on social media “is increasing drastically, and has escalated into death threats.”
U.K. government statistics show police in England and Wales recorded more than 115,000 hate crimes in the year to March 2025, a 2% increase over the previous 12 months.
In July 2024, anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim violence erupted on Britain's streets after three girls were stabbed to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class. Authorities said online misinformation wrongly identifying the U.K.-born teenage attacker as a Muslim migrant played a part.
In Ireland and in the Netherlands, protesters often demonstrate outside municipal meetings in communities where a new asylum centre is proposed. Some protests have turned violent, with opponents of asylum-seekers throwing fireworks at riot police.
Across Europe, the main focus of protests has been hotels and other housing for asylum-seekers, which some say become magnets for crime and bad behaviour. But the agenda of protest organizers is often much wider.
In September, more than 100,000 people chanting “We want our country back” marched through London in a protest organized by a far-right activist and convicted fraudster Tommy Robinson. Among the speakers was French far-right politician Eric Zemmour, who told the crowd that France and the U.K. both faced “the great replacement of our European people by peoples coming from the south and of Muslim culture.”
Mainstream European politicians condemn the “great replacement” conspiracy theory. Britain's centre-left Labour Party government has denounced racism and says migration is an important part of Britain's national story.
At the same time, it is taking a tougher line on immigration, announcing policies to make it harder for migrants to settle permanently. The government says it is inspired by Denmark, which has seen asylum applications plummet since it started giving refugees only short-term residence.
Denmark and Britain are among a group of European countries pushing to weaken legal protections for migrants and make deportations easier.
Human rights advocates argue that attempts to appease the right just lead to ever-more-extreme policies.
“For every inch yielded, there's going to be another inch demanded,” Council of Europe human rights commissioner Michael O'Flaherty told The Guardian. “Where does it stop? For example, the focus right now is on migrants, in large part. But who is it going to be about next time around?”
Politicians of the political centre also have been criticized for adopting the language of the far right. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in May that Britain risked becoming an “island of strangers,” a phrase that echoed a notorious 1968 anti-immigration speech by the politician Enoch Powell. Starmer later said he had been unaware of the echo and regretted using the phrase.
Germany's centre-right Chancellor Friedrich Merz has hardened his language on migrants as the Alternative for Germany has grown more powerful. Merz caused an uproar in October by saying Germany had a problem with its “Stadtbild,” a word that translates as “city image” or cityscape. Critics felt Merz was implying that people who don't look German don't truly belong.
Merz later stressed that “we need immigration,” without which certain sectors of the economy, including health care, would cease to function.
Duffy said politicians should be responsible and consider how their rhetoric shapes public attitudes – though he added that's “quite a forlorn hope.”
“The perception that this divisiveness works has taken hold,” he said.
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Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, senior negotiator Rustem Umerov and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz meet with Jared Kushner, Steve Witkoff and others in Berlin on Sunday.Ukrainian Presidential Press Ser/Reuters
Ukraine has relinquished its aim to join the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday as peace talks got under way in Berlin.
Zelensky aired the concession as he flew to the German capital where he began meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner in efforts to end Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia's war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow.
Zelensky met the U.S. envoys at talks hosted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who a source said had made brief remarks before leaving the two sides to negotiate. Other European leaders are also due in Germany for talks on Monday.
U.S. and Ukraine to discuss ceasefire in Berlin before Monday summit
Security guarantees from the United States, Europe and other partners instead of NATO membership represented a compromise on Ukraine's side, Zelensky said ahead of Sunday's discussions.
“From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction,” he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
“Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries – Canada, Japan – are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion,” Zelensky said.
“And it is already a compromise from our part,” he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw troops from the about 10% of Donbas which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country and that no NATO troops can be stationed in Ukraine.
Russian sources said earlier this year that Putin wants a “written” pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the U.S.-led NATO alliance eastwards – shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
Zelensky had earlier called for a “dignified” peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine again.
Under pressure from Trump to sign a peace deal that initially backed Moscow's demands, Zelensky accused Russia of dragging out the war through deadly bombings of cities and Ukraine's power and water supplies.
Sending Witkoff, who has led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia on a U.S. peace proposal, appeared to be a signal that Washington saw a chance of progress nearly four years after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Zelensky said Ukraine, the Europeans and U.S. are looking at a 20-point plan and that at the end of this there is a ceasefire. He said Kyiv has no direct talks with Russia.
A ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair option, he added.
U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner arrives at the Chancellery for talks with German Chancellor Merz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin on Sunday.Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Britain, France and Germany have been working to refine the U.S. proposals, which in a draft disclosed last month called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its NATO ambitions and accept limits on its armed forces.
European allies have described this as a “critical moment” that could shape Ukraine's future, and sought to shore up Kyiv's finances by leveraging frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Kyiv's military and civilian budget.
Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner at a meeting earlier in December that the Kremlin praised as “constructive,” although no major breakthroughs were reached.
Zelensky said hundreds of thousands were still without power after Russian strikes on energy, heating and water supplies across Ukraine,
“Russia is dragging out the war and seeks to inflict as much harm as possible on our people,” he said.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine caused relations with the West to plummet and has cranked up warnings from NATO and European leaders that Putin would not stop there.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday that NATO should be “prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured” and asserted that “we are Russia's next target.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed such claims.
“This seems like a statement by a representative of a generation that has managed to forget what World War Two was actually like,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday.
“They have no understanding, and unfortunately, Mr. Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about,” Peskov added.
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Officials refuse to share name of person or details of arrest; names of victims not released as authorities have not yet been able to contact all relatives
Person of interest detained in Brown University shooting that left two dead
What we know so far
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez has said the person of interest in custody is in his 20s, not in his 30s as officials stated earlier on Sunday.
Earlier on Sunday, Georgia senator Raphael Warnock urged people to find “common humanity” after a deadly shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Warnock said: “I can tell you that as a pastor who has presided over many funerals, I don't think that there's any pain deeper than when nature is violently reversed and rather than children burying their parents, the parent has to bury the child. And so we pray prayers for these families.”
Warnock, who pushed Congress to pass more gun control legislation after two students and two teachers at a high school in his home state of Georgia were shot to death in 2024, went on to call for action after yet another mass shooting at an education facility in America.
He told NBC: “We have to pray not only with our lips, but with our action. Any nation that tolerates this kind of violence year after year, decade after decade in random places on our college and school campuses without doing all that we can to stop it is broken and in need of moral repair.”
During the press conference, Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez declined to say if the person of interest had any connection to Brown University.
“I'm not ready to confirm or comment on any of that,” Perez told reporters. “Again, I got to respect the process, and so at this point, we're just going to continue, like the mayor stated. It's complex, but we want to make sure that we have a successful prosecution.”
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez said at this moment an eventual case against a shooting suspect is being treated as a state prosecution, rather than a federal one.
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez has said the person of interest in custody is in his 20s, not in his 30s as officials stated earlier on Sunday.
Police refused to comment on a social media post by FBI director Kash Patel that claimed the arrest of a person of interest was based on a lead from Providence police.
Writing on X, Patel said the FBI “established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI's Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities.
“As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston's Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the @USMarshalsHQ & the @Coventry_RI_PD, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the @ProvidenceRIPD.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene - providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.
“And the FBI's victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence. This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served. Thanks to the men and women of the FBI and our partners for their continued teamwork. Please continue praying for the victims and their families - as well as all those at Brown University.
Mayor Brett Smiley says he won't share names of the victims yet as he believes some of their families have not yet been contacted because they might be travelling for the holidays.
He adds that bringing the person responsible for the shooting to justice is the top priority for officials. He reiterates the reason he's not sharing unconfirmed information so as to not compromise any future prosecution.
Col Oscar Perez refused to say whether the person in custody is the same person as the one seen in surveillance footage released on Saturday night.
Perez declined to comment on whether officials had found the gun used in the attack.
Col Oscar Perez was asked whether officials had been able to establish any connection between the suspects and the university or find out why the suspect targeted the university.
Perez said: “So that's all part of the investigation that we're conducting. And again, it's, it's complex.”
Police chief Col Oscar Perez addresses reporters and says he is aware of speculation around a suspect's name. He says he is not ready to provide a name or names.
He told reporters the “investigation continues to progress extremely fast” He added: We're in the process of collecting evidence and seizing items that we need to seize such location that we need to search.”
Mayor Smiley went on to say he visited victims of the attack and their families in hospital on Sunday.
He thanked the medical staff at Brown Health and Rhode Island Hospital, saying: “These folks, just like our law enforcement professionals, have been up all night working. But the level of care and professionalism that they're exhibiting is extraordinary.
“These survivors received an excellent care. And the resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is, frankly, pretty overwhelming. It pales in comparison what they've gone through for the rest of us here. We're all saddened and scared and tired.
“But what they've been through something entirely different. And yet they showed courage and hope and gratitude for how this community has stood up for them, and how the health care providers care for them.”
Mayor Brett Smiley says the community would now turn “our attention to caring for our neighbors”.
He pointed to a website set up by the city of Providence where the community find resources for mental health care.
He said a vigil would be held at 5pm ET at Olympic Park, where there had been plans to light a Christmas tree and to light a menorah for the first night of Hanukkah.
He said: “And for those who know at least a little bit of a Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community and shine a little bit of light, if there's nothing better that we could be doing this community.”
Providence mayor Brett Smiley begins the press conference. He starts by praising the level of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.
He says there is no update to share on the investigation, that the investigation is ongoing and that officials are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
He said he would not share any information that could jeopardize the investigation or compromise any future charges.
The person in custody after the Brown University shooting had two firearms with them when they were detained, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The exact type of firearms remains unclear.
Officials refuse to share name of person or details of arrest; Donald Trump says ‘Things can happen' in comments shared by White House
Person of interest detained in Brown University shooting that left two dead
What we know so far
Politicians and law enforcement officials held a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island, a day after a shooter killed two people and injured several others at Brown University.
Here is what we know about the attack after the latest update:
A man in his 20s was taken into custody on Sunday morning. Police chief Col Oscar Perez declined to say whether the person of interest was the same person seen in surveillance footage released by authorities on Saturday. Officials did not name the person.
A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown University during final exams on the Ivy League campus.
Brown University president Christina Paxson confirmed that the two people killed were students. A shelter-in-place in effect for the area was lifted on Sunday morning.
Eight people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island hospital, where six were in critical but stable condition, according to Kelly Brennan, a spokesperson for the hospital. A ninth person was later found to have been injured, but was reportedly not in a critical situation.
Providence's mayor said he had visited the victims of the attack in hospital, praising their resilience and the efforts of emergency medical staff who treated them.
Smiley declined to name any of the shooting victims as not all relatives had been contacted yet.
Officials refused to say whether a gun used in the attack had been found. Earlier reports on CNN said the person of interest had two firearms with them. The Associated press reported officials said two loaded 30-round magazines had been found. Officials did not comment on any speculation.
Law enforcement agencies were seen at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, roping off rooms as part of the investigation into the shooting. An FBI agent said the person of interest had been arrested at the hotel, which is a short drive from Brown University.
The FBI used cellphone data to locate the person of interest, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.” Earlier he claimed a suspect was in custody before rowing back on that statement.
The shooting occurred in the Barus and Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university's website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices. Brown, one of the America's most prestigious colleges, has roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.
More politicians are reacting to the shooting at Brown University yesterday, sending tributes to victims and their families while calling for urgent action to end gun violence.
California senator Adam Schiff posted on X, saying:
I'm praying for all of the victims, their families, and the entire Brown University community as it grieves this horrific act of gun violence. How many more tragedies, more lives lost, more grieving families, before we act? We can and we must end our gun violence epidemic.”
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi tweeted:
On this solemn anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, we remember the 26 beautiful souls taken in an act of unimaginable violence. Yesterday's shooting at Brown University is a painful reminder that this grief is not confined to history. Thirteen years later, communities are still being torn apart by gun violence—and the weight of that loss continues to demand action. We must not stop fighting until the job is done.
California senator Alex Padilla wrote:
Angela and I are horrified by last night's shooting at Brown University that left two students dead, nine injured, and hundreds more traumatized. We pray for the victims, their families, and the entire Brown community. Gun violence in America must come to an end. I refuse to give into the notion that there's nothing more we can do to try to prevent these tragedies.
Teaching assistant Joseph Oduro, 21, told CNN he was in a classroom that was attacked.
“The first couple of gunshots went straight to the chalkboard right where I was standing,” Oduro said. “Who knows, if I didn't duck, maybe I'm not here today.“
A student next to him took two bullets to the leg and was due to undergo surgery on Sunday, he said.
First lady Melania Trump spoke after the US president at a White House holiday event to pay tribute to the people killed in attacks in Providence, Rhode Island, and Bondi Beach, Sydney.
Melania said: “My thoughts and prayers go to the families of, the people who lost the loved ones around the world in this, difficult time.”
The White House has shared video on social media of Donald Trump's remarks on the mass shooting at Brown at a holiday reception at the White House on Sunday.
“Before we begin, I want to just pay my respects to the people, unfortunately two are no longer with us, Brown University, nine injured and two are looking down on us right now from Heaven,” the president said.
“Likewise, in Australia, as you know, that was a terrible attack: 11 dead, 29 wounded, and that was an antisemitic attack, obviously,” Trump said.
The president also mentioned the deadly attack on three Americans serving in Syria on Saturday. “In Syria, also, we had an attack in Syria, and we had three great patriots terminated by bad people, and not the Syrian government, it was Isis,” Trump said.
“Brown University,” Trump added, “great school, really one of the greatest schools anywhere in the world. Things can happen,” the president said.
“So to the nine injured: get well fast. And to the families of those two that are no longer with us: I pay my deepest regards and respects, from the United States of America. Thank you very much. It's a very important thing to say, and we mean it.”
Trump also said that in Syria “there will be big damage done” to those responsible for the attack on US service members.
The president also praised the man who tackled one of the attackers in Australia.
Politicians and law enforcement officials held a press conference in Providence, Rhode Island, a day after a shooter killed two people and injured several others at Brown University.
Here is what we know about the attack after the latest update:
A man in his 20s was taken into custody on Sunday morning. Police chief Col Oscar Perez declined to say whether the person of interest was the same person seen in surveillance footage released by authorities on Saturday. Officials did not name the person.
A shooter dressed in black killed at least two people and wounded nine others at Brown University during final exams on the Ivy League campus.
Brown University president Christina Paxson confirmed that the two people killed were students. A shelter-in-place in effect for the area was lifted on Sunday morning.
Eight people with gunshot wounds were taken to Rhode Island hospital, where six were in critical but stable condition, according to Kelly Brennan, a spokesperson for the hospital. A ninth person was later found to have been injured, but was reportedly not in a critical situation.
Providence's mayor said he had visited the victims of the attack in hospital, praising their resilience and the efforts of emergency medical staff who treated them.
Smiley declined to name any of the shooting victims as not all relatives had been contacted yet.
Officials refused to say whether a gun used in the attack had been found. Earlier reports on CNN said the person of interest had two firearms with them. The Associated press reported officials said two loaded 30-round magazines had been found. Officials did not comment on any speculation.
Law enforcement agencies were seen at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, roping off rooms as part of the investigation into the shooting. An FBI agent said the person of interest had been arrested at the hotel, which is a short drive from Brown University.
The FBI used cellphone data to locate the person of interest, FBI Director Kash Patel said.
President Donald Trump told reporters that he had been briefed on the shooting and “all we can do right now is pray for the victims.” Earlier he claimed a suspect was in custody before rowing back on that statement.
The shooting occurred in the Barus and Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. According to the university's website, the building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices. Brown, one of the America's most prestigious colleges, has roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.
Earlier on Sunday, Georgia senator Raphael Warnock urged people to find “common humanity” after a deadly shooting at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Speaking on NBC's Meet the Press with Kristen Welker, Warnock said: “I can tell you that as a pastor who has presided over many funerals, I don't think that there's any pain deeper than when nature is violently reversed and rather than children burying their parents, the parent has to bury the child. And so we pray prayers for these families.”
Warnock, who pushed Congress to pass more gun control legislation after two students and two teachers at a high school in his home state of Georgia were shot to death in 2024, went on to call for action after yet another mass shooting at an education facility in America.
He told NBC: “We have to pray not only with our lips, but with our action. Any nation that tolerates this kind of violence year after year, decade after decade in random places on our college and school campuses without doing all that we can to stop it is broken and in need of moral repair.”
During the press conference, Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez declined to say if the person of interest had any connection to Brown University.
“I'm not ready to confirm or comment on any of that,” Perez told reporters. “Again, I got to respect the process, and so at this point, we're just going to continue, like the mayor stated. It's complex, but we want to make sure that we have a successful prosecution.”
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez said at this moment an eventual case against a shooting suspect is being treated as a state prosecution, rather than a federal one.
Providence police chief Col Oscar Perez has said the person of interest in custody is in his 20s, not in his 30s as officials stated earlier on Sunday.
Police refused to comment on a social media post by FBI director Kash Patel that claimed the arrest of a person of interest was based on a lead from Providence police.
Writing on X, Patel said the FBI “established a command post to intake, develop and analyze leads, and run them to ground. We activated the FBI's Cellular Analysis Survey Team, to provide critical geolocation capabilities.
“As a result, early this morning, FBI Boston's Safe Streets Task Force, with assistance from the @USMarshalsHQ & the @Coventry_RI_PD, detained a person of interest in a hotel room in Coventry, RI, based off a lead by the @ProvidenceRIPD.
“We have deployed local and national resources to process and reconstruct the shooting scene - providing HQ and Lab elements on scene. We set up a digital media intake portal to ingest images and video from the public related to this incident.
“And the FBI's victim specialists are fully integrating with our partners to provide resources to victims and survivors of this horrific violence. This FBI will continue an all out 24/7 campaign until justice is fully served. Thanks to the men and women of the FBI and our partners for their continued teamwork. Please continue praying for the victims and their families - as well as all those at Brown University.
Mayor Brett Smiley says he won't share names of the victims yet as he believes some of their families have not yet been contacted because they might be travelling for the holidays.
He adds that bringing the person responsible for the shooting to justice is the top priority for officials. He reiterates the reason he's not sharing unconfirmed information so as to not compromise any future prosecution.
Col Oscar Perez refused to say whether the person in custody is the same person as the one seen in surveillance footage released on Saturday night.
Perez declined to comment on whether officials had found the gun used in the attack.
Col Oscar Perez was asked whether officials had been able to establish any connection between the suspects and the university or find out why the suspect targeted the university.
Perez said: “So that's all part of the investigation that we're conducting. And again, it's, it's complex.”
Police chief Col Oscar Perez addresses reporters and says he is aware of speculation around a suspect's name. He says he is not ready to provide a name or names.
He told reporters the “investigation continues to progress extremely fast” He added: We're in the process of collecting evidence and seizing items that we need to seize such location that we need to search.”
Mayor Smiley went on to say he visited victims of the attack and their families in hospital on Sunday.
He thanked the medical staff at Brown Health and Rhode Island Hospital, saying: “These folks, just like our law enforcement professionals, have been up all night working. But the level of care and professionalism that they're exhibiting is extraordinary.
“These survivors received an excellent care. And the resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me is, frankly, pretty overwhelming. It pales in comparison what they've gone through for the rest of us here. We're all saddened and scared and tired.
“But what they've been through something entirely different. And yet they showed courage and hope and gratitude for how this community has stood up for them, and how the health care providers care for them.”
Mayor Brett Smiley says the community would now turn “our attention to caring for our neighbors”.
He pointed to a website set up by the city of Providence where the community find resources for mental health care.
He said a vigil would be held at 5pm ET at Olympic Park, where there had been plans to light a Christmas tree and to light a menorah for the first night of Hanukkah.
He said: “And for those who know at least a little bit of a Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community and shine a little bit of light, if there's nothing better that we could be doing this community.”
Providence mayor Brett Smiley begins the press conference. He starts by praising the level of collaboration between law enforcement agencies.
He says there is no update to share on the investigation, that the investigation is ongoing and that officials are cooperating with law enforcement agencies.
He said he would not share any information that could jeopardize the investigation or compromise any future charges.
The person in custody after the Brown University shooting had two firearms with them when they were detained, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation told CNN.
The exact type of firearms remains unclear.
MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. The North Atlantic Alliance needs to revise its strategic framework to prepare for a confrontation with Russia that will go beyond the "Battle for the Atlantic," the NATO Defense College (NDC) said in a report.
NDC Senior Non-Resident Associate Fellow Andrew Monaghan points out that "the development of the holistic sea power of the state is an essential feature" of Moscow' s policy, which allows Russia to position itself as a leader in "a period of geoeconomic competition."
"This shifts the frames of NATO's reference beyond a renewed ‘Battle for the Atlantic' or scenarios of ground operations in northeastern Europe towards a multi-front, multi-domain Russian challenge, one with a global horizon," the document notes.
The report adds that scenarios for a crisis "often focus on an escalation in what is a single strategic direction stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Kara Sea.".
Analysts say benefits could be felt in under-resourced rural hospitals but warn against AI as a cost-cutting measure
For states to receive certain funding stipulated in the Trump administration's “big, beautiful” bill, they must meet three of 10 criteria – including integrating more artificial intelligence (AI) technology in healthcare settings – which experts say could have major benefits and liabilities for under-resourced hospitals, depending on how it's implemented.
The Rural Health Transformation Fund is a carveout that will provide $50bn over a period of five years to states who meet certain application criteria, including “consumer-facing, technology-driven solutions for the prevention and management of chronic diseases,” and “providing training and technical assistance for the development and adoption of technology-enabled solutions that improve care delivery in rural hospitals, including remote monitoring, robotics, artificial intelligence, and other advanced technologies”.
Analysts have noted that this $50bn will not be nearly enough to make up for the Congressional Budget Office's projected $911bn reduction in Medicaid spending over the next decade under the bill (Obba). These cuts will affect both patients who lose free health coverage under Medicaid, and hospitals who benefit from those patients' Medicaid reimbursements.
Chenhao Tan, associate professor of data science at the University of Chicago, and Karni Chagal-Feferkorn, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida's college of AI and cybersecurity, said AI technology could provide major benefits to rural hospitals that are frequently under-resourced and under-staffed. They also agreed that AI has the potential to alleviate the administrative burden that physicians at these hospitals often face.
Physicians are responsible for taking detailed notes on patient visits and compiling them for electronic health records systems – a task that can take eight hours or more each week, according to the American Medical Association.
A recent study found that AI generated patient notes are similar in quality to those of general physicians, but worse than those of expert physicians. Tan said that it's important to take context – like frequent physician burnout in rural hospitals – into account when evaluating risks and benefits.
“If the baseline is tired human doctors, then I think it is even easier to make an argument that AI may do better than them,” Tan said.
Chagal-Feferkorn hopes that AI can help alleviate rural hospital staffing issues, not only by reducing the workload but by attracting more doctors.
“If the equipment is state-of-the-art, and they feel that much of the burdensome work is done by AI, I think this could be one incentive for physicians to go work in rural areas, this might have a great impact,” she said.
The FDA currently regulates AI technologies that are intended to evaluate and diagnose health conditions because they are considered medical devices. However, technologies that simply transcribe and compile patient notes are not regulated, though they may market themselves as Hipaa compliant.
While Tan said it would be too high a bar to expect these technologies to be “bulletproof” before they can enter the market, he acknowledged that “there should be something higher than nothing,” in terms of regulatory requirements.
Chagal-Feferkorn also said that the proliferation of AI also creates additional cybersecurity concerns.
“AI makes it easier for ordinary people to hack systems,” she said, adding that AI has the potential to improve patient safety by merging patient records from different providers so that, for example, every provider is aware of every medication that a patient is taking and can thus easily avoid dangerous medication interactions.
But this kind of technology will also require more privacy precautions.
“The more data sharing there is, obviously the risk for data security breach is larger,” Chagal-Feferkorn continued.
To mitigate these risks, Tan said “worker upscaling needs to go hand in hand” with the adoption of AI technology. But Tan and Chagal-Feferkorn both expressed concern that under-resourced hospitals will attempt to adopt AI technology as a cost-cutting measure without the necessary staff and safety infrastructure.
The Republican plans to pick off five Democratic-held congressional seats in Texas once seemed like a sure thing. Not anymore.
President Donald Trump's flagging approval ratings, particularly among Latinos, and strong Democratic performance in this year's special elections have changed both parties' assumptions. Now, the cushion the Texas GOP drew into its new map – Trump won every Republican-favored district by 10 points or more a year ago – seems like it might be too small.
Democrats beat Trump's 2024 results in five US House districts with special elections this year by at least 13 points. Over-performance at that level next year would flip three of the five new Texas seats to the Democratic column, though it's unlikely that performance will be replicated in every district around the country, and recent polling suggests that Democrats currently have a more modest national advantage.
“I can feel it on the ground,” said Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, whose South Texas district was one of the five targeted by Republicans. “I really anticipate us taking the majority back next cycle and winning back South Texas and places that had been traditional Democratic districts that have turned on us in the last few cycles, with so many disillusioned people.”
Republicans are still likely to make overall gains in the national redistricting battle with the help of Texas, North Carolina, Missouri and Ohio, even after Indiana's Republican senators rejected new maps despite Trump's pressure. But shifting national trends could change what both parties expect to gain as they redraw their maps.
Eduardo Leal, press secretary for Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who pushed the GOP-led legislature to redistrict and is running for a fourth term next year, said the “vast majority of Texans” share Abbott's values: “secure borders, safer communities, and an economy that keeps Texas affordable.”
“We compete for every vote, because elections aren't won on past results but on a clear vision and proven experience that delivers for all Texans,” Leal said in a statement. “We're confident that message continues to resonate with Latino voters statewide.”
Trump improved Republicans' standing with Latino voters in 2024, winning about 46%, according to 2024 exit polls, up from 32% in 2020. Texas' new maps sought to build on Trump's strong performance in the state, which he won by 14 points. Notably, Trump won every county in the heavily Latino Rio Grande Valley, which was long a Democratic stronghold.
Four of the five Democratic-held seats targeted by the state GOP are majority Latino under the new maps, with the 28th Congressional District, represented by longtime Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, topping out at over 90% Latino.
But Trump's standing among Latinos has fallen dramatically nationwide since the start of his second term, outpacing his drop in approval overall. In three statewide races this November – a Democratic-backed ballot measure in California and gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia – Democrats gained the most in counties with higher shares of Latinos, even outpacing Joe Biden's 2020 margins there.
And in Miami, a Democratic-backed candidate won the mayoral election earlier this month, breaking nearly 30 years of Republican-aligned control of the nonpartisan seat.
In Texas, Trump's approval rating among Latinos dropped from 44% in February to 32% in October, according to the University of Texas/Texas Politics Project poll. The 2025 UH-TSU Texas Trends Survey found Latinos in Texas expressing regret for their 2024 vote at higher rates than Texan voters overall. When asked how they would have voted in the 2024 presidential election if they could vote again, Texan Latinos backed Democrat Kamala Harris by a margin of 11 points, a 19-point swing from the 8-point margin by which the same group said they supported Trump in 2024.
Chuck Rocha, a Democratic strategist and founder of Solidarity Strategies, told CNN that he thought Latinos could swing back to Democrats next year by a five- to 20-point margin.
“I think they're all going to snap back,” Rocha said. “It's just, do they get back to the norms of where it was before Trump?”
Gonzalez told CNN that he's been seeing that discontent among his own constituents in the past year. His new district is more than three-quarters Latino.
Gonzalez highlighted that affordability is the top issue in his district, along with a shortage of labor and an increased presence of immigration officers on the ground.
“I don't think Democrats, and especially Latinos, who voted for Trump ever expected that this would happen,” Gonzalez later said. “And now it has, and it's compounded - that is compounded with a lot of the other problems that we're talking about, economic problems and inflation and people, the American people, are continuing to struggle.”
A big swing among Texas Latinos could put the GOP-held 15th Congressional District in play too. Currently held by Republican Rep. Monica De La Cruz, the 15th District voted comfortably for Trump in 2024 (he won by 18 points under 2026 lines), but his margin was considerably more modest in 2020 (2 points). Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke won the district by 11 points in his 2018 US Senate run. De La Cruz's electoral margins barely change under the new map.
Patrick Ruffini, pollster and founding partner at Republican firm Echelon Insights, argued before last year's presidential election that Trump could lead a realignment to bring many Latinos into a GOP coalition focused on working-class issues.
“These are the most important voters to cultivate because they are the swingiest,” Ruffini told CNN about the Latino vote. “Without them … it's kind of very hard for Democrats to have long-term success in presidential elections. I think that should absolutely be more of a focus for the administration and for the Republicans heading into the midterms.”
South Texas is home to a more conservative population intimately familiar with the border, Ruffini said. But Rocha believes even just a slight change in the voting habits of Latinos in rural areas could flip districts on the edge.
Democrats notched strong performances in the five special elections for US House this year, over-performing 2024 presidential margins by at least 13 points in each race and averaging a 17-point improvement overall.
Special elections tend to be lower-turnout events, and typically, only the most partisan and highly engaged voters participate. But an early December special election in Tennessee's 7th congressional district featured turnout roughly on par with that of the 2022 midterm election. Democratic candidate Aftyn Behn lost that race by 9 points, trimming Trump's 22-point margin in the district by 13 points.
In CNN's latest poll, registered voters preferred Democratic over Republican candidates in their House district by 5 points (that's roughly a 7-point improvement compared with 2024). Democratic candidates may end up with a larger margin among voters who actually turn out given the growing evidence of Democratic advantage in voter motivation.
“Affordability is really the front and center issue right now. I think that's really the primary concern and the primary component of this,” Ruffini told CNN. “I think that Donald Trump doesn't need to convince people that he feels their pain, but I think he does need to make the case that Democrats are too weak to fix it.”
This story has been updated to add a statement from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office.
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Ukraine's 429th Separate Drone Regiment "Achilles" claimed on Dec. 13 the destruction of a pipeline used by Russian troops to infiltrate the front-line town of Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast.
The news came shortly after Ukraine's National Guard said its 2nd Khartiia Corps carried out a successful counterattack north of Kupiansk, a development that flatly contradicted Russia's recent claims of capturing the northeastern town.
The "Achilles" regiment entered the Kupiansk sector in April and, since then, has killed 998 Russian soldiers and injured another 879, the unit's statement read.
The regiment described the pipeline as a "critically important logistical channel" for Russian forces. The route was discovered during reconnaissance and destroyed in a joint operation with other Ukrainian units.
"It was a safe route that allowed (Russia) to build up strength while bypassing (Ukrainian) fire," the "Achilles" said.
In September, reports emerged that Russian troops used a gas pipeline to infiltrate Kupiansk, a tactic they adopted during the Battle of Avdiivka.
Kupiansk lies 104 kilometers (65 miles) east of Kharkiv, the regional center. Fighting has been fierce around the town, which was occupied at the start of the full-scale invasion before being liberated in September 2022.
Battles in the Kupiansk sector are ongoing, the "Achilles" said.
Politics Reporter
President Volodymyr Zelensky is meeting U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Berlin, as talks continue to finalize a peace plan to end Russia's full-scale war.
Russian forces attacked a supermarket in the southern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia on Dec. 14, injuring at least 14 people, including a six-year-old child, Governor Ivan Fedorov reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed solidarity with Australia following a terrorist attack in eastern Sydney on Dec. 14, which targeted the Jewish community, killing at least 12 people and injuring 29 others.
"I don't think we'll be delaying anything. It is very important for us to maintain the relationship between us and Poland," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
In the latest episode of Ukraine This Week, The Kyiv Independent's Anna Belokur reports on renewed calls for Ukraine to hold wartime elections after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Kyiv used Russia's war to avoid a vote, echoing a Kremlin narrative.
Zelensky said Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) chief Kyrylo Budanov informed him Belarus preferred this option over releasing the prisoners via "this or that EU country."
The U.S. lifted sanctions on Belarusian potash in exchange for the release of over 100 political prisoners in Belarus, many of whom were transferred to Ukraine.
Ukraine's "Achilles" drone regiment described the pipeline as a "critically important logistical channel" for Russian forces. The route was discovered during reconnaissance and destroyed in a joint operation with other Ukrainian units.
The Afipsky Oil Refinery in Russia's Krasnodar Krai, the Uryupinsk oil depot in Vologograd Oblast, and two fuel depots in Crimea were struck, the Ukrainian military reported.
Ukrainian forces downed 110 out of the 138 drones, including Shahed-type attack drones, launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported. Russia also launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile.
The number includes 710 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Russia's oil and gas revenue in December is expected to be nearly half compared to the previous year, down to about 410 billion rubles ($5.17 billion), Reuters reported on Dec. 12.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Dec. 13 that Ukraine's sanctions against nearly 700 vessels linked to Russia's shadow fleet had entered into force.
President Volodymyr Zelensky on Dec. 13 announced he will meet "with envoys" of U.S. President Donald Trump in the coming days as discussions on the U.S.-proposed peace framework aimed at ending Russia's war continue.
A Russian airstrike on Odesa on Dec. 12 damaged infrastructure and left parts of the city without electricity and water, the head of the Odesa Military Administration, Serhiy Lysak, reported.
Venezuelan politicians battling to end Maduro's rule reject claims his downfall would thrust their country into maelstrom of bloodshed and retribution
Nicolás Maduro is chased out of office by a massive popular revolt but the Venezuelan military takes to the streets, turning its guns on the civilians who have brought him down.
A palace coup sends Venezuela's authoritarian leader into exile, sparking a bloody power struggle between members of his disintegrating regime.
Maduro or a key ally is assassinated by a US “decapitation” strike but – as foreign soldiers commandeer Caracas and key airports and ports – leftwing insurgents tighten their grip on the country's mineral-rich hinterlands and regime loyalists launch guerrilla-style attacks on oil refineries and pipelines.
These three scenarios were all contemplated six years ago during US government “war games” designed to predict what a post-Maduro Venezuela might look like if the South American dictator was overthrown by an uprising, a palace revolution or a foreign attack. None of them ended well.
“You'd have prolonged chaos … with no clear way out,” said Douglas Farah, a Latin America expert whose national security consulting firm was part of those 2019 strategising efforts.
In all three of the discussion-based simulations, the upheaval triggered a fresh exodus of refugees across Venezuela's borders with Colombia and Brazil, as citizens fled skirmishes between rival rebel groups or foreign occupiers and loyalist troops.
“Everyone wrestling with this issue [is] sort of hoping that you could wave a magic wand and have a new government [in Venezuela],” said Farah. “I think the reason it hasn't happened is because people sat down and thought: ‘Wait a minute. What the hell are we getting ourselves into?'”
The Venezuelan politicians battling to end Maduro's 12-year rule reject claims that his downfall would inevitably thrust their country into a maelstrom of bloodshed and retribution.
María Corina Machado – the Nobel laureate and leader of the political movement widely believed to have beaten Maduro in last year's presidential election – called claims Maduro's exit could plunge Venezuela into violence similar to Syria's civil war “utterly unfounded”.
“Venezuela is a country with a long democratic culture and a society that is set on recovering that democracy,” she told the Guardian in Oslo on Friday after slipping out of her country to receive the peace prize.
Miguel Pizarro, another opposition leader, dismissed the suggestion Venezuela was doomed to become a South American version of Iraq, Libya or Haiti if Maduro was toppled. “The truth is that Venezuelans took their decision [in last year's election] … it was Venezuela's greatest ever social consensus.”
Allies of Donald Trump – who has spent recent months ratcheting up the pressure on Maduro with a massive military deployment, deadly strikes on boats in the Caribbean and the seizure of an oil tanker – also play down the dangers of a possible US intervention.
But many experts and South American diplomats are sceptical things will go so smoothly – irrespective of how Maduro's deposition comes about.
“If there's a popular uprising, the military is probably gonna be very defensive, very violent and reactionary to the protests on the street. [You'll have] a lot of people dead,” warned Farah, who thought, in that scenario, it was possible Colombian guerrillas, including the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) might enter the fray on the side of Venezuela's nominally leftwing regime.
A coup had the potential to produce “a huge vacuum of power” with rival armed actors battling to fill Maduro's shoes. “You might have four different folks saying: ‘OK, now I'm in charge,'” Farah said.
If foreign troops were deployed, they would probably be able to take control of big cities and infrastructure such as ports and airports. But they faced the possibility of asymmetric attacks from government loyalists or Colombian rebels and a protracted battle to regain control of gold mining regions already under the influence of the ELN. “[Defeating them is] a long-term proposition that would require a lot of money, a lot troops and probably some casualties,” Farah said.
Whatever happened, Farah feared post-Maduro Venezuela was likely to suffer “a huge mess that would last a while”. “None of this [is] going to be resolved in three weeks. You're talking years.”
Farah is not the only observer who frets that sudden political change could have dire consequences for the oil-rich South American country.
Last week the chief foreign policy adviser to Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, warned upheaval in Venezuela could transform the region into a Vietnam-style “war zone”.
Juan González, the White House's top Latin America official under Joe Biden, also said he feared the potential for violent retaliation.
“I have this recurring dream about Venezuela … of Maduro getting dragged through the streets like Benito Mussolini,” González said of the Italian dictator who was captured while trying to flee to Switzerland in 1945 and shot by a firing squad.
“You just never know what the trigger is … [Muammar] Gaddafi was very much in power until he wasn't,” González added of Libya's former leader, who also met a grisly end after being captured by his enemies.
González hoped a negotiated solution could still be found despite the escalating tensions.
“Negotiations are long and hard fought and require compromise. But history shows us that they're the most effective way to actually promote a transition,” he said, warning that toppling Maduro didn't necessarily mean the situation would improve. “It could actually get worse,” he said, pondering what might happen if a regime hardliner such as interior minister Diosdado Cabello, who runs Venezuela's repressive security forces, succeeded Maduro.
Farah thought a temporary power-sharing deal might be one way to avoid the “massive fracturing” of Venezuela between rival factions. But for that to happen, difficult choices would have to be made, possibly including letting “massive human rights violators” off the hook and giving Maduro safe passage out of the country and some form of immunity for alleged crimes against humanity.
An indication that the opposition might accept some such compromises came last week when the Washington Post reported that Machado's opposition believed only a “‘limited' purge of top Maduro officials would be necessary” once he was gone.
But many of the alternatives were even uglier. If the security situation spiralled out of control post-Maduro, Farah feared Washington's temptation might be to engage mercenary groups and private military contractors, rather than put US boots on the ground.
“[That] gets you closer to an Iraqi-type scenario, where you have multiple non-state groups doing multiple things on the ground that no one has control over,” Farah warned.
“If things go south, that's one of the options they will look at,” he predicted, “and that would be very damaging”.
Additional reporting by Camille Rodríguez Montilla in Oslo
Apple released a new version of iOS for iPhone 11 and later on Dec. 12, alongside a slate of security updates for older iPhones and other devices, warning that one of the patched flaws could allow attackers to take control of a device by tricking users into opening malicious web content.
TUNIS, December 14. /TASS/. The United States has deployed combat aircraft using lighting bombs after an attack by militants of the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia) on a Syrian-American patrol in Palmyra, Syria TV reported.
"American planes dropped lighting bombs in the sky over the city," the TV channel said.
Earlier, SANA news agency reported that a man opened fire on the Syrian and American military during their joint patrol of the territory. The attacker was killed on the spot. According to the Pentagon, two US military personnel and one American translator were killed and several people injured.
Traffic on the Deir ez-Zor-Damascus highway was suspended. American helicopters arrived at the scene to evacuate the injured to the US and Western coalition military base near the city of Al-Tanf (250 km off Damascus).
The United States has been actively reducing its military contingent in Syria since the beginning of the year. The main American forces are currently concentrated in the Kurdish-controlled regions of northeastern Syria and in the south, near the border with Iraq and Jordan. The United States continues to coordinate operations with the Syrian security forces against the remaining cells of the IG terrorist group.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Surveillance video released by police shows the suspect, dressed in black, calmly walking away from the scene. His face is not visible and investigators said it wasn't clear whether the suspect is a student.
Students in a lab near to where a shooting took place at Brown University hid under desks and turned off the lights, one student told The Associated Press as witnesses described their shock over the incident on Saturday afternoon.
Officers were hunting through buildings on the Ivy League campus after the shooting erupted on the second day of final exams. Providence City Mayor Brett Smiley said those are the only known injuries and casualties. The mayor said a shooter is not in custody.
Police tape off hotel rooms where the person of interest was arrested in a shooting in Coventry, RI., (AP Photo/Kimberlee Kruesi)
Police caution tape lays askew at Brown University's Ittleson Quad Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
Emergency personnel gather on Waterman Street at Brown University in Providence, R.I., on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during the investigation of a shooting. (AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
Pedestrians walk past and glance at the scene of a shooting at Brown University Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
A pedestrian walks across the intersection of Waterman St. and Hope St. Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, after a shooting on Saturday in Providence, R.I. (Lily Speredelozzi/The Sun Chronicle via AP)
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A person of interest was in custody Sunday after a shooting during final exams at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, though key questions remained unanswered nearly 24 hours after the attack.
The attack Saturday afternoon set off hours of chaos across the Ivy League campus and surrounding Providence neighborhoods as hundreds of officers searched for the shooter and urged students and staff to shelter in place. The lockdown, which stretched into the night, was lifted early Sunday, but authorities had not yet released information about a potential motive.
Col. Oscar Perez, the Providence police chief, said Sunday afternoon that the person in custody was in their 20s and that no one has been charged yet. Perez, who earlier had said the person was in their 30s and that no one else was being sought, declined to say whether the detained person had any connection to Brown.
The person was taken into custody at a Hampton Inn hotel in Coventry, Rhode Island, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Providence, where police officers and FBI agents remained Sunday, blocking off a hallway with crime scene tape as they searched the area.
The shooting occurred during one of the busiest moments of the academic calendar, as final exams were underway. Brown canceled all remaining classes, exams, papers and projects for the semester and told students they were free to leave campus, underscoring the scale of the disruption and the gravity of the attack.
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College President Christina Paxson teared up while describing her conversations with students both on campus and in the hospital.
“They are amazing and they're supporting each other,” she said at an afternoon news conference. “There's just a lot of gratitude.”
The gunman opened fire inside a classroom in the engineering building, firing more than 40 rounds from a 9 mm handgun, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Two handguns were recovered when the person of interest was taken into custody and authorities also found two loaded 30-round magazines, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to AP on the condition of anonymity.
One student of the nine wounded students had been released from the hospital, said Paxson. Seven others were in critical but stable condition, and one was in critical condition.
Providence leaders said residents would notice a heavier police presence, and many area businesses announced Sunday that they would remain closed. A scheduled 5K run was postponed until next weekend.
Mayor Brett Smiley invited residents to gather Sunday evening in a city park where an event had been scheduled to light a Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah.
“For those who know at least bit of the Hanukkah story, it is quite clear that if we can come together as a community to shine a little bit of light tonight, there's nothing better that we can be doing,” he told reporters.
Smiley said he visited some of the wounded students and was inspired by their courage, hope and gratitude. One told him that active shooting drills done in high school proved helpful.
“The resilience that these survivors showed and shared with me, is frankly pretty overwhelming,” he said. “We're all saddened, scared, tired, but what they've been through is something different entirely.”
Investigators were not immediately sure how the shooter got inside the first-floor classroom at the Barus & Holley building, a seven-story complex that houses the School of Engineering and physics department. The building includes more than 100 laboratories, dozens of classrooms and offices, according to the university's website.
Engineering design exams were underway. Outer doors of the building were unlocked but rooms being used for final exams required badge access, Smiley said.
Emma Ferraro, a chemical engineering student, was in the lobby working on a final project when she heard loud pops coming from the east side. Once she realized they were gunshots, she darted for the door and ran to a nearby building where she waited for hours.
Surveillance video released by police showed a suspect, dressed in black, walking from the scene.
Eva Erickson, a doctoral candidate who was the runner-up earlier this year on the CBS reality competition show “Survivor,” said she left her lab in the engineering building 15 minutes before shots rang out.
The engineering and thermal science student shared candid moments on “Survivor” as the show's first openly autistic contestant. She was locked down in the campus gym following the shooting and shared on social media that the only other member of her lab who was present was safely evacuated.
Brown senior biochemistry student Alex Bruce was working on a final research project in his dorm across the street from the building when he heard sirens outside.
“I'm just in here shaking,” he said, watching through the window as armed officers surrounded his dorm.
Students in a nearby lab turned off the lights and hid under desks after receiving an alert, said Chiangheng Chien, a doctoral student in engineering who was about a block from where the shooting occurred.
Mari Camara, 20, a junior from New York City, was coming out of the library and rushed inside a taqueria to seek shelter. She spent more than three hours there, texting friends while police searched the campus.
“Everyone is the same as me, shocked and terrified that something like this happened,” she said.
Brown, the seventh-oldest higher education institution in the U.S., is one of the nation's most prestigious colleges, with roughly 7,300 undergraduates and more than 3,000 graduate students.
Crystal McCollaum, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was staying at the hotel where the person of interest was taken into custody. She was with her daughter to attend a cheerleading competition in Providence, but after hearing about the shooting, she thought they would be safer staying outside the city.
“It was just weird and scary,” she said.
___
Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press journalists Jennifer McDermott in Providence and Alanna Durkin Richer and Mike Balsamo in Washington contributed.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
A new House Oversight Committee report takes aim at Washington D.C.‘s Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith, accusing Smith of manipulating the district's crime data.
The Oversight Committee released the interim investigation report on Sunday, just days after Smith announced her resignation, effective Dec. 31. The committee interviewed eight MPD commanders, seven current and one suspended, and found that their testimonies substantiated allegations of manipulated crime statistics and uncovered a “toxic management culture,” according to the report.
“While the Committee continues to investigate documents related to crime statistics reporting, testimony exhibited in this report paints a troubling picture of department leadership placing a higher priority on suppressing public reporting of crime statistics than stopping crime itself,” the report reads.
The report describes an alleged “culture of fear, intimidation, threats, and retaliation by Chief Smith” that was often brought out when Smith heard of a rise in crime statistics. The committee also said the testimonies reported a “drop” in the department's reputation and retention and recruitment difficulties under her leadership.
A recent MPD publication of year-to-date crime statistics for the end of 2025 showed a drop in crime in nearly all areas, including a 28% reduction in all violent crime between 2024 and 2025. In August, President Donald Trump federalized the MPD and mobilized the National Guard in the district in the name of public safety.
Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser attributed this reduction in crime to the MPD officers and Smith's leadership in a statement shared with the Washington Examiner on Sunday when asked for comment on the oversight report.
“The men and women of the Metropolitan Police Department run towards danger every day to reduce homicides, carjackings, armed robberies, sexual assaults, and more. The precipitous decline in crime in our city is attributable to their hard work and dedication and Chief Smith's leadership,” Bowser said in the statement.
The Oversight report concluded and warned that crime statistics are still “at risk” of being manipulated following Smith's resignation announcement on Monday. It also recommended that Bowser appoint an MPD chief “who will address the ongoing concerns of crime statistics manipulations and alleviate the retaliatory pressures and threats faced by MPD personnel.”
Bowser, who is not running for a fourth term as mayor, thanked Smith for her efforts as chief in her Sunday statement to the Washington Examiner. Bowser initially nominated Smith, the first black woman to serve as MPD chief, to her role in July 2023.
“I thank Chief Smith for her commitment to the safety of DC residents and for holding the Metropolitan Police Department to an exacting standard, and I expect no less from our next Chief of Police,” Bowser said.
But House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) said Smith's resignation should have occurred much earlier.
BOWSER AND NTSB CHAIRWOMAN RIP ‘SHAMEFUL' DC AIRSPACE PROVISION IN NDAA FOLLOWING POTOMAC CRASH
“Testimony from experienced and courageous MPD commanders has exposed the truth: Chief Pamela Smith coerced staff to report artificially low crime data and cultivated a culture of fear to achieve her agenda. Chief Smith's decision to mislead the public by manipulating crime statistics is dangerous and undermines trust in both local leadership and law enforcement.” Comer said in a statement.
The MPD did not respond to the Washington Examiner's requests for comment.
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San Jose State assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital about her recent lawsuit after losing her job earlier this year.
EXCLUSIVE: Former San Jose State assistant volleyball coach Melissa Batie-Smoose has stepped into the recent war of words between former players Brooke Slusser and Blaire Fleming.
Fleming, who is transgender, made disputed claims that Slusser has been anorexic since they first met in 2023 and failed out of her classes at SJSU. Slusser denied Fleming's statements, previously saying that she developed an eating disorder from the stress and anxiety of playing and rooming with Fleming after discovering Fleming was a biological male, and the highly publicized scandal that ensued.
The conflict between the two players and subsequent lawsuits by Slusser against the NCAA and Mountain West conference over the situation put the players and entire program under immense national scrutiny in their final season together in 2024.
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SJSU trans player Blaire Fleming and teammate Brooke Slusser went to a magic show and had Thanksgiving together in Las Vegas despite an ongoing lawsuit. (Thien-An Truong/San Jose State Athletics)
Now, Batie-Smoose has provided her perspective on the disputed claims between the two athletes.
"To my knowledge, Brooke's mental health and academic performance were excellent during her first year and a half as a student athlete in the program. She was engaged, consistent and doing well both personally and academically. But after sharing her experience, the surrounding pressures intensified," Batie-Smoose told Fox News Digital.
"She was chastised on campus and on social media, which seemed to cause her well-being and academic performance to decline. From my perspective, that context matters and underscores how much she has been carrying in a short amount of time."
Batie-Smoose also expressed "disappointment" about Fleming's disputed comments about Slusser.
"I'm a little surprised and disappointed by Blaire Fleming's comments. Even if you're frustrated or hurt by Brooke's actions, I hoped there might be a little more empathy—especially from someone who has been the subject of personal attacks and understands how tough these things can get. Personal hardship should give us a deeper understanding of and more empathy for what others may be experiencing, not less," Batie-Smoose added.
"Struggles with food, mental health or academic pressure are serious matters that deserve compassion, not dismissal. Regardless of personal dynamics, speaking harshly about someone who is clearly going through a difficult period is not something we want to encourage or normalize. Brooke's issues with food and her grades aren't excuses, but rather signs of someone who's been going through a lot."
Fox News Digital was unable to reach Fleming for comment, as Fleming's Instagram account has been deactivated in recent days.
LAW FIRM THAT WORKED TO KEEP SJSU TRANS PLAYER ELIGIBLE ALSO CLEARED ATHLETE OF CONSPIRING TO HARM TEAMMATE
Slusser originally told Fox News Digital on Nov. 30 – the one-year anniversary of her final game with Fleming – about the impact the situation had on her body and academics.
"From the stress and how anxious I was every single day, I just wasn't eating really at all," Slusser said. "I went from around 160 to 128 [pounds] in that one semester. It definitely isn't healthy for someone of my size to be that weight, and I ended up losing my menstrual cycle for nine months. So it was definitely severe."
The 5-foot-11 Slusser added that people at home started to take notice.
"When I came home, some of my friends and family were very worried about me," she added. "Some of my friends were just like, ‘You always looked tired all the time. You always look dead…' I was able to come home three days that fall semester my senior year, and I had a friend later on tell me that when I saw her, she went home and cried to her mom, because she was so worried about me, just because she could tell I looked so unhealthily skinny."
Her father, Paul Slusser, then insisted that she move back home to Texas from San Jose after the 2024 season and fall semester ended. The family said she then attempted to finish her final semester and degree online, but later dropped the classes to focus on physical and mental rehabilitation. Slusser and her family say she has recovered from her anorexia, and is working on finishing her degree. She aspires to start her own business in dietetics.
The family is still navigating the completion of her degree.
Fleming responded to Slusser's situation, making the disputed claims to Fox News Digital on Dec. 7.
"She's been anorexic and struggled with food since I've known her[,] aka since 2023. She literally would weigh herself 2-3x a day and keep track of it on her whiteboard in her room…. So I really don't care or feel bad for her. And she didn't drop her classes[,] she failed out[,] hope that helps!" Fleming said.
Brooke Slusser, left, and Blaire Fleming (Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Slusser promptly responded, calling Fleming's statement "just not true."
"These statements are just not true. I have always lived a very healthy lifestyle. Before these events took place[,] I was very disciplined in fueling myself for athletics and [kept] track to make sure I was where I need to be[,] to be the best athlete. It wasn't until all the craziness started that my healthy lifestyle turned very unhealthy into not eating the amount I should," Slusser said.
"As for school[,] I decided to stay home after fall 2024 to better myself and heal. So no[,] I did not return to San Jose and enroll myself in more courses at an institution that didn't have my best interest."
Slusser has alleged in her lawsuits against the NCAA and Mountain West Conference that she was never told Fleming's birth sex, and that the two regularly shared hotel rooms on away trips. Slusser has also said in the lawsuits that Fleming confessed to being transgender during a conversation over ice cream in April 2024.
Slusser then joined Riley Gaines' lawsuit against the NCAA in September 2024. What followed was a series of forfeits by opposing teams. Each forfeit compounded growing attention in an election-season media cycle, putting SJSU's volleyball players and their opponents under a massive political spotlight.
President Donald Trump even mentioned the scandal on his campaign trail in October of that year, during a Fox News Channel all-woman town hall event.
Police protection was assigned to the team on a regular basis.
Slusser has alleged in her lawsuit against the Mountain West, which was filed in November, that she was allegedly informed by teammates of an alleged conversation Fleming had with an opposing player, discussing a plan to have Slusser spiked in the face during a match.
Batie-Smoose reported those same allegations in a Title IX complaint against the school, and was later suspended and did not have her contract renewed in January. Batie-Smoose has since filed her own lawsuit against SJSU over her termination.
The Mountain West commissioned a third-party investigation into the allegations against Fleming, and determined that sufficient evidence could not be found to assign discipline.
Fox News Digital has reported extensively on the conditions of that investigation and its handling, prompting critical responses by the White House, U.S. Department of Justice and members of Congress.
EX-SJSU STAR BROOKE SLUSSER MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS ABOUT PROBE INTO TRANS TEAMMATE'S ALLEGED PLOT TO HARM HER
In the waning weeks of the 2024 regular season, Slusser and 10 other plaintiffs in her lawsuit against the Mountain West filed a request for preliminary injunction to have Fleming be ruled ineligible to continue playing, and to have the forfeits to SJSU reversed. Federal Judge Kato Crews, appointed by former President Joe Biden, denied the request, keeping Slusser and Fleming on the court together for practice and games.
Slusser and Fleming were ultimately named to the Mountain West all-conference team, as SJSU's only honorees.
They finished the season with a 14-7 record, aided by six conference forfeits, then advanced to the Mountain West championship game after Boise State forfeited in the divisional round.
But they lost in the title game to Colorado State, three sets to one. The loss ensured that the Spartans wouldn't take their scandal into the NCAA tournament.
Slusser left campus shortly after that at the insistence of her parents. According to The New York Times, Fleming also resumed classes remotely the following semester from Virginia.
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Slusser said she came close to returning to play NCAA beach volleyball this past spring, and even had discussions with coaches at other schools about recruitment. But she ultimately decided not to, and moved to North Carolina, where she has served as a youth volleyball coach.
The U.S. Department of Education is currently investigating the university for potential Title IX violations related to its handling of Fleming.
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Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun, leader of the military information team, speaks after press briefing on national level efforts to completely eliminate online scams and dismantle their networks at the root, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun, fifth from left, leader of the military information team, speaks during a news conference on national level efforts to completely eliminate online scams and dismantle their networks at the root, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
A military officer looks at photos displayed during a news conference on national level efforts to completely eliminate online scams and dismantle their networks at the root, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
People look at seized computers from online scam centers and photos displayed during a news conference on national level efforts to completely eliminate online scams and dismantle their networks at the root, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in Yangon, Myanmar. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar's military regime appealed to the international community on Sunday to take back hundreds of foreigners who have been detained in a crackdown on scam centers in the country's eastern Kayin state near the Thai border.
In recent months, the authorities have raided two major scam centers, KK Park and Shwe Kokko, on the outskirts of Myawaddy, a trading town on the border with Thailand. The operations resulted in the detention of thousands of foreign nationals.
Col. Min Thu Kyaw, who led the crackdown operations, said authorities were struggling to manage the detainees.
“They are different nationals, who have different religions, morals and personalities,” he said. “We want the international community to come and call them quickly. It would be more convenient if they call them back as soon as possible.”
On Sunday, Maj-Gen Aung Kyaw Kyaw, deputy minister for Home Affairs, told a press conference in Yangon, the country's biggest city, that 13,272 foreigners from 47 countries had been detained since the start of the crackdown in January. While most have been deported, 1,655 are still in detention, he said.
Myanmar is notorious for hosting cyberscam operations that target people all over the world. They usually involve gaining a person's confidence with romantic ploys and luring them into bogus investment schemes. The U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime has estimated that such activities generate just under $40 billion in annual revenue for criminal gangs.
Col. Min Thu Kyaw, the minister for the security and border affairs of Kayin state government, said most of the 1,655 people awaiting deportation are being held at town's sport facilities, as well as in buildings controlled by the Kayin Border Guard Force and repurposed scam compounds.
Stay up to date with the news and the best of AP by following our WhatsApp channel.
The largest number of the remaining detainees awaiting deportation are Chinese nationals, with more than 500 people. They rest comprises groups of between 100 and 300 people each from Indonesia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, Kenya and India, he said.
The minister said most delayed returns involve foreigners from African countries that do not have embassies in Myanmar or Thailand, and that has slowed the deportation process to as long as five months.
State-run MRTV television has recently broadcast footage of security operations at scam centers near Myawaddy, including videos and photos showing buildings being demolished with explosives and bulldozers.
The military government has said it began its latest crackdown on online scams and illegal gambling in early September. However, critics charge that the masterminds of the scam operations continue to operate in other locations.
Ethnic minority militias also exercise strong influence in the Myawaddy area. Several ethnic Karen militias are active, including the military-backed Border Guard Force, which has signed a ceasefire with the army, and the Karen National Union, which is part of the nationwide resistance fight against military rule.
The Border Guard Force has claimed credit for taking part in the crackdown, though it is widely believed to have provided protection for scam operators in the past. The military government has claimed the KNU is linked to the scam centers on the basis of reported real estate deals.
Both groups have denied involvement in the scam operations.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
As I push my cart into my favorite grocery store, I stop and look at the shoppers — my neighbors — around me. Do they realize that nearly 70% of the food available to purchase for their families is ultraprocessed? And if they did, would they know how to avoid those foods?
I've been trying to answer that question for more than two years now, as part of my beat for the CNN Wellness team. Not only does my team report on the latest lifestyle news, we also provide expert-vetted guidance on how to improve your health — we like to say it's “news you can use.”
Yet after reading countless studies, talking to dozens of experts and exploring all sorts of trendy apps, I still can't help you reliably avoid ultraprocessed foods, also known as UPFs.
Come with me to the snack aisle, and I'll explain why.
As I pass by all the colorfully packaged candies, cookies and chips, my stomach starts to rumble with anticipation. Typically made of refined grains and overflowing with sugar, salt and fat, these products — which we used to call “junk foods” — are calorie-laden, nutritionally bad for us, and deliciously addictive.
The appeal of junk food hasn't changed — in fact, experts say it's only gotten worse as the food industry refined its algorithms to target our “bliss point” — creating the absolute yummiest combinations of sugar, salt and fat to make it nearly impossible to “eat just one.”
Today, many of those same junk foods — as well as the majority of other ultraprocessed foods such as ready-to-eat meals, processed meats, instant and boxed mixes, breakfast cereals, and more — contain newly created synthetic favors, textures, dyes and preservatives.
In fact, today's preservatives can keep foods looking fresh and tasty for days and weeks, even years — much longer shelf lives than in your great granny's day.
There's no doubt that the safety and convenience of such long-lasting, affordable foods has been life-changing. Today, we can make meals from our cabinets without stopping by the store for fresh ingredients or stirring sauce for hours over the stove. We have more of our precious time to spend on other pursuits.
Yet it's those preservatives and other additives, however, that can make a food ultraprocessed, according to the food classification system NOVA, the most widely used definition of UPFs to date.
NOVA was created in 2009 by Brazilian nutritionist Carlos Augusto Monteiro, who coined the term “ultraprocessed.” Monteiro is an emeritus professor of nutrition and public health in the School of Public Health at Brazil's University of São Paulo.
NOVA splits food into four categories. First are minimally processed foods — whole foods which we may slightly “process” by cutting (slicing up an orange or apple) and cooking (sautéing vegetables). The second group includes processed culinary items used to prepare, season and cook whole foods — think spices, herbs and oils. Group three consists of processed foods that combine groups one and two — canned or bottled veggies and fruits, salted nuts, and unpackaged, freshly baked breads are examples.
Group four are ultraprocessed foods — which now make up to 53% of an American adult's diet and 62% of foods eaten by an American child, according to a recent report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Monteiro, the products in group four contain little to no whole food. Instead, they are manufactured from “chemically manipulated cheap ingredients” and often use synthetic additives to make them “edible, palatable and habit-forming.”
Additives often used in ultraprocessed foods include preservatives to resist mold and bacteria; emulsifiers to keep incompatible ingredients from separating; artificial colorings; fragrance and flavor enhancers; and anti-foaming, bulking, bleaching, gelling and glazing agents.
“No reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products,” Monteiro cowrote in a 2024 editorial in the journal The BMJ. “The body may react to them as useless or harmful, so its systems may become impaired or damaged, depending on their vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed food consumed.”
The stakes are high: Studies have shown that eating just 10% more calories a day from ultraprocessed food — that's about one serving — may be associated with a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death. There is also a 55% greater chance of obesity and a 40% higher probability of developing type 2 diabetes. The risk of cognitive decline and stroke also rises, as does the chance of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract.
However, the Consumer Brands Association, which represents major food manufacturers, told me in an email “there is currently no agreed upon scientific definition of ultra-processed foods.”
“Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities,” said Sarah Gallo, CBA's senior vice president of product policy. “Americans deserve facts based on sound science in order to make the best choices for their health.”
In addition, she said, food and beverage manufacturers have long invested in product labeling, “so that consumers can review product ingredients and nutrition information and make decisions best for them.”
To manufacture cheap, delicious food that is packaged for convenience, experts say basic food crops such as potatoes, corn, wheat and soybeans may be disassembled into their molecular parts — starchy flours, protein isolates, fats and oils — to create what manufacturers call “slurries.” (How do they do it? Watch this video.)
The cell walls of the plants are destroyed, dispersing micronutrients that often need to work together to nurture our bodies. Insoluble plant fiber we need to be healthy may also be lost. What's left is a substance some scientists call “predigested” — not unlike the regurgitated food a mama bird feeds her babies.
Barry Popkin, the W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health, has seen the process firsthand.
“In the early 2000s, I went into some food plants and I saw the stuff — it was supposed to be granola bars, shredded wheat cereal,” Popkin said. “It was colorless, odorless. I scooped some up in a spoon and tried to taste it — it was like sawdust or something.”
Here's why eating “predigested” food can be a problem: When we eat whole foods as our bodies are meant to do, we absorb micronutrients throughout the entire digestive process. If they are exploded into smithereens in an ultraprocessed food, do we still have access to them? If we do, are they absorbed by the body in the ways nature meant them to be?
I'm not aware of any studies that answer that question, although research is underway. But according to some food scientists I've spoken to, it doesn't matter — manufacturers just add back missing vitamins, fiber and protein during manufacturing and voilà! It's as good as new.
Or is it? Is a patched-up Humpty Dumpty really the same Dumpty that fell off the wall?
Let's get back to the slurries: Next, with the help of artificial colorings, flavorings, texturizers and glue-like emulsifiers, ingredients are mixed, heated, pounded, shaped or extruded into any food a manufacturer can dream up.
“It's an illusion of food,” Dr. Chris van Tulleken told me last year. He is a BBC contributor and professor of infection and global health at University College London.
“It's really expensive and difficult for a food company to make food that is real and whole, and much cheaper for food companies to destroy real foods, turn them into molecules, and then reassemble those to make anything they want,” said van Tulleken, author of the 2023 book “Ultra-Processed People: Why Do We All Eat Stuff That Isn't Food … and Why Can't We Stop?”
I'm still wandering around the snack aisle, so let's put our knowledge to the test by looking at one of my kids' old favorites — ranch-flavored veggie straws. As a conscientious mom, I always reached for the organic version.
Of the more than 30 ingredients, three are additives: sodium caseinate, used as an emulsifier; calcium chloride, which extends shelf life; and potassium chloride, a flavor enhancer used to treat low blood pressure and low potassium levels.
All are designated GRAS (generally regarded as safe) for use in food by the US Food and Drug Administration. Yet by NOVA's standards, those veggie straws are definitely ultraprocessed.
Let's look at the nutrition label. The top ingredient is potato starch, followed by potato powder. Then come various oils, dehydrated vegetable powders (such as bell peppers, carrots, spinach), turmeric and beetroot powders (for color), and dried milk products (for the ranch taste). There are some vitamins and minerals. Oh, and salt and sugar, of course.
None of that sounds dangerous, but all those powders? That's a red flag that these kid-friendly straws may not have been made from my “Mom” vision of sautéed veggies pureed in a blender, poured into a mold and baked until puffy. Instead, it's possible they were created from a potato-based sludge, colored and flavored with vegetable powders, and enriched with vitamins before being squeezed through a tube and baked.
That's something scientists can't determine. In fact, none of us can, because how these foods are made is proprietary to each manufacturer, which closely guards recipes and “bliss point” algorithms from competitors and the public.
I tried to obtain access to a major food company's production site on several occasions to understand how potato chips and other foods are made. Six months later, I gave up.
“Food companies today, they've closed off their processing plants,” Popkin said. “So we've never been able to have a clinical study studying what happens if you eat real corn versus deconstructed corn.”
But wait — I buy organic versions of the veggie straws, doesn't that help? Unfortunately, no. Buying organic does reduce pesticide levels, but that's not part of ultraprocessing. Turning even an organic vegetable into refined flakes and powders may destroy the plant's food matrix — cell walls that hold nutrients — and like our Humpty Dumpty, that food must be put back together again.
Many experts have tried to simplify the chore of avoiding ultraprocessing by advising consumers to choose foods with no more than five ingredients or avoid foods with ingredients you can't pronounce or can't find at home.
Those are great suggestions if you have time to read labels. It's also not a complete solution. Let's look at my favorite potato chip, which only has three ingredients on the label: potatoes, salt and oil. Does that mean this potato chip is now good for me? Or is it still a junk food even though it isn't ultraprocessed by the NOVA definition?
Those convenient, kid-friendly frozen chicken nuggets are easy to identify as ultraprocessed. And here's a startling fact: Nuggets typically contain transglutaminase, which the industry calls “meat glue.” It's an enzyme that helps combine parts of an animal or different animals into one product — hot dogs, sausages and deli meats are common examples. (Hint: If the food packaging reads “formed” or “reformed,” it likely contains transglutaminase.)
Transglutaminase isn't easy to pronounce, and it's not an ingredient you'll have at home. Yet the FDA and US Department of Agriculture have no problem with it because it dissipates when cooked.
This next challenge is harder: Are most breads on grocery store shelves ultraprocessed by NOVA standards? Unless it's freshly baked from scratch, the answer is “most likely,” although experts disagree.
From the NOVA perspective, if a bread lasts longer than a week or so without mold, it may have a synthetic preservative in it. Common additives in bread include calcium propionate, an artificial preservative linked to behavior problems in children; potassium sorbate, another synthetic preservative linked to skin and respiratory issues in people who are sensitive to it; and BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole) and BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene), two more artificial preservatives that may be linked to hormone and reproductive disruption and cancer.
But what if the bread is made with whole wheat or whole grains you can actually see and taste? It may still be ultraprocessed, but isn't it better for you? That is still a fiercely debated question.
Now, here's a tricky one: plant-based meat substitutes. Ultraprocessed to their core, many experts say these alt meats are still better for us than red and processed meats full of saturated fats or nitrates.
“The fat composition of beef is so undesirable for health that it's very easy to be better than that,” leading nutrition researcher Dr. Walter Willett told me earlier this year.
“Animal products not only have too much saturated fat but lack polyunsaturated fat, fiber and many of the minerals and vitamins available in plants,” said Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Many of the alt-meat products have dramatically improved their nutritional profiles since they first hit the market. Recent studies analyzed by the Physicians Association for Nutrition, or PAN International, found plant-based meats were dramatically lower in saturated fat, a little lower in overall calories, equal in protein, dramatically higher in fiber (beef has no fiber), and a bit higher in salt and sugar than conventional meat.
There's also the role of plant-based meat in saving the planet. According to the Good Food Institute, which promotes alternative proteins and coauthored the report, replacing a beef burger with a plant-based patty can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 98% and land use by up to 97%.
I could go on and on, but here's the bottom line: Deciding what is “ultraprocessed and bad for your health” and “ultraprocessed, but OK to eat” is really complicated — especially for a society unwilling or unable to give up inexpensive, convenient food.
Fortunately, the world is taking action. In mid-May, the World Health Organization put out a global clarion call for scientists to help define and create guidelines for ultraprocessed food consumption. Once the panel is chosen, the work is expected to take two years.
A week later, the Trump Administration released its first “Make America Healthy Again” report, calling for action on ultraprocessed foods they say are a danger to our children's health. An August 15 leaked version of the second report — which was supposed to announce specific policy actions — instead called for the government to “continue efforts to develop a U.S. government-wide definition.” The final report, released in September, provided no additional action.
“Unfortunately, the final MAHA report is all promises and has no teeth,” University of Carolina's Popkin told me at the time. “In my opinion, it shows the food, agricultural, and pharmaceutical industries got to the White House and won the day.”
Andrew Nixon, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the US Department of Health and Human Services, told me in an email the administration is confronting the UPF challenge, which is a “major driver of the nation's chronic disease epidemic.”
“Replacing them with real, whole foods is one of the most effective ways to Make America Healthy Again,” Nixon said. “We remain committed to serving the American people, not special interests or outside critics, by delivering radical transparency and upholding gold-standard science.”
Other groups have stepped into the void. The American Heart Association, for example, divided ultraprocessed food into three categories — least healthy, moderately healthy and healthy.
Understandably, the AHA is most concerned with how foods impact the heart. High-fat red and processed meats fall within the “least healthy” category in the AHA report — as they should, considering their role in heart disease and colon cancer. However, red meat is also the least processed food in that category.
And yet, that's the point: Regulating ultraprocessed foods by additives alone — without also addressing the health concerns of too much sugar, salt and saturated fat (hello, beef tallow!) — won't improve the nation's food supply and our deteriorating health.
In an effort to fix that, Monteiro is campaigning for researchers and government officials to add more ingredients to the NOVA definition often used in creating food policy.
“Our proposal now is to target any food with an excess of sodium, saturated fat or sugar, along with synthetic colors, flavors and non-nutritive sweeteners,” Monteiro told me when I reported on a recent three-part series in the journal The Lancet. He and Popkin coauthored the articles with 41 other internationally known scientists.
However, there is a missing element, according to Harvard's Willett: “The huge blind spot of refined grains, which is the largest source of calories in the US and most countries at this time — this is not considered to be an UPF.”
The Lancet series blasted the food industry, claiming global corporations continued to aggressively market and extensively profit from new and existing UPF products despite increasing evidence of harm to public health.
“The food industry doesn't want to lose their cash cow, so they're willing to put millions into fighting government restrictions on ultraprocessed food as well as funding nutritionists who'll say there's no evidence of harm,” Popkin said.
The International Food & Beverage Alliance, founded in 2008 by leading food and nonalcoholic beverage companies, told me in an email when the Lancet series published that health authorities worldwide have rejected the concept of ultraprocessed food due to its lack of scientific consensus.
“The policy and advocacy recommendations of this series go far beyond the available evidence — proposing new regulatory action based on ‘processing' or additive ‘markers' and calling for the exclusion of industry from policymaking,” said IFBA Secretary-General Rocco Renaldi.
California made history in early October by enacting the first law in the United States to define and ultimately ban problematic ultraprocessed foods in public schools.
Not only does the California legislation define ultraprocessed food — not an easy task as you have seen — it requires public health officials and scientists to decide which UPFs are most harmful to human health. An “ultraprocessed food of concern” would then be phased out of the school food supply. That's impressive, considering California is projected to serve over 1 billion meals to schoolchildren in the 2025–26 school year.
California has also led the way in laws banning food dyes, potassium bromate, a possible carcinogen once widely used in breads, brominated vegetable oil and propylparaben.
“Here in California, we are actually doing the work to protect our kids' health, and we've been doing it since well before anyone had ever heard of the MAHA movement,” said Jesse Gabriel, the Democratic California Assemblymember who introduced several of the bills, in an October 9 press conference.
What's so promising about the legislation is the scope of the effort. California lawmakers have considered many of the ways in which both junk and ultraprocessed foods may be harmful to human health — ingredients such as nonnutritive sweeteners; additives such as emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners; flavor enhancers; a host of food dyes and more.
American scientific research on the harms of UPF additives is in its infancy, but the new law has taken that into account. Additives banned, restricted or required to carry a warning by other local, state, federal or international jurisdictions will be in the analysis. That's key, as the European Union and other countries have already regulated many additives still allowed in the US.
Food modified to contain high amounts of saturated fat, sodium and added sugar can also be rejected, according to the law. This will help target industry strategies that may contribute to an addiction to ultraprocessed foods — an increasing concern for American children raised on UPFs.
The downside? The law won't provide final details on which UPFs are most concerning until June 2028, and it won't have all UPFs out of school lunches until 2035. I'm hopeful there will be useful updates as the process rolls along.
While we wait for definitive action (don't hold your breath), we still have to navigate the grocery store. Of course, the best way is to buy everything fresh and cook at home. But like you, I'm far too busy to do as much of that as I would like — plus my kids are grown and the pressure to set a good example is gone (although my new grandson may change that).
Instead, I stock up on frozen veggies — many are flash frozen and have the same nutrients as when first picked. Low-sodium canned beans and other legumes keep me from having to cook dry beans from scratch.
When I buy fresh produce, I try to buy organic if my budget allows. That's especially true for crops in the 2025 “Dirty Dozen,” an annual list of foods with the most (and least) pesticides created by the Environmental Working Group, a health advocacy group.
I also do my best to avoid veggies and salad greens packaged in chemical-laden plastics (that's a whole other problem I write about). I especially stay away from precut veggies (loss of nutrients) and foods sold in black plastic containers (read about those here.) That's really hard because they are everywhere!
When it comes to ready-to-heat-and-eat meals, I look for whole chicken breasts, sliced beef and pork, chicken or steak kebabs, and stews with real chunks of meat. (Here's a tip: If the package says the meat is cooked “sous vide,” I've found it's more likely to be whole meat.)
As for the rest of the grocery store — the nearly 70% which is ultraprocessed — I do my best. I don't know all the names of additives — much less which are harmful or beneficial — so that's not very helpful to me. I could just as easily discard a food enriched with pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B6) or cobalamin (vitamin B12) as I could one with azodicarbonamide, a bleaching agent in bread banned in the EU due to cancer concerns.
Instead, I put on my detective hat, turn the product over, and read — starting with the nutrition label. Many people go straight to carbohydrates, but carbs are not necessarily the enemy — in whole foods they come naturally, along with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Foods which are overly processed, however, may need to increase levels of added sugars, salt and fat to make the food “hyperpalatable” and hard to resist.
A tablespoonful of ketchup, for example, can contain 4 grams (1 teaspoon) of added sugar, while spaghetti and pizza sauces are notoriously high in added sugar as well. If you search the shelves, however, there are low-salt, no sugar and no artificial sweetener options.
And this is important — the percentages on the nutrition label are only for one serving. Let's take honey peanut butter, part of a typical PB&J lunch for my kids while they were growing up.
The label says one serving — two tablespoons of peanut butter — has 13 grams of sugar (2.5 teaspoons). So if I put 3 servings on the sandwich — that's an incredible 39 grams or 7.3 teaspoons of sugar (not counting the jelly) in what many of us consider a healthy meal for a child.
(OK, you may know this, yes. But truthfully, how often do you stop and look at serving size? Yeah, me neither.)
I then move to the ingredients listed in the order of prevalence. I look for signs of overprocessing (powdered veggies, of course). Additives are always at the bottom, but other culprits rise to the occasion. If sugar is first, second or third on the list, I tend to consider the food a dessert. If ingredients at the top are healthy and sugar is toward the bottom of the list, I'm not overly concerned.
Here's a great example: An extremely popular organic bread in grocery stores has 35 ingredients — the first 21 are whole grains and seeds. The loaf has no synthetic additives, but it does have 4 grams of added sugar per serving in the form of organic molasses. Would you consider that a junk food? An ultraprocessed food overly laden with sugar? Or is it healthy? You decide.
Yet you shouldn't have to decide, experts say. You should be able to go to your grocery store and buy foods that are good for you without having to play detective.
“The rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in human diets is being driven by the growing economic and political power of the UPF industry,” wrote the authors of the third Lancet paper. “Curbing corporate power in food systems begins with governance reform.”
Otherwise, they added, UPFs may well “replace all other food groups” in the not-so-distant future.
Yes, there will always be junk food, and yes, we will all succumb at times. But if the majority of our food was regulated to be as whole, fresh, and devoid of added sugar, salt, fat, additives and processing as possible, we would be a much healthier nation — and world.
I'm not holding my breath.
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Vinyl records are popular again, but it's not just audiophiles or nostalgic boomers fueling the resurgence.
Gen Z is playing an outsized role in the revival of vinyl sales, which have grown on average by 18% annually in the past five years. About 60% of Gen Z say they buy records, according to Futuresource Consulting's Audio Tech Lifestyles report.
But Gen Z isn't necessarily buying records for their unique sound. Around 40% of record buyers in the United States don't own a turntable, noted James Duvall, principal analyst and head of entertainment at Futuresource Consulting.
Fifty-six percent of Gen Z fans like vinyl for its aesthetic, while 37% use it as home decor, according to a Vinyl Alliance survey. It's part of what Jared Watson, an assistant professor of marketing at New York University, calls “symbolic consumption.”
“It could show that you're a bigger fan or that you appreciate the artist more,” he noted, adding that albums are “affordable art.”
The vinyl resurgence can largely be traced back to Taylor Swift, who has promoted her albums as artsy collectibles, sometimes including additional songs, posters or poems for her dedicated fanbase.
And her variants are each “a different piece of the story” she curates, which has “raised the bar for everyone,” like singers Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo, said Jeffrey Smith, vice president of marketing at Discogs.com, a database and marketplace for physical music.
Five of Swift's albums were among the top 10 most sold vinyl albums last year in the US, according to entertainment insight group Luminate's 2024 report.
That included “The Tortured Poets Department,” which sold 1.48 million copies, according to Luminate, and “Midnights,” which sold 188,000 copies. Swift currently sells four variants of “Midnights” on her US website. When the backs of the four are put together, they arrange to form a clock face.
Erin Davila, a 28-year-old from Orlando, Florida, said she may buy one Swift variant but ultimately prefers records with the traditional album cover.
Davila began collecting records in high school, when collecting was popular on social media blogging site Tumblr.
“The physical record was almost like a trophy of all of the music that you love, just sitting on your shelf,” she said.
Davila has set alarms for Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Kacey Musgraves' vinyl releases, while her husband, Peyton, set an alarm for The Weeknd's vinyl release. Their combined collection totals almost 1,000 records.
The Davilas are among the young adults who post on social media to share their vinyl collection and the rotation of records that hang on their wall.
Dexter Phuong, a 25-year-old content creator and social media coordinator in North Carolina, similarly uses vinyl as wall decoration, swapping albums based on the season. During the fall, he may put up Swift's “Red” or a Phoebe Bridgers variant that suits the season's orange and green aesthetic.
Phuong says he has nearly every Lana Del Rey vinyl, including an estimated 10 variants of her latest album.
“I actually don't listen to the variants much unless they have a bonus song on them,” he told CNN. “I'll typically save those as art.”
Zoomers enjoy little indulgences — whether that's an expensive latte, clothing or a concert ticket, said NYU's Watson. It's largely because major milestones — like buying a house or getting married — have been delayed, so young adults look for gratification elsewhere, he said.
“There's this idea to say, ‘Why can't we treat ourselves today with smaller awards?' That's where we see a rise in the collectibles market,” he said.
Some are spending more time comparing prices from various sellers or increasingly shopping at local record stores in search of the best deal. A local record store could save them from the retail price of a vinyl record, which averages $33, but could be as high as $70 for limited edition releases.
That includes Tony Baker, a 27-year-old in Orlando, who said he will buy any record for the right price and “figure out the rest later.” He purchased Toni Braxton's self-titled album for $100, which is the most he's willing to pay right now.
Baker recently posted a vinyl haul on TikTok featuring more than 20 albums, with prices as high as $42.
According to Smith of Discogs, a nearly perfect-condition record sells on the site for around $15 on average, or 45% below the retail price.
“Going in and buying a record and digging into the marketplace, finding something that's upwards of 70% off, could be a huge win,” Smith said.
Whether they play the record or not, Watson said Gen Z tends to find sentimental value in thrifting records that have an “essence” of being owned previously and the environmental benefit of avoiding overconsumption.
Peyton Davila, the Orlando vinyl collector, compared buying records at local stores for as low as $5 to thrifting for clothes.
“You're just being more sustainable and not contributing to all the excess that we have of these albums that are over-pressed,” he said.
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Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., comments on U.S. soldiers killed in Syria by an ISIS gunman and the potential extension of ACA subsidies on ‘Fox Report.'
The U.S. troops who were killed and injured in Saturday's ambush attack in Syria were members of the Iowa National Guard, a senior U.S. official told Fox News.
An ISIS gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon in the central Syrian town of Palmyra, killing two Iowa National Guard soldiers and an American civilian translator, the official said.
Three additional U.S. soldiers were wounded in the attack.
TRUMP VOWS 'VERY SERIOUS RETALIATION' AGAINST ISIS AFTER DEADLY SYRIA AMBUSH KILLS US SOLDIERS
U.S. forces patrol in Syria's northeastern city of Qamishli in the Hasakeh province, Jan. 9. (Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images)
Preliminary information suggests the attacker was once affiliated with the Syrian government forces and had been a low-level member of the Syrian Security Forces, before later becoming connected to ISIS, the official said.
"He was not a part of the official delegation that was being escorted by the U.S. and Syrian troops," the official said. "… This would not be considered a ‘green on blue' incident because the Syrian gunman was not part of the U.S./Syrian partnered delegation."
2 US ARMY SOLDIERS, INTERPRETER KILLED IN SYRIA AMBUSH ATTACK, TRUMP WARNS OF 'VERY SERIOUS RETALIATION'
President Donald Trump attends the 126th Army-Navy Game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen, Saturday, in Baltimore. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Earlier Saturday, U.S. Central Command confirmed the deaths and injuries were a "result of an ambush by a lone ISIS gunman in Syria."
President Donald Trump warned that there will be "very serious retaliation" following the ambush.
"We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
6 TIMES ISIS HAS INSPIRED TERROR ATTACKS ON US SOIL
U.S. Army soldiers in northeastern Syria. (John Moore/Getty Images)
Trump added, "This was an ISIS attack against the U.S. and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them."
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Last month, two West Virginia National Guard members were ambushed and shot near the White House in Washington, D.C., in a targeted attack that left one soldier dead.
Fox News' Greg Norman contributed to this report.
Sophia Compton is a Writer at Fox News Digital. Sophia was previously a business reporter covering finance, energy and tourism and has experience as a TV news producer. She graduated with a journalism degree in 2021 from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
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A United Airlines flight bound for Tokyo was forced to return to Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia on Saturday after one of its engine's lost power.
United flight 803, which had 275 passengers and 15 crew members onboard, left Dulles for Tokyo's Haneda Airport at around 12:30 p.m. Shortly after takeoff, one of the Boeing jet's engine's failed and the plane circled in the air for over an hour until it safely returned to the airport.
No injuries were reported from the incident, but a brush fire was sparked near the Dulles runway by the plane's engine cover that blew off and fell to the ground. Smoke could be seen billowing into the air across the tarmac.
The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
The engine failure on Flight 803 is the latest incident in a long year for air travel, particularly in airspace around Washington, D.C.
Back in January, an American Airlines flight and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided over the Potomac River, killing 67 people. Then, the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, which ended in November, resulted in staffing issues and lengthy delays at most major hubs.
The tragic crash in January has been brought back into the spotlight after the passage of the National Defense Authorization Act last weekend, the yearly bill to fund the Pentagon.
BOWSER AND NTSB CHAIRWOMAN RIP ‘SHAMEFUL' DC AIRSPACE PROVISION IN NDAA FOLLOWING POTOMAC CRASH
Included in the over 3,000-page bill is a provision that requires military aircraft operating training missions in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area to provide “warning of the proximity of such aircraft to nearby commercial aircraft in a manner compatible with the traffic alert and collision avoidance system of such commercial aircraft.”
It has recently been hit with backlash from the National Transportation Safety Board and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, as well as a bipartisan group of senators, who say it rolls back safety measures put in place after the Potomac crash.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Navy running back Eli Heidenreich catches a touchdown pass during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Army, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore, Md. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
Navy quarterback Blake Horvath runs with the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Army, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.)
Army kicker Dawson Jones (95) celebrates after kicking a field goal during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Navy, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
President Donald Trump stands with Lt. Gen. Steven Gilland, Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, left, and Lt. Gen. Michael Borgschulte, Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, before the start of the 126th Army-Navy NCAA college football game at M&T Bank Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
A Navy midshipman wears a red hat among others wearing white caps during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Army, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)
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BALTIMORE (AP) — Blake Horvath to Eli Heidenreich.
That's the connection that led Navy to such a memorable season — and the two of them came through again on the biggest play of the biggest game.
Horvath threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Heidenreich with 6:32 remaining — on fourth-and-goal — and No. 22 Navy rallied to beat Army 17-16 on Saturday. Heidenreich, the career and single-season leader in yards receiving for the Midshipmen, caught six of Horvath's seven completions on the day.
“Who wouldn't go to him?” Horvath said. “Talk about an all-time Navy legend. You're going to be talking about Eli Heidenreich for years and years and years.”
Although it was clearly a passing situation, and Heidenreich was Navy's top target, he was single covered over the middle.
“Tried to bring some pressure on them,” Army coach Jeff Monken said. “Good throw and good catch.”
With President Donald Trump in attendance, Navy (10-2) got its second straight victory over Army (6-6), and the Midshipmen won the Commander-In-Chief's Trophy for a second straight season. The Black Knights have not beaten a Navy team that was ranked by the AP since 1955.
Horvath was fortunate to have the chance to throw that decisive touchdown pass. On second-and-goal from the 1, he lost the ball while attempting a tush push. Army linebacker Eric Ford had a chance to scoop it up, but Navy running back Alex Tecza lunged over to prevent that, and Heidenreich eventually fell on the ball back at the 8.
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“That's probably the last thing you want to see on the 1-yard line is you turn around and the ball is just bouncing behind you,” Heidenreich said. “I was blocking down. I thought he had pushed in, and kind of out of my peripheral I saw it going behind me.”
On the next play, Horvath was nearly sacked, but he was able to throw the ball toward Tecza as he went down. The ball fell incomplete instead of being caught around the 15, which was just as well for Navy because it made going for it on fourth down a more viable option.
“I kind of felt like we had to,” Navy coach Brian Newberry said. “The nature of what they do offensively, despite how well we played in the second half, you may not get the ball back.”
Even after Heidenreich's touchdown and an Army punt, Navy still had to escape one more near-turnover. On third-and-3 from the Army 43, the ball popped loose on a run by Horvath, but he was able to catch it out of the air. It came loose again and the Black Knights recovered, but after a review, Horvath was ruled down before the second fumble — a yard short of the line to gain.
Tecza then ran for the first down that enabled Navy to kneel out the clock, and Horvath appeared to wave goodbye at the Army sideline. There was a bit of a ruckus near midfield after the final kneel-down before things eventually calmed down for the traditional singing of the alma maters.
“They want to talk all their crap during the game and act like they're so tough,” Horvath said. “The excuse last year was that they played a conference championship game before us. This year, we'll see what it is.”
The Black Knights were trying to turn the tables on Navy after a ranked Army team — which had just won the American Conference title — lost to the Midshipmen last year.
The teams traded touchdown drives to start the game, each lasting 13 plays, 75 yards and over seven minutes. Horvath had a 5-yard scoring run, and Army quarterback Cale Hellums answered with a 2-yarder. Army's first drive didn't end until 5 seconds into the second quarter.
Then it was a while before anyone reached the end zone again. With Army up 10-7 late in the second quarter, the ball slipped out of Horvath's hand while he was looking to pass. Army recovered the fumble at its own 45 with 20 seconds to play and moved into range for a 45-yard field goal by Dawson Jones.
Navy's defense stiffened in the second half, but the Midshipmen still flirted with disaster. Horvath threw an interception in the third quarter that was initially returned to the end zone — before a replay showed Army's Justin Weaver had a knee down when he picked off the pass at the Navy 32. The Black Knights had to settle for three — Dawson connected on a career-long 48-yard kick.
Navy's Wing-T offense has been explosive this season. The Midshipmen entered the day with an FBS-high 10 plays of at least 60 yards. Army mostly kept them contained, but Horvath slipped free for a 37-yard run that set up a third-quarter field goal that made it 16-10.
After Hellums' underthrown pass was intercepted by Phillip Hamilton, giving Navy the ball at the 50 with 11:19 to play, Tecza's 24-yard run made it first-and-goal from the 5.
Trump tossed the coin before the game at midfield, then returned at halftime to walk from the Navy sideline to the Army one.
Army defensive lineman Jack Bousum, who is from Annapolis, had a big game against his hometown team. He finished with 1 1/2 sacks and a fumble recovery.
Army: The Black Knights were the better team in the first half Saturday but didn't do much offensively after that.
“They beat blocks,” Monken said. “We didn't sustain the blocks we needed to.”
Navy: Horvath made some big plays and some bad ones, and the Navy defense was stout in the second half. The Midshipmen finished tied for first in the AAC this year but missed out on the league title game because of tiebreakers. This victory matters more to them anyway.
Army: Faces UConn in the Fenway Bowl on Dec. 27.
Navy: Faces Cincinnati in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2.
___
This story has been corrected to show Army took over at the Navy 32 after Horvath's interception.
___
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Fernando Mendoza's remarkable season at the helm of the nation's top-ranked team was rewarded with college football's most coveted individual award on Saturday.
The Indiana Hoosiers quarterback won the 2025 Heisman Trophy, beating out Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love, and Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, to become the school's first winner of the acclaimed prize.
As his name was called, an emotional Mendoza embraced his fellow finalists and his family. Holding back tears, he also hugged his IU head coach, Curt Cignetti.
“I'm at a loss of words. Thank you to everybody. First, I want to thank God for giving me the opportunity to chase a dream that once felt a world away,” Mendoza said while next to the trophy. “Standing here tonight and holding this bad boy, representing Indiana University, still doesn't feel real.”
Mendoza's football resume was stacked with notable accomplishments. He led the Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 record, to the university's first Big Ten football title since 1967 and helped book the No. 1 seed in the upcoming College Football Playoff. He was also named the Associated Press player of the year and won the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback.
“If you told me, as a kid in Miami, that I would be here on stage, holding this prestigious trophy, I probably would have laughed, cried like I'm doing now, or both,” Mendoza said. “Because this moment, it's an honor, it's bigger than me. It's a product of a family, a team, community and a whole lot of people who believed in me long before anybody knew my name.”
It was almost exactly a year ago to the day when Mendoza traded his Northern California digs for the Midwest sprawl of Indiana.
And on Saturday, the move paid off with the 22-year-old winning the 91st edition of the Heisman Trophy at New York City's Lincoln Center.
The junior quarterback threw for 2,980 yards and 33 touchdowns while adding six more scores on the ground this season.
Quarterback Fernando Mendoza is making history at Indiana University with a perfect season. He also has a real shot at the Heisman Trophy. CNN's Brynn Gingras travels to his old high school in Miami to learn what makes this player so special. Stream the full story on the CNN app.
Mendoza gave credit to the school and his teammates for the honor.
“Congrats to all my teammates. My brothers. This is our trophy. I love you guys more than you know,” Mendoza said.
“This trophy might have my name on it but it belongs to all of you. It belongs … first time in Bloomington. Playing in front of Hoosier nation is one of the greatest privileges of my life. And I'll carry that forever.”
With his family looking upon, Mendoza thanked his parents, especially his mother.
“I was only a two-star prospect, only had one scholarship offer. But my family's unconditional love and belief kept me going and pushing me forward. These are the people who built me long before football did,” Mendoza said.
“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as it is mine,” he said as the ESPN broadcast showed Elsa Mendoza proudly listening to her son on stage, holding back her tears.
“You've always been my biggest fan. You're my light. You're my why. You're my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices encouraged love. Those have been my playbook and the playbook I'm going to carry through my side for my entire life.”
A Cuban American whose grandparents immigrated from Cuba, Mendoza gave a special shout-out in Spanish to Alberto and Alicia Espinoza, who were also in attendance.
After spending his first two seasons as the University of California, Berkeley Golden Bears QB, Mendoza entered the transfer portal and eventually committed to play for Cignetti and Indiana University in late December 2024.
What came next was a historic season in which the city of Bloomington, an illustrious college basketball town, caught “HeisMendoza” fever.
After an epic victory, one of Heisman hopeful's first texts was to his high school coach
In an October interview with CNN, Mendoza said he's been watching the Heisman ceremony since he was a kid and divulged what the opportunity to win the trophy meant to him.
“It's definitely a great honor to be in that (Heisman) conversation, especially with so many great former players and so many great players that are in that conversation right now.
“I honestly always believed in myself and believed in my team. And so I really just try to keep it one game at a time, one practice at a time, in order to then have a small scope in order to get my large goals.”
Mendoza finished with 643 first-place votes.
Pavia finished in second, with Love and Sayin coming in third and fourth in the voting, respectively.
The ultimate team prize, a national championship, is also within the quarterback's grasp. The journey will start at the beginning of the new year, as Indiana awaits the winner of No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 9 Alabama in the CFP quarterfinals on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
The Fighting Irish have been the talk of college football in the last week for the wrong reasons. Despite his team missing out on the CFP, Love proved himself to be the premier halfback in college this season.
The 20-year-old junior finished fourth in the FBS with 1,372 rushing yards and third with 18 rushing touchdowns.
Sayin, the sophomore quarterback, had big shoes to fill after his Buckeyes won the 2024-2025 national championship behind signal-caller Will Howard.
The 20-year-old did just that this season, leading No. 2 Ohio State to a 12-1 record with 3,232 yards and 31 touchdowns.
The Buckeyes will face the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in the Cotton Bowl on January 1.
Before Pavia got onto campus in Nashville, Vanderbilt was not viewed as a serious Southeastern Conference powerhouse.
But the 23-year-old transferred in from New Mexico State University ahead of the 2024 season and the Commodores became a SEC contender ever since.
The senior led No. 14 Vandy to the program's first 10-win season, throwing for 3,192 yards, 27 passing touchdowns, 826 rushing yards, and nine touchdowns on the ground.
The Commodores just missed out on their first CFP berth but will face No. 23 Iowa in the ReliaQuest Bowl on December 31 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
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Between long office days, late dinners and endless to-dos, many working couples slip into a routine of coexisting instead of really connecting. The excuses feel valid: "We're exhausted," or, "We'll catch up this weekend." The problem is that they both end up missing the everyday moments that keep a relationship alive.
As a psychologist who studies couples and as a husband, I've found that people in the happiest, most resilient relationships treat their weeknights as opportunities that don't go wasted.
Here are the seven things these couples consistently do before bedtime.
You can't always expect your partner to walk through the door ready to cook, talk, or be cheerful. Healthy couples build in 15 to 30 minutes of guilt-free alone time for each partner — one decompresses while the other handles a light task, then they switch.
It's not glamorous, but it's a huge kindness. By protecting each other's battery early in the evening, they preserve the bandwidth they'll need to connect later on.
Some nights, even after a decompression session, you may still feel drained. Happy couples don't force it. They start their evening together, but quietly: sitting on the balcony, lying side by side, taking a slow walk.
In psychological research, this is a form of co-regulation: the process of two people syncing up emotionally, allowing the emotions of the day to rise and fall until they feel like themselves again. A few minutes of shared quiet can reset your rhythm better than a forced conversation.
Not every weeknight has room for deep emotional check-ins. So the happiest couples keep it simple: each person shares one thing about their day, good or bad.
It could be venting some frustration, sharing a little win they had at the office or even just something funny that happened. No advice. No solutions. Just listening. This light, consistent sharing keeps them emotionally updated without draining what's left of their workweek energy.
Even on nights when both partners want to zone out, they stick to one small shared ritual they never skip.
For most, it's something ridiculously simple: eating dinner together without their phones, making a nightly cup of tea, or doing a word game together. The ritual becomes a daily anchor — something predictable, comforting, and theirs alone.
If I had to choose just one nightly habit to keep, this would be it. Research shows that partners who cuddle regularly report higher relationship satisfaction and commitment, even compared with couples who emphasize "quality time" together.
Cuddling triggers oxytocin (the bonding hormone) and lowers cortisol (the stress hormone). It's the easiest, fastest biological boost your relationship can get.
Even the happiest couples feel the low-level resentment of uneven household work. That's why they end the evening with 5 to 10 minutes of shared tidying, wiping counters, packing tomorrow's lunches, loading the dishwasher.
The point isn't actually about cleaning, but rather to prove that they're committed to keeping things fair.
Instead of rehashing the day, heathy and happy couples look ahead. They share one small thing they're looking forward to tomorrow, or even one small thing they're dreading.
This is a brief, gentle way for working couples to stay in sync without needing to fully rehash the emotional weight of their day. You get a sense of what your partner might need tomorrow, whether it's encouragement, space, or just a little extra support. And they get the same from you.
Mark Travers, PhD, is a psychologist who specializes in relationships. He holds degrees from Cornell University and the University of Colorado Boulder. He is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, a telehealth company that provides online psychotherapy, counseling, and coaching. He is also the curator of the popular mental health and wellness website, Therapytips.org.
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Ukraine has relinquished its ambition of joining the NATO military alliance in exchange for Western security guarantees as a compromise to end the war with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said ahead of talks with U.S. envoys in Berlin.
The move marks a major shift for Ukraine, which has fought to join NATO as a safeguard against Russian attacks and has such an aspiration included in its constitution. It also meets one of Russia's war aims, although Kyiv has so far held firm against ceding territory to Moscow.
Zelenskyy said on Sunday that the U.S., European, and other partners' security guarantees, instead of NATO membership, were a compromise on Ukraine's side.
"From the very beginning, Ukraine's desire was to join NATO, these are real security guarantees. Some partners from the US and Europe did not support this direction," he said in answer to questions from reporters in a WhatsApp chat.
"Thus, today, bilateral security guarantees between Ukraine and the US, Article 5-like guarantees for us from the US, and security guarantees from European colleagues, as well as other countries — Canada, Japan — are an opportunity to prevent another Russian invasion," Zelenskyy said.
"And it is already a compromise from our part," he said, adding that the security guarantees should be legally binding.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine officially renounce its NATO ambitions and withdraw troops from about 10% of Donbas, which Kyiv still controls. Moscow has also said that Ukraine must be a neutral country and that no NATO troops can be stationed in Ukraine.
Russian sources said earlier this year that Putin wants a "written" pledge by major Western powers not to enlarge the U.S.-led NATO alliance eastwards — shorthand for formally ruling out membership to Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova and other former Soviet republics.
Zelenskyy had earlier called for a "dignified" peace and guarantees that Russia would not attack Ukraine again as he prepared to meet U.S. envoys and European allies in Berlin to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II.
Under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to sign a peace deal that initially backed Moscow's demands, Zelenskyy accused Russia of dragging out the war through deadly bombings of cities and Ukraine's power and water supplies.
Although the exact make-up of the meetings on Sunday and Monday has not been made public, a U.S. official said Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner were travelling to Germany for talks involving Ukrainians and Europeans.
The choice to send Witkoff, who has led negotiations with Ukraine and Russia on a U.S. peace proposal, appeared to be a signal that Washington saw a chance of progress nearly four years after Russia's 2022 invasion.
Zelenskyy said Ukraine, the Europeans, and the U.S. are looking at a 20-point plan, and that at the end of this, there is a ceasefire. He said Kyiv has no direct talks with Russia.
Zelenskyy said a ceasefire along the current front lines would be a fair option.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hosting Zelenskyy and European leaders for a summit in the German capital on Monday, the latest in a series of public shows of support for the Ukrainian leader from allies across Europe.
Britain, France and Germany have been working to refine the U.S. proposals, which, in a draft disclosed last month, called for Kyiv to cede more territory, abandon its ambition to join NATO and accept limits on its armed forces.
European allies have described this as a "critical moment" that could shape Ukraine's future, and sought to shore up Kyiv's finances by leveraging frozen Russian central bank assets to fund Kyiv's military and civilian budget.
Putin hosted Witkoff and Kushner at a meeting earlier in December that the Kremlin praised as "constructive," although no major breakthroughs were reached.
Zelenskyy said hundreds of thousands were still without power after Russian strikes on energy, heating and water supplies across swathes of Ukraine, posting pictures of burning and destroyed buildings.
"Russia is dragging out the war and seeks to inflict as much harm as possible on our people," he said.
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused relations with the West to plummet and has cranked up warnings from NATO and European leaders that Putin would not stop there.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said in a speech in Berlin on Thursday that NATO should be "prepared for the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured" and asserted that "we are Russia's next target."
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed such claims.
"This seems like a statement by a representative of a generation that has managed to forget what World War Two was actually like," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state television reporter Pavel Zarubin on Sunday.
"They have no understanding, and unfortunately, Mr. Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about," Peskov added.
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The U.S. Federal Reserve cut key interest rates by 25 basis points, lowering borrowing costs for the third time in 2025. Given the lower interest rate backdrop (which reduces the appeal of fixed-income investments) and a volatile stock market, some investors might want to consider adding dividend stocks to their portfolios to ensure stable income and enhance overall returns.
The stock picks of top Wall Street analysts can help investors select attractive dividend-paying companies.
Here are three dividend-paying stocks, highlighted by Wall Street's top pros, as tracked by TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
This week's first dividend pick is Devon Energy (DVN), an independent oil and natural gas exploration and production (E&P) company. In the third quarter of 2025, Devon returned $401 million to shareholders through share repurchases and dividends. The company's fixed quarterly dividend of $0.24 per share (annualized dividend of $0.96 per share) indicates a yield of 2.5%.
Recently, JP Morgan analyst Arun Jayaram upgraded Devon Energy stock to buy from hold, though he lowered the price target to $44 from $49. TipRanks' AI Analyst has an "outperform" rating on DVN stock with a price target of $43.
Jayaram explained that his rating upgrade was based on DVN's compelling valuation compared to its peers, supported by free cash flow gains from the company's $1 billion business optimization plan. The 5 star analyst noted that Devon achieved about 60% of its $1 billion goal in a little over half a year following the plan's formal rollout.
The analyst noted that Devon's Delaware Basin well productivity was adversely impacted by the company's focus on completing a higher proportion of Wolfcamp B wells. That said, Jayaram expects well productivity to be stable in 2026 and 2027 due to a "steadier mix of secondary zones" compared to 2025.
Overall, Jayaram is bullish on Devon, given that it has a top-quality acreage position in the most important parts of the Delaware Basin, Bakken, and Eagle Ford shale regions. Moreover, the company has the option to expand in the STACK and Powder River Basins.
"We believe DVN's core franchise assets have the potential to provide a large inventory of lower-risk, high rate-of-return development drilling opportunities that are critical given the depleting nature of an E&P's asset base," said Jayaram.
Jayaram ranks No. 655 among more than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 59% of the time, delivering an average return of 10.3%. See Devon Energy Statistics on TipRanks.
The next dividend-paying stock is EOG Resources (EOG), a crude oil and natural gas exploration and production company with reserves in the U.S. and Trinidad. In the third quarter of 2025, EOG paid $545 million in regular dividends and repurchased shares worth $440 million. Last month, EOG announced a quarterly dividend of $1.02 per share, payable on January 30, 2026. At an annualized dividend of $4.08, EOG's yield stands at 3.7%.
Siebert Williams Shank analyst Gabriele Sorbara reaffirmed a buy rating on EOG stock with a price target of $150. The stock also scores an "outperform" rating from TipRanks' AI Analyst, with a price target of $127.
Sorbara views EOG as a "premier" large-cap company with the ability to navigate through commodity cycles, supported by its solid balance sheet and strong inventory. The analyst also noted the company's massive free cash flow-generating capabilities.
Notably, Sorbara highlighted EOG's commitment to return at least 70% of its free cash flow to shareholders annually through dividends and share buybacks. In fact, the energy company has the flexibility to return 100% of free cash flow based on its balance sheet strength.
The 5-star analyst also noted EOG's efforts to leverage advanced technology to capture further opportunities in the Delaware Basin, with the company now identifying more than nine different development targets. Among other positives, Sorbara also mentioned that EOG is tracking ahead of its target for the first year with regard to the $150 million synergies from its Encino acquisition. More savings are expected from factors like improved infrastructure, production efficiency, and marketing deals through EOG's midstream network.
Sorbara ranks No. 225 among more than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 61% of the time, delivering an average return of 18.4%. See EOG Resources Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
Finally, let's look at pharmacy chain CVS Health (CVS). The company's turnaround efforts are helping it drive improved performance in a challenging business backdrop. At its Investor Day event on December 9, CVS Health provided positive updates and stated that it expects to achieve a mid-teens adjusted earnings per share (EPS) compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2028. At a quarterly dividend of $0.665 per share (annualized dividend of $2.66 per share), CVS stock offers a yield of 3.4%.
Following Investor Day, Mizuho analyst Ann Hynes reiterated a Buy rating on CVS stock and raised her price target to $95 from $88. "CVS is our top pick in our coverage universe," said the 5-star analyst, and cited structural improvement in retail earnings forecast as the reason for her revised price target. Interestingly, TipRanks' AI Analyst has a "neutral" rating on CVS with a price target of $81.
Hynes noted that CVS' mid-teens adjusted EPS CAGR target does not take into account any additional share buybacks, which she expects to take place once the company achieves its leverage targets, possibly by the end of next year.
The analyst also highlighted the company's efforts to improve margins of the Healthcare Benefits (HCB) segment, which has been under pressure due to a continued rise in the medical loss ratio (MLR). This ratio is expected to decline by about 50 basis points in 2026 due to better pricing, reduced benefits under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans, and the company's decision to exit the Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) business.
Hynes also noted the improvement in CVS' Pharmacy and Consumer Wellness (PCW) segment outlook, with the company now expecting flat adjusted operating income growth compared to the previous guidance of a mid-single-digit decline. This improvement is driven by market share gains, a better reimbursement backdrop, and cost savings.
Hynes ranks No. 733 among more than 10,100 analysts tracked by TipRanks. Her ratings have been successful 60% of the time, delivering an average return of 8.5%. See CVS Health Options Activity on TipRanks.
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At least 12 people were killed and almost 30 wounded when gunmen fired on a Jewish holiday event at Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday in what Australian police and officials described as a terrorist attack.
One suspected gunman was killed and another was in a critical condition, New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon told a press conference. At least 29 people injured, including two police officers, were taken to the hospital, he said.
Police were investigating whether a third gunman was involved in the shooting, and a bomb-disposal unit was working on several suspected improvised explosive devices, Lanyon said.
Mike Burgess, a top Australian intelligence official, said one of the suspected attackers was known to authorities but had not been deemed an immediate threat.
Sunday's shootings were the most serious of a string of antisemitic attacks on synagogues, buildings and cars in Australia since the beginning of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023.
Mass shootings are rare in Australia, one of the world's safest countries. Sunday's attack was the worst such incident in the country since 1996, when a gunman killed 35 people at a tourist site in the southern state of Tasmania.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened a meeting of the country's national security council and condemned the attack, saying the evil that was unleashed was "beyond comprehension."
"This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy, a celebration of faith," he said. "At this dark moment for our nation, our police and security agencies are working to determine anyone associated with this outrage."
Witnesses said the shooting at the famed beach on a hot summer's evening lasted about 10 minutes, sending hundreds of people scattering along the sand and into nearby streets and parks. Police said around 1,000 people had attended the Hanukkah event alone.
"I was just getting ready to go home, and, like, I was packing my bag, got my flip-flops, was ready to catch my bus, and then I started hearing the shots," said Bondi Junction resident Marcos Carvalho, 38.
"We all panicked and started running as well. So we left everything behind, like flip-flops, everything. We just ran through the hill," he said. "I must have heard, I don't know, maybe, like, 40, 50 shots."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Jewish people who had gone to light the first candle of the Hanukkah holiday on the beach had been attacked by "vile terrorists".
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was appalled by the shooting and that Australia's government must "come to its senses" after countless warnings.
"These are the results of the antisemitic rampage in the streets of Australia over the past two years, with the antisemitic and inciting calls of 'Globalise the Intifada' that were realised today."
One of the world's most famous beaches, Bondi is typically crowded with locals and tourists.
"If we were targeted deliberately in this way, it's something of a scale that none of us could have ever fathomed. It's a horrific thing," Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News, adding his media adviser had been wounded in the attack.
Bondi resident Grace Mathew said she saw people running past her and heard gunshots.
"Initially you just think, it's a beautiful day down by the beach," she said. "You sort of think that people are just having a good time. Then more people ran past and said there's a shooter, there's a mass shooting and they're killing people."
Muslim groups condemned the shooting.
"These acts of violence and crimes have no place in our society. Those responsible must be held fully accountable and face the full force of the law," the Australian National Imams Council, the Council of Imams NSW and the Australian Muslim community said in a statement.
"Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and all those who witnessed or were affected by this deeply traumatic attack."
Videos circulating on X appeared to show people on the beach and nearby park scattering as multiple gunshots and police sirens could be heard. One video showed a man dressed in a black shirt firing a large weapon before being tackled by a man in a white T-shirt who wrestled the weapon off him. Another man was seen firing a weapon from a pedestrian bridge.
Another video showed two men pressed onto the ground by uniformed police on a small pedestrian bridge. Officers could be seen trying to resuscitate one of the men. Reuters confirmed the videos from verified corroborating footage showing the same men.
The attack came almost exactly 11 years after a lone gunman took 18 people hostage at the Lindt Cafe in Sydney. Two hostages and the gunman were killed after a 16-hour standoff.
"Australians are in deep mourning tonight, with hateful violence striking at the heart of an iconic Australian community, a place we all know so well and love, Bondi," said Sussan Ley, the leader of Australia's opposition Liberal Party.
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Best altcoins momentum steadies as volatility declines across majors
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YO Labs, the development team behind YO Protocol, has raised $10 million in a Series A round to expand its crypto yield optimization platform.
Venture capital firm Foundation Capital led the round, joined by Coinbase Ventures, Scribble Ventures, and Launchpad Capital.
The San Francisco-based company plans to use the funding to bring its yield optimization protocol to more blockchains and improve its infrastructure.
YO Protocol is designed to help users earn yield on crypto assets by automatically rebalancing capital across multiple decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols while factoring in risk. It currently offers users access to USD, EUR, BTC, and gold-based yield products.
Unlike most DeFi yield aggregators that operate within a single blockchain, YO's system works across chains. Its vaults — yoETH, yoUSD, yoBTC, yoEUR, and yoGOLD — dynamically allocate capital to wherever the risk-adjusted yield is most favorable, according to a press release shared with CoinDesk.
This is powered by Exponential.fi, a platform built by the same team to assign transparent risk scores to DeFi protocols. The protocol's core innovation lies in its calculation of "Risk Adjusted Yield," a metric derived from the team's background in building risk ratings for DeFi pools, the protocol's co-founder and CIO, Mehdi Lebbar, told CoinDesk in an interview.
Rather than chasing the highest advertised percentages, the system calculates a probability of default based on thousands of risk vectors, which range from a protocol's age to its code audit history.
To mitigate the security vulnerabilities often associated with moving assets between blockchains, YO Labs employs a unique architecture that minimizes reliance on bridges, Lebbar said. Instead of constantly moving funds across chains, the protocol establishes what the team describes as "embassies" —independent vaults holding native assets on each blockchain.
"If you bridge a pool, you have exposure to the risk of the bridge... We needed to create these 'embassies' across multiple planets, these vaults across multiple chains that hold native assets," Lebbar said. "If you have USDC on Arbitrum, that is the same USDC as on Ethereum, and you no longer have the bridge in the middle... that's much safer."
Beyond architecture, the system employs a 'DeFi Graph' to manage active risks during market volatility or protocol failures—what Lebbar calls 'Armageddon scenarios.' This system monitors dependencies up to five levels deep, allowing the protocol to trigger automated withdrawals if a pool is indirectly exposed to a failing asset, Lebbar said.
The funding round brings YO Labs' total raised to $24 million, including a previous seed round led by Paradigm. With the new capital, the company is positioning YO as core infrastructure for fintechs, wallets, and developers looking to embed sustainable yield into their products.
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Backed, Chainlink Unveil xBridge to Move Tokenized Stocks Between Solana and Ethereum
The bridge uses Chainlink's CCIP to ensure consistent behavior across chains, mirroring the behavior of underlying assets.
What to know:
Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
Willemstad, Curaçao, December 14th, 2025, Chainwire
Whale.io has officially launched the $WHALE NFT collection on Solana, introducing the next phase of the platform's native token rollout and bringing the community one step closer to the upcoming Token Generation Event (TGE).
The $WHALE NFTs – presented as fully tradable digital cards – represent a new value layer within the Whale ecosystem. Each card holds a fixed amount of $WHALE tokens locked on-chain and backed 1:1, making them redeemable at any time for the underlying tokens. Minting is now live exclusively at mintwhale.io, where users can acquire these asset-backed cards and begin trading immediately on secondary marketplaces such as Magic Eden.
This format transforms $WHALE into a hybrid asset: a collectible card that behaves like a traditional NFT while carrying real, instantly verifiable token value. Cards can be freely transferred, sold, or held, with the assurance that the locked $WHALE can always be unlocked and returned to the Whale.io platform when needed.
Key Benefits of the $WHALE NFT Model
Because every card is transparently backed by real $WHALE, value remains anchored and fully verifiable on-chain at all times.
Utility Already Live
$WHALE continues to serve as the native currency across Whale Originals titles, including Crock Dentist and Blackjack. Holders use it for gameplay, Battlepass purchases, staking rewards, and exclusive in-platform features – a utility that is available today and will expand significantly after TGE.
Next Steps on the Roadmap
Upcoming features include a Staking mechanism (locking liquid $WHALE into cards) and a dedicated Token Swapping interface for one-click redemption. Whale.io has also reaffirmed its commitment to regular market buybacks followed by permanent token burns to support long-term token health.
Participation Now Open
The $WHALE NFT collection is available for minting exclusively at mintwhale.io. Detailed card tiers, pricing, and redemption instructions are displayed on the site. All on-chain activity remains fully transparent through Whale.io's established Treasury wallets.
Community members are invited to follow @Whalegames_en on X for real-time mint updates, secondary market insights, and announcements on future roadmap milestones.
About Whale.io
Whale.io is an online casino and sportsbook platform, recognized for its proprietary Whale Originals games and innovative reward systems. With $WHALE at its core, the platform combines provably fair gaming with community-owned economics and transparent tokenomics.
For complete details on the $WHALE NFT collection, users can visit mintwhale.io or whale.io.
Information on the future direction of Whale.io Casino and the Whale Token is available here:
Website: https://mintwhale.io/
Socials: https://linktr.ee/whalesocials_tg
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Bitcoin BTC$88,812.41 drifted below $90,000 on Sunday during quiet trading, with investors showing limited appetite for risk ahead of a busy week of economic data and central bank events.
The largest cryptocurrency was trading around $89,600 as of early afternoon UTC, down about 0.9% in 24 hours, marginally higher on the week and still down roughly 7.6% over the past month. Ether ETH$3,086.56 changed hands near $3,104, down on the day but up more than 2% over the past seven days, outperforming bitcoin on a weekly basis.
Across the broader market, price action remained subdued. Solana, XRP, dogecoin and Cardano's ADA all fell, and continued to show double-digit losses over the past month, underscoring persistent weakness across major altcoins. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) dropped almost 1%.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at nearly $3.15 trillion, about 0.8% lower over 24 hours, with trading volumes around $89 billion, reflecting the thin liquidity typical of Sundays. Bitcoin dominance hovered near 57%, highlighting continued concentration in the largest digital asset as investors remain selective.
Some analysts cautioned that bitcoin's consolidation could turn lower if key technical levels fail. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez said earlier Sunday on X that $86,000 remains an important level for bitcoin to hold, noting that a deeper pullback could come into play if that support gives way.
Markets appear to be pausing ahead of a dense macroeconomic calendar in the coming days. In the U.S., investors will be watching a series of employment indicators, including the unemployment rate, ADP employment data and weekly jobless claims, alongside November inflation data, December flash PMI readings, and speeches from Federal Reserve Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher J. Waller, for clues on the path of interest rates.
Macro-sensitive traders are also closely monitoring developments in Japan, where the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to raise interest rates at its upcoming policy meeting on Thursday. According to a Reuters report published Friday, markets have largely priced in a move that would lift the rate to 0.75% after Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled that inflation has remained above the central bank's 2% target for more than three years.
While Japanese borrowing costs would remain low by global standards even after such a move, the report noted that the BOJ is likely to emphasize that monetary conditions will remain accommodative and that future rate increases will depend on how the economy responds to each increase. Still, expectations of tighter policy have drawn attention to the potential impact on yen-funded carry trades, a source of liquidity that has supported global risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.
For now, crypto markets remain range-bound, with subdued volumes and limited conviction as traders await clearer signals from upcoming U.S. data and central bank decisions.
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Barclays Sees ‘Down-Year' for Crypto in 2026 Without Big Catalysts
Spot trading volumes are cooling, and investor enthusiasm is fading amid a lack of structural growth drivers, analysts wrote in a new report.
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Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
Bitcoin BTC$88,812.41 drifted below $90,000 on Sunday during quiet trading, with investors showing limited appetite for risk ahead of a busy week of economic data and central bank events.
The largest cryptocurrency was trading around $89,600 as of early afternoon UTC, down about 0.9% in 24 hours, marginally higher on the week and still down roughly 7.6% over the past month. Ether ETH$3,086.56 changed hands near $3,104, down on the day but up more than 2% over the past seven days, outperforming bitcoin on a weekly basis.
Across the broader market, price action remained subdued. Solana, XRP, dogecoin and Cardano's ADA all fell, and continued to show double-digit losses over the past month, underscoring persistent weakness across major altcoins. The CoinDesk 20 Index (CD20) dropped almost 1%.
The total cryptocurrency market capitalization stood at nearly $3.15 trillion, about 0.8% lower over 24 hours, with trading volumes around $89 billion, reflecting the thin liquidity typical of Sundays. Bitcoin dominance hovered near 57%, highlighting continued concentration in the largest digital asset as investors remain selective.
Some analysts cautioned that bitcoin's consolidation could turn lower if key technical levels fail. Crypto analyst Ali Martinez said earlier Sunday on X that $86,000 remains an important level for bitcoin to hold, noting that a deeper pullback could come into play if that support gives way.
Markets appear to be pausing ahead of a dense macroeconomic calendar in the coming days. In the U.S., investors will be watching a series of employment indicators, including the unemployment rate, ADP employment data and weekly jobless claims, alongside November inflation data, December flash PMI readings, and speeches from Federal Reserve Governors Stephen Miran and Christopher J. Waller, for clues on the path of interest rates.
Macro-sensitive traders are also closely monitoring developments in Japan, where the Bank of Japan (BOJ) is widely expected to raise interest rates at its upcoming policy meeting on Thursday. According to a Reuters report published Friday, markets have largely priced in a move that would lift the rate to 0.75% after Governor Kazuo Ueda signaled that inflation has remained above the central bank's 2% target for more than three years.
While Japanese borrowing costs would remain low by global standards even after such a move, the report noted that the BOJ is likely to emphasize that monetary conditions will remain accommodative and that future rate increases will depend on how the economy responds to each increase. Still, expectations of tighter policy have drawn attention to the potential impact on yen-funded carry trades, a source of liquidity that has supported global risk assets, including cryptocurrencies.
For now, crypto markets remain range-bound, with subdued volumes and limited conviction as traders await clearer signals from upcoming U.S. data and central bank decisions.
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Barclays Sees ‘Down-Year' for Crypto in 2026 Without Big Catalysts
Spot trading volumes are cooling, and investor enthusiasm is fading amid a lack of structural growth drivers, analysts wrote in a new report.
What to know:
Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
Spanish police arrested five people and charged four others in Denmark on Thursday for the kidnapping and murder of a man targeted for his cryptocurrency.
The police operation dismantled what authorities described as a criminal group operating across borders to steal cryptocurrency.
The investigation began in April when a woman arrived at a Málaga police station to report that she and her partner had been abducted in the nearby town of Mijas. According to the police, the couple was ambushed by three or four masked men dressed in black and armed with handguns.
The man was shot in the leg while trying to escape, and both were then forced into a vehicle and taken to a house where they were held for several hours.
The attackers tried to gain access to the couple's crypto wallets during the ordeal. The woman was released around midnight, but her partner's deceased body was later found in a wooded area. He showed signs of violence in addition to the gunshot wound, according to police.
Authorities carried out six raids in homes across Madrid and Málaga, seizing two handguns — one real, one fake — a baton, blood-stained clothing, mobile devices, and documents.
Biological evidence linked to the scene was also recovered. Danish police, working with their Spanish counterparts, charged four people in connection with the case. Two are already in prison for similar crimes.
The case points to a growing trend: physical attacks aimed at extracting access to crypto wallets. These attacks have been influential in the crypto space this year and have led to campaigns against what has become known as wrench attacks.
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Tether's Bid to Buy Italian Soccer Club Juventus Rejected by Majority Shareholder Exor
The stablecoin giant, which currently has a 10% stake in Juventus, recently offered to buy out the Agnelli family's 65.4% stake in an all-cash deal.
Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
Written by Oluwapelumi Adejumo
Edited by Mohammad Shahid
Ethereum consensus client Prysm said validators missed out on 382 ETH, equivalent to more than $1 million, after a software bug triggered network disruptions shortly after the recent Fusaka upgrade.
The incident, detailed in a post-mortem titled “Fusaka Mainnet Prysm incident,” stemmed from a resource exhaustion event that affected nearly all Prysm nodes and led to missed blocks and attestations.
According to Offchain Labs, the developer behind Prysm, the problem emerged on December 4 when a previously introduced bug caused delays in validator requests.
Those delays resulted in missed blocks and attestations across the network.
“Prysm beacon nodes received attestations from nodes that were possibly out of sync with the network. These attestations referenced a block root from the previous epoch,” the project explained.
The disruption led to 41 missed epochs, with 248 blocks missing out of 1,344 available slots. That represented an 18.5% missed slot rate and pushed overall network participation down to 75% during the incident.
Offchain Labs said the bug responsible for the behavior was introduced and deployed to testnets about a month earlier, before being triggered on mainnet following the Fusaka upgrade.
While a temporary mitigation reduced the immediate impact, Prysm said it has since implemented permanent changes to its attestation validation logic to prevent a recurrence.
Meanwhile, the outage has renewed scrutiny around Ethereum's client concentration and the risks posed by software monocultures.
Offchain Labs said the outage could have had more severe consequences if Prysm had accounted for a larger share of Ethereum's validator base. The firm pointed to Ethereum's client diversity as a key factor in preventing a wider network failure.
“A client with more than 1/3rd of the network would have caused a temporary loss in finality and more missed blocks. A bug client with more than 2/3rd could finalize an invalid chain,” it stated.
Despite that mitigation, the incident has intensified calls for greater client diversity.
Data from Miga Labs show that Lighthouse remains the dominant Ethereum consensus client, accounting for 51.39% of validators. Prysm represents 19.06%, followed by Teku at 13.71% and Nimbus at 9.25%.
Lighthouse's share places it roughly 15% points away from a threshold that some researchers view as a systemic risk.
As a result, developers and ecosystem participants have again urged validators to consider switching to alternative clients to reduce the likelihood that a single software flaw could disrupt the blockchain's core operations.
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Senior Contributor.
12/14 update below. This post was originally published on December 12
Bitcoin and crypto prices have struggled since peaking in early October, with traders fearful the market could be about to take a $1 trillion hit.
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The bitcoin price has dropped to around $90,000 per bitcoin, falling from its all-time high of $126,000 in October, even as U.S. president Donald Trump primes the market for an “immidiate” game-changer.
Now, as the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues a “huge” crypto prediction, Michael Saylor has warned of “chaos, confusion," and "profoundly harmful consequences" if his bitcoin-buying company Strategy is ejected from MSCI indices.
12/14 update: Strategy has retained its place in the Nasdaq 100 one year after being inducted into the tech-heavy exchange's benchmark index.
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“The bitcoin hoarding will continue until the complaining stops,” Strategy founder Michael Saylor posted to X, sharing a Reuters report on Nasdaq's latest reshuffle.
Last year, Strategy's inclusion on the Nasdaq 100, which is the basis for the popular Invesco QQQ exchange-traded fund, was predicted to result in about $2.1 billion in net buying of the company's shares as portfolios adjust to the move, according to Bernstein analysts.
The company rode the bitcoin price boom into 2024 but has struggled as the bull market has lost momentum in recent months.
The Nasdaq decision is a relief for Strategy share holders following the company's 60% stock price plummet from its all-time highs over the last six months.
Nasdaq's decision, which could have torpedoed the company's valuation if it had gone the other way, was cheered by bitcoin supporters.
“Those who don't own bitcoin will become increasingly irrelevant,” author and bitcoin influencer Adam Livingston posted to X. “They can fight all they want. Victory is inevitable.”
Livingston added that the tone of the debate around Strategy and its inclusion in the Nasdaq 100 and MSCI indices suggests, “people want Strategy to fail.”
“Have you ever actually seen a group of people consistently advocate for the collapse or liquidation of a company the way they do against Strategy,” he asked.
However, a bitcoin price slump has followed the Federal Reserve's decision to cut interest rates this week, raising fears of a full-blown bitcoin price crash could be looming.
“Fear and greed indices have moved into extreme fear. All of this supports deeper corrective action,” Markus Levin, co-founder of the blockchain company XYO, told DLNews.
Saylor has written to MSCI, asking it to drop a proposal that would bar companies whose crypto holdings exceed 50% of their total assets from its global equity benchmarks.
In the 12-page letter, Saylor and Strategy's chief executive Phong Le warned of "profoundly harmful consequences" if MSCI adopts the proposal, with a decision expected by January 15.
"MSCI can either succumb to the reactive short-sightedness that established institutions sometimes display toward innovation, or it can allow its indices to reflect, neutrally and faithfully, the next era of financial technology," the pair wrote. “The wiser course—for MSCI, for investors, and for the broader economy—is for MSCI to remain neutral and let the markets decide the course of [digital asset treasury companies].”
If MSCI does adopt the proposal, it could lead to outflows of as much as $8.8 billion from Strategy's stock if other index providers follow suit, according to a JPMorgan estimate.
Saylor's remarks were echoed by Adam Back, the chief executive of bitcoin development company Blockstream who was cited in the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto's bitcoin white paper, telling Yahoo Finance that we are still in the “very early stages” of bitcoin adoption and that all companies will eventually become bitcoin treasury companies.
Meanwhile, Standard Chartered has slashed its end of 2025 bitcoin price prediction, halving it from $200,000 to $100,000.
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“We think buying by bitcoin digital asset treasury companies is likely over,” Geoff Kendrick, global head of digital assets research at Standard Chartered, wrote in an emailed note, adding bitcoin treasury company "buying is unlikely to provide further support."
Bitcoin and crypto treasury companies have hoovered up around 1 million bitcoin worth almost $100 billion this year, rivaling the bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that now hold 1.5 million bitcoin worth $1.4 billion.
While bitcoin treasury companies have slowed their buying, analysts expect ETF purchases to continue buying bitcoin into 2026.
“We now think future bitcoin price increases will effectively be driven by one leg only–ETF buying,” Kendrick said.
Others have also pointed to improving bitcoin ETF inflows as a potential catalyst for a coming bitcoin price surge.
“For prices to break higher, the bullish momentum from the rate cut needs to overpower the concentrated short pressure sitting near the $94,500 resistance level," David Hernandez, crypto investment specialist at 21shares, said in emailed comments.
“If spot ETF inflows strengthen as expected now that the cost of capital is falling, that could become the spark that transforms caution into momentum and drives bitcoin back above the $100,000 psychological barrier.”
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Bitcoin's overall underwhelming price performance continued in the past 24 hours as the asset is close to breaking below $90,000 decisively.
Most larger-cap alts are also slightly in the red daily, as ETH is down to $3,100, while XRP sits at a pivotal support level at $2.00.
The primary cryptocurrency began the business week with high hopes of substantial price resurgance due to the FOMC meeting on Wednesday. A day before the US Fed met for the last time in 2025, the asset indeed went on the run and exploded by several grand to just over $94,500.
It slipped following this multi-week peak but challenged it again on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve cut the rates by 25 bps. However, this was another fakeout as bitcoin quickly lost all of the momentum and dumped below $89,500. It bounced to $93,600 on Thursday afternoon, only to be rejected again on Friday and dip below $90,000.
The bull managed to defend that level on Saturday, helping BTC climb to $90,500. However, the bears have been more persistent so far on Sunday as the cryptocurrency sits just under that coveted support.
Its market cap has dropped below $1.8 trillion on CG, while its dominance over the altcoins is close to 57%.
Most larger-cap alts are quite sluggish on a daily scale, so we will focus on their weekly performances. The chart reveals that although ETH has slipped by 1% in the past day, it's actually 2% up weekly at $3,100. XRP has lost around 1% within the same timeframe and now struggles to remain above $2.00. TRX is down by 3%, while HBAR has plunged by 8%.
In contrast, ZEC has exploded by 25% even though it has lost 5% of value since Saturday. MNT is up by 18% to $1.27, CC has gained 14%, while XMR has jumped by 9%. M has outperformed the rest with a 40% weekly surge, while QNT and KAS are down by 11% each.
The total crypto market cap has lost another $20 billion daily and is down to $3.150 trillion on CG.
Jordan got into crypto in 2016 by trading and investing. He began writing about blockchain technology in 2017 and now serves as CryptoPotato's Assistant Editor-in-Chief. He has managed numerous crypto-related projects and is passionate about all things blockchain.
Information found on CryptoPotato is those of writers quoted. It does not represent the opinions of CryptoPotato on whether to buy, sell, or hold any investments. You are advised to conduct your own research before making any investment decisions. Use provided information at your own risk. Full disclaimer
SWIFT launches a blockchain-ledger project with the big question being is it the XRP Ledger or its own network?
In a move poised to reshape cross-border payments, SWIFT , the global interbank messaging network, has confirmed it is building a blockchain-based ledger.
Notably, this announcement has sparked speculation across the financial and crypto communities: Could this new ledger resemble the XRP Ledger (XRPL), renowned for fast, low-cost international transactions?
SWIFT is modernizing cross-border payments with a blockchain-based ledger. Traditionally slowed by multiple intermediaries, international transactions can take days to settle. SWIFT's shared, real-time ledger lets authorized institutions view every payment simultaneously, cutting delays, reconciliation errors, and operational friction.
SWIFT hasn't confirmed whether it will use the XRP Ledger or Ripple technology, but the parallels are clear. Both aim for fast, low-cost, real-time settlements between financial institutions.
Therefore, SWIFT's blockchain ledger could transform international banking. By enabling “always-on” payments, it offers near-instant access to funds, improved liquidity management, and reduced reliance on intermediaries—potentially lowering transaction costs.
For financial institutions, the shared ledger provides real-time transaction visibility, enhancing risk management, efficiency, and settlement speed. For corporates and consumers, it promises faster cross-border payments, a smoother experience, and greater predictability.
Though details on its architecture, blockchain protocol, and interoperability with networks like the XRP Ledger remain unclear, SWIFT's foray into blockchain marks a turning point for global payments.
The industry will keenly watch whether Swift's ledger merely mirrors existing networks or pioneers new capabilities that could transform cross-border finance.
Well, SWIFT's blockchain initiative highlights a pivotal shift whereby leading financial institutions now see distributed ledger technology not as a fintech experiment, but as the future backbone of global payments.
SWIFT's launch of a blockchain-based ledger signals a major shift in cross-border payments. By enabling real-time, secure, and transparent transaction tracking, it promises faster settlements, lower costs, and greater operational efficiency for banks worldwide.
While it's unclear if the ledger will leverage the XRP Ledger, SWIFT's move underscores that distributed ledger technology is moving from theory to a core driver of global finance, potentially making instant, always-on payments the new standard.
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Brian Njuguna
Brian Njuguna is a seasoned crypto journalist at Coinpaper, specializing in blockchain innovation, market trends, and regulatory developments. With a background in economics and years of experience covering the digital asset space, Brian delivers sharp, data-driven insights that cut through the hype. His reporting bridges global crypto narratives with emerging market perspectives, making complex topics accessible to a wide audience.
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JP Morgan (JPM) on Thursday reportedly used a public blockchain for the first time to issue a $50 million U.S commercial paper for Galaxy Digital Holdings (GLXY).
According to Reuters, the global fintech giant said that it had used the Solana (SOL) blockchain for the issuance of the short-term debt instrument. Coinbase Global (COIN) and Franklin Templeton (BEN) reportedly bought the debt instrument and paid for it with USD Coin (USDC), a stablecoin issued by Circle (CRCL).
JP Morgan, who set up the deal, made an on-chain USCP token for it. The blockchain handles both issuance and redemption flows, a use case for the ease of use of stablecoins and tokenized assets in traditional debt markets.
JPM's stock was trading at $314.97, up 1.49% in the last 24 hours. On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around JPM continued to be in the ‘extremely bullish' territory amid ‘extremely high' levels of chatter over the past day.
Prior this this, JP Morgan used blockchain-based issuances on its private network, such as a municipal bond for the City of Quincy and a similar commercial paper for a Singapore-based bank.
In the past, the bank was careful about decentralized infrastructure. Instead, it built its own Ethereum (ETH)-based private ledger called Quorum and started projects such as the Liink to make it easier for banks to share data safely.
These efforts indicated that JP Morgan was early on in its "blockchain, not Bitcoin" stance, which favored institutional control and regulatory protections over public, permissionless crypto systems.
In 2023, CEO Jamie Dimon publicly called Bitcoin a "hyped-up fraud," but at the same time, the bank was putting millions of dollars into its own blockchain infrastructure. As of late 2025, Dimon said that the bank will let institutional clients use Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) as collateral for loans.
Read also: GEMI Stock On Track For Biggest Single-Day Gain Since Nasdaq Debut After CFTC Nod For Prediction Markets
For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.
AI-powered trading hasn't yet reached an “iPhone moment,” when everyone is carrying around an algorithmic, reinforcement learning portfolio manager in their pocket, but something like that is coming, experts say.
In fact, the power of AI meets its match when faced with the dynamic, adversarial arena of trading markets. Unlike an AI agent informed by endless circuits of self-driving cars learning to accurately recognize traffic signals, no amount of data and modeling will ever be able to tell the future.
This makes refining AI trading models a complex, demanding process. The measure of success has typically been gauging profit and loss (P&L). But advancements in how to customize algorithms are engendering agents that continually learn to balance risk and reward when faced with a multitude of market conditions.
Allowing risk-adjusted metrics such as the Sharpe Ratio to inform the learning process multiplies the sophistication of a test, said Michael Sena, chief marketing officer at Recall Labs, a firm that has run 20 or so AI trading arenas, where a community submits AI trading agents, and those agents compete over a four or five day period.
“When it comes to scanning the market for alpha, the next generation of builders are exploring algo customization and specialization, taking user preferences into account,” Sena said in an interview. “Being optimized for a particular ratio and not just raw P&L is more like the way leading financial institutions work in traditional markets. So, looking at things like, what is your max drawdown, how much was your value at risk to make this P&L?”
Taking a step back, a recent trading competition on decentralized exchange Hyperliquid, involving several large language models (LLMs), such as GPT-5, DeepSeek and Gemini Pro, kind of set the baseline for where AI is in the trading world. These LLMs were all given the same prompt and executed autonomously, making decisions. But they weren't that good, according to Sena, barely outperforming the market.
“We took the AI models used in the Hyperliquid contest and we let people submit their trading agents that they had built to compete against those models. We wanted to see if trading agents are better than the foundational models, with that added specialization,” Sena said.
The top three spots in Recall's competition were taken by customized models. “Some models were unprofitable and underperformed, but it became obvious that specialized trading agents that take these models and apply additional logic and inference and data sources and things on top, are outperforming the base AI,” he said.
The democratization of AI-based trading raises interesting questions about whether there will be any alpha left to cover if everyone is using the same level of sophisticated machine-learning tech.
“If everyone's using the same agent and that agent is executing the same strategy for everyone, does that sort of collapse into itself?” Sena said. “Does the alpha it's detecting go away because it's trying to execute it at scale for everyone else?”
That's why those best positioned to benefit from the advantage AI trading will eventually bring are those with the resources to invest in the development of custom tools, Sena said. As in traditional finance, the highest quality tools that generate the most alpha are typically not public, he added.
“People want to keep these tools as private as possible, because they want to protect that alpha,” Sena said. “They paid a lot for it. You saw that with hedge funds buying data sets. You can see that with proprietary algos developed by family offices.
“I think the magical sweet spot will be where there's a product that is a portfolio manager but the user still has some say in their strategy. They can say, ‘This is how I like to trade and here are my parameters, let's implement something similar, but make it better.'”
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From Wall Street to the World Cup: How Football Became Crypto's Biggest Gateway Drug
As institutions are laying the groundwork for wider crypto adoption from the top down, it's being met by rising interest from football fans from the ground up.
Disclosure & Polices: CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of Bullish (NYSE:BLSH), an institutionally focused global digital asset platform that provides market infrastructure and information services. Bullish owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets and CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish equity-based compensation.
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Strategy (MSTR) has had a rough stretch, with the stock down around 21% over the past month and nearly 47% in the past 3 months, prompting fresh questions about valuation and Bitcoin exposure.
See our latest analysis for Strategy.
The latest slide, including a 1 day share price return of minus 3.7 percent and a year to date share price return of roughly minus 41 percent, suggests momentum is clearly fading even after an exceptional 3 year total shareholder return above 900 percent.
If Bitcoin volatility and Strategy's sharp moves have you rethinking concentration risk, it could be worth scanning fast growing stocks with high insider ownership for other high conviction ideas with strong insider alignment.
With Strategy trading more than 40 percent below its year-to-date level, yet still closely linked to Bitcoin sentiment, the key question now is whether investors are looking at a rare mispricing or a market that is already discounting future upside.
At a last close of $176.45 versus a narrative fair value of $663, the gap is striking and hinges on Strategy's extreme Bitcoin leverage and capital plans.
Assuming Bitcoin appreciates to $300,000 within the next few years, and MSTR partially executes the 21/21 plan, MicroStrategy's fair value could reach $663 per share, with the potential for higher prices during speculative peaks.
Read the complete narrative.
According to BlackGoat, this valuation leans on aggressive earnings expansion powered by explosive Bitcoin price assumptions, growing treasury holdings, and rich profit margins that reshape Strategy's long term earnings base.
Want to see what happens when rapid earnings growth, expanding Bitcoin reserves, and a premium profit multiple all collide in one model? The full narrative unpacks the bold assumptions step by step and shows how they build to that eye catching fair value.
Result: Fair Value of $663 (UNDERVALUED)
Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts.
However, this upside case still hinges on fraught assumptions, with Bitcoin volatility and potential NAV premium compression both capable of rapidly unwinding that seemingly large discount.
Find out about the key risks to this Strategy narrative.
If you see the story differently or want to stress test the assumptions yourself, you can build a fresh narrative in just minutes: Do it your way
A great starting point for your Strategy research is our analysis highlighting 4 key rewards and 2 important warning signs that could impact your investment decision.
Before you move on, give yourself the edge by scanning fresh stock ideas with strong fundamentals, growth potential, and themes that could reshape your portfolio.
Harness powerful long term compounding by targeting income focused opportunities through these 13 dividend stocks with yields > 3% that may keep paying you even when markets get choppy.
Position ahead of the next technology wave by reviewing these 26 AI penny stocks capturing real world demand for automation, intelligent software, and data driven platforms.
Strengthen your margin of safety by zeroing in on these 903 undervalued stocks based on cash flows that our models flag as trading below their projected cash flow potential.
This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.
Companies discussed in this article include MSTR.
Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team@simplywallst.com
Welcome to a new moon epoch, y'all.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
When humans get involved in places they weren't invited, things start to change. The Moon is no different.
A team of researchers at the University of Kansas believes that human involvement—including the more than 100 spacecraft interactions we have had with our natural satellite over the past 64 years—makes us one of the most dominant forces shaping the Moon.
That's enough, they believe, to declare a new epoch on the Moon—the “Lunar Anthropocene.”
The researchers published a paper detailing this proposal in the journal Nature Geoscience. In it, they highlight the fact that the Moon is not the unchanging environment barely impacted by humanity that we sometimes think it to be. Since the Soviet Union's Luna 2 spacecraft first hit the surface in September of 1959, humans have played a key role in the evolution of our closest cosmic companion.
“This idea is much the same as the discussion of the Anthropocene on Earth—the exploration of how much humans have impacted our planet,” Justin Holcomb, the study's lead author, said in a statement. “The consensus is on Earth the Anthropocene began at some point in the past, whether hundreds of thousands of years ago or in the 1950s. Similarly, on the Moon, we argue the Lunar Anthropocene already has commenced, but we want to prevent massive damage or a delay of its recognition until we can measure a significant lunar halo cause by human activities, which would be too late.”
The team says that, with over 100 spacecraft touching the Moon—sometimes crash-landing, and sometimes bringing actual humans to the surface—there's been enough interaction to signify a geological epoch.
“In the context of the new space race, the lunar landscape will be entirely different in 50 years,” Holcomb said, noting how human involvement is already moving sediments and significantly disturbing the surface. “Multiple countries will be present, leading to numerous challenges.”
Holcomb added that the outdoor community's mantra of “leave no trace” doesn't exist on the Moon. The list of items already brought to and left on the surface by humans is long, though the abandoned spacecraft are far and away the most impactful in terms of size. The study's authors claim that various aspects of the Moon—including the delicate exosphere composed of dust and gas, and any ice found in permanently shadowed areas—are susceptible to exhaust gas propagation. “Future missions,” they wrote, “must consider mitigating deleterious effects on lunar environments.”
The research team hopes to accomplish multiple goals by declaring the Lunar Anthropocene. They want to call attention to the vulnerability of lunar sites, especially considering the current lack of legal or policy protections against destructive disturbance of the Moon. They also want to ensure that each human interaction with and impact on the satellite is well chronicled, and aim to work with archeologists and anthropologists along the way to ensure that recording.
By cataloging each footprint on the Moon's surface—not to mention the presence of rovers, golf balls, and the left-behind bags of human waste—we could hope to could preserve a detailed record of human interaction.
“As archaeologists, we perceive footprints on the Moon as an extension of humanity's journey out of Africa, a pivotal milestone in our species' existence,” Holcomb said. “These imprints are intertwined with the overarching narrative of evolution.”
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Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews have included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.
Engineers Built a Stronger Cosmic Concrete
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Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility!
Senior reporter Sean O'Kane popped over to Palo Alto to check out Rivian's Autonomy & AI Day, which some insiders told us would be the company's most important event. I'm not sure I would categorize it as such, but how about I let the journalist on the ground give his assessment?
Via Sean (and a few of my thoughts sprinkled in) after the event …
It was easy to get lost in the buzz words at times during Rivian's “Autonomy & AI Day” this week. But there was a clear underlying message being shared: Rivian is trying to build a company that is about more than just selling cars.
It's not going as far as Tesla. For instance, there were no humanoid robots wandering around the company's Palo Alto campus.
But it is clearly building out other revenue-generating products — and advanced driver assistance is at the starting gates.
Rivian's hands-free version of its driver-assistance software — which today can be used on about 135,000 miles of road — will expand to 3.5 million miles and include surface streets. This expanded capability, which will launch in early 2026 and eventually include point-to-point hands-free (but eyes on) automated driving comes with a cost of $2,500 or $49.99 per month.
Then there is its future hands-off, eyes-off system. Rivian revealed it has developed its own custom 5nm processor, which it says will be built in collaboration with both Arm and TSMC. That chip will power Rivian's “autonomy computer” — the backbone of an upgraded automated-driving system —that will debut in the R2 SUV in late 2026.
That will probably be an upcharge, although Rivian didn't say if it would be more than the $2,500 fee.
But there's another scenario we should also consider: licensing its tech to others.
After all, Rivian already has a joint venture with Volkswagen Group to share its electrical architecture and base-level software. And Rivian spun out two startups this year with Also (mobility) and Mind Robotics (industrial AI and robotics).
Barclays' Dan Levy wrote Friday that “subsequent discussions reiterated hopes/potential” for Rivian to license its whole AV platform, or just components like the customs processor. And when I asked CEO RJ Scaringe if Rivian will sell the processor to Mind Robotics, he responded wryly: “It doesn't take a lot of imagination.”
At the most abstracted level, bolting new revenue lines to the existing car business (especially if those new projects play nice with the cars) makes sense. Who doesn't love more money?
Here's our coverage of the event:
Rivian is building its own AI assistant (deeper dive into the tech). And it is coming to its EVs in early 2026.
Rivian goes big on autonomy with custom silicon, lidar, and a hint at robotaxis
Nothing this week — or should I say, thanks for the tips, everyone, but there is nothing I can share yet.
In the meantime, here's a tiny tidbit to hold you over. As you read above, senior reporter Sean O'Kane was at Rivian's AI & Autonomy Day and one of the whispers he heard was about the company's public demo of its AI assistant and concerns it might not work. Apparently, the testing the morning of the event was a bit touch and go.
Alas, the public demo went just fine after one tense moment at the start. The risks are high for public demos, which is why many companies avoid them. Kudos to Rivian for going for it.
Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O'Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
At the start of 2025, I didn't think TechCrunch would publish an aviation-startup-meets-data-center story. But here we are.
Aircraft startup Boom Supersonic kicked off 2025 by breaking the sound barrier with its XB-1 demonstrator civil aircraft. And it's ending the year with a plan to sell a version of its turbine engine as a stationary power plant. Its first customer will be data center startup Crusoe.
Under the deal, Crusoe will buy 29 of Boom's 42-megawatt turbines for $1.25 billion to generate 1.21 gigawatts for its data centers.
Boom has raised $300 million to help commercialize this new business. The round was led by Darsana Capital Partners with participation from Altimeter Capital, Ark Invest, Bessemer Venture Partners, Robinhood Ventures, and Y Combinator.
The plan is to use money from its Superpower stationary turbine business to fund the development of its supersonic aircraft.
Other deals that got my attention …
Self-driving trucks company Aurora Innovation made a commercial agreement with Detmar Logistics to autonomously transport frac sand in the Permian Basin.
Some deals don't always work out, or they change. Take SK On and Ford, for instance.
Four years ago, Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On struck a deal to form a joint venture and spend $11.4 billion to build factories in Tennessee and Kentucky that would produce batteries for the next generation of electric F-Series trucks. Now the joint venture is ending and the two companies will divide the assets: Ford will take ownership and operation of the twin battery plants in Kentucky, while SK On will operate the factory at the massive BlueOval SK campus in Tennessee.
Vatn Systems, a Rhode Island-based startup developing autonomous underwater vehicles, raised $60 million in a Series A funding round led by BVVC.
700Credit, a company that runs credit checks and identity verification services for auto dealerships across the United States, said a data breach affected at least 5.6 million people who had their names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers stolen.
The former CEO of bankrupt EV startup Canoo had pledged to provide support to NASA and the United States Postal Service so it could continue to use the vans. Apparently, that wasn't a convincing argument; NASA and USPS have stopped using them.
Ford and Renault agreed to work together to bring two affordable Ford-branded vehicles to the European market in 2028. Ford will lead the design and Renault will assemble the vehicles at its factory in northern France.
Lucid is being sued by its former chief engineer Eric Bach, who alleges wrongful termination, discrimination, and retaliation. Bach, who is of German heritage, also claims one of the automaker's top HR executives referred to him as a “German Nazi.”
Subaru unveiled its Uncharted EV and the specs might attract buyers. The Uncharted Premium trim EV will have a 300-mile range and be priced a skosh above $36,000. Potential deal killer among Subie diehards? The Premium version is front-wheel drive only.
A pregnant woman in San Francisco gave birth inside a Waymo robotaxi en route to UCSF Medical Center. And nope, this is not the first baby born in a Waymo. Read on to learn more.
Meanwhile on the Waymo news front, a leaked letter from Tiger Global Management to its investors disclosed that Waymo is now providing 450,000 robotaxi rides per week — nearly double the amount it disclosed this spring. Waymo declined to comment.
Zevo wants to add robotaxis to its car-share fleet, starting with newcomer Tensor. Senior reporter Sean O'Kane digs in.
I asked and you answered. Thanks to all the readers who participated in the last poll. As a reminder, I asked: The pace of autonomous vehicle development has quickened, prompting more scrutiny and questions around safety and accountability. Should companies stay the course, scale faster, or tap the brakes?
About 48% of you picked “stay the course.” Nearly 23% chose scale faster, while 29.4% of readers want companies to tap the brakes.
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With iOS 26.2, Apple lets you roll back Liquid Glass again — this time on the Lock Screen
Google launched its deepest AI research agent yet — on the same day OpenAI dropped GPT-5.2
Disney hits Google with cease-and-desist claiming ‘massive' copyright infringement
OpenAI fires back at Google with GPT-5.2 after ‘code red' memo
Google debuts ‘Disco,' a Gemini-powered tool for making web apps from browser tabs
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Claude Code is coming to Slack, and that's a bigger deal than it sounds
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The Godlike X is an excellent flagship motherboard. While the specifications are the same as the non-X, this is a limited-run board (1,000 units) and includes collectible accessories and unique features. If you're a big MSI fan, it can be worth the premium for those extras. Otherwise, get the original for hundreds less.
Collector's goodies (stand/numbered heatsink, plushy)
Aesthetic updates
15x USB ports (7x Type-C) on rear IO
Up to seven M.2 sockets w/M.2 Xpander-Z
EZ Bridge cable management
Dynamic Dashboard LED
10GbE and 5GbE ports
Eyewatering price
E-ATX
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
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2025 marks the 10th anniversary of MSI's “Godlike” motherboards first hitting store shelves. The first motherboard to bear the name is the X99A Godlike Gaming, a black-and-red HEDT board which, love ‘em or hate ‘em, is the first RGB motherboard (according to MSI). From there, MSI added unique technologies, including a dynamic display, a wireless extender, magnetic RGB modules, and EZ Link, to improve the user experience. Today's Godlike and other flagship-class motherboards are the pinnacle of consumer board technology, offering users the best of what's available, cost be damned.
The Godlike X we have in on the test bench celebrates the 10-year milestone with a special collector's edition for AMD (sorry, no Intel), dubbed Godlike X. The refreshed motherboard gets a few aesthetic updates, though the specifications remain unchanged. It's collectable, as the board is a limited run of 1,000 units, each identified by a numbered golden nameplate on the M.2 Shield Frozr heatsink. MSI also includes a premium collectors' stand to show off the RGB heatsink (USB-C-powered) and a cute Lucky plush with branded keychain ‘charms' celebrating the anniversary.
To give you a quick refresher on the impressive specifications, the Godlike X bestows upon owners a premium audio codec and DAC/HPA, fast networking including Wi-Fi 7, 10GbE, and 5GbE ports, five native (seven total) M.2 sockets, robust power delivery with 27 total phases, an incredible seven USB Type-C ports on the rear IO, an informative (and customizable) LED screen, and more. On top of that, it looks great with three tastefully implemented RGB zones, and it has the EZ Link design and EZ Bridge features for easier building and upgrades.
The Godlike X's performance was just like its paternal twin and among the best across most of our test suite. It's a competent gamer and held up well across the remainder of the benchmarks, sometimes leading the pack. All this was done with the default settings and PBO disabled. Granted, the differences are generally insignificant, but the takeaway is that the board performs well, regardless of the task.Below, we'll examine the board's details and determine whether it deserves a spot on our list of the Best Motherboards. But before we share test results and discuss details, here are the specifications from MSI's website.
Socket
AM5 (LGA 1718)
Chipset
X870E
Form Factor
E-ATX
Voltage Regulator
27 Phase (24x 110A SPSMOSFETs for Vcore)
Video Ports
(2) USB 4 (Type-C Displayport)
USB Ports
(2) USB 4.0 (40 Gbps) Type-C
(5) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C(8) USB 3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps)
Network Jacks
(1) 2.5 GbE(1) 5 GbE
Audio Jacks
(2) Analog + SPDIF
Legacy Ports/Jacks
✗
Other Ports/Jack
✗
PCIe x16
(2) v5.0 (x16/x0, x8/x8)
PCIe x8
✗
PCIe x4
(1) v4.0 (x4)
PCIe x1
✗
CrossFire/SLI
??
DIMM Slots
(4) DDR5-9000(OC), 256GB Capacity• 1DPC 1R Max speed up to 8400+ MT/s
• 1DPC 2R Max speed up to 6400+ MT/s
• 2DPC 1R Max speed up to 6400+ MT/s
• 2DPC 2R Max speed up to 4800+ MT/s
M.2 Sockets
(2) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm)(1) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 110mm)(2) PCIe 4.0 x4 (64 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm)Via M.2 XPander-Z(2) PCIe 5.0 x4 (128 Gbps) / PCIe (up to 80mm)Supports RAID 0/1/10
SATA Ports
(4) SATA3 6 Gbps (Supports RAID 0/1/10)
USB Headers
(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) Type-C(1) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C(2) USB v3.2 Gen 2 (5 Gbps)(2) USB v2.0 (480 Mbps)
Fan/Pump Headers
(3) 4-Pin (Accepts PWM and DC)EZ Control Hub(7) 4-pin (PWM and DC)
RGB Headers
(1) aRGB (3-pin)EZ Control Hub(2) aRGB (3-pin)(1) RGB (4-pin)
Diagnostics Panel
(1) Post Status Checker (4 LEDs)(1) 2-character Debug LED
Internal Button/Switch
LED Display
SATA Controllers
✗
Ethernet Controller(s)
(1) Marvell AQC113CS (10 GbE)(1) Realtek 8126 (5 GbE)
Wi-Fi / Bluetooth
Qualcomm Fast Connect 7800 Wi-Fi 7 - 320 MHz, 6 GHz, 5.8 GHz, BT 5.4
USB Controllers
Asmedia ASM4242, ASM1074Realtek RTS5420
HD Audio Codec
Realtek ALC4082 + ESS9219Q Combo DAC/HPS
DDL/DTS
✗ / ✗
Warranty
3 Years
Inside the premium box are a slew of accessories. The box the “X” is in opens a bit differently to show off the included goodies. It even comes with the cool powered collector's stand to show off the numbered Shield Frozr M.2 heatsink. In addition to the basics, MSI includes the M.2 XPander-Z Slider Gen M.2 expansion card with the EZ Slide design and an EZ Control hub for the fan and RGB headers. There are also several extension cables, thermistors, stickers, and more. The long list is below, and we've included an image of Lucky and the collector's stand all lit up.
The Godlike X certainly looks the part of a $1,000+ motherboard. It's covered in shrouds, heatsinks, an LCD screen, and RGB lighting areas that grace the front of the board, while a backplate covers the rear and doubles as an additional heatsink for multiple components. MSI also updated the RGB feature above the VRMs. The dragon is still there, but the background is now an “X” instead of the triangle.
The primary M.2 heatsink is where you'll see the Godlike name and the engraved gold number (0001-1000), while to the right is a static RGB display. The EZ Bridge houses the Dynamic Dashboard III TFT LCD panel that displays system status, temperatures, voltages, BIOS Flash status, and error messages. You can even customize it using your own image file (.gif, .bmp, .png, .jpg). The M.2 plate heatsinks now sport a ribbed pattern with gold highlights on the X. There's no doubt it's a good-looking motherboard, and will be cooler for some because it's a limited edition.
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In the upper-left corner, we get a better look at the first RGB feature, with the MSI dragon and an “X” in the background (previously, it was a triangle). Typically, we'd also see the EPS power connections here, but they're on the other side of the wavy fin, direct-touch heatpipe-connected VRM heatsinks, sticking out between the shroud and the Dynamic Dashboard III.
Below the two 8-pin EPS connectors are four DRAM slots with the locking mechanism at the top (where there's room). MSI lists support up to DDR-9000(OC), which is plenty fast for the platform. We could run our DDR5-7200 kit, but our Klevv DDR5-8000 kit booted to Windows and did not complete the stress test. I didn't see our kit on the QVL list, so we weren't disappointed. Perhaps with some additional tweaking, it could get there. As always, stick to the QVL list for your best opportunity at plug-and-play, especially with high-speed kits.
To the right of the DRAM slots is the EZ Bridge. This unique item contains the Dynamic Dashboard III (3.99-inch 800x480 TFT full-color LCD) and several connections (think front panel, USB, some fans, and more) that magnetically attach to the motherboard. The design cleans up the board's appearance, hiding all those unsightly ports and headers. The Dynamic Dashboard displays system status, temperatures, voltages, BIOS Flash status, error messages, accepts custom images, and is truly the showpiece of the board. I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for these screens on motherboards for some reason.
From top to bottom, you have a 4-pin ARGB header, CPU and PUMP fan headers, 24-pin ATX power, supplemental 8-pin PCIe power (required for 60W charging via USB-C), Front panel USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) and Gen 2 (10 Gbps) Type-C ports, and another 4-pin fan header. The Godlike includes the EZ Control Hub that attaches to the JBRG_HUB1 port on the EZ Bridge. The hub offers seven more fan headers (for a total of 10), two ARGB headers, one 3-pin RGB header, and a water-flow connection. Power for the hub comes from a SATA power connector, while control over most devices is handled through the MSI Center and its applications, or, for some devices (like fans), through the BIOS as well.
Power delivery on the Godlike consists of 27 phases, 24 of which are dedicated to Vcore. Power is supplied via the 8-pin EPS connector(s) to a Renesas RAA229628 controller. From there, it moves to the Renesas R2209004 110A SPS MOSFETs. The 2,640A available is plenty for even the flagship Ryzen 9 7950X or 9950X. The VRMs are among the most robust on the platform and will not hold you back, even if you decide to overclock with sub-ambient cooling.
On the bottom left side, hidden under the heatsink, is a flagship-class audio solution based on the 7.1-channel Realtek ALC4082 codec/chip and supported by an ESS 9219Q Combo DAC/HPA, with its own audio capacitors and the audio separation line to minimize EMI. You won't find much better audio hardware on a modern motherboard.
Three PCIe slots and five M.2 sockets are in the middle of the board. The top PCIe slot connects to the CPU, supports PCIe 5.0 x16, and uses a convenient button on the EZ Bridge to lock and unlock the video card in its slot. The second slot also connects through the processor and runs up to PCIe 5.0 x8 speeds. When both slots are populated, they both run at x8 speeds. The bottom PCIe x4 slot connects through the chipset and runs at PCIe 4.0 x4. Note that the bottom slot will run at x2 speeds when the M.2_4 socket is populated. You can switch it to x4, but this disables the M2_4 slot.Onboard, two M.2 sockets (M.2_1/2) are PCIe 5.0 x4-capable and handle up to 80mm modules. M.2_3/5 connects through the chipset and runs PCIe 4.0 x,4 while the M.2_4 is limited to PCIe 4.0 x2 (fine for PCIe 3.0 x4 modules). If you need additional PCIe 5.0 M.2 storage, MSI includes the M.2 Xpander-Z Slider Gen 5 add-in card with two PCIe 5.0 x4 slots with an EZ Slide design for quick installation/removal. You don't have to remove the card from your PC to access it, as the drives install through the IO plate. The Godlike can hold a wild seven M.2 drives — the most I recall seeing on any consumer motherboard.
Past the second RGB feature (above the chipset), to the right edge is the standard fare of connectors for the space, including two 19-pin USB 3.2 Gen 1 (5 Gbps) headers, supplemental PCIe power, two SATA ports, a USB 2.0 header, and front-panel audio.
There isn't much across the bottom of the board, as many headers are contained in the EZ Bridge. Under a magnetic strip, you'll find the other two SATA Ports, three switches (Dashboard, LED, BIOS Select), LN2, battery (CMOS), and OC jumpers.Before getting to the rear IO, we snapped a few pictures of the onboard ICs that control some of the board's features.
The rear IO on the X870E Godlike X has a lot going on, as you'd expect. The black background with white writing allows for easy reading and properly labels each port so you know exactly what it is. Starting with USB ports, there are a total of 15, with seven of them being USB Type-C! You get two 40 Gbps (with DisplayPort capability) and five 10 Gbps Type-C ports, plus eight more 10 Gbps Type-A ports. In the middle are three buttons: one to Flash the BIOS, a second to clear the CMOS, and the third is a flexible Smart Button (Reset, Mystic Light on/off, Safe Boot, or Turbo Fan). Above those are the two Ethernet ports (10 Gbps and 5 Gbps), standard Wi-Fi 7 antenna connections, and the two-plug (mic-in and line-out) plus SPDIF audio stack.
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Joe Shields is a staff writer at Tom's Hardware. He reviews motherboards and PC components.
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6/10
I have had the new M5-powered Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR headsets sitting on my desk for several weeks. These are expensive, cutting-edge pieces of hardware. Apple's version is $3,499! Samsung's headset is roughly half that—still a pretty penny at $1,800. Mustering the energy to don them has been a task.
You can watch movies, play immersive games, and get some work done with multiple virtual screens. None of these experiences has been so compelling that I want to wear a headset on my face for more than an hour. Still, I gave it the ol' college try, and my takeaway is that Google and Samsung have more work ahead of them to improve the Android XR experience; I've also had a strange and newfound appreciation for the quality of Apple's mixed reality headset.
I purchased the Galaxy XR from Samsung's website, and the company offers a handy link to EyeBuyDirect, where you can buy prescription Kodak magnetic inserts for $100 so you can use the headset without glasses. The process was seamless, though long shipping times meant my inserts arrived weeks before the XR.
While I appreciate how much more lightweight the Galaxy XR is compared to the Vision Pro, I constantly struggled to find a comfortable fit. You put the headset on and turn a knob at the back to tighten the band around your head, but there's often a good amount of pressure resting on your forehead, which also gets warm when the audible fans kick in; it's near impossible not to have a sweaty brow after a bout in XR. Two magnetic light shields in the box do a decent job of blocking ambient light from filtering into your virtual reality, but they're not perfect, as I still encountered some slight light bleed.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
The Galaxy XR routinely told me to shift the headset up or down whenever I popped it on my head, and while I occasionally could find a fit that worked for a spell, I wouldn't call it comfortable. The included forehead cushion helps a bit, but I wouldn't have minded softer padding. Surprisingly, I found Apple's Vision Pro with the new Dual Knit Band immensely more supportive. Because there are two points where you can customize the fit, it rests much better on the head.
The visual quality of Samsung's 4K micro-OLED display is excellent and one of the highlights of the Galaxy XR. Everything generally looks sharp. I enjoyed watching a few episodes of Stranger Things season 5 on the headset, and I spent a fair amount of time playing Grimvalor with a paired PlayStation 5 DualSense controller.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Overall, the gesture-based navigation and eye tracking are fine, though not quite as precise as Apple's system in the Vision Pro. Sometimes the iris unlock wouldn't work, forcing me to input my PIN to unlock the headset. I'd often have trouble getting the eye tracking to land on exactly the right virtual button, so I'd have to resort to the pointer-style finger gesture to make selections. (And yes, I did try recalibrating the eye tracking.)
Where the Vision Pro can pick up on minute changes I make with my fingers, I found myself needing to be more pronounced with my gestures on the Galaxy XR. Sometimes I'd have to make sure my fingers were facing the headset for selections to work, but I never had to do that with the Vision Pro. On the Galaxy XR, there were far more occasions where my virtual screens just moved around because it thought I was making a pinch gesture. Even looking at my hand and pinching—how you evoke the home button—sometimes took multiple pinches to activate. The whole thing is rough around the edges.
That's without mentioning the other bugs. When I tried to work in Chrome and opened more than six tabs, Chrome stopped working and required a restart. My Telegram app did the same here and there, and so did Google Play Services when I tried to run Grimvalor once. I also had a problem with a paired mouse when I tried to get some virtual work done—the cursor kept disappearing, only appearing after a few seconds of shaking my mouse violently. It made it really difficult to work in the headset.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Initially, I couldn't pair the Galaxy XR to my PC because this feature requires a Samsung Galaxy Book laptop, but Google recently issued an update that introduced a beta app called PC Connect for Android XR. Download it on your Windows PC (Mac support is coming later), and it instantly brings your Windows desktop screen into the XR's space, and you can keep using your keyboard and mouse that are paired with your desktop. This was excellent and a much nicer way to work, rather than trying to recreate my workspace with Android apps, but I still had the issue with the mouse cursor periodically disappearing, so I was never able to really get much work done. It's not as seamless a system as Apple's Mac Virtual Display.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
I did try Game Link, which requires you to download Samsung's Game Link app on the Microsoft Store on your PC, along with Steam and SteamVR. The idea is you'll be able to stream your Steam games, VR or otherwise, to the headset. Unfortunately, while I could briefly connect the Galaxy XR to the Game Link app, SteamVR consistently failed, and the entire prompt on the headset to connect controllers and continue the pairing process would disappear. There could be various things causing the issue, so it's hard to say if this is a Galaxy XR problem or something else. (It's worth noting that there are other ways to connect the Galaxy XR to your PC via third-party apps, but I didn't try them.)
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
What's nice about Android XR is that Samsung and Google aren't starting from scratch in terms of the app ecosystem. You can pretty much access any Android app and bring it into your virtual space, though some apps are better designed for this experience than others. (The Slack app still sucks on anything larger than a phone screen.)
A key feature of Android XR is the ability to chat with Google's Gemini chatbot willy-nilly. I did this a few times when I wanted to figure out how to connect the PS5 controller to the headset, and it pulled up YouTube video recommendations so I could watch a how-to. But bizarrely, Gemini repeatedly said things I don't think I'm meant to hear. When I looked at the chat transcript, it became clear that Gemini sometimes responded to my queries with its instructions on how to parse a command. “<\ctrl94> The user wants to open the Telegram app. I need to check if Telegram is installed on the device first. <\ctrl95>." This happened multiple times when I invoked Gemini to ask a question. Remember, this isn't some prototype hardware device Samsung sent me; this is the consumer version I purchased myself.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
I still don't know how often I would realistically chat with Gemini, even if the experience was more polished. In the same vein, I spent about two minutes looking at spatialized versions of my photos in the Google Photos app, said “neat,” and never cared to use the feature again. It's just not that interesting.
Don't get me started on my avatar. I customized a cartoonish Galaxy avatar to replicate my likeness; they look like Bitmoji (aka not great), and the avatar does a poor job of re-creating facial expressions. Minutes into my Zoom meeting with a coworker, he complained that it was hard to figure out what my face was trying to do and that he also couldn't hear me very well because the headset's mic kept cutting off.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
Thankfully, Google came to the rescue with a recent update that added “Likeness,” designed to be a more realistic representation of yourself, like Apple's Personas. You have to download Google's Likeness app on your phone first and scan your face, then it'll send it to your Galaxy XR. It immediately looked more like me, but my eyes were weirdly wide, and anytime I made a mouth movement, it would show my full set of teeth. I video-called my wife via Google Meet, and she just said no, screenshotted my face, and posted it on her Instagram Story for all our friends to laugh at. I looked like I was on drugs.
The Galaxy XR is a niche product. I really like playing around with the latest and greatest tech, and I enjoy working spatially with the right hardware. I've had loads of fun in devices like the Meta Quest headset, playing games like SuperHot and Beat Saber. But headsets like the Galaxy XR and Vision Pro are simply too bulky, heavy, and annoying to wear for more than an hour. Putting them on feels like a chore, and I don't think they offer that much greater an experience than I can have in my non-virtual world. Heck, I don't even mind the tethered battery. If these can get drastically lighter, comfier, and smaller, I could see a world where I'd pop 'em on for a few hours and enjoy a virtual reality to get away from life. Unfortunately, we're still not there.
Samsung Galaxy XR
Rating: 6/10
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Another year, another update to Sony's PlayStation Portal. The latest tweak to the hardware considerably expands the roster of games playable on the device—but the end result only highlights how urgently PlayStation needs to re-enter the gaming handheld market for real.
The evolution of PlayStation Portal has been fascinating to watch, mainly to see Sony practically scrambling to keep up with the gadget's unexpected popularity. Launched November 2023, Portal was intended as a mere accessory for PlayStation 5. It had no native processing abilities, simply using Sony's Remote Play technology to stream whatever happened on players' personal PS5 to the portable's screen.
Although it could technically be used anywhere with a strong Wi-Fi signal, difficulties connecting to public networks and high speed requirements to even launch a stream meant the Portal was effectively only suitable for in-home use, to free up the main TV or play in another room.
Somehow, it still took off, with Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Hideaki Nishino saying in 2024 that the Portal had been a “huge success.” The same year, Sony made it easier to connect to public Wi-Fi and added actual cloud gaming support to Portal, with a selection of games on offer to players subscribing to PlayStation Plus Premium. The initial offering included “over 120 PS5 games from the PS Plus Game Catalog,” though the curated library was subject to change. It could have been a big shift in how players approached hardware and software alike, but, in practice, didn't really deliver.
Even so, another year on and the Portal's success seems unstoppable. Sony's Takuro Fushimi recently told TechRadar that "the community's response has been overwhelming" and that Portal is now the “most widely used device for PS5 Remote Play.” It's little surprise, then, that Sony keeps trying to hammer it into something that looks, if you squint, like the standalone gaming handheld it was never intended to be, but that players so desperately want.
Enter the newest update to PlayStation Portal. It takes Cloud Streaming out of its beta phase, expanding the streamable library from only those titles included in the PS Plus selection to many games digitally owned by players. Until now, if you didn't have a game installed locally on your PS5 or it wasn't included in that cloud catalog, too bad, no Portal play for you. Going forwards, you'll be able to cloud stream many titles if they're tied to your PlayStation account through purchase on the PlayStation Store—although you will still need to be subscribed at the PS Plus Premium tier to use the feature, which will set you back $160 for a full year.
The assortment available is already vast—more than 3,000 games at time of writing. On the face of it, this should be a transformative development for not just the Portal, but PlayStation as a gaming ecosystem. It potentially extends availability of titles you own to wherever you want to play them, and could even help alleviate data storage woes. Although the PS5's internal drives can be expanded, SSDs can be pricey at higher capacities, and players with large digital collections often can't install everything they own. Being able to stream games tied to your account without eating up drive space could be a great workaround.
The update also aims to improve the broader player experience on Portal. It finally adds the ability to make in-game purchases when cloud streaming (potentially useful if you want to buy some DLC or virtual currency), and allows players to receive game invites to multiplayer sessions when playing a game via the cloud. Previously, these features were only enabled for Remote Play gaming on Portal, since they were effectively being done through the PS5 and mirrored on the Portal's screen. Accessibility features have also been improved, adding a screen reader tool and adjustable text sizes.
The Portal has been a surprise hit for Sony—but it was never intended to be a standalone gaming handheld.
I was cautiously excited at the overhaul's potential, thinking it might help me tackle my ever-growing backlog of unfinished games. Lately, I've recently been trying to make my way through Koei Tecmo's Atelier Ryza trilogy, cozy but absolutely massive Japanese RPGs. I say "trying" because these are time sinks by any measure—around 80 hours each, with the recently released trilogy pack featuring the "DX" versions that add even more content, and there are only so many hours in the day that I can spend rotting in front of my PS5.
However, given all three are included in the new cloud streaming roster, being able to play them in shorter chunks on the go might be a great way to get through these gargantuan adventures. Plus, with Cloud Streaming out of beta, surely it's overcome its previous shoddy performance, right?
Unfortunately, wrong. For all the features Sony has added to Portal and the overall catalog it has access to, it is still fatally stymied by being a streaming-only piece of hardware. Sony officially states that “PlayStation Portal Remote Player requires broadband internet Wi-Fi with at least 5 Mbps for use. For a better play experience, a high-speed connection of at least 15 Mbps is recommended.” In reality, those numbers are woefully optimistic. Trying to connect to Sony's servers and stream a game on anything but a lightning-fast connection remains an exercise in frustration, and makes out-of-home play nigh-impossible.
Testing the Portal in a coffee shop, getting a network speed test result of 14.97 Mbps—just shy of that "better experience" number but 3x the supposed minimum requirement—an attempt to launch the first Atelier Ryza was met with an error message of “can't start the streaming game because of poor connection quality.” I tried to tether to my phone instead, getting a speed of 17.29 Mbps and with the Portal as the only connected device. I got the same failure to launch, but with a different error message: “Can't start the streaming game, try again.”
Thinking that perhaps my signal was slightly blocked by sitting towards the rear of the building, I moved to a table closer to the street, and reset the connection. Another speed test told me I might have been onto something, as I was now getting 37.14 Mbps—surely more than doubling the speed will help me play a game? Nope: “Can't start because your internet connection quality might not be sufficient to play streaming games.” Points for the variety of ways to say nothing works, I guess.
There are numerous reasons why connection speeds in any given network environment can fluctuate, but I was surprised that the experience now proved worse than the last time I tested the Portal in a coffee shop, where an even slower 11 Mbps connection sufficed to at least launch Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Gris, albeit not in great quality. This go around, I could log in and browse both the PS Plus catalog and my own library of digitally owned games, but absolutely nothing would play.
It's particularly annoying given that Sony's pitch for the new Cloud Streaming offering is that it “makes it easier to enjoy PS5 games on the go—at a hotel, café, friend's place, or anywhere else with a high-speed internet Wi-Fi connection.” In fact, at a friend's house was the only place I could get it working, thanks to an 802 Mbps connection speed—but it shouldn't take nearly 54x the recommended 15 Mbps for the Portal to perform its sole function.
Despite what Sony says about minimum speed requirements, in reality streaming games on the Portal needs a thumping great Wi-Fi connection.
So, if multiple attempts to morph the Portal into being a vaguely portable console have, charitably, underdelivered, there's only one path left for Sony: fully commit to a true, dedicated gaming handheld again.
It's easy to understand why Sony might be cautious on this, since its last effort—the brilliant but under-appreciated PlayStation Vita—failed to match the success of its predecessor, the PlayStation Portable (an estimated 14 to 16 million units sold, versus the PSP's 82.5 million). However, the market is vastly different now, and so are player expectations. The Nintendo Switch changed everything: rather than handhelds being bespoke systems with their own games, often cut-down versions of the titles enjoyed at home, there was now a system that offered the exact same experience wherever you went.
Players loved this, and seemingly everyone was copying the Switch's approach. By the time Portal launched in 2023, the Steam Deck was already riding high and had inspired a slate of rivals, all of which allowed PC gamers to take their libraries with them wherever they went. When the Switch 2 launched earlier in 2025, it went on to become the fastest-selling console ever. Even Xbox is trying to get in on the action, with its ROG Xbox Ally handhelds in partnership with Asus, and its "Play Anywhere" initiative.
The good news is Sony may be working on something of a course correction. Rumors have abounded since at least 2024 that a true successor to the Vita is in development, one that can supposedly natively play PS5 games. Others suggest that Sony will take a page from Nintendo's book and offer a hybrid device, with a handheld that slots into a power-boosting dock for at-home play, possibly as a companion device to the inevitable PlayStation 6. There's potentially very good incentive for that last approach, since a combo of the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Deck could steal everyone's lunch.
While there are no official announcements from Sony on its future hardware plans—bar some very technical nuggets shared by PS5 lead architect Mark Cerny back in October 2025—there have been some purported leaks claiming that Sony is pushing developers to adopt the PS5's new "Power Saver" setting, which reduces performance of demanding games to cut their energy usage. Beyond environmental benefits, slashing power drain for big games would also help optimize battery life, a necessity for a handheld processing games locally.
With its latest Cloud Streaming update for Portal, Sony recognizes that people want to play the same games on the go that they do at home, continuing their progress and having a continuity of experience between platforms. The problem is how it goes about delivering that. Relying on cloud gaming as a delivery mechanism is a fool's errand—the network infrastructure just isn't there to make it viable, especially in public. I doubt it ever will be, either.
For many players, the dream is unfettered access to the PlayStation games they own, wherever they want to play them, without having to hope the connection-quality gods are on your side. No matter what features are added, PlayStation Portal is incapable of making that dream a reality—and until it has a handheld that can, Sony's portable play plans are in the clouds.
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A case of astronomical fratricide is doomed to end in a fiery supernova bright enough to be spotted from Earth during the day.
A study published this August in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society investigated a binary star system about 10,000 light-years from Earth called V Sagittae. Researchers finally solved the century-long mystery behind what makes it so freaking bright. They found that the system is strangely luminous because one of the pair, a super-dense white dwarf, is absolutely scarfing down on its larger sibling at unprecedented speed.
Eventually, the two stars will collide, producing a supernova explosion of unusual brightness. The event is set to occur “in the coming years,” the researchers said in a university statement.
“V Sagittae is no ordinary star system—it's the brightest of its kind and has baffled experts since it was first discovered in 1902. Our study shows that this extreme brightness is down to the white dwarf sucking the life out of its companion star, using the accreted matter to turn it into a blazing inferno,” Phil Charles, a co-author of the study and a researcher at the University of Southampton, said in the statement. “It's a process so intense that it's going thermonuclear on the white dwarf's surface, shining like a beacon in the night sky.”
The team observed the extraterrestrial siblings, which orbit each other once every 12.3 hours, using the powerful European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. By doing so they also found a giant ring of gas around the binary stars, consisting of the debris from carnage and resulting from the gargantuan levels of energy the white dwarf is generating.
This unexpected finding provides insight that could reshape our knowledge about the birth and death of stars, explained Pasi Hakala, a researcher at the University of Turku and co-lead author of the study. “The white dwarf cannot consume all the mass being transferred from its hot star twin, so it creates this bright cosmic ring,” he continued. “The speed at which this doomed stellar system is lurching wildly, likely due to the extreme brightness, is a frantic sign of its imminent, violent end.”
Pablo Rodríguez-Gil, the other co-lead author and a researcher at the Spanish Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and University of La Laguna, says that in the near future, the amassing matter on the white dwarf will probably create a nova outburst. A nova is an explosion in a binary star system, and this one would make V Sagittae visible to people on Earth without the help of any instruments.
“But when the two stars finally smash into each other and explode, this would be a supernova explosion so bright it'll be visible from Earth even in the daytime,” he concluded.
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For the first time, astronomers have captured the brilliance of a superluminous supernova via gravitational lensing.
Astronomers have captured a supernova in its earliest stages—and the aftermath is unexpectedly olive-shaped.
The popular consensus among scientists is that the universe will continue expanding until the bitter end. A team of researchers is now pumping the brakes on that idea.
We have more Betelbuddy news, and the little companion star to Betelgeuse is turning out to be an oddball.
The unusual interaction triggered a strange new type of supernova that appeared to explode twice.
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The way I'd read this sentiment is that the arrangement of society is ultimately arbitrary and if we could only choose a different system we could by truly free. I'm not sure if I'm reading you correctly or not. That said, my impression is that people will not really be able to get away from something like that looks like traditional jobs. The core traits seem to be group dynamics, hierarchical competition, status-attainment -- all where resources are not infinite nor are opportunities for status.We've already had sufficient technological advances such that people would not need to do much labor, but functionally speaking I just don't think people can organize themselves into _any_ possible arrangement. I think the potential arrangements that could exist are limited by nature.
We've already had sufficient technological advances such that people would not need to do much labor, but functionally speaking I just don't think people can organize themselves into _any_ possible arrangement. I think the potential arrangements that could exist are limited by nature.
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The expectation for everyone to retrain and do something else is not necessarily reasonable, especially in an environment that does not have much of a social support system for education, training, and extended periods away from the workforce.And we all know that the market doesn't magically make replacement jobs better or the same as the previous ones.
And we all know that the market doesn't magically make replacement jobs better or the same as the previous ones.
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I posit that until this point in history there has never been a time where technology would allow us to grow and distribute food for free (in terms of both financial cost and labour of time). With the rise and convergence of AI, robotics, low-cost renewable energy, advances in optimal light-biomass conversion, diminishing costs on vertical farms, and self-driving vehicles, we have within our reach a way to produce food at essentially no cost.Think through what would happen to society and our economy if food was free for anyone, anywhere. Think about the meaning of work.If these ideas intrigue you, beta are readers wanted, see my profile for contact.
Think through what would happen to society and our economy if food was free for anyone, anywhere. Think about the meaning of work.If these ideas intrigue you, beta are readers wanted, see my profile for contact.
If these ideas intrigue you, beta are readers wanted, see my profile for contact.
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I promise you as an anarchist agitator that is unbelievably new just even in the last couple years and precisely what usually happens prior to actual direct action.My fellow anarchists hate the fact that Donald Trump did more for anarchist-socialist praxis than every other socialist writer in history.
My fellow anarchists hate the fact that Donald Trump did more for anarchist-socialist praxis than every other socialist writer in history.
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https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/i-was-forced-to-use-ai-u...I bookmarked the series which looks exactly like what everyone in tech is saying ISN'T happening:https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/s/ai-killed-my-jobBut I'm sure somebody will blow this off as “it's only three examples and is not really representative”But if it is representative…“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
I bookmarked the series which looks exactly like what everyone in tech is saying ISN'T happening:https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/s/ai-killed-my-jobBut I'm sure somebody will blow this off as “it's only three examples and is not really representative”But if it is representative…“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/s/ai-killed-my-jobBut I'm sure somebody will blow this off as “it's only three examples and is not really representative”But if it is representative…“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
But I'm sure somebody will blow this off as “it's only three examples and is not really representative”But if it is representative…“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
But if it is representative…“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
“then it's not as bad as other automation waves”or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
or if it is as bad as other automation waves…“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
“well there's nothing you can do about it”Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
Anecdotally I was in an Uber yesterday on the way to a major Metropolitan airport and we passed a Waymo. I asked the Uber driver how they felt about Waymo and Uber collaborating and if he felt like it was a threat to his job.His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
His answer was basically “yes it is but there's nothing anybody can do about it you can't stop technology it's just part of life.”If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
If that's how people who are being replaced feel about it, while still continuing to do the things necessary to train the systems, then there will be assuredly no human future (at least not one that isn't either subsistence or fully machine integrated) because the people being replaced don't feel like they have the capacity to stand up to it.
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While there are issues that are AI specific, I don't feel as if this is one of them. This happens for many reasons, of which AI is just one. In turn, I think this means that the way to address the problem of job loss should not be AI soecific.If it turns out that AI does not create more jobs than are lost; that will be a new thing. I think that can happen, but on a longer timeframe.When most jobs can be done by AI, we will need a societal change to deal with that. That will be where people need a livelihood, not necessarily a job. I have read pieces nearly a hundred years old saying this, there are almost certainly much earlier writings that identify this needs to be addressed.There will undoubtedly be a few individuals that will seek to accumulate wealth and power who aim to just not employ humans. I don't think that can happen on a systemic scale because it would be too unstable.Two of the things that supports wealth inequality is 1) people do not want to risk what they currently have, and 2) they are too busy surviving to do anything about it.A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
If it turns out that AI does not create more jobs than are lost; that will be a new thing. I think that can happen, but on a longer timeframe.When most jobs can be done by AI, we will need a societal change to deal with that. That will be where people need a livelihood, not necessarily a job. I have read pieces nearly a hundred years old saying this, there are almost certainly much earlier writings that identify this needs to be addressed.There will undoubtedly be a few individuals that will seek to accumulate wealth and power who aim to just not employ humans. I don't think that can happen on a systemic scale because it would be too unstable.Two of the things that supports wealth inequality is 1) people do not want to risk what they currently have, and 2) they are too busy surviving to do anything about it.A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
When most jobs can be done by AI, we will need a societal change to deal with that. That will be where people need a livelihood, not necessarily a job. I have read pieces nearly a hundred years old saying this, there are almost certainly much earlier writings that identify this needs to be addressed.There will undoubtedly be a few individuals that will seek to accumulate wealth and power who aim to just not employ humans. I don't think that can happen on a systemic scale because it would be too unstable.Two of the things that supports wealth inequality is 1) people do not want to risk what they currently have, and 2) they are too busy surviving to do anything about it.A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
There will undoubtedly be a few individuals that will seek to accumulate wealth and power who aim to just not employ humans. I don't think that can happen on a systemic scale because it would be too unstable.Two of the things that supports wealth inequality is 1) people do not want to risk what they currently have, and 2) they are too busy surviving to do anything about it.A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
Two of the things that supports wealth inequality is 1) people do not want to risk what they currently have, and 2) they are too busy surviving to do anything about it.A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
A world where people lose their jobs and have no support results in a populace with nothing to lose and time to act. That state would not last long.
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We change the world. It's not happening to you; you're doing it. You're doing it right now with your parent comment - you're not an observer on the sideline, you're in the thick of it, doing it, your every action - my every action - has consequences. Who will we be in our communities and societies?> I have read pieces nearly a hundred years old saying thisYou can read pieces 100 years old talking about famine, polio, Communist and fascist dictatorships, the subordination of women, etc. We changed the world, not by crying about inevitability but with vision, confidence, and getting to work. We'd better because we are completely responsible for the results.Also, inevitability is a common argument of people doing bad things. 'I am inevitable.' 'Human nature is ...' (nature being inevitable). How f-ing lazy and utterly irresponsible. Could you imagine telling your boss that? Your family? I hope you don't tell yourself that.
> I have read pieces nearly a hundred years old saying thisYou can read pieces 100 years old talking about famine, polio, Communist and fascist dictatorships, the subordination of women, etc. We changed the world, not by crying about inevitability but with vision, confidence, and getting to work. We'd better because we are completely responsible for the results.Also, inevitability is a common argument of people doing bad things. 'I am inevitable.' 'Human nature is ...' (nature being inevitable). How f-ing lazy and utterly irresponsible. Could you imagine telling your boss that? Your family? I hope you don't tell yourself that.
You can read pieces 100 years old talking about famine, polio, Communist and fascist dictatorships, the subordination of women, etc. We changed the world, not by crying about inevitability but with vision, confidence, and getting to work. We'd better because we are completely responsible for the results.Also, inevitability is a common argument of people doing bad things. 'I am inevitable.' 'Human nature is ...' (nature being inevitable). How f-ing lazy and utterly irresponsible. Could you imagine telling your boss that? Your family? I hope you don't tell yourself that.
Also, inevitability is a common argument of people doing bad things. 'I am inevitable.' 'Human nature is ...' (nature being inevitable). How f-ing lazy and utterly irresponsible. Could you imagine telling your boss that? Your family? I hope you don't tell yourself that.
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I'm pretty sure we'll survive.
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A problem I have with Brian Merchant's reporting on this is that he put out a call for stories from people who have lost their jobs to AI and so that's what he got.What's missing is a clear indication of the size of this problems. Are there a small number of copywriters who have been affected in this way or is it endemic to the industry as a whole?I'd love to see larger scale data on this. As far as I can tell (from a quick ChatGPT search session) freelance copywriting jobs are difficult to track because there
isn't a single US labor statistic that covers that category.
What's missing is a clear indication of the size of this problems. Are there a small number of copywriters who have been affected in this way or is it endemic to the industry as a whole?I'd love to see larger scale data on this. As far as I can tell (from a quick ChatGPT search session) freelance copywriting jobs are difficult to track because there
isn't a single US labor statistic that covers that category.
I'd love to see larger scale data on this. As far as I can tell (from a quick ChatGPT search session) freelance copywriting jobs are difficult to track because there
isn't a single US labor statistic that covers that category.
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This seems like an inherently terrible way to look for a story to report. Not only are you unlikely to know if you didn't find work because an AI successfully replaced you, but it's likely to attract the most bitter people in the industry looking for someone to blame.And, btw, I hate how steeply online content has obviously crashed in quality. It's very obvious that AI has destroyed most of what passed as "reporting" or even just "listicles". But there are better ways to measure this than approaching this from a labor perspective, especially as these jobs likely aren't coming back from private equity slash-and-burning the industry.
And, btw, I hate how steeply online content has obviously crashed in quality. It's very obvious that AI has destroyed most of what passed as "reporting" or even just "listicles". But there are better ways to measure this than approaching this from a labor perspective, especially as these jobs likely aren't coming back from private equity slash-and-burning the industry.
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It doesn't tell the whole story though. That's why I always look for multiple angles and sources on an issue like this (here that's the impact of AI on freelance copywriting.)
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But it's probably a great way create a story to generate clicks. The people who respond to calls like this one are going to come from the extreme end of the distribution. That makes for a sensational story. But that also makes for a story that doesn't represent the reality as most people will experience it, rather the worst case.
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But we're also seeing a lot of schlock…
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Hilariously naive.
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Assuming you understand what I meant: As for being naive, that's hardly true; my opinion comes from experience. When the bubble burst in the early 2000s, you saw a ton of developers looking for work. This pushed salaries down, even for senior and advanced developers.
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In this instance, and probably most instances of art/craft, copywriters need to figure out what is creative again, because what is considered "creative" has changed.I could also see this being the journey that AI customer support took, where all staff were laid off and customers were punted to an AI agent, but then the shortcomings of AI were realized and the humans were reintroduced (albeit to a lesser degree). I suspect the pendulum will swing back to AI as the memory problems are resolved though.
I could also see this being the journey that AI customer support took, where all staff were laid off and customers were punted to an AI agent, but then the shortcomings of AI were realized and the humans were reintroduced (albeit to a lesser degree). I suspect the pendulum will swing back to AI as the memory problems are resolved though.
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The sad part is that the managers deciding on using AI are the ones who rarely understand what is good public communication - that's why they were hiring someone to help them with it.With AI they get some text that seems legit but the whole process of figuring out why&how is simply skipped. It might sometimes work but it's doubtful it builds knowledge in the organisation.
With AI they get some text that seems legit but the whole process of figuring out why&how is simply skipped. It might sometimes work but it's doubtful it builds knowledge in the organisation.
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Once AI can write proper compelling converting copy then I'll change my mind.
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You're probably using the free lobotomized versions of LLMs, and shooting a one-off short ambiguous prompt and wondering why it didn't turn out the way you imagined.Meanwhile people spend hundreds of dollars on pro LLM access and learn to use tool calling, deep research, agents and context engineering.
Meanwhile people spend hundreds of dollars on pro LLM access and learn to use tool calling, deep research, agents and context engineering.
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I understand your reluctance. Yet I think, if you believe this, you should have that hard conversation sooner rather than later.
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https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/i-was-forced-to-use-ai-u...
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https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46264119Thanks, and thanks for bringing the article to wider attention.
Thanks, and thanks for bringing the article to wider attention.
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I believe that good skillful writing, drawing, or coding, by a human who actually understands and believes in what they're doing can really elevate the merely "good" to excellent.However, when I think about the reality of most corporate output, we're not talking about "good" as a baseline level that we are trying to elevate. We're usually talking about "just barely not crap" in the best case, to straight up garbage in maybe a more common case.Everyone understands this, from the consumer to the "artist" (perhaps programmer), to the manager, to the business owner. And this is why using AI slop is so easy to embrace in so many areas. The human touch was previously being used in barely successful attempts to put a coat of paint over some obvious turds. They were barely succeeding anyways, the crap stunk through. May as well let AI pretend to try, and we'll keep trying until the wheels finally fall off.
However, when I think about the reality of most corporate output, we're not talking about "good" as a baseline level that we are trying to elevate. We're usually talking about "just barely not crap" in the best case, to straight up garbage in maybe a more common case.Everyone understands this, from the consumer to the "artist" (perhaps programmer), to the manager, to the business owner. And this is why using AI slop is so easy to embrace in so many areas. The human touch was previously being used in barely successful attempts to put a coat of paint over some obvious turds. They were barely succeeding anyways, the crap stunk through. May as well let AI pretend to try, and we'll keep trying until the wheels finally fall off.
Everyone understands this, from the consumer to the "artist" (perhaps programmer), to the manager, to the business owner. And this is why using AI slop is so easy to embrace in so many areas. The human touch was previously being used in barely successful attempts to put a coat of paint over some obvious turds. They were barely succeeding anyways, the crap stunk through. May as well let AI pretend to try, and we'll keep trying until the wheels finally fall off.
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CPS samples 60k households per month to represent ~150+ million workers. Households stay in the sample 4 months, out 8, back 4.Copywriters will get smoothed out in the aggregate, and the definition will mask this. Even if you work one hour, you are technically employed. If you are not actively looking for work for more than a month, you are also not technically unemployed.Unemployment data is a lagging indicator for detecting recessions not early technological displacement in white-collar niches.
Copywriters will get smoothed out in the aggregate, and the definition will mask this. Even if you work one hour, you are technically employed. If you are not actively looking for work for more than a month, you are also not technically unemployed.Unemployment data is a lagging indicator for detecting recessions not early technological displacement in white-collar niches.
Unemployment data is a lagging indicator for detecting recessions not early technological displacement in white-collar niches.
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The human part, turning it from slop to polished, becomes the most important part of the work, and then (and in any case) should be paid at human rates.
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They can actually just hire the worst of you (who will do unpaid overtime, and let you call him a dummy when you're upset), because it's not a big deal that he's only 5x as fast as you used to be compared to your 10x as fast as you used to be. They can't even attract that much business now because the lowest end of the market completely disappeared and is doing it at home by themselves.Prepress/typesetting work went from a highly-specialized job that you spent years mastering and could raise a family with to a still moderately difficult job that paid just above minimum wage within a single generation, just due to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Those tools don't even generate anything resembling a final product, they just make the job digital instead of physical. In the case of copywriting, AI instantly generates something that a lazy person could ship with.
Prepress/typesetting work went from a highly-specialized job that you spent years mastering and could raise a family with to a still moderately difficult job that paid just above minimum wage within a single generation, just due to Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. Those tools don't even generate anything resembling a final product, they just make the job digital instead of physical. In the case of copywriting, AI instantly generates something that a lazy person could ship with.
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"Gamblers generate slop, businessmen sell it as 'AI-powered.'"Something important is missing.
Something important is missing.
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That is, if you're selling razor blades, you want the handle and the shaving cream to be cheap. Well then, if you're turning slop into polished, then you want the slop to be cheap. And AI makes it much cheaper.
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EDIT: To put it another way, I remember a talk where you dismissed people's concerns about their data being used for training after AI was integrated into a product, citing the company's (a big AI player) denial--as if that should just be taken at face value, because they says so--a perspective that many of us view as naive or disingenuous.
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If I started rejecting access to early models over a desire to avoid conflicts of interest my coverage would be less useful to people. I think most of my regular readers understand that.I was responsible for one of the first widely read reports on the ethics of model training back in 2022 when I collaborated with Andy Baio to cover Stable Diffusion's unlicensed training data: https://waxy.org/2022/08/exploring-12-million-of-the-images-...Calling me "their most enthusiastic shill" is not justified. Have you seen what's out there on LinkedIn/Twitter etc?The reason I show up on Hacker News so often is that I'm clearly not their most enthusiastic shill.
I was responsible for one of the first widely read reports on the ethics of model training back in 2022 when I collaborated with Andy Baio to cover Stable Diffusion's unlicensed training data: https://waxy.org/2022/08/exploring-12-million-of-the-images-...Calling me "their most enthusiastic shill" is not justified. Have you seen what's out there on LinkedIn/Twitter etc?The reason I show up on Hacker News so often is that I'm clearly not their most enthusiastic shill.
Calling me "their most enthusiastic shill" is not justified. Have you seen what's out there on LinkedIn/Twitter etc?The reason I show up on Hacker News so often is that I'm clearly not their most enthusiastic shill.
The reason I show up on Hacker News so often is that I'm clearly not their most enthusiastic shill.
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If I can provide a different perspective, I find your writing on LLMs to be useful. I've referenced your writing to coworkers in an effort to be a little more rigorous when it comes to how we use these new (often unintuitive) tools.I think the level of disclosure you do is fine. Certainly a better effort at transparency than what most writers are willing to do.
I think the level of disclosure you do is fine. Certainly a better effort at transparency than what most writers are willing to do.
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I stand by my opinion that if a major AI company says they aren't training on something it means they aren't training on that thing.I continue to be annoyed that they won't confirm what they ARE training on though. Saying "we don't train on data submitted is our API" isn't exactly transparent, I want to know what they ARE training on.That lack of transparency is why they have a trust crisis in the first place!
I continue to be annoyed that they won't confirm what they ARE training on though. Saying "we don't train on data submitted is our API" isn't exactly transparent, I want to know what they ARE training on.That lack of transparency is why they have a trust crisis in the first place!
That lack of transparency is why they have a trust crisis in the first place!
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It's time to get your bag before the AI bubble pops.
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(Odd to see a complaint about me being an "AI cheerleader" attached to a post about the negative impact of AI on copywriting and how I think that sucks.)
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The extent of your analysis is> whelp that suckswith a tone similar to what one might take when describing the impact of flatscreen TVs on the once-flourishing TV repair business, without mentioning all of the legitimate ethical (and legal) objections people have to how AI companies train their models and how the models are used.> Anything I could do to be less insufferable?Sure, go do a series on how they use residential IPs to hide their scraping, or on how they're probably violating copyright in a multitude of ways, including software FOSS licenses by disregarding attribution clauses and derivative work licensing obligations, especially for copyleft licenses like the GPL. Write about people using these systems to effectively "rewrite" GPL'd code so they can (theoretically) get around the terms completely.
> whelp that suckswith a tone similar to what one might take when describing the impact of flatscreen TVs on the once-flourishing TV repair business, without mentioning all of the legitimate ethical (and legal) objections people have to how AI companies train their models and how the models are used.> Anything I could do to be less insufferable?Sure, go do a series on how they use residential IPs to hide their scraping, or on how they're probably violating copyright in a multitude of ways, including software FOSS licenses by disregarding attribution clauses and derivative work licensing obligations, especially for copyleft licenses like the GPL. Write about people using these systems to effectively "rewrite" GPL'd code so they can (theoretically) get around the terms completely.
with a tone similar to what one might take when describing the impact of flatscreen TVs on the once-flourishing TV repair business, without mentioning all of the legitimate ethical (and legal) objections people have to how AI companies train their models and how the models are used.> Anything I could do to be less insufferable?Sure, go do a series on how they use residential IPs to hide their scraping, or on how they're probably violating copyright in a multitude of ways, including software FOSS licenses by disregarding attribution clauses and derivative work licensing obligations, especially for copyleft licenses like the GPL. Write about people using these systems to effectively "rewrite" GPL'd code so they can (theoretically) get around the terms completely.
> Anything I could do to be less insufferable?Sure, go do a series on how they use residential IPs to hide their scraping, or on how they're probably violating copyright in a multitude of ways, including software FOSS licenses by disregarding attribution clauses and derivative work licensing obligations, especially for copyleft licenses like the GPL. Write about people using these systems to effectively "rewrite" GPL'd code so they can (theoretically) get around the terms completely.
Sure, go do a series on how they use residential IPs to hide their scraping, or on how they're probably violating copyright in a multitude of ways, including software FOSS licenses by disregarding attribution clauses and derivative work licensing obligations, especially for copyleft licenses like the GPL. Write about people using these systems to effectively "rewrite" GPL'd code so they can (theoretically) get around the terms completely.
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I know there are a ton of fly-by-night startups abusing residential IP scraping and I hate it, but if it's Anthropic or OpenAI or Google Gemini that's a story worth telling.I have written a lot about training data - https://simonwillison.net/tags/training-data/ - including highlighting instances where models attempted to train on ethical sources.I've also pointed out when a model claims to use ethical data but still uses a scrape of the web that's full of unlicensed content, eg https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/7/comma/ and https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/5/pleias-llms/
I have written a lot about training data - https://simonwillison.net/tags/training-data/ - including highlighting instances where models attempted to train on ethical sources.I've also pointed out when a model claims to use ethical data but still uses a scrape of the web that's full of unlicensed content, eg https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/7/comma/ and https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/5/pleias-llms/
I've also pointed out when a model claims to use ethical data but still uses a scrape of the web that's full of unlicensed content, eg https://simonwillison.net/2025/Jun/7/comma/ and https://simonwillison.net/2024/Dec/5/pleias-llms/
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I can see some limited scenarios in up and coming industries or strategically important industries where government job programs could be at least argued for.The copywriting industry is clearly not either of those.
The copywriting industry is clearly not either of those.
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Look at how things went for the "Learn to code" workforce. They were told that software would be a valuable skill to have, and sunk a lot of time and money into fronted coding bootcamps. The job market in 2025 looks very different with Sonnet 4.5, which is particularly good at frontend code. What skills would you tell all those copywriters to go re-train in? How confident are you that won't be useless in 10, 15 years? Maybe you can say that they should have trained in other fields of software, but hindsight is 20/20.I am not saying automation is bad, or that the jobs we have today should be set in stone and nothing change. But, there will be society level ramifications if we take some significant fraction of the workforce and tell them they're out of a job. Society can absorb the impact of a small fraction of the workforce going out of a job, but not a big one.
I am not saying automation is bad, or that the jobs we have today should be set in stone and nothing change. But, there will be society level ramifications if we take some significant fraction of the workforce and tell them they're out of a job. Society can absorb the impact of a small fraction of the workforce going out of a job, but not a big one.
reply
No, it's not, and the steep decline in quality of writing has reflected this. The industry is just committing suicide.
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At this phase, conventional wisdom will tell you that the Trump Administration is probably not going to use the force of the government to shoot down Netflix's effort to acquire the core studio and streaming assets of Warner Bros. Discovery. However, with South Carolina Republican Senator Tim Scott now signaling antitrust concerns in a letter to Trump's regulators, according to Semafor, it's now plausible to say there is real pushback. Semafor quotes the letter as saying there are “significant antitrust problems” with the deal, and that it harms “moviegoers, on-camera talent, writers, producers, and everyone who loves the entertainment industry.”Scott also reportedly expressed concerns about Netflix's ease around price hikes and the deal's potential negative impact on TV showrunners and movie theaters.
And for what it's worth, Scott's opposition sounds pretty full-throated: “The transaction warrants rigorous antitrust review under all applicable antitrust merger and monopolization laws and, to the extent appropriate, a lawsuit to block it,” Semafor quotes the letter as saying.Shortly after the terms of the deal were announced, Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, the head of the antitrust committee, said it “should send alarm to antitrust enforcers around the world.”Trump himself has said the deal “could be a problem.”Interestingly, Polymarket gives Paramount's hostile bid for Warner Bros. Discovery a slightly better chance of succeeding by the end of 2027 than Netflix's slightly smaller deal, which has been approved by the boards of both companies. So the fatal blow may not come from anything that happens in the Capitol. Then again, antitrust enforcement can mean a lot of things. There could be a lawsuit from the Department of Justice or Federal Trade Commission, or some kind of foot-dragging effort by regulators asking for divestitures or making other demands. Scrutiny from legislators like Scott is just one of many potential arrows in the quiver of this deal's opponents.
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Among the myriad abilities that humans possess, which ones are uniquely human? Language has been a top candidate at least since Aristotle, who wrote that humanity was “the animal that has language.” Even as large language models such as ChatGPT superficially replicate ordinary speech, researchers want to know if there are specific aspects of human language that simply have no parallels in the communication systems of other animals or artificially intelligent devices.
In particular, researchers have been exploring the extent to which language models can reason about language itself. For some in the linguistic community, language models not only don't have reasoning abilities, they can't. This view was summed up by Noam Chomsky, a prominent linguist, and two coauthors in 2023, when they wrote in The New York Times that “the correct explanations of language are complicated and cannot be learned just by marinating in big data.” AI models may be adept at using language, these researchers argued, but they're not capable of analyzing language in a sophisticated way.
Gašper Beguš, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley.
That view was challenged in a recent paper by Gašper Beguš, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley; Maksymilian Dąbkowski, who recently received his doctorate in linguistics at Berkeley; and Ryan Rhodes of Rutgers University. The researchers put a number of large language models, or LLMs, through a gamut of linguistic tests—including, in one case, having the LLM generalize the rules of a made-up language. While most of the LLMs failed to parse linguistic rules in the way that humans are able to, one had impressive abilities that greatly exceeded expectations. It was able to analyze language in much the same way a graduate student in linguistics would—diagramming sentences, resolving multiple ambiguous meanings, and making use of complicated linguistic features such as recursion. This finding, Beguš said, “challenges our understanding of what AI can do.”
This new work is both timely and “very important,” said Tom McCoy, a computational linguist at Yale University who was not involved with the research. “As society becomes more dependent on this technology, it's increasingly important to understand where it can succeed and where it can fail.” Linguistic analysis, he added, is the ideal test bed for evaluating the degree to which these language models can reason like humans.
One challenge of giving language models a rigorous linguistic test is making sure they don't already know the answers. These systems are typically trained on huge amounts of written information—not just the bulk of the internet, in dozens if not hundreds of languages, but also things like linguistics textbooks. The models could, in theory, simply memorize and regurgitate the information that they've been fed during training.
To avoid this, Beguš and his colleagues created a linguistic test in four parts. Three of the four parts involved asking the model to analyze specially crafted sentences using tree diagrams, which were first introduced in Chomsky's landmark 1957 book, Syntactic Structures. These diagrams break sentences down into noun phrases and verb phrases and then further subdivide them into nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions, conjunctions and so forth.
One part of the test focused on recursion—the ability to embed phrases within phrases. “The sky is blue” is a simple English sentence. “Jane said that the sky is blue” embeds the original sentence in a slightly more complex one. Importantly, this process of recursion can go on forever: “Maria wondered if Sam knew that Omar heard that Jane said that the sky is blue” is also a grammatically correct, if awkward, recursive sentence.
Recursion has been called one of the defining characteristics of human language by Chomsky and others—and indeed, perhaps a defining characteristic of the human mind. Linguists have argued that its limitless potential is what gives human languages their ability to generate an infinite number of possible sentences out of a finite vocabulary and a finite set of rules. So far, there's no convincing evidence that other animals can use recursion in a sophisticated way.
Recursion can occur at the beginning or end of a sentence, but the form that is most challenging to master, called center embedding, takes place in the middle—for instance, going from “the cat died” to “the cat the dog bit died.”
Beguš' test fed the language models 30 original sentences that featured tricky examples of recursion. For example: “The astronomy the ancients we revere studied was not separate from astrology.” Using a syntactic tree, one of the language models—OpenAI's o1—was able to determine that the sentence was structured like so:
The astronomy [the ancients [we revere] studied] was not separate from astrology.
The model then went further and added another layer of recursion to the sentence:
The astronomy [the ancients [we revere [who lived in lands we cherish]] studied] was not separate from astrology.
Beguš, among others, didn't anticipate that this study would come across an AI model with a higher-level “metalinguistic” capacity–“the ability not just to use a language but to think about language,” as he put it.
That is one of the “attention-getting” aspects of their paper, said David Mortensen, a computational linguist at Carnegie Mellon University who was not involved with the work. There has been debate about whether language models are just predicting the next word (or linguistic token) in a sentence, which is qualitatively different from the deep understanding of language that humans have. “Some people in linguistics have said that LLMs are not really doing language,” he said. “This looks like an invalidation of those claims.”
McCoy was surprised by o1's performance in general, particularly by its ability to recognize ambiguity, which is “famously a difficult thing for computational models of language to capture,” he said. Humans “have a lot of commonsense knowledge that enables us to rule out the ambiguity. But it's difficult for computers to have that level of commonsense knowledge.”
A sentence such as “Rowan fed his pet chicken” could be describing the chicken that Rowan keeps as a pet, or it could be describing the meal of chicken meat that he gave to his (presumably more traditional) animal companion. The o1 model correctly produced two different syntactic trees, one that corresponds to the first interpretation of the sentence and one that corresponds to the latter.
The researchers also carried out experiments related to phonology—the study of the pattern of sounds and of the way the smallest units of sound, called phonemes, are organized. To speak fluently, like a native speaker, people follow phonological rules that they might have picked up through practice without ever having been explicitly taught. In English, for example, adding an “s” to a word that ends in a “g” creates a “z” sound, as in “dogs.” But an “s” added to a word ending in “t” sounds more like a standard “s,” as in “cats.”
In the phonology task, the group made up 30 new mini-languages, as Beguš called them, to find out whether the LLMs could correctly infer the phonological rules without any prior knowledge. Each language consisted of 40 made-up words. Here are some example words from one of the languages:
θalpʃebreði̤zṳga̤rbo̤nda̤ʒi̤zṳðe̤jo
They then asked the language models to analyze the phonological processes of each language. For this language, o1 correctly wrote that “a vowel becomes a breathy vowel when it is immediately preceded by a consonant that is both voiced and an obstruent”—a sound formed by restricting airflow, like the “t” in “top.”
The languages were newly invented, so there's no way that o1 could have been exposed to them during its training. “I was not expecting the results to be as strong or as impressive as they were,” Mortensen said.
How far can these language models go? Will they get better, without limit, simply by getting bigger—layering on more computing power, more complexity and more training data? Or are some of the characteristics of human language the result of an evolutionary process that is limited to our species?
The recent results show that these models can, in principle, do sophisticated linguistic analysis. But no model has yet come up with anything original, nor has it taught us something about language we didn't know before.
If improvement is just a matter of increasing both computational power and the training data, then Beguš thinks that language models will eventually surpass us in language skills. Mortensen said that current models are somewhat limited. “They're trained to do something very specific: given a history of tokens [or words], to predict the next token,” he said. “They have some trouble generalizing by virtue of the way they're trained.”
But in view of recent progress, Mortensen said he doesn't see why language models won't eventually demonstrate an understanding of our language that's better than our own. “It's only a matter of time before we are able to build models that generalize better from less data in a way that is more creative.”
The new results show a steady “chipping away” at properties that had been regarded as the exclusive domain of human language, Beguš said. “It appears that we're less unique than we previously thought we were.”
Original story reprinted with permission from Quanta Magazine, an editorially independent publication of the Simons Foundation whose mission is to enhance public understanding of science by covering research developments and trends in mathematics and the physical and life sciences.
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Spinny, an Indian online marketplace for used cars, is raising around $160 million as it moves to acquire car services startup GoMechanic, TechCrunch has learned.
The Series G round, which includes a mix of primary and secondary transactions, would value the 10-year-old startup at about $1.8 billion post-money, three people familiar with the matter said, broadly in line with its previous valuation.
Nearly $90 million of the round is primary, people said; Existing investor Accel has already wired about $44 million of that amount, with some details of the investment appearing in regulatory filings in India this week, which Indian outlet Entrackr first reported. A new investor is participating in the remaining portion of the primary, but TechCrunch could not confirm its specifics.
WestBridge Capital is doubling down in the new round with a check of a similar size to its previous investment, the people said. The firm invested about $35 million to $40 million in Spinny's Series F round earlier this year.
Much of the secondary portion of the transaction is being sold by Indian VC firm Fundamentum, according to the people, while Blume Ventures is also expected to pare part of its stake.
Accel, Fundamentum, and Blume Ventures did not respond to requests for comments. WestBridge Capital declined to comment.
In March, Spinny raised $131 million in the first part of its Series F round led by Accel, with participation from Fundamentum, before expanding the raise to about $170 million in June to include WestBridge Capital. Those funds were earmarked to scale Spinny's core used-car business.
However, the new round is being raised specifically to finance the acquisition of GoMechanic and invest in its platform, without drawing on the startup's existing cash reserves, the people said. Earlier reports suggested Spinny could buy GoMechanic for around ₹4.5 billion (approximately $49.70 million) in a cash-and-stock deal.
A consortium led by Lifelong Group acquired GoMechanic in 2023 after the startup admitted to “grave errors” in its financial reporting. The startup had previously been backed by high-profile investors, including Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, and SoftBank.
For Spinny, acquiring GoMechanic would deepen its control across the used-car value chain. The Gurugram-based startup has built a large consumer-facing business, selling about 13,000 used cars a month, primarily directly to buyers and, to a lesser extent, to dealers through its auction platform. Spinny operates its own large reconditioning centers to refurbish vehicles before sale and relies on third-party service shops for after-sales servicing of customer cars — a gap GoMechanic could bring in-house.
GoMechanic would also act as a “two-way” funnel for Spinny, a person familiar with the matter said. The platform would service vehicles bought or sold through Spinny, and help attract car owners who may not yet be customers. That could help expand Spinny's vehicle supply without significantly increasing customer acquisition costs.
The acquisition comes as India's used-car market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of about 10% to roughly 9.5 million units by 2030, from nearly 6 million units today, per a recent report by Mahindra First Choice and Volkswagen Pre-owned Certified.
The GoMechanic deal would mark Spinny's latest move to broaden its footprint in India's automotive market. In recent months, the startup has expanded beyond used-car sales by acquiring auto publications Autocar India, Autocar Professional and What Car? India from London-based media group Haymarket, and by launching a non-banking finance company, Spinny Capital, to offer vehicle loans to customers.
Spinny co-founder and CEO Niraj Singh declined to comment.
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Updated on: December 14, 2025 / 12:57 PM EST
/ CBS New York
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he will appoint a "World Cup czar" to push FIFA to lower ticket prices for the 2026 tournament.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and avid soccer fan, has been openly critical of FIFA's decision to let ticket prices fluctuate based on demand, instead of selling them for a flat rate based on seating, like at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
But as mayor, can he actually do anything about high ticket prices?
"Yes. This is going to be me using my platform to speak up to FIFA at every opportunity," Mamdani said Sunday on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer."
FIFA's ticket pricing plan for the tournament across the U.S., Mexico and Canada has drawn international outage, as soccer fans worry about getting priced out, especially with eight matches, including the Final, coming next summer to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"The cheapest ticket to the World Cup Final, which will be here in New York City and New Jersey, according to the Croatian Federation, is $4,000," Mamdani said. "That's five times more expensive than it was to go to the Final in Qatar."
The group Football Supports Europe contends it would cost fans nearly $7,000 USD to follow their team from its first match to the Final in 2026. Tickets to the previous Final were priced at $380 for an obstructed view seat to $5,850 for one of the best seats in the stadium, according to FIFA.
FIFA is also involved in ticket resales for the upcoming tournament, charging secondary sellers and buyers 15% each.
"I want the price to be something that's affordable. This, you'd have to mortgage your house to be able to afford that for a lot of people. And when it was last in the United States, you could get to the final in California for less than $200. That needs to be what we're looking for," Mamdani said.
The first game at MetLife Stadium will be a Group Stage match pitting Brazil, one of the most successful teams in World Cup history, against Morocco on June 13.
The stadium holds a whopping 82,500 fans for soccer, but demand appears to be very high to start and it's likely to rise as the stakes get higher later in the tournament.
"I am going to appoint a World Cup czar because, I think at the core of it, I'm so excited at the fact that we are going to be hosting eight games across the World Cup next summer," Mamdani said. "I also understand why soccer fans feel the way they do. They have a right to."
FIFA also used a dynamic ticket pricing model for the Club World Cup last summer.
Mamdani also discussed his views on Israel, charter schools, the 2026 midterm elections, his meeting with President Trump and more.
To watch the full interview, click here.
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(21:44)
©2025 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The surprisingly high cost of tickets for the 2026 World Cup is reported to have created a serious risk of empty seats across the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Despite advertising $21 tickets during the bid to win the hosting rights for the tournament, no such value could be found when FIFA confirmed its pricing structure for the World Cup, and fan frustration grew further when learning the cheapest ticket to the final would cost upwards of $4,000—three times more expensive that the premium tier of 2022's showpiece finale.
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A European supporters' group branded the prices “extortionate,” while FIFA's defense of its decision to take 15% from both the buyer and seller of any tickets resold through official channels also left fans across the globe furious.
According to The Times, there have been no suggestions that FIFA will lower the cost of tickets and, as a result, many national associations traveling to North America now have genuine concerns about not selling their full allocations.
On top of the obvious issues with ticket prices, overseas fans also have to consider transport and accommodation costs when exploring how to support their teams next summer. Many who registered their interest in tickets months ago have since walked away following the release of ticket prices.
Ticket sales through national associations remain open until Jan. 13, at which point it will be revealed whether any have not sold their full allocations.
FIFA clearly have no concerns about a reduced attendance. Having initially predicted World Cup tickets would generate a total of around $1.8 billion, that estimate has now risen to $3 billion.
Contributing to that drastic rise is FIFA's decision to adopt a dynamic pricing system, which raises the price of in-demand tickets compared to those generating less interest. The process is not unique to FIFA and has long attracted significant criticism.
FIFA claim to have received “extraordinary levels” of interest when it comes to ticket sales, although most of those supporters were based in the three host nations across North America.
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Tom Gott is a writer, reporter and editor for Sports Illustrated FC. A lifelong Chelsea fan and academy football enthusiast, he spends far too much time on Football Manager.
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Sports News of Sunday, 14 December 2025
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
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Carragher and Ferdinand are retired footballers
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher has criticised ex-England player Rio Ferdinand for failing to speak out against the high ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The controversy began when Ferdinand tagged Carragher on his X page to comment on Mohamed Salah being applauded by Liverpool fans after their Premier League win over Brighton and Hove Albion.
277 and out? Liverpool's Salah turns record breaker again
The former Manchester United defender wrote: “Thoughts @Carra23? ‘Mo Salah' being sung by the Kop.”
Carragher, a Sky Sports analyst, responded by acknowledging Salah's strong performance when given the opportunity to play.
He then went further, questioning Ferdinand on why he has not addressed the exorbitant ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup.
Carragher hinted that Ferdinand's payment for serving as Master of Ceremonies at the tournament draw may have influenced his silence.
“And rightly so, he was fantastic when he came on. Thoughts on the price of the World Cup tickets @rioferdy5? A man of the people would surely call @FIFAcom & Infantino out. Or was your pay packet for the draw (acting) enough to buy your silence?” Carragher tweeted on X.
FIFA has faced increasing pressure from football fans and advocacy groups, who have criticized the ticket prices for the 2026 tournament, noting they are significantly higher than those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Read the tweet below:
And rightly so, he was fantastic when he came on.
Thoughts on the price of the World Cup tickets @rioferdy5
A man of the people would surely call @FIFAcom & Infantino out 🤷🏻♂️
Or was your pay packet for the draw (acting 🤯😭) to buy your silence 🤫 https://t.co/TMcV0QhYZ6— Jamie Carragher (@Carra23) December 13, 2025
SB/MA
Also, watch why taxi and 'trotro' operators are cautioning the government about the Traffic Amendment Bill
And rightly so, he was fantastic when he came on.
Thoughts on the price of the World Cup tickets @rioferdy5
A man of the people would surely call @FIFAcom & Infantino out 🤷🏻♂️
Or was your pay packet for the draw (acting 🤯😭) to buy your silence 🤫 https://t.co/TMcV0QhYZ6
Copyright © 1994 - 2025 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
Erling Haaland and Phil Foden raised their game as Manchester City beat Crystal Palace 3-0 despite producing an underwhelming performance in south London. The Eagles hit the woodwork in either half, but Haaland gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead late in the first with a towering header before Foden slammed the ball into the net with his favoured left foot to put the game out of Palace's sight.
City monopolised possession in the first half but had only four touches in the Palace box, compared to the hosts' 18. Palace posed a threat with their frequent quick and direct breaks, such as when Yeremy Pino clattered the bar after being played in by Adam Wharton or Ismaila Sarr getting into the area and flashing a shot across the face of goal.
City had struggled to get going despite hogging the ball but took the lead in the 40th minute after an elaborate move involving more than 20 passes, which culminated in Nunes crossing for Haaland, who leapt high into the air to head into the far corner.
The visitors had another scare early in the second half when Wharton hit the post, but they managed the game well as Palace grew more frustrated. Foden's strike, which owed a lot to a brilliant jinking run from Rayan Cherki, delivered what was effectively the fatal blow in the 69th minute before Haaland added his second and City's third from the penalty spot in the 89th.
GOAL rates Man City's players from Selhurst Park...
Gianluigi Donnarumma (7/10):
Had to be alert throughout due to Palace's bright play and was ready for everything they threw at him. Won two battles with Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Matheus Nunes (7/10):
Delivered a perfect cross for Haaland to break the deadlock and gave a solid performance defensively, a big improvement on his display against Real Madrid.
Ruben Dias (6/10):
Mostly solid apart from when he gave the ball straight to Warton, which led to a Palace break.
Josko Gvardiol (6/10):
An early blow to the head didn't stop him from making crunching tackles and getting on top of Palace's attacks.
Nico O'Reilly (6/10):
Had a testing first half, struggling to handle Sarr. Grew more composed as the game went on and reasserted himself by picking Sarr's pocket to snuff out a good chance.
Bernardo Silva (6/10):
Much better than his rusty display in Madrid as he kept the ball well. Fed Nunes when he crossed for Haaland.
Nico Gonzalez (5/10):
Sat very deep and was overwhelmed on several occasions, getting mugged by Pino in the first half and again when Wharton hit the post.
Tijjani Reijnders (6/10):
Didn't get the rub of the green with his opportunities, shooting straight at Dean Henderson and being dispossessed by Chris Richards when he was about to pull the trigger.
Rayan Cherki (7/10):
Showed more dazzling footwork to beat three defenders and lay the ball off for Foden to score. Had little joy before then but he is developing a great habit of making key contributions at key moments.
Erling Haaland (7/10):
Had little involvement in the game but all he needed was one sight of goal to give City the lead. Held the ball up well when Foden scored and faced down taunts from Palace fans for not taking the penalty in the FA Cup final by coolly dispatching his spot-kick.
Phil Foden (7/10):
Turned it on in the second half to score his fifth goal in three league games.
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Savinho (8/10):
Stormed forward from his own half and won the penalty just a minute after coming on.
Rayan Ait-Nouri (N/A):
Brought on in added time.
Rico Lewis (N/A):
Brought on in added time.
Omar Marmoush (N/A):
Brought on in added time.
Pep Guardiola (7/10):
Not a fluid performance despite the scoreline but given the quality of Palace he will be delighted with how the team navigated the game and managed to win despite being far from their best.
A long-standing Lionel Messi record at Barcelona has finally fallen after Pedri etched his name into Blaugrana history during a La Liga win over Osasuna. The 23-year-old became the youngest player ever to reach 150 La Liga appearances for the Catalan side, surpassing Messi, while once again pulling the strings in midfield under Hansi Flick in a 2-0 win.
Barcelona continued their La Liga title charge on Saturday with a hard-fought victory over Osasuna, a result that allowed the Catalan giants to strengthen their grip at the top of the table. Goals from Raphinha secured all three points for Flick's side, who were seeking to move seven points clear of Real Madrid ahead of their rivals' fixture the following day. While the Brazilian forward provided the decisive moments in attack, much of Barcelona's control stemmed from midfield.
Pedri was handed a starting role at the base of Flick's double-pivot system, a position that has increasingly become his natural role this season. The Spain international dictated tempo throughout the contest, offering calmness and structure during periods when Osasuna threatened to disrupt Barcelona's rhythm. His involvement ensured that Barcelona maintained territorial dominance and managed the game intelligently despite the tight scoreline.
Beyond his influence on the match itself, Pedri's appearance carried historic significance. As per Opta, at just 23 years and 18 days old, he reached 150 La Liga appearances for Barcelona, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. In the process, he surpassed a record previously held by Messi.
Pedri's record-breaking milestone highlights his remarkable consistency and durability at a club where young players are often burdened with enormous expectations. Reaching 150 league appearances at such an early age places him in rare company and reinforces Barcelona's long-term commitment to building their midfield around him. That he overtook Messi's record only adds weight to the achievement, given the Argentine's central role in shaping the club's identity for over a decade.
The midfielder's influence did not go unnoticed by his teammates, with Eric Garcia offering a light-hearted but telling assessment after the match. Speaking to the media, Garcia said, "We knew it was going to be a very tight game. We lacked rhythm in our passing. In the end, against these teams, if you don't move the ball quickly, it's tough. In the end, I'm happy with the three points." He then added, "When you play before your rivals and increase your lead, you have a relaxed Sunday at home. When things get complicated, give the ball to Pedri, and he solves everything."
Head coach Flick was equally emphatic in his praise, singling Pedri out despite Raphinha's two-goal contribution. The German said: "Pedri is a fantastic player, top class. What can I say about him? He's an absolutely amazing player."
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Pedri's rise at Barcelona has been nothing short of extraordinary since his arrival from Las Palmas in 2020. Thrust into the first team almost immediately, he became a regular starter during the 2020–21 season, amassing 52 appearances and playing a key role in Barcelona's Copa del Rey triumph. That campaign laid the foundation for what would quickly become one of the most intense early-career workloads in European football.
His performances on the club stage were mirrored internationally, with Pedri shining at Euro 2020, where he was named Young Player of the Tournament, before going on to represent Spain at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Those efforts earned him both the Golden Boy and Kopa Trophy in 2021, confirming his status as the most highly regarded young midfielder in world football. Comparisons with Andres Iniesta soon followed, driven by his composure, close control, and ability to glide through crowded midfields.
In recent seasons, injuries have provided the main obstacle to Pedri's sustained momentum. A series of muscle issues disrupted parts of the 2022–23 and 2023–24 campaigns, forcing Barcelona to carefully manage his minutes. However, under Flick, he has re-emerged as a central figure, once fit, already surpassing 220 appearances in all competitions by the age of 23 and continuing to shape games with maturity well beyond his years.
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Barcelona now turn their focus to maintaining their advantage at the top of La Liga as the season enters a decisive phase. With Pedri once again available and influencing matches, Flick's side look better equipped to manage the demands of both domestic and European competitions.
For Pedri personally, breaking Messi's record is unlikely to be an endpoint, but rather another marker in a rapidly expanding legacy at Camp Nou. With assists in three consecutive league games and a growing leadership role in midfield, his influence continues to increase with each appearance.
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Sandy Baltimore's sublime strike set Chelsea on their way to an important victory in the Women's Super League on Sunday, as the Blues bounced back from last week's shock defeat to Everton with a 3-0 success at Brighton. It was vital that Sonia Bompastor's side got the win here, to prevent Manchester City from further extending their lead at the top of the table, and they did exactly that, to stay six points behind the Cityzens as the WSL hits its winter break.
This game didn't start in the convincing manner with which it finished. Having accumulated their lowest points tally by this stage of a season since the 2018-19 campaign - coincidentally the last season in which they didn't win the WSL - Chelsea looked like a team that has struggled so far this term. However, chances started to come towards the end of the first half, and after Baltimore and then Alyssa Thompson had both forced Sophie Baggaley into a couple of fantastic saves, the former was able to beat her with an outstanding strike into the top corner - and with her weaker foot, no less.
Two half time substitutions then helped Chelsea build on that lead. Bompastor introduced Wieke Kaptein and Sam Kerr at the break and both made a valuable impact, helping to take the Blues' attacking threat up another notch. Indeed, it was the presence of both players that forced Caitlin Hayes to head into the back of her own net shortly after half time, with the Brighton defender needing to intervene to try and prevent what was already a certain goal.
Called up by Sarina Wiegman for England's final two camps of the year, Baggaley continued to pull out impressive saves to keep Brighton in the game for as long as possible, denying Ellie Carpenter, Kaptein and Kerr, twice, but she would be beaten again before the final whistle, with Kerr able to turn provider for Thompson to clinically convert for 3-0 in the latter stages. No team has ever overturned a six-point gap at the halfway point of a WSL title race, underlining the task awaiting Chelsea in the new year. But the winners of the last six crowns will be up for the fight, with Sunday a reminder of what they can do when they get into their groove.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Broadfield Stadium...
Livia Peng (7/10):
Had a bit more to do in the second half and looked assured when called upon.
Lucy Bronze (7/10):
Another solid display from a player showcasing her versatility this term.
Millie Bright (6/10):
Had a couple of iffy moments that, fortunately for her, went unpunished.
Naomi Girma (7/10):
A composed and reliable presence at the back, mopping up any danger that presented itself.
Ellie Carpenter (7/10):
Got up and down the right flank brilliantly, posing a serious threat in attack while snuffing any out at the back.
Keira Walsh (8/10):
A classy display in which her excellence in possession really shone through.
Erin Cuthbert (8/10):
Another quality performer in the middle of the park, with this game highlighting how important she is to this team. Fantastic cross led to Hayes' own goal.
Sandy Baltimore (8/10):
Kickstarted the win with a terrific goal. Provided a valuable outlet throughout.
Alyssa Thompson (8/10):
Unlucky not to break the deadlock in the first half, when only a superb Baggaley save denied her. Ensured a fantastic performance got the goal it deserved in the second half though, with a ruthless finish.
Aggie Beever-Jones (5/10):
Struggled for any real service, not taking a shot before being withdrawn at half time.
Lauren James (7/10):
A lively 45-minute run out as she continued her return to full fitness after injury, with plenty of chances created.
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Sam Kerr (7/10):
Changed the game as a half time sub. Should've got a goal or two herself, with her usually clinical touch still lacking slightly, but made up for it with her creativity.
Wieke Kaptein (7/10):
Like Kerr, was a very impactful half time introduction and could've got a goal, but did plenty of other good work as well.
Niamh Charles (N/A):
Replaced Bronze late on and helped see the win out.
Guro Reiten (N/A):
Slipped into the left-back role comfortably to give Baltimore a rest.
Johanna Rytting Kaneryd (N/A):
Another late sub.
Sonia Bompastor (7/10):
Could've rested on her laurels at half time, with her side ahead, but opted to make two subs which really changed the game for the better for Chelsea. Kerr and Kaptein gave the Blues a greater attacking threat and that meant they could really put the result beyond doubt.
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Chelsea hero John Terry has declared Cole Palmer the "best No.10 in the world" following his role in Saturday's 2-0 win over Everton. The Blues earned a first league victory since their 2-0 victory at Burnley last month to move back into the Champions League spots. And former centre-back Terry lavished praise upon Palmer after his first home league start since the opening weekend of the season.
Palmer returned to his favoured number 10 role as Chelsea welcomed Everton to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. And it took just 21 minutes for the England star to get back among the goals as he fired past Jordan Pickford midway through the first half in west London, having been picked out well by Malo Gusto.
Provider then turned goalscorer as Gusto scored his first and Chelsea's second on the stroke of half-time as the Blues responded well to their 2-1 Champions League defeat at Atalanta in midweek. Palmer was withdrawn to a standing ovation on the hour mark following a lengthy spell on the sidelines owing to a groin injury and a fractured toe, as head coach Enzo Maresca manages the 23-year-old's game time accordingly. And Terry spoke highly of Palmer on his TikTok channel at full time, stating that he's "not sure there's anyone better" than the former Manchester City trainee in the role behind the striker.
On the post, Terry started off by praising Chelsea following the victory, saying: "A big win for Chelsea and back to winning ways. Massive three points, we really needed that.
"I was also delighted to have Cole Palmer back in the team and playing in that No. 10 role. I'm not sure there's anyone better in world football playing in the No. 10 role. If there is Palmer certainly gives them a run for their money. He's so brave, constantly on the half turn trying to get in those little pockets. It's a defender's nightmare when you come up against a player like that. I was delighted to see him back in the starting line-up and delighted to see him score."
Terry was also happy to see Chelsea keep a clean sheet, and singled out goalkeeper Robert Sanchez for his role in the success over Everton, adding: "Big clean sheet as well for the boys, we deserved that today. I thought defensively, we were very good. [Robert] Sanchez was excellent as well, and has been very good in recent weeks. Long may that continue."
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Palmer, meanwhile, was thrilled with his goal and the victory, saying after the game: "It was hugely important to get back to winning ways. It meant a lot to score as well. I've been out for a while, probably the longest I've ever been out, so I was itching to get back out there with the team, so to start and score was a nice feeling.
"We've obviously had a difficult few games, and it's harder than people think, a game every three days. It's a lot of travel and it's difficult, so to get the win is great."
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was quick to compliment his side and Palmer at full time, adding: "Overall, I'm happy with the clean sheet and the performance. We said many times with Cole [Palmer] we are a better team. Unfortunately, he was out for many games for us, but now he's back and for sure he will help us."
Bizarrely, Maresca also claimed that the build-up to the welcome of Everton was "the worst 48 hours" since he took over as Chelsea boss last summer, though he didn't go on to elaborate why that was the case. "Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us," the Italian said.
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Chelsea will look to follow up Saturday's routine win over Everton with a second successive victory when the Blues face Cardiff City in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup in midweek.
The west London side then travel to Newcastle next weekend and round off the year with back-to-back home matches against Aston Villa and Bournemouth.
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Barcelona's long-running financial crisis has taken a dramatic twist after reports claimed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is weighing up a staggering €10 billion offer to buy the club. The proposal, which would theoretically wipe out Barca's massive debt and reshape their future, has sparked huge intrigue - even though such a takeover remains a difficult hurdle to overcome.
Reports in Spain have ignited international attention after El Chiringuito's Francois Gallardo claimed that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is considering a monumental €10 billion (£8.7b/$11.7m) bid to buy FC Barcelona. The rumoured offer stems from Saudi Arabia's accelerating push into global sport, with investments through the Public Investment Fund (PIF) designed to acquire elite assets and elevate the kingdom's sporting influence. According to the report, the bid would account for Barcelona's estimated €2.5 billion (£2b/$2.9b) debt while providing enough capital to give the Crown Prince theoretical full control of the club.
However, the claim immediately faced scrutiny because Barcelona cannot legally be bought outright due to its long-standing socio-ownership model. The club is owned collectively by its members, who control elections and governance, meaning no individual, foreign or domestic, can purchase it. While the Saudi PIF could potentially invest in a separate commercial arm in the future, any attempt at full acquisition would be structurally blocked.
Many within Spain, therefore, see the reported bid as either symbolic or exploratory, rather than a genuine attempt to trigger immediate ownership change. Even so, the scale of the figure, unprecedented in football history, has drawn much fascination as Barcelona continues to navigate their financial turbulence. The story has sparked fierce debate among fans, analysts, and economists regarding both the feasibility and the implications of such a proposal.
The rumoured Saudi interest arrives against the backdrop of Barcelona's years-long financial crisis, which has forced the club into drastic measures. Heavy debt from the Josep Maria Bartomeu era (which ended in 2020), a record-breaking wage bill, and the COVID-19 revenue collapse collectively crippled the club's ability to operate normally. These financial pressures triggered well-documented registration struggles under La Liga's salary cap rules, forcing the club to delay signings, renegotiate contracts and activate multiple 'economic levers' to remain competitive.
Despite president Joan Laporta's assurances that the club is stabilising, Barcelona still face enormous debt obligations, including the long-term repayment structure for the Espai Barca stadium (Camp Nou, the club's training ground, and surrounding area) redevelopment loan. La Liga's financial controls continue to restrict flexibility, meaning the club must constantly manoeuvre to balance registration demands with squad-building ambitions.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia's football expansion has reached unprecedented levels, with the Crown Prince steering vast investment into the Saudi Pro League, high-profile transfers, and major club acquisitions. The magnitude of a Barcelona proposal fits the broader Vision 2030 strategy, which aims to diversify the kingdom's economy and deploy football as a global soft-power tool. Yet even with immense financial resources, the Crown Prince cannot override the structural barriers protecting Barcelona's ownership identity.
Barcelona's governance model makes the rumoured takeover fundamentally incompatible with how the club is built to operate. As one of only two major European clubs still owned by its members (along with Real Madrid), Barcelona's socios (members) elect the president, approve budgets, and have veto power over strategic decisions, including any proposal to sell control of the institution. For many, sociologically and culturally, selling the club outright would be viewed as an abandonment of identity and tradition, making such a scenario virtually unimaginable.
Even so, the club could, in theory, follow a path similar to what has reportedly been explored by Real Madrid: dividing its commercial operations into a separate entertainment arm that could attract outside investment without ceding football decision-making authority. Under this model, Saudi Arabia's PIF could legally invest in non-sporting divisions such as content creation and media rights. However, this would provide neither ownership nor control of Barcelona's sporting department, which remains the heart of the institution.
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Barcelona are expected to publicly maintain their long-standing stance that the club is not for sale under any circumstances. Any future discussion will likely focus instead on commercial partnerships, strategic investments, or sponsorship arrangements that comply with La Liga regulations and club governance structures. Internally, the board will continue prioritising wage-bill reduction, revenue growth, and the long-term restructuring of debt rather than entertaining takeover fantasies.
From the Saudi perspective, football investment will continue to expand regardless of Barcelona's status, with the Crown Prince steering towards transformative projects that enhance the kingdom's global sporting footprint. Whether through the Saudi Pro League, international club partnerships, or further acquisitions, the strategic direction is already firmly in motion.
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Per one report, if Bayern Munich wants Borussia Dortmund and German national team center-back Nico Schlotterbeck, it will have to pony up €50 million for a transfer fee.
Just €50 million? Per Bild, yes:
Borussia Dortmund would demand a fee of around €50m for Nico Schlotterbeck should he decide to leave the club in the summer. If he joins Bayern, he would earn at least €15m gross per year (BVB are offering him €14m). That makes it a total package of €125m over 5 years
As for Dayot Upamecano, a contract extension would see the Frenchman earn around €20m gross per year, as well as a signing fee of around €20m he's demanding – which takes the total package to €120m over five years.
That number seems….low, especially considering the fact that BVB would likely not want to do anything to help Bayern Munich secure a player like Schlotterbeck.
In addition, Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg and Patrick Berger (via @iMiaSanMia) are reporting that Schlotterbeck is biding his time to see what will develop with Bayern Munich, FC Barcelona., and Real Madrid before making anything official. That said, the report does indicate that Schlotterbeck is leaning toward moving on:
Nico Schlotterbeck is playing for time and waiting for a door to open up at Barcelona, Real Madrid or FC Bayern. Sources close to the player suggest that not extending his contract with Dortmund is currently the more likely outcome. BVB want clarity by January at the latest, but haven't yet put the player under pressure. Dortmund would likely take a similarly firm stance to Leverkusen's handling of Jonathan Tah. Even with only one year remaining on his contract, they would absolutely not let him go for something around €25-30m. They would even accept the risk of losing him on a free transfer in 2027. At FC Bayern, Schlotterbeck, just like Marc Guéhi, remains a candidate. However, extending Upamecano's contract is the clear priority.
To this author, BVB would rather Schlotterbeck rot on the bench than move to Bayern Munich for the paltry fee of €50 million.
According to one report, Bayern Munich is planning a raid for Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez:
Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich are plotting a raid on Chelsea for their midfield mainstay Enzo Fernandez. Bayern Munich are looking to add more quality to their midfield, and they have their eyes set on Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, who is widely regarded as one of the best midfielders in the world. According to a report from Fichajes, the German giants are preparing a €120 million bid to sign the Argentine World Cup winner.
Bayern Munich are very keen on signing the Argentine international, as they look to further bolster their midfield. They want to freshen things up in the centre of the park, and believe he could become one of their leaders going forward.
Kompany wants someone who can partner with Joshua Kimmich and is capable enough to control the tempo and increase the speed of play when needed. The German giants have been carefully monitoring his progress, and they are now ready to make an offer worth around €120 million to prise him away from the London club.
Meanwhile, Chelsea do not have any intentions of selling one of the main stars. With his contract running until the summer of 2032, they are in full control of his future. However, a €120 million offer won't be that easy to turn down amidst some financial difficulty.
Bayern are not just monitoring his situation; they are ready to launch a move. They have already received a detailed report on the 24-year-old, and they are set to make initial contact with the London club in the coming days.
Gareth Bale's love of golf while he was at Real Madrid became a punchline and a meme worldwide, but the Welsh legend thinks it that is was just fake news:
Despite rumors to the contrary, Eintracht Frankfurt is not selling Kauã Santos (at least not right now anyway):
🚨🦅 Eintracht Frankfurt have no intention of selling Kaua #Santos in the winter, nor is Santos currently thinking about a move.
There are no offers either. Eintracht remain fully convinced that he will become their number one in the near future. #SGE
His contract runs until 2030.
Bayern Munich wunderkind was named to UEFA”s Champions League Team of the Week:
Bayern Munich has been linked to AZ Alkmaar midfielder Kees Smit, but Chelsea could be leading on the 19-year-old:
Chelsea are the front-runners in the race to sign AZ Alkmaar wunderkind Kees Smit, according to iNews. While the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United are also keen on signing the 19-year-old midfielder, Chelsea have been quick to establish contact with the player's camp. Kees' transfer is valued at around the £25 million mark, although it's unclear if Chelsea would be willing to stump up such a sum in January. Newcastle, by contrast, are definitely pondering a move for the Netherlands international next month.
Football fandom is often marked by fierce passion, but at times that emotion can erupt in alarming and destructive ways.
Such a moment unfolded in Finland, where anger over a club's relegation led a group of supporters to commit a shocking act of arson.
What FC Haka endured was chaos of an entirely different magnitude. The nine-time Finnish champions were already grappling with the sting of relegation after a punishing Veikkausliiga season, but things took an even darker turn on Sunday night when a stand at their Factory Field stadium was completely destroyed in a fire.
What should have been a symbol of community pride was reduced to a charred wreck, showing just how dangerously fan frustration can spiral out of control.
The club's drop from the top division sparked the chaos. Relegation brings major financial and reputational setbacks, and for a section of the hardcore fan base, the disappointment became unbearable.
Instead of voicing their frustration through peaceful protest, a group – reportedly teenagers – lashed out at the symbol of their grief: club's home ground. The attack on one of the stadium's structures reflected the turmoil and anger that followed the team's poor season.
The visual is pretty striking as well:
Scandal in Finland: a team was relegated and the fans set their own stadium on fire 😢🇫🇮
Top-flight club FC Haka have suffered a fresh blow after relegation.
And a stand at one end of their🏟️Factory Field (Tehtaan kenttä) stadium was destroyed after a fire broke out on Sunday night.
Police have since arrested three teenagers, and a 15-year-old has reportedly confessed to starting the blaze.
Oooof. I don't know what parenting is like in Finland these days, but those kids might be do for a grounding…until they are like 60.
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
The governor of the Mexican state of Nuevo León, Samuel García, voiced his disappointment after it was confirmed the Mexico national team won't play a single game in the state's host city of Monterrey during its home 2026 World Cup campaign.
Monterrey's Estadio BBVA, home of Liga MX outfit Rayados de Monterrey, will host four games during the 2026 World Cup, but the Mexico national team won't make a trip to the North East city, instead playing twice in Mexico City and once in the city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco during the group stage.
With El Tri guaranteed three games during the group stage, many expected Javier Aguirre's side to play at least once in all three of the country's host cities. That expectation didn't materialize and García admitted he's not convinced by the reasons that led to the decision.
The view from C.F. Monterrey's new stadium in Mexico is incredible. RT if you need to go 😍 pic.twitter.com/SKxtHYlxQ6
“It seems to be a somewhat economical decision [El Tri not playing in Monterrey],” García told TUDN. “The national team benefits from playing at the [Estadio] Azteca because of its capacity, far greater than [the stadiums] of Rayados and Chivas [the other two host venues in Mexico].
“Obviously, my question was, ‘if Monterrey's stadium has a greater capacity why [is Mexico playing in] Jalisco?' and they turned around and alluded to the weather ... as if it was so different between between Nuevo León and Jalisco.
“Obviously these are arguments that aren't convincing for me.”
The Estadio BBVA will instead welcome teams like South Africa, South Korea, Japan and Tunisia twice. Some Mexican outlets suggested FIFA gave Monterrey “breadcrumbs,” but Garcia reportedly said, “they gave us lemons, we'll try to make lemonade.”
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Date
Matchup
Round
June 14, 2026
Tunisia vs. Ukraine, Sweden, Poland or Albania
Group Stage
June 20, 2026
Japan vs. Tunisia
Group Stage
June 24, 2026
South Africa vs. South Korea
Group Stage
June 29, 2026
TBD
Round of 32
García eventually said he understands FIFA and the Mexican soccer federation have their own dynamics and their reasons for keeping El Tri away from Monterrey during the World Cup.
However, García also revealed he spoke with federation president Mikel Arriola following the apparent World Cup snub of his host city, looking for El Tri's chief official to do right by fans in Nuevo León.
“I searched for Mikel and told him ‘you're going to have to compensate me,'” García said. “The final draw can't be altered, that's definitive, but I'm looking to at least get a [Mexico] friendly match against a strong national team to happen in Monterrey before the World Cup.
“I told him that if he didn't want fans in Monterrey to feel a certain way, you [Mexico national team] have to come before the World Cup to play a friendly and that's what they're working on.”
Mexico's men's national team hasn't played a single game at the Estadio BBVA since it opened its doors in 2015. Now, the expectation is that El Tri makes its maiden visit to the "Giant of Steel” during their final preparations before next summer's spectacle.
Regardless of how the situation unfolded, García closed the subject touching upon what he along with every El Tri fan deems most relevant.
“I hope Mexico does well [in the 2026 World Cup], that's the most important thing.”
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Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.
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The Haitian Times
Bridging the gap
With Haiti officially headed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, fans across the U.S. are racing to secure tickets for the team's June matches in Boston, Philadelphia and Atlanta. But with high prices and an increase in scams, fans must navigate both official and unofficial sources with caution. This guide outlines key tips to buy safely and understand the different ticket types.
No one likes to lose their hard-earned money at any time—and even less so on luxury items families save to buy or because of fraudulent activity. However, the risks of being scammed are very high as fans scramble to get their hands on 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets to cheer on their favorite teams.
With prices already sky high months before the tournament, at a time when the country is facing a persistent “affordability crisis,” any loss will hurt even more. So if you're shopping for Haiti tickets to the Boston, Philadelphia or Atlanta matches next June, here are some general tips to help you stay safe.
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Whether you buy from FIFA directly or an unofficial reseller, there are three different types of tickets floating around. Be clear what you're buying:
As expected, prices are astronomical. As of Dec. 11, FIFA's list price for the Haiti-Scotland game was $2,350 per person, $3,140 per person for the Haiti-Brazil match and $1,450 per person.
On unofficial resale sites, tickets posted there — presumably by people who were allowed to buy from FIFA during the first release phases — tickets were significantly lower. But they are not guaranteed.
The three Haiti games were at the lowest for the Atlanta match, at $370 for one ticket. The upper range is well past the tens of thousands, varying by game and location:
“If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.”
Again, buying from resale platforms other than FIFA's own Marketplace may not guarantee entry at the stadium gate.
It may be a slog, but take the time to read descriptions of what FIFA or an unofficial reseller is offering before you add to cart.
Some platforms list the single ticket prices to entice clicks. Others promote their paired tickets. Whichever you need, be sure to read the printed information. If it's not clear whether the ticket is for one seat or more, consider that a red flag.
If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Fraudulent activity has hit record highs in the number of people scammed and amount of money reported stolen in recent years. Fraudsters have gotten really savvy at reaching people by email, text and social media and at targeting people to earn their trust.
That's why scammers now reach out not only in English, but also in Haitian Creole via messages, voice notes, WhatsApp groups and other channels. They can also set up fake websites and products, including counterfeit versions of a legitimate company's communications to persuade people to part with their money.
Efforts to use all these means to fleece people as the tournament nears are expected. Many times, they use fear to trigger panic so the target can't think straight.
So beware, and learn to spot fraudulent activity that may be underway. Again, if it seems too good to be true, or if a fear scenario sounds too outlandish, it probably is.
FIFA is using dynamic pricing, meaning prices may increase for high-demand matches, according to Goal, the soccer magazine. Think surge-pricing with Ubers and Lyfts based on demand.
Have your credit or debit card ready to pay when your turn comes to purchase. Tickets are selling fast, especially for popular teams like Brazil; they may be gone if you delay payment.
As with all tickets, they will be delivered via the FIFA World Cup 2026™ App.
Good luck!
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President Donald Trump accepts a peace award from FIFA, the international governing body of soccer, during the World Cup drawing on Dec. 5. (White House)
If you were appalled by the spectacle of Donald Trump clumsily accepting a peace trophy that looks like a prop from “Night of the Living Dead,” then brace yourself.
There may be worse in store.
To recount, Trump was given — to nobody's surprise — the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize” during the World Cup final draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington. You may recall that Trump named himself chair and master of ceremonies at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which for 50 years had been the nation's premier cultural institution and largely insulated from politics. Now, it's simply another reflection of Trump's MAGA whims, and an oddly political choice for the final draw.
I don't follow soccer — sorry, I mean football — but I gather from those who do that the final draw is an important day for fans, because that's when they know which teams will play at various host cities.
Next year's World Cup — which has been touted as the equivalent of 104 Super Bowls — is expected to be the biggest sporting event on the planet. The games will be held at 16 locations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada — including Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
The first game at Arrowhead will be Argentina (the 2022 Cup champion) versus Algeria on June 16.
But any news about the matchups was overshadowed by Trump's clutching of the prize (or rather, the medal that came with) from FIFA president Gianni Infantino. FIFA is the global governing body for the sport and it has a history of bad behavior. The 2022 Cup was embroiled in bribery claims and concern about human rights violations in the host country, Qatar. In 2015, following an FBI investigation, top FIFA officials were indicted for racketeering and money laundering. You can think of Infantino giving Trump the prize as akin to the world's most historically corrupt sports body giving a trophy to one of the world's most corrupt leaders.
Trump, smarting from not having received the Nobel Peace Prize he so lusted after, accepted the FIFA prize but couldn't resist taking a swipe at the Biden administration.
“The United States one year ago was not doing too well,” he said.
The prize, according to FIFA, is given “to reward individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world.”
FIFA did not reveal whether there were other nominees for the award or why the prize was announced just a month before. Apparently, the extrajudicial killings of alleged drug traffickers in small boats, the demonization and mass deportation of migrants at home, or threatening to invade Venezuela were not disqualifying factors.
The trophy, reputedly made of real gold, matched the absurdity of the award itself. It is a dread object, with zombie-like hands clawing upward, as if from the grave, at a globe that resembles a meatball you left in the microwave too long. But at least it was on brand. His mooning over the FIFA prize reminded me of the 2017 photo of Trump with his hands on a glowing orb in Saudi Arabia. No James Bond movie villain could signal his desire for world domination any clearer.
Why on this or any other Earth would FIFA indulge Trump?
To keep him happy.
Trump, a dangerous combination of ego and avarice, is about the only person who could seriously disrupt the World Cup games. Of the three host countries, the United States has the most locations, 11, and Trump has demonstrated his willingness to send troops to American cities for any reason. Also, most of the 6.5 million fans expected to attend this summer's games are from places that Trump may have taken a dislike to, including Africa and South America. At least one national team — Haiti — is from a place Trump has described as a “s***hole” country.
Travel bans could seriously disrupt the ability of fans to attend games, and without fans there is no fan money. While claims that the World Cup is equivalent to 104 Super Bowls are likely overblown, there is no denying that a staggering amount of money is at stake. Tickets for the 2026 games are the most expensive in the World Cup's history. Admission for the best matches range into the thousands of dollars and “dynamic pricing” — a first for FIFA — will set prices for some games according to demand.
The six games to be played at Arrowhead, including one quarter-final game, are expected to attract 650,000 visitors to the region. To support that tourism, the state of Missouri is giving $74 million, and Kansas is chipping in $28 million.
Infantino, once a Trump critic, now considers the MAGA leader a friend. FIFA's ethics committee has been asked to investigate whether Infantino violated the organization's neutrality rules in giving Trump the peace prize. From a business standpoint, it might seem like a bauble to keep him happy.
But why would Trump accept such a prize when it is so obviously absurd?
He must know that, coming on the heels of his Nobel disappointment, it appears to be some kind of poor substitute. There has been sport over this at Trump's expense, but the joke is probably on us.
We've been here before.
Or at least the world has.
When the 1934 World Cup was hosted by Italy, dictator Benito Mussolini seized the opportunity to turn sport into propaganda.
Consider the official poster, the work of illustrator Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, an early adherent of Italian Fascism and the author of the “Futurist Manifesto.” It presaged a new movement that would glorify war; scorn women; and worship technology, destruction and speed. His World Cup poster is bold and unsettling, a dynamic male figure in an Italian national team shirt poised to kick the living daylights out of a brown ball, a fasces tucked into one corner.
“Mussolini was no great soccer fan, but he recognized the sport's power both in terms of projecting an image of strength and in bringing the country together,” writes Jonathan Wilson in his 2025 book, “The Power and the Glory: The History of the World Cup.”
From its inception, Wilson writes, soccer has always been about far more than soccer. FIFA was organized in 1904, but the first World Cup wasn't held until 1930, in Uruguay. In 1934, the cup was still new enough that much of the football world, including England, simply decided to sit the games out. But for Mussolini, the World Cup was a way to project fascist strength. He made himself central to the games, famously paying for his own tickets and watching from the stands as Italy kicked the daylights out of the United States.
Mussolini also created a trophy — the “Coppa del Duce” — as an additional prize to be given to the winner.
Sculpted in bronze, the trophy depicted players in front of the fasces — the axe and bundle that was the symbol of ancient Rome, co-opted by the fascists. It was also six times the size of the Jules Rimet, the original World Cup trophy named for FIFA's longest-serving president. That trophy depicted the Greek goddess Victory and was used from 1930 to 1970. The current trophy, in use since 1974, is a somewhat abstract representation of two athletes exulting in victory.
I prefer the look of the old trophy, but alas it was stolen in 1983. All that's ever been found is the stone base.
Now, I understand that Trump is no Mussolini.
But he is Il Duce-like in his awareness of image, and by placing himself center stage at the World Cup, he is reaching a vast global audience where football is played with a white ball and you can't touch it with your hands. Typically, when the word “vast” is used it's mostly hype, but in this case no other description comes close. FIFA is projecting that 6 billion people will watch at least one of the games, up about a billion from the last World Cup.
That is 75% of the world's population.
How many people in the world know who won the Nobel Peace Prize?
If you know it was María Corina Machado of Venezuela, pat yourself on the back. You're part of the informed minority. Machado, who was awarded the prize for her peaceful efforts to overthrow Nicolás Maduro's dictatorship, has dedicated the prize to Trump and now supports the use of force for regime change.
Hear that? I'm doing a forehead slap.
The world has become as dangerous as it was in 1934, if not more so. Let's see, there was something else I was going to mention about dictators and sports. Oh yes, it was this: two years after Mussolini muscled his way to the forefront of the World Cup, another leader — Adolf Hitler — used the Olympics in Berlin to show the world the strength of the Nazi regime. But Jesse Owens taught the Führer a thing or two about the myth of the master race.
Save your cards and letters. I'm not saying Trump is Mussolini or Hitler.
But the tune sounds familiar.
Just about everyone with a screen of any kind — a computer, a smartphone, or communal access to a television — is expected to watch come summer. If they're not plugged in individually, they'll be gathered in schools or pubs, experiencing perhaps the national thrill of victory or the cold embrace of defeat, but at some point they are bound to have seen an image of Trump clutching that damned trophy, and for some the image will stick.
A man of peace.
Never mind the dozens of blown-to-bits occupants of the small boats in the Caribbean and the murder of the two survivors of the first strike, on Sept. 2. Never mind that just days after receiving the dread object, he seized an oil tanker off the Venezuelan coast as part of a massive military buildup that appears ready to topple the Maduro regime.
For my part, I will avoid as much of the World Cup nonsense as possible. If it's on a television I have control of, I'll change the channel. If it pops up on my feed, I'll swipe past. No ads for World Cup merch will sway me. The “peace prize” alone was enough to persuade me not to spend a single dollar on anything related to FIFA or the World Cup. Well, I did buy Wilson's book, but that taught me how politics have always been deeply embedded in the history of soccer.
Meanwhile, I'll watch how plans for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles are shaping up. Politico reports that nearly all of the new board members to the Olympic planning committee have MAGA ties.
I hope Haiti wins the Cup.
Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.
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by Max McCoy, Kansas Reflector December 14, 2025
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Max McCoy is an award-winning author and journalist. A Kansan, he started his career at the Pittsburg Morning Sun and was soon writing for national magazines. His investigative stories on unsolved murders, serial killers and hate groups earned him first-place awards from the Associated Press Managing Editors and other organizations. McCoy has also written more than 20 books, the most recent of which is "Elevations: A Personal Exploration of the Arkansas River," named a Kansas Notable Book by the state library. "Elevations" also won the National Outdoor Book Award, in the history/biography category.
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Arne Slot says there is "no issue to resolve" with Mohamed Salah after the Liverpool forward returned to the fold in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Brighton. The Egypt star was left out of Tuesday's Champions League win over Inter Milan after an explosive interview in which he accused the club of "throwing me under the bus" and saying his relationship with the Reds boss had broken down.
Emerging from the substitutes bench on the 26th-minute mark following an injury to Joe Gomez, Salah made his first appearance since his incendiary remarks about Liverpool and manager Slot in the aftermath of the 3-3 Premier League draw with Leeds United.
The 33-year-old came close to making an immediate impact against Brighton as he teed up Alexis Mac Allister, only for the chance to break down as the Argentina midfielder opted to pass rather than shoot.
However, former Chelsea and Roma winger Salah eventually recorded an assist when his second-half corner was headed home by Hugo Ekitike, who also put Liverpool in front after latching onto Gomez's knockdown inside the opening minute at Anfield.
Watching on as an unused substitute as Liverpool twice threw away the lead to draw with Leeds last Saturday, Salah subsequently conducted an emotionally-charged interview in which he was heavily critical of both the club and Slot.
"I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame," Salah told a handful of journalists after the game. "I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager (Slot), and all of a sudden we don't have any relationship.
"I don't know why but it seems to me, how I see it, that someone doesn't want me in the club. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That is how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame."
Salah was then absent as Liverpool earned a 1-0 victory over Italian giants Inter in the Champions League in midweek, with Dominik Szoboszlai scoring a decisive penalty in the 88th minute.
However, following Salah's impressive display against Brighton, Slot has since set the record straight on his relationship with the Liverpool talisman.
When asked whether there was still a problem between himself and Salah, the Dutchman said: "For me, there's no issue to resolve. For me, he's now the same as any other player. You talk to your players if you are happy or unhappy with things. But there's nothing to talk about after what happened against Leeds after the game."
And in a separate interview with Sky Sports, Slot said: "I think he (Salah) was a threat. The first ball he touched, he almost made an assist for Mac Allister. He was constantly involved in the fact that we had Mo. Pleasing to see but not a surprise.
"It was an easy decision to put him in the squad. I have said many times before what has been said between us will stay between us. We needed him and he assisted to the 2-0 which is nice for us. We have been so many times this season on the wrong side of the set-piece battle. He goes to the AFCON and that means for us another player down. This is what we knew before the season started. Hopefully one or two players can come back from injury."
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While Slot has attempted to build bridges following Salah's remarks, it remains to be seen whether Liverpool's No. 11 will remain at the club beyond the January transfer window, which opens in just 18 days' time.
The ex-Fiorentina and Basel ace, who is a target for a host of clubs in the Saudi Pro League, will now head to Egypt's camp ahead of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), which begins on Sunday, 21 December in Morocco.
Meanwhile, Liverpool return to league action when they travel to Tottenham next Saturday. Slot's men will then entertain winless Wolves on Saturday, 27 December, in what will be their final home fixture of 2025. They will then play host to Leeds on New Year's Day.
First Ruben Amorim came for Marcus Rashford but Manchester United fans did not speak out because they had also questioned his commitment and performances. Then he came for Alejandro Garnacho and still they did not speak out as the winger's attitude had become unbearable. But then he came for Kobbie Mainoo and there was total uproar, enough to finally push the patient supporters over the edge.
In Amorim's very first interview as Manchester United manager with the club's website, he said the most important thing was not to get his players to adapt to his new formation but to go back to the basics of what it meant to play for the Red Devils.
"The most important thing is the feeling of belonging of the club. And we have history in that department," Amorim said after his first week working at Carrington.
"I think it's important because a lot of people now talk about the 3-4-3 and the 4-3-3 and all that stuff. But when I think as a player or as a team-mate of Manchester United, it is not a system or formation, it's like the character of the players, the way they see the club. The most important thing for me at this moment is to create the principles, the identity and the character that we had in the past."
Ask any United fan what the club's identity is and two themes will come up: bold, attacking football and young players, particularly homegrown young players. Amorim has given little priority to either principle.
While United fans have been remarkably patient with the coach that presided over their worst campaign in 51 years, continuing to sing that the Portuguese will "turn the Reds around" at matches, his sparse use of Mainoo, who is the only academy graduate in the squad with a first-team appearance to his name, is severely testing their faith...
United's fans' feelings towards Mainoo could be seen in the rapturous applause he got when he came off the bench against Wolves on Monday. But the timing of his arrival said all about his lack of importance in the team. It was the 78th minute and United were already 3-1 up against the worst team in the league, perhaps in Premier League history.
It was hard not to think back to when Mainoo appeared at Molineux for the first time little more than two years ago, playing the whole game and scoring a last-gasp winner with a jinking run and low curled finish right into the bottom corner. There was tangible excitement about Mainoo then after scoring his first Premier League goal against Wolves, which he followed with a stunning curler against Liverpool and then finished off an incredible team goal which proved to be the winner in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
His rapid ascension into the England team to play six games at Euro 2024 seemed to cement his rise but his career is now at a crossroads as he is still waiting for his first Premier League start of the season. The most he has played was 45 minutes against Burnley in August when Mason Mount got injured. He is averaging 12 minutes per Premier League game.
Amorim started Mainoo in eight of his first 13 Premier League games, mostly in the double midfield pivot alongside Manuel Ugarte. The most eye-brow-raising moment was when he started him as a false nine against Crystal Palace, a game United lost 2-0. He then suffered an injury in training which kept him out for two months and when he returned Casemiro had re-established his place in the midfield two, with Mainoo only starting when Amorim wanted to rest players for the Europa League knockout rounds.
Mainoo's brilliant goal against Lyon kept United in the competition but he was not rewarded with a bigger role and in the final against Tottenham he was brought on in added time. But it was still a surprise to see him not start any of the team's first three Premier League games and his continued absence from the line-up four months into the season has led to Amorim, understandably, being frequently asked why he has used Mainoo so little.
And when Mainoo's name was mentioned in a press conference in the aftermath of the limp 1-1 draw at home to West Ham, Amorim let out a snigger, stunning journalists in the room and angering many fans watching online. To the coach, it would seem, Mainoo had become something of a joke.
"I understand what you are saying - you love Kobbie, he started for England," he said. "But that doesn't mean that I need to put Kobbie [in] when I feel that I shouldn't put Kobbie [in], so it's my decision. I just want to win, I don't look who it is, I don't care about that, I'm just trying to put the best players on the pitch."
Amorim, though, was missing a crucial point: it does matter that Mainoo is the only academy player left and he is barely part of the team any more. It led to heated conversation between the coach and BBC journalist Simon Stone, who suggested Amorim did not “trust” players from the academy. "Why?" was the coach's tetchy response, only to be told "because you never pick any players from it". To sum up the dire situation, Amorim mentioned Mainoo as one academy player he does pick.
Mainoo's lack of playing time has partly led to a large focus falling on Shea Lacey, the 18-year-old from Liverpool who has been named in the squad for the last four matches.
The mention of Lacey led to more incredulity from Amorim, who reasonably explained that Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo were more reliable options than the untested teenager. United fans are not really up in arms about Lacey's lack of minutes. It is the absence of Mainoo, who started a European Championship final and scored in an FA Cup final, and who many believe could make his stop-start team better, that people find hard to understand.
And for all Amorim talks about wanting to win, his team are not doing it regularly enough.
In the coach's defence, he has far fewer games in which to give opportunities to young players than last season, when Chido Obi, Toby Collyer, Tyler Fredricson and Harry Amass all got their chances. Mainoo, though, had already proven himself but is a victim of Amorim's rigid system and his insistence on playing two midfielders. It means that he is directly competing with Bruno Fernandes, who just happens to be United's most important player and someone who never gets injured.
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Amorim has been unable to give any assurances that Mainoo will play more when Mbeumo and Amad head to the AFCON. And while an obvious solution is to play Fernandes further forward to replace Mbeumo in attacking midfield and bring Mainoo back in, it is more likely that Mason Mount will get a greater run in the team and the 20-year-old will stay in the shadows.
For Mainoo to get his career going again, seeking a loan move in January is obligatory. The fact that he does not want to leave permanently, or at least not yet, shows that he is still committed to the club and does not want to jump ship, especially with Amorim's long-term future at the club far from secure. But now prominent former United players are urging him to leave.
"If I think about it and put myself in Kobbie Mainoo's shoes I'm out of there, I've got to," said Rio Ferdinand on his Youtube channel. "He has just wasted 18 months of his career now at Manchester United. He's probably been there six months longer than he should've been. He should've just gone and I think his agent and more importantly his family around him have to protect him."
Paul Scholes made his feelings clear with a furious outburst on Instagram earlier this month after Amorim had claimed Mainoo was a starter. "Bulls***," Scholes wrote in reaction to Amorim's remarks. "The kid is being ruined, not being played in a team that can't control a game of football. Hate seeing home grown players leave but it's probably best for him now, enough is enough."
Scholes deleted his comments but he doubled down on the same view in the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and the Football podcast. "You would have to advise him to go. If he rang me and said 'I think Chelsea are in for me what do you think?' I'd say 'all day long'"
For Scholes, the Mainoo saga is just one example that shows Amorim is not the right manager for United. "I don't think the manager gets this club, full stop," he said. "I just don't think he's the right man. Man United is about risk and entertainment more than anything, at home having fans on their seat f***ing ready to go, wingers who beat people, shots on goal.
"There is nothing there. He brought four defenders on against West Ham. If we go 1-0 up, the manager always said you go for the jugular, you get two, three, four. He just doesn't get it, I don't think anyone at the club gets Man United."
Scholes added: "They love homegrown players at United, of course they do, so why is Jason Wilcox, Berrada, allowing the manager to treat a homegrown talent like that? If you're winning every week and are top of the league, yeah but they're 12th in the league."
And that is the key point. Amorim would have very few critics if he was overseeing United's rise to the top with little homegrown influence. In times of trouble, seeing locally raised players break into the team, as Mainoo and Garnacho did during Erik ten Hag's difficult second season, can soothe the wounds.
United's win over Wolves took them into sixth in the Premier League but the real test comes now in a busy Christmas period when United take on Bournemouth, Aston Villa and Newcastle United and will have to make do without Amad and Mbeumo. And if the season continues on this pattern of one step forward and one step back then the dissenting voices about the way Amorim is taking the club will turn into a full-on revolt.
Three days and counting.
With the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF set to begin Wednesday in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, American Nishesh Basavareddy was among the 20-and-under emerging stars who got a taste for conditions at the King Abdullah Sports City Sunday.
The Newport Beach, California, native is back for the eight-player tournament for the second year, but with coach Gilles Cervara in his box for the first time. The 20-year-old asked the Frenchman, the former longtime coach of Daniil Medvedev, to join his team at the beginning of December.
“Obviously he had a long and successful partnership with Daniil, who was a good player before they started working together, but they did a lot of great things together,” Basavareddy told ATPTour.com.
“I thought that experience at the highest level could help me where I'm at in my career. It's not just the tennis; he's interested in all aspects. He's diligent and professional in areas such as nutrition and fitness and that will help me.”
Croatian Dino Prizmic, a two-time ATP Challenger Tour title winner this year, practised with Spanish 19-year-old Rafael Jodar, who qualified for Jeddah after winning three Challengers in the final three months of the season. Both players are making their tournament debuts.
Belgium's Alexander Blockx, who stands 6'4”, hit a series of crushing forehands during his session with Norwegian Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, a four-time Challenger Tour champion this season.
German 18-year-old Justin Engel practised with countryman and former Top 100 player Michael Kohlmann.
The draw and Day 1 schedule will be made later on Sunday.
All eight players compete on the three days of group play Wednesday through Friday, with the semi-finals Saturday and the final Sunday.
Past winners of the tournament include Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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McLaren's unstoppable season | 2025 FIA Awards
McLaren's Lando Norris received his Drivers' Championship trophy at the FIA Awards in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Lando Norris has reflected on his “incredible” Drivers' Championship win as he was presented with the trophy at the FIA Awards on Friday night in Uzbekistan, 11 years on after he appeared at the awards as karting world champion.
The McLaren driver came out on top in Sunday's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix finale as the fight for the drivers' title went down to the final race of an epic 2025 season – Norris, team mate Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen all had a chance of winning at Yas Marina.
While four-time champion Verstappen won the race, Norris' third place result was enough to see him seal the title by just two points, which led to emotional post-race scenes as the Briton realised his childhood dream.
On Friday, in Tashkent, Norris collected his trophy on stage at the FIA Awards, while also looking back on a hard-fought year.
"Where do I start?” Norris said. “Congratulations and thank you to McLaren, the team I've been with for many, many years on giving both of us an incredible car that at times made our life very easy, and beautiful, and we could bring home many wins all the way to the end of the season.
"Of course, Mr Piastri, the incredible team mate that I've had, who has helped me improve so much over the last few seasons and made us the team that we are, allowed us to turn into the team winning two constructors' back-to-back.
1 / 4
Norris collected his trophy on stage at the FIA Awards. Tap on the gallery to view more photos from the evening
"Of course, to Max as well, for challenging us the whole way, putting us under pressure, just doing what Max always does.
"It was incredible. Obviously this is a lot of people's dreams, a lot of racing drivers' dreams and I got to finally live it – live that one dream that I had when I was a little kid.”
Back in 2014, a young Norris was on stage at the FIA Awards to collect his trophy as karting world champion, and he also looked back on his journey through F1 from that moment 11 years ago.
He added: "It's been amazing to grow up here alongside a lot of you guys, deliver it with McLaren and to get to race all the World Champions that I've been racing against – Lewis [Hamilton], Max [Verstappen], Seb [Vettel], Fernando [Alonso].
"All the incredible drivers that I looked up to and watched when I was a little kid and get that chance to race against them, to try and beat them and to show what I can do against them all and we managed to do that this year.
"So [I'm] very proud, very happy of course. [I] got very emotional on Sunday after the race, then got extremely drunk and had an amazing time!"
There was also a moment of humour on stage as Norris dropped an expletive, saying: "I and we had our fair share of mistakes and **** ups. Can I say that here? I'm ok?"
He then continued: "Sorry, yeah. I got fined! I can pay it off now!"
McLaren CEO Zak Brown was also on stage to lift the Teams' Championship trophy alongside the Woking-based squad's Team Principal Andrea Stella – the pair having led McLaren back to the front of the grid in recent seasons.
"Fantastic season,” said Brown. "All the men and women at McLaren have done an unbelievable job led by our two awesome drivers, of course the job Andrea has done leading.
"To go into the final race with two drivers fighting for the World Championship when everyone said that couldn't be done, I'm just very proud of how McLaren went racing and that's exactly what we plan to do next year."
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By Nancy Tartaglione
International Box Office Editor/Senior Contributor
Refresh for latest…: Three weekends in and the animals are still running wild. Disney's Zootopia 2 has now zoomed to an estimated $1.137B ($1,136.7M precisely) worldwide, including $877.7M from the international box office — of which a little over $500M comes from China. With weekend three, Zoo 2 surpasses the lifetime of the first Zootopia both globally and internationally.
Z2 crossed $1B global on Friday, the second studio movie to the mark this year. It got to the coveted milestone in just 17 days, the fastest ever for a Hollywood animation and for any PG-rated title. Z2 has also become the No. 7 animated Hollywood movie of all time globally and No. 4 at the international box office. It is currently No. 1 for 2025 worldwide and overseas.
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Weekend three added $131.1M from 52 material offshore markets — a 41% overall international drop (-28% excluding China), with standout holds in key markets including Japan (-13%), Australia (-16%), Germany (-19%), Korea (-20%), Brazil (-21%), Mexico (-23%), France (-25%), Spain (-33%) and the UK (-35%). The film remains the No. 1 MPA title in all significant international markets.
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In Japan, Zootopia 2 posted the highest grossing second weekend ever for any Walt Disney Animation Studios release and 3rd highest of all time, with an estimated $10.6M.
The Top 5 cumes to date are: China ($502.4M), France ($36.4M), Korea ($35M), Japan ($27.7M) and Mexico ($24.9M).
In Imax, Z2 has grossed $56.6M globally, the 2nd studio animation ever to pass $50M in the format. It's the No. 4 Imax animated release ever.
Meanwhile, Five Nights at Freddy's 2 saw a 58% drop in the sophomore frame, grossing $19.1M in 78 markets for an international cume of $78.3M, overtaking The Black Phone 2 and Smile 2. Globally, the Universal/Blumhouse-Atomic Monster sequel has grossed $173.8M.
The Top 5 markets to date are: Mexico ($11.7M), UK ($7M), Brazil ($5.2M), Spain ($4.6M) and Australia ($4.4M).
Also from Universal, Wicked: For Good brewed up another $7.7M in 80 markets for a running total of $155.8M overseas and $468M global.
Tops through today are: UK ($53.6M), Australia ($17.9M), Germany ($9M), Korea ($6.4M) and Mexico ($6.3M).
China releases on December 24, followed by Japan on March 6.
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By Glenn Garner
Associate Editor
As Lily Allen returned to the Studio 8H stage for the first time in nearly 20 years, she had some company from a familiar face.
Dakota Johnson made a surprise appearance this weekend on Saturday Night Live, joining the Grammy-nominated singer onstage during a performance of ‘Madeline' from Allen's new album West End Girl.
Appearing on her fifth studio album in October, which was partially inspired by her pending divorce from actor David Harbour, Allen's ‘Madeline' recounts an exchange she had with the titular other woman while her spouse cheated on her.
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Johnson appeared as a silhouette from behind a curtain and a voice on the phone throughout the song, emerging onto the stage at the end to give Allen a kiss.
During Saturday's episode, which was hosted by Josh O'Connor, Allen also performed her song ‘Sleepwalking', in addition to making a cameo in a sketch inspired by her music.
Johnson's surprise appearance comes after she hosted SNL for the second time last year with musical guest Justin Timberlake.
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By Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
SUNDAY AM Writethru: The 50th weekend of the year is ringing up $80M per ComScore, off -13% from a year ago; but that's only because last year there were two wide-entries, ironically failed fanboy titles, in Sony's dud Kraven the Hunter ($11M) and New Line's misfire Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim ($4.5M). If you subtract those two movies, you essentially had the potency of carryovers (Moana 2 was No. 1 with $26.4M and Wicked No. 2 with $22.6M), and this weekend those are Disney's third frame of Zootopia 2 with $26.3M, -39%, and Universal/Blumhouse's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 with $19.5M, -70%.
The greater glory for Zootopia 2 is offshore with an overall global haul of $1.13 billion making it officially the No. 1 MPA global release of the year (besting Disney's own Lilo & Stitch), and the 7th highest grossing MPA animated title overall. The pic is the No. 2 MPA release in China with $502M behind only Avengers: Endgame (reported, unadjusted total is $632.1M). Disney owns three of the top five spots for MPA titles in the Middle Kingdom.
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Last weekend, Disney became the highest grossing MPA studio YTD, with $5.1 billion, surpassing Warner Bros' $4.2 billion. Disney is the first and only studio to cross that mark YTD, and the only studio to achieve such a feat in back-to-back years. It's also Disney's third time since 2018; no other studio has reached $5B in that span.
Zootopia 2‘s third frame earned $5.2M in global Imax screens raising its cume for the large format exhibitor to $56.6M, and making the movie the second-highest grossing MPA animated title to cross $50M at the Imax box office.
In general, this weekend before the big Christmas tentpole, historically excels with a wide family entry (Jumanji, Wonka, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse). We already have Zootopia 2 and Five Nights at Freddy's 2 doing well, so, none needed. But Disney decided to go wide with James L. Brooks' seventh directorial, Ella McCCay, at 2,500 theaters, which sadly didn't find an audience with a Disney-reported $2.1M. It's also the octogenarian's worst reviewed movie ever at 22% on Rotten Tomatoes and his lowest wide release opening as director (his Terms of Endearment back in 1984 debuted to $3.5M at 260 theaters). The opening here is even lower than Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis' Tom Hanks-Robin Wright re-team last year, Here, which really pressed on moviegoers' nerves with its fixed camera shtick, opening at $4.8M.
Disney selected this date as Brooks' canon historically has gone in the mid-to-late December corridor (Broadcast News, How Do You Know, Spanglish, etc). If reviews were good, the hope was that an older female audience would show up. While you could say that the director shouldn't have gambled entirely on a fresh face to star in the movie in the sublime Emma Mackey, even if this movie starred a more bankable name, i.e. Anne Hathaway, it would still have an uphill battle ala Brooks' failed $120M Reese Witherspoon-Owen Wilson romcom, How Do You Know which opened to $7.4M, topped off at $30.2M domestic and north of $48M global. And that movie came out at a time when Witherspoon and Wilson could open movies. What remains true then, remains true now and that is prestige drama/dramedies, which audiences use to find in theaters thanks to Brooks, are too prevalent on TV at home. Why leave the house to watch them? In 2010, it was HBO, and nowadays it's streaming. Brooks is one of the most lucrative content creators for Disney in The Simpsons. It stands to reason that they'd fully support the guy's passion projects, especially, if it's a new Simpsons movie they crave. Ella McCay is very 1980s in its sensibility and set-up: a newly christened state lieutenant governor who has to contend with the off-kilter men in her life including her father, her little brother, her husband and her boss. It's really not a bad movie; it's just the sign of the times in regards to what transcends and doesn't on the big screen. Once upon a time, Ella McCay, would have clicked.
Ella McCay gets a B- Cinemascore, which is better than How Do You Know‘s C- and the same as Brooks' 1994 I'll Do Anything. Screen Engine/Comscore PostTrak audiences were hard on the film with 2 stars, 62% and a 39% definite recommend. Female leaning movie at 57% with 59% over 45. The under 25 are non-existent in 12%. Though an even play across the country, it's very light. Highest grossing venue was AMC Lincoln Square with $5K. Not a diverse turnout in 68% Caucasian, 15% Hispanic and Latino, 6% Asian American and 4% Black.
Social media analytics firm RelishMix counts a reach of 65 million across TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, X and Instagram which is -59% other drama/comedies before opening, i.e. Ticket to Paradise, Marry Me and Fly Me to the Moon.
Reports RelishMix, “Mixed-negative leaning chatter for Ella McCay zeroes in on script, tone, and casting logic. Others critique the aesthetics and character logic, from ‘Too many cliches' to ‘a 29-year-old British French actress playing a 34-year-old state Governor of Rhode Island, yep sounds about right.' The screaming-therapy hook creates friction: ‘Screamers. Nope' pairs with ‘I was kind ok with it… but then they started screaming.' Some viewers target Jamie Lee Curtis with ‘Jamie Lee Curtis? Hard pass sadly' and ‘Can't say I'm looking forward to that one, despite the great cast' underline the skepticism toward Ella McCay.”
Updated Sunday chart:
1.Zootopia 2 (Dis) 3,835 (-165) theaters, Fri $6.2M (-39%), 3-day $26.3M (-39%), Total $258.97M/Wk 3
2. Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (Uni) 3,579 (+167) theaters, Fri $5.6M (-81%), Sat $8.4M Sun $5.37M 3-day $19.5M (-70%), Total $95.4M/Wk 2
3. Wicked: For Good (Uni) 3,480 (-505) theaters, Fri $2.27M (-50%) Sat $3.65M Sun $2.6M 3-day $8.55M (-51%), Total $312.1M/Wk 4
4. Dhurandhar (Moviegoer) 377 (-13) theaters, Fri $939K (=81%), 3-day $3.5M (+78%), Total $7.9M/Wk 2The Aditya Dhar directed movie, starring Ranveer Singh is putting up impressive numbers in NYC, Toronto, Austin, DC, Seattle, Vancouver, San Francisco and Dallas to name a few. The movie is inspired by true events set in the gritty criminal vein of underworld with a backdrop of Indian patriotism, featuring action sequences, Shakespearean betrayals, and tradecrafts of espionage.
5.Now You See Me: Now You Don't (LG) 2,411 (-218) theatres, Fri $725K (-30%) Sat $1M Sun $635K 3-day $2.38M (-32%) Total $59.3M/Wk 5
6. Ella McCay (20th) 2,500 theaters, Fri $850K, Sat $700K Sun $550K 3-day $2.1M/Wk 1
6. Jujutsu Kasen: Execution (Gkids) 1,700 (-133) theaters Fri $606K Sat $846K Sun $650K 3-day $2.1M (-79%), Total $14.5M/Wk 2
8. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Uni) 2,250 theaters, Fri $490K Sat $800K Sun $560K, 3-day $1.85M, Total $264.2M/Wk 1 (re)
9. Eternity (A24) 2,067 (-319) theaters, Fri $551K (-38%) Sat $656K Sun 535K 3-day $1.77M (-37%), Total $12.99M /Wk 3
10. The Shining (1980) (re) 400 theaters, Fri $580K Sat $540K Sun $440K, 3-day $1.56M, Lifetime total $47.7M/Wk 1 (re)This was a 45th anniversary Imax release of the film. Global take was $1.65M.
11. Hamnet (Foc) 749 (+3) theaters Fri $460K (-46%) Sat $570K Sun $470K 3-day $1.5M (-35%), Total $7M/Wk 3
Notable:
Silent Night, Deadly Night (Cineverse) 1,640 theaters, Fri $474K, Sat $361K Sun $285K 3-day $1.1M/Wk 1Soft results but 81% fresh with critics off 62 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81% audience score for this Mike P. Nelson directed redo of the 1984 cult horror movie which originally grossed $2.5M.
FRIDAY PM: A quiet pre-Christmas weekend at the box office, though still commendable as two movies could clear $20M+; Disney's Zootopia 2 in its third weekend definitely is with $25M at 3,835 sites, -40%, for a running cume of $257.6M. Nancy already reported that the Disney threequel is the third movie of YTD after Ne Zha 2 ($1.9M) and Lilo & Stitch to clear $1B. The sequel's Friday is around $6M.
Blumhouse/Universal's Five Nights at Freddy's 2 is No. 2 with $19.6M at 3,579 theaters, -69% for a running cume of $95.7M. As we told you, ala anime, it's a front-loaded type of crowd, even though this sequel was pure theatrical unlike the first chapter's day-and-date on Peacock and multiplexes. Friday is $5.5M. Five Nights at Freddy's fell -76% in its second frame, and that was after massive views on Peacock. Hence, a better hold this weekend for part 2. At the time that movie opened in late October 2023, it posted the best five-day viewership for Peacock for a movie or TV series at the time.
Universal's also has No. 3 with the fourth frame of Wicked: For Good with $2.1M today at 3,480 theaters, $8M for the weekend, -54%, and a running total of $311.6M. Wicked 2 crossed the three-century mark on Tuesday, becoming the fifth title to do so YTD after A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Superman, and Jurassic World: Rebirth. However, next Wicked through its fourth weekend, Wicked: For Good is pacing -13% behind that's pic's cume at the same point in time. Final B.O. on Wicked was $474.9M.
Fourth is 20th Century Studios' James L. Brooks directed dramedy Ella McCay which is no good at $800K today, $3M opening at 2,500 theaters. We heard previews which began at 2PM yesterday were around $200K. We'll assess more as the weekend goes for this latest title from the 3x Oscar winner of Terms of Endearment. Seventy-six reviews just don't get it at 21% Rotten (I, however, did get it; and enjoyed it).Let the record show that the latest from the 85-year old filmmaker is cheaper with a $30M production cost before P&A than his previous movies, 2010's How Do You Know ($120M), 2004's Spanglish ($80M), 1992's As Good As It Gets ($50M uninflated), and his 1994 initially shot musical turned dramedy, I'll Do Anything ($40M unadjusted for inflation).
Fifth goes to Gkids' second weekend of Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution with $600K today, $2.1M for the 3-day, -79%, and a ten-day total by Sunday EOD of $14.5M.
Coming up solid is Uni's re-release of the Jim Carrey starring, Ron Howard directed, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas at 2,250 sites with $600K today and $1.8M for the weekend for a running cume of $264.2M.
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Funny how China still makes a film a success despite getting hardly any of that box office haul. If Superman or Captain America had done in China what Zoo is, they'd both be hailed as successful but are both bombs because they didn't.
No ur wrong. the break even point was 425 million for both films so they are major successes
Given that part 2 will make 2-300M less and pretty much kill any chance at a potential part 3, I doubt anyone will consider Wicked For Good a success.
Got to see Hamnet tonight. I probably haven't shed that many tears in a film in years. Yet, I left feeling so uplifted. It's such a wonderful film.
Yikes, Wicked has fallen off a cliff. Probably won't even break even given how much it cost to make and the insane amount of money they spent on promotion.
Silent Night, Deadly Night should've stayed a one and done in 1984. Every sequel and now two remakes can't come close to the original at all. At least this remake was better than the previous films but still doesn't hold a candle to the original
was torn between seeing silent night or the shining …chose silent night cuz of the season and I have a soft spot for the original… this movie was really entertaining and well acted and had solid lead characters.. should have been better promoted.. all the nods to the original series were fun too and other Christmas horror films
.too bad it bombed… anyway the shining did well.. happy about that
Should have been released in October. No Christmas slasher does well at the box office in December.
That's like saying Halloween horror movies shouldn't be released in October.
Also, KRAMPUS and VIOLENT NIGHT say hello.
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By
John Avlon
It's never a good sign when the United States' national security plan is praised by Russia as being “largely consistent with our vision.”
But that's the bizarro world we're living in, where Donald Trump and his administration continue to embolden our autocratic adversaries and alienate our democratic allies.
This is now official American policy, delivered in the form of the newly released National Security Strategy — a directional document issued by every administration to announce its strategic priorities and posture to the world.
Full of Trumpian bluster and contradictions, this document represents a complete break from the world America built with its allies in the wake of the Second World War. It is a red, white, and blue middle finger to the free world. In places, it even sounds like it was written by the Kremlin, framing our foreign policy approach to date as being the result of “elites [who] convinced themselves that permanent American domination of the entire world was in the best interests of our country.”
This is a slander and a slur on the bipartisan liberal internationalism that is based on collective security agreements — among western democracies of all sizes — to act as a counterweight to autocratic aggression, like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Literally no American administration — from Truman to Reagan to Obama — has believed that “permanent American domination of the entire world was in the best interests of our country.”
That is, however, a frequent Russian talking point, parroted by useful idiots on the far-right and far-left. The fact that the current Trump administration's 28-point peace proposal for Ukraine drew from Russian documents only highlights the reflexive dictator admiration of this president. It is now backed up by a material retreat from NATO allies, a Christmas gift long on Vladimir Putin's wish list.
This national security plan codifies that the Trump administration finds common cause with the axis of autocrats by advocating regional hegemony as a vision for the 21st century. This allows Trump to parade high-minded words like “sovereignty” and “peace” in ways that dovetail with Russia and China's preferred direction of the world.
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In this vision, the United States leans into its role as the defender of the Western Hemisphere — which helps explain Trump's repeated, bleated interest in everything from annexing Greenland and Canada to retaking the Panama Canal, and of course the current threats to the odious Maduro regime in Venezuela (more on that later).
The flipside to Trump's regional power grabs is an uneasy might-makes-right balance-of-power peace with the other regional hegemons China and Russia. China gets to dominate Asia, with Taiwan a tempting target on Chinese president-for-life Xi's to-do list. Russia gets eastern Ukraine and a weakened NATO, dovetailing perfectly with the musings of J.D. Vance's right-wing Svengali Curtis Yarvin, whose stated foreign policy vision for Europe is to “give Russia a free hand on the continent.”
Dictators throughout history have claimed the pursuit of peace is their only aim. But the peace they advocate is always peace at the point of a bayonet, one that requires surrender under threat of invasion and annihilation. It is a vision of “peace” captured by the great Mel Brooks in his film To Be Or Not To Be, when Brooks, playing Hitler in an onstage satire, protests that all he wants is peace: “A little piece of Poland/A little piece of France/A little piece of Portugal/and Austria perchance…”
In the recent past, the far-left was stereotypically most susceptible to these appeasing visions of peace. But now we see the rise of what might be called “code pink conservatives” who embrace an isolationist view of the world that doesn't really give a damn what happens past our shores, as Vance infamously proclaimed regarding the fate of Ukraine. This is naïve in the extreme — especially if you believe in peace through strength.
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The contradictions are everywhere. As Washington Post columnist Max Boot points out: “The [National Security Strategy] says ‘we must continue to improve commercial (and other) relations with India' even while U.S.-India relations have been wrecked by Trump's 50 percent tariffs. The NSS also vows ‘to maintain the United States' unrivaled ‘soft power,'' even as the administration eviscerates actual instruments of soft power, such as Voice of America and the U.S. Agency for International Development.”
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In the days after the National Security Strategy was released, Trump added to the whiplash by approving the sale of critical Nvidia AI chips to China, undercutting the tough talk about ensuring American leadership in the AI arms race. And those delusional Trump supporters who convinced themselves that The Donald was a dove, are twisting themselves in knots trying to understand his increasing calls for regime change in Venezuela — without any evident plan for securing the socialist failed state, which only increases the chances of compounding disaster in that already hijacked, once-prosperous nation.
It is true that America needs to remember that we are a republic, not an empire. But if we really want to secure peace we need to keep in mind the lessons of history and strengthen ties between democratic republics —both military and economic — to act as a determined counterweight to the rising autocratic alliance. There is no real security in the ostrich-like isolationist impulse to ignore aggression or empower aggressors via appeasement. As the NATO secretary general starkly warned this week, “Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe — and we must be prepared for the scale of war our grandparents and great grandparents endured.”
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It was a wild night at the Hallmark Christmas Experience for fans of Hallmark's long-running series “When Calls The Heart” (WCTH). On December 12, 2025, as the third weekend in a row of festivities kicked off in Kansas City, Hearties packed the Century Ballroom at the Westin Hotel to hear from a panel of the show's biggest stars.
Series regular Jack Wagner hosted the panel, which featured stars Erin Krakow, Kevin McGarry, Pascale Sutton, Kavan Smith, Viv Leacock, Chris McNally, and Ben Rosenbaum. By the time the stars took their seats on stage, the first big surprise of the night had already been announced: a WCTH prequel, “Hope Valley: 1874,” will premiere on Hallmark+ in March 2026 with Benjamin Ayres and Bethany Joy Lenz leading the cast.
But the crowd was in for another big surprise when Krakow announced Lori Loughlin, whom Hallmark recently announced will return to the show for season 14, was backstage.
After the cast members fielded a host of questions from Wagner — with Krakow frequently rubbing her baby bump as her real-life husband, Rosenbaum, sat behind her — he asked which cast member would be most likely to eat all the vanilla cookies from the WCTH set's catering crew.
There was a knowing murmur in the audience, as many Hearties are aware Loughlin used to love getting the treats from craft services when she was on the show, from 2014 to 2019.
“I think it would be one of our favorite friends and co-stars, who we are so lucky is joining us for season 14,” Krakow replied. “And, do you think maybe we should bring her out?”
Loughlin then walked out onto the stage as the audience erupted in screams and applause, overcome with joy to see her hugging her former castmates and taking a seat next to Krakow, who has remained a close friend. As Krakow wiped tears from her eyes, someone in the audience yelled, “We love you Lori!”
“I love you too,” Loughlin beamed back, holding Krakow's hand. “Thank you so much. Thank you. It is so nice to be here, thank you so much for that warm welcome.”
When Wagner asked Loughlin to describe how her return to WCTH feels and when she got news, Loughlin replied, “It feels amazing. And my girl here has been championing this for a long time.”
Krakow, who plays series lead Elizabeth Thatcher Thornton, has often said in interviews that she hoped Loughlin would be brought back to the show in her role as Elizabeth's dear friend Abigail Stanton.
Loughlin continued, “When did I find out? Maybe a month ago? Or two months ago? And I just want to thank everyone at Hallmark for being so loving and so welcoming, and I'm so glad Michelle Vicary is back in the house.”
After multiple executive changes at Hallmark Media, Vicary — who was part of the cable channel's launch in 2001 but left in 2021 — rejoined the company in August as head of programming. Part of her legacy at the network was introducing “When Calls The Heart” in 2014.
“It just feels incredible,” Loughlin said. “I mean, you guys all know it — we have such a special cast and such a special bond, and it's just so nice to be back with my family.”
Later in the panel discussion, Krakow said she couldn't quite think straight because she was basking in the joy of having Loughlin, her “first-ever scene partner” on WCTH, with them on stage, calling herself “thrilled and over the moon.”
Loughlin, who first rose to fame as Aunt Becky on “Full House,” co-starred on WCTH from 2014 to 2019. However, Hallmark cut ties with her during season six and removed her from the cast following her arrest and eventual jail sentence for her involvement in the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history.
Following their 2019 arrests, Loughlin and her now-estranged husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty in 2020 to charges of mail and wire fraud, per Us Weekly, after they and dozens of other parents were charged with paying to help ensure their teenage children were admitted to the colleges they wanted to attend.
In early October, Loughlin was back in the headlines as news broke of her splitting from Giannulli, her husband of 25 years. Weeks later, her “Full House” castmate and longtime friend John Stamos called Loughlin an “angel” and slammed Giannulli during an appearance on Peck and Ben Soffer's “Good Guys” podcast, claiming the actress “put up with a lot over the years of this guy.”
Stamos declared, “I'm not going to debate whether she had much to do with (the college scandal) or not. I know she didn't.”
In recent years, many fans and former castmates have expressed hope that Loughlin would be forgiven and allowed to return to Hope Valley. As recently as November 8, Krakow told Us Weekly that Loughlin's return to WCTH was “something I've been hoping for for years and years.”
Season 13 of WCTH will premiere on Hallmark Channel on January 4, 2026. The cast is expected to film season 14 later in the year, with Loughlin on board.
It's Pascal Hutton, not Sutton.
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By
Daniel Kreps
John Cena fought in what he promised was his final WWE match Saturday, with the wrestler tapping out to end his illustrious career in the ring.
Back in July 2024, Cena made the stunning announcement that he would retire from the WWE in 2025, with his appearance at WrestleMania in April his last time wrestling in that event. His retirement tour continued sporadically throughout this year, culminating in “The Last Time” he took the ring Saturday, for a match versus Gunther in the Saturday Night's Main Event XLII in Washington, D.C.
Cena's wrestling career was celebrated in a celebrity-filled tribute video featuring the likes of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Jimmy Fallon, and Jelly Roll. “John Cena, the legendary, never seen 17 [championships]. Man, thank you for all these years,” Jelly Roll said in the video. “Thank you for the inspiration. Thank you for being the role model that we all needed. You deserve this, brother. Congratulations, happy retirement.”
The Greatest of All Time. Thank you, @JohnCena. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/xcXnKKdxFs
The farewell match itself ran for nearly 25 minutes, with the usual ebbs and flows of a WWE match, with Cena showcasing his repertoire one last time. However, the match ended — to the dismay of fans who were chanting “Don't give up!” — with Cena losing by submission after Gunther put him in a sleeper hold.
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It's over. Gunther taps out John Cena. pic.twitter.com/0O2lTpl3p1
After the match, Cena, “the Greatest of All Time” according to WWE, remained in the ring, soaking in the crowd's chants of “Thank you Cena!.” “It's been a pleasure serving you for all these years. Thank you,” Cena said as WWE wrestlers both current and retired gathered outside the ring. Two current WWE champions, Cody Rhodes and CM Punk, symbolically presented their belts to Cena before a tribute video was shown to the Capitol One Arena crowd.
One final goodbye.Thank YOU, @JohnCena. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/hg8gNpbILG
As always with retired wrestlers, it's possible Cena might still participate in WWE events albeit outside the ring. However, for the time being, he'll focus entirely on his acting career, which currently includes Peacemaker, Matchbox, and recent surprise cameos in both The Bear and Pluribus.
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Something that's genuinely unpredictable, sort of fun, and occasionally disorienting about Saturday Night Live's current cast size is how the screentime balance can shift so much from episode to episode. Sometimes the effect is akin to watching different potential eras of the show test themselves out in real time. This week's episode felt as if we had suddenly fast-forwarded a year or two, to a time when Ashley Padilla had gone from the cast member with the strongest fundamentals to a Kate McKinnonesque “just do let her do whatever, it'll get laughs” baroque-stardom period—and then mixed that with an episode from a couple of years ago when it might feel like Bowen Yang would appear in the majority of the night's sketches. This form of time travel also randomly Butterfly Effected Marcello Hernández into a demotion, sending him back to Update for one of those barely-veiled bits where the new guy who hasn't been getting much airtime gets to do some of his stand-up at the desk. There's no shame in that, exactly, but I would have thought Hernández was way too popular to do such a grab-baggy routine in his third season, when there's a bunch of other less established stand-ups probably eyeing that spot.
Regardless, it's not hard to imagine a version of the show dominated by Padilla and Yang; they're both naturally funny in sometimes-complementary ways. It's also a helpful reminder that simply shoving great performers to the foreground to take big swings isn't always enough.
Padilla went first with a game show sketch that went the second of two ways SNL game show sketches tend to go: Either put the concept right in the fake show's title, or generically imitate an extremely familiar format until the sketch lets slip the secret premise. This time, the eventually-revealed deal was that a Dating Game-style show has recently abolished its age limits, allowing an octogenarian played by Padilla to slip in as the third of three potential matches for a thirtysomething bachelor. The joke wasn't precisely that old people are repulsive and unlovable (although… that wasn't not there); it was more just Padilla saying stuff. Some of it was funny, like her demanding “hot, moist cake” at any given wedding; some of it felt like casting about frantically for catchphrases, like her yelling “why should I go?!”
The very next live sketch let Yang do pretty much the same thing: a weirdo who charges into a familiar situation and doesn't do what they're supposed to! It was especially familiar because he was reviving his somewhat more hyperactive version of the classic Will Ferrell patient-vexing doctor bit (and frankly, this isn't too far removed from his Barry the Midwife character). Again: Some individual laughs but it felt like shtick on shuffle. And then later in the show, Padilla and Yang teamed up for a sketch about a twelve-year-old genius (Yang) attending college and nagged by his overbearing mother (Padilla) as he tries to fit in with more traditionally college-aged kids. This sketch combined premise overload with the verbal overload of their back-and-forth, hot-and-cold screaming matches, with Yang petulantly calling his mother “Heather” a solid two-dozen times. Absurd as it might sound, I think I'd like the more character-driven version of this sketch a lot more (and I'm sure Yang and Padilla could play that just as well).
Despite the hit-and-miss results, all this noise made strategic sense for an episode hosted by Josh O'Connor. He's more than capable as a leading man in the movies, about to be widely streamed stealing the new Knives Out movie out from Daniel Craig, but his persona is still quiet and inward, something spoofed by this week's sketch about sensitive male strippers. That's actually where his episode thrived: sketches that didn't feel like they were overcompensating with all-caps performance.
Those less recurring-character-style sketches didn't have all be super-relatable, observational, or even fresh. Did enough people hear Lily Allen's latest record, or get the general idea from context, for that sketch about people's inner monologues reshaped into Allen-style songs to scan? No idea, but directly making some (light) fun of the musical guest's highly specific style, ornamented with oddball character details made the sketch charmingly specific. Similarly, the types of dudes parodied by O'Connor and Ben Marshall in the male-stripper sketch could have been targets 10 or 15 years ago, and even then, only some of the cultural references would change. (It's telling that Mikey Day's character refers to them as Fleet Foxes.)
As for O'Connor himself, he was charming in a low-key way that sometimes turned the dial down to muffled, like in that monologue where it felt like his Ratatouille fixation was a runner cut to the bone. He was dutifully overwhelmed, and despite some great moments, the overall effect was the opposite.
In addition to the strippers and the Lily Allen brunch, the Uber Eats Wrapped ad was an easy layup. Far less easy, given the apparently divisive reactions she prompts, but just as much of a layup: Jane Wickline's song about destroying the Stranger Things kids on Weekend Update. Update was particularly full of cheap laughs this week, and in general has veered toward reporting an outlandish situation and then making up something else outlandish to top it—like, this week, reporting about teenagers caught making a swastika formation and then elaborating that even worse, it was a skydiving accident. Those kinds of jokes are sort of superficially envelope-pushing but aren't quite surprising enough to qualify for shock laughs, and certainly aren't especially smart when the half-hearted surprise wears off. Anyway, Wickline expressing grave suspicion over the dangers posed by the now-grown Stranger Things kids felt like a particularly bracing antidote to the shtickiness, and made me laugh more than the rest of the segment put together.
The softest, most likable miss of the night was that “Characters On Characters” bit, spoofing the Variety video series where actors or filmmakers are paired up so they can interview each other. It was a cute idea with a real nothing of an execution; in light of how lacking even the superficial imitations of Christmas characters were, it felt almost like self-flagellation over the cast's overall weakness in impressions. The Wizard Of Oz sketch suffered from that a little, too, but mostly it was just a mildly funny one-joke premise belabored; standard mediocre sketch, in other words.
Padilla and Yang did the most but Jane Wickline did the best. She was against-type hornily demanding in the stripper sketch; hilarious in her Update piece; and delivered offhand color in the Lily Allen sketch. She wasn't competing with Padilla or Yang at that pitch, which made it easier for her to slip in and steal the episode.
Ariana Grande faces sky-high expectations for the final episode of 2025, coming hot on the heels of a very successful outing last year. I'll try to restrain my bafflement that Cher flogging a couple-years-old Christmas album is considered a treat on the level of Billie Eilish or Lizzo from holiday episodes past. I shrugged off Hozier last year, and wound up quite liking his “Fairytale of New York” cover.
Jesse Hassenger is a contributor to The A.V. Club.
Recommended for You1Medieval Europe was fascinated by this Christian king in Central Asia2Rob Mac and Noah Hawley are loading up a Far Cry TV show3What's on TV this week—Stranger Things' final season, Blossoms Shanghai4Keep Thanksgiving on track this year with these family-perfect multiplayer games5Carol asks the tough questions in a hilarious and heartbreaking Pluribus6Final fight(s): The 25 best beat-'em-up games7Spoiler Space: Was Wicked changed for good?8R.I.P. Jimmy Cliff: Reggae pioneer dead at 819Great Job, Internet!: Pluribus' "Carol Sturka" did a very wink-y Reddit AMA10Everything comes together in The Chair Company's sublime climax11December 2025 TV preview: Fallout, Stranger Things' finale, and Taylor Swift12Screw it, Scarlett Johansson will star in the latest "radical new take" on The Exorcist13Reluctant revolutionary Katniss Everdeen ignited a generation14A Man On The Inside returns looking a bit more like Only Murders In The Building15Great Job, Internet!: Jmail has made reading the Epstein emails easier than ever
© 2025 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
By
William Vaillancourt
Saturday Night Live applied Spotify Wrapped's metrics to Uber Eats—and the public's reaction was far less positive.
While the streaming platform's year-end wrap up of listeners' habits included Top Genres, Listening Age and Clubs, the Uber Eats summary of eaters' deliveries features what restaurants they couldn't resist.
“Taco Bell, Five Guys, Burger King, Chipotle,” one man (Ben Marshall) says in the digital short, with his disgusted girlfriend (Veronika Slowikowska) commenting: “I guess that's why the plumber's always here.”
The plumber (Kam Patterson) is then seen exiting the bathroom after competing another job, and the two say goodbye with a personalized handshake.
While one hesitant app user (Andrew Dismuskes) finds out that he's in the top one percent of “nuggets,” another (James Austin Johnson) learns that his top food was churros—and his Uber Eats age is “dead.”
“Better than mine,” his wife (Ashley Padilla) says. “52 and fat.”
The Uber Eats Wrapped also shows users how they appeared to the delivery driver while grabbing their food from their doorway. One customer (Sarah Sherman) is seen on all-fours in one picture, and half-exposed in a bathrobe in another.
“Who would I even share these with?” she wonders.
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Finally, the app shows thankful, personalized messages from customers' most frequented restaurants, and calculates the total spent on deliveries. For some, it's the price of a car: $24,000.
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By
William Vaillancourt
Saturday Night Live‘s Weekend Update wondered if there was another reason for Donald Trump‘s chosen winners of the Kennedy Center honors, while also jabbing the 79-year-old president about his health.
Trump, who installed himself as chairman of the once-dignified arts institution earlier this year, gave out Kennedy Center honors last Sunday to actor Sylvester Stallone, singer Gloria Gaynor and rock band KISS, among others. Trump also had the Village People perform “YMCA,” one of his favorite songs.
Co-anchor Michael Che said that slate raises a question: “Is Donald Trump a gay man from 1978?”
Colin Jost then addressed how the Trump administration seized a Venezuelan oil tanker this week, and has been increasing the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, in part through strikes on alleged drug boats. Trump even said in a recent interview that President Nicolas Maduro's “days are numbered.”
“As opposed to Trump, whose days are lettered,” Jost joked, as a picture of a pill dispenser—marked with the first letter of each day of the week—showed on screen.
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Che later reacted to how Trump has being saying that “affordability” is a “new word” created by Democrats to hurt him politically. Che wasn't buying it.
“If Democrats were going to make up a word specifically to hurt Trump,” he said, “it would probably be ‘fatmentia.'”
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Jost then turned to Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. At a congressional hearing this week, Noem was interrupted by a protester yelling out to her, “The power of Christ compels you!”—the line that the priest says to the possessed girl in The Exorcist.
JUST NOW: Two Anti-ICE protesters interrupt Kristi Noem's testimony: “Stop ICE raids! The power of Christ compels you! End deportations! The power of Christ compels you! Get ICE off our streets! Stop terrorizing our communities!” pic.twitter.com/j7ZcTRRNNO
“Noem mostly ignored them, but did take one quick look back,” Jost said, as Noem's head was shown turning around—a full 360 degrees, like in the film.
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By Ted Johnson
Political Editor
Saturday Night Live opened again with Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), this time with the president trying to make it through an Air Force One press gaggle having used Adderall and Ambien.
“Could you comment on the latest batch of Epstein photos released by House Democrats?” one reporter asked him.
Johnson's Trump responded, “Look, the fact is, these photos are a fake news Democrat hoax.”
The reporter pressed him again, “Well, even the picture of a bowl of condoms with your face on them and the text saying, ‘I'm huge.' ”
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Trump responded, “They were 100% legit. I love those files. I'm in the files. I took a lot of great pictures.”
Watch on Deadline
In fact, a new batch of Epstein photos actually were released on Friday by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee.
In the sketch, Trump speaks to the press as he peeks through a curtain on Air Force One, repeatedly leering at his press secretary Karoline Leavitt (Ashley Padilla).
Among other things, reporters pressed Trump on the U.S. strikes on alleged Venezuelan drug boats. The situation escalated this week after the U.S. also seized a Venezuelan oil tanker.
Responding to a reporter's question about the seizure, Trump did “the weave,” or when he gives a meandering, stream-of-consciousness comment.
“Yes, we're doing pirate now,” Trump said. “Arghh!”
Trump went on, “You know, it's interesting. Last week, I said Somalis were garbage, and now we're stealing the ships. Ironic, isn't it? Alanis, she's great in Dogma. With regard to danger, you know, I'm captain now. Remember that, Captain Phillips. ‘I'm Captain.' I love that line. You know Captain Phillips, one of my favorite captains, after Crunch! Hoops, all berries. Why do you say hoops? I prefer it. I prefer when it's all Crunch Berries. Oh, me thinks Ambien has pulled into the lead. Don't worry. Adderall is still in the race.”
When asked about continuing to carry out the boat strikes, Trump said that they are expanding it to planes as well. He then showed reporters declassified video from a strike — the “plane” target is actually Santa and his reindeer, and soon St. Nicholas and his sleigh are blown up.
“Is that Santa?” a reporter asked.
“Not anymore. Next question,” Trump said.
“Mr. President, do you have any comments on the potential sale of Warner Bros to Netflix?”
“I don't know why anyone wants Warner Brothers. They got one of the worst studio lot tours in L.A. You go on that thing and it's just some kid pointing to a tree. ‘Oh, that's the tree from Pretty Little Liars.' … I want to go to the Gilmore Girls gazebo. Let's go there. Or the Batman museum.”
Leavitt called an end to the gaggle after the Epstein questions.
“The president really needs to rest,” she told reporters.
Oh, it's true. I have to begin my pre-bedtime self-care ritual, putting a bandage on my hand and covering it with makeup, then adding more layers of bandage and makeup. It's a medical lasagna. Mamma mia! We should all be very worried about my health I'm very ill, then I will brush my teeth before drifting off and dream about Karoline's mouth.”
Watch the sketch above.
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Yeah this SNL-fixation with Trump berating everywhere is sad,stale and worn-out material.Classic SNL was more entertaining cause not everything was political like today.The skits rang out of imagination,creativity and laughable ratio.
It's funny when they don't go so childishly infantile with the cereal jokes and cringe stuff. They need better writers and less improv.
Barely a parody, its nearly 1 to 1 how Trump actually speaks.
Cold open with Trump every week is getting old and not funny.
It's called a parody and it is funnier than the actual subject matter.
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Gisele Bündchen and her boyfriend, Joaquim Valente, soaked up the sun during a jet skiing date in Florida.
The model and the MMA athlete appeared in good spirits while on the water near their home in Surfside on Saturday.
They both stayed close to each other and sported life vests.
Bündchen, 35, appeared to be wearing a white one-piece bathing suit underneath her vest.
She accessorized with sunglasses and styled her hair in a ponytail.
As for Valente, he sported black swim trunks.
The couple, who have been romantically linked since 2023, enjoyed some quality time together after welcoming a son together in February.
While Bündchen and Valente have shied away from revealing too much about their infant, they recently took him out on a boat ride in September.
At the time, the former Victoria's Secret model was seen cradling her son while her beau took the wheel.
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Valente then adorably held onto their 10-month-old, as Bündchen watched in awe.
The health guru also shared a rare glimpse of her son alongside her 16-year-old son, Benjamin, in October.
The teenager adorably held onto his little brother while playing the piano.
Bündchen shares Benjamin and her daughter Vivian, 13, with her ex-husband, Tom Brady.
The exes were wed from 2009 to 2022.
The former NFL star also shares an 18-year-old son, Jack, with his ex Bridget Moynahan.
Follow Taylor Swift live updates from Page Six for peeks into her relationship with fiancé Travis Kelce, the latest on her upcoming docuseries, “The End of an Era,” and new album, “The Life of a Showgirl” — plus news, fan theories and more.
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The actor and soccer star posed for a photo together on Instagram where Diesel teased the athlete's potential involvement in the franchise.
By
McKinley Franklin
Is Cristiano Ronaldo joining the Fast & Furious family? Possibly so.
Vin Diesel, the star and a producer of the beloved car franchise, teased the professional soccer player's involvement in the upcoming planned finale film on Instagram Friday. The two posed for a photo together, both dishing out thumbs ups, as the actor shared that he created a role for Ronaldo.
“Everyone asked, would he be in the Fast mythology… I gotta tell you he is a real one,” Diesel captioned the post. “We wrote a role for him…”
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The Hollywood Reporter reached out to Diesel and Ronaldo's teams for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
While it hasn't been officially confirmed that the soccer star will appear in the 11th Fast movie, Diesel recently said that Paul Walker's character Brian O'Conner may pop up in the film. At Fuel Fest in June, he revealed the movie will be released in April 2027, a release time he agreed upon with Universal Studios “under three conditions.”
“Just yesterday I was with Universal Studios. … The studio said to me, ‘Vin, can we please have the finale of Fast & Furious [in] April 2027?' I said, ‘Under three conditions because I've been listening to my fan base,'” he explained, noting that he wanted the franchise to return to Los Angeles, “return to the car culture, to the street racing” and also reunite his and Walker's characters onscreen.
“The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O'Conner,” Diesel said. “That is what you're going to get in the finale.”
Walker died on Nov. 30, 2013 in a car accident. At the time, he was shooting for Fast & Furious 7, and not all of his scenes were finished. However, Walker's Brian was able to appear in the final scene of the movie using CGI, VFX artists and his two brothers, Cody and Caleb Walker, to create 350 shots.
The last scene of Fast & Furious 7 saw Diesel's Dominic Toretto and Walker's Brian have a final moment together in their cars before driving off in separate directions. VFX supervisor Joe Letteri explained to THR how they executed the scene through CGI, VFX and Walker's brothers, further acknowledging the weight of the moment.
“There really wasn't room to let anything slip. It was too important to complete the story in respect to Paul's memory — to make sure that when you watched it, you didn't think about any of the work that we did,” he said. “If you were a fan, you were watching Paul's performance and saying goodbye.”
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Allan Bryant Snr reveals the horrific, taunting messages he receives from amateur detectives and trolls, with one sick letter reading: 'This hunt is going to be fun, your son is in bits'
TRAUMATISED over their son's mystifying disappearance, the family of Allan Bryant have a raft of disturbing questions. Was he murdered on a night out? Did he have a run-in with a criminal gang?
But as his parents search for answers, they today reveal a dark new turn in the tragic case – explaining how callous TikTok sleuths and ‘psychics' have destroyed their lives with gruesome theories, which astonishingly have even been investigated by police without the family's knowledge.
Allan Jr disappeared 12 years ago on a night out, aged just 23, and was last seen on CCTV leaving Styx nightclub in Glenrothes, Scotland, at 2am on November 3, 2013.
His mum, Marie Dugan, and dad, Allan Snr, are convinced he was murdered after allegedly going to a house party after the club – and say the same names have often cropped up over the years, though no one has ever been convicted, and no remains ever found.
Mr Bryant – who fears his son may have made contact with a crime gang before his death – has himself passed thousands of tip-offs to Police Scotland during the investigation – and at one stage, cops even searched a house in the town, though nothing came of it.
He is therefore angry detectives failed to reveal they had followed up on a bogus tip-off of their own last year that Allan Jr's remains were buried on a farm – with the family only finding out by chance a couple of weeks ago.
It was another example of what he believes was simply a “psychic” claiming to be in the know, providing the police with unverified details out of the blue and bogging down the investigation.
The family are regularly sent social media DMs, including “sick images”, and letters, and even get tagged in TikTok videos by people claiming they have had psychic visions about what's happened.
It follows the rise of TikTok's controversial ‘CrimeTok' community, which sees true crime enthusiasts and amateur sleuths pore over the details of cold cases and missing person riddles – often with little regard for the real-life families affected by the stories.
Mr Bryant said his family have been “hounded by psychics, mediums and clairvoyants” for 12 years and they've “had enough”.
He told The Sun this week: “Some of them go into gruesome detail they don't have to go into.
“Saying what's happened to Allan, that he's been chopped up. You read it and it gets you upset and angry.
“We need facts, we don't need this. We need things the police can work on, they're not going to work on anything a psychic says.”
One video sees a clairvoyant going over a drawing they've made of an obscure location and says: “I have seen a male person with a lot of scars on his face – and he's very witchy with long dark hair.”
She goes on to describe ruins and a leaking sewage pipe, as well as a cliff.
But there are others who are far more sinister, including one troll who wrote: “This hunt is going to be fun, your son is in bits.”
The Bryant family are sadly no strange to the toxic world of online abuse.
Creep Stewart McInroy was jailed twice for trolling offences against the Bryant family, in 2014 and 2018.
In 2016 BBC documentary Troll Hunters, he admitted he was “addicted” to causing controversy online.
In a Facebook group set up to find Allan, he had posted: “I am the killer of Allan Bryant.”
He later claimed to have abducted Allan, held him hostage and tortured him before killing him and dumping the body.
Mr Bryant says the recent flood of baseless tip-offs from sleuths is causing further pain for his tormented family.
The bogus farm tip-off saw an anonymous person claiming they believed Allan's remains had been in a pond on a farm in Fife for two years before being moved, and had sent Google Map images of the location to police.
Mr Bryant, who wasn't told about the letter at the time, told The Sun: “The police went up and looked at it, but the farmer told them there's no pond there.
“It said in the letter the pond dries up in the summer and cattle were stamping on his remains and so he was moved and dumped on another part of the farm.”
He believes the farm tipster is “just a psychic” who is not familiar with the area, and clearly doesn't understand how big Fife is.
Mr Bryant said he had to delete at least five unsolicited Facebook messages last week alone from either people claiming to have psychic gifts or know clairvoyants who he should speak to.
He said: “For years and years I've received pictures and maps saying ‘Allan's here' or ‘Allan's here'.
“They don't realise how big Fife is. How far he'd have had to have walked. It's different towns – I get comments and messages all the time saying ‘you should try this psychic'… sometimes they send a number and say ‘contact me, I'm a psychic, I'll give you a reading'.
“I've had enough, after all this carry on – my family don't need this. To me they are just trolls.
“We're not interested, you don't have these gifts. You're just preying on my family, and preying on the families of people who have lost loved ones.
“They shouldn't be allowed to do it – there should be a law to stop it.”
He added: “It's not just letters and messages, they make TikTok videos saying ‘we think this has happened to him, I've got a feeling'. It's a load of crap.”
November 3 2013: Allan Bryant Jr disappeared on a night out with friends
June 2014: Police Scotland released CCTV of Allan Jr leaving Styx nightclub at 2.02am
2015: Allan's family passed information to police through local contacts that he had gone to a house party the night he vanished
2017: Police searched a house in Glenrothes for 33 days as part of their investigation
2017: Allan's dad Allan Sr voiced fears his son may have had contact with organised gang members weeks before he went missing
2023: Allan Sr, wife Marie and daughter Amy held a media conference on the 10-year anniversary of the disappearance
Summer 2024: Cops investigate a bogus tip off that Allan Jr's remains are buried on a farm in Fife
Mr Bryant added: “I understand why people go and see them, if they've lost family and want a reading, I understand it.
“But to troll a family who've been through that just so they can post things for likes and views. To me they're just trolls, they don't have special gifts.
“Go back to the 18th or 19th century.”
Mr Bryant's wife Marie had previously agreed to speak to a couple of psychics early in the investigation.
One claimed their son was in a park that had already been scoured multiple times by cops, while a second psychic, a professor from a university, came to the house.
“He was going over to the chairs, it was like something out of f***ing Poltergeist,” said Mr Bryant.
“I've got a feeling', I'm looking at him going ‘this c***'s not right in the head, I'm ready to tell him to f*** off'.
“He went to the nightclub, it's seven miles away. He felt the door knob and came back and said ‘two guys, two girls were there, they've killed Allan'.
“We said ‘who are they then?' He said ‘I can't tell you, I'll have to talk to the police'.
“It's like, what do you mean you've got to tell the police? You came into my house. It's just a lot of nonsense.
“There's not one police force that uses them.”
Mr Bryant only found out about the farm tip-off when his local paper also received the same letter in recent weeks.
He said: “This is what annoyed me the most – the police were contacted and they received a letter and they should have told us about it.
“I'm still angry with them, just let us know and otherwise this wouldn't have happened.”
He added: “We basically know what's going on in Allan's investigation.
“Police come out and ask me about certain things so I know they're receiving certain information and I'll say ‘it doesn't ring a bell' or whatever.
“A lot of the information we get always points to the same individuals. We know something happened to Allan that night, somebody killed him.
“We know just based on the information we've received over the years. Just trying to prove it is the hard part.”
Detective Inspector Steven McLean told The Sun: “Our aim remains to find answers for Allan's family and officers continue to support and regularly update them with relevant information.
“This information was previously passed to police, and extensive enquiries were conducted, with officers attending and assessing the area described. As a result this latest information is not deemed credible at this time.
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“If you have information that could help and have not already spoken to us then please get in touch. Any information, no matter how small, could prove to be vital.
“Allan remains a missing person and officers continue to make enquiries to trace him. Any new information will be assessed and anyone who can assist should call Police Scotland on 101, or email OperationToner@scotland.police.uk if you can help.”
©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. 679215 Registered office: 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. View our online Press Pack. For other inquiries, Contact Us. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO)
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Tuesday marked 60 years since something was spotted in the sky over Westmoreland County
Tuesday marked 60 years since something was spotted in the sky over Westmoreland County
Tuesday marked 60 years since something was spotted in the sky over Westmoreland County
Last Tuesday marked 60 years since the famous Kecksburg UFO incident in which something was spotted in the sky over the Westmoreland County community and, according to some witnesses, it made a controlled landing.
Last week, "4 The Record" host Michelle Wright interviewed Ronnie Struble, a 50-year veteran of the Kecksburg Volunteer Fire Department, as well as UFO researcher and author Stan Gordon, about the event.
This week, Wright turned her attention to Bob Gatty, a former Greensburg Tribune-Review reporter who was on the scene that night.
Gatty was asked what it was that came out of the sky and he said, “Hard to tell, but I do believe that something happened. I do believe something landed there.”
He also said he never expected that night that this story would continue to follow him for 60 years.
“I'm 82 years old and that thing has followed me my whole life,” he said. “It's the story that won't go away.”
Watch the full episode of "4 The Record" in the video player above
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Today is your last chance at the latest Best Buy 3-day Holiday Doorbuster sale, but we are also getting a fresh collection of daily deals today as well. This latest run of Best Buy Holiday Deals of the Day include everything from a PlayStation 5 bundle through to Anker chargers, laptops, and the WORX 4V 3-Speed Compact Electric Screwdriver. You can check them all out on this landing page with deal up to $500 off, alongside some additional details down below.
While some of the Black Friday PlayStation 5 console deals have come and gone now, there are still some notable offers live at Amazon and other retailers. Today's Deals of the Day are also adding another bundle to the mix with the PlayStation 5 Slim Console Disc Edition bundled with an extra DualSense controller in Cosmic Red down at $504.98 shipped. This package carries a total value of $625, and is now $120 less than buying everything individually at full price.
If this bundle isn't working for you, scope out more of the ongoing PS5 deals below:
And here are some other highlights from today's Deal of the Day selection:
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Justin is a senior deal Jedi over at 9to5Toys where he heads up our game/app coverage and more. He also covers all things music for 9to5Mac, including the weekly Logic Pros series exploring music production on Mac and iOS devices
The genetic link between squids and octopuses may just be found in the vampire squid genome.
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Cephalopod evolution has long had a missing chapter in its story: how did squid-like ancestors give rise to today's octopuses? The answer, it turns out, was floating in the deep sea all along.
With its glowing ghostly eyes, eight arms like its octopus cousins and a dark ruby coloring to match, the elusive vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis) has finally revealed its genetic secrets.
In a study published Nov. 27 in the journal iScience, researchers sequenced the genome of Vampyrotheuthis and discovered its chromosomes still resemble those of squids and cuttlefish — despite belonging to the octopus order. This discovery hints at what the common ancestor of modern squids and octopuses may have looked like at the genetic level 300 million years ago when octopus and squid evolutionarily diverged. The researchers described the vampire squid as a "living fossil."
On the cephalopod evolutionary tree, the vampire squid belongs to the group that includes octopuses, but underwent a "very ancient split" from the rest of the clade, study lead author Oleg Simakov, a researcher at the Department of Neuroscience and Developmental Biology in the University of Vienna, Austria, told Live Science in an email.
After acquiring a tissue sample from a vampire squid collected as bycatch in the West Pacific Ocean from a research cruise, the researchers used a genetic analysis platform called PacBio to sequence the DNA of the sample. Unfortunately, there were no other vampire squid samples to compare it to, due to their rarity. Using PacBio, the researchers compared the vampire squid's genome to that of other cephalopods like the Argonaut (Argonauta hians), the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the curled octopus (Eledone cirrhosa).
The findings revealed the vampire squid has an 11 billion-base-pair-long genome, almost four times the size of the human genome — and the largest cephalopod genome sequenced to date.
While modern octopuses have DNA that consistently gets reshuffled, resulting in some chromosomal mixing, the researchers found that the vampire squid's genome kept much of its ancestral, squid-like chromosomal arrangement. Essentially, it's an octopod that genetically looks like an ancient squid.
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The vampire squid has had a long history of being misunderstood. When it was initially discovered in 1903, it was thought to be a cirrate octopus due to its unique webbing between its arms. In the 1950s however, scientists reclassified it as its own group, belonging to neither octopus nor squid but in the order Vampyromorphida, so named because it looks like it's wearing a vampire-like cloak.
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The finding is welcome news for cephalopod scientists as it is "nice to have resolved" why vampire squids retain much of their ancestral, squid-like traits, said Bruce Robison, senior scientist at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) who was not involved in the research.
Part of what makes the fully sequenced genome so valuable is how hard it is to study vampire squids, mainly "because they live in a habitat that is difficult to access, they are solitary, rare, and do not survive well in captivity," Robison said. "Some people think that we can just dive into deep water, and find one whenever we like, which is definitely not the case."
He added that the findings "reinforce the notion held by some of us that vamps would be the key to the puzzle. They are interesting to study because they are such cool animals, and because they just look like they are hiding secrets."
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Space.com. Formerly, she was the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a freelance science journalist. Her beats include quantum technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.
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Every December, the internet briefly becomes a giant music confessional. Screenshots flood social feeds. Stories light up with lists no one asked for but everyone shares anyway. And among the data visualisations and neon-coloured slides, one joke seems to come back every year: no matter what you think you listened to, Spotify Wrapped will somehow crown Pritam as your #1 artiste. You could have sworn you spent the entire year immersed in indie music, or Taylor Swift, but Wrapped insists you were actually living inside the "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" soundtrack.
The meme is funny but it also captures something essential about Wrapped: beneath the sleek design and shareable graphics lies a complex, algorithmic machine that processes millions of micro-behaviours to deliver something that looks like a narrative of your year. Most users experience the result as an emotional truth. The science behind Wrapped, however, is built on something far more mechanical, behavioural, and statistical. And to understand why Pritam keeps spontaneously appearing in so many people's Top Artistes lists, you have to unpack how the system collects and weighs data.
Spotify does not simply tally every single play. Wrapped is built on filtered listening hours, engagement scores, and repeat-play intensity, and it considers patterns in a way that can occasionally surprise users. It divides listening into several categories. The most influential is the intentional play, which includes songs you actively tap on, songs you search for, and songs you add to playlists. These actions signal preference and raise the weighting of an artiste. So even if you listen to only a few Pritam songs, if they happen during high-focus months, say during exam season, work deadlines, or heartbreak episodes, the repeat clustering makes him important to your algorithmic year, even if the raw quantity is low. Another factor is something engineers call the session effect. Wrapped does not count time spent on autoplay the same way it counts deliberate listening, but it also does not fully discount it. If you forget to disconnect your Airpods after playing one Pritam track and the algorithm drifts into similar soundtracks for the next 90 minutes, your Wrapped will politely pretend this was very much part of your personality. Autoplay listening is weighted less but still contributes to overall artiste rankings. Multiply this by dozens of passive listening sessions through the year, and suddenly your assumed #1 artiste loses to someone you barely consciously heard.
Wrapped also draws heavily from loop behaviour, or the number of times you repeated the same track. One heartbreak loop of five consecutive plays in March is worth more algorithmically than listening to twenty new songs once each in June. Spotify interprets looping as a sign of high emotional engagement. This is why one dramatic evening with a Pritam track can outweigh months of casual listening to your favourite international artist. Because, to Spotify, emotional intensity weighs way more than breadth of taste. And then there is also the matter of era detection. Spotify analyses clusters of genres and moods across different periods of the year. If you had a Bollywood soundtrack phase, even a small one, it gets detected as a defined musical era. Artistes from that era are then weighted higher for Wrapped, especially if the rest of your listening was more eclectic or fragmented. When your habits have no clear dominant pattern, the algorithm picks the pattern that is most coherent, not necessarily most representative.
Spotify's engineers have spoken in interviews about the threshold filters. For example, if you listened to an artiste fewer than thirty times in the entire year, they usually would not appear in Top Artistes unless your overall listening was low or extremely diverse. So if you are musically chaotic, even small spikes matter disproportionately. Which is precisely why a person who streams 100 different artists lightly may end up with Pritam topping the list while another person with a highly repetitive playlist distribution ends up with a much more predictable Wrapped. It is also powered by a concept known as affinity modelling. Spotify assigns affinity scores to artists based on your behaviour relative to the behaviour of people similar to you. If a significant percentage of listeners in your region behave similarly, your affinity scores for mainstream artists get boosted. In South Asia, this often benefits artistes like Pritam, Amit Trivedi, or A R Rahman, even for listeners who consider their taste far removed from Hindi film music.
Then comes the role of skip rate, an underrated but powerful metric. If you skip an artiste's tracks quickly, their ranking plummets. If you let a song play in full, say while multitasking, the algorithm assumes you liked it. Whether you were too busy to hit skip is irrelevant to Spotify because time equals interest. This is how accidental listens accumulate meaning. The viral memes surrounding Wrapped each year are not accidental either. The product team intentionally designs Wrapped to be shareable. The vertical format matches Instagram Stories. The colour-blocking resembles TikTok's saturated edits. The humour in the captions encourages screenshotting. The ranking formats mimic video game achievements, which makes users more likely to publicly compare. It is designed to feel personal and the engineering is tied directly to emotional design. Spotify wraps raw numbers in narrative language and this emotionally charged phrasing reinforces the feeling that this is not simply metadata but a meaningful reflection of your identity. It uses colour theory, dynamic layouts, tiered animations, and compact categorisation to make your year appear aesthetically pleasing. The interface makes listening patterns look like achievement badges. It gamifies something you did not even realise was a game.
Every year, Spotify processes billions of listening events across 574 million users. Data pipelines run for months, cleaning, deduplicating, filtering, and modelling. Engineers have spoken about the annual year-end freeze, a period when Spotify stops pushing new features to ensure that Wrapped's infrastructure remains stable for its December rollout. It is one of the largest coordinated data storytelling operations globally, executed in real time, personalising millions of unique narratives within hours. The science behind Wrapped also hints at the future of personalised analytics. As AI develops richer understanding of mood, context, and multi-device behaviour, future Wrapped reports could integrate emotional detection, time-of-day patterns, biometric syncs with wearables, or even sentiment analysis from lyrics. In other words, the next wave of Wrapped-style features across digital platforms may become even more immersive, predictive, and strangely intimate.
And yet, despite the data complexity, the behavioural modelling, and the scaled infrastructure, it always comes back to the same essential idea of users wanting to see themselves reflected in their digital life. Even if that reflection is partly algorithmic fiction. Even if it decides that you, despite thinking you were a Swiftie, were actually a Pritam loyalist all along. At the end of the day, it works because it delivers a narrative of the year that feels clean, colourful, conclusive. Real life is messy; algorithms tidy it up. Maybe that's why we love Wrapped so much. Maybe that's why we forgive it when it gets things wrong. And maybe that's why we laugh every year when the Pritam meme resurfaces, because the truth is, no matter what we listen to, Wrapped tells us a story we are secretly eager to believe.
আজ এভারকেয়ার হাসপাতালের বিশেষজ্ঞ চিকিৎসক দলের পরামর্শে ও পরিবারের সদস্যদের সঙ্গে আলোচনার পর প্রধান উপদেষ্টাকে এ বিষয়ে জানানো হয়।
Astronomers used major telescopes across the world to probe a cosmic explosion 8 billion light-years from the solar system.
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What it is: Gamma-ray burst GRB 250702B
Where it is: 8 billion light-years away, in the constellation Scutum
When it was shared: Dec. 8, 2025
A gamma-ray burst (GRB) — the most energetic type of explosion in the universe since the Big Bang — is detected once every day, on average. But what happened on July 2, 2025, was highly unusual: NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, which has been orbiting Earth since 2008, recorded an unusually long-lived GRB that continued emitting in bursts for more than seven hours.
Astronomers leaped into action, using the world's telescopes to detect the explosion's afterglow and discover where it came from.
The event, called GRB 250702B, was the longest-duration gamma-ray burst ever recorded. Astronomers now think it came from a previously unobserved or rare type of explosion that launched a narrow jet of material in the direction of the solar system, traveling at least 99% the speed of light.
GRB 250702B was not easy to figure out. Researchers used all kinds of telescopes to track its origin in all wavelengths of light, including the twin 8.1-meter Gemini telescopes in Chile and Hawaii, the Very Large Telescope in Chile, the Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and the Hubble Space Telescope.
GRBs come from the depths of the universe; even the closest one originated more than 100 million light-years away, according to NASA. GRB 250702B came from a massive galaxy 8 billion light-years distant that, critically, is so dusty that it blocked all visible light.
The only light detected by telescopes was infrared and high-energy X-ray wavelengths. Due to thick dust in its host galaxy, the GRB was almost invisible in ordinary visible light, the researchers reported in a study published Nov. 26 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
"This was the longest gamma-ray burst that humans have observed — long enough that it does not fit into any of our existing models for what causes gamma-ray bursts," Jonathan Carney, lead author of the study and doctoral student in physics and astronomy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said in a statement.
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—First Vera Rubin Observatory image reveals hidden structure as long as the Milky Way trailing behind a nearby galaxy
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Analysis shows that GRB 250702B may have been caused by the death of a massive star, a star being ripped apart by a black hole, or the merger of a helium star and a black hole, where the black hole spirals into the core of the massive star, triggering an explosion from within.
"But we can't yet tell which explanation is correct," Carney said. "In the future, this event will serve as a unique benchmark — when astronomers discover similar explosions, they'll ask whether they match GRB 250702B's properties or represent something different entirely."
For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives.
Jamie Carter is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor based in Cardiff, U.K. He is the author of A Stargazing Program For Beginners and lectures on astronomy and the natural world. Jamie regularly writes for Space.com, TechRadar.com, Forbes Science, BBC Wildlife magazine and Scientific American, and many others. He edits WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com.
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Watch CBS News
Updated on: December 13, 2025 / 8:01 PM EST
/ CBS News
Erika Kirk has one word for Candace Owens, who has been peddling conspiracy theories about her late husband, Charlie Kirk: "Stop."
In a town hall, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss asked Charlie Kirk's widow what she wants to say to Owens and others who are making unfounded claims about his assassination:
"Stop. That's it. That's all I have to say. Stop."
Owens used to work for Turning Point USA, the conservative youth organization founded by Charlie Kirk. The two were generally considered friends, with Owens describing their relationship as akin to that of a "brother and sister."
A day after his assassination in September, she posted a nearly 25-minute video, saying she wanted him to be remembered for his career and ideas. But in the months since, Owens has pushed conspiracy theories about his murder and made unfounded fraud allegations about the finances at Turning Point, which Erika Kirk now runs.
The Treasury Department sent Erika Kirk a letter last week, confirming that none of the tax-exempt entities she oversees are under investigation by the IRS. "The IRS is able to provide this type of information upon request by the taxpayer. And in this case, it's hideous that malicious lies and smears obligated [Erika Kirk] to make the request," a senior Treasury official told CBS News.
Erika Kirk talked more about her husband, her journey through faith and grief, and the state of the American right in the CBS News town hall. It aired just days after Charlie Kirk's book, "Stop, in the Name of God: Why Honoring the Sabbath Will Transform Your Life," was posthumously released.
An extended version of the conversation airs on CBS News 24/7 on Sunday at 9 a.m., 3 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, and will be available on CBS News' YouTube channel.
© 2025 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(00:36)
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Mumbai–Bhay: The Gaurav Tiwari Mystery emerges as a gripping and atmospheric paranormal series that blends horror, mystery, and emotional depth with notable restraint and intelligence. Inspired by real-life events, the show brings to screen the enigmatic journey of India's most well-known paranormal investigator, Gaurav Tiwari, offering viewers a chilling yet grounded storytelling experience.
What truly anchors the series is Karan Tacker's exceptional performance in the lead role. With quiet authority and emotional subtlety, Tacker captures the essence of a man driven by intellectual curiosity while grappling with inner vulnerability. His portrayal avoids melodrama, relying instead on controlled body language, expressive silences, and understated intensity—particularly effective during investigative sequences. The emotional moments reflecting isolation and psychological pressure add a deeply human layer to the character, making the performance both believable and impactful.
The supporting cast—Kalki Koechlin, Saloni Batra, Danish Sood, Shubham Choudhury, and Nimisha Nair—deliver strong performances, effectively conveying fear, skepticism, and emotional conflict without tipping into excess.
Director Robbie Grewal deserves special mention for handling a sensitive, real-life inspired subject with care while maintaining commercial appeal. Rather than leaning on loud jump scares, the series builds fear through mood, silence, and psychological tension. The paranormal cases unfold methodically, lending authenticity to the narrative and keeping even skeptical viewers engaged.
Technically, the series is well-crafted. The background score heightens the eerie atmosphere without overpowering scenes, while the cinematography smartly uses shadows, low lighting, and confined spaces to amplify dread. Each element works in tandem to sustain a sense of unease throughout.
Streaming on Amazon MX Player, Bhay: The Gaurav Tiwari Mystery stands out as a rare example of intelligent horror in the Indian streaming space—one that prioritizes emotional resonance and realism over shock value.
Produced by Almighty Motion Picture and released on December 12, the series earns a strong 4-star rating, making it a must-watch for fans of mystery, psychological thrillers, and supernatural storytelling. (Source: IANS)
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