Business Sentiment
Sentiment Legend:
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Mixed 46-54
Positive > 56
Zohran Mamdani's supporters at his inauguration share their hopes for the new administration.
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Tens of thousands of New Yorkers braved freezing temperatures and police barricades to be part of Zohran Mamdani's inauguration as mayor on New Year's Day. Democracy Now! spoke with many Mamdani supporters, including a high school student and Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, about what the day represented to them, their hopes for the new administration and how it could set a model for progressives across the country. “Organized people will always be more powerful than organized money,” said Diana Moreno, a fellow democratic socialist who is running for Mamdani's vacant seat in the New York State Assembly.
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I'm Amy Goodman, as we continue coverage of the historic inauguration of democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York City.
We'll hear in a minute from his fellow socialists, Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Bernie Sanders, who swore in Mamdani on the steps at City Hall. But first, thousands of New Yorkers turned out in below-freezing temperatures and police barricades to be part of Mamdani's inauguration, with many joining a block party with a marching band. Democracy Now!'s María Taracena spoke to some of them.
DIANA MORENO: So, my name is Diana Moreno. I'm running for Assembly to succeed Zohran Mamdani in the Assembly, because we know that he cannot do this alone. He's going to need allies in Albany to be unwavering in our mission to deliver the affordable New York that he ran on. And I'm so thrilled to be part of that movement. And it is a collective movement. I'm not doing it alone as an individual. I'm doing it as a democratic socialist fighting for my child's future and for my neighbors.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: For many around the country, New York is sort of a symbol of the power of organizing, after Mayor Mamdani won the election by a landslide. What is your message to other people around the country who are looking at New York as a path forward for the rest of the nation?
DIANA MORENO: Organized people will always be more powerful than organized money. We defeated the most powerful forces on the planet, not just a political dynasty for Cuomo, but the people who funded him, which are the same people that funded Trump. The path forward towards actual democracy is organized people that are ready, ready to fight for our children, for our future, for our planet. And Zohran has shown us that we can do this.
GLENN CANTAVE: My name is Glenn Cantave. And the reason why I'm here is because this literally is such a unique opportunity to show the entire country what it looks like when you have billionaires out the way and you have someone in control who is accountable to the people. Like, this is a case study that the rest of the country can observe. A lot of people think that Zohran Mamdani is a once-in-a-generation talent, and I think he's an incredible person, and I back him all the way. But the reality is that there are so many Zohrans throughout the entire country, but they get outspent. And so, if Americans can see a model of what equitable leadership really looks like, it can empower other Zohrans to come out the fold.
ARIEL SEGURA: My name's Ariel Segura. I am a teenager here in New York City. And throughout Mayor Mamdani's campaign, two things that I'm really proud that I was able to do is, one, go out and canvass, be out there on Election Day to make sure that we get those last-minute voters in to get the outcome that we have today.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: You're here with your friends. You're all a part of history. You canvassed personally for Mayor Mamdani. What inspired you to do that?
ARIEL SEGURA: I mean, like, again, I think it's just like Mr. Mamdani, as compared to other politicians that, you know, just say things that are kind of persuasive, he's really listening to the people, and he's really getting those issues that we see on a day-to-day basis. I mean, fast and free buses, I take the bus at least once a month in my neighborhood. Same with public transport. When it comes to universal child care, I know that I, as a kid, I had to stay with other family members that my parents had to pay. It was a struggle for them to do these things, and I watched these issues in my day-to-day life.
MARÍA INÉS TARACENA: Mahmoud Khalil, you were released from ICE detention a few months ago earlier this year. You're now at the inauguration of New York City Mayor Mamdani. What does this moment mean for you?
MAHMOUD KHALIL: I mean, it's a great moment. I'm very optimistic to raise my child, who was born when I was in detention, to raise him under the mayorship of Mamdani. It's a great moment for all of us. It means that standing up for human rights, standing up for Palestinian rights wouldn't mean that you don't get elected. Despite all the odds, Zohran made it. And this is what other politicians in this country should understand, that Palestine is no longer a liability for their platform, that they actually should speak out for Palestine.
ANA MARÍA ARCHILA: My name is Ana María Archila. I'm the co-director of the New York Working Families Party. The more than 100,000 volunteers that were part of Zohran's campaign went to knock on doors not just to ask people to vote for Zohran Mamdani, but actually to say, “I will fight for you. I will — I will commit to you that we will freeze the rent, that we will make universal child care available to everybody, that we will make buses fast and free.” It was a politics of solidarity, a politics of mutual commitment and a politics of optimism in a moment when there is so much darkness surrounding us.
AMY GOODMAN: Just some of the thousands of people who came out to participate in the inauguration ceremony of Zohran Mamdani as the mayor of New York on New Year's Day. Special thanks to María Inés Taracena and Sam Alcoff.
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The man accused of being the Washington, DC, pipe bomber will remain in jail until he faces trial, a federal judge ruled Friday.
The decision to keep Brian Cole Jr., who allegedly placed explosives outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee buildings on January 5, 2021, was made two days after a hearing in which prosecutors argued that Cole would pose a danger to others if he were released and allowed to live with his family.
Judge Matthew Sharbaugh wrote that: “The sudden and abrupt motivation behind Mr. Cole's alleged actions presents concerns about how quickly the same abrupt and impulsive conduct might recur.”
He continued: “More, Mr. Cole reportedly told the FBI that he assembled the IEDs ‘in the hours before he drove to Washington, D.C. on January 5, 2021.'”
Cole has yet to enter a plea to the charges. No trial date has been set.
Sharbaugh said the speed at which Cole was able to allegedly assemble the bombs “suggest he can prepare dangerous explosive devices in short order, over a matter of hours, not necessarily days or weeks.”
“Given the precipitousness with which Mr. Cole reportedly acted, and the speed with which he was able to construct the so-called ‘pipe bombs,' the Court lacks confidence that even the most rigorous set of release conditions can reasonably guard against the risk of future danger,” the judge wrote.
Sharbaugh added too that he shared concerns with prosecutors about how Cole allegedly deleted evidence and continued to purchase alleged bomb making parts after Cole allegedly placed the two bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings.
Could Brian Cole Jr. claim Trump's Jan. 6 pardons cover him? A former Jan. 6 prosecutor says that's the argument he'd make
Cole's attorney argued he should be released into his grandmother's custody.
Cole's grandmother took the stand herself, promising to “make any adjustments that I need to make” to keep him out of trouble, adding that she had already placed cameras around the exterior of her home inside a gated community.
His defense attorney also stressed that Cole has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder, two factors that should be considered for both his mindset in committing the alleged crimes and for his ability to navigate being in jail.
Further complicating the matter is that the Justice Department has secured an indictment against Cole that had not yet been accepted by a judge. Sharbaugh explained during the hearing that a grand jury in the local Superior Court in Washington, rather than the federal court, had handed up an indictment against Cole, and that he was watching a separate case with a similar issue move through the appeals process to determine what to do in Cole's case.
A person familiar with the matter said that prosecutors used a superior court grand jury only because the federal grand juries were not meeting at the time.
CNN's Hannah Rabinowitz contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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Reports say actor, 34, found unresponsive in corridor of Fairmont hotel in early hours of New Year's Day
Victoria Jones, the daughter of the actor Tommy Lee Jones, has been found dead in a San Francisco hotel.
Jones, 34, was discovered in the early hours of New Year's Day, according to TMZ, which cited law enforcement sources.
A spokesperson for the San Francisco fire department confirmed the news, telling media outlets that paramedics had been called to the Fairmont hotel at 2.52am.
“Our units responded to the scene, performed an assessment and declared one person deceased,” said a spokesperson, who added that the local police department and medical examiner's office then took over.
The cause of death is not yet known.
The Daily Mail reported that a fellow guest alerted staff after finding Jones unresponsive in a corridor.
Jones is the second child of Tommy Lee Jones and his second wife, Kimberlea Cloughley. Her brother, Austin, is 43.
As a child, Jones acted alongside her father in films such as Men in Black II and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, and she also appeared in the TV series One Tree Hill.
When promoting The Three Burials, Tommy Lee Jones said of his daughter: “She's a good actress, has her SAG [Screen Actors Guild] card, speaks impeccable Spanish. When she was a baby, I told Leticia, her nurse, to speak to her in Spanish.”
He also said that as a teenager, she had balked at the early starts required on film sets. “She had to get up at 5am for her part,” he told the New Yorker. “One morning, she wouldn't get out of bed. I said: ‘Honey, this is work.' But she wouldn't budge.
“So I fired her. Then, without telling me, the production staff went over and woke her and rushed her out to the set just in time.”
The pair appeared together frequently on the red carpet, including in October 2018, when he was on the jury of the Tokyo film festival.
Tommy Lee Jones, 79, won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in The Fugitive and has also acted in films such as JFK, Lincoln, In the Valley of Elah and No Country for Old Men.
Live Updates
• Probe underway: Sparklers on champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling likely caused the Swiss ski resort bar fire that killed at least 40 people during a New Year's party, officials said today. This appeared to lead to a flashover, in which everything in a room ignites almost simultaneously. Swiss prosecutors have opened an investigation into possible criminal responsibility.
• Families wait for news of loved ones: Multiple people are missing, including a teenager who was celebrating the new year with friends. Authorities say identifying those killed could “take several days.” Around 119 people from nine European countries were injured in the blaze in Crans-Montana, Switzerland.
• Chaotic scenes: New videos showed terror and chaos as the fire broke out inside the tightly packed bar and people rushed to escape.
Laetitia Brodard-Sitre's son, Arthur, texted, “Happy New Year, Mum, I love you,” just after midnight on New Year's Day — and she hasn't heard from him since, she told Reuters today.
Standing near the scene of the tragic Switzerland resort bar fire, she told the news agency her son was going to celebrate turning 17 and had “reserved a big table with his friends. They reserved a table several days in advance, and he was planning to go to Le Constellation to spend New Year's Eve.”
She said she went to Sion hospital but has been unable to find her son and has provided DNA to try to find a match. Many of the victims have severe burns and remain unidentified.
“I don't sleep. The only thing I find comforting is to know that I am here, that I am close by, and as soon as I find my son, I will be by his side truly,” Brodard-Sitre told Reuters. “But while waiting for that, I am here. I am by his side here. I can't see myself anywhere else. As long as I'm in Crans-Montana, I'm close to Le Constellation.”
The two French owners of the bar that was engulfed in flames on New Year's Day have been interviewed by police, and an investigation has been opened into the circumstances surrounding the fire, the chief prosecutor in Switzerland's Valais canton told reporters on Friday.
The owners were interviewed not as suspects but to gather information, the canton's attorney general Beatrice Pilloud said, adding that investigators have not yet identified any criminal responsibility.
Le Constellation is owned by a French couple, Jacques and Jessica Moretti, according to the Commercial Register of Central Valais. Public records show the couple registered the business as “Le Constellation” in 2015. A later registration for “Le Constel” (2022) appears on the same register under the same two names. Records also show a bar-restaurant in Crans-Montana named Le Senso and a traditional restaurant offering Corsican and Swiss dishes named Le Vieux Chalet in nearby Lens are owned by a couple named Jacques and Jessica Anne Jeanne Moretti.
CNN has reached out to the couple through their businesses but is yet to receive a response.
Investigators are examining whether Le Constellation complied with fire regulations and looking at access to fire escapes and fire extinguishers as well as the number of people present at the bar, according to Pilloud.
“There will also be a consideration whether or not, under such circumstances, any individuals have potential criminal responsibility. If such is the case, and if these individuals are still alive, then a file and an investigation will be opened for homicide through negligence, causing fire through negligence, and bodily harm through negligence,” Pilloud said.
Eight French citizens are still unaccounted for in the aftermath of the deadly fire in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said today.
“At this stage, we know that 14 French nationals have been injured and are being cared for,” Barrot said in a post on social media. “Eight of our citizens have not yet been located.”
Barrot urged against public “speculation” regarding the condition or whereabouts of fire victims until officials provide more information. The minister added that eleven victims would arrive at hospitals in France “by this evening,” including three Swiss citizens.
“We have also dispatched to the site a specialized team for the treatment of severe burn injuries, in support of and at the request of Switzerland,” Barrot said. “Needs will be reassessed on a daily basis, and we will continue to assist our neighbors for as long as necessary.”
CNN's Camille Knight contributed to this report.
Le Constellation bar in Switzerland's Crans-Montana ski resort had a fire exit but most people inside the venue would have struggled to find it after fire broke out, a regional security chief said as he answered questions regarding the building's inspection during a press conference Friday.
“It seems that most people try to leave through the main exit, but this public place also had a fire exit,” Valais security director Stéphane Ganzer told journalists.
He continued, “But as you can understand, when there is an instance of flashover where you have so much smoke that it's impossible to see to move, the majority of people, one would imagine, failed to find the fire exit.”
Meanwhile Chief Prosecutor, Beatrice Pilloud, responding to questions regarding the acoustic foam material the roof of the venue's basement was made from, confirmed an investigation was looking into the installation of that material.
“The investigation is indeed looking at the installation of this foam and the related facts. The investigation will determine, to the extent possible, whether or not this acoustic foam meets requirements,” Pilloud said.
She added, “As things stand today, given we have only had a few hours of the investigation in place, I can't tell you whether or not it has been installed with or without regulation.”
On the night of the fire, “55 severely injured individuals” were treated at the regional Valais Romand hospital, in the Swiss town of Sion, according to the hospital's director.
Out of those 55 injured people, “13 have been able to go home, which is some good news,” Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional Valais Romand hospital, said in a news conference Friday.
Bonvin added that 11 people are still in the regional hospital, including four still in intensive care. Seven are currently being treated by the surgery services.
Meanwhile, 28 people who were initially treated there have been transferred to other hospitals in Switzerland or abroad.
For context: A total of around 119 people from nine European countries were injured in the blaze in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and are now being treated in various hospitals in Switzerland and abroad. Authorities have cautioned that the figures may evolve, because the figures relate to individuals who have been formally identified.
Images widely circulating online from the New Year's blaze show bar staff in motorcycle helmets perched on others' shoulders, holding champagne bottles with sparklers amid a tightly packed crowd inside Le Constellation.
One image shows at least six bottles, with the lit sparklers attached, raised in the air as fire and smoke breaks out on the ceiling above.
The sparklers appear to have ignited what experts believe is acoustic paneling – material used to improve sound quality and a potential fire hazard that one independent fire consultant described as “plastic petrol.”
Swiss Chief Prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud said in a news conference Friday that all evidence pointed to the sparklers causing the fire.
The deadly fire at a ski resort bar in Switzerland was likely caused by sparklers in a champagne bottle that came too close to the ceiling, chief prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud told journalists.
“Some hypotheses can be confirmed,” Pilloud said. “As things stand, everything points to the fire starting from sparklers or flares placed in champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling, which very rapidly led to a flashover fire.”
The number of people injured following the fire at Le Constellation bar in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana has risen to 119, with six people yet to be identified, according to the commander of Valais Cantonal Police.
Of those injured, 71 are Swiss nationals, police chief Frederic Gisler said at a news conference on Friday.
A further 14 French nationals were recorded, alongside 11 Italians, four Serbians, one Bosnian national, one Belgian national, one Luxembourgian national, one Polish national and one Portuguese national.
A further 14 of the patients being treated have not yet had their nationality confirmed, Gisler added.
Around 50 patients injured in the ski resort fire have been or will be transferred to hospitals in other European countries for specialist treatment, Chief of Health Department of State Council Mathias Reynard told journalists on Friday.
“Around 50 injured were transported or will be transported to European countries to specialized centers for burn victims,” he said.
He added that there had been communications with France's health minister, and that patient transfers “have already begun to French hospitals.”
Swiss health authorities had also received an “offer of help to take care of injured patients,” from Italy, with patients to be transferred to the north of Italy, Reynard said.
A ceremony to grieve the victims of the ski resort fire in Switzerland will be held in Crans-Montana on January 9, a Swiss health chief has said.
Chief of Health Department of State Council, Mathias Reynard, said this will be an opportunity for the community to “come together and grieve together.”
An eyewitness has described the horrifying scene following the fire that killed around 40 people and left another 115 injured in the Swiss mountain resort Crans-Montana on New Year's Day.
“I didn't see the fire, but I saw all the bodies on the streets … They were with white sheets over them, these people were dead already, and then you saw the young people, because it's all young people,” Edmund Coquette told CNN-affiliate RTL Germany, in Crans-Montana, on Friday.
“You saw the young people who were totally burned in the face, who missed some fingers, laying on the streets, and first aid was given to these people,” Coquette said.
The bar Le Constellation, where the devastating fire broke out, was not usually a popular place, Coquette said, but on New Year's Eve it was “full, full, full.”
“I went there also when I was young. That was the place, it was a bit cheaper, a bit less fancy, easier to go. They had only one stair. It always has been like that,” he added.
Switzerland is “deeply grateful” for the international support it has received in the wake of the deadly ski resort fire, the country's foreign minister has said.
In a post on X, Ignazio Cassis wrote, “We are deeply grateful for the strong support and assistance provided by our neighbouring countries, as well as for the many messages of solidarity from the international community, as response efforts continue and families await news of their loved ones.”
Earlier today, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that cooperation with Swiss authorities had been “very positive.”
The bar Le Constellation, where the deadly fire at Crans-Montana broke out, lies at the very heart of the luxury ski resort, just a short walk from the bottom station of the lift that takes skiers up into the mountains.
According to a description of the bar on the ski resort's official website, the establishment has a capacity of 300 people with a terrace space for 40.
A cafe offering coffee and pastries during the day, Le Constellation has two bars and a dedicated shisha smoking area, according to the website. Photos of its interior show a dark, cavernous like space with a brightly lit large bar at its center.
It is unclear which part of the bar was affected by the fire.
Police said earlier the fire broke out around 1:30 a.m. on New Year's Day.
One of Switzerland's most exclusive locales, Crans-Montana is famed for its year-round sunshine, which it owes to its position on a south-facing plateau in the Rhone Valley.
The area – 1,500 meters above sea level – has sweeping Alpine vistas stretching from the Matterhorn to Mont Blanc, one of Europe's highest peaks.
Tourists are drawn to its understated glamor, with high-end shopping and fine dining as well as extensive ski slopes and a lively apres-ski scene.
With a small population of around 15,000, the area is said to have a close-knit community as well as being a low-key place for celebrities to go skiing, golfing and dining.
Crans-Montana also has a lengthy history as an important stop on the professional skiing circuit. The resort was the site of the 1987 FIS World Alpine Skiing Championships, which famously introduced the super-G discipline to the world championships, and is set to host the 2027 world championships in February of next year. Crans-Montana is also a prominent fixture in the annual alpine skiing World Cup for both men and women.
For golf fans, it is the home of the annual Omega European Masters golf tournament on the DP World Tour (formerly known as the European Tour), which famously played host to Michelle Wie becoming the first woman to compete on the men's European Tour in 2006.
White sheets shroud Le Constellation bar Friday.
Inside, a trickle of activity as authorities continue their investigations, outside the bustle of the world's media and a steady stream of locals and tourists passing by in ones and twos to lay flowers or just take a moment at the site of this village's most tragic night.
One couple vacationing from Dijon, France, stood quietly in the street, eyes wet with emotion, their prayers rolling off their lips. “May God touch Le Constellation, may he hold the poor families in his arms.”
Minutes later, tears streamed down the face of one man, as he fell to his knees meters from the spot where his son may still lie.
After more than a day without news, he was drawn back to the bar, chasing any hint of the fate of his son, his brother told CNN.
Lives cut short or perhaps forever changed, the youth of the victims weighs heavily on many here.
The use of fireworks inside Le Constellation ski resort bar in Crans-Montana, though small-calibre, was irresponsible, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told journalists on Friday.
“Certainly the use of fireworks, even though small-caliber ones, in a place like this seems to be a an irresponsible choice,” he said at a news conference, adding that he had been informed by the public prosecutor that dozens of interrogations have been taking place to determine responsibility for the deadly fire that broke out in the early hours of New Year's Day.
“We need to seek the truth, but first of all, we need to save human lives, and at the same time, we need to understand who is responsible for all this and who who is managing this establishment,” Tajani said.
He added that cooperation with Swiss authorities had been “very positive.”
Witnesses have reported that the fire was caused by sparklers placed in champagne bottles. Authorities say that a “flashover” sparked a rapid explosion, causing flames to spread quickly inside the establishment.
New videos show terror and chaos as a fire broke out Thursday inside Le Constellation bar, which was packed with people celebrating New Year in the Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana.
The videos, obtained and verified by CNN, shed more light on what unfolded both inside and outside the building, as people tried desperately to escape the flames that rapidly engulfed the venue.
CNN verified the content by matching the videos with file images showing the interior of the bar along with street view imagery.
One video, filmed from inside the bar as the fire is starting up, shows flames spreading across the ceiling. Music blares in the background as crowds of people rush up a flight of stairs toward the exit.
In another video, filmed from outside the building, a person can be seen opening a window panel or door on the exterior of the club. Thick smoke billows out as the window opens. A person can be seen stumbling out of the building and over a barrier onto street level. Bystanders are gathering outside.
A third video, also shot from outside, shows the fire has now grown into a raging inferno. Flames are ferociously burning, and the inside of the bar is bright orange. Shouts fill the bar as people can seen panicking and pulling themselves out of windows, while others pile down a set of stairs toward the street outside.
Multiple people can be seen lying motionless on the ground outside the bar in a fourth video, as bystanders attend to them.
It appears by this point that emergency crews have arrived on scene as blue flashing lights can be seen in the footage. It is unclear whether the people in the video are dead or alive.
A final video shows emergency service personnel tending to victims in the aftermath of the fire. One person can be seen on the ground covered in blankets, others are sitting down around them inside a building.
Fresh details are starting to emerge about the victims of the deadly New Year's Day blaze in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, as condolences continue to roll in.
Here are the latest developments:
Victim named: Emanuele Galeppini, a 17-year-old Italian golfer, has been named as one of the people who died in the blaze, according to a spokesperson for the Italian foreign ministry and the Italian Golf Federation.
Meanwhile, a 19-year-old trainee soccer player from French club FC Metz has suffered burns to 30% of his body, his agent said.
Fire experts weigh in: Fire expert Glenn Corbett told CNN that confusion can affect people's escape from burning buildings and pointed to a study of the deadly 2003 Rhode Island club fire, which showed that escaping in under two minutes was crucial to survival.
Contributing factors: An independent fire consultant told CNN the presence of acoustic tiles may have contributed to the spread of the fire. Stephen MacKenzie said the tiles were a “known issue” when it comes to fire safety.
Medical response: More than a dozen beds have been made available in French hospitals for severe burn victims, the French health minister said. Five victims have so far been hospitalized at the Geneva University Hospitals in Switzerland.
Families hit by grief and hope: A mother has described the agonizing 30-hour wait for news regarding her missing son Arthur, who attended the New Year's party. The mother said she had searched several hospitals, and of the 10 other people her son was celebrating with, only one person has been accounted for.
Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani has said three of the hospitalized casualties following the New Year's fire in the Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana are not immediately identifiable.
“There are still three injured that have not been identified, and they might be Italian,” Tajani said to reporters on his arrival to the Swiss resort, adding that six Italians remain missing and 13 of those injured are Italian.
“This is the data we have, the Swiss have less data because until they have certified the identities, they cannot and do not want to release numbers,” he added.
The foreign minister laid flowers on behalf of the Italian government at the scene of the tragedy.
He added that the Italian Civil Protection has sent a helicopter to Switzerland with medical staff and will be sending more doctors to support the emergency response effort.
Pope Leo XIV has expressed his condolences to the families of victims of the deadly New Year's fire at a bar in the Swiss ski resort Crans-Montana.
“His holiness Pope Leo XIV joins in the mourning of the families and of the entire Swiss confederation,” a telegram sent on his behalf and signed by the Vatican's secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, said Friday.
“He wishes to express to the relatives of the victims his compassion and solicitude,” the telegram said.
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However, the state could re-file RICO charges with permission from the governor, and may appeal the judge's ruling.
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Racketeering charges against 61 people indicted as co-conspirators in the Stop Cop City movement were dismissed on December 30, marking a significant victory for those facing prosecution in the years after the movement's peak.
The dismissal comes after more than two years of attempted prosecution that sought to convict protesters who opposed Atlanta's sprawling police training facility, known as Cop City, as an organized criminal enterprise. In September, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Kevin Farmer said from the bench that he planned to dismiss the charges, but the decision was only made official this week.
The original indictment was brought in 2023 and targeted dozens of people that the state described a vast and coordinated criminal group that opposed not only Cop City but police and the government as a whole.
In the years since, activists and organizers have faced uncertainty as the state has delayed trials, changed prosecution tactics and made procedural missteps. But Tuesday's news came as a breath of fresh air for those facing charges.
“When we got the oral decision in September we celebrated, we were so relieved and so happy,” Xavier de Janon, a lawyer representing former RICO defendant Jamie Marsicano and member of the People's Law Collective, told Unicorn Riot. “When we got the written order yesterday it was like reliving those moments.”
In September defense lawyers argued that the prosecution lacked the authority to charge defendants under Georgia's RICO, or Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organizations, Act asserting that the attorney general could not bring such charges without approval from the governor.
Judge Farmer agreed. In the order issued Tuesday, he dismissed the charges as procedurally invalid, ruling that the neither the statue's language nor the state's constitution give the attorney general authority to prosecute RICO charges without the governor's permission.
Under Georgia law, the attorney general can only pursue RICO charges like the ones brought against Cop City opponents in matters of people or groups “dealing with or for the state.”
At the September hearing prosecuting attorney Chris Carr argued that the protesters were, in fact, “dealing with the state” as a result of their activity towards state employees and property. Farmer disagreed, writing in his order:
“The [Attorney General] would have the court define “deal with” as “engaging with” the state. It argues that any time the state is an alleged victim of a crime, the definition of “deal with” is satisfied. “Deal with” should be include [sic] when someone “deals with” an angry (or misbehaving) child. To stretch the definition of “deal with” to this length would lead to absurd results and give the AG much broader powers as those set forth in the state constitution and the limited number of statutes that give the AG express power to prosecute crimes[…]”
Accordingly, Farmer did not accept Carr's argument that Cop City opponents were dealing with the state, and warned that such an interpretation could lead to overly zealous prosecutions in the future.
The ruling dismisses the RICO charges, but doesn't address related arson charges that some are facing. In September lawyers argued that the same language appears in the state's arson laws and that those charges, which appear in the same indictment, should be thrown out too.
Farmer agreed that the arson charges were likely brought in error along the same lines as the RICO charges, but didn't issue a decision in his written order.
The state could re-file RICO charges with permission from the governor, and may appeal Farmer's ruling.
And while he and others are celebrating the legal win, de Janon is uncertain about the future of the case given the state's erratic moves up to this point.
“The RICO has been dismissed, we'll see what happens next week,” de Janon said.
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Sales at Elon Musk's company slump after Donald Trump's withdrawal of EV subsidies
China's BYD overtook Tesla as the world's largest electric carmaker in 2025, after the US company run by Elon Musk reported a slump in deliveries at the end of the year.
BYD sold 2.26m battery electric cars during the year, easily outstripping the 1.63m deliveries reported on Friday by Tesla for the same period.
The switch is a symbolic moment in the rise of China's car companies, which have used the transition to electric cars to try to dominate the global automotive industry. Chinese car exports have risen in recent years, led by BYD and rivals such as the state-owned SAIC and Chery, which runs the Omoda and Jaecoo brands.
Electric car sales have continued to grow in the past two years, but the rate of growth has been slower than expected. Electric carmakers have been forced to cut prices aggressively, and governments around the world have rolled back targets on the shift away from petrol.
Tesla's sales appear to have suffered in large part because of the withdrawal of electric vehicle (EV) subsidies by Donald Trump. The US president has also removed emissions regulations that incentivised electric car production. And Tesla also faced a backlash from some consumers after Musk's embrace of far-right politics at the end of 2024.
Tesla's deliveries slumped to 418,200 in the final quarter of the year, below the average forecasts of analysts. Sales for 2025 were down by 9% compared with 2024.
An average compiled by Bloomberg had suggested that Tesla would deliver 441,000 vehicles during the quarter, but Tesla took the unusual step before the new year of publishing its own consensus estimate for the first time, apparently in an effort to guide investors that sales were expected to be lower.
Tesla's share price was down 1% on Friday, although they were down by 8% since Christmas Eve.
Trump's anti-EV policies came despite Musk donating more money than anyone else to the victorious 2024 presidential election campaign and briefly running an effort to cut government costs. Musk at first seemed to win support for EVs from Trump – and even an awkward photoshoot in a Tesla in front of the White House – but they fell out dramatically in the summer.
It was the second consecutive decline in annual sales for Tesla. Yet even as sales have fallen it remains by far the world's most valuable carmaker, with shares valued at $1.4tn – more than the next 30 carmakers combined. Investors appear to be betting that Musk will lead Tesla to be a leading force in robotics and artificial intelligence.
Musk has consistently claimed that autonomous capabilities will set Tesla apart from rivals, and it has started operating a limited robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. However, it will still face competition on that front. Several Chinese carmakers and tech companies already have comparable technology, including an offering from BYD called “God's Eye” that is now included even on its cheapest cars.
BYD's electric car sales rose by 28% during the year despite a weaker performance in December.
BYD was founded in 1995 as a battery company by Wang Chuanfu, who is often described as China's equivalent to Musk. Its business already produced more cars overall than Tesla when counting hybrids.
The Shenzhen-headquartered manufacturer has overtaken Tesla during single quarters before. However, its battery electric production pulled away from its US rival in 2025, even as it faced intense competition from Chinese rivals.
BYD recorded 4.55m car sales overall during 2025, although its sales of plug-in hybrids fell by 8% year on year to 2.29m. That came despite an uptick in sales of plug-in hybrids, combining a smaller battery with a petrol or diesel engine, in some markets from consumers worried about their ability to charge. BYD also more than doubled its sales of commercial vehicles, including electric buses and lorries, to 57,000.
Once host to a poisonous gas research facility, Okunoshima is now an Instagram-friendly tourist destination
The bunny-ear designs on the window aside, there is little to indicate that the ferry has arrived on an island teeming with rabbits. Then, moments after the passengers disembark, there is activity in the undergrowth. A single rabbit scampers out, wholly untroubled by its two-legged visitors. And then another.
A short walk along the coast takes visitors deep into rabbit territory on Okunoshima, one of 3,000 islands in Japan's Seto Inland Sea. Half a dozen of the animals chase away another as it attempts to join them in a communal meal of Chinese cabbage. The scene unfolds in front of smiling, camera-toting tourists barely able to believe their proximity to Okunoshima's fabled – but troubled – furry residents.
The two grey rabbits that greeted the ferry from the mainland return to bushes stripped of their leaves. Shallow bowls of water left by volunteers dot the island in places where its estimated 400-500 rabbits tend to congregate in expectation of pellets of food left by visitors in the absence of their natural diet of fallen leaves, bark, roots and grass.
The rabbits are dependent on visitors and volunteers for food.
For all its natural beauty and popularity as a tourist destination, Okunoshima – uninhabited except for staff working at the solitary hotel and its guests – faces an uncertain future, and so do its four-legged inhabitants.
From 1929 until the end of the second world war, the island hosted poisonous gas research and production facilities run by the Japanese imperial army. The operation was so secret that Okunoshima was not included in contemporaneous maps of Japan.
Workers in rubber uniforms, gloves, long boots and gas masks manufactured mustard gas, and smaller quantities of teargas and cyanide.
The manufacture of weapons of chemical warfare – which was not exposed until the 1980s – also marked the beginning of the island's connection to rabbits. About 200 were used in experiments to test the efficacy of gas that Japan's army used during the Sino-Japanese war and, later, to arm balloon bombs targeting the US.
Each of the two rooms at the former poison gas storage facility above once housed a 10-tonne tank on a concrete base.
A power plant (top left) once supplied electricity to the gas factory (samples of its pipework and components, top right); a gas mask used at the factory is displayed at the island's museum (above, left); the largest gas storage facility on the island (above, right) once held six tanks, each with a capacity of about 100 tonnes.
In the early 1970s, a nearby elementary school released a small number of rabbits on the abandoned island, hoping they would bring it back to life. In 2024, nearly 200,000 people visited Okunoshima, drawn by its eminently Instagram-friendly coastline and the promise of entering a rabbit paradise.
An interest in wartime history first brought Koji Yamamoto to Okunoshima five years ago. But it is the rabbits that keep him coming back. “This is my 30th time here,” the retiree says as he watches grey rabbits gratefully devour the pellets he has put out for them.
“There isn't much natural vegetation, so I thought it would be a good idea to come regularly and feed them, especially during the winter when there aren't many tourists.”
Defeated Japanese forces attempted to destroy evidence of their wartime activities, including exterminating their collection of white lab rabbits.
Experts have not ruled out a genetic link between the rabbits experimented on in wartime and those that roam Okunoshima today. The chances are, though, “very low”, says Shingo Kaneko, a professor in the faculty of symbiotic systems science at Fukushima University, who is studying the rabbits' DNA to learn more about their lineage.
“Even if an individual rabbit survived [the wartime experiments] it would have been very difficult to continue its lineage. But I can't say 100% no, and it's a story that people like to believe could be true.”
A hinomari yosegaki (Japanese good-luck flag) displayed at the island's Poison Gas Museum is inscribed with ‘shuku nyūei' (‘congratulations on your enlistment'), a phrase wishing soldiers safety and success in war, and signatures and messages from family and friends.
Kaneko's study of hundreds of droppings revealed that the rabbits have diverse DNA characteristics, suggesting that animals have been left on the island on multiple occasions, possibly by people hoping to give unwanted pets a new home.
Unable to compete with larger animals for dwindling crops of natural food, the rabbits are now entirely dependent on visitors and volunteers for sustenance, according to Kaneko. “They depend on people for food, and that's not good. There is not enough natural food,” he says. “The rabbits look happy enough in social media posts, but they have an increasingly precarious existence.”
Yamamoto will not leave his spot until the rabbits have eaten every last morsel. “You have to stay with them until they've finished, otherwise other animals come and help themselves,” he says. The predators – usually wild boar and crows – not only eat the rabbits' feed, but have been known to attack them.
Last year, their chief tormentor was Ryu Hotta, a 25-year-old who was given a suspended prison sentence after being found guilty of abusing multiple rabbits by kicking them or inserting scissor blades in their mouths. Media reports said the carcasses of 77 rabbits were discovered on Okunoshima between November 2024 and January last year, although it was not clear how many had died as a result of abuse.
The lobby of Okunoshima's only hotel.
As concern grows over the future of the rabbit population, some worry that the island's past could be forgotten.
“About 85% of people who visit Okunoshima come to see the rabbits and give this place a miss,” says Kazuhito Takashima, who manages the Poison Gas Museum, where exhibits include uniforms worn by plant workers and photos of the disfigurements they suffered after exposure to dangerous chemicals. “Most Japanese people have no idea about the poisonous gas facilities … we didn't learn about this kind of thing at school.”
As the tourists leave Okunoshima on the Lapina pleasure boat, they take their final photos of rabbits, whose company they will commemorate with a visit to a souvenir shop 15 minutes away across the water.
“There are lots of tourists now, but there is no guarantee that will always be the case,” says Kaneko, adding that the relative dearth of visible droppings suggests the rabbit population is falling again after increase followed the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.
“I feel very conflicted when I leave Okunoshima. It's a place of darkness and light. Its connection with poisonous gas ended 80 years ago, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have problems … they are just of a different kind.”
“Public power” organizers are pushing for democratized control and truly public ownership of our energy system.
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Electricity bills for millions of utility customers are skyrocketing across the U.S. while the number of households facing extreme utility debt is mounting. Energy costs are being turbocharged by the AI data center boom, which is prolonging the burning of fossil fuels in the face of intensifying climate chaos. Overseeing all this is a powerful regime of investor-owned utilities that dominate our energy system. These for-profit corporations own and control the basic infrastructure we all depend on. Their executives and shareholders profit by raising electric rates or skimping on maintenance. And now, private equity firms are gunning for utilities.
But over the past few years, a vibrant movement for public power has emerged and grown.
Public power means public ownership and democratic control of our energy system. It's an alternative to corporate-owned, profit-driven utilities. Public utilities in the U.S. are not new, and recent campaigns — from Tucson to Milwaukee, from San Diego to Ann Arbor — seek to expand and improve on this precedent, creating a truly democratic public utility system that serves human needs over profits. A notable victory for public power came with the 2023 passage of New York's Build Public Renewables Act, and a campaign for public power in New York's Hudson Valley has been gaining momentum.
Public power means public ownership and democratic control of our energy system. It's an alternative to corporate-owned, profit-driven utilities.
This Truthout roundtable explores what public power means and why it's needed, how it intersects with other issues and struggles, organizing lessons from ongoing campaigns, and more. Lee Ziesche is a climate justice organizer, co-chair of the Tucson Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), and a core organizer in Tucson's public power campaign. She was also involved in Public Power NY's successful campaign to pass the Build Public Renewables Act. Matt Sehrsweeney is a climate justice organizer and Metro DC DSA member who co-chairs We Power DC, Washington, D.C.'s campaign for public power. Sandeep Vaheesan is the author of the recently published book Democracy in Power: A History of Electrification in the United States and the legal director at the Open Markets Institute.
This roundtable has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Derek Seidman: What is public power? Why's it worth fighting for?
Matt Sehrsweeney: The priorities of investor-owned utilities (IOUs) are fundamentally at odds with those of rate payers. IOUs are obligated to maximize their profits for their shareholders, which usually means raising rates as high as possible. Operating a crucial service like providing electricity as a profit-seeking business leads to terrible outcomes for rate payers. In D.C., nearly a quarter of households are in debt to Pepco, their utility.
Publicly owned and operated utilities, on the other hand, are more accountable to the needs of communities and can better prioritize things like more affordable rates and reliable service. There's also IOUs' reliance on fossil fuels. If we want to address the climate crisis at the speed that is necessary, we need utilities that are responsive to climate goals.
Sandeep Vaheesan: Electricity is an essential service. It's hard to imagine modern life without electricity. Given this, it's quite odd that the financial sector and shareholders have so much power over our electricity. In the U.S., about three out of four power customers are served by an investor-owned utility. These private monopolies prioritize profits, which is antithetical to high quality, affordable, and clean electric service.
Public power offers a more promising path where public service is truly front and center. Publicly owned utilities are focused on high quality, affordable, and sustainable electricity. They're not pressured to deliver big profits to shareholders. Public power also offers community control over things like rate design and infrastructure siting and ways to get to net zero. Public power offers the promise of bringing a more systemic, holistic approach to decarbonization.
Why is public power a core struggle for the left specifically?
Lee Ziesche: Public power is a way to actually improve the lives of working-class people. Electric bills are absurd. People are racking up debt. This is a chance to show people that socialism can work. We've talked to many people who aren't socialists but whose bills are so high that they're ready to support a socialist solution. We can prove that a public good can serve the people and be more affordable.
It makes no sense that profit-seeking corporations own the poles and wires that bring electricity into our homes. People need electricity to survive, especially in places like Tucson, where we have extreme heat. It should be a public good. That's what public power is all about.
Sehrsweeney: These campaigns also represent an attempt to expand small-d democracy in our everyday lives. It's about enhancing local democratic control over everyday institutions that provide basic public services. Expanding democracy is a huge part of the project of the left.
What are some important lessons you've learned from campaigning for public power?
Sehrsweeney: Harnessing peoples' latent anger against utilities is crucial. People are fed up with rising electricity bills. Here in D.C., we've seen Pepco's profits skyrocket. People are pissed off. Capitalizing on that anger has been a key part of our campaign.
“It's not a natural fact of life that our bills have to go way up. Our government should be intervening to prevent these rate hikes.”
Politicizing rate hikes has been an entry point for getting people involved. It's not a natural fact of life that our bills have to go way up. Our government should be intervening to prevent these rate hikes. We've pressed regulators and politicians to do their job. Rate hikes have been an important organizing site for us.
Ziesche: We're also doing that in Tucson. Tucson Electric Power (TEP) filed for another rate hike this summer, so we put up posters around town featuring a grim reaper that say “Will you survive another TEP rate hike?”
Be prepared to talk to a lot of people about their electric bills. Anytime there's a major festival we're out talking to people or asking them to sign a petition.
You should also be ready to make politicians a little uncomfortable. You have to build the power to challenge them and, if necessary, primary politicians who aren't on board. DSA chapters waged multiple primary challenges across New York State, and we've done the same here in Tucson. When we were out door-knocking for Sadie Shaw, we also talked about public power. Our politicians often have cozy relationships with these powerful utilities. You need to build a big enough base to get elected officials on your side.
The public power campaign in New York was really impressive. What lessons did you take from it?
Ziesche: We built a huge statewide coalition that reflected all of New York to win the Build Public Renewables Act. A lot of the organizing originated from DSA chapters, and we got environmental justice groups and labor on board. We really built a massive movement. Thousands of people did things like submitting comments or calling the governor when we needed it.
We primaried elected officials and also challenged them in creative ways that made them incredibly uncomfortable. We made gigantic Venmo boards showing the donations that elected officials received from utilities or fossil fuel companies.
Can you talk about how the fight for public power intersects with struggles for racial and housing justice?
Sehrsweeney: In D.C., the parts of the city hardest hit by rising electricity prices and energy shut offs are predominantly Black, poor and working-class wards. Over 50 percent of Pepco's low-income customers are in utility debt. The burden of energy injustice falls most acutely on Black and Brown communities and people facing housing insecurity. The folks most likely to be evicted are also the folks most likely to face energy shut offs.
Ziesche: Our public power campaign in Tucson merged this summer with a fight against a massive Amazon data center. Our city voted against it, but TEP is moving forward with it anyway. We know that Amazon Web Services works with Palantir to target immigrants. We have this potential monster being built in the Sonoran desert where we have almost no water. This will send our electricity through the roof and could be used to target immigrants in our community. [Note: Since this interview was conducted, Amazon pulled out of the data center project, though developers are still trying to advance it.]
We've also done multiple events with the Tucson Tenants Union. They have members who lose housing because they can't afford their electric bills. Overall, we're trying to approach our organizing more like a tenants union. How do we actually build enough power together as customers? If TEP won't sell us back our grid at a fair price, maybe the people of Tucson can go on a bill strike and collectively stop paying our bills.
What about public power campaigns and the labor movement?
Vaheesan: The relationship between labor and public power campaigns is tricky and challenging. Most unionized workers in the power sector are represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), which tends to have a more conservative outlook that doesn't necessarily embrace alternative forms of ownership. In the U.S. today, it's also better to be a member of a private sector union than a public sector union, which often have no right to strike and now have a harder time collecting dues.
But I think these challenges can be overcome. Investor-owned utilities are under shareholder pressure to increase profits through rate hikes and cutting costs. This will become more acute as private equity enters the utility industry on a large scale. They are going to cut wages and benefits and rely more on outside contractors. The good wages and benefits that many power industry workers have long enjoyed are poised to change.
There's an opportunity for public power campaigners to make the case to unions that public ownership shouldn't be seen as a threat. Public power can actually be a way of maintaining and even improving the standards for workers and their unions. Further, public ownership offers the opportunity for real economic democracy, where not only communities, but the workers of the utility themselves, have a say in how the enterprise is run.
Ziesche: In New York, getting labor, especially the IBEW, to a neutral position was important, and they actually now support building renewable public energy. You need to figure out how to structure your campaign and public utilities to not hurt labor.
What are some major challenges you've faced? What do you wish you knew when you started out organizing that you know now?
Sehrsweeney: The goal of public power can also feel unattainably large. So you need to break things down into steps toward long-term goals. Maybe that's opposing a data center or organizing against a rate hike. Building towards long term goals with reforms that put power back into the hands of the people is crucial.
Figuring out how to translate these wonky issues into something that people can understand is also important. Be prepared to talk to people about their utility bills, because that's one of the best entry points. We recently produced a white paper report on municipalization in D.C. that goes through how Pepco has failed people and has recommendations on how a public utility would be better. This study built our credibility and made legislators take us more seriously. It's also been a good political education tool for our coalition partners and for lawmakers.
Ziesche: We are 100 percent volunteer-run, so building the capacity to take on a gigantic corporation is a challenge. We have to be our own experts and do our own research. It's also a challenge to get taken seriously when you're first starting out. Public power seems like a radical thing to some people. But this is actually the common sense solution. You need to explain that.
Vaheesan: The resource issue is a major obstacle to successful public power efforts, which entail taking on some of the most powerful corporate interests. On one side, you have investor-owned utilities with tens of millions of dollars to spend against municipalization, and on the other side you have a small group of hard working, dedicated volunteers who are also badly outgunned.
Also, power systems are complex and highly technical. There's a lot of jargon. It's easy for investor-owned utilities to say this is simply too hard for ordinary people to understand. We saw this in Maine in 2023. We need to hammer home that public utilities are a well-established institutional form. Around 54 million people in the U.S. get their electricity from publicly owned utilities. When you factor in consumer-oriented rural electric cooperatives, you're talking about 100 million people. It's a proven model, and we need to keep repeating that.
What's making you feel hopeful or optimistic right now?
Sehrsweeney: At a time when the federal landscape for climate policy is so bleak, it makes sense for organizers to focus locally. Also, in addition to promoting energy justice, the fight for public power advances democracy by putting power into the hands of regular people and bringing them into the democratic project.
Vaheesan: I feel a renewed sense of possibility because of what's happening in places like D.C. and Tucson and the mid-Hudson Valley. After many decades, public power is on the agenda again. This is a real moment of opportunity to push for public power at the state and local level and to lay the groundwork for eventual federal support. The energy affordability issue is not going away. Rate increases of 15 percent or 20 percent are becoming common. If we're serious about energy justice and affordable rates, building public power is really the only way forward.
Public power used to be the stuff of popular politics. If we do the organizing, advocacy, and public education now, we could be in a good position in three to five years to push for a major expansion of public power again.
Ziesche: When we're out there talking to people, they're so grateful that we're taking on this fight. Those conversations give me a lot of hope.
Also, those of us waging different public power fights are getting connected nationally as a movement. There's a new organization, Public Grids, that's bringing people together. This will help our individual fights. It's incredibly hard to take on a gigantic corporation, but together we're showing that the entire system across this country is not working. The unaffordability crisis around electricity is also being supercharged by the massive data center build out. We're reaching a crisis point. It's going to be clear to most people that this current system cannot continue.
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Derek Seidman is a writer, researcher and historian living in Buffalo, New York. He is a regular contributor for Truthout and a contributing writer for LittleSis.
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Tesla Inc. TSLA-Q ceded its crown as the world's top electric vehicle maker to China's BYD after annual sales fell for a second year, with intensifying competition, the expiration of U.S. tax credits and damage to the automaker's brand hurting demand.
With global EV sales rising 28 per cent last year, BYD outsold Tesla for the first time on an annual basis, helped by rapid growth in Europe where the Chinese automaker has been widening its lead over the U.S. rival.
The annual deliveries figure raises questions about whether Tesla can stabilize its core auto business following two consecutive years of sales declines, even as it pivots to futuristic projects such as robotics and self-driving cars to justify its steep valuation.
“I think the market remains focused on the robotaxi business, where Tesla is testing its Cybercab in Austin," said Seth Goldstein, senior equity research analyst at Morningstar.
“If deliveries can continue to not be down too much in the coming quarters, I expect market sentiment around the robotaxi will continue to drive the stock,” Goldstein added.
Tesla's fourth-quarter figures come after third-quarter deliveries were supported by a rush to lock in U.S. EV tax credits before they expired at the end of September, followed by a sharper slowdown as incentives rolled off.
EV demand has softened across the industry since the end of September, when the Trump administration ended US$7,500 federal tax credits.
Tesla said it delivered 418,227 vehicles in the October–December quarter, down from 495,570 a year earlier. Analysts expected 434,487 vehicles or a 12.3 per cent drop, according to Visible Alpha.
For the full year, Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles, compared with 1.79 million in 2024. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha had expected deliveries of about 1.65 million vehicles, marking the company's second consecutive annual decline.
Analysts have said Tesla came under immense pressure in 2025 in North America and Europe, where competition intensified and the company faced brand backlash earlier in the year tied to CEO Elon Musk's political rhetoric.
Growing competition from Chinese firms and European automakers such as Volkswagen and BMW has weighed on Tesla's sales momentum.
BYD said sales outside of China climbed to a record one million vehicles in 2025, up about 150 per cent from 2024. The company has said it aims to sell as many as 1.6 million vehicles outside China in 2026, though it has not disclosed an overall sales target.
Tesla in October launched stripped-down “standard” versions of the Model Y and Model 3, priced about US$5,000 below the previous base models, as it sought to defend volumes after the tax credit loss and appeal to customers in Europe looking for cheaper options.
The move disappointed some investors who had expected a larger price cut or a meaningfully new mass-market product
Even as vehicle deliveries have weakened, Tesla shares rose about 11.4 per cent in 2025, boosting Musk's wealth.
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MOSCOW, January 2. /TASS/. Kirill Budanov, chief of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Directorate of Intelligence (designated in Russia as a terrorist and extremist), has accepted Vladimir Zelensky's offer to lead his office, as Budanov himself said.
"I have accepted <...> Vladimir Zelensky's offer to lead the office of the head of state. I continue to serve Ukraine," he wrote on Telegram.
Dmitry Litvin, Zelensky's communications adviser, said earlier that formal procedures regarding Budanov's appointment had already begun.
On November 10, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced Operation Midas to uncover a major corruption scheme in the energy sector. Timur Mindich, a businessman and Vladimir Zelensky's friend, was dubbed the coordinator of the criminal scheme. The offices of Mindich, Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who was later dismissed from office, and the Energoatom company were searched. According to investigators, those involved in the criminal scheme laundered at least $100 million.
On November 11, NABU filed the first charges, including Mindich as the head of a criminal organization, as well as former Deputy Prime Minister and ex-Minister of National Unity Alexey Chernyshov, a close ally of Zelensky. On November 17, reports indicated that head of Zelensky's office Andrey Yermak might also appear in the Mindich case files under the pseudonym Ali Baba. His apartment was searched on November 28, and Zelensky fired him later that day.
Igor Pomerantsev, a veteran radio broadcaster, poet, and former Soviet dissident, during Meridian Czernowitz 2021 in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in September 2021. (Julia Weber)
In an authoritarian society, it's free thinkers who are targeted by those in power. A book, a social media post, a private conversation — anything can be used against those who refuse to conform in a country ruled by intimidation, lies, and outright violence. This is why, in a world where authoritarianism appears to be on the rise, a free press is more important than ever.
Few understand this reality better than Igor Pomerantsev, a veteran radio broadcaster, poet, and former Soviet dissident. Having spent decades working for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) and the BBC after being exiled from the Soviet Union, he has witnessed firsthand how authoritarian regimes attempt to control narratives and silence dissent.
In an interview with the Kyiv Independent, Pomerantsev discussed the vital role of institutions like RFE/RL in upholding press freedom — and what its loss at the hands of the U.S. could mean for regions starved of independent journalism. He reflected on his own path to dissent in the Soviet era, why he describes the Russian state as a “cult of death,” and the lessons today's dissidents must learn as authoritarianism gains ground worldwide.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Kyiv Independent: You've worked with RFE/RL for many years, and so I had to start off by asking you for your thoughts on the U.S.'s funding cuts, which essentially put the future of the organization in serious question.
Igor Pomerantsev: Without RFE/RL, it feels as if we are being deprived of a fundamental element of our environment — freedom of information is one of the most essential aspects of human life.
I work for the Russian language service, and Russian is a lingua franca. Of course, there are other sources of information for Russian-speakers, but the real tragedy is the fate of the Central Asian services. It is truly a tragedy. They are losing their only source of free and independent information about their own countries.
It has been a long process of trying to put an end to the work of RFE/RL. I remember back in Munich, during the administration of (former U.S. President Bill) Clinton, our budget was drastically cut. We were essentially like refugees, forced to leave Munich for Prague — where (then Czech) President (Vaclav) Havel generously offered us a building (to continue working in), practically for free, for just one crown. In a way, the Czech Republic took us in as financial refugees.
The next attempt to suffocate us came under (former U.S.) President (Barack) Obama in 2016, when we were cut off from shortwave broadcasting. For decades, people across the former Soviet Union had relied on us through shortwave radio. It was as if millions of people were suddenly deprived of their only source of alternative information. Without shortwave, we had to adapt, shifting to modern forms of broadcasting — podcasts, for instance. There was a silver lining to this transition, but ideally, we should have been able to maintain shortwave while also expanding into new formats.
And so, you see, this depriving us of oxygen has been happening for a long time. Now, however, we are simply being shut down outright. I've worked for RFE/RL for 30 years, and I'm not here to boast — that would be pointless. But among our listeners were many decision-makers.
Some have criticized us for not reaching a “broad enough” audience, but we were never meant to be a pop music station. Our listeners were people who could engage with complex ideas, who could understand nuanced discussions. Yes, mass audiences often prefer simpler content, but that was never our mission.
The Kyiv Independent: You began working with institutions like the BBC and RFE/RL after being exiled from the Soviet Union. You were labeled by the Soviet authorities as a “dissident.” For those of our audience who are unaware of your background, could you just talk about how that came to be?
Igor Pomerantsev: I think I first became a dissident when, during an interrogation by the KGB, they told me: “You are a dissident.” Before that, it had never occurred to me to think of myself that way. In a normal situation, you don't wake up one day and declare, “I am a splinter” — you simply live in your country as one among millions.
My initial reaction was, of course, completely negative. I didn't want to be a splinter, an outcast. But that's how they viewed my life, my fiction, my nonfiction, my poetry. To call yourself a dissident requires a certain state of mind. Take, for example, the great Ukrainian literary critic and poet Ivan Svitlychny. After his arrest and sentencing, he wrote a cycle of poems titled “I Am a Dissident.” But that was already a different kind of self-awareness — a deliberate declaration.
Poems like his can seem almost iconoclastic, but in their depth, they were political as well. In my case, I didn't choose it. I was labeled, stamped as a dissident. And only later did I begin to reflect on why — and what drove me.
People sometimes refer to the “dissident movement,” but in reality, it was not a movement at all. It was a collection of isolated individuals, each expressing a deeply personal protest. For me, living in the Soviet Union was a daily source of shame for many reasons. First, I couldn't accept the existence of political prisoners in my own country. Most people in the Soviet Union didn't care — they were too focused on their own lives. But for me, it was unbearable. I knew that two camps, in Mordovia and the Perm region, were filled with political prisoners.
Second, the lies. You'd turn on the television, and it was nothing but lies — a personal insult, really. Sure, you could switch off the TV, but the lies were everywhere. In school, history was distorted. At university, you were forced to sit through absurd lectures on “The History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.” Most people ignored it, but some were more sensitive to it. Some couldn't just let it wash over them.
At that time, in the 70s, Ukraine had about 3.5 million Communist Party members — mostly adult men. Some were active, some were passive, but the fact remained: if you were a party member, you couldn't just dismiss it as a passive act. These people had families, children. Their conformity wasn't just personal — it shaped the entire society.
From childhood, people were already being brainwashed through school, universities, propaganda, media — everything. It surrounded you, flooded over you. Instinctively, we all needed to survive — not just physically, but existentially, intellectually, spiritually.
I was a young writer, just starting out, and for me, reading all kinds of literature was essential. That was my first step toward becoming a dissident. I started reading Samizdat and Tamizdat — and from there, the path was clear: repression, surveillance, detention. My detention wasn't long, but still — I was arrested over books. And for me, as a writer, books were my life. Literature was life. But the authorities saw it differently. They tried to suffocate my existence by accusing me of reading and spreading so-called anti-Soviet literature.
Ironically, literature was what saved me. It kept me intellectually and mentally intact. I owe my integrity to books.
There were different kinds of dissidents — nationalist, patriotic, democratic. I would describe myself, and a small circle of my friends, as something else entirely. We were like characters from Albert Camus, the French philosopher who championed responsible individualism.
Dissidents, by definition, must be different. That's the whole point — to stand apart. In my own circles, there were also the so-called “bourgeois nationalists” — a ridiculous term in the Soviet Union, where there was no actual bourgeoisie. And through Samizdat, I learned that in Leningrad, there were even Russian fascists who considered themselves dissidents.
But for me, it was about something else. Later, I wrote an essay called “The Right to Read” that was published in the Partisan Review. As a young writer, what mattered most was having access to books — whether I loved them or hated them. The choice had to be mine, not dictated by men with pistols.
That's how my real conflict in Kyiv began. Though, in fact, the first one happened earlier, at Chernivtsi University, where I was a student. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a policy document from the Czechoslovak Communist Party — at the time, a surprisingly liberal text. Not only that, but it had been published in Ukrainian, since Rusyns in Slovakia read Ukrainian. So, of course, I read it aloud — everywhere, at every corner of the university. That's what led to my first interrogation. Every Soviet university had a so-called “special department” staffed with two or three KGB agents. That's how I got to know them personally.
The Kyiv Independent: Given everything Russia is doing now, can we say it is following in the authoritarian footsteps of its predecessors, the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union?
Igor Pomerantsev: As a writer, I'll speak about literature, not politics, because that's where my expertise lies. The relationship between the Russian state and its writers has always been aggressively intrusive, dating back to the 18th century. Even then, writers were among the first victims of Russian censorship. Take, for instance, the journalist and satirist (Nikolai) Novikov — he was arrested and tried for his magazine. This pattern continued, escalating over time.
Many of Russia's most important literary figures, even the classics, found themselves in some way victimized by their confrontation with the state. Why? Because literature offers hope. It promises life. When you write, you're engaging with living people, and you, too, are a living person. But the state, built on death and fear, instinctively rejects literature's free spirit.
Take (Fyodor) Dostoevsky, for example. While some might see him as problematic today, he was sentenced to death. Even (Ivan) Turgenev, a respected figure who preferred to live in France and Germany, faced repercussions. His speech in memory of (Ukrainian author Mykola) Gogol led to his being sent to Schlisselburg prison and later placed under house arrest in his village.
I could name many more writers, but the point remains: If you weren't a complete conformist — if you were creative and free — you were in some way discriminated against or repressed. I'm speaking about literature here, while political scientists would focus on history. But when I think about the Russian state, I see that it is grounded in a cult of death.
Some cultures are built around death, even if not exclusively. For example, the Aztecs had a culture of sacrifice, with blood flowing daily through their empire. This wasn't simply a primitive thirst for death; it had its rituals, heroes, and monuments. Sometimes it can even look beautiful. It's not a simple concept; it's a part of life, and in some cultures, it can dominate.
The Kyiv Independent: It seems we live in a world where authoritarianism is once again on the rise. What advice do you have for the future dissidents of the world?
Igor Pomerantsev: There was a classic Samizdat pamphlet in the Soviet Union that gave specific instructions on how to behave during an interrogation. It wasn't a thick book, just a concise guide with very concrete advice. For example, it taught you how to handle questions from interrogators that were outside the official law or codex.
Some of the details were quite valuable. For instance, if the interrogators started threatening you, you needed to remain calm and respond first. One key piece of advice was that if you were taken to the KGB, you had to always ask why you were there. Are you being accused or are you a witness? If they said you were a witness, ask which case they mean. And if they mentioned someone like Ivanov so-and-so, you could respond by asking, "I know many Ivanovs, could you show me a photo of him?" There were all sorts of little tricks to help navigate the situation.
I read this pamphlet in my younger years, so theoretically, I was prepared. But there's also a certain kind of "prison wisdom." It boils down to three things: Don't trust, don't be afraid, and don't ask.
So, when you ask me what kind of lessons I can share from my dissident past, they are very practical ones. Any individual of a certain integrity must simply keep reading, be curious about the world, and think for themselves — it is that simple.
Culture Reporter
Kate Tsurkan is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent who writes mostly about culture-related topics. Her newsletter Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan, which focuses specifically on Ukrainian culture, is published weekly by the Kyiv Independent and is partially supported by a generous grant from the Nadia Sophie Seiler Fund.
Kate co-translated Oleh Sentsov's “Diary of a Hunger Striker,” Myroslav Laiuk's “Bakhmut,” Andriy Lyubka's “War from the Rear,” and Khrystia Vengryniuk's “Long Eyes,” among other books. Some of her previous writing and translations have appeared in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harpers, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of Apofenie Magazine and, in addition to Ukrainian and Russian, also knows French.
US president's posts that US will come to the rescue of protesters prompt warnings of ‘regret-inducing response'
Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran if its government kills demonstrators, prompting warnings from senior Iranian officials that any American interference would cross a “red line”.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump said that if Iran were to shoot and kill protesters, the US would “come to their rescue”. He added “we are locked and loaded, and ready to go”, without explaining what that might mean in practice.
Protests in Iran are in their sixth day, and are the largest since 2022, when the death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini triggered demonstrations across the country. The current unrest was triggered by an unprecedented decline in the value of the national currency on Sunday. The Iranian rial dropping to about 1.4m to the US dollar, further harming an already beleaguered economy.
Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called Trump's statement “reckless and dangerous,” and said the country's military was on standby. He also said the protests had been mostly peaceful, but that attacks on public property would not be tolerated.
“Given President Trump's deployment of the National Guard within US borders, he of all people should know that criminal attacks on public property cannot be tolerated,” he said.
At least seven people have been killed, , and videos have shown security forces carrying shotguns with the sound of shooting in the background.
In response to Trump's threat of intervention, Ali Shamkhani, adviser to the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, warned that Iran's national security was a “red line, not material for adventurist tweets”.
“Any intervening hand nearing Iran security on pretexts will be cut off with a regret-inducing response,” Shamkhani said in a post on X.
The threats come just days after Trump said that the US could strike Iran if it was found to be rebuilding its nuclear programme, further escalating tensions between the two countries.
Another senior Iranian official, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran's supreme national security council, accused the US and Israel of having a hand in the demonstrations in Iran, a common refrain by officials in response to protests.
“Trump must realize that US intervention in this domestic matter will lead to destabilisation of the whole region and the destruction of American interests,” Larijani wrote on X. “The American people must know that Trump is the one that started this adventure, and they should pay attention to the safety of their soldiers.”
Iran has threatened to target American soldiers stationed in the Middle East in the past, and in June it attacked Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar after the US struck Iranian nuclear enrichment sites.
The current protests have taken place in Tehran but have also spread to other cities, such as Isfahan in central Iran. Shopkeepers have closed their stores in protest and students have taken over campuses to express their grievances. Though economic conditions are the central grievance, demonstrators have also chanted anti-government slogans and decried what they said was corruption and mismanagement by the government.
Protests continued on Friday, with marches taking place to commemorate the burial of several demonstrators killed. Videos appeared to show mourners stopping security forces from attending the funeral of 21-year-old Amirhessam Khodayari, who was killed on Wednesday in Lorestan province.
Khodayari was originally reported as a member of the Basij, a volunteer paramilitary group, but his father denied the claims on video.
The Iranian president, Masoud Pezeshkian, initially invited protest leaders for talks, taking a less confrontational approach than authorities did in the 2022 protests, which they violently suppressed. Pezeshkian said that he had instructed the government to listen to the protesters “legitimate demands”.
The recent deaths of demonstrators, however, could signal that authorities are taking a harder line against protests as they continue. A statement from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps on Monday warned that it would take a harsh line against any foreign interference or “sedition” in the country.
As Iranian authorities grapple with protests at home, it has tried to stave off accusations from the US that it is reconstituting its nuclear programme. Iran has said that it is no longer enriching uranium anywhere in the country and has signaled it is open for negotiations with the west.
A once-toxic topic is helping survivors and relatives of victims get elected to enact the laws they helped draft
A new generation of young political leaders is gaining power in the US by using their personal experience with gun violence to push for reforms they say the US is ready for.
Their ascent is part of a nearly decade-long shift, from gun violence prevention being a third-rail issue in politics that was rarely spoken about on campaign trails, to one that candidates, most of them Democrats, are now running – and winning – on.
This shift is due in part to a collective exhaustion with gun violence, whether mass shootings – like the recent ones at Brown University in Rhode Island and at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia – firearms suicides or community violence, that continues to tear apart the lives of too many Americans, said Justin Pearson, a Tennessee state representative who's running for US congress.
“It's been an issue that has impacted my life,” Pearson, 30, said. “There was something about being a state representative and in a position, witnessing the government inactions and remembering the effects it has in my community, that pushed me to say this is an issue we need to prioritize.”
The day he was sworn in was also the day of the deadliest shooting in Tennessee history, when three children and three adults were shot and killed at the Covenant Catholic school in Nashville.
Days later, he and two other state Democrats led a protest on the house floor to call for stronger gun policy. Pearson and his colleague, Justin Jones, were expelled for the action, propelling him to national prominence. They eventually reclaimed their seats. (The third legislator, Gloria Johnson, who is white, avoided expulsion.)
Months later, in December 2024, Pearson's brother, Timphrance Pearson, died of a self-inflected gunshot wound. It wasn't his first experience with violent loss; just years before, his mentor Yvonne Nelson and his former classmate Larry Thorn were shot and killed in Memphis.
Pearson is running for US Congress in a primary challenge to Democratic incumbent Steve Cohen by putting gun violence at the center of his campaign platform and emphasizing the ways gun violence has affected the state's young residents, for whom gunshot wounds are the leading cause of death, according to a report from Tennessee's department of health.
The rise of candidates centering gun violence is also the result of the growing prevention movement across the US, which has become something of a pipeline for new candidates running for office.
Maxwell Frost, the nation's first gen Z US representative, started off as a volunteer before becoming organizing director for March for Our Lives, the gun-safety group founded by survivors of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida. Georgia representative Lucy McBath, whose son Jordan Davis was shot and killed in 2012, and Virginia governor-elect Abigail Spanberger were both volunteers with the gun-safety group Moms Demand Action before they ran for office. And Cameron Kasky, a survivor of the Parkland shooting who helped to organize the March for Our Lives student protests, recently announced his campaign to represent Manhattan, New York, in Congress.
“I see myself as a small part of a bigger movement. It's the reason I got into politics,” Frost said. “I was 15 when Sandy Hook happened and that's what pushed me to get involved in organizing and it's remained a big piece of my organizing.”
Today, calling out gun-rights lobbyists and groups like the National Rifle Association (NRA) is common among Democrats vying for political office. But less than 15 years ago, many moderate Democrats held A ratings from the NRA and the subject of regulating guns was a third rail that could spell an end to political aspirations, said Shannon Watts, a violence-prevention activist and founder of Moms Demand Action.
“It was gradual and not linear,” she said of the change that's happened. “We saw that our volunteers were running for office and thought it was common sense that someone who was learning how to shape legislation would want to take the next step to make the legislation as an elected official.”
Watts marks the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook elementary school, in which a gunman killed 20 children and six adults, and the subsequent failure of Congress to pass gun-safety policies, as a watershed moment that pushed formerly gun-friendly Democrats like former West Virginia senator Joe Manchin, Minnesota governor Tim Walz and former Arizona representative Ann Kirkpatrick to risk their A rating from the NRA to call for restrictions on gun-magazine capacities and assault weapons. Now, having an F rating from the group is a point of pride.
“After Parkland, zero Democratic members of Congress had an A rating and were proud about it. That's a seismic shift,” Watts added. “I think it's proof positive that playing the long game works. Lucy [McBath] ran for a seat held by Republicans and she ran on the issue of gun safety. It shattered a lot of misperceptions and fears about being gun safety-forward.
The issue of gun violence has also activated newcomers to politics.
Shaundelle Brooks's son, Akilah Dasilva, was one of four people killed in a mass shooting at a Nashville Waffle House in 2018. Five years later, in 2023, another son, who survived the Waffle House shooting, was shot and injured while leaving a Nashville music venue.
After her son's death, Brooks said she regularly would go to the statehouse to advocate for gun laws that she feels could have prevented the death of her son and so many others. After years of her pleas falling on unreceptive ears, she decided to run for office.
“There was a time where people were scared to even mention it while they were running. And I remember not voting for certain people because of that. So I am grateful that people are standing up, speaking out and being brave about it,” Brooks said.
“Coming up here for seven years and having them just ignoring me, testifying and then being told that if my son had a gun that would have saved his life, showed me that I needed to do more than what I was doing.”
The personal experiences of loss unite people like Brooks and Pearson with the scores of Americans who are part of what gun-violence victims and survivors describe as a club that no one wants to be a part of.
“When people see you're personally impacted, they feel that you're more credible to talk about this kind of stuff. They know it's not a political thing for us,” she said.
Pearson said the issue of gun violence has also brought lawmakers together. “We don't have a group chat but we all feel called in this moment to be a part of the healing,” Pearson said of Frost, McBath and Brooks.
“The world is riddled with so many problems and things that feel entrenched. We've given people decades to solve the issues we've been left with. And now, with our constituents' support, it's our turn,” he said.
Pearson said the loss of his brother has taught him that to tackle gun violence, he also needs to address bipartisan issues, such as veteran suicides and enhanced access to mental health services, that may have a better chance of making their way through Tennessee's Republican supermajority. He hopes these moves can show that a lawmaker being focused on gun violence isn't just about gun restrictions, but also requires action on material needs like economic and housing stability.
“We're not single-issue candidates and we understand the intersectionality of the harms,” he said. “We recognize that it's not just gun violence. It's poverty, pollution, communities that are deprived – these are the places subjected to the highest levels of gun violence. We have to have leaders who have proximity to that pain.”
Pearson, a recent gun owner himself, says that he is running for Congress because there are policies, such as red flag laws and mandatory waiting periods before purchasing guns that he feels need to exist at the federal level – and the current leadership has yet to prove they can implement them.
“Because of that inaction, people are dying,” Pearson said. “This problem isn't going to be solved by doing what we've done in the past.”
Firefighters lay flowers on Friday near the sealed-off Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where a devastating fire ripped through a ski resort bar during New Year's celebrations.Baz Ratner/The Associated Press
Initial investigations suggest that the fire that tore through a New Year's Eve party at a bar in the Swiss resort town of Crans-Montana began when ‘fountain candles' attached to champagne bottles were carried aloft too close to the ceiling, the local prosecutor said on Friday.
“Everything suggests that the fire started from the burning candles or ‘Bengal lights' that had been attached to champagne bottles. These went too close to the ceiling. From there, a rapid, very rapid and widespread conflagration ensued,” prosecutor Beatrice Pilloud told a news conference.
Swiss police confirmed that about 40 people died in the blaze at Le Constellation and 115 were injured. Italian authorities put the death toll at 47.
On Friday morning, the first victim was identified as a rising Italian golfer named Emanuele Galeppini, 16. The Italian Golf Federation paid tribute to the “young athlete who embodied passion and authentic values.”
The blaze turned Le Constellation into an inferno about 90 minutes after midnight on New Year's Eve.
A photo circulated on X showed a small patch of flames forming directly above outstretched arms carrying bottles with sparklers inserted in them. At that moment, the crowd seemed unaware of the fire over their heads.
A video that appears to be taken moments later shows a young man trying to beat back the spreading flames on the ceiling with a white jacket or T-shirt as loud music played.
Subsequent video clips and photos show panic and chaos, as revelers tried to escape through a single staircase, described by those at the bar as “narrow,” and made it upstairs, pouring or plunging onto the street. One video showed a man prying open a sliding glass door to allow a woman to escape. The skin on her bare shoulders and arms was red.
Contains disturbing content: Eyewitness video shows a fire taking hold in the ceiling at Le Constellation bar at Crans-Montana, Switzerland on New Year's Eve. Italian authorities have put the death toll from the blaze at 47.
The Globe and Mail
Among bar, nightclub and music venue fires of recent decades, these were some of the deadliest
During a press conference on Thursday afternoon, local attorney-general Ms. Pilloud had said investigators were examining whether a “flashover” – the sudden ignition of combustible material – triggered an explosion.
“There are a lot of circumstances to clarify, several hypotheses were put forward,” she said at the time. “The theory we're prioritizing is a flashover that provoked a rapid explosion.”
Firefighters describe a flashover – also known as rapid fire progress – as the moment when a localized burn suddenly envelopes an entire enclosed space as heat radiation raises temperatures quickly and flammable gases ignite. At that point, almost everything in the room is burning. The U.S. National Fire Protection Association says that flashovers are one of the leading causes of firefighter deaths.
People comfort each other outside the Le Constellation bar on Friday. It's not known how many people were in the bar at the time of the fire.Stephanie Lecocq/Reuters
Swiss officials described the burns from the fire and explosion at Le Constellation as severe. Identifying the victims could take days and involve DNA tests and dental records, they said. “All this work needs to be done because the information is so terrible and sensitive that nothing can be told to families unless we are 100-per-cent sure,” said Mathias Reynard, head of government for the Valais canton.
About 40 killed, 115 injured in fire at Swiss ski resort bar during New Year's celebration, police say
Swiss emergency services mobilized 42 ambulances, 13 helicopters and 150 medical staff to deal with the crisis. Some of the victims were flown to hospitals in Italy and other countries because the Valois hospitals were overwhelmed or not equipped to treat severe-burn victims.
By Thursday evening, mourners had left mounds of flowers and tributes near Le Constellation to remember the victims. Swiss President Guy Parmelin called the blaze “one of the worst tragedies that our country has experienced.” Flags in Bern, the Swiss capital, and elsewhere will fly at half-mast for the next five days.
The Associated Press' John Leicester explains how many of the injured from the New Years Eve bar fire in Crans-Montana were transported to hospitals across Switzerland and neighbouring countries as the regional health facility hit capacity.
The Associated Press
It's not known how many people were in Le Constellation at the time of the fire. The lounge had a capacity of 300, according to the Crans-Montana website, and videos and photos made it appear that it was packed. Crans-Montana is a luxury ski resort that is often on the World Cup ski circuit. It attracts wealthy, international visitors, many from Italy and France.
Italy's ambassador to Switzerland, Gian Lorenzo Cornado, said on Thursday that six Italians were missing and 13 were in hospital being treated for burns. The French foreign ministry said that nine French citizens were among the injured, with eight missing. One Australian was injured. Global Affairs Canada on Thursday said it was not aware of any Canadian victims.
People bring flowers and letters near the Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday.Antonio Calanni/The Associated Press
Most of the patrons of Le Constellation were teenagers or young adults. One of them, Axel Clavier, 16, told reporters that there was “total chaos” inside the bar and that one of his friends died. He did not see the fire start, he said, but remembers seeing waitresses enter the room with sparklers stuffed into champagne bottles.
As he felt himself suffocating, he was able to push himself upstairs, where he used a table to break a window, allowing others to escape. “I'm still in shock,” he said.
Two women told the French broadcaster BFM TV that they saw a male bartender lifting a female bartender on his shoulders as she held a lighted candle.
With reports from the Associated Press and Reuters
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President Volodymyr Zelensky has offered Kyrylo Budanov, the military intelligence chief, to take charge of the President's Office on Jan. 2.
"Now, Ukraine needs more focus on security issues, the development of the Defense and Security Forces of Ukraine, as well as on the diplomatic track in negotiations, and the President's Office will serve primarily to fulfill such tasks," Zelensky said.
Budanov accepted the offer.
"For me, it is an honor and a responsibility to focus on critically important issues of the strategic security of our state at a historic time for Ukraine," he said.
The move follows a major reshuffle that saw the dismissal of Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's long-time chief of staff, in late November. The change occurred amid Ukraine's largest corruption scandal, signaling a shift in leadership dynamics.
A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that the president's final choice would signal whether his focus lies on domestic affairs, diplomacy, or the battlefield.
Lieutenant General Budanov, 39, has led Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) since 2020. Under his leadership, HUR has evolved into a formidable force during Russia's full-scale invasion.
Budanov has become a household name in Ukraine, his agency is regarded as one of the most competent institutions in the country, while the spy chief has been publicly giving bold predictions about the war's outcome. Not all of them came true.
Under Budanov, the Military Intelligence conducted operations within Russia and the Ukrainian territories Moscow holds, operated drone units responsible for hitting targets over 1,000 kilometers away, and coordinated the International Legion and a number of other brigades fighting at the front.
In recent months, Budanov also held talks with U.S. and Russian delegations in Abu Dhabi.
A lawmaker from Zelensky's Servant of the People party, who spoke with the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity, believes that Budanov's appointment may signal that the widely discussed peace plan will not yield results given the Russian stance.
"We need to prepare for a long, exhausting struggle. And this is exactly the approach that Budanov represents," the lawmaker said.
Lawmakers and experts argue that it's not as important who becomes the new head of the President's Office, but its future influence.
"(Budanov) will need to build his own system, his own vertical of power. I think it will be a different style of leadership for the office," the same source told the Kyiv Independent.
"He's a spymaster, but he's not a master of political intrigue."
Lawmakers from the president's party who spoke with the Kyiv Independent approved Zelensky's choice, yet questioning why Budanov agreed to take on this role.
Although Budanov has never announced plans to pursue a political career, he is regularly featured in opinion polls and ranks among the top presidential contenders, behind only Zelensky and Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.K. Valerii Zaluzhny.
According to a recent poll conducted by Socis, Budanov would secure 5.7% in the first round. In a hypothetical runoff between Zelensky and Budanov, the latter one would defeat Zelensky with 56% of the vote against 44%.
According to the Economist, Budanov was close to losing his job in June 2025. The effort to oust the popular spy chief was led by then President's Office Head Yermak, according to the news outlet.
Volodymyr Ariev, a lawmaker from the opposition European Solidarity party, sees Budanov's appointment either as an attempt to remove a political rival or a move to shape him into a possible successor to Zelensky.
"It all depends on how Budanov will position himself going forward — whether he will be willing, once he moves into the cabinet, to let go of his political ambitions," he told the Kyiv Independent.
"Right now, serious changes and reforms are needed. If the president doesn't understand this, then Budanov's role will be reduced to becoming the second Yermak."
Politics Reporter
Kateryna Denisova is the reporter for the Kyiv Independent, specializing in Ukrainian politics. Based in Kyiv, she focuses on domestic affairs, parliament, and social issues. Denisova began her career in journalism in 2020 and holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She also studied at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Americans feel more politically connected by generation than they do by race or gender, CNN polling data finds.
Nearly 6 in 10 say they share a lot of common interests and concerns with other people of their generation, according to a late-summer CNN survey. By contrast, fewer than half of Americans, 43%, say they feel politically connected to others of their gender, and 39% to others of the same race.
“My generation is one of the first ones looking at an economy that will be worse for us than for our parents,” said Gabriel, a 21-year-old college senior from California who participated in the survey and said he felt a strong political connection to others his age. “Affordability and home ownership and growing up during the pandemic and all those issues make what's important to my generation probably very different than older ones.”
It's not just young Americans who feel that way: most in every age group think they have a lot in common with their generation. In fact, those 65 and older are actually 10 points likelier than adults younger than 35 to say that their generation is politically relevant to them.
Americans' attachment to their respective generations, however, doesn't exist in a vacuum. About 1 in 5 Americans said they felt politically connected across all three sets of demographics tested in the survey – generation, gender and race – with nearly half (46%) saying they felt politically connected to others across more than one demographic.
“Everyone identifies with a ton of different social groups at different times – throughout the day, even,” said Samara Klar, a political scientist at the University of Arizona who studies political identity.
People's connection to some facet of their political identity is often strongest when that aspect is under threat, research has found. But sharing a generation doesn't mean agreeing politically or even agreeing on whether those generational ties are important.
Partisanship also plays a major role: In CNN's poll, that sense of connectedness is weaker among Americans whose partisan views diverge from the positions most common in their group.
Adults younger than 35 who feel a strong sense of generational connection, for instance, are mostly Democrats or Democratic-leaning, and more than half said they were angry about President Donald Trump's policies and frustrated by politics more broadly. By contrast, those older than 65 who felt a generational connection were far more Republican than those who didn't.
Women are only a few points likelier than men to call gender politically important, 46% to 40%. But women who feel a sense of gender solidarity are far more Democratic-leaning than those who don't; while the pattern is reversed among men.
A 64% majority of Black Americans and 55% of Latino Americans say they share political concerns with others of the same race, falling to 28% among White adults. Those White Americans who do say they share political connections with others of their race are largely GOP-aligned – 63% belong to or lean toward the GOP – while most Black and Latino Americans who feel a sense of racial connection are aligned with the Democratic Party.
A few other differences by political connection emerge in the survey. Younger people who are more connected to their generation are more engaged in politics than those who are not, but there isn't a similar divide for older adults. Both younger and older Americans who felt connected to their generations, though, were more likely than those who didn't to say that they could think of a political figure who spoke for people like them.
White Americans who feel a political connection by race are more likely than those who don't, 42% to 24%, to say that growing diversity is threatening to US culture. For people of color, that pattern is reversed. While far fewer people of color see diversity as threatening, it's a view more commonly held by those who don't feel a connection by race (28%) than it is by those who do (13%).
Some Americans, meanwhile, may not feel that any aspect of their own background matters much politically at all: About one-quarter said they didn't feel politically connected to others along any of the three factors we asked about in the poll.
That sense of disconnect was particularly prevalent among those who are also disconnected from politics in other ways: “true” political independents who don't lean toward either party, and people who said they didn't pay attention to politics at all.
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TEHRAN, January 2. /TASS/. The US interference in Iran's internal affairs is tantamount to destabilizing the entire Middle East and will lead to the crushing of Washington's interests in the region, Iranian Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani said in response to US President Donald Trump's threats to support protesters in the country.
"We consider the positions of the protesting merchants separate from those of the destructive elements, and Trump should know that American interference in this internal issue is equivalent to chaos across the entire region and the destruction of American interests," the Iranian security official wrote on his account in the X social media platform.
Trump wrote earlier on January 2 on his Truth Social media platform that "If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."
Larijani said that this post made clear who was the instigator and tried to destabilize the situation in Iran.
"The American people should know that was Trump who started the adventurism. They should look after their soldiers," the Iranian security official said.
On December 29, protests by merchants started in the center of Tehran due to a plunge in the Iranian national currency. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed the interior minister to build a dialogue with the protesters and also announced reforms in the country's banking and financial sectors.
GENICHESK, January 2. /TASS/. Ukraine's elite Birds of Madyar drone unit was deployed to the Kherson Region and could be behind a terrorist attack on a hotel and a caf· in the settlement of Khorly that killed 27 people, Governor Vladimir Saldo said.
"According to operational reconnaissance data, the Kiev regime deployed Birds of Madyar militants to the right bank of the Kherson Region. These are what we can call terrorists - drone operators. Considering the special cynicism and cruelty of the terrorist attack in Khorly and a strike on a car in Tarasovka that killed a child, precisely the Madyar unit can be the direct perpetrator of this crime," the governor said.
The Kherson Region governor said on January 1 that the Ukrainian military had launched a targeted drone strike on a cafe and hotel situated on the Black Sea coast in Khorly where civilians had gathered to celebrate the New Year. One drone carried an incendiary mixture that caused a fire in the caf·.
According to the Russian Investigative Committee's data, at least 100 civilians were inside the caf· together with the staff at the time of the strike. The attack killed 27 people, including two minors. Thirty-one people, among them five children, were taken to medical institutions with injuries of various severity. Investigators have launched a criminal probe on counts of a terrorist attack.
Nigerian police said on Friday the driver of the vehicle involved in a crash that injured British former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and killed two of his close friends was charged with four counts.
Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, appeared before the Sagamu Magistrate Court on Friday in connection with the accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Ogun State Police Command said in a statement.
It told Reuters Kayode was charged on four counts, including causing death by dangerous driving. The case was adjourned to January 20.
Reuters was not immediately able to contact Kayode or a legal representative. Kayode has not commented publicly on the case.
Joshua, 36, sustained minor injuries when the Lexus SUV he was travelling in collided with another car on Monday. Two of his friends and team members, Sina Ghami and Latif Ayodele, died in the crash.
Preliminary findings suggested the car was speeding and attempted a wrongful overtaking maneuver before hitting a stationary truck, the FRSC has said.
Who were the two friends of Anthony Joshua that were killed?
Joshua, who was born in Britain to Nigerian parents, was taken to hospital for checks and remains stable, his promoter Matchroom Boxing said.
President Bola Tinubu expressed condolences to Joshua and the victims' families, calling the incident a “tragic accident.”
The crash came just over a week after Joshua knocked out American social media star Jake Paul in the sixth round of a bout in Miami. Joshua is expected to fight fellow Briton Tyson Fury later this year.
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President Barack Obama, from right, Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Ohio Gov. John Kasich walk on the first green during a round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., June 18, 2011. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
President George H.W. Bush talks with tennis star Andre Agassi, left, and actor Kevin Costner, right, while playing the 18th hole at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., July 28, 1991. (AP Photo/Doug Mills, File)
Michael Thomas, the former manager of the Courses at Andrews at Joint Base Andrews, stands with footballs autographed by several former presidents, Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in Lothian, Md. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
President George W. Bush practices his swing as he prepares to tee off on the first hole at the golf course at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., July 3, 2002. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File)
President Barack Obama, right, talks with former President Bill Clinton while playing a round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base Sept. 24, 2011, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump has spent much of his two-week vacation in Florida golfing. But when he gets back to the White House, there's a military golf course that he's never played that he's eyeing for a major construction project.
Long a favored getaway for presidents seeking a few hours' solace from the stress of running the free world, the Courses at Andrews — inside the secure confines of Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the White House — are known as the “president's golf course.” Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Joe Biden have spent time there, and Barack Obama played it more frequently than any president, roughly 110 times in eight years.
Trump has always preferred the golf courses his family owns — spending about one of every four days of his second term at one of them. But he's now enlisted golf champion Jack Nicklaus as the architect to overhaul the Courses at Andrews.
“It's amazing that an individual has time to take a couple hours away from the world crises. And they're people like everybody else,” said Michael Thomas, the former general manager of the course, who has golfed with many of the presidents visiting Andrews over the years.
Andrews, better known as the home of Air Force One, has two 18-hole courses and a 9-hole one. Its facilities have undergone renovations in the past, including in 2018, when Congress approved funding to replace aging presidential aircraft and to build a new hangar and support facilities. That project was close enough to the courses that they had to be altered then, too.
Trump toured the base by helicopter before Thanksgiving with Nicklaus, who has designed top courses the world over. The president called Andrews “a great place, that's been destroyed over the years, through lack of maintenance.”
Other golfers, though, describe Andrews' grounds as in good shape, despite some dry patches. Online reviews praise the course's mature trees, tricky roughs, and ponds and streams that serve as water hazards. The courses are mostly flat, but afford views of the surrounding base.
The first president to golf at Andrews was Ford in 1974. Thomas began working there a couple years later, and was general manager from 1981 until he retired in 2019.
He said the Secret Service over the years used as many as 28 golf carts — as well as the president's usual 30-car motorcade — to keep the perimeter secure.
“It's a Cecil B. DeMille production every time,” said Thomas, who had the opportunity to play rounds with four different presidents, and with Biden when he was vice president.
He said the commanders in chief generally enjoyed their time out on the course in their own unique ways, but “they all like to drive the cart because they never get an opportunity to drive.”
“It's like getting your driver's license all over again,” Thomas laughed.
Trump golfs most weekends, and as of Friday, has spent an estimated 93 days of his second term doing so, according to an Associated Press analysis of his schedules.
That tally includes days when Trump was playing courses his family owns in Virginia, around 30 miles (48 kilometers) from the White House, and near his Florida estate Mar-a-Lago, where he's spending the winter holidays. It also includes 10 days Trump spent staying at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, where his schedule allowed time for rounds of golf.
Trump has visited Andrews in the past, but the White House and base have no record of him playing the courses.
Andrews' military history dates to the Civil War, when Union troops used a church near Camp Springs, Maryland, as sleeping quarters. Its golf course opened in 1960.
The White House said the renovation will be the most significant in the history of Andrews. The courses and clubhouse need improvements due to age and wear, it said, and there are discussions about including a multifunctional event center as part of the project.
“President Trump is a champion-level golfer with an extraordinary eye for detail and design,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle said in a statement. “His vision to renovate and beautify Joint Base Andrews' golf courses will bring much-needed improvements that service members and their families will be able to enjoy for generations to come.”
Plans are in the very early stages, and the cost of — and funding for — the project haven't been determined, the White House said. Trump has said only that it will require “very little money.”
The Andrews improvements join a bevy of Trump construction projects, including demolishing the White House's East Wing for a sprawling ballroom now expected to cost $400 million, redoing the bathroom attached to the Lincoln bedroom and replacing the Rose Garden's lawn with a Mar-a-Lago-like patio area.
Outside the White House, Trump has led building projects at the Kennedy Center and wants to erect a Paris-style arch near the Lincoln Memorial, and has said he wants to rebuild Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia.
On Wednesday, meanwhile, the Trump administration ended a lease agreement with a non-profit for three public golf courses in Washington — which could allow the president to further shape golfing in the nation's capital. The White House, however, said that move isn't related to the plans for Andrews.
When the president is golfing, Andrews officials block off nine holes at a time so no one plays in front of him, allowing for extra security while also ensuring consistent speed-of-play, Thomas said.
That's relatively easily done given that the courses aren't open to the public. They're usually reserved for active or retired members of the military and their families, as well as some Defense Department-linked federal employees.
Thomas remembers playing a round with the older President Bush, a World Golf Hall of Fame inductee known for fast play, while first lady Barbara Bush walked with Millie, the first couple's English Springer Spaniel. George W. Bush also played fast, Thomas said, and got additional exercise by frequently riding his mountain bike before golfing.
When he wasn't golfing at Andrews, Obama tried to recreate at least part of the experience back home. He had a White House golf simulator installed after then-first lady Michelle Obama asked Thomas how they might acquire a model that the president had seen advertised on the Golf Channel. Thomas gave her a contact at the network.
Obama famously cut short a round at Andrews after nine holes in 2011 to hustle back to the White House for what turned out to be a top-secret review of final preparations for a Navy SEAL raid on the compound of Osama bin Laden.
But, while Thomas was golfing with presidents, he said he never witnessed play interrupted by an important call or any major emergency that forced them off the course mid-hole. There also were never any rain-outs.
“If there was rain coming, they'd get the weather forecast before we would,” Thomas said. “They would cancel quick on that.”
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Fox News correspondent Garrett Tenney discusses the increase in threats at Somali-run daycare centers in Minnesota and the federal intervention by the Trump administration on ‘Special Report.'
"Gaslighting," a term that is often misused, isn't just a lie, or even a really big lie. It is a specific kind of lie, and a great example of it comes in the form of absurd claims that Minnesota's new state flag does not resemble the flags of Somalia.
The expression comes from the 1938 play "Gaslight" in which a devious husband lowers the lights in the house each evening, while insisting to his wife that she is imagining it, in an attempt to drive her mad and take her money.
Regarding the new Minnesota state flag, let's be clear about one thing: It absolutely does closely resemble the national flag of Somalia as well as several Somali regional flags. One reason we know this is the case is that, not only did people immediately notice, but left-wing media started "debunking."
At right, the new Minnesota state flag. At left, the Somali national flag. Some say the new Minnesota flag bears similarity to the banner of Somalia, as well as regional flags in the African nation.
Here is what PBS News had to say in January 2024 as the flag was adopted: "It's a stretch to say the final version bears much resemblance to the Somali national flag, which is a solid light blue with a white, five-pointed star right in the center. The state Democratic Party chairman issued a news release taking one GOP lawmaker to task for fueling the spread of the misinformation on social media."
TRUMP TARGETS MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS, SAYS ‘WE'RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT'
See how this works? In a state with the nation's largest Somali population, the Democrats adopted a new state flag that obviously looks like Somali flags, several of which include almost every detail, from color scheme to chevron. But if you notice you are spreading "misinformation."
Are we honestly supposed to believe that throughout the entire process of picking the flag nobody noticed that it looks remarkably similar to the Somali flag that Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey regularly waves around while dancing on stage?
You can't walk six blocks in the Twin Cities without seeing Somali flags, on murals and in shop windows. It is everywhere.
MINNESOTA'S NEW MEDICAID FRAUD PREVENTION FIX WON'T MAKE 'ANY DIFFERENCE,' FORMER FBI AGENT SAYS
The thought that nobody saw this obvious connection, that it simply never occurred to anyone except racists looking for trouble not only strains credulity, it runs it through a high-powered shredder.
This is the Minnesota state flag that was replaced by one some say resembles the national flag of Somalia. (Mohamed Ibrahim/Report for America via AP, File)
Even if Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who reveled in the flag change, and other Democrats would admit it was at least a coincidence, then they would still almost certainly be lying, but not gaslighting.
Instead, these liberals are making us look at a Minnesota flag that demonstrably is just like the Somali flags and forcing us to say, in pure Orwellian style, that we are the crazy ones and 2 + 2 = 5.
VP DEBATE FOOTAGE OF WALZ TOUTING STATE SUPPORT FOR DAYCARES GOES VIRAL AMID MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS
This is all very much in line with the fact that we are not supposed to notice that the Gopher State's massive $9 billion fraud scandal centers around the Somali community. It's not happening, or, if it is happening, it isn't really $9 billion. And if it is $9 billion, it's only a coincidence that Somali immigrants are neck deep in it. And you're a racist for noticing.
Meanwhile, the liberal news media treats both the fraud and the flag stories as a kind of "fruit of the poison tree," to borrow a legal term. Since they believe that the attention on these issues is rooted racism, to cover the stories, even if they are true, is to abet that alleged racism.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is facing calls to resign from GOP lawmakers in his state. (Getty)
I am here to tell you that you are not crazy or a racist for observing the obvious about the Minnesota flag, and that those who tell you it never occurred to anyone during the design and selection process are just flat-out lying.
TRUMP SLAMS WALZ AND NEWSOM AS 'CROOKED GOVERNORS,' ASSERTING THEIR STATES ARE AWASH WITH FRAUD
In the play "Gaslight," the deceitful husband is eventually caught by a detective who realizes the lights are lower in the house because the would-be thief is turning gaslights on in the upstairs apartment while looking for a treasure. As usual, there is money involved.
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And boy, is there a lot of money involved in the Minnesota gaslighting the nation is going through today. It's not just the money stolen by Somali fraudsters, but also the portion kicked back to the very Democratic politicians who enable the graft and play dumb about the flag.
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The American people are not going to be told they shouldn't believe their lying eyes anymore. Everyone who looks at the Minnesota flag and the flags of Somalia can clearly see they are related, and we are done pretending we don't.
If there is a positive to come out of this massive scandal, it is that voters will no longer simply look away from fraud because noticing it in a specific group might be racist. And what's more, we will not be gaslit over Minnesota's Somali-themed state flag for one more moment.
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David Marcus is a columnist living in West Virginia and the author of "Charade: The COVID Lies That Crushed A Nation."
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A first strike damaged several cars and a residential building with shrapnel, while the second hit the mall, sparking a fire. No casualties were reported. Ukraine and Russia have continued to trade aerial attacks into the new year amid ongoing efforts to move forward negotiations to end the war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that a peace agreement aimed at ending the war between Moscow and Kyiv and was “90% ready” but the remaining 10% “will determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe.”
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov speaks during press conference in Kyiv, Ukraine, Feb. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka, File)
Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
In this photo, provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
Emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026.(AP Photo/Andrii Marienko)
In this photo provided by the Ukrainian Emergency Service, emergency services personnel work to extinguish a fire following a Russian missile attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Ukrainian Emergency Service via AP)
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday appointed the head of Ukraine's military intelligence as his new chief of staff, a move that comes as the U.S. leads a diplomatic push to end Russia's nearly 4-year-old invasion.
Announcing the appointment of Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs to focus on security issues, developing its defense and security forces, and peace talks -- areas that are overseen by the office of the president.
Zelenskyy had dismissed his previous chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, after anti-corruption officials began investigating alleged graft in the energy sector.
The president framed Budanov's appointment as part of a broader effort to sharpen the focus on security, defense development and diplomacy.
“Kyrylo has specialized experience in these areas and sufficient strength to achieve results,” Zelenskyy said.
Budanov, 39, said on Telegram his new position is “both an honor and a responsibility — at a historic time for Ukraine — to focus on the critically important issues of the state's strategic security.”
Zelenskyy appointed Foreign Intelligence Service head Oleh Ivashchenko to replace Budanov as GUR chief.
Budanov is one of the country's most recognizable and popular wartime figures. He has led Ukraine's military intelligence agency, known by its acronym GUR, since 2020.
A career military intelligence officer, he rose through the defense establishment after Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. He also took part in special operations and intelligence missions linked to the fighting with Moscow-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine before the full-scale invasion of February 2022. He reportedly was wounded during one such operation.
Since the full-scale invasion. Budanov has become a prominent face of Kyiv's intelligence effort, regularly appearing in interviews and briefings that mix strategic signaling with psychological pressure on Moscow. He has frequently warned of Russia's long-term intentions toward Ukraine and the region, while portraying the war as an existential struggle for the country's statehood.
Under Budanov, the GUR expanded its operational footprint, coordinating intelligence, sabotage and special operations aimed at degrading Russian military capabilities far beyond the front lines. Ukrainian officials have credited military intelligence with operations targeting Russian command structures, logistics hubs, energy infrastructure and naval assets, including strikes deep inside Russian territory and occupied areas.
His appointment to lead the office of the president marks an unusual shift, placing an intelligence chief at the center of Ukraine's political and diplomatic coordination.
Ihor Reiterovych, a Kyiv-based independent political expert, noted that Budanov had participated in the talks with the U.S. and “will fit much more naturally into the overall context” of the negotiations.
“Unlike Yermak, he has both experience in this field and has worked in a relevant position,” Reiterovych said, adding that the GUR also has had certain contacts with Russia on issues such as prisoner exchanges.
Russian authorities said Friday the death toll from what they called a Ukrainian drone strike on a cafe and hotel in a Russian-occupied village in Ukraine's Kherson region rose to 28. Kyiv strongly denied attacking civilian targets.
Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman of Russia's main criminal investigation agency, the Investigative Committee, said those killed in the village of Khorly, where at least 100 civilians were celebrating New Year's Eve, included two minors, while 31 people were hospitalized.
A spokesman for Ukraine's General Staff, Dmytro Lykhovii, denied attacking civilians. He told Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday that Ukrainian forces “adhere to the norms of international humanitarian law” and “carry out strikes exclusively against Russian military targets, facilities of the Russian fuel and energy sector, and other lawful targets.”
He noted that Russia has repeatedly used disinformation and false statements to disrupt the ongoing peace negotiations.
The Associated Press could not independently verify claims made about the attack.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday that he, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump's son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner had a “productive call” with the national security advisers of Britain, France, Germany and Ukraine “to discuss advancing the next steps in the European peace process.”
The U.S. efforts has faced a new obstacle earlier this week, when Moscow said it would toughen its negotiating stand after what it said was a long-range drone attack against a residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in northwestern Russia early Monday.
Kyiv has denied attacking Putin's residence, saying the Russian claim was a ruse to derail the negotiations.
In his New Year's address, Zelenskyy said a peace deal was “90% ready” but warned that the remaining 10% — believed to include key sticking points such as territory — would “determine the fate of peace, the fate of Ukraine and Europe, how people will live.”
Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential area of Kharkiv with two missiles Friday, Zelenskyy wrote on his Telegram page, adding that Moscow's forces “continue the killings, despite all the efforts of the world, and above all the United States, in the diplomatic process.”
At least 19 people in the eastern city were injured, including a 6-month-old, said regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov.
The Russian Defense Ministry denied launching any strikes with missiles or other airborne weapons on Kharkiv on Friday and suggested, without offering evidence, that the damage could have been caused by the detonation of ammunition at a weapons depot.
Earlier Friday, Russia conducted what local authorities called “one of the most massive” drone attacks at Zaporizhzhia. At least nine drones struck the city, damaging dozens of residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure but causing no casualties, according to Ivan Fedorov, head of the regional administration.
Overall, Russia fired 116 long-range drones at Ukraine, according to Ukraine's air force, with 86 intercepted and 27 striking their targets.
The Russian ministry said its air defenses intercepted 64 Ukrainian drones overnight in multiple Russian regions.
The Russian city of Belgorod was hit by a Ukrainian missile, according to regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov. Two women were hospitalized after the strike, which shattered windows and damaged an unspecified commercial facility and a number of cars in the region that borders Ukraine, he said.
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A decade after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates led a joint military campaign to curb Iran's influence in Yemen, the two allies now find themselves pitted against each other there.
The Arab world's most powerful nations have entered an unprecedented public spat over Yemen, a strategically located and impoverished nation with a history of unresolved conflicts. This week, Saudi Arabia struck a UAE shipment carrying combat vehicles bound for Yemen in an unprecedented military escalation before accusing Abu Dhabi of “highly dangerous” actions and endangering the kingdom's national security.
The civil war in Yemen began in 2014 after the Iran-backed Houthi movement overran the north of the country and took over the capital Sana'a. Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened the following year, propping up the local government and militias under a unified vision of destroying the Houthis.
But over the years, disagreements surfaced between rival Yemeni factions whose competing agendas unintendedly exposed a rift between the two Middle Eastern allies, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi.
Here's how Yemen's war has morphed into a proxy conflict involving erstwhile allies:
Since the Houthis seized Yemen's capital, the country has fragmented into multiple spheres of influence, giving Iran expanded leverage on the southern flank of the Arabian Peninsula through its support for the group.
The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, are a Shiite Islamist movement in the northwest of the country. In 2014, they orchestrated a swift takeover of Sana'a, with some popular backing, seizing control of the government. With sustained Iranian arms supplies and support, they emerged as Yemen's most cohesive military and political entity, controlling most of the country's northwestern border with Saudi Arabia, and holding critical Red Sea coastline, including access to vital maritime corridors. Over time, the Houthis evolved into one of Tehran's most disruptive regional proxies, launching missile strikes on Saudi Arabia and as far as Israel. They endured a prolonged Saudi-led military campaign, which ultimately failed and led to the Houthis securing a de facto truce in 2022.
Yemen's internationally recognized government, operating under the Saudi-backed Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), was established in 2022 to unify fragmented factions against the Houthis; it commands a loose coalition of regular military remnants, tribal militias, and Sunni Islamist groups in the center and south of the country. These forces hold a patchwork of strongholds, primarily in the central province of Marib, parts of Taiz, and Aden in the south. Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has conducted extensive air and naval operations, with limited ground troop deployments to prop up the government and counter the growing threat on its southern border.
The Southern Transitional Council (STC) is a UAE-backed separatist body in southern Yemen founded in 2017 to advocate for the restoration of the southern Yemeni state which ceased to exist in 1990 after the country unified. Militias aligned to the group are backed by Abu Dhabi and have played a crucial role in battles over the course of the war, including in recent weeks.
The two countries led the military intervention in 2015 to counter the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government, but diverging agendas led them to support rival factions. The UAE's backing of southern separatists seeking independence directly conflicts with Saudi Arabia's support for a unified and stable Yemen at its border.
After years of stalled efforts to end the civil war, UAE-backed forces launched a rapid offensive in early December, seizing control of oil-rich provinces – at times from Saudi-backed forces – leading to deadly clashes. Tensions peaked this week when Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted a UAE shipment of vehicles at southern Yemen's Mukalla port, accusing Abu Dhabi of endangering Saudi national security.
The UAE had since announced a withdrawal of its forces from Yemen.
“Over the past decade, the UAE acted at the request of the legitimate Yemeni government and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and within the Saudi-led Coalition, making substantial sacrifices to support Yemen's stability and security- particularly in confronting terrorist organizations that threaten civilians and the wider region. In line with its approach of urging calm and de-escalation, the UAE concluded the presence of its counterterrorism forces,” a UAE government official said in a statement.
On Friday, tensions further escalated as Saudi Arabia deployed its navy off Yemen's coast shortly after Riyadh-backed forces launched what they called a “peaceful” ground offensive to retake areas from the UAE-backed southern separatists. Videos showed large convoys of vehicles allegedly on their way to the areas under control of southern forces.
The separatists rejected the claim that the offensive was peaceful, accused Saudi Arabia of misleading the international community and declared the battle a “north-south war.” Southern forces also accused Riyadh of launching several airstrikes on its locations. Saudi Arabia hasn't commented on the matter.
Later on Friday, the STC announced it would hold an independence referendum in two years to help “exercise the right of self-determination for the Southern people.”
Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow at London's Chatham House think tank, said the unprecedented escalations “reflect fundamental disagreements between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi over the future political structure of Yemen and the balance of influence within it.”
“These actions mark a critical turning point, signaling a volatile and dangerous phase in Yemen's fractured alliances,” Al-Muslimi said.
Internal divisions and civil wars driven by ideological differences have plagued modern Yemen for over a century. North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire after 1918, while South Yemen remained under British control until independence in 1967. The two states remained divided for about 23 years until unification in 1990, followed shortly by a civil war in 1994, in which southern separatists were defeated, leaving unaddressed grievances that contribute to ongoing conflicts.
Recurring conflicts have left the nation – strategically located south of Saudi Arabia with access to key maritime corridors – heavily impoverished, highly unstable, and well-armed, as regional powers vie for influence.
Amid the renewed conflict, Yemen splinters further, with the Houthis – once targeted by some of the region's most powerful nations – viewing the divisions among their enemies as advantageous. The group, which launched missile and drone attacks on Abu Dhabi and Riyadh in the past, had endured a years-long Saudi-led coalition blockade and airstrikes.
“The Houthis are likely to view the growing rift between two of their principal adversaries with considerable advantage, observing as former coalition partners – who jointly fought and failed to defeat them – now turn against one another,” Al-Muslimi noted.
“How western governments will respond to escalating tensions between two of their most important regional partners remains uncertain, but the implications for regional stability and for Yemen's already fragile political landscape are profound,” he added.
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A respected dentist and his wife were gunned down in their upscale Ohio home while two young children were inside, authorities said, as the killer remains on the loose.
The bodies of Spencer Tepe, 37, and his wife, Monique Tepe, 39, were found Tuesday after a welfare check at their home in the 1400 block of N. 4th Street, Columbus police said.
“Two small children were also found in the residence unharmed,” police said.
Officers found no obvious signs of forced entry, and no firearm was found at the scene, CNN affiliate WSYX reported. Police have not released any details about a possible suspect or motive and are asking the public for any information on the case.
Detectives are investigating the deaths as a double homicide, not as a murder-suicide. Their direction is not surprising, CNN Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem said.
“If there's no gun, there would have been no way to do murder-suicide,” she said. “So that's why they excluded that relatively quickly. The other clue is, of course, the children are left safe.”
The Tepes' children, ages 4 and 1, are now in the care of relatives, the couple's brother-in-law, Rob Misleh, told CNN.
The owner of the practice where Spencer Tepe worked called 911 on Tuesday morning when Tepe uncharacteristically missed work.
“He is always on time, and he would contact us if there was any issues,” Dr. Mark Valrose of Athens Dental Depot told dispatchers. “I don't know how else to say this, but we are very, very concerned. This is very out of character for him. We can't get in touch with his wife, which is probably the more concerning thing.”
An officer responded at 9:22 a.m., but did not get an answer, WSYX reported, citing police records.
Colleagues also drove to the Tepes' home, and one friend heard children crying inside. But no one answered the door.
The friend called police around 9:56 a.m.
“I can hear kids inside, and I think I heard one yell,” the caller said, according to dispatch audio. “But we can't get in.”
Around 10:03 a.m., an audibly distressed man called 911.
“There's a body,” he said.
Either of two scenarios for how the crime unfolded seems to be most likely, Kayyem said: a “stranger at the door who just happens to kill this couple, or some narrative that might explain why they were targeted.”
To help zero in on a motive, investigators will examine forensics, the possible entry of the killer, whether anything was stolen and “the history of the family or the couple to determine whether … there's any threat to the rest of the community,” she said.
Columbus police have not responded to CNN's questions about a motive for the killings or whether the couple was targeted.
Regardless of the motive, this type of crime is “exceptionally rare,” Kayyem said.
“Given the fact that this doesn't happen often, and there was no signs of forced entry/burglary, you're going to look at people who they may have known or people who knew where they lived, unfortunately, and begin there,” she said.
“Maybe this was random. But the … national data suggests both how uncommon this is as well as the likelihood that there may be someone who knew them who was involved with this.”
Athens Dental Depot announced its closure for the rest of this week.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the sudden passing of our dear colleague and friend, Dr. Spencer Tepe, as well as his wife Monique,” the office posted Thursday on Facebook.
“He will be deeply missed by our team and the many patients he cared for over the years. Our thoughts and sincerest condolences are with their families and loved ones during this very difficult time.”
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The headquarters of Athens University stands after a rainfall in Athens, on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris, File)
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — More than 300,000 inactive university students have been removed from the rolls in Greece, cutting the country's official student population by nearly half, authorities said Friday.
The move marks the end of a decadeslong practice — formally abolished in recent legislation — that allowed extended enrollment to facilitate lifelong learning and lengthy breaks for work.
On Friday, the Education Ministry said that 308,605 students admitted to state-run universities' four-year degree programs before 2017 had been removed from the records.
“Student status is not valid for life in any modern European university,” Education Minister Sofia Zacharaki said. “We want degrees with value, which reflect effort, skills and passion.”
Ministry officials said that about 35,000 people successfully applied for reenrollment in 2025.
Opponents of the conservative government's reform, mostly from the academic community, argue the second-chance program failed to address the scale of disruption caused by Greece's severe financial crisis in the previous decade.
The country's active student population stands at just over 350,000, studying at 25 public higher education institutions, according to 2024 data from the Hellenic Authority for Higher Education.
Undergraduate degree programs at state universities are normally funded by the government. Until recently, only public universities offering state-recognized degrees have operated in Greece. But recognized private universities are gradually being introduced.
Education Ministry officials said that dormant students — those who had interrupted their studies — didn't impose any direct financial burden on universities, but created administrative difficulties.
“With updated student lists, universities gain the ability to plan more precisely,” Deputy Education Minister Nikos Papaioannou said.
“That is a prerequisite for improving academic quality, daily operations and the criteria used to evaluate Greek universities in international rankings.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump and Iranian officials traded threats after he threatened to intervene on behalf of protesters.
Iran has been racked by protests over the past several days around deteriorating economic conditions in the country, made worse by a growing water crisis and severe sanctions against Tehran. On Friday morning, Trump issued a threat to intervene if Tehran cracked down violently on the protests.
“If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he warned in a post on Truth Social, signing off with his name in all caps.
Ali Larijani, a former speaker of Parliament who is now the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, claimed Trump's comments showed the U.S. and Israel were behind the protests.
“With the statements by Israeli officials and @realDonaldTrump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear,” he wrote in a post on X. “We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interests.”
Larijani then issued an implicit threat against U.S. soldiers in the region, saying Americans should be “mindful of their soldiers' safety.”
Several people have already been killed in the protests, with Tehran admitting several deaths and human rights groups tallying anywhere from five to eight deaths by Friday.
One of the most controversial deaths was Amirhesam Khodayarifard, who died in Lorestan province under unclear circumstances. Tehran claimed he was a member of the government's Basij militia and killed by protesters, while human rights groups claimed he was a protester killed by security forces, and that Tehran was pressuring his family to falsely declare him a member of the Basij militia.
Iran has been plagued by crippling social instability for the past few years, with massive protests breaking out almost annually. The worst of these followed the death of the Kurdish-Iranian teenager Mahsa Amini, who died under unclear circumstances after being arrested by the government's morality police. Hundreds were killed over several months, and thousands more were arrested.
The latest round of protests commenced on Sunday, started by shopkeepers angry over economic turmoil brought about by the collapse of the Iranian rial. These protests are unique for many protesters' repeated appeals to the deposed Pahlavi dynasty, the subject of several chants published on social media.
The protests have also brought sympathy from some officials, however. The reform-minded President Masoud Pezeshkian went so far as to tell reporters on Thursday, “If people are unhappy with us, we are the ones at fault.”
TRUMP WARNS IRAN THAT US IS ‘LOCKED AND LOADED' TO ‘RESCUE' ANY ‘PEACEFUL PROTESTERS' HARMED
“We are the ones who solve people's problems; we are not the ones who create problems for people,” he said.
The protests are occurring amid broader discussion between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over whether to launch new strikes against Iran to disrupt its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.
Former Trump impeachment lawyer David Schoen weighs in on Fani Willis's defiant testimony and President Donald Trump considering denaturalizing certain American citizens on 'The Ingraham Angle.'
A massive fraud scandal tied to taxpayer-funded daycare, Medicaid and social services programs in Minnesota — involving potentially billions of dollars in suspicious billing — is prompting renewed scrutiny of whether some naturalized Americans obtained U.S. citizenship under false pretenses and whether denaturalization could now be used more aggressively.
The fallout has already led the Department of Health and Human Services to freeze certain childcare payments to Minnesota, citing alleged fraud involving daycare providers throughout the past decade.
Immigration authorities have confirmed they are reviewing whether fraud uncovered in Minnesota could provide the legal basis to revoke U.S. citizenship from naturalized individuals who concealed or misrepresented material facts during the immigration process.
Denaturalization is legally constrained, requires individualized civil court proceedings and historically has been used sparingly.
KAROLINE LEAVITT WARNS 'PEOPLE WILL BE IN HANDCUFFS' AS FEDS ZERO IN ON MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL
Attorney David Schoen said it remains legally viable but under extraordinary circumstances.
He said on Fox News the process would likely trigger "significant" court challenges but "it is legally possible. In an extraordinary circumstance, we'd have to know the facts."
Quality Learning Center in Minnesota was found at the center of an alleged childcare fraud scandal in the state. (Madelin Fuerste / Fox News Channel)
Schoen emphasized that immigration law already provides clearer mechanisms for removing noncitizens, particularly lawful permanent residents who violate the law, describing denaturalization as a far more extraordinary step requiring fact-specific scrutiny.
COMER SUMMONS MINNESOTA OFFICIALS AS HOUSE PROBES MASSIVE SOCIAL SERVICES FRAUD
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on "Fox & Friends" that the administration is "not afraid to use denaturalization," and confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the State Department are "looking at" whether citizenship could be revoked in connection with those of Somali origin in the Minnesota fraud probe.
DHS confirmed it is actively reviewing immigration and naturalization cases involving migrants from 19 countries of concern, including Somalia, to determine whether any individuals obtained U.S. citizenship through fraud that could warrant denaturalization.
"Under U.S. law, if an individual procures citizenship on a fraudulent basis, that is grounds for denaturalization," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Fox News.
The review focuses on whether fraud occurred during the immigration or naturalization process, including false statements or marriage fraud used to obtain legal status or citizenship. DHS stressed that denaturalization is governed by strict legal standards and applies only under limited circumstances.
President Donald Trump weighed in on the Minnesota investigations Wednesday, sharply criticizing the state's handling of fraud and linking the scandal to illegal immigration in a Truth Social post.
"Much of the Minnesota Fraud, up to 90%, is caused by people that came into our Country, illegally, from Somalia," Trump wrote.
"Lowlifes like this can only be a liability to our Country's greatness," he added. "Send them back from where they came, Somalia, perhaps the worst, and most corrupt, country on earth."
Federal prosecutors say their investigation has expanded to suspicious billing across 14 Medicaid-funded programs, where providers billed about $18 billion since 2018. A preliminary assessment cited by prosecutors suggests "half or more" of that amount could be fraudulent.
The widened probe builds on yearslong scrutiny of Minnesota following some of the largest benefit-fraud cases ever prosecuted in the state, including a pandemic-era food aid scheme involving roughly $250 million in alleged losses. Federal officials say those cases exposed systemic weaknesses in oversight that may extend across multiple aid programs.
Quality Learning Center manager Ibrahim Ali denied any fraud took place, despite a recent report by independent journalist Nick Shirley. (Pool)
HHS CUTS OFF MINNESOTA CHILD CARE PAYMENTS OVER ALLEGED DAYCARE FRAUD SCHEME
Minnesota is home to one of the largest Somali communities in the country. Census Bureau–based estimates suggest roughly 260,000 people of Somali descent live in the U.S. and close to 100,000 are in Minnesota.
Republican lawmakers argue that fraud on such a scale raises broader questions about whether individuals involved were truthful throughout the immigration process — and whether citizenship should shield offenders who obtained it through deception.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., called for the deportation of all Somali immigrants involved in fraud cases in Minnesota.
SENATE PRESSURE MOUNTS AS MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL CONTINUES TO UNFOLD
"I have three words regarding Somalis who have committed fraud against American taxpayers: Send them home. If they're here illegally, deport them immediately; if they're naturalized citizens, revoke their citizenship and deport them quickly thereafter. If we need to change the law to do that, I will," he wrote on X.
The renewed focus on denaturalization also aligns with broader efforts inside the Trump administration to tighten the naturalization process itself.
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U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow has previously criticized the current citizenship test as "too soft," calling for deeper civics knowledge and more rigorous English evaluation throughout the naturalization interview.
Historically, the federal government has pursued only a small number of denaturalization cases each year. Civil liberties groups warn that expanding its use could raise due-process concerns, teeing up a potential legal battle.
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Aaron MacLean, Hudson Institute fellow, analyzes Iran's deadly protests, President Trump's warning to the regime and whether U.S. pressure could tip Tehran toward change.
President Donald Trump warned early Friday that the U.S. would intervene if Iran started killing protesters.
Writing on Truth Social, the president said if Iran shoots and "violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue."
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," Trump said.
Trump's warning comes as demonstrations triggered by Iran's deteriorating economy expand beyond the capital and raise concerns about a potential heavy-handed crackdown by security forces. At least seven people — including protesters and members of Iran's security services — have been reported killed during clashes, according to international reporting.
IRANIAN PROTESTERS CLASH WITH SECURITY FORCES AS TEAR GAS FILLS TEHRAN STREETS AMID NATIONWIDE UNREST
U.S. President Donald Trump listens during a ceremony for the presentation of the Mexican Border Defense Medal in the Oval Office of the White House on Dec. 15, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Ali Larijani, a former parliament speaker who serves as the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, pushed back on Trump's post, writing on X that, "With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that U.S. interference in this internal matter would mean destabilizing the entire region and destroying America's interests."
"The American people should know — Trump started this adventurism. They should be mindful of their soldiers' safety," Larijani added.
The threat came after Iran launched an attack on Al-Udeid, the American airbase in Qatar, in June 2025. The base is home to 10,000 American forces and is the U.S.'s largest military installation in the Middle East. Located southwest of Doha, it serves as a hub for logistical operations for the U.S. mission to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
Ali Larijani, Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, arrives in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025, to attend a memorial service for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. (Courtney Bonneau/Middle East Images via AFP/Getty Images)
At the time, Iran vowed to retaliate against the U.S. after American B-2 bombers dropped 14 bunker buster bombs on three Iranian nuclear sites.
In the recent Iranian demonstrations, some of the most severe violence has been reported in western Iran, where videos circulating online appeared to show fires burning in streets and the sound of gunfire during nighttime protests.
"We are to blame... Do not look for America or anyone else to blame. We must serve properly so that people are satisfied with us.... It is us who have to find a solution to these problems," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Thursday, according to Reuters.
Protesters march in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
The unrest marks Iran's most significant protests since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked nationwide demonstrations. Officials say the current protests have not yet reached the same scale or intensity, but they have spread to multiple regions and include chants directed at Iran's theocratic leadership.
Iran's civilian government under reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian has signaled a willingness to engage with protesters, but the administration faces limited options as the country's economy continues to deteriorate. Iran's currency has sharply depreciated, with roughly 1.4 million rials now required to buy a single U.S. dollar, intensifying public anger and eroding confidence in the government.
TRUMP HINTS AT REGIME CHANGE IN IRAN WHILE DECLARING 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN' AFTER US STRIKES
State television reported the arrests of several people accused of exploiting the unrest, including individuals it described as monarchists and others allegedly linked to Europe-based groups. Authorities also claimed security forces seized smuggled weapons during related operations, though details remain limited.
Iranian protests force nationwide shutdown as President Masoud Pezeshkian closes businesses and offices across 21 provinces amid mounting public anger. (MEK/ People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran)
The demonstrations come amid heightened regional tensions following a 12-day conflict with Israel in June, during which the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Iranian officials have since said the country is no longer enriching uranium, attempting to signal openness to renewed negotiations over its nuclear program to ease sanctions.
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However, talks have yet to resume, as both Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have warned Tehran against reconstituting its nuclear capabilities — adding further pressure on Iran's leadership as protests continue.
Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Bradford Betz is a Fox News Digital breaking reporter covering crime, political issues, and much more.
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Mississippi platers and coach celebrate a win against Georgia after the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Mississippi players celebrate a win over Georgia after the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Georgia head coach Kirby Smart embarces his players after a loss to Mississippi after the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy (5) scores a touchdown against Georgia during the second half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) dives into the end zone for a touchdown against Mississippi during the first half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton Hinton)
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) dives into the end zone for a touchdown against Mississippi during the first half of the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — With Trinidad Chambliss making stunning plays at pivotal moments, Mississippi is doing fine without Lane Kiffin.
Chambliss passed for 362 yards and two touchdowns, and Lucas Carneiro kicked a 47-yard field goal with 6 seconds left to put No. 6 Mississippi in front for good in a 39-34 victory over third-ranked Georgia in a College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl on Thursday night.
“A lot of people did doubt us before the season and they still doubted us when our coach left,” Chambliss said. “We just want to play ball and have fun, and I think that's showing right now.”
The Rebels (13-1, CFP No. 6 seed) have now won two postseason games since Kiffin left for LSU on Nov. 30 and defensive coordinator Pete Golding was promoted to fill the vacancy at the top of the staff. Next up for Ole Miss is a semifinal matchup with Miami at the Fiesta Bowl.
“We've got a lot of good coaches,” Golding said, referring in part to assistants who have agreed to join Kiffin at LSU, but who've been permitted to remain with the Rebels through this postseason.
“A lot of guys have been going through a lot of things but they've been here for the kids the whole time,” Golding continued. “And this is a special group of kids.”
Kicking off on the heels of two lopsided CFP quarterfinals at the Orange and Rose bowls, the all-SEC match-up at the Sugar Bowl provided drama throughout.
“It was an incredible college football game,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “It's what the CFP was built for, to have battles like that. And that was basically every conference game we had this year.”
While Carneiro's late kick was the decisive score, Ole Miss was awarded a safety on its final kickoff when Georgia's return team tried a cross-field lateral that hit the pylon with 1 second left.
“I'm sick that we lost, and there's things I would love to go back and do differently,” Smart said. “But I'm just so proud of the way our guys competed.”
After seeing a 21-12 halftime lead turn into a 34-24 deficit with 9:02 to play, Georgia (12-2, CFP No. 3 seed) rallied to tie it, first driving for Gunner Stockton's 18-yard TD pass to Zachariah Branch before Peyton Woodring's short field goal tied it with 55 seconds left in regulation.
Chambliss responded by setting up the winning kick with a 40-yard pass to De'Zhaun Stribling on third down from Mississippi's 30-yard line. A few plays later, Carneiro, who'd already broken Sugar Bowl records with field goals of 55 and 56 yards, connected again and sprinted triumphantly toward the Ole Miss sideline as the Rebels jubilantly swarmed around him.
“They're never scared and they don't panic, and that's what I love about this group,” Golding said of his players. “They don't ever get too high; they don't get too low. They want to get coached. They want to get coached hard, and they want another opportunity.”
Harrison Wallace III caught nine passed for 156 yards and one TD, Stribling finished with seven catches for 122 yards, Kewan Lacy rushed for 98 yards and two TDs, and the Rebels outgained the Bulldogs 473 yards to 343.
Stockton passed for 203 yards and one touchdown, and also ran for two scores.
Both quarterbacks made big plays under duress.
Twice, Chambliss appeared to be running for his life to avoid sacks, retreating well behind the line of scrimmage and changing direction before finding school yard-type completions during a 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Lacy's second touchdown.
“Their quarterback is just incredible,” Smart said. “I mean, he does an unbelievable job of not (taking) sacks and making plays with his legs.”
Stockton twice completed passes moments before absorbing heavy hits, both of which took him off his feet and one of which looked like unpenalized head contact that left him flat on his back.
“Just playing for everybody on the team and just trying to give my best effort,” Stockton said.
Both QBs also converted fourth-down passes to keep alive scoring drives when their team trailed.
In the third quarter, Chambliss found Wallace over the middle for a 36-yard gain on fourth down to the Georgia 8, setting up Lacy's 7-yard scoring run around the right end to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 21-19.
Stockton completed a 16-yard pass to Branch on fourth-and-9 near midfield in the waning minutes, setting up the tying field goal.
Georgia also converted a fake punt from its own 30 with a reverse pass from Landon Roldan to Lawson Luckie in the third quarter, sustaining a drive that culminated with Woodring's 37-yard field goal to give the Bulldogs a 24-19 lead.
But after Ole Miss had taken a 27-24 lead, Georgia again ran an offensive play on fourth down in its own territory and Stockton was sacked by Suntarine Perkins. Chambliss cashed in soon after with a back-shoulder touchdown pass to Wallace to make it 34-24.
Georgia took its first lead at 7-6 on Stockton's 12-yard run.
Chambliss quickly led Mississippi back in front, hitting Stribling for 39 yards down the left sidelined before finding Luke Hasz crossing the back of the end zone for a 3-yard score.
The lead changed again on Stockton's short keeper — one play after being flattened by what appeared to be an illegal hit to the head by linebacker Tahj Chambers as the quarterback released a 26-yard completion to Cash Jones.
Lacy fumbled on Mississippi's next series, and the ball bounced straight to Daylen Everette, who ran 47 yards untouched for his first-career touchdown to make it 21-12.
Ole Miss: While Kiffin put this Rebels team together and led it to an 11-1 regular season, his departure for LSU — traumatic as it may have been for Ole Miss fans — hasn't stopped the team from forging ahead under Golding. The former Rebels defensive coordinator is now 2-0 in his head coaching career, with both victories coming in the CFP. His latest triumph also came not far from his southeastern Louisiana hometown.
Georgia: This marked the second straight year the Bulldogs earned a bye in the two-year-old, 12-team CFP format, only to fall in a quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl to a team that had played in the first round. Last season, Georgia's season ended in the Superdome at the hands of Notre Dame.
Ole Miss: The Rebels brace for a 10th-seeded Miami squad that has staged back-to-back CFP upsets.
Georgia: Opens its 2026 season at home against Tennessee State on Sept. 5.
___
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
The sanctuary state of California has delayed the cancellation of approximately 17,000 commercial truck drivers' licenses obtained by illegal immigrants.
The California Department of Motor Vehicles announced this week that it will hold off on wiping out the thousands of licenses on Jan. 5, postponing the action for 60 days, a move that is likely to draw the ire of the Trump administration.
“Commercial drivers are an important part of our economy — our supply chains don't move, and our communities don't stay connected without them,” California DMV Director Steve Gordon said in a statement. “We are hopeful that our collaboration with the federal government will give [the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration] confidence in our updated processes to allow California to promptly resume issuance of nondomiciled commercial driver's licenses.”
Illegal immigrants who were previously issued commercial driver's licenses will now have an additional two months to reapply for the document and retake their exams.
In May, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy implemented new guidance to enforce the English language proficiency requirement for truck drivers as part of a broader federal effort to ensure they can read and follow road signs.
According to the DOT, a previous investigation by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration uncovered “significant failures” by California, New Mexico, and Washington to mark drivers “out of service” for English language proficiency violations.
The Trump administration threatened to pull millions of dollars of federal funding from blue states, including California, New Mexico, and Washington, unless the states adopted and enforced English language proficiency requirements for commercial drivers.
The California Highway Patrol has publicly stated that it does not intend to follow the federal regulation.
A number of fatal traffic incidents involving illegal immigrants granted commercial driver's licenses have surfaced nationwide.
In August, Florida police identified an illegal immigrant, Harjinder Singh, as the driver of an 18-wheeler truck who caused a fatal crash in St. Lucie County that resulted in the deaths of three people.
Singh had ignored a road sign that showed no U-turns were permitted at the place where he attempted to make an illegal U-turn.
MAMDANI VOWS TO GOVERNMENT AS ‘DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST' AND EMBRACE BIG GOVERNMENT
In recent months, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has gone after these commercial truck drivers.
In November, the DOT announced that California would have to revoke thousands of “illegally issued” commercial driver's licenses.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Oregon linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei (10) reacts after intercepting the football during the second half of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Texas Tech, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — When Indiana met Oregon in October, the game served as the best test yet of whether the Hoosiers were a one-year wonder or a program that was here to stay.
They met that challenge with a double-digit win that snapped Oregon's 18-game home winning streak. Next week comes a rematch with a trip to the national title game at stake.
Indiana running back Roman Hemby (1) runs past Alabama defensive lineman London Simmons (90) to score a rushing touchdown during the second half of the Rose Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Pasadena, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A pair of Big Ten blowouts in Thursday's quarterfinals — Indiana 38, Alabama 3 and Oregon 23, Texas Tech 0 — set up Oregon-Indiana, Part 2 in the national semifinals at the Peach Bowl next Friday.
“Why would it be too big for them? Because the name's ‘Indiana?'” Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti said after his team passed its latest big-time test.
Indiana was the only team of the eight with first-round byes in the two-year history of the playoff to win their quarterfinal.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck, right, is hugged by former NFL player Michael Irvin following the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
The other semifinal will feature Miami against Ole Miss in the Fiesta Bowl next Thursday. It will be a matchup between Hurricanes QB Carson Beck and the Rebels, who are now 2-0 since the abrupt departure of coach Lane Kiffin. The sixth-seeded Rebels (13-1) rallied from nine points down at halftime to beat Georgia 39-34 Thursday in the Sugar Bowl.
The top-seeded Hoosiers (14-0) opened as a four-point favorite in their rematch with No. 5 Oregon (13-1), according to the BetMGM Sportsbook. The Ducks closed as 7.5-point favorites in the October meeting that Indiana won 30-20. This blowout win over the Crimson Tide might have been Indiana's most impressive performance since the win at Oregon.
In that one, Ducks defensive back Brandon Finney, who had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against Texas Tech, returned an interception for a touchdown to tie the game at 20 early in the fourth quarter. But Indiana answered with a touchdown drive, an interception and a field goal for a double-digit win over the previous season's Big Ten champion.
Oregon running back Jordon Davison (0) scores a touchdown during the second half of the Orange Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Texas Tech, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
The most intriguing matchup in this game isn't hard to find.
Quarterbacks Fernando Mendoza of Indiana Dante Moore of Oregon are projected as the top two picks on many 2026 draft boards. Mendoza is trying to join a rarified list of quarterbacks (among them, Jameis Winston, Cam Newton and Matt Leinart) who have won the Heisman and the national title in the same season.
“It's going to be a great matchup, and all respect to them,” Mendoza said of the Ducks. “I've got to get the game plan and got to get to watching film now.”
Oregon is coming off a defensive domination of Texas Tech. The Ducks created four turnovers that led to 13 points. Moore, meanwhile, was held in relative check, throwing for 234 yards and no scores.
“We go back look at this game, say ‘What did we do really well?'” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Let's go to the doctor, let's figure out what kind of medicine we have to take for the next game. I think that's always the best indicator of what you have to do when you start to analyze what you have in front of you.”
Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) warms up before the Sugar Bowl NCAA college football playoff quarterfinal game between Georgia and Mississippi, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The 10th-seeded Hurricanes, who beat Ohio State on New Year's Eve, haven't faced Mississippi since 1951. But this is a matchup steeped in the modern-day realities of college football.
Beck, the Miami quarterback, played at Georgia last season, but an injury in the SEC title game ended his season and sent his draft stock plummeting.
Looking for a change of scenery, Beck bolted for Miami and the reported $4 million NIL deal it offered. It was the first seismic move in the 2025 transfer portal.
Over in Oxford, the drama of Kiffin's departure for a job at SEC-rival LSU overshadowed the best season in program history, but didn't stop the chase for for a title.
“We've got a great group of people in the building,” said coach Pete Golding, who took over for Kiffin. “We've got a lot of guys going through a lot of things but they've been here for the kids all the time and it's a special group of kids.”
Going against Beck will be Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss, who led Division II Ferris State to the national title last year. He is now two wins away from taking the Rebels to a Division I crown.
“Our grit,” he said when asked how Ole Miss has overcome its obstacles this year. “We just want to win, play football and have fun with our brothers. Ever since fall, this was our goal.”
___
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck, right, is hugged by former NFL player Michael Irvin following the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal holds the Field Scovell Trophy following the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) catches a pass from quarterback Carson Beck (11) before running int in for a touchdown in front of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles (0) during the first half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
Former NFL football players Ray Lewis, left, and Michael Irvin react after Miami running back Charmar Brown, not visible, scored a rushing touchdown during the second half of the Cotton Bowl College Football Playoff quarterfinal game against Ohio State Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — When Miami left Texas after an overtime loss to SMU at the start of November, the Hurricanes were at their lowest point of the season. There was a very dim forecast for getting into the College Football Playoff.
By New Year's Day, after a Texas two-step in the playoff, the 10th-ranked Hurricanes (12-2, CFP No. 10 seed) were a win away from a chance to play for a national championship in their home stadium.
“It means everything to this team,” quarterback Carson Beck said. “This team has constantly battled through adversity, constantly fought. ... We've banded together as one. We've shown unity. We've shown connection. We've shown that we're a family.”
They also have proven to be well-deserving of that at-large CFP berth they got without an Atlantic Coast Conference title. Miami made its playoff debut with a first-round win at No. 7 Texas A&M, then was back in the Lone Star State 11 days later to beat defending national champion Ohio State 24-14 without a penalty in the Cotton Bowl quarterfinal on New Year's Eve.
The Hurricanes play a CFP semifinal at the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 8 against Ole Miss (13-1, CFP seed No. 6) after the Rebels won the Sugar Bowl quarterfinal 39-34 on Thursday night over No. 3 seed Georgia, Beck's former team. Beck was part of back-to-back national titles with the Bulldogs in 2021 and '22 before he was a starter.
This year's national championship game is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami has won six games in a row since that 26-20 setback at SMU on Nov. 1, which was its second loss in three games after a 5-0 start propelled it to a No. 2 AP ranking that was its highest since 2017.
“It was a low point. And we quickly, we got together because we have really good people, and we work really, really, really hard. And we weren't achieving the results that we set out to have, and that's difficult. That's a punch in the gut,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said. “Y'all saw the 5% chance we had to make the CFP. (Players) saw it.”
A convoluted tiebreaker left Miami out of the ACC championship game while five-loss Duke became the league champion and then was left out of the 12-team playoff field when higher-ranked Group of Five champions Tulane and James Madison got automatic berths.
Keionte Scott, a transfer from Auburn, returned an interception 72 yards for a touchdown to give Miami a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter of the Cotton Bowl.
“I could just tell, when I first got here, the program was just very serious about what they were trying to get done. You could tell everybody in the room had their eyes on one goal,” Scott said. “I feel like Coach Cristobal does a good job of keeping us focused and keeping us on task. ... We're never satisfied.”
The last national title for “The U” was in 2001, which was their fifth; Cristobal was a standout offensive tackle for the Hurricanes in their 1989 and 1991 championship seasons. The Hurricanes were denied a repeat championship in 2002 with a double-overtime loss to Ohio State in their last Fiesta Bowl appearance.
Before receiver Michael Irvin and coach Jimmy Johnson were Super Bowl champions with the Dallas Cowboys, the Pro Football Hall of Famers won the 1987 national title with Miami. Irvin also played a role in getting Cristobal to become a Hurricane nearly 40 years ago; he was one of the recruiting hosts on Cristobal's official visit.
Irvin was on the sideline during the Cotton Bowl and Johnson was nearby when Cristobal acknowledged the coach during the on-field trophy presentation.
“He changed our lives, my brother and I. We were still kind of a nobody. ... He offered my brother and I scholarships. My parents, may they rest in peace, they didn't even know what a scholarship was. They're Cuban-Americans that came over and found a way and tried to make a living,” Cristobal said. “Fast forward, almost 40 years later, and he's out there on the sidelines supporting us. He set such a high standard. ... Really proud that this team is making him proud.”
___
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Australia Usman Khawaja warms up during a practice session ahead of the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australia Usman Khawaja, centre, sits with teammates after announcing he will retire from international cricket following the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja with his wife Rachel and daughters Aisha and Ayla after announcing that he will retire from international cricket following the fifth and final Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Sydney, Australia, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Veteran Australia batter Usman Khawaja has announced he will retire from international cricket after the fifth Ashes test beginning Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He didn't go quietly.
The Pakistan-born Khawaja, who was the first Muslim to play for Australia, used his retirement announcement Friday to criticize the “racial” stereotyping he experienced during his career.
It will be the 39-year-old Khawaja's 88th and final test — played at the ground where he began his first-class career. Khawaja scored his first Ashes century at the SCG with 171 against England in 2018.
It was also at that the SCG where he revived his career at age 35, scoring two centuries against England. That prompted one of the great late-career revivals, as Khawaja hit seven centuries in his next two years back in the side.
But Khawaja's position had come under scrutiny and criticism this season after being unable to open in the first Ashes test in Perth due to back spasms and then missing the Brisbane test with the injury.
He was then initially left out in Adelaide until Steve Smith's vertigo allowed Khawaja to return, before an 82 in the first innings there ensured he would stay in the side for the fourth test in Melbourne. Australia, with a 3-1 lead going into the fifth test, has retained the Ashes.
Khawaja said he felt he was treated “a little bit different, even to now,” because of his Pakistan and Muslim background.
“Different in the way I've been treated, different in how things have happened,” he said at a media conference in Sydney. “I had back spasms, it was something I couldn't control. The way the media and the past players came out and attacked me . . . I copped it for about five days straight. Everyone was piling in.
“Once the racial stereotypes came in, of me being lazy, it was things I've dealt with my whole life. Pakistani, West Indian, colored players...we're selfish, we only care about ourselves, we don't care about the team, we don't train hard enough.”
Khawaja was criticized in the days leading up to the Perth match for golfing twice and not taking part in an optional training session. Some commentators suggested the golf might have been responsible for his back issues.
“I can give you countless number of guys who have played golf the day before a match and have been injured, but you guys haven't said a thing,” Khawaja told the assembled media.
“I can give you even more examples of guys who have had 15 schooners (large glasses of beer) the night before a game and have then been injured, but no one said a word because they were just being ‘Aussie larrikins,' they were just being lads. But when I get injured, everyone went at my credibility and who I am as a person.
Khawaja said he knew the end of his career was imminent.
“I guess moving into this series, I had an inkling this would be the last series,” he said. “I'm glad I can go out on my own terms.”
Khawaja has scored 6,206 runs at an average of 43.49 in his 87 tests with 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries.
“Usman has made a huge contribution to Australian cricket both through his outstanding achievements as one of our most stylish and resilient batters . . . and off field, particularly through the Usman Khawaja Foundation,” Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement.
“Usman has been one of Australia's most reliable opening batters and testament to his success was him being named ICC test cricketer of the year the same season that Australia won the World Test Championship (in 2023).”
Khawaja said his No. 1 emotion on announcing his retirement was “contentment.”
“I'm very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said. “I hope I have inspired people along the way.”
___
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Crypto:
Michael Saylor has long noted that Bitcoin's volatility “is a feature, not a bug” when pitching his cryptocurrency accumulator Strategy Inc.
Investors will soon see the downside of that, with the company likely to report a multibillion-dollar loss when it releases results for the just-ended fourth quarter. That would be a swing from a $2.8 billion profit in the previous quarter, reflecting an unrealized loss tied to the falling value of the company's roughly $60 billion Bitcoin stockpile.
Elon Musk's Grok chatbot blamed "lapses in safeguards" for the recent posting of artificial intelligence-generated sexualized pictures of children in response to user questions.
In a social media post to X on Friday, Grok posted that it was "urgently fixing" the issue and called child sexual abuse material "illegal and prohibited." Grok also wrote that a company could face criminal or civil penalties if it knowingly facilitates or fails to prevent this type of content after being alerted.
Users on X raised concerns in recent days over explicit content of minors, including children wearing minimal clothing, being generated using the Grok tool.
A post from xAI technical staff member Parsa Tajik also acknowledged the issue.
"Hey! Thanks for flagging. The team is looking into further tightening our gaurdrails," Tajik wrote in a post.
Musk's xAI sent an autoreply to a request for comment: "Legacy Media Lies."
The proliferation of AI image-generating platforms since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 has raised concerns over content manipulation and online safety across the board. It's also contributed to an increasing number of platforms that have produced deepfake nudes of actual people.
While other chatbots have faced similar issues, Grok has repeatedly landed in hot water for misuse.
In May, the company faced backlash for responding to user queries with unsolicited comments about "white genocide" in South Africa. Two months later, Grok posted antisemitic comments and praised Adolf Hitler.
Despite the stumbles, xAI has continued to land partnerships and deals.
The Department of Defense added Grok to its AI agents platform last month, and the tool is the main chatbot for prediction betting platforms Polymarket and Kalshi.
CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this story.
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Elon Musk's Grok chatbot blamed "lapses in safeguards" for the recent posting of artificial intelligence-generated sexualized pictures of children in response to user questions.
In a social media post to X on Friday, Grok posted that it was "urgently fixing" the issue and called child sexual abuse material "illegal and prohibited." Grok also wrote that a company could face criminal or civil penalties if it knowingly facilitates or fails to prevent this type of content after being alerted.
Users on X raised concerns in recent days over explicit content of minors, including children wearing minimal clothing, being generated using the Grok tool.
A post from xAI technical staff member Parsa Tajik also acknowledged the issue.
"Hey! Thanks for flagging. The team is looking into further tightening our gaurdrails," Tajik wrote in a post.
Musk's xAI sent an autoreply to a request for comment: "Legacy Media Lies."
The proliferation of AI image-generating platforms since the launch of ChatGPT in 2022 has raised concerns over content manipulation and online safety across the board. It's also contributed to an increasing number of platforms that have produced deepfake nudes of actual people.
While other chatbots have faced similar issues, Grok has repeatedly landed in hot water for misuse.
In May, the company faced backlash for responding to user queries with unsolicited comments about "white genocide" in South Africa. Two months later, Grok posted antisemitic comments and praised Adolf Hitler.
Despite the stumbles, xAI has continued to land partnerships and deals.
The Department of Defense added Grok to its AI agents platform last month, and the tool is the main chatbot for prediction betting platforms Polymarket and Kalshi.
CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this story.
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In this article
Shares of furniture retailers rose in Friday trading after President Donald Trump delayed higher tariffs on the sector.
Luxury retailer RH added 9%. Fellow high-end producer Williams-Sonoma added more than 4%, while e-commerce platform Wayfair advanced more than 6%.
Trump on Wednesday issued a yearlong pause on increased levies on upholstered furniture, along with kitchen cabinets and vanities. Instead, the duties on upholstered furniture will remain at 25% — the level Trump set in September.
Before Trump's 11th-hour reversal, the levies for this furniture type were slated to rise 30% with the start of 2026. He pointed to ongoing trade discussions as the reason for pushing back tariff increases.
Trump called tariffs an "overwhelming benefit" to the U.S. and said in a Friday morning social media post that the country losing its ability to place duties on others would be a "terrible blow." His comments come as the White House awaits a decision from the Supreme Court about the legality of many of Trump's new levies.
Furniture suppliers have been under Wall Street's scrutiny as Trump's focus on broad and steep levies on imports has raised concerns about rising costs. But stocks in the sector fared vastly differently as investors determined how trade policy changes and other variables would affect each business.
Wayfair surged more than 125% in 2025 as value-focused retailers gained traction among consumers. On the other hand, West Elm and Pottery Barn parent Williams-Sonoma slid more than 3% last year. RH — whose chief executive garnered attention in April as he reacted live to the stock tanking — ended the year down more than 50%.
"Oh, sh--," RH CEO Gary Friedman said on the California-based company's earnings call in April.
"It got hit when, I think, the tariffs came out," Friedman added. "Everybody can see in our 10-K where we're sourcing from, so it's not a secret, and we're not trying to disguise it by putting everything in an Asia bucket."
The Morning Squawk newsletter by Alex Harring is your rundown of five things to know before the stock market opens.
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Danish renewables giant Orsted, the world's largest developer of offshore wind farms, said on Friday that it had launched legal action against the Trump administration over the suspension of its $5 billion Revolution Wind project.
Shares of the Copenhagen-listed company rose more than 4% on the news, putting the stock among the top performers of the pan-European Stoxx 600 index.
Orsted said in a statement that it would seek a court injunction against the U.S. government's decision to halt its Revolution Wind project, located about 15 miles south of the Rhode Island coast.
"As was the case with the August 2025 stop-work order, the Revolution Wind Project … faces substantial harm from a continuation of the lease suspension order. As a result, litigation is a necessary step to protect the rights of the Project," Orsted said.
"Revolution Wind has spent and committed billions of dollars in reliance upon, and has met the requests of, a thorough review process," the company added.
The pro-fossil fuel Trump administration suspended leases on Dec. 22 for five large offshore wind projects, including Revolution Wind, citing national security concerns identified by the Pentagon.
The move marked the latest in a string of blows against offshore wind developers, with U.S. President Donald Trump having previously described wind turbines as "ugly" and an economic and environmental "disaster."
Revolution Wind is a 50/50 joint venture between Orsted and Global Infrastructure Partners' Skyborn Renewables. In a filing last year, Orsted and Skyborn Renewables said they had already spent approximately $5 billion on the project.
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President Donald Trump said Friday that if Iran "violently" intervenes with peaceful protests, then the U.S. will "come to their rescue."
Unrest has been growing in Iran since last week, as protests erupted over the government's handling of a sharp fall in the nation's currency and soaring prices. Annual inflation hit 42.2% in December, with food prices jumping 72%. The protests turned violent this week as local media reported the death of at least six civilians.
"If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue," Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social on Friday.
"We are locked and loaded and ready to go," he added.
Iran's supreme leader adviser Ali Larijani responded by saying that U.S. interference in Iran's protests was equivalent to chaos across the entire region on Friday, in comments reported by Reuters.
Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution, previously said that the Iranian people were calling for not just a fix to the economy, but for regime change. She added that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been in power for 36 years.
"We're hearing cries of Death to the dictator. We're hearing slogans that juxtapose the regime's support for militia groups across the region with the real interests and demands of the Iranian people," Maloney told CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday.
Iran's economy has struggled since Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iranian nuclear deal in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on the country. Last year in June, U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites escalated tensions, pulling Washington into Israel's war with its longtime regional rival.
Earlier this week, Trump threatened additional military action against Iran if the country attempts to build up its reserves of ballistic weapons and reestablish its nuclear program.
"Now, I hear that Iran is trying to build up again, and if they are we're going to have to knock them down. We'll knock them down. We'll knock the hell out of them. But hopefully that's not happening," Trump said on Monday.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded on Tuesday in a post on X, saying that the response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any "oppressive aggression will be harsh and regrettable."
Foreign policy has dominated Trump's schedule in recent weeks. On Tuesday, the U.S. announced sanctions on a group of 10 individuals and entities based in Iran and Venezuela that are allegedly linked to the weapons trade between the two countries.
— CNBC's Justin Papp contributed to this report.
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Chinese auto giant BYD on Friday dethroned U.S. rival Tesla as the world's biggest seller of electric vehicles on a calendar-year basis.
The milestone caps an extraordinary rise for BYD, a company Tesla CEO Elon Musk once dismissed by laughing at their products during a 2011 Bloomberg interview.
In a statement published Thursday, BYD said sales of its battery-powered cars rose nearly 28% to 2.26 million units.
Musk openly laughed at the mention of BYD while being interviewed on Bloomberg TV in October 2011. He said he did not see the company as a competitor to Tesla, adding: "I don't think they have a great product."
Meanwhile, Tesla said Friday it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, in line with a company-compiled estimate of 1.6 million vehicle deliveries. The annual figure is roughly an 8% drop from 2024, the company's second straight annual drop.
Deliveries for Q4 2025 were about 16% lower than the fourth quarter of 2024, when Musk's EV company reported 495,570 deliveries.
Deliveries are the closest approximation of sales reported by Tesla, but are not precisely defined in the company's shareholder communications.
Tesla has endured a roller-coaster ride this year. The company saw shares collapse in the first quarter of 2025 amid stiff competition, particularly from Chinese EV manufacturers, and reputational fallout from Musk's incendiary political rhetoric.
The stock price has come roaring back in recent weeks, however, notching an all-time closing high of $489.88 last month, after Musk said the company had been testing driverless vehicles in Austin, Texas, with no occupants on board, almost six months after launching a pilot program with safety drivers.
— CNBC's Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
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Britain's FTSE 100 index on Friday briefly surpassed the symbolic 10,000 points marker for the first time, extending gains after a bumper 2025.
The FTSE 100 index — home to the U.K.'s most valuable blue-chip companies — ended the first trading day of the year 0.2% higher at 9,951, kicking off the year in positive territory. The index surpassed the 10,000 threshold at around 8:30 a.m. London time, before paring gains.
Analysts told CNBC late last year that while the speed of the FTSE 100′s rise to the 10,000-point level was notable, investors should remain wary.
"Passing any large round number on an index is psychologically important but the foundations for the move have to be solid for the new level to set a floor rather than act as a ceiling for the index," said Toni Meadows, head of investment at BRI Wealth Management.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index, meanwhile, provisionally closed about 0.6% higher, with most sectors and major bourses in the green. The moves come as investors returned from the New Year's Day holiday on Thursday and after stellar annual gains.
The Stoxx 600 index rose 16.7% during 2025, notching its third consecutive year of gains, as it was led higher by banking stocks and a surge in regional defense spending.
Looking at individual stocks, shares of Danish energy group Orsted ended the trading session 4.6% higher after the world's largest developer of offshore wind farms said it had challenged the U.S. government's suspension of the lease for its Revolution Wind joint venture and would seek a court injunction.
Dutch semiconductor equipment makers Be Semiconductor and ASMI topped the index, up 11.5% and about 7%, respectively, after the U.S. government granted an annual licence to the world's largest chip manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company to import U.S. chip manufacturing equipment to its facilities in Nanjing, China, according to a Thursday Reuters report. CNBC has reached out to TSMC for comment.
Larger peer ASML, the most valuable company in Europe, ended the session roughly 7% higher.
Mining and defense stocks were also among the top performers. Leonardo, Thyssenkrupp, Kongsberg Group, Saab, and Rolls-Royce all closed higher by more than 4%.
Elsewhere, precious metals continued their upward trend from last year. Spot gold prices rose 1.9% to $4,393.14 per ounce during European hours, while spot silver prices jumped over 4.3% to $74.31 per ounce.
Gold and silver notched their best annual performances since 1979 last year, supported by a multitude of factors, including the impact of U.S. interest rate cuts, tariff tensions, and robust demand from exchange-traded funds and central banks.
In Asia-Pacific trade, South Korea's Kospi climbed to a new record, while markets including Japan and mainland China remain closed for the holidays.
U.S. stocks, meanwhile, traded largely flat. The S&P 500 was little changed, and the Nasdaq Composite last slipped about 0.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average index was last seen trading 0.2% higher.
— CNBC's Chloe Taylor contributed to this report.
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Shares of KFC and Pizza Hut Indian operator Devyani International rose as much as 5.3% after it announced plans to merge with rival franchisee Sapphire Foods India.
Yum! Brands owns fast-food chains like KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, and operates them in India through franchise partners such as Devyani International, Sapphire Foods India and Burman Hospitality.
The deal would combine the two major franchisee operators for Yum! Brands in India into a single entity, overseeing KFC and Pizza Hut in the country. While Devyani International did not confirm the deal size, Reuters reported that the transaction is valued at $934 million.
Under the terms of the merger, Devyani International will issue 117 shares for every 100 equity shares of Sapphire Foods India, the companies said in a press release.
Shares of Sapphire Foods India fell as much as 6.4% at the open.
The merger is expected to take effect within 12 to 15 months, subject to regulatory and shareholder approval. The companies said the deal would accelerate KFC's expansion in the country and help revitalize Pizza Hut, which trails market leader Domino's by a wide margin.
"India is a high-priority market for us" said Yum! Brands' chief financial officer Ranjith Roy. He added that the country has abundant room for further growth.
The proposed merger would drive accelerated expansion and create "greater value for both shareholder bases" through improved supply chain operations, he said.
Devyani International, the largest franchisee of Yum! Brands in India, said it expects an annual "synergies" of 2.1 billion rupees to 2.2 billion rupees, or about $23 million to $25 million, starting from the second full year after the merger is completed.
Devyani operates more than 2,000 quick-service restaurant outlets across more than 280 cities in India, Nigeria, Nepal, and Thailand. Meanwhile, Sapphire operates 529 KFC and 338 Pizza Hut restaurants in India, along with 119 Pizza Hut and 11 Taco Bell restaurants in Sri Lanka, where it the the largest international quick-service restaurant chain.
"India has the potential to become a true crown jewel within Yum!'s global markets, and this announcement represents a significant step in that journey," said Sumeet Narang, nominee director at Sapphire Foods India and Founder of private equity firm Samara Capital.
India has the third-highest concentration of Yum!Brand stores after the U.S. and China, according to the company's most recent financial report.
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Chinese leader Xi Jinping is pleased with his country's showing in the race for AI dominance.
In his annual New Year's address on Wednesday, the Chinese leader lauded his country's tech and AI advancements in 2025, saying that China "integrated science and technology deeply with industries, and made a stream of new innovations."
"Many large AI models have been competing in a race to the top, and breakthroughs have been achieved in the research and development of our own chips," Xi said in the speech made in Beijing.
He added, "All this has turned China into one of the economies with the fastest-growing innovation capabilities."
Apart from developments in AI, Xi also highlighted China's Tianwen-2 asteroid sampling mission and its latest electromagnetic catapult system-equipped aircraft carrier.
He talked about China breaking ground on the construction of the world's largest dam in Tibetan territory, and its progress in developing humanoid robots and drones.
Xi's end-of-year 2025 comments follow a strong year for the country, which saw it compete neck and neck with the US on AI advancements.
The year started with China's Deepseek AI startup releasing its R1 AI model in January, which rivalled OpenAI's o1 and sent US tech stocks plunging. Nvidia, a major player in AI hardware, saw its stock drop by more than 17% on January 27, erasing billions from its value.
The US's ban on exporting advanced AI chips has given a boost to China's homegrown chip producers, propelling their founders, such as MetaX Integrated Circuits Shanghai's cofounder Chen Weiliang, into the billionaire ranks.
However, President Donald Trump granted Nvidia a win in December, permitting it to sell its H200 chips to "approved customers" in China.
And Meta announced on Wednesday that it would acquire China-founded AI startup Manus in a deal reported to be worth more than $2 billion, making it one of the US tech's biggest acquisitions of an Asian AI company.
Investors are taking note: Jason Draho, a UBS wealth management executive, told Business Insider in November that investors should consider AI stocks in China as a way to counterbalance US tech stocks.
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Chinese tech giant Baidu plans to spin off its artificial intelligence chip subsidiary, Kunlunxin, and list it in Hong Kong, as more domestic chipmakers seek funds amid Beijing's push for semiconductor self-sufficiency.
The company said in an announcement Friday that it had confidentially filed a listing application on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, though details of the offering, including size and structure, remain undecided.
The move would still require regulatory approvals, including from China's securities watchdog. Baidu emphasized there is no guarantee the spin-off will proceed. The company reportedly owns about 59% of Kunlunxin.
Baidu, a major player in China's growing AI space, is both a buyer of specialized AI chips for data centers and cloud computing, as well as a designer of them through Kunlunxin.
The firm said that the spin-off would align with its strategy to highlight Kunlunxin's standalone potential, attract sector-specific investors, and expand financing options. Kunlunxin would remain a Baidu subsidiary, it added.
The move comes against a backdrop of intensifying U.S.-China tech tensions. Both Washington and Beijing have imposed various restrictions on Chinese AI companies' access to leading-edge AI chips from California-based Nvidia.
Meanwhile, Beijing has increasingly encouraged domestic chip purchases and mobilized billions in public funds towards development.
In recent months, several Chinese chipmakers have announced plans to list, including Moore Threads and Biren Technology.
Founded in 2012, Kunlunxin is central to Baidu's ambition to become a "full stack" AI company, spanning hardware, servers and data centers, as well as AI models and applications.
While Baidu still relies heavily on Nvidia's chips for AI computing power, Kunlunxin has enabled the company to increasingly use a mix of its self-developed chips in data centers running its Ernie AI models.
Kunlunxin has also shifted to operate as a separate entity, expanding its sales to third-party customers outside Baidu.
"In the market, Kunlunxin is seen as one of the most practical and widely used AI chips in China," Brady Wang, associate director at Counterpoint Research, told CNBC.
He added that one of the chipmaker's main strengths is in software. "Instead of forcing users to adopt a closed system, Kunlunxin works well with common AI frameworks and makes it easier to move workloads from [Nvidia]."
Reuters previously reported that Kunlunxin's revenue is projected to exceed 3.5 billion yuan ($500 million) last year, reaching break-even. External sales were expected to account for more than half of its revenue in 2025, the report added.
In another sign of strength last year, Kunlunxin won orders worth over 1 billion yuan from suppliers to China Mobile, one of the country's biggest mobile carriers.
China Mobile also participated in the entity's latest funding, which had raised over 2 billion yuan and valued the unit at about 21 billion yuan, according to Reuters.
In its announcement, Baidu said its plans to spin off and list Kunlunxin would better tie management incentives with performance and elevate the unit's market presence.
Late last year, JPMorgan analysts forecast that Kunlunxin's chip sales would increase sixfold to 8 billion Chinese yuan in 2026.
However, while Kunlunxin may help reduce China's reliance on chips from Nvidia, it cannot fully replace them, Counterpoint's Wang said, citing Beijing's ongoing constraints in advanced chip manufacturing.
"[Kunlunxin's chips] work best for inference and other workloads that are easier to move, especially for government, telecom, and state-owned cloud users, where stable supply and lower cost matter more than top performance," he said.
"Because of this, Beijing is not relying on a single company. Instead, Kunlunxin works together with Huawei Ascend, Cambricon, Alibaba, and others to build a domestic AI computing ecosystem."
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BitVentures, a Nasdaq-listed tech company, today announced the official launch of its Digital Assets segment, a unit focused on crypto mining and digital asset operations, including staking, node services, and ecosystem partnerships.
As part of the expansion, the company has entered into purchase and hosting agreements to acquire multiple fleets of Bitmain mining machines with approximately 0.5 MW of power capacity.
Deployment will begin in phases from January 2026, with full operations anticipated in the first quarter, the company stated.
BitVentures said it plans to pursue a diversified mining strategy targeting Bitcoin and select altcoins, using energy-efficient, high-specification machines to maintain resilience under volatile market conditions.
Lawrence Wai Lok, CEO of BitVentures, described the launch as a proof-of-concept deployment and said the company intends to scale operations in phases, laying the foundation for future expansion into other services.
Shares of BitVentures (BVC) climbed 8% intraday on Friday, per Yahoo Finance.
BitVentures, formerly known as Hywin Holdings and later Santech Holdings Limited, previously operated a China-based wealth manager, Hywin Wealth, through a variable interest entity structure. Hywin Wealth was once China's leading independent wealth manager and a major distributor of real-estate-backed investment products.
In June 2024, the company terminated its VIE arrangement with Hywin Wealth, fully exiting its wealth and asset management businesses.
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The Russian-U.S. national who hacked crypto exchange Bitfinex and stole nearly 120,000 bitcoin said he has been freed from prison early thanks to the bipartisan prison-reform law signed by President Donald Trump.
Ilya Lichtenstein, 38, had been sentenced in November 2024 to five years in prison after pleading guilty to a money laundering conspiracy charge and admitting to the hack of crypto assets now valued in the billions of dollars.
But late Thursday night, a post on Lichtenstein's official X account declared, "Thanks to President Trump's First Step Act, I have been released from prison early."
"I remain committed to making a positive impact in cybersecurity as soon as I can," Lichtenstein's post said.
"To the supporters, thank you for everything. To the haters, I look forward to proving you wrong."
A Trump administration official told CNBC on Friday morning that Lichtenstein "has served significant time on his sentence and is currently on home confinement consistent with statute and Bureau of Prisons policies."
Attorneys for Lichtenstein did not immediately respond to requests for comment on his release.
Lichtenstein's wife, Heather Morgan — who also pleaded guilty to helping launder the stolen funds — shared Lichtenstein's message on her own X account, saying, "The best New Years present I could get was finally having my husband home after 4 years of being apart."
Morgan's tweet, posted two minutes after Lichtenstein's, included a photo of the couple smiling for a selfie.
Lichtenstein's sentence included credit for time he already served in custody following his arrest in 2022, more than five years after Bitfinex was hacked.
As of Friday morning, a search for Lichtenstein's name using the federal government's inmate locator website returned one result showing Lichtenstein is scheduled to be released on Feb. 9.
The Bureau of Prisons did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Morgan, 35, a rapper who releases music under the name "Razzlekhan" and also went by "The Crocodile of Wall Street," was sentenced to 18 months' incarceration shortly after Lichtenstein received his prison sentence.
She entered prison in February. But on Oct. 26, Morgan posted a video of herself saying she had been released early.
She also thanked Trump.
"Why hello Razzlers, I have missed you," Morgan said in the clip, in which she appears in a bathtub wearing only a hair towel.
"It is very good to be back, and I want to give a shout out to Papa Trump for making my 18-month sentence shorter," she said. An email to Morgan's manager was not immediately returned.
Trump signed the First Step Act in December 2018, during his first presidential term. The legislation aimed to reduce the size of the federal prison population through a series of reforms, including by establishing a "a risk and needs assessment system" that gives some inmates the chance of early release into home confinement.
It is unclear whether Trump or the White House had any direct involvement in Lichtenstein or Morgan securing an early prison release. But the announcements from the bitcoin hacker and his wife follow a number of high-profile cybercrime-related pardons and commutations that have been doled out by the crypto friendly president since his return to office.
One day after his inauguration, Trump pardoned Ross Ulbricht, founder of the infamous dark web marketplace Silk Road.
In October, Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao, the founder of major crypto exchange Binance, who had pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering on the platform.
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Last year in crypto will be remembered for many things, but one notable trend — particularly late in the year — was the selloffs that occurred nearly every day during U.S. trading hours.
It's not much to go on just yet, but on 2026's first official trading day, a change could be afoot as crypto prices are actually rising while American markets are open.
The action has pushed bitcoin BTC$90,301.32 above $90,000, up 2.5% over the past 24 hours. Ether ETH$3,119.50, solana SOL$131.08 and XRP$1.9901 are seeing advances closer to 4%.
Assets in general are on the rise in the year's first session, with the Nasdaq higher by 0.6%, led by AI-related chipmakers like Nvidia, Broadcom, Micron and Intel posting 3%-6% gains. Favored commodity play of late, silver has added 3%. Gold and copper are each modestly higher.
Bitcoin miners turned AI infrastructure firms are sharply higher across the board, with Hut 8 (HUT), CleanSpark (CLSK), TeraWulf (WULF) sporting 10% gains, and Cipher Mining (CIFR) and IREN (IREN) each higher by 8%.
Strategy (MSTR) and Coinbase (COIN) are each ahead more than 3%, Galaxy Digital (GLXY) by 7% and Circle Financial (CRCL) by 4.5%.
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KuCoin captured a record share of centralised exchange volume in 2025, with more than $1.25tn traded as its volumes grew faster than the wider crypto market.
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Internet Computer climbs back to $3 as short-term momentum improves
ICP pushed above the $3 level on rising activity, holding recent gains as traders reassess near-term direction.
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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.
Stock in Michael Saylor's Bitcoin treasury company Strategy was up 1.22% in early trading today, giving the company a brief period of relief. The stock has declined 66% since its high last July, and this morning its “mNAV”—a technical gauge of whether the company is worth more or less than the Bitcoin it holds—was at 1.02. If that gauge falls below 1, then technically the company is worth less than the Bitcoin it owns. At that point, the stock would be sold off by many investors because there is no point in owning a stock whose value is based on Bitcoin if the stock is worth less than the Bitcoin. The stock has been sitting above this danger zone since November.
Already, the market cap of the company is worth less than its Bitcoin. Its market cap was $47 billion today; the Bitcoin held by the company is worth just under $60 billion. That on its own is a perilous position. But if the company's mNAV (“market-to-net asset value”) falls below 1 then the stock potentially enters a new world of pain. mNAV is a measure of the company's total market cap plus its debt, minus its cash, divided by its total Bitcoin reserve. If that value is worth less than 1 then the case for owning Strategy stock becomes harder to argue.
Fortune contacted the company for comment.
Saylor, as usual, has been tweeting bullishly about MSTR shares, including this chart showing that “open interest” (investor positions that have not been closed out) are the equivalent of 87% of the company's market value. The implication is that the stock is highly traded (although many of those positions are undoubtedly short bets against the company). He also posted an AI-generated picture of him taming a polar bear.
Below the level of mNAV at 1 lies another dangerous threshold for Strategy: the average price at which Strategy has historically accumulated Bitcoin. Over the years, that price was about $74,000 per coin. Currently, Bitcoin trades at $89.6K. If the price were to fall below $74K it would imply that Strategy's Bitcoin stash was worth less than what Saylor has paid for it.
Strategy fans would argue that might be a time to buy—if the stock was worth less than its Bitcoin then the price per share might rise to meet the price of Bitcoin; it might rise even more if Bitcoin resumed its march higher.
But that, again, would be a sore test for traders who are not true believers. Why hold a stock that is worth less than the underlying asset it represents?
Jim Edwards is the executive editor for global news at Fortune. He was previously the editor-in-chief of Business Insider's news division and the founding editor of Business Insider UK. His investigative journalism has changed the law in two U.S. federal districts and two states. The U.S. Supreme Court cited his work on the death penalty in the concurrence to Baze v. Rees, the ruling on whether lethal injection is cruel or unusual. He also won the Neal award for an investigation of bribes and kickbacks on Madison Avenue.
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Ethereum and XRP are two of the largest cryptocurrencies, and their market capitalization is one of the clearest ways to compare their values. Ethereum is firmly entrenched as the second-largest cryptocurrency, while XRP is following closely behind, although it was recently overtaken by BNB in market cap rankings.
This disparity naturally leads to a valuation exercise that many investors revisit during periods of interest: how much would each XRP token be worth if its market cap matched Ethereum's, both at current levels and at Ethereum's all-time high?
XRP With Ethereum's Current Market Capitalization
At the time of comparison, Ethereum is trading around $3,035, having increased by about 1.9% in the past 24 hours. This gives it a market capitalization of roughly $366 billion. XRP, on the other hand, is trading at $1.88, holds a market cap of about $113.8 billion.
Using MarketCapOf's circulating-supply-based calculation, XRP would trade at approximately $6.04 if its total valuation matched Ethereum's current market cap. This represents a 3.21x increase from XRP's present price level.
In relative terms, XRP is shown to be valued at roughly 0.31x of Ethereum's market capitalization. The comparison is purely mathematical and does not factor in changes to supply. It only shows how much additional capital would be required for XRP to stand on equal footing with Ethereum as things stand today.
XRP's Valuation If It Reaches Ethereum's All-Time High
The picture changes further when Ethereum's all-time high valuation is used as the benchmark. Ethereum's peak market cap, which was recorded during its all-time high price of $4,946 in August, is around $583.8 billion. If XRP were to command that same valuation, MarketCapOf estimates that each XRP unit would be priced at about $9.64. This implies a 5.13x increase from XRP's current price.
Under this scenario, XRP is valued at roughly 0.20x of Ethereum's all-time high market capitalization. An investor holding 1,000 XRP today would see that position valued at about $1,880 at current prices, around $6,040 if XRP matched Ethereum's present market cap, and $9,640 if it reached Ethereum's peak valuation.
The numbers show the scale of the gap that still exists between the two assets, even as XRP is now starting to attract institutional attention. That institutional angle has become increasingly relevant following the launch of Spot XRP exchange-traded funds, which have begun pulling in fresh capital from both professional and traditional investors.
Interestingly, the valuation levels implied by the MarketCapOf comparison are conservative when placed next to XRP price projections circulating among crypto analysts. Matching Ethereum's current or peak market capitalization places XRP in the $6 to $9.64 range. These figures are notably lower than some of the double-digit and triple-digit targets above $100 proposed by a few crypto analysts.
Select market data provided by ICE Data Services. Select reference data provided by FactSet. Copyright © 2026 FactSet Research Systems Inc.Copyright © 2026, American Bankers Association. CUSIP Database provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. SEC fillings and other documents provided by Quartr.© 2026 TradingView, Inc.
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Marbella, Spain, January 2nd, 2026, Chainwire
The partnership establishes a fully regulated legal and financial framework that enables international investors to acquire properties across Europe (primarily in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Montenegro) using cryptocurrency; safely, transparently, and in full compliance with European law.
Vicox Legal, a pioneering European law firm specialising in legal advisory for real estate transactions involving crypto assets, has partnered with Banxa, a globally regulated stablecoin and crypto payments infrastructure provider. Together, they deliver a seamless and compliant solution that enables investors to purchase real estate across Southern Europe using digital currencies.
This strategic alliance reinforces both companies' positions as international authorities in legal compliance, fintech innovation, and operational security, bridging the gap between digital finance and traditional real estate investment.
European Market Leadership in Crypto Real Estate
Vicox Legal is recognised as one of Europe's leading law firms for property transactions conducted with cryptocurrencies (operating primarily in Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Montenegro). With extensive experience and numerous successful case studies, the firm provides a comprehensive legal framework covering property due diligence, fiscal and notarial management, AML/KYC compliance, and tax optimisation for both EU and non-EU investors.
Banxa operates in over 200 countries, under multiple international regulatory frameworks ensuring full legal compliance. Its European entity (EU Internet Ventures B.V.) has recently been granted a MiCA licence in the Netherlands, authorising it to operate as a Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP) across 30 European Economic Areas.
Banxa also holds key global accreditations, including:
With these licences in place, every crypto-to-fiat transaction is handled securely, transparently, and with full regulatory compliance, providing clients with complete confidence.
Transparency, Legal Security and Due Diligence
Vicox Legal ensures 100% compliant processes (from verifying property ownership, urban planning, and registry checks, to validating the source of crypto funds, ensuring AML/KYC compliance, tax planning, and notarial authentication). Clients can also request an independent compliance report certifying the full legality of the operation.
Overview of the Joint Service Structure
Expanding Access to Asian Investors
With the growing interest from Asian markets (including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, and mainland China), Vicox Legal and Banxa are opening secure channels for investors in Asia who wish to diversify their portfolios through European real estate. This partnership acts as a trusted and compliant bridge between Asian capital and the European property market, offering regulatory transparency, secure crypto-fiat conversion, and legal peace of mind.
Context and Relevance
Europe's southern real estate markets (particularly Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Montenegro) are increasingly attracting international buyers seeking stability, lifestyle, and long-term value growth. For crypto investors, this collaboration represents the first truly compliant and operationally secure solution to acquire European properties using digital assets.
About Vicox Legal
Vicox Legal is a leading European law firm specialising in digital economy, fintech, blockchain, and real estate law. With offices and active operations across Spain, Portugal, France, Greece, and Montenegro, the firm has successfully advised multiple real estate transactions settled in cryptocurrency, ensuring regulatory compliance, legal security, and fiscal efficiency for investors worldwide.
Website: www.vicox.legal
About Banxa
Banxa is the leading infrastructure provider for enabling embedded crypto, empowering businesses to embed crypto seamlessly into their existing platforms and unlocking new opportunities in the rapidly evolving crypto economy. Through an extensive and growing network of global and local payment solutions and regulatory licenses, Banxa helps businesses provide seamless integration of crypto and fiat for global audiences with lower fees and higher conversion rates. Headquartered in the USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, the Banxa team is building for a world where global commerce is run on digital assets. banxa.com
Website: www.banxa.com
CEOVicente OrtizVicox Legal Vicente Ortiz Abogados & Asociados SLP[email protected]
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Tom Lee, chairman of ether ETH$3 119,50 treasury firm BitMine Immersion (BMNR), urged shareholders to approve a board proposal for a sharp increase in the company's authorized share count.
In a start-of-the-year message, Lee said the proposal to boost the company's number of shares to 50 billion from 500 million is not a precursor to a move to "dilute" shareholders.
“[This]t doesn't mean we're issuing 50 billion shares. That's what we want the total max shares to be,” Lee said.
Acknowledging that a higher share count does make it easier to enable the company to raise capital, Lee reminded that it also allows BitMine to pursue opportunistic dealmaking and — most importantly, according to Lee — accommodate future share splits.
Lee argued that BitMine's share price has increasingly tracked ether since the company pivoted last year to make ETH its primary treasury asset. If ether's price rises over the years as he expects — as high as $250,000 if bitcoin reaches $1 million — splits will be necessary to keep shares "accessible" to the public.
Lee framed the proposal within a broader thesis that Ethereum will play a central role in Wall Street's push toward tokenized financial markets, pointing to public comments by BlackRock CEO Larry Fink about blockchain-based market infrastructure. Lee has separately said he has been accumulating ether personally, aligning his macro view with BitMine's treasury strategy.
Lee reminded shareholders that they have until Jan. 14 to vote on the proposal, with BitMine's annual shareholder meeting scheduled for Jan. 15 in Las Vegas.
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KuCoin Hits Record Market Share as 2025 Volumes Outpace Crypto Market
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$110 billion in crypto left South Korea in 2025 owing to strict trading rules
While South Korean financial officials acknowledged the need for new rules, disagreements over stablecoins delayed a broader crypto framework.
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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 miner Bitfarms (BITF) is set to exit Latin America with the sale of its site in Paso Pe, Paraguay.
The company is selling the site to the Sympatheia Power Fund (SPF), managed by Singapore-based Hawksburn Capital, for up to $30 million, the company announced on Friday.
The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close within the next 60 days, Bitfarms said.
Bitfarms will receive $9 million upfront and up to $21 million over the subsequent 10 months based on certain payment milestones.
"This transaction brings forward an estimated two to three years of anticipated free cash flows from operations to be reinvested into our North American HPC/AI energy infrastructure in 2026, where we believe we will be able to generate much stronger returns on our invested capital with HPC/AI," Bitfarms CEO Ben Gagnon said.
The deal follows Bitfarms' sale of a site in Yguazú, Paraguay to bitcoin mining company Hive Digital Technologies (HIVE) just under a year ago.
BITF shares were up around 4% at $2.45 in pre-market trading, coinciding with a lift in BTC's price to just under $90,000.
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Tom Lee urges BitMine shareholders to approve share increase ahead of January 14 vote
The chairman of the former bitcoin miner-turned-ether treasury firm reiterated his view that Ethereum is the future of finance.
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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.
NEW YORK, Jan 2, 2026, 09:20 ET — Premarket
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp shares were up 0.8% at $13.34 in premarket trading, after closing Dec. 31 at $13.24. The stock has ranged from $10.18 to $43.46 over the past 52 weeks. Investing
The move keeps the Truth Social operator in the spotlight after it unveiled a plan to distribute a new cryptocurrency-style reward to shareholders. The company's push comes as policy support for crypto has been building in Washington, and the White House has rejected conflict-of-interest allegations around Trump's business interests, Reuters reported. Reuters
In a Dec. 31 statement, Trump Media said it plans to distribute one digital token per whole share to “ultimate beneficial owners” — the investors who ultimately own the shares even if they hold them through a broker — in partnership with Crypto.com on its Cronos blockchain. CEO and Chairman Devin Nunes said, “We look forward to utilizing Crypto.com's blockchain technology and improving regulatory clarity.” The company said record dates — the cutoff used to determine who qualifies — and other details will be announced in the new year, and that the tokens are not expected to represent an ownership interest, may not be transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash. Stock Titan
A digital token is a unit recorded on a blockchain, a shared ledger that tracks transactions across a network of computers. Investors focus on whether a token can be traded, what rights come with it, and how regulators treat it versus traditional securities.
Broader markets were steady-to-firmer ahead of the open, with U.S. stock futures higher in early premarket trading, according to Dow Jones and FactSet data. Barron's
Crypto-linked stocks were weaker in the same window, with Coinbase, Strategy and Robinhood each down about 2% in premarket trading.
For DJT, the near-term trade is still headline-driven. The token plan adds a new catalyst that is easy to market to retail investors, while leaving big questions unanswered.
Traders will be watching for the record date and the operational details that decide who receives tokens when shares are held at brokerages. Stock-lending mechanics matter too, because distributions typically go to owners of record rather than borrowers.
The next key issue is whether the token ends up functioning as a tradable asset or more like a loyalty reward. That distinction shapes both the token's potential value and the regulatory scrutiny it may draw.
Language in Trump Media's announcement underscored that the token is not meant to be an equity-like claim, and the company stressed limits around transferability and cash conversion. Investors will parse any follow-up disclosures for how those terms are implemented in practice.
As a journalist focused on finance and the stock market, he delivers fast, reliable, and easy-to-understand coverage of market news.
© 2026 All rights reserved.
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BlackRock deposited 1,134 BTC and 7,255 ETH into Coinbase.
This follows the outflows the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs recorded on the last day of 2025.
It also comes as $2.2 billion in crypto options expire.
The world's largest asset manager, BlackRock, transferred Bitcoin and Ethereum into Coinbase today, following the outflows that the BTC and ETH ETFs recorded on December 31. This development also comes amid the expiry of $2.2 billion crypto options today, which also has the market on edge.
Arkham data shows the asset manager transferred 1,134 BTC ($101 million) and 7,255 ETH ($22 million) to Coinbase, likely to offload these coins. This follows the outflows from the Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs on December 31.
SoSoValue data shows that the Bitcoin ETFs recorded a daily net outflow of $348.10 million on the last day of last year, while the Ethereum ETFs saw a daily net outflow of $72.06 million. BlackRock's BTC and ETH ETFs in particular saw outflows of $99.05 million and $21.5 million, respectively.
The outflows from these funds continue to add significant selling pressure on Bitcoin and Ethereum. The BTC ETFs have recorded daily net outflows in eight out of the last nine trading days. Similarly, the ETH ETFs have seen outflows in five out of the last six trading days.
A recent CryptoQuant analysis warned that sustained outflows from BlackRock's fund and other ETFs could push Bitcoin below the psychological $90,000 level. It also mentioned that a drop below this level could make a move toward the $50,000 range a possibility.
Meanwhile, it is worth noting that BlackRock's BTC and ETH transfers come amid the expiry of crypto options today. As CoinGape reported, $2.2 billion in Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana options expire today, with the max pain point for the BTC options at $88,000.
On-chain analytics platform Glassnode noted in an X post that the ETF flows still show no renewed demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum. The firm further stated that the 30-day SMA of netflows for both the BTC and ETFs remains negative.
However, a positive for Bitcoin and the broader crypto market is that BTC long-term holders have stopped selling even as BlackRock and other issuers continue to see outflows from their crypto ETFs. Amid this development, the flagship crypto is again looking to reclaim the psychological $90,000 level.
BTC has surged to an intraday high above $89,600 from an intraday low of around $88,300. The total crypto market cap is also up on the day, rising above $3 trillion, with coins like PEPE posting significant gains.
About the author
BlackRock Moves Bitcoin and Ethereum, Stirring Sell-Off Fears Ahead of $2.2B Options Expiry originally appeared on CoinGape
Tanzeel Akhtar has been reporting on cryptocurrency and blockchain technology since 2015. Her work has appeared in leading publications including The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CoinDesk, Bitcoin...
Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has once again stirred crypto markets after updating his profile photo on X to a Milady NFT helping push the collection's floor price up nearly 30% within 24 hours.
Data from Coingecko NFT marketplaces show Milady Maker's floor price climbing to around 1.07 ETH, with both trading volume and sales rising sharply following the profile change.
Welcome to 2026! Milady is back.Ethereum did a lot in 2025: gas limits increased, blob count increased, node software quality improved, zkEVMs blasted through their performance milestones, and with zkEVMs and PeerDAS ethereum made its largest step toward being a fundamentally…
The price move coincided with a New Year post from Buterin on X in which he reflected on Ethereum's progress in 2025 and laid out his priorities for the year ahead.
“Welcome to 2026! Milady is back,” Buterin wrote, before pointing to a series of technical upgrades completed last year, including higher gas limits, expanded blob capacity, improvements in node software quality, and major advances in zkEVMs and PeerDAS.
He describes these milestones as some of Ethereum's most important steps toward becoming a more powerful and scalable blockchain.
Buterin used the post to reiterate Ethereum's broader mission, arguing that the network should not focus on short-term narratives or speculative trends, but instead serve as a foundational layer for a freer and more open internet.
He highlights the importance of decentralized applications that operate without fraud, censorship, or third-party interference, continue functioning even if their original developers disappear and protect user privacy. Such applications, he said, should remain stable regardless of political, corporate, or ideological shifts.
The renewed attention has once again drawn focus to Milady's unconventional history. Launched in August 2021, Milady Maker is a collection of 10,000 neochibi-style NFTs on Ethereum created by the Remilia Collective.
From the outset the project embraced irony, discomfort and intentionally broken aesthetics blending cute anime imagery with cryptic humor and insider references that many initially failed to understand.
Milady
Milady has weathered numerous controversies including public disputes involving its creators, legal battles between founders, allegations of misconduct and technical incidents that resulted in the loss of funds. Despite these challenges the collection has repeatedly rebounded.
In May 2023, a meme shared by Elon Musk triggered a surge in trading activity pushing Milady into the mainstream spotlight. Since then the ecosystem has continued to expand through new tokens, community initiatives and cultural events.
While the NFT market remains volatile, Milady's latest rally underscores how cultural signals from influential figures can still move prices — particularly for projects rooted as much in internet subculture as financial speculation.
As members of the Milady community often note many NFT projects failed by trying too hard to explain themselves. Milady by contrast has survived by never doing so.
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Moto Finance will use its pre-seed funding to advance product development, regulatory infrastructure, and launch its blockchain-driven financial platform.
Moto Finance, a financial technology company, has raised $1.8m in pre-seed funding from Cyber Fund and Eterna Capital to advance its blockchain-enabled savings account and credit card platform.
The round will support further product development, regulatory infrastructure, and the initial launch phase. Moto Finance is positioning its proposition in the growing field of decentralised finance (DeFi) and traditional financial services integration.
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Moto Finance was founded by Shimon Newman and Ramses Kamanda, who were both previously at Squads, which is reportedly the largest protocol by value secured on Solana.
Moto Finance was established to deliver decentralised finance features in a compliant format for end-users.
Newman and Kamanda departed Squads to pursue their aim of applying DeFi infrastructure within regulated consumer-facing products.
Moto Finance representative Allen Brooks said: “Moto's mission is to redefine how the next generation saves and spends.
Don't let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
“With backing from Cyber Fund and Eterna Capital, we are on track to build a platform that empowers users to earn meaningful returns on their assets, enjoy premium benefits that matter in everyday life, and participate in the financial upside provided by decentralised finance within a trusted and compliant network.”
The Moto platform integrates a high-interest savings account with a Visa Infinite credit card, enabling users to deposit funds, earn interest, and spend globally via their Moto card.
The system settles card balances at the end of each billing cycle. According to company statements, users can earn interest on deposited funds and receive cashback rewards through yields sourced from insured mechanisms supported by DeFi protocols.
The platform's reward structure is divided into three tiers based on deposit levels. Tier 1 covers customer deposits between $0 and $100,000, offering 5% cashback on card transactions and 2% annual interest on deposits.
Tier 2 applies to deposits ranging from $100,000 to $499,999 with 5% cashback and 3% interest. Tier 3 extends to deposits of $500,000 and above, featuring 5% cashback, 5% interest on balances, and additional exclusive benefits.
The tiered model is designed to offer uniform cashback while increasing interest rates with higher participation.
Moto Finance situates its offering as an alternative for those seeking integrated financial experiences amid persistent low average savings rates in the US banking sector, which remain near 0.6%.
By unifying spending, saving, and earning functions into a single digital product, the company targets individuals who may otherwise use unconnected financial services.
Following the close of this funding round, Moto Finance intends to progress with product development, strengthen its engineering and compliance teams, continue work on regulatory infrastructure, and prepare its platform for broader market entry.
According to the company, the investment arrives at a time when demand for alternatives to conventional savings accounts and credit products is increasing among consumers interested in digital asset-based solutions.
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Home - Blockchain & Digital Assets
January 1, 2026 @ 9:18 pm By Omar Faridi
The aftermath of the damaging December 27, 2025, security breach on the Flow blockchain continues to ripple through its volatile ecosystem, particularly affecting platforms that offer loans backed by non-fungible tokens (NFTs). While the Flow Foundation has emphasized that no direct user funds were compromised in the incident, the temporary shutdown of the network's transaction processing capabilities created significant challenges for borrowers and lenders.
The exploit targeted a vulnerability in Flow‘s execution layer, allowing an attacker to drain approximately $3.9 million in assets before validators halted operations.
🚨 VERY IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ 🚨
As you have likely seen, @flow_blockchain was exploited on December 27. According to the Flow team, no user assets or balances were impacted as part of the exploit. In response, the Flow team initiated a blockchain pause that lasted until 10…
— Flowty (@flowty_io) December 30, 2025
In response, the foundation paused the Cadence smart contract environment—a key component for running transactions—until December 29 to implement fixes and ensure security.
This precautionary measure, though necessary, coincided with the maturity dates of several NFT-collateralized loans, leaving borrowers unable to make repayments or transfer assets.
Flowty, a prominent NFT lending protocol on the network, reported that 11 such loans reached their due dates during this downtime.
Only one was settled automatically through a pre-set autopay feature, while eight went into default.
The remaining two could not be processed due to restrictions on certain accounts linked to the breach.
Even after the network resumed basic operations, persistent issues with token swaps and other functionalities hindered users' ability to acquire necessary funds for repayments.
To mitigate further complications, Flowty announced on December 30 that it would temporarily halt all loan settlements starting at 2:15 p.m. ET.
Under this policy, any loans maturing during the ongoing recovery phase will neither default nor fully settle; instead, they will stay active in a suspended state, often referred to as “limbo.”
The platform intends to establish a specific grace period for repayments once the broader ecosystem regains full stability, although no firm date has been provided.
This decision impacts both parties in the lending process. Lenders will forgo additional interest accumulation on these paused positions, and borrowers—even those with adequate resources—cannot close out loans to retrieve their collateralized NFTs.
Flowty cited the need to prevent unfair defaults caused by technical limitations outside users' control, especially given the unique and often irreplaceable nature of NFTs used as collateral.
Additionally, to reduce risk exposure, Flowty has suspended the creation of new loans and delisted all active offerings from its marketplace.
The broader market has felt the strain as well, with the native FLOW token experiencing sharp declines.
It initially fell around 40% in the wake of the exploit and continued to slide, dropping another 17% to approximately $0.086 by late December, according to market data.
As of early January 2026, the token hovers near $0.088, reflecting ongoing investor caution amid the recovery efforts.
This incident highlights the vulnerabilities in decentralized finance protocols during network disruptions, underscoring the seemingly fine balance between security measures and user accessibility in blockchain ecosystems.
Crowdfund Insider is the leading news website covering the emerging global industry of disruptive finance including investment crowdfunding, Blockchain, online lending, and other forms of Fintech.
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NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 8:44 PM ET — Market closed.
Trump Media & Technology Group Corp shares climbed in the last regular session, closing up 5.4% at $13.25 on Dec. 31. U.S. markets were closed on Thursday for the New Year's Day holiday. markets.businessinsider.com
The move put fresh attention on DJT's strategy pivot, as the Truth Social parent leans harder into financial products to keep investors engaged and broaden revenue streams beyond its core social-media business.
It also comes at a moment when Washington has become more supportive of crypto firms, even as digital-asset prices have pulled back, leaving crypto-linked names sensitive to headlines and sentiment shifts, Reuters reported. Reuters
Trump Media said on Dec. 31 it plans to distribute a new digital token to shareholders in partnership with Crypto.com, using the Cronos blockchain. The company said each “ultimate beneficial owner” — the end investor holding shares through a broker — would be eligible for one token per whole DJT share, and said the tokens are not expected to be transferable or exchangeable for cash. Trump Media CEO Devin Nunes said, “We look forward to utilizing Crypto.com's blockchain technology and improving regulatory clarity to implement this first-of-its kind token distribution.” SEC
A filing showed Trump Media furnished the token announcement in a Form 8-K on Dec. 31. SEC
In a separate Form 8-K dated Dec. 30, Trump Media furnished a release announcing five Truth Social-branded exchange-traded funds — ETFs, baskets of securities that trade like a stock — launched on the New York Stock Exchange under its Truth.Fi brand. The initial lineup includes TSSD, TSFN, TSIC, TSES and TSRS, and the company said it plans to roll out additional ETFs in 2026, including digital asset-based funds made available through Crypto.com's broker-dealer, Foris Capital US LLC. SEC
The bigger test is demand. ETF launches typically live or die on assets under management, and traders will watch early inflows, trading spreads and liquidity for evidence the products can scale beyond the initial publicity.
DJT's latest rally still sits inside a wide trading band: the stock ranged from $12.82 to $13.80 in the last session, while its 52-week range spans roughly $10 to $43. Investing.com
Unlike a cash dividend, the token's value to shareholders depends on the company's reward structure and on operational details such as how brokers handle eligibility, record dates and distribution mechanics.
Before the next session, traders will focus on the timeline — including any record date, the cutoff used to determine which holders qualify — and on whether the company provides more detail on token transferability, redemption limits and ongoing rewards.
Price action will also matter. After the recent move, DJT enters the first trading day of the new year near short-term highs, a setup that can amplify swings if momentum traders step in — or if enthusiasm fades.
Investors will also track early trading in the new Truth Social ETFs and any follow-up SEC filings that clarify product terms, risks and timing. For now, DJT remains a headline-driven trade tied to crypto sentiment, policy signals and company updates.
A dedicated markets reporter, she covers stocks, macroeconomics, and major business developments with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.
© 2026 All rights reserved.
The UniverseFridays
January 1, 2026
4 min read
The Pleiades Star Cluster Has a Secret Stellar Family Scattered across the Milky Way
The “Seven Sisters” of the Pleiades are part of a much larger complex that can help reveal our galaxy's deep history
By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings
A view of the Pleiades, a star cluster about 440 light-years from Earth.
ROBERT GENDLER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images
Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Phil Plait
The sun wanders the Milky Way alone; our star orbits the galaxy's distant center without any stellar siblings. But it wasn't always this way. The solar system was very likely born in a tremendous gas cloud that also birthed thousands of other stars, forming a large, loosely bound stellar family called an open cluster.
These stars may have remained enshrouded in that nebula for 10 million years or more, until their combined stellar winds and light pushed away the surrounding nebulosity. No longer embedded in the gas, the cluster gradually disintegrated as its internal motions flung away some of its members. Throw in collisions with other huge clouds of gas and dust, as well as interactions with the galaxy's gravitational field, and the cluster's fate was sealed: its stars dispersed, eventually mixing with the background “field” stars in the Milky Way.
Our solar kin may be long lost, but that's not the case for all stars. Some groupings are younger than the sun's 4.6-billion-year age—and are still in the process of eroding away. Interestingly, we see such loose affiliations of stars (called associations) all over the sky, and they often share similar characteristics, such as age and velocity, through the galaxy. Astronomers now suspect that many of these scattered associations formed in the same gas cloud, where they were born as part of a single, sprawling structure that has since broken up. But we might yet glimpse parts of such long-lost clusters that are still intact because stars from their close-packed cores should be tightly bound to each other via gravity and thus able to survive as a tight-knit group for much longer.
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Finding such surviving clusters is important; they can tell us about when and where many of the Milky Way's stars formed and how our galaxy's stellar populations and structures evolved over billions of years. In short, studying these stellar relics can lead to a better perception of the galaxy as a whole.
So where are they?
If you're in the Northern Hemisphere and go outside on a clear winter's night, you might notice a fuzzy clutch of stars not too far from Orion. This is the Pleiades (pronounced “PLEE-uh-deez”), a lovely cluster that is about 440 light-years from Earth and located in the constellation Taurus. Six stars can be seen by the unaided eye, although many cultures' ancient myths indicate there are seven. It's possible two of the stars have moved closer together in the sky over time, making it hard to separate them; we still call these stars the Seven Sisters.
Binoculars reveal many dozens of stars in the Pleiades, and hundreds can be seen in deep astronomical images. The cluster doesn't have a sharp boundary, but most of the stars are found in a volume that is about 40 light-years across.
It's about 125 million years old, give or take several million years. If it was once part of a bigger structure, this estimated age would align with our expectation that that structure's outer stars would have been shaken loose. Could the Pleiades be the leftover core of a long-gone cluster?
Finding any far-flung stars that once were anchored by the Pleiades is not an easy task. The sky is big, and the Pleiades' swath of the Milky Way also contains millions of other stars. Astronomers took this on, however, and published their results on November 12 in the Astrophysical Journal.
They were clever, reasoning that any stars that used to hang out with the Pleiades would have similar ages and chemical compositions, and would probably still have close to the same motion through the galaxy, as the cluster's current members. By cross-referencing known Pleiades members and a vast stellar database from the European Space Agency mission Gaia, the team pinpointed a selection of stars hurtling through the Milky Way within five kilometers per second of the galactic velocity of the Pleiades.
To firm up this connection, the researchers next estimated the ages of these stars—a difficult task but one that was made easier by the knowledge that younger stars tend to rotate faster than older ones. (This effect exists because a star's magnetic field can sweep up surrounding material and act like drag on a parachute, slowing the star's spin.) A star's rotation can be determined by looking for tiny variations in brightness as dark star spots—which are like the sun's sunspots but appear on other stars—rotate in and out of view. Using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which can precisely measures stellar brightness, the astronomers found stars that rotated with periods shorter than 12 days, which is roughly the expected spin rate for stars as old as the average Pleiades member.
Finally, after applying various statistical techniques to look for other stars, the researchers wound up with a list of more than 10,000 possible members of what they called the Greater Pleiades Complex. Mapping these members in three dimensions, they found that the stars fall in a slightly elongated grouping that is about 1,600 by 2,000 light-years in size. This includes stars that belong to at least seven previously known associations. Among these associations is the AB Doradus group, which contains a few dozen stars that are only about 70 light-years from the sun. Another, called UPK 303, had been proposed to be a “tidal tail” of the Pleiades, stars torn away from the cluster by the galaxy's gravity, and the new study supports that conclusion. In fact, looking at the stars' motions and running the clock backward, the astronomers found that they were all within about 200 light-years of the central Pleiades about 75 million years ago, which is consistent with all of these stars being part of a larger structure that is now well into the process of “evaporating” into the galaxy.
This delights and amazes me. I've had my eye on the Pleiades ever since I first started looking at the sky as a wee lad, and I cannot say how many times I've gawked at them through various telescopes and in dramatic images. If you go out sometime to look at them—and I really hope you do—gaze upon that tight little cluster and consider that there's still so much we don't know about these stars—and so much more they can tell us about the cosmos.
Phil Plait is a professional astronomer and science communicator in Virginia. His column for Scientific American, The Universe, covers all things space. He writes the Bad Astronomy Newsletter. Follow him online.
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Nature Cancer
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Immune checkpoint blockade-based multimodal therapy is widely used across oncology; yet drivers of resistance in most cancer types are not well understood. Here, we comprehensively characterized the tumor genome, microenvironment and microbiome in a phase 3 international randomized trial (NCT02952586) to identify factors that shape outcomes to anti-PD-L1 avelumab plus standard-of-care chemoradiotherapy versus placebo/chemoradiotherapy in individuals with locally advanced head and neck cancer. Patients receiving avelumab whose tumors contained distinct immunologic and genetic features had superior outcomes compared to those receiving placebo. By contrast, patients with increased myeloid/neutrophil activities had worse outcomes with avelumab than those treated with placebo. Strikingly, these tumors possessed telltale intratumoral bacteria, elevated tumor-associated neutrophils, high systemic neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios and suppressed adaptive immunity. We define tumor ecosystems associated with benefit to chemoimmunotherapy. Our data demonstrate how intratumoral bacteria affect immune checkpoint blockade response within a randomized trial. These discoveries enhance our understanding of combination immunotherapy, provide a useful multiomic resource and identify unanticipated interactions that may guide future therapeutic strategies.
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We thank the patients and their families, investigators, co-investigators and the study teams at each of the participating centers. We also thank A. Donahue (Pfizer) and P. Robbins (Pfizer) for their roles in establishing the research collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and R.-Y. Tzeng (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center) for her role in data quality control. We thank colleagues at the Cleveland Clinic and Memorial Sloan Kettering core facilities, including the Cell Imaging Core (CCF), Genomics Core (CCF) and Integrated Genomics Operation (Memorial Sloan Kettering) for processing samples and providing important suggestions. We also thank colleagues at the Department of Pathology (CCF) for pathology advice and the members and alumni of the laboratory of T.A.C. at Memorial Sloan Kettering and CCF for their generous help and support of this study. Data used in this study were generated or collected by the TCGA Research Network. We acknowledge the following funding sources: NIH R01 CA205426 (T.A.C.), NIH R35 CA232097 (T.A.C.) and NIH/NCI U54 CA274513 (T.A.C.), the Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Chair (T.A.C.) and NIH/NCI Cancer Center Support Grant P30 CA008748. This trial was sponsored by Pfizer and was previously conducted under an alliance between Merck (CrossRef Funder ID: 10.13039/100009945) and Pfizer. Medical writing support was provided by H. Al-Ashtal of Clinical Thinking and was funded by Merck. The investigators worked with Pfizer on the trial design, collection and analysis of data and interpretation of results. Datasets were reviewed by the authors, and all authors participated fully in developing and reviewing the report for publication. All authors had full access to all data, and the first author had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication. We vouch for the completeness and accuracy of the data and their analysis and the fidelity of the trial to the protocol and statistical analysis plan.
These authors contributed equally: Nadeem Riaz, Tyler J. Alban, Robert I. Haddad.
These authors jointly supervised this work: Craig B. Davis, Nancy Y. Lee, Timothy A. Chan.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Nadeem Riaz, Yingjie Zhu, Ardijana Novaj & Nancy Y. Lee
Department of Cancer Sciences and Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
Tyler J. Alban, Vladimir Makarov, Prerana Bangalore Parthasarathy, Mruniya Gawali, Douglas Hoen, Natalie L. Silver, Ivan Juric, Jennifer Ko, Daniel J. McGrail & Timothy A. Chan
Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
Robert I. Haddad
Pfizer, La Jolla, CA, USA
Michelle Saul, Phineas Hamilton, Daniel Chawla & Craig B. Davis
Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego Health, La Jolla, CA, USA
Ezra E. W. Cohen
UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Robert L. Ferris
Department of Oncology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
Peter Mu-Hsing Chang
Department of Radiation Oncology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan
Jin-Ching Lin
National Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Amanda Psyrri
Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
Ana Gradissimo
National Center for Regenerative Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA
Timothy A. Chan
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Conceptualization: T.A.C., N.R., T.J.A. and N.Y.L. Methodology: T.J.A., N.R., R.I.H., V.M., M.S., P.H., P.B.P., A.N., M.G., D.H., I.J., D.C., A.G., J.K., D.J.M., Y.Z., N.L.S., C.B.D. and T.A.C. Investigation: T.J.A., N.R., R.I.H., C.B.D. and T.A.C. Clinical trial organization: R.I.H., N.Y.L., E.E.W.C., R.L.F., P.M.-H.C., J.-C.L. and A.P. Writing, original draft: N.R., T.J.A., C.B.D. and T.A.C. Writing, review and editing: N.R., T.J.A., M.S., R.I.H., N.Y.L. and T.A.C. Biostatistical review: M.S. Funding acquisition: T.A.C. Supervision: T.A.C., N.R. and C.B.D. All authors critically discussed and revised the paper for important intellectual content.
Correspondence to
Craig B. Davis, Nancy Y. Lee or Timothy A. Chan.
T.A.C. is a cofounder of Gritstone Oncology and holds equity. T.A.C. also holds equity in An2H. T.A.C. acknowledges grant funding from Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Illumina, Pfizer, An2H and Eisai. T.A.C. has served as an advisor for Bristol-Myers, MedImmune, Squibb, Illumina, Eisai, AstraZeneca and An2H. T.A.C. is an inventor on intellectual property held by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on using TMB to predict immunotherapy response, with pending patent, which has been licensed to PGDx. T.A.C. is on the advisory board of Cell. N.R. acknowledges research support from Pfizer, REPARE Therapeutics, Invitae and Bristol-Myers Squibb. The other authors declare no competing interests.
Nature Cancer thanks N. Gopalakrishna Iyer, Bertrand Routy, Daniel Spakowicz and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
a. Comparable PFS outcomes are seen in the biomarker analysis cohorts relative to the full dataset. Cox proportional hazards model used to estimate hazard ratio (and 95% CI) between placebo and avelumab in subgroups with genomic data. b. Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is higher in HPV negative (median=5.37 Mut/Mb, IQR=3.95-7.23, N=272) vs. HPV positive (median=4.26 Mut/Mb, IQR=2.53-6.53, N=149) (p < 0.001; Wilcoxon-rank sum test). c. Associations between PFS, treatment, and classical biomarkers were comparable in HPV-positive and HPV-negative patients (Cox proportional hazards model and 95% CI). d. Association between PFS in placebo/CRT arm and expression of PD-L1 by tumor cells (left) vs immune cells (right). PD-L1 high vs low populations (log-rank test).
Source data
a. Volcano plot showing mutations associated with HPV positive vs HPV negative cancers (Fisher's Exact Test; dotted line represents p-value adjusted for false discovery). Recurrently mutated genes in SCCHN occur at markedly different frequencies between HPV+ (N=149) and HPV- (N=272) tumors. b. Oncoplot of patients identified as HPV-positive (N=149) by p16 status reveals that cases of low coverage by NGS of viral genomes (left side of oncoplot) are more likely to have mutations or copy number changes in TP53 and CDKN2A, suggesting these cases may not be driven by HPV.
Source data
a. (left) Concordance between CytoPro and ssGSEA methods for selected signatures related to tertiary lymphoid structures (*** indicates p-value < 0.001) (right) Illustration of relationship between CytoPro signature (Z-normalized) and raw ssGSEA score for Neutrophils (linear regression, shaded region corresponds to 95% CI, N=342). b. Correlation between IHC CD8 staining (positive cells per total area) with ssGSEA CD8 T cell staining as a validation for ssGSEA measurement of CD8 T cells (r=0.61; p < 0.001, Pearson Correlation; shaded region corresponds to 95% CI, N=342). c. Hierarchical clustering of cell-type contributions estimated by ssGSEA. d. Associations between ssGSEA signatures and PFS (Cox proportional hazards model, 95% CI, and log-rank test, n=344 patients). Note significant association with Tfh (T follicular helper) cells and improved outcomes in Avelumab (N=176, p < 0.001; log-rank test) which is not significant in Placebo and has a significant interaction by treatment arm (N=166, p=0.02). In contrast, Neutrophils are associated with worse outcomes for patients receiving avelumab (p = 0.003; log-rank test).
Source data
a. Spearman correlation of TBB between 2 analytic pipelines, PathSeq and KrakenUniq, demonstrates good correlation of bacterial burden from tumors (rho=0.93, N=421, p < 2.2*10−16) and normal tissue (rho=0.45; N=421, p < 2.2*10−16). b. Genera counts for each sample in cohort, ordered from highest tumor bacterial abundance (N=421). c. Frequency of species identified in this cohort and HNSC from TCGA are highly correlated (rho = 0.53; p < 0.001; Spearman Correlation). d. LogTBB derived from head and neck cancer cases in TCGA with both WGS and WES (n=155 cancers, with strong linear correlation r=0.88 p < 1*10−32). e Total bacterial read counts aligned to genera in tumor and PBMC samples (split by high vs. low TBB in tumor samples; Wilcoxon test, n=421patients) illustrates markedly higher bacterial reads in tumor compared to blood (p < 0.001; Wilcoxon test). f. Evaluation of log-scale abundance of bacterial reads from WES with T Stage for entire cohort (left) shows a trend towards an association with larger tumors (p=0.064; Wilcoxon Test, n=421 patients) but not N Stage (right, n=421 patients) (p=0.38). g. Evaluation of log-scale abundance of bacterial reads for each Phyla across n=18 samples in 16S compared to WES abundance, shows a strong linear relationship (r=0.97; p=0.00035; Pearson Correlation) h. Correlation of genera abundances between 16S and WES illustrates that samples from same tumor correlate strongly (N=16 tumors). i. Pearson correlation between 16S determined bacterial species and those identified from WES is significantly higher between corresponding samples, than from unrelated samples (Wilcox test, p=0.00016, n=8 cases). Boxplots show IQR (Q1–Q3); line = median; whiskers = most extreme points within 1.5×IQR).
Source data
16S IHC staining by RNAscope of selected TBB high (n=4; left) and TBB low (n=4; right) tumors (red: 16S probe; blue DAPI). Note increased bacterial staining in TBB high tumors. Within each cohort, a scrambled 16S probe (red) was utilized as a negative control illustrating specificity of staining.
a. Expression of individual immune related genes and TBB. Note strong inverse relationship (linear regression) with gene markers of adaptive immune cells (CD8A, CD3E, PDCD1, CD19, CD79A) compared with neutrophil markers (NEAT1, NAMPT1, CXCL8) (n=342 cases). b. CD8 T cell abundance determined by IHC and split by TBB status. Increased CD8 T cell staining is noted in the TBB low samples (p < 0.001, N=323, Wilcoxon rank-sum test,). c. Total number of TCR clonotypes per sample is ordered from low to high and colored by TBB status, highlighting expansion of clones in TBB low samples. Boxplot shows IQR (Q1–Q3); line = median; whiskers = most extreme points within 1.5×IQR, N=304 tumors) d. Relative abundance of clones by size shows expansion of small clones in TBB high samples (avelumab high, placebo high), compared to low samples (n=310 patients, avelumab low, placebo low; all comparisons by Wilcoxon test, Yellow NA:NA are those samples for which TCR sequencing was available but TBB was not measured due to lack of WES for that sample). e. Patient TBB is associated with pre-treatment peripheral neutrophil count (R=0.21, p=0.001, N=421) in patients with high TBB but not in patients with low TBB (R=−0.06, p=0.43, Pearson Correlation, shaded region corresponds to 95% CI).
Source data
a. Associations between TBB and PFS in patients treated with avelumab in HPV negative patients (left; p = 0.011) and HPV positive patients (right; p=0.077; both log-rank test) b. Multivariate cox proportional hazard model (and 95% CI) in Avelumab treated patients, identifies TBB as associated with PFS after correcting for stratification variables (HR = 2.03 p = 0.002, n=421 patients) c. Comprehensive cut-point analysis illustrates a wide range of TBB cutpoints associate with outcomes, including both the median or 99th% in patients treated with Avelumab (left). Each dot represents a log rank test at a specific cut point, with the y axis showing the p-value for the log-rank test. Every possible cutpoint was tested through the dataset and the summary is plotted. In (right) Placebo + SoC CRT arm TBB is not associated with outcomes regardless of the cutpoint. (N=421 pts) d. Histograms of BLAST E-values for remaining unaligned reads after alignment to GCHR38. Note unaligned reads have significant lower E-values aligning to bacterial genomes rather than alignment to a human genome. e. PFS in Avelumab/CRT arm split by TBB considering only Top 5 genera by abundance and known to be members of the oral microbiome (p=0.012; log-rank test).
Source data
Schematic showing workflow of elastic net modeling with nested cross-validation.
Supplementary Tables 1 and 2.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
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Dimitrios Iliopoulos
IBM Research, Gurugram, India
Dhiraj Madan
IBM Quantum, Dublin, Ireland
Nicola Mariella & Sergiy Zhuk
Q-Ctrl, Cambridge, MA, USA
Khadijeh Najafi
Johnson and Johnson, Zurich, Switzerland
Pushpak Pati
University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Maria Anna Rapsomaniki
IBM Quantum, Bengaluru, India
Anupama Ray
IBM Quantum, Yorktown Heights, NY, USA
Omar Shehab
IBM Quantum, Zurich, Switzerland
Ivano Tavernelli & Stefan Woerner
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A parameterized quantum circuit used to approximate a target state or operation. In variational algorithms, its design and initialization crucially affect the accuracy and efficiency of the solution.
The quantum analogue of random walk, in which the evolution of a quantum system over a graph is continuous in time offering advantages in exploring complex networks and solving combinatorial problems.
Statistical measures that generalize moments to quantify higher-order correlations and dependencies among random variables. They isolate intrinsic multiway interactions, capturing nonlinear and non-Gaussian structure that ordinary moments or pairwise correlations cannot represent.
The exponential increase in data sparsity and computational complexity as the number of features grow. This phenomenon makes it harder for algorithms to detect meaningful patterns and they often require vastly more data for reliable analysis.
A quantum circuit that incorporates classical processing within the coherence time of the qubits permitting mid-circuit measurements to enable feedforward operations such as using measured values to determine the next gates to be applied.
A machine learning technique that aggregates multiple individual models (known as ‘weak learners') to produce a strong overall model with high prediction accuracy and robustness.
A uniquely quantum phenomenon, in which the states of two or more particles become interdependent; consequently measurement of one entangled particle instantaneously affects the state of the other particle.
A performance improvement of an algorithm whereby running time decreases exponentially compared to the state-of-the-art algorithmic benchmark.
Accuracies in quantum operations that create entanglement between qubits in a 2-qubit gate. If reduced, the effectiveness of quantum computations is decreased, and the complexity of solved problems is more limited.
(GNNs). A class of neural networks designed for graph-structured data, which aggregate and update node features based on neighbouring nodes while learning both local and global graph properties.
A class of algorithms that use kernel functions, enabling them to transform data features to a high-dimensional, implicit feature space without exactly computing coordinates in the transformed feature space.
An unsupervised algorithm that partitions data into k clusters by assigning each point to the nearest centroid. k-means iteratively minimizes within-cluster variance and is widely used in unsupervised learning.
A matrix representation of graph connectivity that combines degree and adjacency matrices of the graph, enabling spectral clustering and dimensionality reduction of graphs.
A higher-level abstraction of qubits used in a fault-tolerant quantum device where a single qubit is encoded using a collection of physical qubits while protecting quantum information from errors.
Qubits encoding quantum information in the internal states of individual, electrically neutral atoms held in optical or magnetic traps, offering long coherence times and scalability for quantum computing applications.
A class of computational problems that are at least as hard as problems in the nondeterministic polynomial complexity class, meaning that finding an efficient solution for them would imply efficient solutions for all problem in nondeterministic polynomial.
A linear algebraic method to factor a data matrix V to two lower-rank non-negative matrices W and H representing parts of the original data matrix.
A mathematical framework for finding the most cost-effective map from one probability distribution to another.
A quantum algorithm that produces approximate solutions for combinatorial optimization problems.
Structured sequences of quantum gates operating on qubits to perform quantum computation.
(QCNN). The quantum analogue of convolutional neural networks, in which quantum circuits perform convolution and pooling operations; it efficiently extracts hierarchical features from quantum data and has applications in quantum state classification and error correction.
An emerging interdisciplinary field that leverages quantum computing and network science to analyse complex biological systems by applying quantum-enhanced techniques to biological interactions and reveal insights into disease mechanism and biomarker discovery.
(QNN). A quantum machine learning model that utilizes parameterized quantum circuits inspired by classical neural networks.
The basic units of quantum information, analogous to classical bits. Unlike bits, qubits exist in a combination or superposition of 0 and 1 simultaneously, providing the foundation for quantum algorithms that can process information leveraging fundamentals of quantum mechanics.
A stochastic process in which a walker on a graph starts at a vertex and repeatedly moves to one of its neighbouring vertices, chosen at random, generating a path through the vertices.
Refers to problems that are highly constrained in the number of samples, particularly with respect to the size of the feature space.
Qubits storing quantum information in the intrinsic spin states of particles like electrons or nuclei, often implemented in semiconductor quantum dots and controlled through magnetic or electric fields for quantum operations.
Qubits that can exist in multiple states simultaneously based on superconducting circuits operating at extremely low temperatures to minimize thermal noise and maintain coherence, enabling fast gate operations for high-speed quantum computations.
A fundamental principle in quantum mechanics stating that a quantum system can exist in multiple states simultaneously.
A generalization of matrix factorization to multidimensional arrays or tensors, decomposed into latent lower-dimensional factors that capture key patterns in complex data.
(TDA). A mathematical method rooted in algebraic topology that analyses the inherent structure of data to reveal clusters, holes and voids in high-dimensional datasets that conventional data analysis techniques typically overlook.
Quantum bits encoded in non-local properties of topological quantum systems, making them inherently resistant to local noise and decoherence.
A deep learning architecture that uses self-attention mechanisms to capture long-range dependencies within a sequence and to draw inference.
Qubits that encode information in the electronic and nuclear spin states of individual ions, controlled using electromagnetic fields enabling long coherence times, making them suitable for high-accuracy quantum operations.
(VQC). A quantum machine learning model that uses parameterized quantum circuits to classify data, with parameters optimized through a classical optimization method to minimize a cost function.
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Different definitions of keystone taxa and functions agree that they have an outsized role in maintaining community composition, and thus, the keystone concept continues to attract attention even 50 years after its introduction. In this Perspective, we base our definition of microbial keystones on the original one to explore its implications and limitations. We review different mechanisms behind keystoneness, cover the strengths and weaknesses of current keystone prediction methods and present findings on keystones discovered in recent experiments. In addition, we suggest a new prediction method for keystones based on metabolic modelling. Finally, we discuss the role of keystones in community control strategies. Overall, the development of new prediction methods and the insights from recent experiments illustrate the continued relevance of the keystone concept for microbial communities.
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The authors are grateful to all current and former members of the Lab of Microbial Systems Biology for stimulating discussions. The authors also thank the reviewers for their thoughtful and stimulating feedback.
Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Rega Institute for Medical Research, Laboratory of Molecular Bacteriology, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
Daniel Rios Garza & Karoline Faust
Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, PROSE, Antony, France
Daniel Rios Garza
Unité de Chronobiologie Théorique, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
Didier Gonze
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K.F. wrote the text, D.R.G. designed Box 1, D.G. designed the figures and all authors discussed the content, reviewed and edited the manuscript.
Correspondence to
Karoline Faust.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Nature Reviews Microbiology thanks Amir Bashan, Yang-Yu Liu and Ramiro Logares for their contribution to the peer review of this work.
Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
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Garza, D.R., Gonze, D. & Faust, K. Keystone concept revisited: insights into microbial community dynamics and control.
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Nature Reviews Cardiology
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The cardiac conduction system (CCS) has a vital role in initiating and coordinating nearly 3 billion heartbeats throughout a person's lifetime. The CCS comprises two primary tissue types: the impulse-generating, slow-conducting nodes and the fast-conducting components of the ventricular conduction system. Dysfunction in this system can give rise to a spectrum of clinical symptoms, including palpitations, syncope, heart failure and even sudden cardiac death. Owing to the limited therapeutic options other than electronic pacemakers, substantial research efforts have been aimed at uncovering the root causes of conduction system disorders. A comprehensive investigative approach integrating genetics, transcriptomics and proteomics has been used to unravel the complex biology of these diseases. Advances in single-cell genomic and transcriptomic technologies, together with spatial transcriptomics, are offering new insights into the cellular microenvironments that govern conduction system function. In this Review, we examine the latest progress in understanding the biology of the CCS, situating new findings within both established and emerging scientific paradigms. Additionally, we discuss how these insights can be leveraged to improve clinical risk assessment, expand drug discovery efforts, accelerate technology aimed at promoting CCS regeneration and foster the development of innovative therapies, including biological pacemakers.
The cardiac conduction system (CCS) initiates each heartbeat and regulates the flow of electrical impulses throughout the heart.
Diseases of the CCS are a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide; research into therapeutic alternatives to electronic pacemakers is driving new discoveries in CCS biology.
CCS-restricted gene regulatory networks reinforce specialized conduction phenotypes and simultaneously repress working cardiomyocyte-specific programming.
Transcriptomic analyses at single-cell resolution, combined with spatial transcriptomics, are offering unprecedented insights into the local tissue microenvironments of the CCS and are driving advances in next-generation tools for drug discovery and therapies specifically targeting the conduction system.
Development of biological pacemakers that use transcription factors to reprogramme working cardiomyocytes into CCS cells holds substantial therapeutic potential.
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Park, D. S. & Fishman, G. I. in Cardiac Electrophysiology: From Cell to Bedside (eds Zipes, D. P. & Jalife, J.) 287–295 (Elsevier, 2018).
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D.S.P. receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01HL165130 and R01HL171989). G.I.F. receives research funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01 HL171118 and R01HL159869). The authors thank N. Yamaguchi (NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA) for assistance with the generation of tables and figures for initial submission.
Leon H. Charney Division of Cardiology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
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Park, D.S., Fishman, G.I. The cardiac conduction system: development, function and therapeutic targets.
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A microwave-sized factory in space has generated plasma for the first time, bringing us one step closer to manufacturing materials in microgravity for use on Earth.
Space Forge successfully activated the manufacturing furnace on board its first satellite, ForgeStar-1, reaching temperatures of 1,830 degrees Fahrenheit (1,000 degrees Celsius) in low Earth orbit, the company announced this week. With its groundbreaking feat, the company established the needed conditions to produce semiconductor materials in space and further develop its orbital factory.
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Now that its mission is complete, ForgeStar-1 is destined to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. The company used its first satellite to test a heat shield, named Pridwen, so that future variants have the ability to re-enter through the atmosphere in one piece and return the material to Earth.
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Axiom Space and Virgin Galactic are hoping to launch astronauts to space in late May, but these companies have very different missions in mind.
The dramatic footage shows a Falcon Heavy fairing blazing through the atmosphere at speeds reaching Mach 15.
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Reading time 3 minutes
The era of Stranger Things as we know it came to an end on New Year's Day. But, as we know all too well, shows that are too successful to end go the route of spinoffs, and Stranger Things is no exception. Outside of its animated series, the Duffer Brothers have shed the tiniest bit of light on what their show's spin-off will center on.
In a new interview with Variety, in which the Duffer Brothers tried their damndest to keep the spirit of Stranger Things‘ ambiguous ending ambiguous, they were pressed on what they were cooking with a mysterious MacGuffin introduced in Vecna's backstory during the final episode. In the scene, Vecna (A.K.A. Mr. Whatsit, A.K.A. Young Henry Creel) encounters a paranoid, bloodied man carrying a briefcase inside a cave. After getting shot in the hand when the man accuses the boy scout of being sent by someone to get him, Henry reacts in kind by bashing the mysterious man's head in with a rock. Afterwards, he opens the briefcase and discovers a red glowing rock that corrupts his body. The dying words of said man are a warning: “You must resist it. It will consume you. It will consume all.”
Despite how overly long the final episode of Stranger Things was, clocking in with a two-hour-plus run time, who the mysterious man was, why he was carrying a briefcase with a red rock, and who was after said man were all left up in the air. Granted, not in a Game of Thrones “they forgot” kinda way—but as a dangling plot thread. When pressed by Variety to clarify what that rock was all about, Matt Duffer struggled with how to describe it with clarity. When Variety offered the phrase “spinoffy,” Matt acquiesced, apologizing for how tight-lipped they've been about where the series will go in its inevitable spinoffs.
“Spinoffy, yeah. You pinned us down. So annoying. I do want to explain, just because people's expectations go in certain directions: The spinoff is going to delve into that and explain that, and you're going to understand it,” Matt Duffer told Variety. “But it's a completely different mythology. So it's not a deep exploration of the Mind Flayer or anything like that. It's very fresh and very new, but yes, it will answer some of the loose threads that are remaining.”
Ross Duffer followed up by giving a progress report on the Stranger Things spin-off, revealing that they're already working on it. Matt piggybacked on his brother's reply, saying that the Stranger Things spinoff will act as a fresh start for them, providing the series creators a clean slate to work with “completely new characters, new town, new world, new mythology.” So for all those folks holding out hope for the Duffer Brothers to provide some closure over whether The Right Side Up hard confirms or not the fate of its core cast, you're going to have to hold on to the ambiguity of its ending and decide for yourself which fate works best for you.
Among the more immediate Stranger Things spinoff projects coming to Netflix, Stranger Things: Tales From '85, a 3DCG animated series set between seasons two and three, is slated to premiere on the streamer later this year.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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‘The Rightside Up' brought the Netflix blockbuster to its end with a blend of action and agony—plus an epilogue stuffed with hazy happiness.
The new year is always a wild time for Lego releases, and 2026 is certainly no exception.
What happened in the Abyss—and how are Hawkins' heroes and villains faring in the aftermath of their greatest battle?
The grand finale arrives on Netflix December 31, so here's one last look back at the characters' most inconsistently important aspect: their love lives.
Plus, Monkeypaw Productions addresses those MCU rumors.
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USB C could see real-time monitoring and control via your motherboard
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It seems like every month we see a new incendiary GPU story with reports of a 12V-2x6 connector being the culprit. The issue is not limited to just Nvidia's RTX 5090 anymore either, as at least five AMD RX 9070 XT variants with this plug have faced the same fiery wrath. Companies have tried to come up with solutions to monitor the 16-pin power connector, and MSI is the latest to join this line of cautionary warriors.
New Year Alert! 🔔Invisible problems exist. We're ending them.A world-first PSU proactive and instant protection is coming.See it first at CES 2026.#MSIxCES2026 pic.twitter.com/6XdiCNG3epJanuary 1, 2026
In a new teaser posted on its X account, the brand is showing off seemingly the world's first power supply with active protection features: the MSI MPG Ai1300TS & Ai1600TS. While no explicit details were shared, it's reasonable to imagine that the "proactive and instant protection" refers to actively monitoring the individual wires/pins in the 12V-2x6 connector to ensure all of them are sharing the load effectively.
If even one of the pins goes out or stops making proper contact, the power supply will instantly trip, shutting down the system and protecting your expensive hardware from getting scorched. We make this assumption because the best power supplies already regulate their voltage rails that control power going to your PC, with various protection features such as OCP, SCP, and more. MSI's addition, therefore, is a specific safeguard meant for power hungry graphics cards.
In the teaser, we can also see a USB-C port at the back of the power supply, which means you can connect it to your motherboard to potentially control it via software. It should still stop the "invisible problem" of melting GPUs without that, but it'd be interesting to see the expanded feature set. Perhaps, you'll be able to see real-time stats similar to third-party tools like WireView Pro, allowing you to set hard limits in Windows.
As the name suggests, the MSI MPG Ai1300TS & Ai1600TS are flagship 1300W and 1600W units, respectively, so they're very clearly targeting the RTX 5090. Just a few days ago, we saw another one of those catch on fire in possibly the worst incident so far. And the victim was even using a native 12V-2x6 cable that came with their 1000W ATX 3.1 power supply. Let's see if MSI's offerings can finally curtail this fiasco.
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Hassam Nasir is a die-hard hardware enthusiast with years of experience as a tech editor and writer, focusing on detailed CPU comparisons and general hardware news. When he's not working, you'll find him bending tubes for his ever-evolving custom water-loop gaming rig or benchmarking the latest CPUs and GPUs just for fun.
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Nature gives rise to fascinating adaptations, which can sometimes lead to organisms living in some strange situations.
The relationship between bark beetles, spruce trees, and a type of fungus is a case in point. According to a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the bark beetles protect themselves from fungal infections by leeching off the trees' stored antibiotic compounds. But the fungus still manages to keep the beetles in check by infecting and killing some of the beetle populations.
Examining the ways each organism has adapted to its neighbors could help scientists create organic treatments for parasites, the researchers said.
Spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) are a common pest that burrows deep into a tree, siphoning away nutrients. Although bark beetles are rarely aggressive enough to actually kill a tree, their presence can threaten those weakened by natural or human-made disasters. What's more, “little can be done to control most bark beetles once trees have been attacked,” according to a report by California's Integrated Pest Management Program.
Then there is the fungus, Beauveria bassiana. This fungus is neither the tree's nor the beetle's friend; as a pathogenic species, it can infect both organisms. The researchers behind the new study wondered whether the beetles could be exploiting the spruce tree's rich defensive resources to protect themselves from the fungus.
To find out, the team performed detailed chemical analyses of the antibiotic chemicals produced by spruce trees to fight off fungal infections. Their investigation suggested that the beetles used the compounds for their own defense. Surprisingly, that involved a sophisticated process in which the insects converted these chemicals into even more toxic substances, with greater protective ability against fungal attacks.
“We did not expect the beetles to be able to convert the spruce's defenses into more toxic derivatives in such a targeted way,” Ruo Sun, study lead author and a biochemist at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology Jena in Germany, said in a statement.
The researchers also found that the fungi were able to adapt in turn to the beetles' new defenses. Overall, the tree's chemical defenses experienced “multiple transformations and retransformations throughout the food chain—with far-reaching consequences for the evolutionary arms race between hosts, pests, and pathogens,” the researchers said.
It's quite unlikely that any organism involved in this system knowingly keeps the others at bay, but it's certainly a naturally derived solution to pest control, according to the paper. For instance, scientists could take inspiration from the fungus to create more effective pesticides. Some fungal strains “had naturally infected and killed [the beetles],” Sun said. As such, identifying these strains became the central goal of their research, she added.
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The findings hint at the creeping presence of microplastics near the South Pole, researchers suggest.
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What can we say? Nature is scary.
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The "worm-charging mechanism" of parasitic nematodes illustrates the wildest physics on the tiniest scales.
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Meson creator Jussi Pakkanen says Debian's decades-old bug handling workflow is discouraging maintainers and slowing fixes.
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A dispute has flared up inside the Debian project after a veteran maintainer criticized the Debian's bug tracking system as outdated and increasingly unworkable for modern software development. The comments, made by Meson build system creator and Debian maintainer Jussi Pakkanen on December 22, argue that Debian's reliance on email-based bug control is actively discouraging contributors and leaving bugs poorly maintained.
Pakkanen, who maintains Meson packages in Debian, said the project's Bug Tracking System still requires developers to manage bug states by sending specially formatted emails to control addresses. While Debian provides a web interface for viewing bugs, actions such as closing, reassigning, or adjusting severity are typically performed via email commands rather than through a modern authenticated web UI.
"Using an email client as the only way of modifying bugs… is not only a bad idea, it is [a] terrible idea. To me managing bugs is so awful that it is actively pushing me away from contributing to Debian. The bug statuses on Meson are not kept up to date because I prefer that to having to deal with the bug tracker. I suspect I am not alone in this,” he said.
Even when fixes are available upstream, in his view, the system creates unnecessary overhead for maintainers and increases the likelihood that bugs remain open or misclassified long after they should have been resolved. He also raised concerns about security and auditability, noting that anyone who understands the email syntax can submit control messages, with optional rather than mandatory authentication.
Not everyone agrees with Pakkanen; some developers argue that email provides a stable, standardized interface that does not depend on centralized web services, or account management.
Requests for a full-featured web-based interface to manage Debian bugs are not new. Debian's own bug tracker archives show that similar proposals date back to 2000, with some marked as “wontfix” on the grounds that email-based control was sufficient and more resilient.
Pakkanen has not called for Debian to abandon its current bug tracking workflow, however, suggesting instead that an incremental approach in which a web service generates the same control emails behind the scenes could be implemented. This would preserve compatibility with the current backend while offering maintainers a usable interface. Over time, Debian could tighten controls on direct email submissions once a viable alternative exists, Pakkanen says.
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Every year, TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield pitch contest draws thousands of applicants. We whittle those applications down to the top 200 contenders, and of them, the top 20 compete on the big stage to become the winner, taking home the Startup Battlefield Cup and a cash prize of $100,000. But the remaining 180 startups all blew us away as well in their respective categories and compete in their own pitch competition.
Here is the full list of the logistics, manufacturing, and materials Startup Battlefield 200 selectees, along with a note on why they landed in the competition.
What it does: This app helps ride-share and delivery drivers analyze what trips will make them the most money.
Why it's noteworthy: It's addressing the sore point that many drivers have, which is that trips often aren't worth the money for all the hassle. The company hopes this app will help these drivers increase earnings and customize their ride-share experience.
What it does: Glīd is building self-driving, autonomous vehicles that handle moving freight around railyards.
Why it's noteworthy: Glīd won the 2025 TechCrunch Startup Battlefield for its system that elegantly solves a problem that the autonomous vehicle industry has largely overlooked.
What it does: A robotics company with sensory technology that processes at rapid speed.
Why it's noteworthy: Its simple robot design, using the latest LLM technology, lets it adapt to warehouse problems in a smart and safe way.
What it does: CloEE offers a platform for manufacturing sites that uses AI to analyze millions of data points on machine performance.
Why it's noteworthy: CloEE's use of AI helps fine-tune manufacturing processes for better efficiency, not just for production but for machine care as well.
What it does: CosmicBrain offers a no-code/low-code platform to train robots.
Why it's noteworthy: Before robots can really become everyday objects, we need methods to train them on tasks that don't require deep specialized knowledge.
What it does: Delft Circuits has created new network cable technology geared for quantum computing.
Why it's noteworthy: Delft Circuits recognizes that quantum is such a radically different method of computing that even its cabling systems need specialized materials, and purpose-built microwave and thermal performance.
What it does: Evolinq offers AI agents that handle enterprise procurement processes.
Why it's noteworthy: Evolinq promises to mimic buyers' workflows and automate areas like supplier communication, but doesn't require complex integration to deploy.
What it does: ExoMatter is an AI platform that helps material science R&D teams evaluate materials.
Why it's noteworthy: Rather than costly trial and error when researching new materials, ExoMatter is a platform that uses AI to help scientists screen inorganic crystalline materials by metrics such as performance, sustainability, and cost.
What it does: Kamet offers an AI analysis system for manufacturing and warehouses.
Why it's noteworthy: The company's tool uses predictive AI to find inefficiencies with processes and equipment for complex industrial use cases that reduce cost or improve output.
What it does: Koidra offers an AI-powered automation control platform for indoor agriculture.
Why it's noteworthy: Koidra says its platform offers physics-aware AI technology ideal for heavily automated industrial facilities such as indoor farms.
What it does: Mbodi offers a platform that can easily teach any industrial robot new skills.
Why it's noteworthy: Mbodi built a cloud-to-edge system that integrates with existing robotic tech stacks and can help a robot learn tasks faster.
What it does: MycoFutures makes a material that is similar to leather but is grown from the roots of mushrooms.
Why it's noteworthy: Unlike plastic pleather, this mycelium leather is biodegradable, doesn't contain harmful chemicals, and is designed to match traditional leather in beauty and versatility.
What it does: OKOsix has created a biodegradable material intended to replace plastics.
Why it's noteworthy: Unlike some other biodegradable plastic alternatives, the company's material is designed for durability.
What it does: Ravel has invented a process to unravel blended textile materials back into mono-materials.
Why it's noteworthy: Ravel is addressing one of the biggest pollution challenges by making blended textiles recyclable, their plastics ready to be turned back into yarn or other clothing.
What it does: Strong by Form has developed an engineered wood strong enough to replace concrete and steel in structural floors.
Why it's noteworthy: The company has created a material that allows architects and engineers to replace concrete, which has a heavy carbon impact, with one that is lighter and more eco-friendly.
What it does: Xronos offers a platform that speeds the development and deployment of robotics or automation solutions.
Why it's noteworthy: Xronos is open source and relies on deterministic development, promising that the planned and simulated robotic action will have reproducible, reliable behavior every time.
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Your own multiplex, without moving from the sofa
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In this how-to, I will show you how to create a Plex server on a spare computer running Debian Linux, in my case, a Raspberry Pi 4, but you could easily replace it with an old laptop, spare PC, or a dedicated mini PC.
There are a myriad of streaming services available, and all of them want your money. That's not a bad thing. Some content is only available via streaming, or the best possible version is streaming. But I like physical media. I like knowing I have every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and The X-Files. Those were the shows that I watched as a teenager, and they bring me comfort.
I don't want to buy my media again, heck, I've owned Deep Space Nine on VHS and DVD, and my copies of Star Wars stretch back to Betamax! I want my media ready to watch at a moment's notice, and this is where DIY services such as Plex and Jellyfin come into their own.
The best source of media for this project are DVDs and Blu-rays that you already own. Check your local laws before doing so, but you should be able to rip your discs using a tool such as Handbrake. We also have a full guide on how to rip your discs to digital files.
So let's build our own media server!
For this, you will need a USB drive formatted as NTFS, along with your media sorted into folders. I tend to organize my media into the following:
With the media already on the USB drive, let's get it connected to what will become our Plex server.
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1. Insert the drive into a spare USB 3 port on the machine. The OS should auto-mount the drive.
2. Locate the drive's name, label and UUID using blkid. In my case, the device name was /dev/sda1, its label was “Files,” and the UUID was “2EB36FFA4908D959.” Make a note of these details.
3. Navigate to the mounted drive and list the contents to prove that the system can see the files. On my Raspberry Pi the drive was /media/pi/Files.
4. Set the permissions for the folder so that it is accessible to anyone. Yes, this is bad security practice for production servers, but for a small home media server, we can mitigate the risk. Remember to change the path to match the location of your media files.
5. Unmount the drive and then remount using NTFS to test that the process works. Remember to replace the device name and the mount point with values that match yours.
6. To automatically mount the drive on boot, edit fstab and add this line to the end so that it detects the drive as the system boots. Remember to change the UUID and /media/pi/Files mount to match the results from Step 2.
7. Save by pressing CTRL + O, ENTER then CTRL + X.
8. Reboot the Raspberry Pi for the changes to take effect.
1. On the Raspberry Pi, open a browser and visit the Plex Media Server download page.
2. Click on the dropdown and select the version you want to download, in this case, Linux. Click Choose Distribution, then select the correct version for your Linux distribution. I'm using the latest version of Raspberry Pi OS, so I chose the Armv8 download. If you are adapting this how-to to run on an Intel- or AMD-based machine, select the 32- or 64-bit version for your architecture.
3. Open a terminal and install the downloaded Plex package, which will be in your Downloads folder. Wait for the installation to complete.
4. Add the user plex to the Pi user group. This will give Plex access to drives and other devices.
5. Get the IP address of your Raspberry Pi via the terminal. The -I is a capital i.
6. On another device, on the same network, open a web browser and go to the IP address of your Plex server, followed by port 32400 and then /web. Here is what my URL looked like.
7. Start the Plex setup process and then name your server. I used PlexServer.
8. Create a library of movies, this will point to the location of the USB drive that has all of your media.
9. Click Done to finish the installation.
Plex's user interface is familiar to anyone who has used a streaming service. It is designed to get the media to us without any issues. In the free version that we are using, it also gets the advertisements right to your eyeballs. There are plenty of free streams to watch, but we're really here for our content. Let's take a look around the user interface and get to know Plex.
1. Main menu: Here we can look through our watchlist, live TV shows, movies & shows. Just above is the “hamburger menu” to go in depth on your configuration.
2. Filters: Filter the content to show trending, what friends are watching, and activity.
3. Settings: Advanced settings for your Plex server. This includes user accounts, libraries, and we can even cast our Plex viewing to a compatible device.
4. Libraries: The mounted USB disk full of our movies is linked to from here. Clicking the link will open the drive and our content library.
5. Content: This section changes as the user navigates the content. Here we can see the advertised content.
If we click on the library (4), then the screen changes to show the content on the drive hosting the library. As you can see, my library is pretty light, as this is a test setup.
You've just made your own streaming service, one that will share your DVD and media library to devices across your home. You can use the web interface to watch your movies, or use one of the many Plex client apps for Smart TVs, phones, consoles, and Amazon's Alexa.
Les Pounder is an associate editor at Tom's Hardware. He is a creative technologist and for seven years has created projects to educate and inspire minds both young and old. He has worked with the Raspberry Pi Foundation to write and deliver their teacher training program "Picademy".
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Users have posted photos of damaged 3D printers, but Bambu Lab says the issue has already been fixed.
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Concerns are being raised within the 3D printing community regarding the Bambu Lab A1 after a recent video by YouTuber Grant Posner (3D Musketeers) revealed a possible safety issue. Posner has seen an alarming number of A1 printers with charred or melted cases, which suggests that the A1's AC power distribution board may be operating above normal temperatures, posing a risk of fire. The AC power board uses an NTC thermistor to limit inrush current and is active only while the printer is rapidly warming up. Posner claims this thermistor is being pushed too close to its rated limits.
Posner hosts the popular Print Fix Friday series on YouTube, where he analyzes 3D printing fails and offers practical advice. He told Tom's Hardware that he has operated his Tampa, Florida-based business for 15 years, offering 3D prototyping, scanning, manufacturing, and printer repair services.
Several subreddits are echoing Posner's concerns. One user on r/BambuLab reported “my A1 melted” with a photo of a small bulge on the printer's bottom near the NTC thermistor, while another showed a puddle forming on the top of an A1's case. Meanwhile, Redditors on another thread suggest that Posner simply has an ax to grind with Bambu. A quick check of the 3D Musketeers channel reveals dozens of videos critical of the company.
During a recent 3D Musketeers livestream, Posner examined an A1 printer with a thermal camera and clocked the NTC thermistor at 140° C, which he said was unacceptable for an electronic component.
After doing further research, Posner found out that the NTC thermistor is rated for 200C. He said the real problem is whether the surrounding components and the case itself can also withstand these elevated spikes in temperature that occur while the machine is heating up.
“While the component in question is rated for the temps we have directly measured,” Posner said, “it is clear there are some issues with part quality, consistency, or local power that are causing machines to catastrophically fail.”
We reached out to Bambu Lab for a statement on the melting A1 printers. A representative was quick to acknowledge the issue, but insisted that failure rates were extremely low (around .052%), directly connected to preventable power surges, and were fixed in Q3 of 2025 when the NTC was removed and the board redesigned. All customers who reported problems with the power board were provided with repairs or replacements.
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The company stressed that no fires have been reported and that all Bambu Lab printers comply with applicable safety standards and use flame-retardant materials. “While a damaged NTC may generate sufficient heat to deform or melt adjacent plastic, it does not lead to ignition or sustained combustion. As a result, the risk of fire is considered extremely low.”
Bambu Lab said safety issues are taken very seriously and that an engineering team “conducted a detailed analysis of the affected units. We observed that these cases often correlate with regions and time periods experiencing severe thunderstorms, though other sources of grid surge cannot be fully excluded.”
“After reviewing field data and considering that the inrush current of the printer is relatively modest, we determined that the benefits of the NTC-based inrush protection were limited compared to the potential downsides under rare surge conditions. As a result, we implemented a design change in Q3 2025 that removes the NTC from the circuit in newer production units.”
I opened up my original Bambu Lab A1, a machine with nearly a thousand print hours, and found no signs of damage or overheating.
The red arrow below points to the NTC on the A1's power board if you want to inspect your own printer. The Bambu Lab Wiki includes directions for replacing the AC board, which is a user-serviceable part.
Posner said that he has been in contact with Bambu Lab, and despite his conversation with the team at Formnext, he still believes the printer is a fire hazard and should be recalled. He suggests that anyone with an A1 should place a fireproof paving stone underneath the machine.
Bambu Lab told us that all 3D printers, like any valuable household electronic device, should be used with a surge protector to prevent damage from power spikes.
This would not be the first time the A1 came under scrutiny for safety-related issues. The 3D printer was subject to an official recall we reported on in January 2024. That recall was related to a cable design that could stress and arc when the machine was tilted backward.
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Denise Bertacchi is a Contributing Writer for Tom's Hardware US, covering 3D printing. Denise has been crafting with PCs since she discovered Print Shop had clip art on her Apple IIe. She loves reviewing 3D printers because she can mix all her passions: printing, photography, and writing.
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Clicks Technology, a company known for making physical keyboards for smartphones, is launching two new devices ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next week. In addition to a new, $79 slide-out keyboard for smart devices, the company is also unveiling its first smartphone: the Communicator, a smartphone with a physical keyboard, designed to be carried as your second device.
Yes, it looks a lot like a BlackBerry. (Quick, someone tell Kim Kardashian, famous BlackBerry hoarder.)
The $499 smartphone is described as being “purpose-built” for people who carry two phones — one for work and one for personal use. That is, the company believes its market will be people who do a lot of actual work on their devices — meaning messaging, emailing, working with documents, or other things where using a physical keyboard could be an advantage.
While it offers a screen for viewing and responding to messages, the Communicator doesn't provide access to addictive social media apps or games. Instead, the company partnered with the maker of an Android launcher, Niagara Launcher, to provide access to messaging apps and productivity tools like Gmail, Telegram, WhatsApp, and Slack.
The phone's standout feature is its Signal Light, a light-up button on the side of the device that can be customized with different colors and light patterns to indicate when you've received messages from certain people, groups, or apps. For instance, you could make messages from VIPs glow purple while chats from WhatsApp are green.
You can press on this button, known as the Prompt Key, to dictate messages when you're in a text field, or otherwise take a quick voice note, if not. The company is teasing the possibility of integrating AI applications with this button — like note takers, voice recordings, or AI agents — but nothing like that is yet available.
Like Clicks' other products, the Communicator features a tactile keyboard with ergonomic keys designed for faster typing. The keyboard is touch-sensitive too, allowing users to scroll through messages, lists, and webpages without needing to use the touchscreen.
The device also includes other old-school features, like a 3.5mm headphone jack, physical SIM card tray (in addition to an eSIM), expandable microSD storage (up to 2TB), and a tactile switch for turning on or off airplane mode. This switch can also be configured to work with the Signal light or keyboard touch input, the company says.
The back cover can be popped off so you can change the device's style by swapping to a different color. The phone itself comes in Smoke, Clover (dark green), and Onyx.
The device will be offered at $399 for early bird customers who place a $199 deposit before February 27. Customers who pay the full early bird price of $399 upfront will receive two additional back covers. The phone is expected to ship sometime later this year.
The phone's full tech specs include:
Clicks CEO Adrian Li noted in an announcement that the company has shipped more than 100,000 of its earlier keyboards to customers in over 100 countries.
“That response validated something we strongly believed: there's growing demand for purpose-built products that help people communicate with confidence and take action. Clicks Communicator is a natural evolution of that idea,” he stated.
The company's other new product is a slide-out keyboard that can be attached to smartphones, tablets, or even used with smart TVs, to save you from the tedious on-screen typing with your remote control.
The keyboard is powered by a built-in 2,150 mAh battery and attaches to phones via MagSafe or Qi2 magnetic connections. It can also be used with existing phone cases, the company claims. Multiple slider positions allow the keyboard to accommodate different phone sizes, and it can be attached when the phone is held in either portrait or landscape mode.
When used with tablets, TVs, or other smart devices, like AR/VR headsets, the keyboard is used independently from the device it's paired with.
Similar to other Clicks keyboards, the Power Keyboard offers tactile buttons, and its settings can be customized using the Clicks mobile app for iOS and Android
The Power Keyboard is priced at $79 for early-bird customers and will later retail for $109. Pre-orders start on Jan. 2; the device should ship in the spring, the company says.
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Gamers bought memory en masse to beat the memory crunch, while AMD is close to finally overtaking Intel in the gaming space.
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Valve has released the Steam Hardware Survey for December 2025, with the results showing AMD slowly creeping towards Intel's supremacy in the gaming space. Team Red broke the 40% threshold in the third quarter of 2025, and in just a matter of four months, it gained an additional 7% over Intel (55.47% in the last survey of 2025) with the biggest jump happening in December, where AMD jumped by 4.66% to 47.27%. This happened despite the current memory shortage, with pricing for memory modules like DDR5 reached record highs.
AMD dropped support for DDR4 RAM with the introduction of the AM5 platform, so Ryzen 7000 and 9000 chips can only work with DDR5 memory. On the other hand, Intel's Raptor Lake Refresh, which outperforms the newer Arrow Lake chips in gaming, support both DDR4 and DDR5. Nevertheless, it seems that gamers still prefer the older Zen 3 CPUs from AMD to deal with the memory shortage, with the Ryzen 5 5800X and 5800XT among the top selling processors on Amazon over the holiday period. Even AMD's legacy 5800X3D, which you can no longer find new, is booming in the used market, with some examples already selling for more than a brand-new 9800X3D.
This goes to show how Team Red has upended the gaming market, especially as many gamers are enamored by the massive 3D V-cache found in X3D chips. Some of them also remember the horrors of Intel's instability issue from 2024, which likely contributed to Team Blue's fall from its 77% Steam Hardware share from just five years ago.
Another surprise in the latest Steam survey is the amount of user-installed system memory continues to increase despite the on-going shortage. RAM prices have surged by more than 100% in recent months as AI's insatiable demand for memory is biting into the consumer space. This has led to Micron shuttering Crucial, its consumer and enthusiast brand, to focus on HBM and enterprise customers.
The number of user's with 32GB or more RAM jumps in the latest survey. The new "standard" 32GB gained a massive 2.11%, with 39.07% of Steam gamers surveyed rocking it. This nearly puts it on par with 16GB, which has 40.14% of all users. It's likely that this change was fuelled by the increasing trend in RAM pricing, which probably pushed gamers who were still holding back to finally bite the bullet and buy that RAM upgrade before prices got even worse.
It will be interesting to see how Steam gamers react to the memory crisis over the coming months. While the Steam Hardware Survey is by not a scientific one by any means, it's still a good indication of what direction the gaming market is taking, especially in these uncertain times.
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Lua scripting language was used to interface with the developer's Carimbo 2D Engine.
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Retro fun-loving developer Rodrigo Delduca has succeeded in prompting Claude to write “a functional NES emulator.” Claude generated a series of Lua scripts that worked in tandem with Delduca's Carimbo 2D game engine to create the emulator. You can give the code a spin for yourself and enjoy a bit of retro Donkey Kong action online, simply by visiting this link.
The NES is one of the most widely emulated game consoles ever. And, as one of the older cartridge-based platforms, it provides a good baseline for emulator development on new platforms, or for demonstrating new emulator creation technologies. We've seen AI generate playable games before, as in the recent competent Minesweeper clone test using four competing LLMs. However, emulators present a very different challenge for developers (and AI).
Some insight into the NES emulator is provided by Delduca's GitHub, where the source scripts are shared. Here you can dive into the Lua scripts that breathe life into the emulator. From the file names alone, you can see separate scripts targeting the NES CPU, PPU, Input, bus, and more. These all have to work in harmony with the game code.
Delduca's Carimbo 2D game engine powers the Lua scripts to create the working NES emulator. Lua is a “powerful, efficient, lightweight, embeddable scripting language,” that is free and open source (MIT license). Claude can generate scripts in this robust, fast, portable, and embeddable scripting language.
Carimbo is described by Delduca, its creator, as a simple yet complete 2D game engine written in modern C++23 using SDL. Importantly, it is scriptable in Lua, and can run natively on Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, and the web (via WebAssembly). Carimbo relies on libraries such as boost, Box2D, EnTT, stb, simdjson, sol2, PhysFS, SDL, and OpenAL.
In addition to this emulator, there are a handful of other Carimbo engine games and demos available for you to try.
In my testing, the AI coded NES emulator felt slow, but depending on your system and web browser, you may get different results. Some of the comments on the emulator highlighted its sluggish performance. One cruelly notes that the 'cost of slop' was a 40X drop in performance, without sound, compared to rival online embedded NES emulators. Indeed, I remember playing with NESticle in the late 1990s, enjoying fast and responsive NES emulator fun on an old Pentium 120.
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When you think of counting your steps or tracking your sleep, you're probably going to think of attaching a smartwatch or some other wearable to your wrist—but you can actually monitor a bunch of metrics using just your phone.
Your phone has the ability to automatically track the number of steps you're taking, for example. As long as you've always got it with you, it can tell you if you're reaching that daily step count or not, with no other devices required.
For tracking other stats, including diet and sleep, you do need a third-party app as well—but there are lots of apps to choose from, and you don't have to buy an extra fitness tracker to set your health and well-being goals.
Of course there are benefits to wearables: They can constantly monitor data such as heart rate, and they're easier to strap on for a morning jog. But it's still worth being aware of what your phone can do on its own—and weighing whether you need a smartwatch or fitness tracker before investing in one.
If you're an iPhone owner, open the Health app to see all the various bits of data it can log, from the number of minutes you've been moving per day to the amount of sugar in your diet. You can enter readings for all of these categories manually, so if you're prepared to put in the time, you can build up a comprehensive picture of your health.
The number of steps you take each day is something your iPhone can track using its built-in motion sensors. It's able to do this tracking automatically as long as you keep your phone on you, and there's nothing to enable here, as it works by default. To see the data being pulled in by your iPhone, which can also include walking speed and walking distance, tap your profile picture (top right), then Devices, then select your iPhone from the list.
To review any of the data on your iPhone, type the data type on the Summary screen (or choose Show All Health Data if you can't see it), then select Data Sources & Access. The next screen shows you the devices and the apps contributing to this particular series of stats. Select any item in the list to see the data that's been pulled in, and tap Edit if you need to delete some or all of it.
The situation on Android phones is a little more complicated. There is a built-in tracking tool called Health Connect but it's rather buried. You can find it from Settings by tapping Security and privacy > Privacy controls > Health Connect. However, it can't track anything on its own—it needs to interface with other apps.
Considering Google owns Fitbit, and the Fitbit app comes installed on many Android phones, it can be thought of as a native app at this point. It can interface with Health Connect, and count your steps without a separate tracker. From the Today tab in the Fitbit app, tap the devices icon (top left), then Add phone if it isn't already connected. You can manage Health Connect links from the same screen.
Once your phone is added, it will start logging steps and distance, and piping the data into your Fitbit app. You can also log lots of different stats inside the Fitbit app manually, by tapping the + (plus) button in the bottom right corner of the Today tab, then choosing from the list (tap Water, for example, to log how much you're drinking).
With Samsung Galaxy phones, you can use the Fitbit app, or you can use the Samsung Health app, which comes preinstalled. As far as automatic tracking goes, this is mainly for steps, but other data can be added manually too (and the app can send data to Health Connect). Tap on the steps widget from the Home tab to see the data being collected and to manage the devices doing the collecting.
The Health app in iOS and the Health Connect tool in Android are built to accept submissions from third-party apps in a whole host of categories. So while your phone can't track these metrics on its own, all you need is another app to do the job—and you still get all your health and fitness data in one place on your handset.
Take sleep, for example. Sleep as Android (for Android, natch) can track your sleep if you place your phone on your mattress at night, based on the movements and noises you're making. You get detailed read-outs of sleep stages and timings, and it's another app that can pipe data into Health Connect.
For something similar on iOS, there's Sleep Cycle (which is actually on Android as well). The idea is the same: You put it on your mattress near to you while you sleep, and the mic and accelerometer in your iPhone rate your sleep quality—no wearables needed—with everything optionally fed back into the Health app.
For more advanced tracking for walking, running, and cycling, the well-known Strava app (for iOS and Android) doesn't need a wearable to work. It can grab all the data it needs from your smartphone, if required. It'll work with your phone by default, and you can just tap Record from the main screen to start an exercise activity.
To manage the devices and other apps connected to Strava, head to the You tab, then tap the gear icon (top right) and Manage apps and devices. Strava will sync with the Health app on iOS, so you can view all your Strava data through that way too, though at the time of writing Strava hasn't added support for Health Connect on Android.
Even something like heart rate can be monitored, through apps such as Cardiio (iOS) and Heart Rate Monitor (Android). These apps work by taking readings through your skin using the camera on your phone. Obviously it's not as comprehensive as a tracker doing real time monitoring, but it does mean there's no need for an extra device.
If there's a metric that you're particularly interested in monitoring, there's a good chance you'll be able to find an app for it, and most of them will work with the built-in tools on your iPhone and Android phone. You also have the option of using a wearable in tandem with your phone and its apps, if you only want to wear one some of the time.
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The spread of influenza became more severe this fall, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has designated the 2024-25 flu season as the most severe season since 2017-18. In the UK, the spread has begun earlier than at any time since 2003-04.
Against this backdrop, some media outlets have begun using the term “super flu.” However, this term is not an official medical term. The actual name is “subclade K,” a new variant of influenza A H3N2.
This variant has multiple mutations in a protein on the surface of the virus called hemagglutinin, making it antigenically different from the variants used in existing vaccines. This allows it to partially evade immunity acquired through previous infection or vaccines, making people more susceptible to infection. Genetic analysis by the UK Health Security Agency has revealed that 87 percent of H3N2 viruses detected since late August 2025 are subclade K.
The term “super flu” is not necessarily scientifically accurate. The H3N2 strain already caused severe illness in the elderly and children, and the new mutant strain has not made it more deadly. Contrary to the name, the virus's inherent danger is said to be no different from the conventional H3N2 strain.
In 2025, the US influenza pandemic peaked in early February, with active epidemics occurring in 87.3 percent of the country. For 11 consecutive weeks, more than 50 percent of the country recorded high epidemic levels, an anomaly that led to 287 child deaths. However, these figures reflect the scale of the epidemic and do not imply an increase in the lethality of the virus itself.
The influenza epidemic is hitting earlier this year in many parts of the world. While the usual peak in Japan occurs between late December and February, in 2025 the epidemic began in earnest at the end of September. According to the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare, of the 23 H3 virus strains collected in Japan between September and November 5 that could be analyzed, 22 were subclade K.
The reason for the early outbreak is thought to be the decline in immunity of the population due to the countermeasures against new coronavirus infection (Covid-19), as well as a decline in physical strength due to the record-breaking heat wave. During the three years of the coronavirus pandemic, the influenza epidemic was largely suppressed. As a result, it is possible that population immunity to the virus was reduced. In fact, with the 2024 influenza pandemic in Australia at its highest level since 19 years, it would not be surprising to see a similar trend in the Northern Hemisphere.
There has also been much interest in vaccine efficacy in the face of this virulent strain. The vaccine for the 2025-26 season is based on the conventional J.2 lineage (subclade), which has different antigenicity from subclade K. However, early data from the UK has confirmed that 70-75 percent of vaccinated children and 30-40 percent of adults did not end up visiting the emergency room or being hospitalized after infection. This means that even if the antigenicity is not completely identical, the vaccine remains effective in preventing severe illness.
The basic prevention measures are the same as for conventional influenza. Vaccination is recommended from October to November before the epidemic, and the effect appears about two weeks after vaccination. It is particularly recommended for people aged 65 and over, people with underlying medical conditions, pregnant women, children aged 6 months to 5 years, and medical workers. In daily life, it is effective to thoroughly wash and disinfect your hands, and wear a mask when in crowds. Ventilation in rooms and maintaining appropriate humidity levels are also important in suppressing viral activity.
If symptoms appear, it is best to wait at least 12 hours after the onset of fever before visiting a medical institution. Anti-influenza medication is most effective when taken within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms, and Xofluza and Tamiflu are considered effective. People should refrain from going out for five days after the onset of symptoms and two days (three days for children) after the fever has subsided, and should make sure to get plenty of rest and stay hydrated.
Contrary to the impression given by the word "super," this current epidemic is an extension of the traditional influenza. For this reason, it is essential to respond calmly based on scientific understanding rather than fear.
In fact, the risk of developing severe symptoms can be significantly reduced by combining vaccination with basic infection control measures. Because this is a rare situation in which there are consecutive high-severity seasons, making responsible choices based on accurate information will help protect the health of society as a whole.
This story originally appeared in WIRED Japan and has been translated from Japanese.
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The tip stealing thing felt very similar to one thing I noticed last night during NYE was certain friends who used uber more had to pay higher for the same rides as me who never uses the app. There's so much data singling both drivers and consumers out to maximize returns, it's crazy
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That's why you always pit the techbros against each other and have at least 2 competing apps that you distribute your rides across.
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It was removed from all but one, so no mods of any community were able to verify identity (stuck in automod queue for some).
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This is what made it feel fake to me. Even the most naive startups don't discuss these kinds of details with the dev team (or sometimes even the senior management) because it's not relevant to getting the work done. This alleged business is likely much larger and naturally siloed. Intent is not a success criteria, and things are always subject to change so why bake it into the code? Sounds like a terrible idea.What would make way more sense is asking the dev team to expose configuration and stats. Dashboards are not suspicious because they are genuinely useful to the entire business, not just some evil inner group trying to squeeze a few percent.
What would make way more sense is asking the dev team to expose configuration and stats. Dashboards are not suspicious because they are genuinely useful to the entire business, not just some evil inner group trying to squeeze a few percent.
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I do congratulate this author, though. If posted it to a different site, I would believe it.
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It necessarily has to be need-to-know and decisions have to be based on dry explanations where the intent isn't clear at all unless you're sitting in on many meetings across many teams. This is just how things scale. I question where some people have worked that are commenting.
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In fact, one of the better ways for an engineer to be labeled as "not independent enough for advancement" is a lack of curiosity about what you're building, because the lack of curiosity limits the engineer to a very narrow scope of work.If you're the builder working on an evil mastermind's evil lair, you may not be told, specifically, that you're building a piranha pit. But they will have to disclose that it they need a pit, which is also a freshwater aquarium with a means of keeping large carnivorous fish alive. Also that there has to be a hidden trap door big enough for a human to fall through when a button is pushed.And even if it is given a codename like "the justice room" or something, during the months of design and building no doubt some people will slip up and call it "the piranha pit" in your presence.
If you're the builder working on an evil mastermind's evil lair, you may not be told, specifically, that you're building a piranha pit. But they will have to disclose that it they need a pit, which is also a freshwater aquarium with a means of keeping large carnivorous fish alive. Also that there has to be a hidden trap door big enough for a human to fall through when a button is pushed.And even if it is given a codename like "the justice room" or something, during the months of design and building no doubt some people will slip up and call it "the piranha pit" in your presence.
And even if it is given a codename like "the justice room" or something, during the months of design and building no doubt some people will slip up and call it "the piranha pit" in your presence.
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I don't think we're talking about the same topic at all. It sounds like OP is so curious that they made the whole thing up, and I think you might be out of touch with businesses that have plenty of tech workers, but aren't a tech company (most businesses around the world).
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Nothing in that article reads implausible to me, both that they were building things like "desperation score" (probably not called that, probably called something like "commitment" or something) and that any reasonably intelligent and curious engineer would have understood what he was building.
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If I was going to do some kind of exposé of my employers I'd at least include some semi-obfuscated screenshots to add some credibility to any claims I might make. Sure, things like that can be faked but it at least would require more effort to do all that (and make them appear credible) vs just a bunch of raw claims.(I also don't think it's a great idea to judge claims based on how believable you personally find them. That often just leads to confirmation bias as you're just reinforcing your own biases).
(I also don't think it's a great idea to judge claims based on how believable you personally find them. That often just leads to confirmation bias as you're just reinforcing your own biases).
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The first paragraph already triggers all the red flags that the story is made up.
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"Burner laptop", really? Then "I put in my two weeks yesterday". Why put in the effort for a burner laptop and then dox yourself in the next sentence?Nah, I wouldn't be surprised if the companies pocket the tips, but this story smells.
Nah, I wouldn't be surprised if the companies pocket the tips, but this story smells.
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It isn't at least for Wolt, which sells it as "delivery direct to you from the restaurant", rather than the delivery driver also doing other deliveries in parallel. This is quite easy to confirm given the realtime tracking of driver (and your food not being cold because they stopped at another restaurant on the way and had to wait 20 minutes).
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I live in an urbanish area, and if i don't set Priority Delivery then there's probably a 2 in 3 chance I'm stuck in a queue with "waiting on other delivery to complete".About the only way to get my food while it's still warm enough to eat (because few of these drivers use heat bags) is to set priority delivery. And when I do, I can track it straight from store to my place. No 'waiting on other delivery' messages, not even blips of disconnectedness while the driver fulfills orders from other apps. Just straight to me.This fee, I find, works better than tipping. Which is sad because in my imagination, I suspect the platform is keeping the fee rather than the driver. Incentives are completely messed up for gig deliveries.
About the only way to get my food while it's still warm enough to eat (because few of these drivers use heat bags) is to set priority delivery. And when I do, I can track it straight from store to my place. No 'waiting on other delivery' messages, not even blips of disconnectedness while the driver fulfills orders from other apps. Just straight to me.This fee, I find, works better than tipping. Which is sad because in my imagination, I suspect the platform is keeping the fee rather than the driver. Incentives are completely messed up for gig deliveries.
This fee, I find, works better than tipping. Which is sad because in my imagination, I suspect the platform is keeping the fee rather than the driver. Incentives are completely messed up for gig deliveries.
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I got a glimpse of this "delivery economy" myself last week, soSelf pick-up was:>2x faster (20min vs ~40min estimate, probably more in the end), could be better if I actually knew the area and picked a better parking spot>1/3 cheaper (total dropped from 30$ to 20$. I'm not from the US, and make roughly 6$/hr, so the sum is more significant than it seems)>food was probably generally more fresh, but I don't eat sushi much, so can't tell the difference>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
Self pick-up was:>2x faster (20min vs ~40min estimate, probably more in the end), could be better if I actually knew the area and picked a better parking spot>1/3 cheaper (total dropped from 30$ to 20$. I'm not from the US, and make roughly 6$/hr, so the sum is more significant than it seems)>food was probably generally more fresh, but I don't eat sushi much, so can't tell the difference>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
>2x faster (20min vs ~40min estimate, probably more in the end), could be better if I actually knew the area and picked a better parking spot>1/3 cheaper (total dropped from 30$ to 20$. I'm not from the US, and make roughly 6$/hr, so the sum is more significant than it seems)>food was probably generally more fresh, but I don't eat sushi much, so can't tell the difference>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
>1/3 cheaper (total dropped from 30$ to 20$. I'm not from the US, and make roughly 6$/hr, so the sum is more significant than it seems)>food was probably generally more fresh, but I don't eat sushi much, so can't tell the difference>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
>food was probably generally more fresh, but I don't eat sushi much, so can't tell the difference>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
>also, food was probably less banged up, because I'm not on the clock and don't drive like a madmansome counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
some counterpoints:> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
> we were already driving home from somewhere, the place was the opposite way though> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
> we live in a dense city, but not too dense, so owning a car and driving it around is possible even on a not so large income, but everything is pretty closeGenerally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
Generally, my family never stopped doing things "the old way", we barely use any delivery services, taxi, and everything the gig economy is involved in. Likely saves us good amount of money in subtle ways. Also, specifically not giving money to those platfoms is a minor benifit in my book.I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
I get there are people who are disabled, busy (parents with small children, ...), and so on, but it seems to me that for most people the barrier is psychological, and is about task/mode switching more than actual time and effort.
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The only one I disagree with is the "2x faster". Yes, the time from when you start thinking about food to eating food might be halved, but food delivery is basically zero time. I dont need to do the getting the food portion. So, 0 minutes vs 20 minutes.
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If you didn't care, you'd post the names
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Always tip in cash and never through the appDon't use priority delivery
Don't use priority delivery
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Also, why did the URL not change to old.reddit?
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No I will not tip in app, that is obviously a scam.
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No sensible food delivery company would do such a thing - it's a scandal waiting to happen - so the maximum number of companies that would ever do such a thing is either zero or one. Therefore claiming they're called “human assets” in the database would instantly uniquely identify the company and the company could then correlate with recent resignations and sue the crap out of this individual for violation of the NDA that they are making very clear they're aware of and are knowingly violating.Any sensible engineer would know all of this and would not divulge such a conspicuously specific tidbit. No matter how drunk they are.Therefore, nothing else this person says is credible. Therefore I call bullshit on the whole thing.
Any sensible engineer would know all of this and would not divulge such a conspicuously specific tidbit. No matter how drunk they are.Therefore, nothing else this person says is credible. Therefore I call bullshit on the whole thing.
Therefore, nothing else this person says is credible. Therefore I call bullshit on the whole thing.
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Consider the nomenclature. Even during the Kalanick era, when “move fast and break things” was operational doctrine, you would not have seen internal naming this careless. I was there. We called drivers “supply” and riders “demand.” Clinical, yes, but accurate and apolitical. The language reflected the business model without editorializing about the humans within it.What's worth examining is not whether Uber engaged in questionable practices. Of course they did, and of course they still do. The real question is why the practices look different now.Growth stage vs. profitability stage.Uber in 2013-2016 was optimizing for growth. Uber in 2025 is optimizing for profitability. These are fundamentally different objective functions, and they produce fundamentally different behaviors. The perverse incentives remain constant; the tactics they generate do not.Here's the key distinction: growth-stage illegality and profitability-stage illegality carry asymmetric risk profiles. When Uber was in growth mode, the company had optionality. Infinite capital and public goodwill meant the growth team could deploy aggressive guerrilla tactics to enter new markets, absorb the legal consequences, and move on. The expected value calculation favored action.Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
What's worth examining is not whether Uber engaged in questionable practices. Of course they did, and of course they still do. The real question is why the practices look different now.Growth stage vs. profitability stage.Uber in 2013-2016 was optimizing for growth. Uber in 2025 is optimizing for profitability. These are fundamentally different objective functions, and they produce fundamentally different behaviors. The perverse incentives remain constant; the tactics they generate do not.Here's the key distinction: growth-stage illegality and profitability-stage illegality carry asymmetric risk profiles. When Uber was in growth mode, the company had optionality. Infinite capital and public goodwill meant the growth team could deploy aggressive guerrilla tactics to enter new markets, absorb the legal consequences, and move on. The expected value calculation favored action.Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Growth stage vs. profitability stage.Uber in 2013-2016 was optimizing for growth. Uber in 2025 is optimizing for profitability. These are fundamentally different objective functions, and they produce fundamentally different behaviors. The perverse incentives remain constant; the tactics they generate do not.Here's the key distinction: growth-stage illegality and profitability-stage illegality carry asymmetric risk profiles. When Uber was in growth mode, the company had optionality. Infinite capital and public goodwill meant the growth team could deploy aggressive guerrilla tactics to enter new markets, absorb the legal consequences, and move on. The expected value calculation favored action.Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Uber in 2013-2016 was optimizing for growth. Uber in 2025 is optimizing for profitability. These are fundamentally different objective functions, and they produce fundamentally different behaviors. The perverse incentives remain constant; the tactics they generate do not.Here's the key distinction: growth-stage illegality and profitability-stage illegality carry asymmetric risk profiles. When Uber was in growth mode, the company had optionality. Infinite capital and public goodwill meant the growth team could deploy aggressive guerrilla tactics to enter new markets, absorb the legal consequences, and move on. The expected value calculation favored action.Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Here's the key distinction: growth-stage illegality and profitability-stage illegality carry asymmetric risk profiles. When Uber was in growth mode, the company had optionality. Infinite capital and public goodwill meant the growth team could deploy aggressive guerrilla tactics to enter new markets, absorb the legal consequences, and move on. The expected value calculation favored action.Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Profitability-stage Uber has no such luxury. The levers available to a mature company fighting for margin are few, and they all point in the same direction: the humans. Drivers. The “assets.” When you squeeze there, you're not circumventing a government. You're directly degrading the livelihoods of your own platform participants. The reputational and regulatory exposure is immediate and personal.This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
This brings me to Spain.When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
When Spain blocked Uber from operating, we did not wait for lawyers to navigate the legal system. We shipped a technical solution. I watched this happen in real time.Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Here's what we actually built:The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
The goal was simple: keep the Uber app functional for Spanish drivers and riders despite the government blocking our server IPs at the network level. We needed a system that could rapidly distribute new, unblocked IP addresses to every app in the country without requiring an app store update.The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
The solution was a Lua interpreter embedded in the Uber app paired with a gossip protocol for peer-to-peer distribution. The Lua compiler allowed us to push executable code to the app dynamically. No app store approval needed. It was essentially a remote code execution backdoor into our own app, which was both brilliant and terrifying in hindsight. When a user opened the app, it would fetch and execute Lua scripts that contained the latest routing logic and server whitelist.The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
The workflow once it was live: when Spain blocked a batch of our IPs, our infrastructure team would publish a new IP whitelist. That list would seed into the gossip network, where each active Uber app became a node, sharing the updated configuration with other nearby apps. The propagation was exponential. Within hours, millions of devices had the new routing information. The Lua script would compile the updated whitelist and redirect all trip service requests to the unblocked servers.The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
The tech stack was essentially a censorship-circumvention system: Lua for remote code execution, gossip protocol for decentralized distribution, and a dynamically compiled IP whitelist that the app used to route around the blockade. Same playbook Tor uses for bridge distribution or how Telegram distributes proxy servers to users in Iran and Russia.The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
The Spanish government quickly realized they had exhausted their options. We forced the outcome, Uber was unbanned, and operations resumed legally.Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
Here's the part that matters: it was illegal, but the illegality accrued to Uber's benefit without harming users. Drivers kept driving. Riders kept riding. The Spanish government got cast as the obstruction, and Uber was welcomed back as the protagonist.That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
That's the difference between growth-stage rule-breaking and profitability-stage rule-breaking. One makes you the hero. The other makes you a landlord squeezing tenants.
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Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) used to be a rare pregnancy condition, but it now affects roughly 14,000 pregnancies annually, posing a major cause of maternal death. Yet why it happens is still not well understood. Placenta accreta occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, and doesn't detach after birth, often resulting in life-threatening bleeding and a need for a hysterectomy.
The strongest and most common risk factor is a previous cesarean delivery, as scarring from prior cesarean births can change how the placenta attaches in future pregnancies. New research led by UCLA Health suggests that how this scar tissue heals could be the key to better understand how PAS develops, who is at risk and why the placenta attaches abnormally.
"Our findings show that the main problem in placenta accreta isn't the placenta growing abnormally - it's how uterine scarring changes the structure and organization of collagen in the uterus to increase delivery risks," said Yalda Afshar, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the division of maternal fetal medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, co-director of the UCLA Health Accreta Care Program and corresponding author of the study.
The study, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, used surgical specimens, a mouse model, and a lab-grown "accreta-in-a-dish" system to explore how collagen structure, when it becomes tangled or irregular, instead of neatly aligned, contributes to abnormal placental attachment. Through advanced 3D imaging, researchers found that tangled or irregular collagen at old uterine scars breaks down the normal boundary between the uterus and placenta, creating a permissive environment for abnormal placental attachment, and creating a high-risk delivery.
Researchers collected samples from 13 patients with PAS and 10 with accreta risk factors but without PAS, taking tissue from where the placenta stuck and where it did not. Their findings showed that persistent inflammation and immune cells called macrographes interfere with normal scar remodeling, leading to abnormal collagen architecture that promotes abnormal placenta attachment.
Not all scars heal the same way. This work helps explain why some patients with prior cesarean develop placenta accreta while other do not and points to new ways we might identify risk earlier, before pregnancy or early in gestation."
Yalda Afshar, MD, associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, division of maternal fetal medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Kashani Ligumsky, L., et al. (2026). Placenta accreta spectrum: disrupted collagen architecture at a previous scar is a defining characteristic of placental adherence. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. doi: 10.1016/j.ajog.2025.08.094. https://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(25)00664-7/fulltext
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A new University of Toronto-led study has discovered a possible biomarker linked to multiple sclerosis (MS) disease progression that could help identify patients most likely to benefit from new drugs.
The findings were published today in Nature Immunology and validated in both mouse models and humans.
We think we have uncovered a potential biomarker that signals a patient is experiencing so-called 'compartmentalized inflammation' in the central nervous system, a phenomenon which is strongly liked to MS progression. It's been really hard to know who is progressing and who isn't."
Jen Gommerman, professor and chair of immunology, U of T's Temerty Faculty of Medicine
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world with over 4,300 Canadians diagnosed with the condition each year, according to MS Canada.
Roughly 10 per cent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with progressive MS, which leads to a gradual worsening of symptoms and increasing disability over time. Patients initially diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS, the more common form of the condition, can also go on to develop progressive MS.
"We have immunomodulatory drugs that can modulate the relapsing and remitting phase of the disease," says Valeria Ramaglia, a scientist at the University Health Network's Krembil Brain Institute and an assistant professor of immunology at Temerty Medicine.
"But for progressive MS, the landscape is completely different. We have no effective therapies."
Ramaglia, who co-led the study with Gommerman, notes that until their study, the research field did not have a good model that replicates the pathology of progressive MS.
To understand the mechanisms driving progressive MS, the researchers developed a new mouse model that mimics the damage in the brain's grey matter seen in people with progressive MS. A hallmark of this so-called grey matter injury is compartmentalized inflammation in the leptomeninges, a thin plastic wrap-like membrane that encases the brain and spinal cord.
Using their mouse model, they also observed a roughly 800-fold increase in an immune signal called CXCL13 and significantly lower levels of another immune protein called BAFF.
By treating these mice with BTK inhibitor drugs - which are currently being tested in clinical trials to target progressive MS - the researchers mapped out a circuit in the brain that led to grey matter injury and inflammation. They also found that BTK inhibitors restored CXCL13 and BAFF levels to those seen in healthy mice.
These results led the researchers to hypothesize that the ratio of CXCL13 to BAFF could be a surrogate marker for leptomeningeal inflammation.
To test the validity of their findings in humans, the researchers measured the CXCL13-to-BAFF ratio in postmortem brain tissues from people who had MS and in the cerebrospinal fluid of a living cohort of people with MS. In both cases, a high CXCL13-to-BAFF ratio was associated with greater compartmentalized inflammation in the brain.
Thus far, BTK inhibitors have seen mixed results in clinical trials with people with MS. Ramaglia says that without an easy way to detect leptomeningeal inflammation, the trials likely enrolled participants who did not have this feature and were unlikely to benefit from the drug. Any positive results from people with compartmentalized inflammation would then be diluted.
"If we can use the ratio as a proxy to tell which patients should be treated with a drug that targets leptomeningeal inflammation, that can revolutionize the way we do clinical trials and how we treat patients," says Ramaglia.
As she builds her own research program at the Krembil Brain Institute, Ramaglia is continuing to collaborate with Gommerman to explore how the CXCL13-to-BAFF ratio can be used to advance precision medicine for people with MS. They are working with the pharmaceutical companies behind the BTK inhibitor trials to look at whether the participants who responded the most to the drugs also had high ratios of CXCL13 to BAFF.
Ramaglia is also planning to look at CXCL13 and BAFF levels in people with early MS to see if it can predict who is likely to develop progressive MS later.
She credits her time as a research associate in Gommerman's lab as playing a key role in helping her become an independent investigator.
"Jen's lab was a huge stepping stone for me. She gave me the space and independence to build my own research."
This research was supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, MS Canada, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and the United States Department of Defense.
University of Toronto
Naouar, I., et al. (2026). Lymphotoxin-dependent elevated meningeal CXCL13:BAFF ratios drive gray matter injury. Nature Immunology. doi: 10.1038/s41590-025-02359-5. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41590-025-02359-5
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As cesarean delivery (C-section) rates continue to rise worldwide, experts at NYU Langone Health are highlighting a surgical technique that may help lower the risk of long-term complications. The endometrium-free closure technique (EFCT), described in a new article published online in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, focuses on how the uterus is closed after a cesarean delivery to support better healing.
After a cesarean delivery, some patients develop small pockets or dents in the scar where the uterus was opened. These scar defects can cause symptoms like irregular bleeding, pelvic pain, or infertility. In some cases, they can also increase the risk of complications in future pregnancies, including placenta accreta spectrum.
Even small refinements in surgical technique can have meaningful impacts on reproductive health. By avoiding the inner lining of the uterus during the repair, we can reduce scar defect formation and lower the risk of problems in future pregnancies."
Clarel Antoine, MD, clinical professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine
In many common closure approaches, the inner lining of the uterus is included in the stitches used to close the incision, which research suggests may interfere with healing. With EFCT, surgeons carefully identify this lining and avoid stitching through it.
Previous studies have shown fewer and smaller scar defects when this lining is not included in the closure, as well as thicker, healthier tissue where the uterus was repaired. Although previous research has compared different closure styles, this paper points out that precision and correct alignment of the uterine layers appear to matter most.
As C-section rates continue to increase worldwide, evidence-based refinements in technique are critical. This approach has potential to improve long-term reproductive outcomes and future studies should be conducted to assess its impact."
Dana R. Gossett, MD, the Stanley H. Kaplan Professor and Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Dr. Antoine and study co-authors note that further randomized trials are needed, particularly in complex or emergency cases where the uterus may be harder to visualize. They emphasize the importance of training surgeons to recognize the different layers of the uterus so they can be repaired correctly.
NYU Langone
Antoine, C., et al. (2026). Endometrium-free closure technique for hysterotomy incision at cesarean delivery. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2025.07.009. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002937825004697?via%3Dihub
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Cleveland Clinic researchers have discovered that bacteria inside cancerous tumors may be key to understanding why immunotherapy works for some patients but not others.
Two new studies, published simultaneously in Nature Cancer, reveal that elevated levels of bacteria in the tumor microenvironment suppress immune response, driving resistance to immunotherapy in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
These studies shift the focus of immunotherapy resistance research beyond tumor genetics to unexpected factors like the tumor microbiome. By identifying bacteria as a key barrier to treatment, we're opening the door to new strategies for patient selection and targeted antibiotic therapies, potentially improving outcomes for those who don't benefit from immunotherapy."
Timothy Chan, M.D., Ph.D., chair of Cleveland Clinic's Department of Cancer Sciences and lead author of one of the papers
The research team, led by Dr. Chan, Daniel McGrail, Ph.D., assistant staff in the Center for Immunotherapy & Precision Immuno-Oncology, and Natalie Silver, M.D. M.S., director of Head and Neck Cancer Research, validated the findings through patient samples, preclinical models and clinical trial data.
In the first paper, Dr. McGrail analyzed genetic data from patient tumor samples, revealing that higher bacterial levels – not specific strains – weaken immune response. Dr. Silver confirmed these findings in preclinical models: antibiotics reduced tumor size and improved immune response, while adding bacteria made tumors resistant to immunotherapy. The team also worked with Renata Ferrarotto, M.D., from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to study the relationship between bacteria and treatment responses in head and neck cancer patient clinical trial samples.
"Immunotherapy is a promising treatment option for patients with head and neck cancer, but the majority unfortunately do not respond," Dr. Silver said. "Our research examines how bacteria influence treatment failure. This can help us identify patients most likely to benefit from immunotherapy, with the goal of avoiding unnecessary risk and exposure. Ultimately, we aim to develop targeted interventions that restore the effectiveness of immunotherapy in for patients who do not initially respond."
In the second paper, Dr. Chan led a data analysis of the Javelin HN100 Phase III clinical trial, which tested whether adding anti-PDL1 immunotherapy to standard chemoradiotherapy improved outcomes for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The analysis confirmed that patients with high tumor bacteria levels had poorer outcomes with immunotherapy compared to standard chemoradiotherapy. The trial included collaborators from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Together, the two studies showed that elevated bacteria levels in tumors attract neutrophils, white blood cells that fight infection. While neutrophils are essential for combating bacterial infections, in cancer they can suppress the immune system needed for immunotherapy to work effectively. These findings lay the foundation for future research on why bacteria are attracted to tumors and how to modify them to improve treatment.
Building on these discoveries, Dr. Silver launched a clinical trial funded by the American Cancer Society and VeloSano, a Cleveland Clinic fund-raising movement to beat cancer, to test whether antibiotics can lower tumor microbiome levels and boost immunotherapy response in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Meanwhile, Dr. McGrail is studying how bacteria influence cancer development and why some tumors harbor more bacteria, aiming to develop new therapeutic strategies, and Dr. Chan is exploring how bacteria may induce DNA mutations in tumors.
"By uncovering the tumor microbiome's role in immunotherapy resistance, these studies mark a significant step forward in understanding the complex interactions between cancer and the immune system," said Dr. McGrail. "This research broadens our perspective on cancer treatment and paves the way for developing personalized therapies to improve outcomes for patients."
Cleveland Clinic
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Within tumors in the human body, there are immune cells (macrophages) capable of fighting cancer, but they have been unable to perform their roles properly due to suppression by the tumor. KAIST researchers have overcome this limitation by developing a new therapeutic approach that directly converts immune cells inside tumors into anticancer cell therapies.
KAIST (President Kwang Hyung Lee) announced on the 30th that a research team led by Professor Ji-Ho Park of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering has developed a therapy in which, when a drug is injected directly into a tumor, macrophages already present in the body absorb it, produce CAR (a cancer-recognizing device) proteins on their own, and are converted into anticancer immune cells known as "CAR-macrophages."
Solid tumors—such as gastric, lung, and liver cancers—grow as dense masses, making it difficult for immune cells to infiltrate tumors or maintain their function. As a result, the effectiveness of existing immune cell therapies has been limited.
CAR-macrophages, which have recently attracted attention as a next-generation immunotherapy, have the advantage of directly engulfing cancer cells while simultaneously activating surrounding immune cells to amplify anticancer responses.
However, conventional CAR-macrophage therapies require immune cells to be extracted from a patient's blood, followed by cell culture and genetic modification. This process is time-consuming, costly, and has limited feasibility for real-world patient applications.
To address this challenge, the research team focused on "tumor-associated macrophages" that are already accumulated around tumors.
They developed a strategy to directly reprogram immune cells in the body by loading lipid nanoparticles—designed to be readily absorbed by macrophages—with both mRNA encoding cancer-recognition information and an immunostimulant that activates immune responses.
In other words, in this study, CAR-macrophages were created by "directly converting the body's own macrophages into anticancer cell therapies inside the body."
When this therapeutic agent was injected into tumors, macrophages rapidly absorbed it and began producing proteins that recognize cancer cells, while immune signaling was simultaneously activated. As a result, the generated "enhanced CAR-macrophages" showed markedly improved cancer cell-killing ability and activated surrounding immune cells, producing a powerful anticancer effect.
In animal models of melanoma (the most dangerous form of skin cancer), tumor growth was significantly suppressed, and the therapeutic effect was shown to have the potential to extend beyond the local tumor site to induce systemic immune responses.
This study presents a new concept of immune cell therapy that generates anticancer immune cells directly inside the patient's body," adding that "it is particularly meaningful in that it simultaneously overcomes the key limitations of existing CAR-macrophage therapies—delivery efficiency and the immunosuppressive tumor environment."
Professor Ji-Ho Park
This research was led by Jun-Hee Han, Ph.D., of the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering at KAIST as the first author, and the results were published on November 18 in ACS Nano, an international journal in the field of nanotechnology.
This research was supported by the Mid-Career Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea.
KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology)
Han, J.-H., et al. (2025). In Situ Chimeric Antigen Receptor Macrophage Therapy via Co-Delivery of mRNA and Immunostimulant. ACS Nano. doi: 10.1021/acsnano.5c09138. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsnano.5c09138
Posted in: Cell Biology | Device / Technology News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
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GLP-1 agonists are pivotal in obesity care, promoting weight loss and addressing related health issues, with a focus on personalized, holistic treatment.
Guillaume Bentzinger, Luis Carrillo, Philippe Robin, and Alejandro Bara-Estaún
Discover how AI, flow chemistry, and NMR come together in the PiPAC project to revolutionize scalable and autonomous API production.
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A newly identified and rare genetic variant slows the growth of mutated blood stem cells, researchers report, and it reduces the risk of leukemia. The findings offer insight into why some people are naturally more resistant to clonal expansion and age-related blood cancers despite acquiring risky mutations. As tissues age, they quietly accumulate many mutations that can drive cancer. In the blood-forming, or hematopoietic, system, such mutations often appear in otherwise healthy individuals as clonal hematopoiesis (CH), a process in which certain blood stem cell (HSC) clones gain a growth advantage over non-mutated clones, allowing them to expand steadily over time. This condition, also known as CHIP (clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential), is associated with an increased risk of blood cancers as well as other chronic illnesses, including heart disease. However, not all those with CHIP develop disease, and some mutant stem cell clones remain stable or even diminish over time, suggesting that inherited and/or environmental factors can restrain or slow CH.
To investigate this, Gaurav Agarwal and colleagues performed a GWAS meta-analysis on data from more than 640,000 individuals to search for inherited DNA variants that protect against CH. Agarwal et al. identified a noncoding regulatory variant, rs17834140-T, that substantially lowers the risk of CHIP and reduces the likelihood of developing blood cancers. According to the findings, this protective effect traces to a single DNA change that weakens the activity of the musashi RNA binding protein 2 (MSI2) gene – a key factor in stem cell maintenance. Using gene-edited human HSCs, Agarwal et al. discovered that rs17834140-T disrupts a binding site for the endothelial transcription factor GATA-2. This interference reduces MSI2 expression in HSCs, which further suppresses an entire network of genes that mutant stem cells rely on for competitive growth. Notably, the authors also found that this same gene network is unusually active in HSCs carrying high-risk cancer mutations and in children with acute myeloid leukemia, where it was associated with reduced survival. "The ability to predict disease risk at the individual level is a long-standing goal of modern medicine," write Francisco Caiado and Markus Manz in a related Perspective. "The study of Agarwal et al. supports MSI2 targeting as a potential pan-cancer therapeutic approach, and small-molecule approaches are in preclinical development."
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Agarwal, G., et al. (2026). Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation. Science. doi: 10.1126/science.adx4174. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx4174
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Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and AlveoliX have developed the first human 'lung-on-chip' model using stem cells taken from only one person.
These chips simulate breathing motions and lung disease in an individual, holding promise for testing treatments for infections like tuberculosis (TB) and delivering personalized medicine.
Air sacs in the lungs called alveoli are the essential site of gas exchange and also an important barrier against inhaled viruses and bacteria that cause respiratory diseases like flu or TB.
Researchers have been working to recreate the battle between human cells and bacteria in the lab by building a 'lung-on-a-chip': small units of human lung on a plastic chip containing tiny channels and compartments. In this case, they aimed to recreate air sacs to understand how they respond to infection.
Until now, these 'lung-on-chip' devices have been made of a mixture of patient-derived and commercially available cells, meaning they can't fully replicate the lung function or disease progression of a single individual.
In a study published today in Science Advances, the team at the Crick developed a new lung-on-chip model that contains only genetically identical cells derived from stem cells from a single donor.
Based on a protocol developed previously by the lab, the team produced type I and II alveolar epithelial cells and vascular endothelial cells from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, cells that can virtually become any cell in the body. These epithelial and endothelial cells are separately grown on the top and bottom of a very thin membrane in a device manufactured by biotechnology company AlveoliX to recreate an air sac barrier.
To further simulate the human lung, AlveoliX has designed specialised machines to impose rhythmic three-dimensional stretching forces on the recreated air sac barrier, mimicking the motion of breathing. This stimulates the formation of microvilli, a key feature of alveolar epithelial cells to increase surface area for lung functions (image).
Next, the scientists added immune cells called macrophages into the chip, again produced from the stem cells of the same donor, before adding TB bacteria to simulate the early stages of the disease.
In the chips infected with TB, the team reported large macrophage clusters containing 'necrotic cores', a group of dead macrophages in the centre, surrounded by live macrophages. Eventually, five days after infection, the endothelial and epithelial cell barriers collapsed, showing that the air sac function had broken down.
Max Gutierrez, Principal Group Leader of the Host-Pathogen Interactions in Tuberculosis Laboratory at the Crick and senior author, said: "Given the increasing need for non-animal technologies, organ-on-chip approaches are becoming ever more important to recreate human systems, avoiding differences in lung anatomy, makeup of immune cells and disease development between animals and humans.
"Composed of entirely genetically identical cells, the chips could be built from stem cells from people with particular genetic mutations. This would allow us to understand how infections like TB will impact an individual and test the effectiveness of treatments like antibiotics."
TB is a slow-moving disease, with months between infection and the development of symptoms, so there's an increasing need to understand what's happening in the unseen early stages.
We were successfully able to mimic these initial events in TB progression, giving a holistic picture of how different lung cells respond to infections. We're excited that the new model could be applied to a huge range of research, such as other respiratory infections or lung cancer, and we're now looking at refining the chip by incorporating other important cell types."
Jakson Luk, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Host-Pathogen Interactions in Tuberculosis Laboratory and first author
The Francis Crick Institute
Luk, C. H., et al. (2026). Autologous human iPSC–derived alveolus-on-chip reveals early pathological events of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Science Advances. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aea9874. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aea9874
Posted in: Cell Biology | Medical Science News | Disease/Infection News
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Dr Bryony Henderson
GLP-1 agonists are pivotal in obesity care, promoting weight loss and addressing related health issues, with a focus on personalized, holistic treatment.
Guillaume Bentzinger, Luis Carrillo, Philippe Robin, and Alejandro Bara-Estaún
Discover how AI, flow chemistry, and NMR come together in the PiPAC project to revolutionize scalable and autonomous API production.
Dr. Raj Singh
Learn how digital connectivity and the PathoVerse are improving pathology workflows and accelerating access to expert diagnostics.
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New measurements from Milan's city airport reveal how everyday airport operations, not just jet exhausts, quietly release industrial chemicals into the air we breathe, reshaping how aviation pollution is understood.
Study: Tracking the source: First evidence of Benzothiazoles in outdoor airport aerosol. Image credit: Jaromir Chalabala/Shutterstock.com
Particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of 10 micrometers (PM10) in the atmosphere is a significant carrier of benzothiazoles (BTH), contributing to air pollution. These compounds were investigated in relation to airport activities in a recent study published in the journal Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology.
Flying is a significant part of modern life, and its role in transportation is only set to grow. However, it is also recognized as a contributor to environmental harm through air pollution. While exhaust-related pollution has been studied in the past, including the emission of carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxides, little is known about non-exhaust pollutants, such as Tire Wear Particles (TWPs).
TWPs are tiny particles constantly shed from the tires of land vehicles and aircraft as they run across the hard pavement. They end up as microplastic pollution in water, soil, and air, with 83 tons being released from Frankfurt Airport alone in 2019, solely due to aircraft tire wear.
TWPs have been studied for their formation, destiny, inorganic components, form and shape, and other chemical properties. Their organic composition remains unclear, even though they contain not only rubber polymer but also additives that can be hazardous to the environment.
For instance, TWPs can release BTH, organic compounds used to produce antifreeze, de-icing solutions, pesticides, and in other major industries, including steel, paper, and textiles. They are irritant, corrosive, and acutely toxic to living organisms.
BTH levels have been used to trace non-exhaust road traffic emissions; however, they have not been used to trace TWPs from flying aircraft. This literature gap motivated the current study.
This study is the first of its kind. The study was conducted at Milano Linate Airport, based on outdoor PM10 concentrations measured in February and March 2023. The PM10 concentration in these months ranged from 11 to 81 μg m−3, with a median of 31 μg m−3. This is significantly lower than the levels reported in some heavily polluted international airports, including one in China. The PM10 levels at the airport and four other sites in the city of Milano were similar.
In addition to measuring eight types of BTH in the airport aerosol, the investigators also measured major ions and organic acids found in PM10 to understand the trends of each molecule type. They also accounted for wind strength and direction to separately assess how airports contributed to BTH in contrast to nearby roads or parking lots.
The findings indicate that the Linate airport area serves as a significant local source of benzothiazole components in outdoor atmospheric PM10. These include BTH, 2-amino-benzothiazole (BTH-NH2), 2-methyl-benzothiazole (BTH-Me), 2-methylthio-benzothiazole (BTH-MeS), 2-mercapto-benzothiazole (BTH-SH), and 2-benzothiazole-sulfonic acid (BTH-SO3H). In composition, the mix strongly resembled that found in cities with dense traffic.
Compared to February, the levels of BTH-MeS rose by 37 %, BTH-NH2 by 54 %, and BTH-SO3H by 161 %. However, PM10 levels fell. This could be because the airport became busier in March relative to February, although TWPs are too small to increase the mass of PM10 significantly.
Sulfate and ammonium ions made up nearly 74 % of the total ions. Very high nitrate levels were observed, mainly from the conversion of nitrogen oxides emitted from the airplane engines to nitrates, coupled with nitrate-polluted air in the city environment. Such secondary reactions appeared to be common in the airport area.
The measurements of these chemicals varied regularly over the week, peaking on Friday and Saturday and dropping on Tuesday. This suggests a relationship with airport activity rather than the actual flight activity, as arrivals and departures do not follow this trend. In particular, BTH-SO3H and BTH-NH2 levels were closely correlated, indicating their common source, probably the airport.
Another group of BTHs all peaked on the same two days, indicating that not all BTHs arise from the same source. Some, like BTH-MeS, may be a biodegradation product of BTH-SH.
Airborne sodium, chloride, and magnesium levels were relatively abundant, possibly derived from antifreeze or de-icing products, since Linate airport is 130 km from the nearest seashore.
Using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), a chemometric method, the scientists found that the measurements fell into three clusters of BTH, each associated with distinct activities. One cluster was linked to airport activity, specifically the number of vehicles or airplanes in operation. Another cluster was related to de-icing or anti-icing procedures at airports. The third cluster was associated with medium-range transport. This emphasizes that exhaust emissions are not the primary source of BTHs. The wind analysis also supported this hypothesis.
However, the risk of occupational exposure to BTHs at this airport was low.
This unique study examined eight chemicals related to tire wear in outdoor PM10 air at an airport. It showed that Milano Linate Airport acts as an important local contributor to BTHs in the air, similar in composition to the aerosol in cities with heavy traffic. Multiple source-related clusters were identified, two of which were related to airport activity. However, the risk of hazardous exposure to BTHs at this airport was low.
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Dr. Liji Thomas is an OB-GYN, who graduated from the Government Medical College, University of Calicut, Kerala, in 2001. Liji practiced as a full-time consultant in obstetrics/gynecology in a private hospital for a few years following her graduation. She has counseled hundreds of patients facing issues from pregnancy-related problems and infertility, and has been in charge of over 2,000 deliveries, striving always to achieve a normal delivery rather than operative.
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Thomas, Liji. (2026, January 02). Airport tire wear emerges as a major source of hidden air pollutants. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 02, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260102/Airport-tire-wear-emerges-as-a-major-source-of-hidden-air-pollutants.aspx.
MLA
Thomas, Liji. "Airport tire wear emerges as a major source of hidden air pollutants". News-Medical. 02 January 2026.
Large population data from Iran show that body weight and iron intake help statistically explain the depression–headache link, while physical activity plays a supporting, indirect role rather than a direct one.
Study: Mediating effects of physical activity, BMI, and dietary iron intake on the relationship between depression and chronic headaches. Image Credit: Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB / Shutterstock
In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers examined whether dietary iron intake, body mass index (BMI), and physical activity help account for the association between depression and chronic headaches using model-based statistical mediation analyses.
The findings indicate that the association between depression and chronic headaches is partially mediated by higher BMI and lower dietary iron intake, but not by physical activity as an independent pathway within the specified analytical model.
Depression is a common and disabling mental health condition that affects mood, cognition, sleep, and quality of life. It is a major contributor to global disability and is particularly prevalent in South Asia and the Middle East, including Iran.
Chronic headaches affect a large proportion of adults and frequently co-occur with depression, suggesting a close and complex relationship. However, the biological and behavioral mechanisms linking depression to chronic headaches remain insufficiently understood.
Biopsychosocial theories highlight the interplay between psychological factors, physiological processes, and lifestyle behaviors in chronic headache disorders. Several modifiable factors are correlated with both depression and chronic headaches.
Depression has been linked to disrupted iron metabolism and lower dietary iron intake, which may increase vulnerability to headaches. Individuals with depression are also often less physically active and more likely to have higher BMI, both of which are established risk factors for chronic headache disorders.
Although previous studies have independently connected depression to physical activity, BMI, and iron intake, it remains unclear whether these factors statistically mediate the relationship between depression and chronic headaches.
Researchers analyzed cross-sectional data from the Ravansar Non-Communicable Disease (RaNCD) cohort, part of a larger population study conducted in western Iran. Participants were adults aged 35–65 years who had lived in the region for at least nine months per year.
Data were collected through face-to-face interviews using standardized electronic questionnaires that captured sociodemographic characteristics, clinical history, depression status, and headache frequency.
Physical activity was assessed using validated questionnaires and expressed as metabolic-equivalent task-hours. Height and weight were measured objectively, and BMI was calculated using standardized procedures. Dietary iron intake was estimated using validated food-frequency questionnaires and the Iranian Food Composition Table.
Depression was identified through a psychologist's assessment or self-reported antidepressant use. Chronic headaches were defined as headaches occurring on at least 15 days per month for three consecutive months. Path analyses examined direct and indirect associations, testing BMI, dietary iron intake, and physical activity as mediators.
The analysis included 9,918 adults with a mean age of 47.3 years. Most participants were female, married, and had relatively low educational attainment. The majority did not have depression or chronic headaches.
Participants, on average, had moderate physical activity levels, were overweight by BMI criteria, and consumed approximately 20 mg of dietary iron per day. Individuals with depression differed significantly from those without depression in BMI, physical activity, iron intake, and chronic headache prevalence.
Correlation analyses showed that depression was significantly associated with higher BMI, lower physical activity, lower dietary iron intake, and a greater likelihood of chronic headaches. Age, sex, marital status, and education were included as covariates.
Path analysis demonstrated excellent model fit. Depression showed a significant direct association with chronic headaches and indirect associations through higher BMI and lower iron intake. Physical activity was not independently associated with headache occurrence after accounting for other pathways.
Mediation analyses confirmed partial mediation of the depression–headache association by BMI and dietary iron intake. Physical activity contributed indirectly through its associations with BMI and iron intake rather than acting as a direct mediator.
The findings suggest that depression is associated with chronic headaches through both direct associations and indirect, statistically modeled pathways involving body mass index and dietary iron intake. Although depression was associated with lower physical activity, physical activity itself was not an independent mediator.
Strengths include the large population-based sample, standardized measurements, and simultaneous modeling of multiple mediators. Limitations include the cross-sectional design, which prevents causal inference, and reliance on self-reported data.
Overall, the study highlights the potential value of integrated interventions that target mental health, weight management, and nutritional adequacy to reduce the chronic headache burden.
Posted in: Men's Health News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News | Women's Health News
Written by
Priyanjana Pramanik is a writer based in Kolkata, India, with an academic background in Wildlife Biology and economics. She has experience in teaching, science writing, and mangrove ecology. Priyanjana holds Masters in Wildlife Biology and Conservation (National Centre of Biological Sciences, 2022) and Economics (Tufts University, 2018). In between master's degrees, she was a researcher in the field of public health policy, focusing on improving maternal and child health outcomes in South Asia. She is passionate about science communication and enabling biodiversity to thrive alongside people. The fieldwork for her second master's was in the mangrove forests of Eastern India, where she studied the complex relationships between humans, mangrove fauna, and seedling growth.
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Pramanik, Priyanjana. (2026, January 01). Depression links to chronic headaches through weight and diet, not physical activity alone. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 02, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260101/Depression-links-to-chronic-headaches-through-weight-and-diet-not-physical-activity-alone.aspx.
MLA
Pramanik, Priyanjana. "Depression links to chronic headaches through weight and diet, not physical activity alone". News-Medical. 02 January 2026.
Even within the healthy range, small differences in blood sodium were associated with measurable changes in brain excitability, offering new insight into how subtle physiology may shape neural function in healthy adults.
Study: Plasma sodium levels are related to resting motor threshold in healthy humans. Image Credit: Darya Komarova / Shutterstock
In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers investigated the relationship between blood electrolyte levels and cortical excitability in healthy adults. The study compared plasma electrolyte values and resting motor threshold (RMT) data from 42 participants and found a significant correlation between plasma sodium levels and interindividual differences in RMT.
Specifically, lower sodium concentrations within the normal physiological range were associated with increased cortical excitability. These findings suggest that the precise ionic composition of human blood may be associated with stable neurobiological characteristics, although the data reflect associations rather than causal effects.
Modern neurobiology research posits that mammalian, and by extension human, brains operate on a delicate balance of charged ions, particularly sodium, calcium, and potassium, that translocate in and out of cells to generate electrical impulses. This process, termed electrolyte homeostasis, is highly critical for life, evolutionarily conserved, and tightly regulated.
When this balance is severely disrupted, such as in cases of hyponatremia, the consequences are often physiologically catastrophic, including seizures and other neurological crises. Previous research has established healthy boundaries for electrolyte concentrations, which are believed to be sufficient to maintain cortical excitability, and these are commonly assessed using indirect neurophysiological measures.
More recent research challenges this view, suggesting that even slight between-individual variability in ionic concentrations may influence learning, memory, and susceptibility to neurological conditions. Prior attempts to verify these effects have produced conflicting results, often due to small sample sizes, methodological limitations, and insufficiently controlled exploratory analyses.
The present study aimed to determine whether variation in electrolyte levels among healthy individuals is associated with differences in brain electrical activity. The analysis was a secondary, non-prespecified evaluation of baseline data from 42 healthy young adults aged 18 to 30 years, collected initially as part of a randomized trial investigating the cognitive effects of fampridine.
Blood samples were collected to measure plasma concentrations of sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and phosphate. Cortical excitability was assessed using transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-invasive technique that induces small electrical currents in the brain via a magnetic coil placed over the scalp.
Resting motor threshold was calculated by stimulating the motor cortex region controlling hand muscles and adjusting stimulation intensity until the minimum strength required to elicit a muscle response in at least half of the attempts was reached. Lower RMT values indicate greater corticospinal excitability, although RMT reflects both cortical and non-cortical factors.
Analyses revealed a statistically robust association between plasma sodium levels and cortical excitability. A significant positive correlation was observed between sodium concentration and RMT, indicating that lower sodium levels were associated with lower motor thresholds and therefore higher excitability.
All participants had sodium levels within the standard clinical reference range of 136 to 143 mmol/L. When other electrolytes were examined individually, no significant associations with RMT were observed for chloride, potassium, calcium, or phosphate.
Adjusting for age and sex did not materially alter these findings, supporting the robustness of the association while not implying causality.
These findings provide preliminary evidence that slight differences in blood sodium concentration, even within the normal range, are associated with differences in resting motor threshold. The estimated change in sodium equilibrium potential across this range is on the order of one to two millivolts.
The authors hypothesize that lower extracellular sodium may subtly influence membrane electrophysiology by affecting sodium channel dynamics or tissue conductivity, thereby altering the effective magnetic field during stimulation.
Future studies incorporating experimental manipulation of sodium levels, individualized electric field modeling, and longitudinal designs are needed to determine whether sodium levels directly influence cortical excitability.
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
Written by
Hugo Francisco de Souza is a scientific writer based in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. His academic passions lie in biogeography, evolutionary biology, and herpetology. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, where he studies the origins, dispersal, and speciation of wetland-associated snakes. Hugo has received, amongst others, the DST-INSPIRE fellowship for his doctoral research and the Gold Medal from Pondicherry University for academic excellence during his Masters. His research has been published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals, including PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases and Systematic Biology. When not working or writing, Hugo can be found consuming copious amounts of anime and manga, composing and making music with his bass guitar, shredding trails on his MTB, playing video games (he prefers the term ‘gaming'), or tinkering with all things tech.
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Francisco de Souza, Hugo. (2026, January 01). Small shifts in blood sodium may influence human brain excitability. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 02, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260101/Small-shifts-in-blood-sodium-may-influence-human-brain-excitability.aspx.
MLA
Francisco de Souza, Hugo. "Small shifts in blood sodium may influence human brain excitability". News-Medical. 02 January 2026.
With a new study in the journal Science Bulletin, researchers at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University have discovered a new way that aggressive breast cancer cells escape the immune defenses. This discovery also reveals a potential weakness that could make these tumors highly sensitive to existing immunotherapies.
It has been known that many cancer cells have high levels of DNA damage, and bits of DNA can leak into the cell cytoplasm. This triggers an alarm system called the cGAS-STING pathway, which induces an immune response to attack the tumor. However, researchers show that some tumors fight back using a specific molecule called FAM83H-AS1. This molecule acts like a switch, hijacking the body's alarm system. It changes the immune response from a potent anti-tumor attack to a state of chronic, pro-tumor inflammation. This shift helps the cancer build an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, allowing it to grow.
Crucially, this trick creates a major vulnerability. The same inflammatory process that protects the tumor also causes it to produce high levels of a protein called PD-L1, a key drug target for cancer immunotherapy. Therefore, the tumors become highly susceptible to immunotherapy drugs designed to block PD-L1. The research indicates that patients with tumors overexpressing FAM83H-AS1 could be ideal candidates for these existing treatments.
FAM83H-AS1 is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA), located in chromosome 8q24, a region often linked to cancer risk-but deemed a "gene desert", because this large region contains very few protein-coding genes. Although the MYC oncogene is present in the vicinity, MYC expression is not altered in some tumors, which is insufficient to explain the high risk of developing various tumors.
It is very likely that this region harbors important, yet-to-be-discovered oncogenes."
Man-Li Luo, study principal investigator, Professor and Deputy Director of Medical Research Center, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University
While lncRNAs vastly outnumber protein-coding genes in the human genome, their functions are often poorly understood, overshadowing their potential significance. An example is the lncRNA FAM83H-AS1. Despite clear evidence linking its overexpression to poor prognosis in a wide range of cancers, the molecular machinery driving its role in tumor progression has remained elusive.
The team of researchers discovered that FAM83H-AS1 is frequently amplified and highly active in tumor tissues. High levels of this RNA molecule are linked to reduced anti-tumor immunity and poorer survival rates in breast cancer patients. Crucially, they elucidate how it works. Researchers reveal that FAM83H-AS1 hijacks a critical alarm pathway known as cGAS-STING. Instead of triggering a potent anti-tumor interferon response, high levels of FAM83H-AS1 shift the pathway's signaling toward an NF-κB-driven pro-tumor inflammatory response. This switch effectively disarming body's natural defenses, turning immune attacks into cancer-fueling inflammation.
These findings establish FAM83H-AS1 as a key oncogene within the chromosome 8q24 region. The term "gene desert" is a desert only for protein-coding genes, not for functional non-coding elements like this pivotal lncRNA. There are more "dark forests" of non-coding regulation waiting to be explored in the genomes.
Given that the overexpression of FAM83H-AS1 has been linked to poor prognosis in many cancers, the researchers believe its immune evasion mechanism may not be limited to breast cancer. Their work also points directly to a therapeutic insight-tumors characterized by FAM83H-AS1 overexpression or the consequent NF-κB activation may be particularly vulnerable to checkpoint blockade therapy.
Science China Press
Liang, Z.-M., et al. (2025). cGAS-STING activation mediated by FAM83H-AS1/HMGB1 elicits NF-κB-dependent immune evasion in breast cancer. Science Bulletin. doi:10.1016/j.scib.2025.12.017. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927325012630?via%3Dihub
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
Dr Bryony Henderson
GLP-1 agonists are pivotal in obesity care, promoting weight loss and addressing related health issues, with a focus on personalized, holistic treatment.
Guillaume Bentzinger, Luis Carrillo, Philippe Robin, and Alejandro Bara-Estaún
Discover how AI, flow chemistry, and NMR come together in the PiPAC project to revolutionize scalable and autonomous API production.
Dr. Raj Singh
Learn how digital connectivity and the PathoVerse are improving pathology workflows and accelerating access to expert diagnostics.
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on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
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For millions suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), managing flare-ups often involves powerful drugs with significant side effects. A new study published in National Science Review unveils a pioneering alternative: a soft, wireless implant that treats disease by modulating specific nerves that control immunity.
The research team from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Tongji Hospital developed a "splenic nerve wireless stimulator" (SpNWS). The key innovation is that the entire device – its electrodes, interconnects, and wireless power receivers – is constructed from a specially engineered conductive hydrogel. This material is as soft as biological tissues, highly stretchable, and can conduct electricity efficiently.
The biggest challenges for long-term neural interfaces are mechanical mismatch and fibrosis caused by rigid implants. Our hydrogel device seamlessly conforms to delicate nerves, operates without batteries, and communicates wirelessly through the skin, which minimizes long-term damage and rejection."
Zhiqiang Luo, corresponding author of the study
The implant is designed to modulate the splenic nerve, a key pathway in the body's inflammatory reflex. In a rat model of chronic colitis, the SpNWS device was implanted and activated wirelessly for 20 minutes daily. The treatment led to remarkable recovery: reduced colon damage, less weight loss, and restored intestinal structure.
Mechanistic studies revealed that the electrical stimulation rebalanced the gut's immune environment. It suppressed pro-inflammatory T-cells (TH1/TH17) while promoting anti-inflammatory and regulatory T-cells (TH2/Treg). Crucially, after five weeks, the device showed excellent biocompatibility with no significant scar tissue encapsulation, a common problem that leads to the failure of conventional implants.
This work establishes a versatile platform for "electroceutical" therapy. The soft, wireless design could be adapted to interface with various nerves to treat a range of conditions, from rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes to metabolic disorders, ushering in a new era of bioelectronic medicine.
Science China Press
Liu, W., et al. (2025). Chronic neurostimulation of splenic nerve enabled by hydrogel-bioelectronics for wireless electroceutical immunomodulation therapy. National Science Review. doi: 10.1093/nsr/nwaf557. https://academic.oup.com/nsr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/nsr/nwaf557/8371754
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Lenia Watson-Burton, a 37-year-old U.S. Navy administrator, expected that cosmetic surgery would get rid of stubborn fat quickly and easily — just as the web advertising promised.
Instead, she died three days after a liposuction-like procedure called AirSculpt at the San Diego office of Elite Body Sculpture, a cosmetic surgery chain with more than 30 offices across the U.S. and Canada, court records show.
Cosmetic surgery chains setting up shop in multiple states depend heavily on advertising to attract customers: television, print, social media influencers, even texts hawking discounted holiday rates. The pitches typically promise patients life-changing body shaping with minimal pain and a quick recovery.
Yet there's no federal requirement that surgery companies post evidence supporting the truth and accuracy of these marketing claims. No agency tracks how frequently patients persuaded by sales pitches sustain painful complications such as infections, how effectively surgeons and nursing staff follow up and treat injuries, or whether companies selling new aesthetic devices and methods have adequately trained surgeons to use them safely.
In 2023, Watson-Burton's husband and six children and stepchildren sued Elite Body Sculpture and plastic surgeon Heidi Regenass for medical malpractice, alleging that the thin cannula the surgeon used to remove fat perforated Watson-Burton's bowel, causing her death.
The suit also accused Elite Body Sculpture of posting false or misleading advertising on its website, such as describing the clinic's branded procedure AirSculpt as "gentle on the body" and stating: "Our patients take the fewest possible risks and get back to their regular routine as soon as 24-48 hours post-operation."
Watson-Burton was one of three patients who died after having liposuction and fat transfer operations performed by Regenass from October 2022 to February 2023, court records state. Families of all three women sued the surgeon, who denied wrongdoing in legal filings. The parties settled the Watson-Burton family case in 2024. Two other wrongful death cases are pending, including a suit by an Ohio woman who alleges her mother relied on promises on Regenass' website that the operation in California would be safe with a quick recovery.
Neither Regenass nor her attorneys responded to repeated requests for comment. Emails and phone calls to Elite Body Sculpture's Miami headquarters were not returned.
State and federal authorities do have the power to prohibit false or misleading medical advertising of all types, though enforcement is spotty, particularly when promotions pop up online. That means patients must do their own homework in evaluating cosmetic surgery marketing pitches.
"While consumers should be able to trust that ad claims are substantiated because the law requires them to be, the reality is that it pays for consumers to bring a skeptical eye," said Mary Engle, an executive vice president at BBB National Programs.
Founded by cosmetic surgeon Aaron Rollins, Elite Body Sculpture says in Securities and Exchange Commission filings that it offers a "premium patient experience and luxurious, spa-like atmosphere" at its growing network of centers. The publicly traded company, based in Miami Beach and backed by private equity investors, markets AirSculpt as being "much less invasive than traditional liposuction" and providing "faster healing with superior results." The ads say that AirSculpt "requires no scalpel, or stitches, and only leaves behind a freckle-sized scar!" and that patients "remain awake the whole time and can walk right out of their procedure, enjoying dramatic results!" Some risks are disclosed.
Rollins, who recently made headlines for putting his Indian Creek mansion on the market for $200 million, did not respond to repeated requests for comment. A lawyer for Rollins, Robert Peal, responded to an email but didn't comment. On Nov. 4, the company announced that Rollins had resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of AirSculpt Technologies and as a member of the board.
Many AirSculpt patients opt to have fat that is removed from their stomachs or other places injected into their buttocks, often called a Brazilian butt lift. Others use the fat to enhance their breasts, a procedure the company brands as "Up a Cup." Since March 2023, at least seven patients have filed lawsuits accusing Elite Body Sculpture of running misleading advertising or misrepresenting results, arguing, among other things, that they felt more pain or healed much more slowly than the ads led them to believe they would, court records show. One of the lawsuits has been dismissed, and the company has denied the allegations in others.
The Watson-Burton family argued in their lawsuit that some marketing claims about AirSculpt were simply not true.
For instance, Elite Body Sculpture's website stated that AirSculpt has "automated technology" set to "turn off" before the cannula penetrates the body too deeply and possibly causes serious injury, according to the suit. That feature didn't protect Watson-Burton, who paid $12,000 for the operation, hoping for a "quick and timely recovery" before a scheduled U.S. Navy deployment, according to the lawsuit.
Rather than being gentle on the body, AirSculpt was "extremely painful, highly invasive, unsafe, required more than a short 24-hour recovery period and could and did damage internal organs," according to the suit.
Watson-Burton called the San Diego center on Oct. 27, 2022, a day after the operation, to report "severe pain" in her upper abdomen, but staffers took no action to evaluate her, according to the suit. The next morning, an ambulance rushed her to a hospital, where emergency surgery confirmed the gravity of her injuries. Surgeons noted her injuries included three perforations of the small bowel and sepsis.
Watson-Burton died on Oct. 29, 2022. An autopsy report cited complications of the cosmetic surgery, ruling she died after becoming "septic following intraoperative small bowel perforation." Her death certificate lists the cause as "complications of abdominoplasty."
In court filings, Elite Body Sculpture said Watson-Burton had "experienced an uncommon surgical complication." The company denied that it made any "specific guarantee or representation that injury to organs could not occur." It denied any liability or that its ads made misrepresentations.
The dispute never played out fully in court. The parties settled the case in August 2024, when Elite Body Sculpture agreed to pay Watson-Burton's family $2 million, the maximum under its insurance policy. Regenass, the surgeon, who did not carry liability insurance, agreed to pay $100,000 more, according to the settlement agreement.
Social media pitches and web advertising also led Tamala Smith, 55, of Toledo, Ohio, to Regenass for liposuction and a fat transfer, court records state.
Smith was dead less than two weeks later, one of two other women who died following elective operations Regenass performed from December 2022 to February 2023, court records show. The surgeon operated on the two women at Pacific Liposculpture, which runs three surgery centers in Southern California, court records state.
The families of both women are suing Regenass, a board-certified plastic surgeon, and the surgery center. In both cases, which are pending in California courts, Regenass and the surgery center have denied the allegations and filed dismissal motions that deny responsibility for the deaths.
Smith was a traveling registered nurse working the overnight shift at a hospital in Los Angeles. She chose Regenass after viewing the doctor's Instagram page, according to a lawsuit filed by Smith's daughter, Ste'Aira Ballard, who lives in Toledo.
The ads described the surgeon as an "awake liposuction and fat transfer specialist," while her website assured patients they would feel minimal pain and be "back to work in 24-48 hours," according to the suit.
During the three-hour operation on Feb. 8, 2023, at Pacific Liposculpture's Newport Beach office, Regenass removed fat from Smith's abdomen and flanks and redistributed it to her buttocks, according to the suit. Smith called the office at least twice in subsequent days to report pain and swelling, but a staffer told her that was normal, according to the suit. Smith never spoke to the surgeon, according to the suit.
When Ballard couldn't reach her mother, she called the hospital only to learn Smith hadn't turned up for her overnight shift for two days. The hospital called police and asked for a welfare check at the extended-stay hotel in Glendale, California, where Smith had been living.
An officer discovered her body on the bed "surrounded by towels and sheets that are stained with brown and green fluids," according to a coroner's report in the court file. A countertop in the room was "covered in medical paperwork detailing post-operative instructions from a liposuction clinic," according to the report. Ballard said she learned of her mother's death when she called Smith's cellphone; a police officer answered and delivered the devastating news.
"Oh, my God, I fell to the floor," Ballard said in an interview with KFF Health News and NBC News. Ballard said she still has not gotten over the shock and grief. "It bothers me because how does someone that dedicated their life to save other people's lives end up deceased in a hotel, as if her life didn't matter?" she asked.
Ballard said her mother trusted Regenass based on her web persona. She believes her mother, a registered nurse, would not have gone to the surgeon had she known someone had died after an operation Regenass performed at the Pacific Liposculpture San Diego office. Terri Bishop, 55, a truck driving instructor who lived in Temecula, California, died on Dec. 24, 2022, about three weeks after undergoing liposuction and fat transfer at Pacific Liposculpture, a company with a history of run-ins with state regulators.
Pacific Liposculpture did not respond to requests for comment. In court filings, the company has denied that the operations played a role in either patient's death and moved to dismiss the cases. The company also argued that Ballard waited too long to file suit.
Bishop, who had a history of smoking, diabetes, and high blood pressure, died from "arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease aggravated by viral pneumonia (Influenza A H1 2009)," according to a Riverside County medical examiner's report made part of the court record. The family disagrees and is arguing that Bishop died from blood clots, a known complication of surgery. A trial is set for June 2026.
In Smith's case, the Los Angeles County medical examiner ruled the nurse died of "renal failure of unknown cause." The autopsy report noted: "This is a natural death since an injury directly from the surgery cannot be identified."
Ballard is demanding further investigation to get to the bottom of what happened to her mother.
"I don't think they were straightforward with the risk and complications that could occur," Ballard said. "I think they are promising people stuff they can't deliver."
Ballard filed a complaint against Regenass with the California Medical Board, which the board is investigating, according to documents she provided to KFF Health News and NBC News. She believes regulators need to be more transparent about the backgrounds of surgeons who offer services to the public. She also hopes the investigation will shake loose more details of what happened to her mother.
"I just don't understand how she came back to me in a body bag," she said.
Concerns about sales pitches for cosmetic surgery date back decades.
Witnesses testifying at a June 1989 congressional hearing held by a subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee in Washington heard a litany of horror stories of patients maimed by surgeons with dubious training and credentials. Subcommittee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said patients were victimized by deceptive and false ads that promised a "quick, easy and painless way to change your life — all through the cosmetic surgery miracle."
Calling for reform, Wyden added: "So, cosmetic surgery consumers are largely on their own. It's back to a buyer beware market, and it smacks more of used car sales than medicine." Wyden now represents Oregon in the U.S. Senate.
All these years later, there's far more territory to police: an onslaught of web advertising, such as splashy "before and after" photos, online posts, and podcasts by social media influencers and others courted by surgery companies in a costly effort to attract business. Elite Body Sculpture, for instance, spent $43.9 million in "selling expenses" in 2024. That came to $3,130 per "customer acquisition," according to the company's SEC filings.
Under Federal Trade Commission guidelines, medical advertising must be "truthful, not deceptive, and backed up by competent and reliable scientific evidence," according to Janice Kopec of the agency's Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Any claims that are "suggested or reasonably implied" by ads also must be accurate. That includes the "net impression" conveyed by text and any charts, graphs, and other images, according to the FTC. The agency declined to elaborate.
Medical businesses are free to decide what documentation, if any, to share with the public. Most cosmetic surgery sites offer little or no such support for specific claims — such as recovery times or pain levels — on their websites.
"There is no requirement that the substantiation be made available to consumers, either on a website or upon demand," Engle, who is also a former FTC official, said in an email.
The law permits "puffery," or boastful statements that no person would likely take at face value, or that can't be proved, such as, "'You've tried all the rest, now try the best,'" Engle said.
Where to draw the line between acceptable boasts and unverified claims can be contentious.
Athēnix, a private equity-backed cosmetic surgery chain with locations in six cities, defended its use of terms such as "safer" and "better results" as puffery in response to a false advertising lawsuit filed against the company by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer in California in August 2022.
Spitzer argued that Athēnix touted its "micro-body-contouring" technique as "safer" than traditional liposuction and offered "outstanding results with less pain and downtime" without backing that up, according to the suit.
"There is no study or evidence to support these statements and no scientific consensus about the use of these new techniques," Spitzer argued.
The parties settled the case in July 2023 when Athēnix agreed to pay $25,000 without admitting wrongdoing, court records show. Before the settlement, Athēnix argued that its use of terms such as "safer" and "better results" was "subjective" and "puffery" — and not false advertising.
While there's little indication that local or state authorities are stepping up scrutiny of cosmetic surgery advertising, federal authorities have signaled they intend to crack down on dubious advertising claims made by drug manufacturers.
In a letter sent to drug companies in September, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary wrote that "deceptive advertising is sadly the current norm" on social media platforms and that the agency would no longer tolerate these violations.
To prove medical negligence, injured patients generally must show that their care fell below what a "reasonably prudent" doctor with similar training would have provided. In their defense, surgeons may argue that complications are a risk of any operation and that a poor outcome doesn't mean the doctor was negligent.
Some lawsuits filed by injured patients add allegations that advertisements by surgery chains misled them, or that surgeons failed to fully explain possible risks of injuries, a requirement known in medical circles as informed consent.
Caitlin Meehan had such a case. She underwent a $15,000 AirSculpt procedure at Elite Body Sculpture's clinic in Wayne, Pennsylvania, outside Philadelphia. She agreed to the surgery in March 2023, she said, because the company's website described it as "Lunch Time Lipo," according to a lawsuit she filed in late August. The suit alleges that the doctor she discussed the procedure with "maintained that there are no serious, life-threatening, lasting and/or permanent complications," according to the suit.
During the procedure, however, gases became trapped beneath her skin, causing a widespread swelling called subcutaneous emphysema, according to the suit. Meehan was shocked to see her face, neck, and upper body severely swollen, causing her shortness of breath.
A friend who drove her to the appointment asked the staff to call an ambulance, but staff members said that wasn't necessary, according to the suit. After an hour's drive home, Meehan said her skin felt like it was burning and she called 911. She spent four days in the hospital recovering and remains scarred, according to the suit. The suit is pending, and the company has yet to file an answer in court.
Scott Hollenbeck, immediate past president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, said recovering from liposuction in a day "seems unrealistic" given the bruising and swelling that can occur.
"The idea that you could return to work 24 hours after effective liposuction seems like extremely bad advice," Hollenbeck said.
Ads that promised patients minimal discomfort also have come under attack in patient lawsuits.
More than 20 other medical malpractice cases reviewed by KFF Health News made similar allegations of unexpected pain during operations at cosmetic surgery chains using lidocaine for pain relief in "awake liposuction."
One patient suing Elite Body Sculpture in Cook County, Illinois, alleged she "was crying due to [the] severe pain" of an operation in September 2023. She alleged the doctor said he couldn't give her any more local anesthetic and pressed on with the procedure. The defendants have not filed an answer in court. The practice didn't respond to a request for comment.
Engle, the former FTC official, said that while claims of discomfort are somewhat subjective, they still must be "truthful and substantiated," such as supported by a "valid, reliable clinical study of patients' experience."
KFF Health News
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Dr Bryony Henderson
GLP-1 agonists are pivotal in obesity care, promoting weight loss and addressing related health issues, with a focus on personalized, holistic treatment.
Guillaume Bentzinger, Luis Carrillo, Philippe Robin, and Alejandro Bara-Estaún
Discover how AI, flow chemistry, and NMR come together in the PiPAC project to revolutionize scalable and autonomous API production.
Dr. Raj Singh
Learn how digital connectivity and the PathoVerse are improving pathology workflows and accelerating access to expert diagnostics.
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Red blood cells are essential for oxygen transport and immune function in the human body. When these cells become abnormally shaped, they can indicate serious health conditions, including diabetes, malaria, hereditary blood disorders, and vascular diseases. Currently, medical diagnosis relies primarily on optical microscopy, which requires fluorescent staining and manual inspection by trained experts. This traditional approach suffers from significant limitations: it is time-consuming, subjective, poorly reproducible, and often misses subtle changes in individual cells. Other advanced techniques like electron microscopy and super-resolution imaging can visualize cells at the nanoscale but are expensive, operationally complex, and still require staining. There is an urgent clinical need for rapid, objective, and label-free methods to analyze red blood cell deformations at the single-cell level.
A research team led by Prof. Nan Zeng at Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School has now developed an innovative solution using polarized light technology. The method, called dual-angle Mueller matrix polarimetry (DMMP), analyzes individual blood cells by measuring how they alter the polarization state of light. The system shines polarized light at cells and captures their unique polarization signatures. By combining theoretical modeling with machine learning algorithms, the researchers extracted six specific polarization feature parameters that quantitatively describe cell size, shape, refractive index, and surface characteristics. The team validated their approach by testing red blood cells under various stress conditions that mimic disease states. Results showed that the polarization parameters could effectively distinguish between normal cells and those with abnormal deformations. Furthermore, when analyzing mixed blood samples containing both healthy and abnormal cells, a Random Forest classifier using these parameters achieved over 94% accuracy in determining cell type proportions. The technology offers several key advantages: it requires no staining or complex sample preparation, can analyze hundreds of cells per minute for high-throughput screening, and provides objective, quantitative measurements rather than subjective visual assessments. This label-free approach could be readily adapted for routine blood screenings in hospitals and clinics, potentially enabling earlier disease detection, more accurate diagnosis, and better monitoring of treatment responses for blood-related disorders.
Higher Education Press
Yao, S., et al. (2025). Analysis of erythrocyte deformation characteristics based on dual-angle Mueller matrix measurement. Frontiers of Optoelectronics. doi: 10.1007/s12200-025-00166-2. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12200-025-00166-2
Posted in: Device / Technology News | Medical Science News | Histology & Microscopy
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Dr Bryony Henderson
GLP-1 agonists are pivotal in obesity care, promoting weight loss and addressing related health issues, with a focus on personalized, holistic treatment.
Guillaume Bentzinger, Luis Carrillo, Philippe Robin, and Alejandro Bara-Estaún
Discover how AI, flow chemistry, and NMR come together in the PiPAC project to revolutionize scalable and autonomous API production.
Dr. Raj Singh
Learn how digital connectivity and the PathoVerse are improving pathology workflows and accelerating access to expert diagnostics.
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Santiago Giménez's current situation at AC Milan has fallen well short of expectations, and now Massimiliano Allegri, the Italian club's head coach, has delivered a worrying prognosis—not only for the Rossoneri, but also for the Mexican national team and head coach Javier Aguirre ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
Allegri provides update on Giménez's recovery
Although an initially shorter recovery timeline had been mentioned, Massimiliano Allegri offered a negative update regarding the Mexican striker's condition.
“Giménez will be sidelined for three to four months, and Füllkrug has arrived and will help us,” Allegri said, referring to the injury sustained in Serie A.
“Giménez will be sidelined for three to four months, and Füllkrug has arrived and will help us,” Allegri said, referring to the injury sustained in Serie A.
Will Santiago Giménez miss the 2026 World Cup with Mexico?
Aware of the proximity of the 2026 World Cup, Santiago Giménez tried to avoid surgery and opted for conservative treatment, but the pain did not subside and surgery became unavoidable.
The striker, who emerged from Cruz Azul, underwent surgery in mid-December, and with a recovery period of up to four months, he is expected to receive medical clearance in April.
With that time away from competition, Giménez is set to miss the March friendly between Mexico and Portugal and could arrive with limited match fitness for the World Cup, where Mexico will debut on June 11 against South Africa
The striker, who emerged from Cruz Azul, underwent surgery in mid-December, and with a recovery period of up to four months, he is expected to receive medical clearance in April.
With that time away from competition, Giménez is set to miss the March friendly between Mexico and Portugal and could arrive with limited match fitness for the World Cup, where Mexico will debut on June 11 against South Africa
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Reports in Spain suggest that Rodrygo is laying the groundwork for a potential move away from Real Madrid. The Brazil international forward faces fierce competition for places at the Bernabeu and is growing increasingly frustrated at having to fill a support role. Interest in his services is said to have been shown from the Premier League, with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City known to be admirers.
Rodrgyo has been with Los Blancos since 2019, when the Spanish giants bought into his obvious potential. He is closing in on 300 appearances for Real, with the target being found on 70 occasions. Domestic titles and Champions League crowns have been captured in Spain.
The likes of Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham are, however, looking to fill attacking berths in Xabi Alonso's plans. That can lead to Rodrygo being left on the outside looking in. He is considered to be too good not to be starting every week.
With that in mind, SPORT claims that Rodrygo is mulling over his options. He has been included from the off by Alonso over recent weeks, but has just seven starts and two goals to his name this season.
SPORT explains how Rodrygo is now in talks with two so-called “super-agents” as he seeks further representation. His father, Eric Goes, has been handling affairs, but he is not an agent by trade and is said to have seen his relationship with Real deteriorate over the course of the last 12 months.
No move in the winter window of 2026 is being sought, with the plan being to see the 2025-26 campaign through in Madrid. Long-term plans are, however, being drawn up and that means sounding out any suitors.
Several sides in England are said to have asked questions of Rodrygo's availability during the summer of 2025. Arsenal, City and Liverpool are all credited with showing interest, with the South American now looking for more professional negotiators to take care of his business.
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Real are, however, reluctant to consider a sale. Alonso has continued to talk up Rodrygo's value to the collective cause despite finding it difficult at times to fit the talented 24-year-old into his team.
Alonso has said when asked about the speculation that continues to rage around Rodrygo: “There have been a lot of rumors. He is doing well. I want him to be fully committed to the team and to give 100%. I rely on everyone present in training. That's what concerns and occupies me right now.”
He went on to say: “We must believe and trust Rodrygo. Nobody doubts his quality, he's a top guy, and he has the right attitude. We're waiting for him to break this negative moment with a goal. He needs that good feeling after a good game.”
SPORT claims that Rodrygo has been considering an exit since early in the season, with it difficult to see how his situation will change. However, questions are also being asked of how long Vinicius will be sticking around at the Bernabeu. He is attracting more interest from the big-spending Saudi Pro League, and any move for the Brazilian superstar would free up a role on the left flank for Rodrygo to fill. If greater responsibility comes his way, then he could be persuaded to stay put and agree to a contract extension.
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He will not be short on offers if a new challenge is eventually sought. City boss Pep Guardiola said of the tricky winger after facing Real in Champions League competition: “I told Rodrygo how good he is. He's a player from another... this boy is a player from another level. I'm glad he's back from injury. He's very, very good.”
That would appear to be a nod towards City being keen on adding Rodrygo to their ranks, but the Blues are now closing in on a £65 million ($87m) deal for Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo. Arsenal may be keen if Gabriel Martinelli leaves Emirates Stadium, while Liverpool continue to see unsettled Egyptian icon Mohamed Salah generate transfer talk at Anfield.
Mohamed Salah is reportedly being targeted for a dramatic return to Serie A. The Egyptian superstar bid farewell to Italy in 2017 when making his way to Liverpool. Record-setting exploits have been delivered at Anfield, while winning two Premier League titles, but an exit early in 2026 is being mooted. It is claimed that Roma would like to be reunited with a familiar face.
That may be slightly ambitious on their part, with speculation regarding Salah's future in England continuing to build. He delivered an explosive outburst against his current employers after finding himself benched.
Salah was dropped for a Champions League clash with Inter following that rant, but was recalled for a Premier League meeting with Brighton prior to heading off on Africa Cup of Nations duty. Arne Slot maintains that he wants to keep the talismanic 33-year-old around.
Salah hinted at a move being made in January when he told reporters in the immediate aftermath of the dramatic draw with Leeds that saw him stuck among the substitutes: “I'm sitting on the bench and I don't know why. It seems like the club has thrown me under the bus. That's how I am feeling. I think it is very clear that someone wanted me to get all of the blame.
“I got a lot of promises in the summer and so far I am in the bench for three games so I can't say they keep the promise. I said many times before that I had a good relationship with the manager 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.”
Salah went on to say: “It is not acceptable for me. I don't know why this is happening to me. I don't get it. I think if this was somewhere else, every club would protect its player. How I see it now is like you throw Mo under the bus because he is the problem in the team now. But I don't think I am the problem. I have done so much for this club. The respect, I want to get. I don't have to go every day fighting for my position because I earned it. I am not bigger than anyone, but I earned my position. It's football. It is what it is.”
He added when asked if he regrets signing a new contract that is supposed to keep him on Merseyside until the summer of 2027: “Imagine how bad that I have to answer it, honestly. That hurts, even the question hurts. This club, signing for this club, I will never regret it. I thought I'm going to renew here and end my career here, but this is not according to the plan, so I'm not regretting signing for the club for sure.”
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While nobody at Liverpool has announced that Salah is free to move on, several clubs outside of the Premier League are keeping a close eye on his situation. According to La Repubblica, Roma form part of that pack.
They relay that “relations between Salah and Liverpool have deteriorated significantly in recent weeks”. He is said to have a “strained” working relationship with Slot and Co, which could lead to a change of scenery being taken in.
Big-spending teams in the Saudi Pro League were expected to lead any chase for Salah's signature, with ambitious outfits there having never shied away from the fact that would welcome a global superstar into their ranks.
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Lucrative terms would be on offer in the Middle East, and Roma would find it impossible to match those. La Repubblica admits that “financial obstacles are substantial” when it comes to returning Salah to the Italian capital in January.
He is said to be earning €24 million (£21m/$28m) at Liverpool, meaning that Roma would need to find close to €12 million (£10m/$14m) in order to cover a six-month loan deal. An agreement would be difficult even if the player agreed to lower his demands.
It is reported that Salah “remains a dream scenario rather than a concrete negotiation”, with Roma also exploring alternative attacking options. Big updates on Salah are, however, imminent as he will need to make a huge call on his future once returning to Liverpool from AFCON.
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Chelsea's season was already bordering on crisis when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Bournemouth on Tuesday night. Expectations are high at Stamford Bridge and a dreadful December brought about questions over just how ready this team is to compete. There was turbulence, sure, but the surprise sacking of Enzo Maresca on New Year's Day could torpedo their 2025-26 campaign altogether.
Maresca supposedly missed his post-match press conference on Tuesday with illness, but it later transpired he simply did not want to face the media knowing how uncertain his future at the club actually was. Only he knows if he believed this would have been the last time to speak out as a Chelsea employee.
There are understandable reasons for the Blues wanting to make a change in the dugout, including questions over Maresca's own commitment having met with Manchester City multiple times in recent months, but they are far outweighed by arguments in the opposite direction. The club's entire operation is now under the microscope.
Chelsea's 3-0 win at home to Barcelona in the Champions League towards the end of November was meant to herald the start of a new era. A 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal, playing with one man fewer for the majority of the match, only backed up that assumption. The young Blues seemed to be maturing, but it was merely another false dawn.
Following a miserable December, Chelsea sit fifth in the Premier League table. That wouldn't be a disaster in isolation, but given the expectations placed upon them heading into the final month of 2025, it was extremely underwhelming. Maresca's men had also dropped back down to 13th in the Champions League standings, below Tottenham and Newcastle, after losing away at Atalanta a fortnight on from toppling Barca.
Since beating Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor on November 22, Chelsea have embarked on a run of one win in seven Premier League matches, taking seven points from a possible 21. The gap to Arsenal, whom some Blues supporters believed their team to be on par with after their most recent meeting, is now 15 points.
Chelsea's two stalemates with Bournemouth best represented the extent of their on-field issues. The 0-0 at the Vitality Stadium was an entirely forgettable affair in which both sides failed to create much of note, while the 2-2 back at Stamford Bridge was hectic beyond belief. For such an expensively assembled team, it still blows hot and cold far too often.
The youthful core that Chelsea's BlueCo owners and their raft of recruiters have taken such pride in assembling still seriously lacks leadership. Maresca's side sit bottom of the Premier League fair play table having already accrued 34 yellow cards and four red cards.
Nicolas Jackson was often made out to be one of the worst offenders in this regard, though it's telling that the team's disciplinary problems have persisted and even worsened since he was forced out of the club to Bayern Munich on loan. The new serial offender has turned out to be Moises Caicedo, whose stock has dropped since he emerged as a Player of the Year contender through the opening third of the season.
Caicedo's fourth-minute booking in Tuesday's draw was his fifth of the Premier League season, picking up a suspension ahead of Sunday's crucial trip to Manchester City. It will be his second ban of the domestic campaign thus far too having already missed three matches for a sending off against Arsenal, where he was tipped to go toe-to-toe with the Gunners' own nine-figure midfielder Declan Rice.
Maresca may have privately felt the team needed to kick this habit, but his continual public insistence surely only empowered his players to continue in their troublesome ways.
This time last season, Chelsea were going through a similar sort of slump. They had climbed to second in the Premier League table, two points behind eventual champions Liverpool, and showed glimpses of a team ready to make a leap from top-four or five contenders to one in and around the title picture.
They then followed this up by being one of the first teams in history to talk their way out of a title race. Every interview and every press conference felt like a political campaign to get that pressure off the club's back. Lo and behold, Chelsea won two of their 10 Premier League games from mid-December to the end of February. Sound familiar? It is becoming tradition for this iteration of Chelsea to get their fans' hopes up before spectacularly letting them down again over the winter.
There is a new bad habit that the Blues need to kick as well - their woeful record on defending set pieces. Despite devising a whole department for them, led by former Brentford dead-ball guru Bernardo Cueva Martinez, they cannot defend them very well. Their main kryptonite has been long throws, with a league-high four conceded from them this season.
Chelsea have dropped more points from winning positions at home than any other team, giving them a reputation as a side with a soft underbelly. Maresca had to be held accountable for that, but given the insistence upstairs that only long-term results matter, could he really be blamed for not cultivating a culture?
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At the end of the day, the best teams have the best players. To simplify the bigger picture, Chelsea simply don't have enough top-quality stars, especially when you factor in they've spent billions trying to rebuild their way back to contention.
There are too many middling players who don't move the needle. Cole Palmer and Caicedo are standouts in their positions, Estevao Willian is an extremely exciting prospect, and Reece James (when fit) and Marc Cucurella are also excellent options, but beyond them, much of Maresca's squad is of a similar standard.
Are Liam Delap and Joao Pedro any better up top than the ousted Jackson? What's the differential between Pedro Neto, Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens? Are they even any better than Noni Madueke, who was sold to Arsenal with seemingly little fuss but is already popular at a better team? Who is Chelsea's best centre-back? Why allocate so much money towards players who won't immediately improve the first-team squad for at least a couple of years?
Through 18 months in charge, Maresca never seemed to know what his best Chelsea team looked like. BBC Sport calculated he made substitutions faster than any other Premier League manager and he made the most changes to his starting lineups this season. It was a thankless task trying to keep everyone happy.
Chelsea used to fight for titles year in, year out. That's because it largely didn't matter who the manager was - Roberto Di Matteo won the Champions League and Avram Grant was a slip away from the same feat - just that they had incredible talent to see them through. It's a far cry from their state nowadays.
In Germany, football clubs have a tradition of wheeling out their directors and other members of the hierarchy to speak to the press alongside the head coach. This is most noticeable at Bayern Munich, where Vincent Kompany is regularly flanked by director of sport Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund. They offer thoughts and insight into matters which may not necessarily concern the manager, such as squad building and transfers.
During his time at Tottenham - before he blew his lid in his final presser, that is - Antonio Conte bemoaned that he had to be the face of the club and no one else was being held publicly accountable. Maresca made suggestions that he felt the same way without explicitly saying that, though did reveal last month he felt a lack of support after defeat to Atalanta, which seemed to have been the beginning of the end for him.
Chelsea, more than any club in England, should be adopting a policy where the sporting directors front for the media. So much is made of their recruitment, so much praise is bestowed upon Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, yet we never see or hear from them. If Maresca's job was deemed untenable, then theirs should be on the line as well. The club have spent nearly four years trying to establish a new identity which is drifting further away from their previous one of winning at all costs and for no good reason.
The owners would do well to convince a better manager to come and work for them in this regime of haphazard planning in the name of 'the project'. BlueCo have now cycled through Maresca, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino as permanent managers, as well as Frank Lampard as an extended caretaker. All while having nowhere near the success of the previous regime upstairs.
Whoever Chelsea's new manager is, they will still have some positives to look at. The mad scramble for Champions League qualification is so jumbled that even this terrible run of form has barely dented their hopes of finishing in the top four or five. There is a Carabao Cup semi-final with Arsenal to look ahead to, though at this rate that may prove a real baptism of fire.
Winning cures everything. More so than any playing style, that has been 'the Chelsea way' of the modern era and is exactly why the fanbase has soured so swiftly. If the owners are serious about success in the short term as well as the long term, they would also use the January transfer window to bring in some more ready-made players to help steer the team's young heads.
That's all nice and easy when written down. But do you actually believe in this Chelsea and its operations to make something of 2025-26 now?
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Chelsea's search for a new manager continues to be narrowed down, with three more potential candidates to succeed Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge being ruled out of the running. It is being claimed that former Blues midfielder Cesc Fabregas, current Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner and highly-rated Porto boss Francesco Farioli are not being considered in west London.
A vacancy has arisen at Chelsea following the decision to part with Maresca. The Italian tactician was relieved of his duties on New Year's Day, despite overseeing Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup triumphs in 2025.
Maresca had been speaking with Manchester City and Juventus about future vacancies, leading to obvious questions of his commitment to the cause, and he has now been freed to explore other opportunities. Chelsea find themselves back in the market for a new manager as a result, with another change being made just 18 months after bringing in the former assistant to Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
The expectation is that the Blues will continue to favour potential over pedigree, with an up-and-coming coach being sought to inherit the reins at Stamford Bridge. World Cup winner Fabregas would tick that box, as he continues to cut his managerial teeth in Italy with Como.
The Daily Mail are, however, reporting that the Spaniard - who spent five years with Chelsea as a player between 2014 and 2019 - is “not a contender” to retrace steps to familiar surroundings. The same can be said for Glasner, per The Athletic, who boasts Premier League experience and remarkably won the FA Cup with Crystal Palace in 2025.
Farioli, meanwhile, has been ruled out of the running by Fabrizio Romano. He has claimed on social media that Porto's manager - who is just 36 years of age - has told fans at Estadio do Dragao: “We continue together.” It has been claimed that Chelsea would need to stump up £13 million ($17m) in compensation if they wanted to prise Farioli away from Porto, and that is another factor that has led the Blues to target alternative options.
Marseille head coach Roberto De Zerbi was already off the table as an option despite holding talks with the Blues.
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One of those alternatives is Strasbourg boss Liam Rosenior - a domestic rival of De Zerbi and a man tied to one of Chelsea's sister clubs. BlueCo would have little trouble in moving him from one of their dugouts to another.
Rosenior does not, however, have any experience of coaching in the English top flight. He worked with Derby and Hull City before heading to France. He does, however, fit the mould when it comes to youthful exuberance and a tactical blueprint that demands attacking football be played.
John Terry is another ex-Chelsea star to have seen a return to his former stomping ground mooted. Frank Lampard has already taken in two spells as Chelsea boss - one permanent and another interim - and is now catching the eye at Championship leaders Coventry.
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It appears unlikely that he would walk away from that post, but William Gallas - who also represented Chelsea in his playing days - has previously side of a third stint at the Bridge being enjoyed: “After what happened to Frank Lampard, we had to be patient. He is doing well right now with Coventry City, if he can give them the chance to get into the Premier League that would be the best thing for him.
“But you never know, he could go back. That's why it's good for him to improve and do something really good with another Premier League team in the future, maybe helping them into Europe in the Europa League or Champions League.
“That would give him more experience and then one day, we could see him at Chelsea again. But right now, I don't know. The best thing that can happen for him now is Coventry City to go to the Premier League. That will be the best story for him.”
With the likes of Lampard, Fabregas and De Zerbi seemingly out of the running, it remains to be seen who Chelsea will turn to. U21 coach Calum McFarlane is poised to take temporary charge for Sunday's testing trip to Manchester City.
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The Black Stars will feature in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
The Black Stars officially qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup after finishing the qualifiers as leaders of Group I, scoring numerous goals to outclass their opponents.
The team netted 23 goals in 10 games and conceded only six, which helped them gain prominence on the table and secure their place in the tournament.
Jordan Ayew was the top scorer with seven goals and seven assists, ranking among the best players globally, alongside stars like Erling Haaland and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.
Ghana drawn in Group L for 2026 FIFA World Cup In addition to Ayew, players such as Alexander Djiku, Iñaki Williams, Thomas Partey, and others also got on the scoresheets to cushion the team's campaign.
Ghana joined the list of qualified African nations after beating Comoros at home on matchday 10 of the qualifiers to secure their ticket for the tournament.
The Black Stars defeated Comoros 1–0 at the Accra Sports Stadium on Sunday, October 12, 2025, with Mohammed Kudus scoring the only goal of the game.
After 10 matches played in Group I, Ghana topped the table with 25 points, followed by Madagascar with 19 points, Mali with 18, Comoros with 15, the Central African Republic with 8, and Chad in sixth place with just 1 point.
Otto Addo has now become the first coach to qualify the Black Stars for two FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Watch all the goals scored by the Black Stars players below: 🤩 It's World Cup Year! 🏆
📹 Relive all the goals that earned us a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup 🌍🏆
History made. Memories created. Let's go 2026! 👊🏾🇬🇭#BlackStars https://t.co/mHlNEVZz7Y pic.twitter.com/IjQ7LGjaYj— 🇬🇭 Black Stars (@GhanaBlackstars) January 1, 2026 SB/AE
Meanwhile, watch as Rev. Owusu-Bempah drops major prophecies for 2026
🤩 It's World Cup Year! 🏆
📹 Relive all the goals that earned us a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup 🌍🏆
History made. Memories created. Let's go 2026! 👊🏾🇬🇭#BlackStars https://t.co/mHlNEVZz7Y pic.twitter.com/IjQ7LGjaYj
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Former USMNT star Michael Bradley named NY Red Bulls coach (0:26)
The conclusion of the 2025 MLS season heralded the end of a banner year for several U.S. men's national team players performing domestically. Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten, Orlando City defender Alex Freeman, New York City FC goalkeeper Matt Freese and Real Salt Lake's Diego Luna all boosted their stock over the course of the year at both club and international levels, giving credence to U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino's vow to look under every rock and tree for capable players who will help his team's cause.
The offseason is a time for those players to assess their situations and ask the ultimate question: Is now the time to take the next step in their careers and make a move abroad? It's a question that is, at this juncture, more loaded than it otherwise might be.
Not only is the winter transfer window in Europe about to open, but next summer's World Cup is looming on the horizon. No player wants to mess with a good situation and perhaps compromise his standing with Pochettino with the World Cup so close. Playing time, regardless of where it happens, is paramount. Then there's the nature of what next summer's World Cup represents.
"I think as you're heading into six months out from a World Cup, for American, Canadian and Mexican players it's an opportunity that'll happen once in a lifetime to make a World Cup roster and play in your home country. That's going to be paramount," said Richard Motzkin, executive vice president and managing director of global soccer at Wasserman, a firm that represents more than a dozen USMNT players. "And quite frankly, you're going to want to give yourself the best chance to make a roster, period.
"Playing in a World Cup is a dream for every soccer player, and then to be able to do it in your home country is just an unbelievable opportunity that you're going to be really smart about to give yourself the best chance to make that happen."
There are no absolutes in these kinds of circumstances. Every player has his own scenario, but some situations are more solid than others. Freese signed a new deal in September through 2030 and, according to one source with knowledge of the situation, has "no appetite" for a move. This makes perfect sense. Freese's competition is all MLS-based with the New England Revolution's Matt Turner and Columbus' Patrick Schulte among those hoping to challenge for the top spot; Freese isn't going to get nudged out of the starting spot because a competitor is tearing it up in Europe. As for his own aspirations, there will be time after the World Cup to try to bring those dreams to fruition.
Arfsten and Luna are similarly tied up, with multiple years left on their respective deals, though their situations are a bit more fluid. Arfsten drew the attention of Middlesbrough earlier this year, but Columbus' valuation remains higher than what was being offered. That said, the Crew have shown a willingness to move players in the past, such as Aidan Morris to Boro and Cucho Hernández to Real Betis. The timing -- and money -- has to be right.
That's even more the case with attacking players like Luna, with U.S. products in those positions often having to do more to prove themselves than their colleagues elsewhere on the field. There's also RSL's desire to build a team around Luna for years to come.
"I would say [a move is] not very likely, but again, things can change and you never know what happens in the next month or so," said RSL chief soccer officer and sporting director Kurt Schmid about a possible Luna transfer. "I think we'd only do a move -- and he'd only, I assume, want to move -- if it was the right situation and didn't mess anything up with the national team, given how close the World Cup is. That's going to be a big concern of his, and rightly so, with any potential offers or anything that comes in."
Freeman's circumstances are different. The defender's rise up the ranks at both club and international level has been nothing short of meteoric, capped off by a two-goal performance in a friendly against Uruguay in November. The player has made it clear that he prefers to stay put.
"I think my focus in January, February is going into Orlando and just being able to perform at my best," Freeman told ESPN in November. "I feel like that's going to be my goal, and especially being able to do that and being a system guy ... not [having] to worry about having to switch the way I play, I feel like that's perfect for me in my situation.
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"To be able to do that and just be accustomed to something I'm used to, and just to be happy in Orlando. You know, I'm happy here ... I'll be playing games. It's not like we're not going to play games around preseason games and everything like that. So I'll still be able to get that."
But the respective desires of player and club aren't always in alignment. Freeman's contract expires at the end of 2026. One source with knowledge of the situation said that Orlando has made a max-U22 offer for Freeman that would see him get paid eight times more than what he is making now, but he isn't expected to sign, which puts Orlando in a quandary.
The club essentially has to transfer Freeman now if it is going to get any return on the player. Otherwise, it risks losing him for nothing at the end of next season. The source confirmed a report from The Athletic that LaLiga side Villarreal had an offer rejected but remain interested.
The compromise is for a transfer to be made with a loan back to Orlando through at least the World Cup. Freeman would get his move, eventually, without compromising his standing with the USMNT. Orlando, meanwhile, gets some money in return. Freeman holds the cards in this situation.
With just six months to go until the start of the World Cup, matters in terms of possible transfers are mostly settled, but there are still some pieces in motion.
Marcus Rashford needs to improve in two key areas in order to convince Barcelona to sign him from Manchester United permanently. The England forward has impressed in his first six months for Hansi Flick's side but there is still work for him to do and he is one of three players whose future at the Camp Nou is up in the air heading into the second half of the season.
Rashford has scored seven goals and set up another eight for Barcelona after pressing for a loan move to the Catalans all summer. He has impressed coach Flick, who led the push to sign the attacker after he was placed in Ruben Amorim's 'bomb squad' after returning from his loan spell at Aston Villa and was barred from training with the United first team.
Flick said in December: "What I can say, he's an absolute professional player. His attitude, mentality is great. In the beginning, he had to adapt a little bit, but now he's on his best level. I speak with the players when they're not playing, explaining why, and what he said to me the last day was, 'Boss, you don't have to tell me this, it's only about the team. We have to win three points, nothing else is important'. It's the right attitude. The mentality he has is fantastic and I am really happy he is here."
The forward has played in all but one of Barca's matches, although his place in the starting line-up has become threatened by Raphinha's recent return from injury, with Rashford instead proving an effective impact substitute. He is also Barca's leading scorer in the Champions League. And yet despite all the progress he has made less than a year after being hounded out of Old Trafford, there is no guarantee that Barca will look to sign him permanently.
A report in Mundo Deportivoclaims Rashford, star striker Robert Lewandowski and defender Andreas Christensen are all playing for their futures as their contracts all expire in June. According to the report, Rashford has 'responded well' in the first half of the season, although the coaching staff believe he still needs to improve defensively and in his pressing. The club are pleased overall with Rashford and if he continues in his current vein of form they will consider signing him permanently.
Rashford's loan deal includes a €30 million (£26m/$35m) buy clause, way below the market value for a player of his track record and reputation. However, Barca are still constrained by their huge debt problems and it is believed that they will try and negotiate with United to try to sign him for a lower fee. Rashford is under contract with United until 2028 and on a massive salary reported to be £300,000 ($403k) per week, which Barca are covering the entirety of during his loan spell.
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Rashford has been enjoying a Christmas break for the first time in his career as La Liga paused action before Christmas while the Premier League scheduled intensified. He is loving life in Spain and is not feeling any burden.
Rashford told BBC Sport last month: "I don't see anything here as like a pressure. It's just, I'm here to play football. It's been amazing. I feel welcome, I feel at home. I've just been enjoying every step of the way. It's different, but it's a great learning curve for me. And even little things, I've not done it completely yet, but learning the language and stuff like that, learning the culture, it's all enjoyable for me.
"It's a new language of football. I've always been, like many people in the world, an admirer of Spanish football. To play for the biggest club in Spain is a huge honour. I'm looking forward to playing more games here, just doing my best and try to help the team to win."
Barca return to action on Saturday with a local derby away to Espanyol.
Manchester City have reportedly taken another huge stride towards completing a big-money transfer for Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo. The Ghana international is expected to be on the move in the January window as there is a £65 million ($87m) clause in his contract with the Cherries that can be triggered by any of his many suitors. He could soon be heading to the Etihad Stadium.
Semenyo has been attracting plenty of interest, with Manchester United another heavyweight outfit that are said to have the talented 25-year-old on their radar. A move to Liverpool has also been mooted amid the uncertainty regarding Mohamed Salah's future at Anfield.
City have, however, surged to the front of the queue and are ready to push an agreement through early in 2026. Pep Guardiola's squad is already loaded with attacking talent, but another proven Premier League performer is poised to join the ranks in Manchester.
Ben Jacobs reports that “Semenyo's move to Manchester City from Bournemouth is now agreed in principle”. He goes on to say that the two clubs are “in process of drafting paperwork”. It is claimed that further “clarity” on a proposed switch is “expected in the next 24 hours”.
City appear set to win the race for a much sought-after signature, but Guardiola has continued to play cards close to his chest when it comes to Semenyo. He told reporters when last asked about a proposed deal: “I don't know any news about anything right now. I'm sorry, I don't have any news. So the transfer window is completely closed right now.”
Semenyo has registered nine goals for Bournemouth this season, having hit 13 last term. He is fully aware of the noise that he continues to generate, but has been doing his best to turn a deaf ear to it.
The Chelsea-born star, who started out at Bristol City, has said of his future: “I don't think about it too much. I try to stay present as much as I can. You see the news all the time, I see it as well, I'm not oblivious, but I try to keep focused. I'm enjoying my football here. If I'm not scoring goals, all of that goes away. I try to stay present, do the best I can for the team, score goals and whatever happens in the future happens.”
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Bournemouth are set to make a sizeable profit on Semenyo, having acquired him in January 2023 for £10m ($13m). They will not, however, be parting with their prized asset without a fight. Cherries boss Andoni Iraola remains adamant that his club have not seen the last of their talismanic winger.
He told reporters following a 2-2 draw at Chelsea to end 2025, with a home date against table-topping Arsenal next on the agenda: “Antoine is performing very well, and I'm expecting him to be available also in the next game for us too. I hope he continues playing the same way. There is a lot of noise around him, but my worry as a coach is that he can keep up the performance level he is having.”
Iraola added: “It's not his last game here with us. I cannot say 100% but I think he will play [against Arsenal]. He has to recover, we've played two difficult games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, we get ready for another one, a demanding game against the leaders. Definitely he's going to be an important player for us.”
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That matter could be taken out of Iraola's hands, with Bournemouth being left with little choice but to cash in if the release clause in Semenyo's contract is taken up. City are ready to pay the going rate, making it likely that a deal will be pushed through.
All of the relevant paperwork may not be completed in time for Semenyo to line up for his new side in their next outing, at home to managerless Chelsea on Sunday, but they will be eager to make sure that no risks are taken on his fitness when Bournemouth play host to Arsenal - meaning that a farewell to the south coast may already have been bid.
We're only halfway through the season but Chelsea are looking for a new manager, after parting company with Enzo Maresca on New Year's Day. On the one hand, the Italian's exit is a surprise, given he won both the Conference League and Club World Cup during his first season at Stamford Bridge. However, it had been clear for some time that Maresca wasn't entirely happy in west London, with the former Leicester City boss sensationally going public with a perceived lack of support within the club after last month's Champions League loss to Atalanta.
His team had also been booed off the pitch after Tuesday's 2-2 draw at home to Bournemouth - which left the Blues fifth in the Premier League table, some 15 points behind leaders Arsenal after a run of just one win in seven games.
The question now, of course, is who will Chelsea hire to replace Maresca at the helm? Many coaches would doubtless jump at the chance to work for such a big club - and with one of the most exciting young squads in world football. However, others might well be put off by rumours that Maresca was unhappy with alleged interference in his team selections.
With all of that in mind, GOAL runs through all of the leading candidates below...
Glasner is definitely going to end up at one of the Premier League's top teams sooner or later. The Austrian has taken English football by storm since succeeding Roy Hodgson as Crystal Palace manager in February 2024. After leading the Eagles to their best-ever points haul (49), he bettered that tally in his first full season at Selhurst Park (53), while at the same time ending the club's 120-year wait for a trophy by masterminding a stunning 1-0 win over the mighty Manchester City in the final of the FA Cup.
Glasner, though, is out of contract in the summer and the word is that he's determined to test himself at the very highest level. However, it's unlikely that he'd leave before then - and probably not for Chelsea either. Glasner's rage reportedly led to Palace pulling the plug on Marc Guehi's deadline-day move to Liverpool - so one can only imagine what he'd make of the nonsensical and constant comings and goings at Stamford Bridge!
Cesc Fabregas has all of the attributes Chelsea are looking for in a manager, in that he's a young (38), tactically progressive coach capable of working in the confines of a very specific project. The Spaniard has done an outstanding job since taking over as Como boss by leading the lake-side club back into Serie A and almost immediately established them as one of the best teams to watch in Italy. Fabregas is also a former Chelsea player, having helped the Blues win two titles during his five years - meaning he'd be a very popular appointment with the fans.
However, whereas the World Cup winner has a big say in how things work at the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia - Fabregas is also a shareholder at Como - he would not be afforded the same level of influence at Stamford Bridge. It's also very hard to see him leaving Como midway through the season, given they're on track to qualify for European competition for the first time ever. So, while Fabregas feels destined to return to the Premier League at some point, it's unlikely to happen this month. He turned down Inter last summer; he'd likely reject any approach from Chelsea too.
A third tenure at Stamford Bridge for Lampard doesn't appear to make much sense - but when has a lack of logic ever been a factor in Chelsea's thinking? The previous regime hired the legendary midfielder after he'd led Derby County to the Championship play-off final in 2019, while Todd Boehly & Co. inexplicably brought him back to the Bridge in a caretaker capacity in 2023. Given Lampard is presently rebuilding his reputation at Coventry, we simply cannot rule the 47-year-old returning to Chelsea. Stranger things have happened.
However, the timing feels off here, as Lampard is poised to get Coventry back into the Premier League for the first time since 2001, with the Sky Blues currently eight points clear at the top of the Championship. Furthermore, while the fans still love Lampard, a significant chunk of the support would undoubtedly be underwhelmed by him being given a third crack of the whip, as he'd still not be considered a contender for any other top job in the Premier League.
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From a neutral perspective, the most exciting candidate by some distance because of the potential for fireworks. De Zerbi is one of the most interesting coaches in the game today from a tactical perspective and can even count Pep Guardiola among his admirers. His Brighton side was a joy to watch in full flow, while he's also presently doing a good job at Marseille, who are third in Ligue 1 and reasonably well placed to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League.
We also know that Chelsea are fans of De Zerbi's work, as they interviewed him before appointing Maresca as coach in the summer of 2024. The issue, of course, is that De Zerbi is very much his own man, wants complete control over what he's doing and is never afraid to speak his mind. Consequently, he doesn't feel like a good fit for Chelsea at all - but his tenure would be anything but dull, that's for sure!
A bit of a left-field option but a legitimate contender according to reliable sources. Despite his young age (36), Farioli has long been regarded as a potential elite-level coach in his native Italy, where he actually started out as a goalkeeping coach, and already has plenty of experience, having worked in Turkey (Fatih Karagumruk and Alanyaspor), France (Nice) and the Netherlands (Ajax) before taking up his current role in Portugal with Porto. Farioli is also a disciple of De Zerbi's - which explains why Chelsea have taken an interest in his career.
However, it is worth noting that, for all his promise, the Tuscan has yet to win a trophy of any variety after overseeing one of the biggest bottle-jobs in football history during his solitary season in Amsterdam. Farioli also parted company with Ajax after that shocking conclusion to their 2024-25 campaign because he no longer shared the same "visions and timeframes" as his employers in the club's continued pursuit of success. Chelsea, then, might not be the right environment for him either...
It would not have been a surprise to see McKenna take over Chelsea in the summer of 2024. At the time, the Northern Irishman had just led Ipswich back into the Premier League after back-to-back promotions and the Blues weren't the only top team interested in his services. Manchester United were also considering bringing their former assistant manager back to Old Trafford. McKenna, though, elected to sign a new deal at Portman Road and although Ipswich finished 19th in the Premier League last season, their 39-year-old manager is still held in very high esteem at Stamford Bridge - particularly as it looks like the Tractor Boys are going to secure an immediate top-flight return.
McKenna is, therefore, a strong candidate for the Chelsea job. After all, he wouldn't have even interviewed for the position back in 2024 if he were put off by all of the potential baggage that comes with the role. However, McKenna doesn't seem like the kind of character to walk out on a club fighting for promotion that steadfastly stood by him during last season's struggles and a slow start to the current campaign. McKenna certainly seems destined to end up in a top job - just maybe not yet.
Iraola was at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening as Bournemouth boss; could he be asked to make a rapid return to take charge of Chelsea? It's certainly a possibility. Iraola was complete unknown to Premier League followers when he arrived at the Vitality Stadium in the summer of 2023 but he's now considered one of the best coaches in the top flight after twice leading The Cherries to club-record points hauls. Bournemouth are also one of the more exciting sides to watch in England - as underlined by the 2-2 draw with Chelsea that led to Maresca's dismissal - and that's in spite of the fact that Iraola has had to deal with the sale of several key players over the past couple of seasons.
With Antoine Semenyo also now set to leave, the 43-year-old would be forgiven for at least being tempted by the prospect of taking over a proper Premier League heavyweight like Chelsea. Bournemouth would obviously be loath to lose him at this stage of the season but it's easy to understand why key figures at the Bridge believe hiring Iraola would make for a smooth transition for the squad, given his footballing philosophy is similar to that of Maresca.
The obvious and most likely choice. Rosenior is currently in charge of Chelsea's sister club, Strasbourg, and doing a fine job. After taking over at the Stade de la Meinau in July 2024, he led the French outfit into Europe via a seventh-placed finish in Ligue 1 and they finished top of this season's Conference League league phase.
Chelsea supporters will obviously have their doubts about the in-house appointment of a 41-year-old who's never previously managed in the Premier League and was effectively sacked by Hull City because of his allegedly boring brand of football. However, Rosenior is very well regarded by the Blues board and has long been considered a potential Maresca successor. As a company man, the former full-back would obviously have no issue with the set-up at Stamford Bridge, making him the obvious and most likely choice to take over in the coming days.
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Xabi Alonso's future at the club remains in a grey area, and no one can state with certainty if he will remain in his post in a month's of today.
The manager has had a rocky time in recent months, especially with the team losing ground in La Liga at the end of 2025. The team did indeed finish the year decently, but there are growing doubts about whether he is indeed the right man for the project.
January's FIFA Club World Cup may well be the deciding factor in Alonso's future, but Real Madrid are staying prepared for the worst.
In that sense, AS‘s recent report on Alvaro Arbeloa becomes significant.
As relayed by the Spanish outlet, several Real Madrid leaders are impressed with Arbeloa's work for the lower division teams – first with the Juvenil A and more recently with the Castilla side.
The manager, after all, has done exceedingly well irrespective of the setup entrusted with – something that speaks volumes about his managerial quality.
It was in the 2022-23 season that he began to make a solid name for himself, especially with his team's run in the league, cup and in Europe.
Arbeloa has impressed at the Real Madrid hierarchy. (Photo by Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
It was a team that boasted the likes of Nico Paz, Jacobo Ramon and Gonzalo Garcia among others and Arbeloa does deserve credit for all of them being in top clubs today.
More than the results, however, it is the dominant style of football he provides that has got the Real Madrid hierarchy supporting him. His teams work hard off the ball with vigorous intensity, win the ball up high and play with a wonderful vertical style of football.
Arbeloa is also liked for being up to date with his approach to management which is exemplified in his use of drones to get an aerial view of his team's structure. He is outspoken, fearless with the media and an approachable figure for his players.
There are no direct links between him and the first-team job as of today, but it appears that it is only a matter of time if the team do not improve.
Real Madrid will be on the lookout for a successor, and Arbeloa is giving off all the right cues.
Argentina secured a win over Spain in the 2026 United Cup opener, led by Solana Sierra and Sebastian Baez. Sierra's three-set victory and Baez's dominant performance gave Argentina a strong start in Group A. Argentina aims to advance out of the group stage for the first time in three tournament appearances.
Argentina earned the first team win of the 2026 United Cup in Perth on Friday, defeating Spain behind singles victories from Sebastián Báez and Solana Sierra. World No. 66 Sierra clinched the win for her country in Group A with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 triumph over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro after Baez defeated Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4 in the first tie of the competition.
"I [felt] really good on the court," Sierra said to reporters. "I think I played a really great match. I did a great preseason also, so I was really looking forward to start good. It was a really good match, tough. But I feel good."
To close off the strong afternoon, Argentina's mixed-doubles duo of Maria Lourdes Carle and Guido Andreozzi secured the sweep with a 7-6 (6), 6-2 win over Spain's Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers and Inigo Cervantes.
United Cup: Scores | Standings | Order of Play
Argentina is hoping to advance out of group-stage play for the first time in three tournament appearances, and its opening win was driven by its second-highest and highest-ranked players in the ATP and PIF WTA Rankings, respectively.
As the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz season gets underway in Australia, Sierra's grit in particular stood out over 2 hours and 2 minutes, as she regrouped after losing a 5-2 second-set lead and turned the match back in her favor.
Sierra was two points away from a straight-sets victory twice in the second set, having 30-30 serving at 5-3, and on return at 5-4. But when all was said and done, she needed three sets to top the World No. 41 and earn her third career win over a Top 50 opponent.
She lost just eight points in the third set after dropping five straight games to lose the second.
"I just tried to focus on my game. I was doing really good, then at 5-2 in the second set, I was not playing too good," she said on-court after her second tour-level win over a player from Spain. "But I'm really proud of how I kept going in the third set.
"I'm super happy to start the year competing and representing Argentina. It's a different week, sharing the week with all the team. We are enjoying every moment."
In the first match of the 2026 ATP Tour season, World No. 45 Baez defeated Munar to give Argentina a 1-0 lead over Spain.
A post shared by United Cup (@unitedcuptennis)
Making his debut at the mixed-teams event, the 24-year-old recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win against the Spaniard in 1 hour and 43 minutes in the Group A tie. With the victory, he improved to 2-0 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“I really enjoyed this moment, enjoyed the time on court, so happy to [have] won this point for Argentina,” he said.
After both players traded breaks early in the first set, Baez gained control at 4-4 by breaking Munar and serving out the set in the following game. In the second set, the Argentine showed great composure again by breaking back, immediately after losing serve, for a 4-3 lead. He saved four of the six break points he faced in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I am happy because I am recovering from some pain and some injuries from the past two years. So, of course, I want more. I know I have more. I have some confidence and I believe in my team and in my country,” Baez shared.
With the victory, the Argentine secured his first Top 50 win since defeating then-No. 46 Mariano Navone on his way to the title in Rio last February.
Argentina secured a win over Spain in the 2026 United Cup opener, led by Solana Sierra and Sebastian Baez. Sierra's three-set victory and Baez's dominant performance gave Argentina a strong start in Group A. Argentina aims to advance out of the group stage for the first time in three tournament appearances.
Argentina picked up the first team win of the 2026 United Cup in Perth on Friday over Spain thanks to singles victories by Sebastian Baez and Solana Sierra. World No. 66 Sierra clinched the win for her country in Group A with a 6-4, 5-7, 6-0 triumph over Jessica Bouzas Maneiro after Baez defeated Jaume Munar 6-4, 6-4 in the first match of the competition.
Guido Andreozzi and Maria Lourdes Carle then downed Yvonne Carvalle-Reimers and Inigo Cervantes 7-6(6), 6-2 in the mixed doubles rubber to earn Argentina a resounding 3-0 triumph. The South American nation will face top seeds and defending champions Team USA in their remaining Group A match.
Argentina is hoping to advance out of group-stage play for the first time in three tournament appearances, and was aided in its opening win by its second-highest and highest-ranked players in the PIF ATP Rankings and PIF WTA Rankings, respectively. But Sierra's grit in particular was a highlight over 2 hours and 2 minutes, as she regrouped emphatically after losing a 5-2 second-set lead.
Sierra was two points away from a straight-sets victory twice in the second set, having 30-30 serving at 5-3, and on return at 5-4. But when all was said and done, she needed three sets to top the World No. 41 and earn her third career win over a Top 50 opponent. She lost just eight points in the third set after dropping five straight games to lose the second.
"It was a really tough match. I just tried to focus on my game. I was doing really good, then at 5-2 in the second set, I was not playing too good. But I'm really proud of how I kept going in the third set," the 21-year-old said after just her second-ever tour-level win over a player from Spain.
"I'm super happy to start the year competing and representing Argentina. It's a different week, sharing the week with all the team. We are enjoying every moment."
Earlier, in the first match of the 2026 ATP Tour season, World No. 45 Baez defeated Munar to give Argentina a 1-0 lead. Making his debut at the mixed teams event, the 24-year-old Baez recorded a 6-4, 6-4 win against the Spaniard in one hour and 43 minutes in the Group A tie. With the victory, he improved to 2-0 in the pair's Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“I really enjoyed this moment, enjoyed the time on court, so happy to [have] won this point for Argentina,” he said.
After both players traded breaks early in the first set, Baez gained control at 4-4 by breaking Munar and serving out the set in the following game. In the second set, the Argentine showed great composure again by breaking back, immediately after losing serve, for a 4-3 lead. He saved four of the six break points he faced in the match, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“I am happy because I am recovering from some pain and some injuries from the past two years. So, of course, I want more. I know I have more. I have some confidence and I believe in my team and in my country,” Baez shared.
With the victory, the Argentine secured his first Top 50 win since defeating then-No. 46 Mariano Navone on his way to the title in Rio last February.
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The seven-time major singles winner, 45, made a debut run to the quarterfinals 28 years ago in Melbourne.ByAssociated PressPublished Jan 02, 2026 copy_link
Published Jan 02, 2026
© 2025 Cory Knowlton/ISI Photos
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams has received a wild-card entry for the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 in Melbourne.The tournament said Friday that the 45-year-old Williams would make a return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her first appearance. In 1998, she defeated her younger sister Serena in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to fellow American Lindsay Davenport.Venus had announced in November that she would play in Auckland, New Zealand, where she also received a wild card, two weeks before the Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was also entered to play a tournament in Hobart, Australia a week later and just before play begins at Melbourne Park.Read More: Inside Venus Williams' Palm Beach wedding bash
The tournament said Friday that the 45-year-old Williams would make a return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her first appearance. In 1998, she defeated her younger sister Serena in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to fellow American Lindsay Davenport.Venus had announced in November that she would play in Auckland, New Zealand, where she also received a wild card, two weeks before the Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was also entered to play a tournament in Hobart, Australia a week later and just before play begins at Melbourne Park.Read More: Inside Venus Williams' Palm Beach wedding bash
Venus had announced in November that she would play in Auckland, New Zealand, where she also received a wild card, two weeks before the Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was also entered to play a tournament in Hobart, Australia a week later and just before play begins at Melbourne Park.Read More: Inside Venus Williams' Palm Beach wedding bash
Read More: Inside Venus Williams' Palm Beach wedding bash
She last appeared in Melbourne in 2021 and has finished runner-up in the women's singles twice, losing to Serena in the finals in 2003 and 2017."I'm excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer," Williams said. "I've had so many incredible memories there, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career."Williams' record at Melbourne Park is 54 wins and 21 losses. This year will be the 22nd time she has appeared in the main draw.The tournament said Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.
"I'm excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer," Williams said. "I've had so many incredible memories there, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career."Williams' record at Melbourne Park is 54 wins and 21 losses. This year will be the 22nd time she has appeared in the main draw.The tournament said Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.
Williams' record at Melbourne Park is 54 wins and 21 losses. This year will be the 22nd time she has appeared in the main draw.The tournament said Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.
The tournament said Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan's Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.
In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.
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A representative from the San Francisco Fire Department confirmed the news of the 34-year-old's pre-dawn New Year's Day death on Friday.
By
Kevin Dolak
Victoria Jones, the daughter of Oscar-winning actor Tommy Lee Jones, who appeared alongside her father in multiple films in the 1990s and on red carpets, was found dead in San Francisco on New Year's Day, according to local authorities.
Jones, 34, was found unresponsive at the Fairmont Hotel after paramedics were called, according to a representative from the San Francisco Fire Department, who confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter on Friday. No cause of death had been announced as of Friday morning.
“Our units responded to the scene, performed an assessment, and declared one person deceased,” the spokesperson said in a statement. At that point, the local police department and the medical examiner's office overtook the case.
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A representative for Tommy Lee Jones did not immediately reply to a phone call and email from The Hollywood Reporter seeking confirmation of the news.
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Jones is one of two children of Tommy Lee Jones and Kimberlea Cloughley, the actor's second wife; his son, Austin, is 43. Tommy Lee and Cloughley were married from 1981 to 1996.
In the year before her death, Jones had multiple run-ins with the law. On April 28, 2025, she was arrested in Napa County and soon charged with obstructing a peace officer, being under the influence of a controlled substance without a valid prescription and possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription.
As a child, Jones appeared in her father's films, including Men in Black II and The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada; she also appeared in the TV series One Tree Hill.
Tommy Lee Jones, 79, is an Oscar and a Golden Globe winner for his memorable role in the big-screen remake of The Fugitive. His most recent role was in the 2023 movie, The Burial.
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By Stewart Clarke
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar-shortlisted live-action short film A Friend of Dorothy has dropped on Disney+. The British-produced short, directed by Lee Knight, is now available on Disney+ in the UK and across Europe. It is an intergenerational tale about an unlikely friendship between the titular Dorothy, an elderly woman living alone, and JJ, her teenage neighbor.
BAFTA-winner Miriam Margolyes stars as Dorothy and Alistair Nwachukwu (Shadow and Bone) plays JJ. Their friendship starts when his football lands in her garden. The story was inspired by a real-life friendship between actor-turned-director Knight, his husband, and their late neighbor. The cast also includes Stephen Fry and Oscar Lloyd.
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JJ helps Dorothy with difficult household tasks and provides companionship to his octogenarian neighbor, whose husband has passed away and son lives abroad. Her mercenary grandson is the only family contact she has, and JJ becomes a firm friend. Meanwhile, she encourages him to follow his dreams to be a stage actor through reciting and reading plays.
Watch on Deadline
Knight won the Best Director and the film won the Best Drama accolade at the HollyShorts London event. Billed as “a story about loneliness, connection and unexpected friendship,” the film premiered at Raindance and has since been on a solid festival run. Its release on Disney+ allows it to break out beyond the festival circuit and reach a mainstream audience.
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the Academy for shortlisting A Friend of Dorothy in the Best Short Film category,” said Knight. “This film speaks to the power of human connection and the importance of feeling seen, regardless of the differences we may perceive between one another. It is deeply encouraging to see stories of companionship, acceptance and authentic living recognized on the global stage.”
The helmer gave Deadline a detailed take on the film back in December. His Filthy Gorgeous Productions banner made the film in association with A Marlow's Production, Double Dice Films and Namesake Films. James Dean (The Stolen Girl), Scottie Fotré and Max Marlow produced. The roster of exec producers included Stephen Daldry and Sonia Friedman.
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By Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV
EXCLUSIVE: Tanzyn Crawford (A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Tiny Beautiful Things) has been cast as a series regular in Assassin's Creed, Netflix‘s live-action series based on Ubisoft's bestselling video game franchise. She joins previously cast leads Toby Wallace and Lola Petticrew and fellow series regulars Zachary Hart and Laura Marcus.
Assassin's Creed is described as a high-octane thriller centered on the secret war between two shadowy factions — one set on determining mankind's future through control and manipulation, while the other fights to preserve free will.
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The series follows its characters across pivotal historical events as they battle to shape humanity's destiny. It is targeting a 2026 start of production in Italy, which serves as a setting of the adaptation, with the exact time period unclear. Also not disclosed are details about the characters — including Crawford's — which are believed to be different from the games.
Watch on Deadline
This is a second series regular casting for Crawford in a high-profile, IP-based upcoming drama series, along with HBO's Game of Thrones prequel A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, on which she portrays Tanselle.
Showrunners Roberto Patino and David Wiener executive produce Assassin's Creed alongside Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, Austin Dill, Genevieve Jones for Ubisoft Film & Television, and Matt O'Toole.
With more than 230 million units sold, the Assassin's Creed franchise is one of the bestselling series in video game history.
Australian-born Crawford got her break as a main cast member on the 2023 Hulu limited series Tiny Beautiful Things, playing lead Kathryn Hahn's daughter. She also did a guest arc on Apple TV's Servant the same year. Crawford went on to headline the Australian series Swift Street, starring opposite Cliff Curtis, before landing the series regular role on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, based off George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, which premieres Jan. 18 and already has been renewed for a second season.
Each season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on a different novella chronicling Dunk (Peter Claffey) and Egg's (Dexter Sol Ansell) travels to another area of Westeros, so most of the supporting cast are expected to change every season.
Crawford is repped by MCSM, Buchwald, 42 and Jackoway Austen.
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Alessandra Ambrosio is no stranger to a killer beach look.
The Victoria's Secret model is ringing in the new year in Brazil, where she took a dip in a statement-making swimsuit Thursday.
Tapping boyfriend Buck Palmer as her photographer once again, the 44-year-old posed by the water's edge in a ruffled Chloé one-piece ($890) with a plunging neckline.
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Featuring a delicate floral pattern — better seen once the suit was submerged in the water — the look was an ultra-feminine take on the supermodel's swim style.
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Ambrosio began her sunny photo shoot with a bright red sarong tied around her waist, though she ditched it once jumping into the waves.
Ambrosio knows her angles, and was seen staring straight into Palmer's camera lens when leaping into the ocean, only to turn around and capture some selfies of the couple as a pair.
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Ambrosio accessorized with aviator shades and a full suite of jewelry, including drop earrings, layered necklaces and a bracelet stack on her left wrist.
The night before, she shared images of her New Year's Eve party on the beach, where she wore a sheer, asymmetrical mesh Ammi dress ($810) embellished with sequins and rings.
“Feliz 2026 ✨🤍❣️🥂🎇 HNY,” Ambrosio captioned her celebratory post.
Drake has been accused of participating in a racketeering conspiracy built around the online casino Stake. A class action lawsuit filed in Virginia this week argues that Stake is running an illegal gambling operation in the United States, in which Drake, who is paid to promote the platform, is complicit. It further alleges that he is funnelling proceeds—via Stake's unregulated “tipping” system—to a third party, in Australia, to invest in bot farms that illegally boost Drake's streaming numbers. Stake's parent company, Sweepstakes Ltd., is named as a defendant alongside Drake, the streamer Adin Ross, and George Nguyen, the alleged Australian co-conspirator.
The basis of the lawsuit is that Stake operates in U.S. states, such as Virginia, that have outlawed real-money online gambling. Eyeing a possible (and highly contentious) legal loophole, Stake circumvents the online-gambling ban by selling “play money” that comes with free tokens. While the play money is worthless, the tokens can be wagered and later converted into cash for withdrawal. If a judge deems the practice to be illegal, Drake and Ross could be liable for promoting Stake.us, even if their own areas of residence permit online gambling.
Founded in Australia in 2017, Stake is a multibillion-dollar company whose fortunes skyrocketed during the cryptocurrency boom. It signed an endorsement deal with Drake in 2022 worth a reported $100 million a year; he has since undertaken frequent livestreams of online gambling sessions and giveaways. This past August, Drake seemingly fell out with the platform after having withdrawal attempts blocked. The matter appeared resolved in October when he posted a video staging his discovery of a $1 million balance restored to his account.
The bot-farming aspect of the lawsuit doubles as an attack on Stake's “tipping” function, which allows users to transfer funds between accounts—a common feature of online casinos. The lawsuit claims that Drake, Ross, and Nguyen used the feature to covertly transfer gambling proceeds. That “wholly unregulated money transmitter,” the lawsuit adds, financed Nguyen's further promotion of Stake, as well as a campaign to artificially boost Drake streams and “fabricate popularity; disparage competitors and music label executives; [and] distort recommendation algorithms.” This scheme, the lawsuit alleges, is carried out on platforms such as Spotify and “has suppressed authentic artists and narrowed consumers' access to legitimate content.”
Two plaintiffs, LaShawnna Ridley and Tiffany Hines, filed the class-action lawsuit on behalf of those affected in Virginia, claiming Drake's promotion helped lure them onto Stake. They are seeking at least $5 million in damages, based on two violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and one of the Virginia Consumer Protection Act. This is not the first lawsuit alleging that the platform is breaking U.S. gambling laws, or even the first implicating Drake: A Missouri complaint filed last October alleges that Drake and Ross misrepresented Stake.us as a harmless “social casino,” rather than an illegal gambling platform. That suit claims Drake and Ross further mislead their followers by hosting gambling livestreams directly funded by Stake, rather than out of their own pockets.
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Nicole Kidman is stepping into 2026 with grace and optimism, sharing a heartfelt message on social media that underscores her focus on family, healing and the future as she navigates life following her divorce from country star Keith Urban.
The Oscar-winning actress rang in the New Year with a reflective snapshot alongside her daughters, capturing both her love for them and her resolve to look forward to what lies ahead.
On New Year's Eve, Kidman, 58, posted a photo to Instagram showing her arm-in-arm with her teenage daughters, Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith Margaret, 15, as they gazed out over a scenic Sydney waterfront with fireworks lighting the night sky.
The image — peaceful and intimate — was paired with a simple yet meaningful caption: “Looking forward into 2026 xx.”
The message resonated with fans as a clear symbol of positivity and intention as she embarks on a new chapter.
This holiday season marked Kidman's first Christmas and New Year's Eve since filing for divorce from Urban in September 2025 after nearly 19 years of marriage.
The split, widely reported last fall, was officially attributed to irreconcilable differences, and the former couple have since worked to maintain an amicable co-parenting arrangement for their daughters.
In sharing the New Year's photo, Kidman appeared to prioritize serenity and gratitude over dwelling on the past.
According to Page Six, sources close to the family said she chose to return to her native Australia for the holidays with her girls, a decision described as fulfilling her desire for peace and stability after what friends referred to as a “tumultuous fall.”
“She just wanted to celebrate Christmas at home,” the source added.
She also recently celebrated her daughter's 15th birthday.
Those familiar with her state of mind say she has been intentionally focusing on what she is grateful for — especially her family and the support around her.
Kidman's caption — brief yet poignant — reflects a broader approach that many observers have noted: she's facing her transition with resilience and optimism.
Rather than allowing the narrative to center on the end of a long marriage, she is choosing to emphasize what lies ahead, both personally and as a mother. Fans and followers responded warmly to her post, praising her message of looking forward and celebrating her commitment to family first.
The actress has four children overall: in addition to her daughters with Urban, she is also mom to Connor, 30, and Bella, 33, from her earlier marriage to actor Tom Cruise.
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Dwayne Johnson, Jacob Elordi, Michael B. Jordan, Adam Sandler, Jeremy Allen White, Wagner Moura and Mark Hamill, all in the hunt for their first Oscar nomination, bond over what it took to make it in this crazy industry.
By
Scott Feinberg
Executive Editor of Awards
The seven men who gathered for THR‘s Oscar season Actors Roundtable — Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi, The Life of Chuck's Mark Hamill, The Smashing Machine's Dwayne Johnson, Sinners' Michael B. Jordan, The Secret Agent's Wagner Moura, Jay Kelly's Adam Sandler and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere's Jeremy Allen White — don't share very much in common.
Five are American (Hamill, Johnson, Jordan, Sandler and White), one is Australian (Elordi) and one is Brazilian (Moura). Their ages span from 20s (Elordi, 28) to 70s (Hamill, 74). Some shot to fame on TV (Elordi on Euphoria, Jordan on The Wire, Moura on Narcos, Sandler on Saturday Night Live and White on Shameless), another in movies (Hamill via a little film called Star Wars) and still another in, of all things, wrestling (Johnson).
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But as they sat down together at The Sun Rose West Hollywood in mid-November amid a wave of mutual admiration — “I've always wanted to meet you,” gushed Johnson, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, to Hamill, whom he first “encountered” decades ago as Luke Skywalker — they all shared two things: (1) Each gave a career-best performance in a 2025 film, and (2) None has ever received so much as an Oscar nomination. For at least some of them, the latter will soon change.
Dwayne, nobody before you had made the jump from pro wrestling to A-list movie stardom. Was a pivot to acting always planned?
DWAYNE JOHNSON I think it was planned by something more powerful than me, but also, I wanted to grow and to challenge myself, and transitioning into Hollywood was something that I definitely wanted. With my first movie, The Mummy Returns, we were shooting in the Sahara Desert, and I was so sick — I went over there and probably ate something that I shouldn't have — and it was 110 degrees, but I was freezing and wearing a blanket. Stephen Sommers, the director, comes over, “You okay?” I'm like, “Yeah!” I'd never acted before. He calls “Action!” We have our scene. And when he said, “Cut!” I went, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Michael, when you were 19 years old, you came out to L.A. to try to break into movies, but there wasn't any interest from the agencies. How did you get past that?
MICHAEL B. JORDAN At that age, you take rejection personally — I did, anyway, and used it as a healthy chip on my shoulder to motivate myself to continue to work hard and stay locked in. But also, it fortified this belief that, “What's for me is for me,” you know? I didn't know exactly where I was going to end up, but I was on the right path.
Mark, how did you wind up in L.A. at 17?
MARK HAMILL My dad was in the Navy, so we were constantly moving — I went to nine schools in 12 years — and the last place we got transferred to was Yokohama, Japan. I graduated from Yo High and then came to Hollywood. I'd known for as long as I can remember, “That's the business I want to be in.” I'd seen the black-and-white King Kong, and I didn't know how they made dinosaurs come to life, but I wanted to be in the business where you make dinosaurs come to life. I figured early on, “If it turns out that I'm not a good actor, I can cater. I don't have to be in the show. I want to be near the show.” But I was very lucky. By the end of the year I got here, I had an agent.
Adam, you started doing stand-up while you were a student at NYU.
ADAM SANDLER I did stand-up and then got on SNL, and I wanted to do what Eddie Murphy did, and started doing movies too. In the back of my head, I was like, “It'd be fun to do a serious movie someday” — my grandma used to say, “You're the next James Caan!” And then Paul [Thomas Anderson] wrote Punch-Drunk Love for me and kind of invited me into this world.
Wagner, you were very successful in Brazil before becoming internationally known via Narcos.
WAGNER MOURA Narcos was a big thing — everywhere I'd go in the world, people would go, “Pablo Escobar!” But I never wanted to come here and “try Hollywood.” What makes me different and maybe special for films is the fact that I'm not from here. I never understood actors who would try to lose their accents. I'll never be like, say, Jeremy — I'm a Brazilian actor and I represent a bunch of people who live here in this country and speak with accents. But when I started coming here, people would ask, “Would you be able to play this character with a standard American accent?” And I was like, “No.” First because I'm not able to (laughs), but second because I thought that's kind of wrong. I'm a Brazilian actor.
Jeremy, you were going to be a dancer.
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE I transferred into a middle school that specialized in performing arts and joined the dance program there, but I didn't think the teacher was taking dance seriously enough, so I joined the drama program. There was a wonderful teacher there, John McEnany, and he took things very seriously. I liked that as a 12-year-old — it felt fun to commit myself to something in such a serious way. I then went to a performing arts high school. I thought my life was going to be in New York doing theater and a Law & Order every once in a while to pay the rent. But I got really lucky. I auditioned for this show [Shameless] with Bill Macy for Showtime, a John Wells show, and moved to L.A. when I was 18, right out of high school, and had this 11-year training camp with great actors and great writing.
We have a sports injury to thank for Jacob being here.
JACOB ELORDI I did Seussical, the musical,when I was 13, as a way to deal with rambunctious behavior — they put me into this thing — and then I realized acting was a way you could find some kind of peace. Where I grew up in Australia, you weren't really a person unless you played sports, so I did that and enjoyed it enough. But then I broke my back when I was 16 — we were lifting weights too early — and I remember laying on the floor and kind of laughing because I'd been doing rehearsals for a play at school at the same time, and the rugby coach and I had just had a conversation about me needing to choose one or the other. I was kind of like Troy Bolton in High School Musical. (Laughs.)
Wagner, 20 years after meeting someone at the Cannes Film Festival, that same person wrote for you and directed you in the part of a lifetime.
MOURA I met Kleber Mendonça Filho in Cannes when I was there with Lower City, a Brazilian film, and he was there as a critic. We hit it off, and then I went back to Brazil and saw that he was directing short films, and those were great. Then in 2012, I saw his feature Neighboring Sounds and said, “This is one of the greatest Brazilian films ever! I have to work with this guy!” But it took a long time. What really brought us together was politics. Brazil from 2018 to 2022 was in a very bad moment, and whoever was vocal against what was going on suffered consequences. We both were. I myself directed a film about a guy who was the leader of the armed struggle in Brazil, a film called Marighella, which premiered in Berlin in 2019, but was censored in Brazil. And Kleber faced that too. We got together and were like, “How can we react to what's going on here?” And then The Secret Agent [which is set in the '70s but speaks to recent Brazilian history, too] happened.
Jacob, you were off playing a POW in the limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North when Andrew Garfield dropped out of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein just nine weeks before it was to shoot.
ELORDI I was in the middle of shooting these death camp sequences when I heard about it, but when Guillermo sends you something, you need to respond immediately. I read it and talked to Guillermo, and then there were six excruciating days when I had to keep shooting and didn't hear back from him. I like what Michael said about, “What's yours is yours and what's not is not.” But this was the first time that after reading a screenplay, I was like, “No, this has to be mine.”
Dwayne, you were the highest-grossing actor in the world in 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. You're the fifth-highest-grossing actor of all time. The 40 films in which you've starred have collectively taken in slightly less than $14 billion worldwide, or an average of $349.7 million. And within the past year, you had two movies open at No. 1 at the box office in the same month, something no other actor or actress had achieved in 27 years. But for a number of years, you've felt frustrated with your career.
JOHNSON (Sheepishly) Lunch is on me, boys. (Laughs.) I've had a lucky career. But I reached a point seven or eight years ago where I had this little voice behind my rib cage. I think we all have it — sometimes it whispers to us, and sometimes it's really resounding — and that voice for me was asking, “What's more?” I'm obsessed with the idea of trying. Yes, “What's yours is yours, what's not yours is not yours,” but also, I believe in setting an intention and taking a step toward the thing that you want because the universe has this way of meeting you halfway.
JORDAN Correct.
JOHNSON The big movies are fun to do. They're hard work, and when they hit, it's great — a lot of people around the world like 'em. But I had this obsession to do something for me. I started asking myself, “Am I living my dream, or mine plus a lot of other people's and entities' around me?” I met Mark Kerr in the late '90s as he was becoming “the Smashing Machine,” and I saw his [2002] documentary [of the same name] and thought it was really moving. Here was this guy who looked invincible, and in many ways was, but at the same time he was broken inside. I let that be my guiding light creatively, and it allowed me to tap into an artistry I was looking for — to challenge myself: “Oh, there's the cliff? We don't know what's on the other side? Let's fucking jump!”
Jeremy, Bruce Springsteen had never cooperated with a narrative film about his life before he authorized Scott Cooper to make one, and they both wanted you to star. Take us into how you processed that.
WHITE There are some actors who feel like they can do anything, that they can show up and figure it out. I wanted to make sure I was the right guy. The odds seemed stacked against me. I mean, Scott wanted me to do all the singing in it, but I'd never sung before. He wanted me to play the guitar for it, but I'd never played the guitar before. And we had just six months to prepare. I was like, “I don't know if that can be done.” So I took a couple of days. But then it was that thing of, “Am I going to shy away from this challenge or am I going to jump and see what happens?” It was a leap of faith.
JOHNSON Jeremy, did you feel — because I felt this on The Smashing Machine — added pressure inhabiting the skin of one of the greatest ever?
WHITE For sure. One of the greatest ever, and also, people have their own understanding of Bruce Springsteen, and I felt like, “I don't want to interrupt that understanding.” It's so pure and powerful, and he's adored, and I just didn't want to mess with it.
JORDAN Did you find it helpful that you had the resource directly at your disposal, to kind of pull from him?
WHITE In the beginning, I spent a lot of time with Bruce — he was very gracious and generous with his time. But then he was on set almost every day, which was something that we did not speak about prior. And I was just like, “Oh, nooo.” (Laughs.)
ELORDI I saw pictures of that and felt for you.
HAMILL I get vicarious flop sweat just thinking about it.
ELORDI Did you ever feel like you could have an argument with him and say, “I don't think he would do it that way?” (Laughs.)
For three of you, your 2025 films were reunions with filmmakers you'd worked with before. Michael, you've starred in every one of Ryan Coogler's features going back to Fruitvale Station and through the Creed and Black Panther films. I assume that reteaming brings an added level of comfort?
JORDAN There's definitely a shorthand that you develop that is extremely important. But also, Sinners is the first movie I've done since directing for the first time [2023's Creed III], so I had a new set of eyes on set, trying to spot ways that I could be helpful to Ryan. And he's helpful to me — he knows me very well and knew that this one was outside of my comfort zone but thought it was a challenge that I needed and knew that I was looking for a challenge. The fact that he wanted me to play twins …
JOHNSON That's a crazy cliff, man. You were so good, brother.
JORDAN Thank you, man. That comfortability between me and Ryan — being able to talk through things and push each other — brought the best out of me.
Mark, ever since the first Star Wars trilogy, you've gravitated toward things that allowed you to show other sides of yourself, including collaborating with Mike Flanagan on the 2023 limited series The Fall of the House of Usher and now this film.
HAMILL When you do something well in Hollywood, they want you to do that over and over again because it's a proven entity. I went to Broadway because I knew that there were open auditions. It wasn't like they were saying, “Please come here and do theater!” When I got into voiceover, I thought, “Where has this been all my life?” Because they cast with their ears, not their eyes, and you're able to play parts you'd never get in a million years if you were on camera. And I got really spoiled — I got to the point where I thought, “I don't care if I ever do on-camera again.” But I was a fan of Mike's before he contacted me for The Fall of the House of Usher — he has these wonderful ensembles, and I love ensembles because the weight of the picture's not on your shoulders — and we just clicked. The second time he called me, he said, “I have something you might be interested in that's based on a Stephen King novella.” Based on Mike's reputation and Stephen King's, I was expecting the supernatural epic of all time, but The Life of Chuck is a life-affirming portrait of a young man at four different stages of his life. I was knocked out by it. If it weren't for Mike, I think I'd still just be doing voiceover because the older you get, the less you care — this is something you all have to look forward to! (Laughs.) I shouldn't put it that way. You do care, but you don't sweat the small stuff.
Adam, Noah Baumbach said he wrote the part of movie star Jay Kelly's sweet manager for you because the character reminds him of you.
SANDLER I became very friendly with Noah after The Meyerowitz Stories. I love him. He's funny as hell, a meticulous director, very thoughtful, wants you to get it right, gives you time to get it right — he's not moving on until everyone's happy. He's a great man. Then he told me he was writing another movie for me, out of nowhere. He for some reason thinks I'm a wonderful guy. I'm like, “I'll take it, man. I can be a good guy.” He doesn't see the sickness — or he chooses to ignore it! (Laughs.)
JOHNSON It's a beautiful performance.
HAMILL And really the heart and soul of the film because the toll Jay Kelly takes on your character is tragic, he just takes you for granted. It made me think, “Have I treated my people the way they should be treated?”
ELORDI I watched it with my manager. We were both crying.
Adam, you've said that with Hustle and Jay Kelly, part of the draw for you was getting to play a character who cares so much about someone else.
SANDLER It feels good to be on the set and be that person. And then, even when you go home at night, you're going, “I've got to be a little bit more like that.”
JOHNSON That's the beauty, I think, of what we do. It forces us to look at ourselves.
Several people here spent a significant amount of time in a makeup trailer for their 2025 film. I'd love to hear how it shaped your performance.
ELORDI It gave me the freedom to be completely expressive. There were things that I could do in that makeup that I'd never get away with in a regular film. When I spoke to Guillermo the first time, he said, “This isn't a prosthetics process. It's going to be the sacrament. It needs to be holy. It's, ‘The Father, Son and Holy Spirit,' and then you step into the church. The time that it takes is what you need to become this thing that's other.” When the Creature is newborn, from head to toe was about 10 hours. When he has clothes on, it was five hours. If you could have 10 hours every day to get ready for the day, it would be the greatest blessing. You learn the screenplay inside out, and then you can put it down and spend another three hours thinking about it, and then not thinking about it. And then all of a sudden, you look up in the mirror and you are gone.
JOHNSON I didn't have five or 10 hours. We were four hours every day in the makeup chair …
HAMILL Only four hours! (Laughs.)
JOHNSON But to Jacob's point, it does allow for this absorption of the role, of the screenplay, of what's happening. I'd look up every 30 minutes and something would be different. And by the time I walked out of the trailer, I was Mark Kerr. The first day I walked on set, the air changed. You felt it. There was a version of Mark Kerr that could have required six or seven hours, a complete transformation. I was prepared to go that route. Benny [Safdie, the director] said, “Do you feel like you'll discover something about yourself playing this role?” I said, “We haven't even shot a frame of film yet, and I feel like I've already discovered a lot about myself.” And he goes, “If that's the case, I'm going to make sure I can see your eyes and still see Dwayne in there somewhere. When you discover stuff about yourself, I want to feel it.”
ELORDI The soul of the character is there, but I see yours as well, which is the fucking greatest part about it.
MOURA Because you're not Mark Kerr. It's the way you see him. That was very well thought out. You have to be there too.
When on your 2025 film did you feel most in danger of failing?
WHITE Every day. I don't think I ever feel totally certain on any job, but for this one, I never felt as if I was on real firm ground.
SANDLER When you see in the script that your character is crying out of control, you go, “Fuck, man.” I don't get excited for those. In real life, I think I've cried once — I'm just not a guy who cries a lot. But there were like three or four of those in this movie. The week before I'd go, “Fucking Wednesday's going to suck. I'm going to let everybody down. How the fuck am I going to cry?”
ELORDI The final scene of Frankenstein is meant to be full, operatic emotion, forgiving the father. I thought we'd shoot it at the end. But much earlier than that, Guillermo said, “Tomorrow we're going to do the forgiveness scene. The set is ready.” This was going to be the first time I'd acted with Oscar [Isaac, who plays the Creature's creator]. I hadn't figured out how to emote as this thing. And I didn't know what the voice was yet.
HAMILL No pressure! (Laughs.)
ELORDI I was like, “If I think about this, I'm not going to go to work tomorrow; I'm going to be in the hospital or something. I'm going to freak out.” So I just didn't think about it, and then I just did it. If I'd obsessed over it for the next eight weeks, it would have been a nightmare.
MOURA Sometimes I feel like we don't need the amount of preparation that we all think we need.
WHITE It's just to make us feel better.
MOURA Sometimes, just show up and do it!
ELORDI I think it's because it's an intangible thing, whatever it is that we do, so you have to pretend that there is a business structure to it. Like, “I did this from nine to three, so I must be good to go.”
Which of your lines is most often quoted back to you?
WHITE “Yes, Chef.”
SANDLER I hear “Jackass” a lot. I forget it's from Happy Gilmore, so people scream “Jackass” at me, and I'm like, “What the fuck?!”
JOHNSON It would have to be “You're Welcome” [the song he sings in Moana].
MOURA “Plata o plomo?” [A Spanish line from Narcos that translates to “Silver or lead?”]
ELORDI I don't know if I've ever had a line quoted back to me.
JOHNSON I predict it will be, “I will make you bleed” [from Frankenstein].
HAMILL Mine is, “May the Schwartz be with you.” Thanks, Mel Brooks! (Laughs.)
An abbreviated version of this story appeared in the Jan. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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Johnson, Elordi, Michael B. Jordan, Adam Sandler, Jeremy Allen White, Wagner Moura and Mark Hamill, all in the hunt for their first Oscar nomination, bond over what it took to make it in this crazy industry.
By
Scott Feinberg
Executive Editor of Awards
The seven men who gathered for THR‘s Oscar season Actors Roundtable — Frankenstein's Jacob Elordi, The Life of Chuck's Mark Hamill, The Smashing Machine's Dwayne Johnson, Sinners' Michael B. Jordan, The Secret Agent's Wagner Moura, Jay Kelly's Adam Sandler and Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere's Jeremy Allen White — don't share very much in common.
Five are American (Hamill, Johnson, Jordan, Sandler and White), one is Australian (Elordi) and one is Brazilian (Moura). Their ages span from 20s (Elordi, 28) to 70s (Hamill, 74). Some shot to fame on TV (Elordi on Euphoria, Jordan on The Wire, Moura on Narcos, Sandler on Saturday Night Live and White on Shameless), another in movies (Hamill via a little film called Star Wars) and still another in, of all things, wrestling (Johnson).
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But as they sat down together at The Sun Rose West Hollywood in mid-November amid a wave of mutual admiration — “I've always wanted to meet you,” gushed Johnson, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, to Hamill, whom he first “encountered” decades ago as Luke Skywalker — they all shared two things: (1) Each gave a career-best performance in a 2025 film, and (2) None has ever received so much as an Oscar nomination. For at least some of them, the latter will soon change.
Dwayne, nobody before you had made the jump from pro wrestling to A-list movie stardom. Was a pivot to acting always planned?
DWAYNE JOHNSON I think it was planned by something more powerful than me, but also, I wanted to grow and to challenge myself, and transitioning into Hollywood was something that I definitely wanted. With my first movie, The Mummy Returns, we were shooting in the Sahara Desert, and I was so sick — I went over there and probably ate something that I shouldn't have — and it was 110 degrees, but I was freezing and wearing a blanket. Stephen Sommers, the director, comes over, “You okay?” I'm like, “Yeah!” I'd never acted before. He calls “Action!” We have our scene. And when he said, “Cut!” I went, “This is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Michael, when you were 19 years old, you came out to L.A. to try to break into movies, but there wasn't any interest from the agencies. How did you get past that?
MICHAEL B. JORDAN At that age, you take rejection personally — I did, anyway, and used it as a healthy chip on my shoulder to motivate myself to continue to work hard and stay locked in. But also, it fortified this belief that, “What's for me is for me,” you know? I didn't know exactly where I was going to end up, but I was on the right path.
Mark, how did you wind up in L.A. at 17?
MARK HAMILL My dad was in the Navy, so we were constantly moving — I went to nine schools in 12 years — and the last place we got transferred to was Yokohama, Japan. I graduated from Yo High and then came to Hollywood. I'd known for as long as I can remember, “That's the business I want to be in.” I'd seen the black-and-white King Kong, and I didn't know how they made dinosaurs come to life, but I wanted to be in the business where you make dinosaurs come to life. I figured early on, “If it turns out that I'm not a good actor, I can cater. I don't have to be in the show. I want to be near the show.” But I was very lucky. By the end of the year I got here, I had an agent.
Adam, you started doing stand-up while you were a student at NYU.
ADAM SANDLER I did stand-up and then got on SNL, and I wanted to do what Eddie Murphy did, and started doing movies too. In the back of my head, I was like, “It'd be fun to do a serious movie someday” — my grandma used to say, “You're the next James Caan!” And then Paul [Thomas Anderson] wrote Punch-Drunk Love for me and kind of invited me into this world.
Wagner, you were very successful in Brazil before becoming internationally known via Narcos.
WAGNER MOURA Narcos was a big thing — everywhere I'd go in the world, people would go, “Pablo Escobar!” But I never wanted to come here and “try Hollywood.” What makes me different and maybe special for films is the fact that I'm not from here. I never understood actors who would try to lose their accents. I'll never be like, say, Jeremy — I'm a Brazilian actor and I represent a bunch of people who live here in this country and speak with accents. But when I started coming here, people would ask, “Would you be able to play this character with a standard American accent?” And I was like, “No.” First because I'm not able to (laughs), but second because I thought that's kind of wrong. I'm a Brazilian actor.
Jeremy, you were going to be a dancer.
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE I transferred into a middle school that specialized in performing arts and joined the dance program there, but I didn't think the teacher was taking dance seriously enough, so I joined the drama program. There was a wonderful teacher there, John McEnany, and he took things very seriously. I liked that as a 12-year-old — it felt fun to commit myself to something in such a serious way. I then went to a performing arts high school. I thought my life was going to be in New York doing theater and a Law & Order every once in a while to pay the rent. But I got really lucky. I auditioned for this show [Shameless] with Bill Macy for Showtime, a John Wells show, and moved to L.A. when I was 18, right out of high school, and had this 11-year training camp with great actors and great writing.
We have a sports injury to thank for Jacob being here.
JACOB ELORDI I did Seussical, the musical,when I was 13, as a way to deal with rambunctious behavior — they put me into this thing — and then I realized acting was a way you could find some kind of peace. Where I grew up in Australia, you weren't really a person unless you played sports, so I did that and enjoyed it enough. But then I broke my back when I was 16 — we were lifting weights too early — and I remember laying on the floor and kind of laughing because I'd been doing rehearsals for a play at school at the same time, and the rugby coach and I had just had a conversation about me needing to choose one or the other. I was kind of like Troy Bolton in High School Musical. (Laughs.)
Wagner, 20 years after meeting someone at the Cannes Film Festival, that same person wrote for you and directed you in the part of a lifetime.
MOURA I met Kleber Mendonça Filho in Cannes when I was there with Lower City, a Brazilian film, and he was there as a critic. We hit it off, and then I went back to Brazil and saw that he was directing short films, and those were great. Then in 2012, I saw his feature Neighboring Sounds and said, “This is one of the greatest Brazilian films ever! I have to work with this guy!” But it took a long time. What really brought us together was politics. Brazil from 2018 to 2022 was in a very bad moment, and whoever was vocal against what was going on suffered consequences. We both were. I myself directed a film about a guy who was the leader of the armed struggle in Brazil, a film called Marighella, which premiered in Berlin in 2019, but was censored in Brazil. And Kleber faced that too. We got together and were like, “How can we react to what's going on here?” And then The Secret Agent [which is set in the '70s but speaks to recent Brazilian history, too] happened.
Jacob, you were off playing a POW in the limited series The Narrow Road to the Deep North when Andrew Garfield dropped out of Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein just nine weeks before it was to shoot.
ELORDI I was in the middle of shooting these death camp sequences when I heard about it, but when Guillermo sends you something, you need to respond immediately. I read it and talked to Guillermo, and then there were six excruciating days when I had to keep shooting and didn't hear back from him. I like what Michael said about, “What's yours is yours and what's not is not.” But this was the first time that after reading a screenplay, I was like, “No, this has to be mine.”
Dwayne, you were the highest-grossing actor in the world in 2013, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2024. You're the fifth-highest-grossing actor of all time. The 40 films in which you've starred have collectively taken in slightly less than $14 billion worldwide, or an average of $349.7 million. And within the past year, you had two movies open at No. 1 at the box office in the same month, something no other actor or actress had achieved in 27 years. But for a number of years, you've felt frustrated with your career.
JOHNSON (Sheepishly) Lunch is on me, boys. (Laughs.) I've had a lucky career. But I reached a point seven or eight years ago where I had this little voice behind my rib cage. I think we all have it — sometimes it whispers to us, and sometimes it's really resounding — and that voice for me was asking, “What's more?” I'm obsessed with the idea of trying. Yes, “What's yours is yours, what's not yours is not yours,” but also, I believe in setting an intention and taking a step toward the thing that you want because the universe has this way of meeting you halfway.
JORDAN Correct.
JOHNSON The big movies are fun to do. They're hard work, and when they hit, it's great — a lot of people around the world like 'em. But I had this obsession to do something for me. I started asking myself, “Am I living my dream, or mine plus a lot of other people's and entities' around me?” I met Mark Kerr in the late '90s as he was becoming “the Smashing Machine,” and I saw his [2002] documentary [of the same name] and thought it was really moving. Here was this guy who looked invincible, and in many ways was, but at the same time he was broken inside. I let that be my guiding light creatively, and it allowed me to tap into an artistry I was looking for — to challenge myself: “Oh, there's the cliff? We don't know what's on the other side? Let's fucking jump!”
Jeremy, Bruce Springsteen had never cooperated with a narrative film about his life before he authorized Scott Cooper to make one, and they both wanted you to star. Take us into how you processed that.
WHITE There are some actors who feel like they can do anything, that they can show up and figure it out. I wanted to make sure I was the right guy. The odds seemed stacked against me. I mean, Scott wanted me to do all the singing in it, but I'd never sung before. He wanted me to play the guitar for it, but I'd never played the guitar before. And we had just six months to prepare. I was like, “I don't know if that can be done.” So I took a couple of days. But then it was that thing of, “Am I going to shy away from this challenge or am I going to jump and see what happens?” It was a leap of faith.
JOHNSON Jeremy, did you feel — because I felt this on The Smashing Machine — added pressure inhabiting the skin of one of the greatest ever?
WHITE For sure. One of the greatest ever, and also, people have their own understanding of Bruce Springsteen, and I felt like, “I don't want to interrupt that understanding.” It's so pure and powerful, and he's adored, and I just didn't want to mess with it.
JORDAN Did you find it helpful that you had the resource directly at your disposal, to kind of pull from him?
WHITE In the beginning, I spent a lot of time with Bruce — he was very gracious and generous with his time. But then he was on set almost every day, which was something that we did not speak about prior. And I was just like, “Oh, nooo.” (Laughs.)
ELORDI I saw pictures of that and felt for you.
HAMILL I get vicarious flop sweat just thinking about it.
ELORDI Did you ever feel like you could have an argument with him and say, “I don't think he would do it that way?” (Laughs.)
For three of you, your 2025 films were reunions with filmmakers you'd worked with before. Michael, you've starred in every one of Ryan Coogler's features going back to Fruitvale Station and through the Creed and Black Panther films. I assume that reteaming brings an added level of comfort?
JORDAN There's definitely a shorthand that you develop that is extremely important. But also, Sinners is the first movie I've done since directing for the first time [2023's Creed III], so I had a new set of eyes on set, trying to spot ways that I could be helpful to Ryan. And he's helpful to me — he knows me very well and knew that this one was outside of my comfort zone but thought it was a challenge that I needed and knew that I was looking for a challenge. The fact that he wanted me to play twins …
JOHNSON That's a crazy cliff, man. You were so good, brother.
JORDAN Thank you, man. That comfortability between me and Ryan — being able to talk through things and push each other — brought the best out of me.
Mark, ever since the first Star Wars trilogy, you've gravitated toward things that allowed you to show other sides of yourself, including collaborating with Mike Flanagan on the 2023 limited series The Fall of the House of Usher and now this film.
HAMILL When you do something well in Hollywood, they want you to do that over and over again because it's a proven entity. I went to Broadway because I knew that there were open auditions. It wasn't like they were saying, “Please come here and do theater!” When I got into voiceover, I thought, “Where has this been all my life?” Because they cast with their ears, not their eyes, and you're able to play parts you'd never get in a million years if you were on camera. And I got really spoiled — I got to the point where I thought, “I don't care if I ever do on-camera again.” But I was a fan of Mike's before he contacted me for The Fall of the House of Usher — he has these wonderful ensembles, and I love ensembles because the weight of the picture's not on your shoulders — and we just clicked. The second time he called me, he said, “I have something you might be interested in that's based on a Stephen King novella.” Based on Mike's reputation and Stephen King's, I was expecting the supernatural epic of all time, but The Life of Chuck is a life-affirming portrait of a young man at four different stages of his life. I was knocked out by it. If it weren't for Mike, I think I'd still just be doing voiceover because the older you get, the less you care — this is something you all have to look forward to! (Laughs.) I shouldn't put it that way. You do care, but you don't sweat the small stuff.
Adam, Noah Baumbach said he wrote the part of movie star Jay Kelly's sweet manager for you because the character reminds him of you.
SANDLER I became very friendly with Noah after The Meyerowitz Stories. I love him. He's funny as hell, a meticulous director, very thoughtful, wants you to get it right, gives you time to get it right — he's not moving on until everyone's happy. He's a great man. Then he told me he was writing another movie for me, out of nowhere. He for some reason thinks I'm a wonderful guy. I'm like, “I'll take it, man. I can be a good guy.” He doesn't see the sickness — or he chooses to ignore it! (Laughs.)
JOHNSON It's a beautiful performance.
HAMILL And really the heart and soul of the film because the toll Jay Kelly takes on your character is tragic, he just takes you for granted. It made me think, “Have I treated my people the way they should be treated?”
ELORDI I watched it with my manager. We were both crying.
Adam, you've said that with Hustle and Jay Kelly, part of the draw for you was getting to play a character who cares so much about someone else.
SANDLER It feels good to be on the set and be that person. And then, even when you go home at night, you're going, “I've got to be a little bit more like that.”
JOHNSON That's the beauty, I think, of what we do. It forces us to look at ourselves.
Several people here spent a significant amount of time in a makeup trailer for their 2025 film. I'd love to hear how it shaped your performance.
ELORDI It gave me the freedom to be completely expressive. There were things that I could do in that makeup that I'd never get away with in a regular film. When I spoke to Guillermo the first time, he said, “This isn't a prosthetics process. It's going to be the sacrament. It needs to be holy. It's, ‘The Father, Son and Holy Spirit,' and then you step into the church. The time that it takes is what you need to become this thing that's other.” When the Creature is newborn, from head to toe was about 10 hours. When he has clothes on, it was five hours. If you could have 10 hours every day to get ready for the day, it would be the greatest blessing. You learn the screenplay inside out, and then you can put it down and spend another three hours thinking about it, and then not thinking about it. And then all of a sudden, you look up in the mirror and you are gone.
JOHNSON I didn't have five or 10 hours. We were four hours every day in the makeup chair …
HAMILL Only four hours! (Laughs.)
JOHNSON But to Jacob's point, it does allow for this absorption of the role, of the screenplay, of what's happening. I'd look up every 30 minutes and something would be different. And by the time I walked out of the trailer, I was Mark Kerr. The first day I walked on set, the air changed. You felt it. There was a version of Mark Kerr that could have required six or seven hours, a complete transformation. I was prepared to go that route. Benny [Safdie, the director] said, “Do you feel like you'll discover something about yourself playing this role?” I said, “We haven't even shot a frame of film yet, and I feel like I've already discovered a lot about myself.” And he goes, “If that's the case, I'm going to make sure I can see your eyes and still see Dwayne in there somewhere. When you discover stuff about yourself, I want to feel it.”
ELORDI The soul of the character is there, but I see yours as well, which is the fucking greatest part about it.
MOURA Because you're not Mark Kerr. It's the way you see him. That was very well thought out. You have to be there too.
When on your 2025 film did you feel most in danger of failing?
WHITE Every day. I don't think I ever feel totally certain on any job, but for this one, I never felt as if I was on real firm ground.
SANDLER When you see in the script that your character is crying out of control, you go, “Fuck, man.” I don't get excited for those. In real life, I think I've cried once — I'm just not a guy who cries a lot. But there were like three or four of those in this movie. The week before I'd go, “Fucking Wednesday's going to suck. I'm going to let everybody down. How the fuck am I going to cry?”
ELORDI The final scene of Frankenstein is meant to be full, operatic emotion, forgiving the father. I thought we'd shoot it at the end. But much earlier than that, Guillermo said, “Tomorrow we're going to do the forgiveness scene. The set is ready.” This was going to be the first time I'd acted with Oscar [Isaac, who plays the Creature's creator]. I hadn't figured out how to emote as this thing. And I didn't know what the voice was yet.
HAMILL No pressure! (Laughs.)
ELORDI I was like, “If I think about this, I'm not going to go to work tomorrow; I'm going to be in the hospital or something. I'm going to freak out.” So I just didn't think about it, and then I just did it. If I'd obsessed over it for the next eight weeks, it would have been a nightmare.
MOURA Sometimes I feel like we don't need the amount of preparation that we all think we need.
WHITE It's just to make us feel better.
MOURA Sometimes, just show up and do it!
ELORDI I think it's because it's an intangible thing, whatever it is that we do, so you have to pretend that there is a business structure to it. Like, “I did this from nine to three, so I must be good to go.”
Which of your lines is most often quoted back to you?
WHITE “Yes, Chef.”
SANDLER I hear “Jackass” a lot. I forget it's from Happy Gilmore, so people scream “Jackass” at me, and I'm like, “What the fuck?!”
JOHNSON It would have to be “You're Welcome” [the song he sings in Moana].
MOURA “Plata o plomo?” [A Spanish line from Narcos that translates to “Silver or lead?”]
ELORDI I don't know if I've ever had a line quoted back to me.
JOHNSON I predict it will be, “I will make you bleed” [from Frankenstein].
HAMILL Mine is, “May the Schwartz be with you.” Thanks, Mel Brooks! (Laughs.)
An abbreviated version of this story appeared in the Jan. 2 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Peter Gabriel & Paramore have also charted enduring No. 26-peaking songs.
By
Gary Trust
More than 300 songs have peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard Hot 100, and despite not hitting No. 1 or even the top 10, many remain memorable years or even decades later.
The Beatles, Bee Gees, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and Aretha Franklin all boast notable No. 26 Hot 100 hits among their iconic catalogs, which include a record 20, nine, eight, four and two leaders, respectively. (The Beatles' No. 26 single, noted in the list below, would've peaked four spots higher if not for a fab four other songs of theirs in its way the week that it reached its high, amid early Beatlemania.)
Other acts sport No. 26-peaking entries on their Hot 100 résumés that mark career highs, ranging from The Jamies in the 1950s to the Psychedelic Furs in the ‘80s and CKay in the 2020s.
For certain artists, No. 26 Hot 100 hits kicked off especially lengthy chart careers, including LeAnn Rimes in the ‘90s and Paramore in the ‘00s.
Meanwhile, over on the Billboard 200 albums chart, noteworthy No. 26-peaking collections include John Denver and the Muppets' warm and fuzzy (literally) A Christmas Together, P!nk's debut, Can't Take Me Home, and 2022's Elvis soundtrack.
On Hot Country Songs, Kenny Rogers spun “The Greatest” to a No. 26 best. On Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Jay-Z's “99 Problems” hit a No. 26 high. On Hot Rock & Alternative Songs, Foo Fighters' recent radio ruler “Asking for a Friend” has reached No. 26.
In honor of their enduring legacies, here's a rundown of 26 No. 26 Hot 100 hits, for 2026.
Happy New Year!
Hot 100 peak date: Sept. 22, 1958
Summer 1958 (when the Hot 100 premiered) was big for summer-themed hits. As this song was making its splash, it was joined in the top 40 by Eddie Cochran's eventual top 10 “Summertime Blues” and The Four Preps' “Lazy Summer Night.”
Hot 100 peak date: March 14, 1964
Recorded in 1961, with original Beatles drummer Pete Best, the cover of the folk song piqued the interest of then-Liverpool, England, record shop owner Brian Epstein, who decided to see the group perform. “He immediately sees their potential,” noted Dean Harmeyer of Heritage Auctions, which in 2015 sold the band's first contract (for $90,000). “He tells them, ‘I want to manage you and I'll make you successful.' That's really where the story started … it's where they really become The Beatles.”
Hot 100 peak date: Sept. 3, 1977
Following this pop-rock track, the trio would rocket to No. 1 on the Hot 100 with its next six singles (a record streak among groups), as Saturday Night Fever fever took hold. The song preceded “How Deep Is Your Love,” “Stayin' Alive,” “Night Fever,” “Too Much Heaven,” “Tragedy” and “Love You Inside Out.”
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 8, 1980
The band rolled further into the ‘80s after its “Emotional Rescue” hit No. 3 that September. The Stones scored 11 top 40-peaking titles that decade, after 12 in the '70s and 18 in the ‘60s.
Hot 100 peak date: June 29, 1985
The breezy song is one of the band's 35 top 40 Hot 100 hits, and its highest-charting entry (No. 2) on Adult Contemporary.
Hot 100 peak date: Oct. 25, 1986
The song returned to the Hot 100 in 1989, fueled by buzz (and boombox play) generated by its famous synch in the big-screen favorite Say Anything.
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 22, 1986
The band earned its second top 40 Hot 100 hit with the lead single from its second album, Welcome Home, after “Voices Carry,” the title cut from the act's 1985 debut, climbed to No. 8. In 2025, the group — lead singer Aimee Mann, Michael Hausman, Robert Holmes and Joey Pesce — reunited for its first show in more than 30 years at the Cruel World festival in Pasadena, Calif. “And by the way, everybody's great,” Mann mused. “Like, everybody just developed into a sweet, nice person. And not that they weren't before, but it's nice when people don't calcify into their worst selves.”
Hot 100 peak date: May 23, 1987
The track is the highest-peaking Hot 100 hit for the British band, which also charted with fellow alt classics “Love My Way,” “The Ghost in You” and “Pretty in Pink” in 1983-86.
Hot 100 peak date: Jan. 9, 1988
In 1985, Air Supply's “Power of Love (You Are My Lady)” reached No. 68 on the Hot 100. In 1986, Jennifer Rush's version of the ballad, which she co-wrote, hit No. 59. Branigan's version took the composition to the top 40 — six years before Celine Dion's interpretation reigned for four weeks.
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 19, 1988
The band's debut single arrived on the Hot 100 as “Hold On to the Nights” (by “Edge of a Broken Heart” co-writer, producer and then-EMI labelmate Richard Marx) was continuing its run after becoming his first No. 1. Marx wrote in his 2021 memoir, Stories To Tell, that he had a 48-hour window in which to produce the track for the group. “Looking back,” he shared, “I still can't believe everybody just took the leap of faith that I'd not only write the right song but be able to produce it in a matter of hours.”
Hot 100 peak date: July 22, 1989
The song first reached No. 29 in 1984. It's been featured on multiple movie soundtracks, with a new placement at the end of the fun 2025 film Good Fortune, starring Aziz Ansari, Sandra Oh, Keke Palmer, Keanu Reeves and Seth Rogen.
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 18, 1989
Alan Light, whose résumé includes Rolling Stone and SiriusXM, told Billboard of the song (also a No. 1 hit on Hot Rap Songs) in 2019, “The lyrics were different for that time, coming out of Public Enemy and N.W.A [being] ascendant, which had a real sense of hip-hop as storytelling — Black America's CNN — and then there's De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest, which gave a sense of hip-hop as a lyrical form. I'm not saying it was in opposition to that, but these were clearly party records. No message, just sex and dancing and partying and using these records to have a good time.”
Hot 100 peak date: Aug. 17, 1991
Otis Redding co-wrote the song and his version became a posthumous No. 51 hit on the Hot 100 in 1968.
Hot 100 peak date: Jan. 29, 1994
The song introduced Kadison's trademark piano pop. Follow-up “Beautiful in My Eyes” did even better, reaching No. 19 on the Hot 100 and going top five on Adult Contemporary.
Hot 100 peak date: July 6, 1996
“LeAnn Rimes, who's kicking up a bit of a fuss with her debut single, stopped by our offices to chat,” Chet Flippo wrote in the May 25, 1996, Billboard, the week that the then-13-year-old Rimes made her chart debut as “Blue” entered Hot Country Songs, where it would go on to hit No. 10. “The song,” the then-Nashville bureau chief continued, “was written by longtime Fort Worth, Texas, DJ Bill Mack for Patsy Cline. When Cline died before recording it, Mack put it away. Rimes says he offered it to her after hearing her sing. Rimes does indeed have a big voice in the Cline tradition. ‘My mom says I was born singing,' she says.”
Hot 100 peak date: May 2, 1998
The Queen of Soul appeared in the Hot 100's top 40 from 1961 through 1998, logging two No. 1s among 17 top 10s. Her last two top 40 entries each reached No. 26: prior to “A Rose Is Still a Rose,” “Willing To Forgive” charted in 1994.
Hot 100 peak date: April 17, 1999
“This wildly energetic foursome (two gals, two guys) from the Netherlands is pretty much a household name throughout Europe, where this infectious pop gem has been a constant on radio and in clubs,” read a Billboard review of the single in January 1999. It praised the song's “sugar-soaked sing-along chorus,” correctly predicting that “people who embraced Aqua's ‘Barbie Girl' and Los Del Rio's ‘Macarena' will be lining up for this latest slice of energetic pop.”
Hot 100 peak date: Sept. 22, 2001
The week that it hit its Hot 100 high, the ballad also began a three-week reign on Hot Country Songs.
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 15, 2003
The anthem became the 12th of the late legend's 20 No. 1s on Hot Country Songs.
Hot 100 peak date: Jan. 12, 2008
The band's breakthrough hit also reached No. 3 on the Alternative Airplay chart.
Hot 100 peak date: March 16, 2013
Different times. The team-up, Lamar's second Hot 100 entry, after “Swimming Pools (Drank)” (a No. 17 hit in December 2012), peaked in the top 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
Hot 100 peak date: Oct. 25, 2014
Eight months after Fallon became host of NBC's The Tonight Show, he reached the Hot 100 with this novelty track born on his day (night) job. “Everyone has dreams. I remember lip-syncing into a mirror when I was a kid. Having a song chart is just crazy,” he beamed, with his Billboard history including two No. 1s on Comedy Albums. “I didn't even know that this would be a song. Will.i.am came on the show and said he loves ‘Ew,' this character where I'm a 15-year-old girl, just listing things that I think are … ‘ew!' He just liked it because it's fun. It's just a goofy sketch. The song has no other goal than to make you smile.”
Hot 100 peak date: Feb. 11, 2017
One of her 16 top 40 Hot 100 hits, it rose to the top 10 on the all-format Radio Songs chart.
Hot 100 peak date: Nov. 4, 2017
The collaboration between the chart-toppers, and childhood friends, ruled Hot Country Songs for five weeks.
Hot 100 peak date: April 4, 2020
The Peas' comeback hit — their first top 40 Hot 100 single since 2011 — also dominated Hot Latin Songs for 24 weeks.
Hot 100 peak date: Feb. 5, 2022
The track topped Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs for six weeks, starting with the inaugural list. The Nigerian artist's introductory hit was first released in 2019 and surged when it went viral, helped by remixes. Originally, “no one took it seriously because it wasn't a fast song,” he told Billboard in 2021. He shared that he was in love while making the record, whose title in his native Igbo language means “small love.” “Emo Afrobeats is a way to express myself, my emotions and my sound and still have a groove to it,” he said. “My energy is basically emotions.”
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Julia Child and Ina Garten are known for elevating home cooking, hosting, and kitchen confidence. Both women have also written bestselling memoirs that offer insight into their personal lives and food philosophies. In their books, they share an unexpected common detail: when it comes to fast food, they both turn to the same California-based burger chain. Their choice mirrors a long-running Hollywood tradition that stretches from cookbook legends to Oscar winners.
In “My Life in France,” Child reflects on her life, marriage, and relationship with food, making the memoir a repeat read for many fans.
“The Barefoot Contessa” star, Garten, shared similar personal insights in her memoir “Be Ready When the Luck Happens,” released last year. In the book and in subsequent interviews, Garten revealed that she shares Child's favorite fast-food stop: In-N-Out Burger.
In an interview with Larry King, Child shared how she actually felt about the chain: “It's awfully good.” So good that she famously kept a list of In-N-Out locations near her home in her purse.
In a recent interview with Airmail, Garten explained her go-to order while traveling for book tours. “When I'm on the road doing book tours, I love going to In-N-Out Burger and having the Double-Double Animal Style,” she said. “I'm encouraged because Julia Child used to love the same thing, so I guess it's OK.”
Child and Garten's preference aligns them with several celebrity chefs who have publicly named In-N-Out as their favorite fast-food burger, including Alton Brown, Gordon Ramsay, and Bobby Flay.
The restaurant has also become closely tied to awards season in Los Angeles. According to Jimmy Kimmel, the tradition is especially common on Oscar night. Speaking to People in 2024, Kimmel explained why the burger chain has become a go-to destination.
“When people are in LA, one of the things on their list is to go to In-N-Out—and there are a lot of people that are in LA just for the Oscars—so they wind up going like, ‘Okay,'” Kimmel said. “You get very hungry, so In-N-Out is definitely the award show tradition.”
He added, “Nothing against McDonald's, but on award show night, it's In-N-Out.”
Over the years, several celebrities have gone viral for late-night visits to In-N-Out after major award shows. Ryan Gosling appeared in an Oscars promotional segment eating the burger, while Paul Giamatti was photographed stopping by the restaurant in a tuxedo after the 2024 Golden Globes.
Giamatti later referenced the moment during his Critics' Choice Awards speech, telling the audience, “I didn't think my week could get any better than going viral for eating a cheeseburger.”
Other post-awards sightings include Julia Roberts, who shared an Instagram photo after the 2019 Golden Globes, and Reese Witherspoon, who was photographed eating an In-N-Out burger at an Oscars after-party.
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By Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
Sources are telling us this morning that the Stranger Things finale cleared well north of $25M, possibly even $30M, in concession cash to movie theaters over its New Year's Eve and New Years Day play. Of that figure, $15M was generated by the No. 1 circuit, AMC Theaters off an attendance of 753,000. By comparison, 20th Century Studios' Avatar: Fire and Ash, the No. 1 grossing film of the season, made a combined $23.7M over New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
Exhibition couldn't charge for tickets to The Netflix event given the cast's contractual terms for residuals, hence the streamer and circuits got around this by reserving seats with concession vouchers. At AMC theaters, such concession vouchers cost $20 per seat. At 231 locations, AMC had a bit more than a third of the total theater count showing Stranger Things. AMC estimates that more than half of all Stranger Things fans watched the finale in a movie theater do so at an AMC venue.
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'Stranger Things' Pays Homage To Its Origins In Emotional Series Finale
Strangers Things finale played in over 620 locations, and the series creators, the Duffer Brothers, announced two days before the finale played theaters that 1.1 million seats were sold, a number that was ahead of KPop Demon Hunters RSVPs (700M) before it's late August two-day play. Note, AMC, the no. 1 circuit didn't play KPop during that run, which yielded exhibitors $19M, and delivered Netflix its first No. 1 ranking title at the weekend box office. You could say that Stranger Things finale is their new No. 1 ranking title at the B.O. (though not on a weekend) — but it's not box office, it's concession cash which the movies theaters get to keep, and don't have co-share ala a regular studio film rental. That's a sweet late Christmas gift from Netflix, the pending owner of Warner Bros.
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Exhibition wants Netflix to commit to theatrical runs more, and the streamer will have contractual obligations to filmmakers once they complete their acquisition of Warner Bros. Stranger Things finale is something of an olive branch to exhibition, and a means for Netflix to experiment and dip their toes into the theatrical business. Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos has waffled in his messaging on theatrical telling analysts on an earnings call post the success of KPop that Netflix prioritizes their first run movies for the service. Post Netflix firming up its bid for Warner Bros, Sarandos has changed his tune, telling the media, ““There's been a lot of talk about theatrical distribution, so we want to set the record straight: we are 100% committed to releasing Warner Bros. films in theaters with industry-standard windows.” The town continues to worry what “traditional” means for Netflix. Sources have told Deadline that Netflix have been proponents of a 17-day window which would steamroll the theatrical business, while circuits such as AMC believe the line needs to be held around 45 days.
The Stranger Things finale began its play in theaters at 5PM EST on New Year's Eve and continued throughout yesterday.
Netflix doesn't report box office grosses, or for that matter, theater chains' concession revenue.
Below is AMC CEO Adam Aron's quote:
LEAWOOD, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Adam Aron, Chairman and CEO of AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC), the world's largest theatrical exhibitor, issued the following statement today:
“A few months ago, we announced that in September of 2025, a high-level dialogue between AMC and Netflix led to both companies pledging to explore ways to visibly begin working together.
This led quickly to AMC showing, in many of its theatres, a Halloween bring-back of Netflix's immensely popular KPop Demon Hunters. It was quite the success. AMC was responsible for more than 35% of all the attendance for KPop Demon Hunters that holiday weekend. So, the two companies immediately turned their focus to what would come next in their mutual cooperation.
That next effort took place on the just-completed New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, when AMC showed, in 231 of its U.S. theatres, the multi-hour cultural phenomenon of the series finale for Netflix's much-acclaimed Stranger Things. This unprecedented theatrical event was nothing less than an absolute triumph.
In addition to the countless millions of people who will enjoy Stranger Things on the Netflix streaming platform, in just two days, more than 753,000 Stranger Things fans flocked to an AMC Theatre to personally join in the celebration. AMC had slightly more than one-third of the total theatre count showing the Stranger Things series finale, and AMC estimates that more than half of all Stranger Things fans who saw the series finale in a movie theater did so at an AMC.
Consumer demand was so high that AMC repeatedly and exponentially added thousands of additional showtimes across its participating locations. In the end, AMC had more than nine times the available seating capacity allocated to Stranger Things than was originally envisioned. The admissions price was free, but required the mandatory purchase of a $20 per-person food and beverage credit. As a result, AMC collected more than $15.0 million in just two days from Stranger Things showtimes.
At AMC, our company is excited about the prospect of taking more Netflix content to theatre goers, and I might add that the working relationship between the two companies in our two recent projects has been easy, creative, and seamless. It should come as no surprise then that our two companies already have actively commenced discussing what additional Netflix programming can be shown on AMC's giant screens.
I have every confidence that more enticing joint projects will emerge for Netflix and AMC in 2026 and beyond, all the while with AMC respecting its obligations to treat its many studio partners in an even-handed manner.
In our view, it especially makes sense to do so because so many of AMC's guests already are mutual customers of both Netflix and AMC. Indeed, in the United States, of the millions of members of the AMC Stubs loyalty program, approximately 2/3 of them report that they also are Netflix subscribers. Both in what we just experienced with KPop Demon Hunters and Stranger Things, and in what also will be coming in the months and years ahead, AMC remains committed to seeking mutually beneficial opportunities to join Netflix's award-winning content with the superb theatrical experience offered day in and day out by AMC Theatres.”
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Good for AMC. They need it. Their stock price is 1.54 a share while Regal and Cinemark are are at $23 a share. Hopefully this is influx of caah can help them start to turn things around in 2026.
Netflix is always leaving money on the table and they also miss out on the national water cooler talk when a movie comes out in movie theaters.
That used to be true – but folks just dont go into offices as often anymore. The equivalent would be a slack/discord chat – but those are monitored by the bosses.
NFLX revenue gone from $20B to $45B over last 5 years while WW BO gone from $42B to $33B in last 6 years; always leaving $ on the table LOL
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Hollywood stalwart George Clooney has revealed some details of an upcoming “Oceans” movie. As well as providing some information about the film, he also named some of the returning cast who have signed up to reprise their roles. The last entry in the franchise to feature Clooney came in 2007 in the form of “Ocean's Thirteen.”
Speaking in an expansive interview about his life and future projects with Variety, Clooney offered an insight into what fans of the heist franchise can expect from the new film.
Rather than focusing on just seeing the old crew reunited to play on the audience's sense of nostalgia, Clooney wants the movie to venture into something new. Specifically, he pointed to a desire to see how the team would pull off a heist now that they are older and don't have the same abilities and physicality as they did when they were younger.
According to Clooney, the upcoming film has been partially inspired by the 1970s comedy “Going in Style” — which inspired the 2017 remake that features Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Alan Arkin — about a group of older criminals.
“There was something about the idea that we're too old to do what we used to do, but we're still smart enough to know how to get away with something, that just appeals to me,” Clooney explained. “They've lost a step, and they need to find a way to work around their limitations.”
While filming has yet to start on the project, Clooney did reveal that they are currently scouting locations for the shoot and that production should begin in October 2026. He also confirmed that he has managed to persuade Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Don Cheadle to sign up for the movie.
In late 2025, Clooney responded to reports that he was set to retire from acting. The fact he has spoken about plans for “Ocean's 14” suggests he has no plans to stop working any time soon but the actor also confirmed that this isn't something he has thought about at all.
“If you give up working,” Clooney said in an interview with USA Today. “You lose your place in society.”
“There's going to be parts for ‘Grandpa gums bread,' and I'll be the perfect guy for it,” he joked. “That's a good thing about the profession that I've chosen.”
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Actor, comedian, and former late-night host John Mulrooney has died. He passed away at his home in Coxsackie, New York, on December 29. No further details about his cause of death or the circumstances surrounding it were given, Entertainment Weekly reports. He was 67.
An obituary shared more insight into who Mulrooney was, referring to him as a “beloved stand-up comedian, dedicated public servant, and proud patriot whose life was defined by service, laughter, and an unwavering devotion to the people he loved,” Dignity Memorial reports.
The obituary also reveals that he was born and raised in Brooklyn, and his grandparents were Irish immigrants. Family was important to Mulrooney, and he was deeply loved. The obituary shares more about those closest to Mulrooney, describing him as a “loving son to Joan and Bill; a devoted brother to Billy, Michael, Joanann and Mary; brother-in-law to Jeanmarie, Gail, Jerry and Kevin; and a deeply loving uncle to his ten nieces and nephews (Erin, Mary Kate, Michael, Patrick, Gerard, William, Timothy, Julia, Joan and Stephen) and seven great-nieces and great-nephews (Thomas, Kalee, Olivia, Brooke, MacKenzie, Riley and Aiden).”
Mulrooney was also a friend and someone who brought “laughter” to strangers.
He had a successful Hollywood career with appearances on “Comedy Tonight, The Late Show and Comic Strip Live, and appearing on HBO, Showtime, A&E and Comedy Central,” the obituary reports. He was also a recreational pilot and a police officer from 2010 to 2024.
Tributes for Mulrooney include one from Andrew Dice Clay, who shared a lengthy and heartfelt tribute on Instagram, reflecting on what the comedian meant to him and so many others.
“I Remember The First Time I Saw John Mulrooney … Pips Comedy Club In Brooklyn,” Clay wrote. “Same Club I Started At About A Year And A Half after I started my career. John, I Am Sad To Say, passed away last night … But about 46 years ago he was on stage digging into the crowd.”
In his tribute, Clay referred to Mulrooney as someone who had the “discipline to get up there every night, the drive, the want and willing to go through whatever it had to be to claw his way to the top. After Joan Rivers left a late night show there were a few different hosts, one of them was JOHN! The other one was ARSINIO HALL. John did a great job, even had me on the show. Had me do my Standup in front of a big old classic Chevy.”
Clay ended his message by praising Mulrooney's character. “The thing I'm getting at is that he never gave up, he never stopped trying, which is what it's all about in my book,” he wrote. “Not everybody climbs to the top, and not everybody becomes a superstar. John was a great, great comedian …”
The comment section is filled with loving tributes and supportive messages, including from someone who appears to be related to the late comedian. “Thank you for this beautiful tribute to my Uncle John. He has touched so many lives and was such a great man,” the comment reads.
“Andrew- what a beautiful tribute. Sorry for your loss. He was a funny cat. Glad you were pals. Sending you and his family love & comfort,” another person shared.
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By Max Goldbart
International TV Co-Editor
The BBC kicked off New Year's Day with a bang last night with The Traitors Season 4 opener followed by the return of The Night Manager after a decade.
The former drew an average 6.4 million overnight viewers, rising to a peak of nearly 7 million, which was roughly level with the recent Celebrity Traitors season and way ahead of the third season opener.
The episode, which introduced the nation to a new batch of contestants and had a fair few twists including a red cloak, was viewed by more than one third of people who were watching TV in the UK at the time.
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It drew the best opening figure for a season of The Traitors and confirms the hit franchise as still all conquering. The celebrity version only concluded recently but was a huge hit, performing even better than the civillian Traitors as comedian Alan Carr came away with the big prize. The American Season 4 will launch on Peacock in just six days' time.
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In one of the BBC's biggest New Year's Day lineups for years, The Traitors was followed by the second season of The Night Manager, coming exactly a decade after the first. This drew 3.3 million viewers and a peak of 3.8 million – becoming the fifth most-watched show of the day – which may appear slightly disappointing but will no doubt rise sharply when people catch up on iPlayer.
The Night Manager, which stars Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman and Camila Morrone, is adapted from the John le Carré novel and will kick off on Prime Video in the U.S. in two weeks' time.
The previous season of The Night Manager opened to double last night's, with 6 million overnight viewers tuning in on BBC One in 2016. It was one of that year's biggest shows. However, this was back in 2016, when the landscape for linear viewing was different and only Netflix really existed as a go-to streaming platform.
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By
Emily Zemler
George Clooney has responded after Donald Trump criticized the actor and his wife Amal Clooney for receiving French citizenship.
Trump lashed out on Truth Social after the news was revealed earlier this week, writing, “George and Amal Clooney, two of the worst political prognosticators of all time, have officially become citizens of France which is, sadly, in the midst of a major crime problem because of their absolutely horrendous handling of immigration, much like we had under Sleepy Joe Biden.”
The president continued, “Remember when Clooney, after the now infamous debate, dumped Joe during a fundraiser, only to go onto the side of another stellar candidate, Jamala(K!), who is now fighting it out with the worst governor in the Country, including Tim Waltz, Gavin Newscum, for who is going to lead the Democrats to their future defeat. Clooney got more publicity for politics than he did for his very few, and totally mediocre, movies. He wasn't a movie star at all, he was just an average guy who complained, constantly, about common sense in politics. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Clooney replied, “I totally agree with the current president. We have to make America great again. We'll start in November.”
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Earlier this week, France's Ministry of Justice confirmed that the Clooney family received their naturalization orders in official documents published over the weekend. George will retain his American citizenship, while Amal — who was naturalized under her maiden name Amal Alamuddin — is British-Lebanese. Their two children were born in London.
The Clooneys spend a significant portion of their lives in the south of France, where they purchased an estate in 2021. The actor cited France's privacy laws as a primary draw. “I was worried about raising our kids in L. A., in the culture of Hollywood,” he told Esquire. “I felt like they were never going to get a fair shake at life. France — they kind of don't give a shit about fame. I don't want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don't want them being compared to somebody else's famous kids.”
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Trump and Clooney have traded barbs over the years, and the actor is famously very vocal about politics and the state of the U.S. Last year, he penned a New York Times op-ed calling for former president Joe Biden bow out of the 2024 presidential election. In November, Clooney confirmed that he stood behind the op-ed, but thought it was a mistake for Kamala Harris to step in.
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“We had a chance,” he told CBS' Sunday Morning. “I wanted there to be, as I wrote in the op-ed, a primary. Let's battle-test this quickly and get it up and going.”
He continued, “I think the mistake with it being Kamala is she had to run against her own record. It's very hard to do if the point of running is to say, ‘I'm not that person.' It's hard to do, and so she was given a very tough task. I think it was a mistake, quite honestly. But we are where we are. We were gonna lose more House seats, they say. So I don't know. To not do it would be to say, ‘I'm not gonna tell the truth.'”
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Emily Zemler
Noah Kahan rang in the new year by turning 29. The musician shared a thoughtful Instagram post reflecting on his year of “change and adaptation,” noting that he hopes “29 teaches me even half as much.”
“28 was change and adaptation and understanding and growing and trying to go backwards and forwards at once and coming to terms with and accepting and being filled with gratitude and wondering why this happened to me and feeling left out of something important and trying to find the bottom of a never ending landfill and making the little guy proud and taking it all in and never turning my head away from the windshield even when I was terrified of the road in front of me and god I hope 29 teaches me even half as much,” Kahan wrote alongside a photo of himself drinking champagne.
He later shared an Instagram story adding, “Grateful beyond belief for all of you.”
Kahan released his breakthrough third album, Stick Season, in 2022. He later shared collaborations with Post Malone, Gracie Abrams, Kacey Musgraves, and Sam Fender, revisiting several tracks from the LP. In 2024, he shared its final iteration, Stick Season (Forever), as well as a live album, Live From Fenway Park.
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The musician spent 2025 touring, including performances at Glastonbury and BottleRock. He is set to headline Bonnaroo in June alongside the Strokes and Skrillex.
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In November, Kahan revealed during a show at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway that his new album is “officially done.” At the charity concert, he performed three new songs, including one titled “Deny Deny Deny.” Although the musician has yet to announce a release date or details for the new album, it is expected to arrive this year.
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Emily Zemler
Will Smith has been sued by a tour violinist alleging sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation.
Brian King Joseph filed the suit in the Superior Court of California in Los Angeles on Dec. 30 against Smith and Treyball Studios Management. It accuses Smith of “predatory behavior” and “deliberately grooming and priming Mr. Joseph for further sexual exploitation” ahead of his Based on a True Story: 2025 tour.
The lawsuit alleges that Smith hired Joseph in November 2024 to perform at a show in San Diego. The rapper subsequently invited Joseph to join his 2025 tour and to play on his forthcoming album. The suit claims that Smith once told Joseph, “You and I have such a special connection that I don't have with anyone else.”
Joseph alleges a “traumatic series of events” that occurred in Las Vegas in March 2025, where Smith was performing. During on incident, Smith's management allegedly lost Joseph's bag, which contained his hotel room key. Joseph claims he discovered someone had entered his Las Vegas hotel room with no signs of forced entry. Evidence “of a sexual threat of violence” allegedly included a handwritten note reading, “Brian, I'll be back… just us,” with a drawn heart and signed, “Stone F.”
The musician also found “wipes, a beer bottle, a red backpack, a bottle of HIV medication with another individual's name, an earring, and hospital discharge paperwork belonging to a person unbeknownst to” Joseph. Joseph claims he “feared that an unknown individual would soon return to his room to engage in sexual acts.”
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Joseph reported the incident to hotel security and Smith's representatives, as well as the non-emergency police line. The suit alleges that a few days later, a member of Smith's management team “shamed” him for the incident and told him he was being terminated while suggesting that Joseph made the whole thing up. Joseph says he subsequently suffered “PTSD and other mental illness as a result of the termination.”
The “circumstances of the hotel intrusion all point to a pattern of predatory behavior rather than an isolated incident,” the complaint reads. It adds that Joseph experienced “severe emotional distress, economic loss, reputational harm, and other damages” as a result of the alleged incident and the termination.
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“Mr. Joseph's allegations concerning my client are false, baseless, and reckless,” Allen B. Grodsky, an attorney for Smith, told People in a statement. “They are categorically denied, and we will use all legal means available to address these claims and to ensure that the truth is brought to light.”
Smith released his most recent album, Based on a True Story, in March. Smith performed in Las Vegas on March 20, 2025 at the House of Blues Las Vegas and at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles a few days later. His tour officially kicked off in June in Rabat, Morocco.
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"Comparing this year's broadcast ratings to prior years is a classic apples-to-oranges comparison and evidence of far-left bias," says a rep for the institution.
By
Lars Brandle
The month of December was an eventful one for the Kennedy Center. In the leadup to Christmas, the institution was controversially renamed Trump-Kennedy Center, with new signage installed. Then came the boycotts, the threat of retaliatory lawsuits, and the Dec. 23 broadcast of the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, which delivered all-time low ratings.
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And this after Donald Trump, who became the first sitting president to host the show, had predicted it would be “the highest-rated show that they've ever done.”
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That soft viewership result didn't reflect what was a “successful night,” say reps for the Kennedy Center.
“Comparing this year's broadcast ratings to prior years is a classic apples-to-oranges comparison and evidence of far-left bias,” Roma Daravi, vp of public relations for the Kennedy Center, said in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “The program performed extremely well across key demographics and platforms, despite industry and timing disadvantages, including a Tuesday air date two days before Christmas.”
According to THR, Nielsen Live + Same Day Panel + Big Data reported the special averaged 4.1 million viewers, representing a 26% drop in viewership year-on-year.
Since the 2024 show, however, Nielsen changed its methodology by launching its Big Data + Panel system that combines its traditional panel data with data from smart TVs and set-top boxes.
Also, notes, THR, the previous show was broadcast on a Sunday with an NFL lead-in, the Kennedy Center outlined on background.
“With overall television usage down roughly 20 percent year over year, the broadcast still tied for the #1 spot among adults aged 25–54, alongside a live NBA doubleheader,” Daravi adds. “And on social media, Honors garnered 1.5 billion impressions in just one night — up from only 50 million similar impressions last year. This was a successful night celebrating the outstanding achievements of our Honorees at the Trump Kennedy Center.”
While the serving president traditionally sits in the balcony with the honorees, Trump took the stage three times during the 48th annual event, which this year feted Sylvester Stallone, KISS, George Strait, Gloria Gaynor and Broadway legend Michael Crawford.
The annual presentation took place Sunday, Dec. 7, and aired later in the month on CBS and Paramount+, following the announcement of plans to rename the Kennedy Center to The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts.
Efforts to rename the Kennedy Center, reportedly approved by its board, could face legal hurdles. The original laws that guided the creation of the Kennedy Center specifically prohibited the renaming of the building. It would take an act of Congress to change that now.
That board looks a lot different than it did a year earlier. In February 2025, Trump abruptly fired members and installed himself as chair, writing in a post on Truth Social at the time, “At my direction, we are going to make the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., GREAT AGAIN.”
Weeks later, the newly installed members of the Kennedy Center board, handpicked by Trump, officially elected Trump as board chair.
Celebrities who have disassociated themselves from the Kennedy Center this year include Rhiannon Giddens, Issa Rae, Renee Fleming, Shonda Rhimes and Ben Folds. The landmark musical Hamilton and play Eureka Day soon cancelled performances at the center, while jazz supergroup The Cookers pulled out of a planned New Year's Eve concert, and musician Chuck Redd scrapped a Christmas Eve performance.
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Jelly Roll‘s successful weight loss journey led him to achieve one of his biggest personal goals — landing the cover of Men's Health magazine. Check out the “American Idol” season 23 artist-in-residence's cover photo and inspiring story.
Jelly Roll is showing off his 275-pound weight loss on the cover of Men's Health magazine, a goal he's spoken about in the past.
On January 2, the Men's Health Instagram account shared the Jelly Roll cover, writing in the caption: “When Jason Bradley DeFord, better known as Jelly Roll, first began his fitness journey, he told people close to him that he wanted to be on the cover of Men's Health one day.”
The caption continued, “At the end of 2024, on his wife Bunnie XO's podcast, he publicly set the goal of making it happen by March of this year. Well, he's two months ahead of schedule. The Grammy-nominated country star is on the cover of our Winter 2026 issue.”
“For his cover story, we followed Jelly over the course of a year to chronicle his epic transformation. When we first met up with him, he weighed 380 pounds — already down 160 pounds from his heaviest, in 2020,” the magazine noted. “On the morning of our cover shoot at the end of 2025, he weighed in at 265.”
The singer initially focused on getting healthy, beginning with his mental health. “Even before I got into getting my blood work done, I went and got mental health therapy about my overeating,” he explained in Men's Health.
He continued, “I started treating my food addiction like what it was: an addiction. Why did I treat cocaine a certain way? I went to meetings for cocaine and found a sponsor and detoxed off of it and [expletive] myself and went through real hard life-changing emotional choices to get off cocaine and codeine.”
“I didn't look at the food addiction different. Once I started treating food like an addiction, it started changing everything for me,” Jelly Roll shared. “When I started really looking at the source of why I was eating. What was I eating for?”
The singer worked with a team, began hormone therapy, and hired chef and sports nutritionist Ian Larios.
In the Men's Health documentary, “A Year For a Life,” Jelly Roll shared that rather than aiming for a goal weight, he has “a feeling weight.” He noted, “And I don't feel it yet. I'll know when I feel it, because I'll finally be there.”
“But, man, I've worked really hard and lost the weight the right way,” the singer said.
“I feel the weight loss in every facet,” Jelly Roll said. “Whether it's basketball and how I dribble or move, or how I can breathe running up and down a court. I feel it when I sleep and my hip hurts less and I can roll over easier without making a big of a rumble. Or the fact that me and my wife can fit on the same bed again.”
Fans are impressed with Jelly Roll's commitment to weight loss and achieving his goal. “This makes me cry! His 2025 goal came true! I'm so proud of this man!!” one fan commented.
Another fan wrote, “Congrats on all your hard work. What an achievement!”
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Kate Winslet is royally impressed by King Charles.
The “Titanic” star, who is narrating the upcoming documentary “Finding Harmony: A King's Vision,” praised the king for his work on the environment.
“His Majesty united so many different people because the only path forward is together,” Winslet says in a new trailer released Thursday.
Charles's work is done through The King's Foundation.
In the Prime Video trailer, viewers are shown images of wildlife and the Charles, 77, meeting with people all over the world.
“We are so excited for the world to get their first glimpse of ‘Finding Harmony: A King's Vision,'” the chief executive of The King's Foundation, Kristina Murrin CBE, shared in a statement.
“Viewers will have a front row seat to His Majesty's commitment to protecting our environment and the challenges and triumphs of this personal journey. His Majesty's Harmony philosophy is our guiding principle at The King's Foundation, and it's fantastic to have the opportunity to share this thinking with a wider audience.”
Per the official press release, The King's Foundation, which was created in 1990, “works to build sustainable communities and transform lives through teaching practical heritage skills and leading green community regeneration projects.”
The release added that the monarch's philosophy of “harmony,” helps guide others “to see themselves as part of nature, not apart from nature” and “focuses on the interconnectedness of all life and the importance of living in balance with nature.”
King Charles' documentary comes on the heels of his cancer journey.
The king was diagnosed with the disease in February 2024 and has continued to undergo treatment.
In December, Charles gave an emotional update on his battle.
The prerecorded message aired during Channel 4's Stand Up To Cancer broadcast, with King Charles noting he will continue receiving care, on a reduced schedule, as doctors move into a more precautionary phase.
“I know from my own experience that a cancer diagnosis can feel overwhelming,” he added. “Yet I also know that early detection is the key that can transform treatment journeys, giving invaluable time to medical teams — and, to their patients, the precious gift of hope.”
“I know, too, what a difference it has made in my own case, enabling me to continue leading a full and active life, even while undergoing treatment,” the king continued.
The monarch then urged others to find out whether they are eligible for cancer screenings.
“A few moments of minor inconvenience are a small price to pay for the reassurance that comes for most people when they are either told either they don't need further tests, or, for some, are given the chance to enable early detection, with the life-saving intervention that can follow.”
Charles ended his message with a plea to others.
“This December, as we gather to reflect on the year past, I pray that we can each pledge, as part of our resolutions for the year ahead, to play our part in helping to catch cancer early,” he concluded. “Your life — or the life of someone you love — may depend upon it.”
Along with King Charles, his daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, also revealed she was being treated for cancer in March 2024.
While undergoing chemotherapy, the royal, who shares kids Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, with Prince William, stayed out of the spotlight.
In September 2024, Kate announced she completed chemotherapy.
“As the summer comes to an end, I cannot tell you what a relief it is to have finally completed my chemotherapy treatment,” the princess shared at the time. “The last nine months have been incredibly tough for us as a family. Life as you know it can change in an instant and we have had to find a way to navigate the stormy waters and road unknown.”
In January 2025, Middleton opened up about being in remission, calling it “a relief.”
“As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal,” the princess added. “I am however looking forward to a fulfilling year ahead. There is much to look forward to. Thank you to everyone for your continued support.”
“Finding Harmony: A King's Vision” premieres on Prime Video on Feb. 6.
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How should the audience interpret Eleven's fate? Is a door open to explore more of Hawkins down the line? Creators Matt and Ross Duffer answer that and more in their spoiler chat with The Hollywood Reporter.
By
Jackie Strause
Managing Editor, East Coast
[This story contains MAJOR spoilers from the series finale of Stranger Things 5.]
Creators Matt and Ross Duffer have always known what the final shot of Stranger Things would be, and now viewers have been clued in on that epic ending.
After five seasons, 10 years and many escapades to the Upside Down, the mega-hit Netflix series has brought the story of Stranger Things to a close. The Hawkins, Indiana, group of high schoolers defeated villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) against all odds, but it came at the massive price of Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) sacrificing herself for the larger good of her friends and the world at large. Is Eleven really dead, or should the audience believe the hopeful story Mike (Finn Wolfhard) shared in the final scene of the series, which saw the original group graduating and passing on Dungeons & Dragons — and hopefully a less traumatic teen era — onto the next generation as they exit childhood and close this chapter of the Stranger Things franchise for good. Read all of the Duffer Brothers answers to our burning questions, below.
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How do you feel about the reaction so far to the series finale, and the fact that you've now crashed Netflix twice?
ROSS DUFFER (Laughs) I'm surprised I didn't ask them to increase the bandwidth more. I should have. We're feeling really good. It was so fun because we went to the Americana [AMC movie theater] in Glendale [California] last night and watched it with a bunch of fans, and to see them responding to the show in real time was such an incredible experience and something we've never had before. We've done premieres, but of course that's not filled with just fans of the show. So to see them respond in the way they did was such a great ending to the story for us.
Was their most audible reaction what you thought it would be?
MATT DUFFER Yeah, they reacted exactly where I wanted them to react. I don't remember a moment where I was hoping for a reaction that we didn't get one, and obviously there was a lot of crying towards the end.
You talked about always knowing that final scene, which was the last Dungeon & Dragons game with Mike [Finn Wolfhard] looking back, shutting that door and passing it all onto the younger kids. Can you elaborate on how you've always been working towards those final five minutes?
ROSS DUFFER Some of it did evolve as we were working on season five. The idea that we had forever was that we were going to have them playing one last game of Dungeons & Dragons. It's kind of their last moment of childhood, reliving their childhood one more time. And then one by one, having them leave the basement and Mike shutting the door on it and saying goodbye to childhood and moving on. That was the idea. And then as we were working on season five, we added a couple things, one of which was Holly [Nell Fisher] and her friends. Holly and her friends were not initially going to be a part of season five. That was something we discovered as we were working and we really fell in love with this passing of the torch, and the idea of Mike looking down and realizing his sister and her friends are going to be able to experience the magic of childhood as he was. Hopefully just not as traumatically — although Holly's already had a slightly traumatic childhood. But it's why you see Mike smile at the end; is it's him remembering back to them as kids and knowing that those memories are going to be with him forever. So while he is shutting the door on that phase of his life, it's always going to be a part of him.
What took the most time to get right as you were filming that final scene? Did everyone nail their last shot on the first take? Was everyone crying in real life?
ROSS DUFFER Yes. Everyone came in for that last day emotionally locked in. The only thing was that occasionally there would be too much crying. And we're like, “We can't be sad yet.” The honest truth is everyone was so just dialed in. We originally were going to end the final shot of the show on just Mike shutting the door. And then Noah [Schnapp], the day before, came up to us and said, “Wouldn't it be nice if the last shot was something that we were all in? So that we could all wrap together as opposed to wrapping one of us at a time?” So the actual last shot we ever did was them from behind the bookcase, putting the D&D books away. Once we knew we had it, and Matt and I told them this was going to be the last take, no matter what. That take is not in there because there's too much crying.
MATT DUFFER It was a brilliant suggestion by Noah. I can't imagine doing it any other way, but also that's not them acting. When they're putting away their books and walking away, that's them saying goodbye to the show. So,that's the most emotional and heartbreaking shot we ever did on the show. That's why you see Finn break the way that he did.
You promised this would not be a Game of Thrones-level finale, but that the ending would be inevitable. Of course, it's inevitable that Eleven would sacrifice herself to save everybody. What was the trickiest part about delivering something that you felt was so inevitable, but that also would be unpredictable and emotional and take us by a gut-punch surprise?
ROSS DUFFER It was definitely a challenge going in because we've been building to this decision that Eleven was going to make, or have to make for, for most of the season. Even talking with the writers about her fate and what we wanted to happen, we tried to vocalize that in the episode because her decision was hard for us. That's where we had Hopper's [David Harbour] whole speech; the trauma of her childhood and all the pain she's experienced, and that she deserves better than that. These are all conversations we have with our writers, so hopefully it leads to this moment of well, she can't. Hopefully that still surprises people that she actually did that.
MATT DUFFER You have Hopper offering that point of view and then you have Kali [Eleven's sister] offering the opposite point of view, which was also something we talked a lot about in the room, which is: How does this story actually end? If Eleven's still alive, then the question is, is there an in-between version of that? We settled on, could there be an in between version of that? But is that real or not? We don't know. If we knew, or if Mike knew, then everybody's at risk and her sacrifice doesn't mean anything. We came up with Eleven 10 years ago; we've been working with Millie for 10 years. So we're very protective of her. It was really hard. I know we get hit for not killing more people, but Ross and I love these characters and these actors so much. It just felt like such a courageous and brave thing for her to do. She's preventing what happened to her. What Hopper's describing is all real, and it happened to her, and it happened to Kali. That's why when Harper's giving that speech, you see how in pain she is and why Kali has become the way she's become. Because of what she went through as a child. And Eleven wants to make sure that doesn't happen to any other kid. When Kali shows her all those pregnant women, you're seeing what they're going to do, which is mass manufacture of kids just like her using her blood. That's what she wants to stop from happening. She wants to give other kids an opportunity to have a life that's not like hers.
I know you're leaving it open for interpretation, but with your conversations with Millie, are you all choosing to believe the group? They end by saying, “I believe.” So, are Matt and Ross and Millie saying, “I believe”?
ROSS DUFFER I don't know if we want to say. Obviously, we've had these conversations with Millie too, and we all have our own interpretations. I worry if I say it, it might take away. We really want the audience to take from it what they want.
MATT DUFFER You can't write with a sense of ambiguity. You're writing from a specific point of view, because the character doesn't know; Max [Sadie Sink] doesn't know, right? The characters don't know because they can't know and the audience can't know because then it puts Eleven in danger and her sacrifice was for nothing. So there's a point in not knowing. The boys obviously choose to believe. I'm not sure what the majority of people are thinking, but dipping my toes a little bit into social media, it seems like people are choosing to believe and are going to Mike Wheeler route.
With Eleven maybe out there, and every character heading off onto this fresh start, it feels like you could always check in 10 years down the road. Have you guys ruled that out? Do you keep it in the back of your mind? Is the door open to maybe revisit this group when you're done with the live-action and the animated spinoffs?
MATT DUFFER We really don't know. I mean, Mike's closing the basement door. We're closing the door on the story. That's one reason we had the closing credits the way that we did, because it was a way of saying: This is finite. This is the end of their story. It's the end of the story of Mike and Eleven and Joyce [Winona Ryder] and Hopper. So, no, there's no plan or intention to tell the story because it's a coming-of age story. Ultimately, that's what it's supposed to be. That's what the show always was. When he closes the door to the basement, he's closing the door on his childhood and he's moving onto adulthood. I mean, I guess a sequel could be about a midlife crisis. That just sounds really uninteresting! (Laughs.) Grandpa Hopper? I don't know how that would read as anything but a gross cash grab to me. I wish I could talk a little bit more about the spinoff, but I'm not allowed to yet. But Ross and I are really excited about exploring new characters and a new mythology, but still very much are interested in telling a story in the spirit of Stranger Things. It feels like with this final season, we finished saying everything we wanted to say about these characters, this story and the Upside Down.
What have you guys been making of the reaction to the final season leading up into the series finale? Have things surprised you,that viewers have reacted to? The biggest reaction has been around Will's coming out scene.
ROSS DUFFER There's always a lot of noise. Obviously, that was more noise. But our main thing was , do we believe in the scene? Was it important for not just for Will, but for the story that we were telling, both thematically, from a character point of view and narratively? And for us, we're so proud of Noah. That was my main thing — checking on Noah and making sure how he was doing, because it's such a vulnerable performance that he gave. Noah felt great about it on the day and he's still so proud of it, and so thrilled that we did it.
MATT DUFFER At the end of the day, that's what matters to us. But people are extremely, extremely passionate about the characters in the show. Ross and I have always said about the final season, in terms of making sure we don't have any regrets, is that we put absolutely everything we had into the season — blood, sweat and tears. We left everything on the field. We just gave our entire selves to it. So I know we put all that we had. Why didn't I take that trip to Palm Springs? You know? Why didn't I take that weekend off? There's none of that. We put everything we had in it and I hope it resonated for the majority of fans.
You gave us such an extended epilogue, which we don't always get in series finales. Was there anyone's future who changed a lot from what you initially thought or that took the most time for you to land on?
ROSS DUFFER We talked about it with all the actors because they know their character inside and out. So we wanted to make sure that they also felt good about where their characters are. I think the scene that probably evolved the most was the rooftop scene with the teens, just because in the first draft of it, there was a little bit less clarity in terms of what people are doing and where they were in their lives. We worked on it mostly on the day with the actors and there's an even longer version than that scene. There's a cut that's at least five minutes longer, but they really help bring the specificity to their characters and exactly where they are in the moment that I thought was such an amazing experiment.
MATT DUFFER But I will say, broadly, as far as the finale is concerned, the most important thing for me and Ross was that obviously we needed it to work and feel really great to me and Ross, who've been writing the show for 10 years. But we needed it to work and resonate with the actors because they've been living and breathing these characters better than anybody. And the fact that it did resonate as deeply and that they're all as happy as they are means more to us than anything.
You have Tales, the animated show, and the live-action spinoff, but is there anything else now that you can share about how the franchise continues next?
MATT DUFFER I've been pinned down and forced to blow this already, so I might as well tell you. There's lingering questions about the rock and where the rock came from [in Henry's story in the finale] and the scientist and all of that. Because we had said that there is something in the finale that is going to connect to the spinoff. The spinoff is not about rocks or mining the rocks, but I would say that's the loose end that's not that's not tied up that will be tied up. But ultimately, and we have said this before, but I guess to reiterate, it is an entirely new mythology. This spinoff does connect and will answer some of the lingering questions. It's not specifically about the Mind Flayer or the Upside Down, but hopefully it provides some answers to that at least those lingering questions related to Henry's memory.
Henry justified his beliefs in the end, amid a hopeful finale. What should we take away from Vecna and Henry's story, what do you hope viewers think about?
ROSS DUFFER It's a really tragic story. Jamie's performance is unbelievable. You see he wasn't born an evil kid, right? You see how he's looking back at his younger self and he sees that innocence. And when he lost that innocence and, when Will's trying to reach him, and Henry makes the choice to not listen to Will and not apologize or acknowledge that he had done anything wrong, these were, in fact, his choices. He wasn't manipulated. It's a little bit open-ended as to whether he was manipulated or not, or did he have a more innocent, naive view of the world and the Mind Flayer showed him a different perspective and that's what changed him. Was he too far gone because he had killed about 20 children and by saying that he had been wrong, how does one live with that? Is he forced to stick with his story? Because acknowledging he was wrong would be too painful. Those are all the questions you're asking and the questions I think Jamie was asking himself. He did so much work on Henry's backstory. `
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“The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” star Mary Cosby is shining a spotlight on her life in a documentary titled “The Cult of the Real Housewife.” Fans will discover a lot more about her life, including her family, but for now, we are taking a look at what we know so far. These are five fast facts about Cosby's family.
Mary has a controversial relationship with her husband, Robert Cosby Sr., because he was once her step-grandfather. The couple has been married since September 1998, but Robert was previously married to Mary's grandmother, Rosemary “Mama” Cosby. He was Rosemary's second husband.
Mary addressed their coupling in an episode of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” in Season 1, saying the marriage was “arranged” as “it was kind of in my grandma's will for us to marry,” People reports.
Mary and Robert Cosby Sr. have one son, Robert Cosby Jr., who was born in 2005. Robert Jr. has appeared in scenes on “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City,” including emotional scenes that address deeply personal matters such as addiction. He has also been arrested.
Mary discussed her decision to share such a vulnerable part of her family, specifically her son's life, in an interview with Today in January 2025. “It's a fine line between putting your kids out there and then protecting them,” she said. “It was just something that I questioned all the way up until it aired.”
Mary is heavily involved in her church and serves as the first lady of the Faith Temple Pentecostal Church, People reports. This title was previously held by her grandmother, who founded the church. Mary addressed the claims of a cult in an interview with Entertainment Tonight in January 2021.
“Clearly I'm not gonna get on national television, be a Housewife and be in a cult,” she said. “Like, come on. I believe in my church. There's no cult. My church members, they know those are false allegations. Those are ridiculous. It's the people that are looking for fault.”
In an interview with Today in January 2025, Mary admitted that she is a “helicopter mom” and that she wants to “protect my son at all costs.”
In an interview with People in 2024, Mary discussed her relationship with Robert Sr, and how their “friendship” came “before our relationship, before our marriage.”
She continued, “I love that Robert is a hard worker. He's not lazy. He's a bishop, and he lives to that. I love that he respects me; I respect him. He finds pleasure in buying me gifts, and he buys me the most beautiful things.”
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By Katie Campione
TV Reporter
SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the series finale of Netflix‘s Stranger Things.
Matt and Ross Duffer have officially closed the book on Stranger Things.
The supernatural Netflix series rang in 2026 with an epic and emotional two-hour finale that saw the Hawkins crew finally defeat Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) and destroy the Upside Down for good, bringing an end once and for all to the havoc the portal to an alternate dimension has caused for the last four years of their lives.
Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) also vanished with the collapse of the Upside Down, though the Duffers have given both their characters and the audience a powerful coping mechanism to grapple with the grief of her self-sacrifice. Earlier in the finale, it seems that Eleven has broken off from the pack to go back through the gate, ensuring she'll go down with the wormhole and the government won't be able to continue its experiments on other children. But, in the final moments of the episode, Mike (Finn Wolfhard) lets his friends in on a little theory he has about their mage, having realized at graduation that El was seemingly able to use her powers and enter the Void to say goodbye to him despite the fact that the military was using that piercing sound (“kryptonite,” as they call it) to debilitate her.
Watch on Deadline
He relays his hypothesis through the lens of the D&D campaign they've just finished playing, which Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Max (Sadie Sink), Will (Noah Schnapp) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) win by using an eleventh hour Hail Mary to summon a mage they'd encountered earlier in their quest. As he's orating the epilogues for all of their game characters, Mike says he chooses to believe that the mage isn't actually dead. Instead, with the help of her sister, she was able to escape and start a peaceful life off the grid. As he says it, the episode flashes back to the moment the gate closes in the MAC-Z, and the audience sees Kali (Linnea Berthelsen) use her powers one last time before she dies to make everyone think they see El standing inside the gate so that she can actually slip away and escape for good.
Putting away their D&D books, the kids are an emotional wreck as they realize that the real world is knocking at the door and, in many ways, their lives are irrevocably different than they were just a few short years ago. Both for better and worse. Mike's final moment of reverie is interrupted as Holly (Nell Fisher) and her friends come storming down the stairs to play their own D&D campaign in the basement, and Mike smiles as he closes the door, literally and figuratively, on that chapter of his life.
In the interview below, the Duffer brothers discuss crafting what they hope is a satisfying conclusion to the story that launched their careers and the careers of most of the show's young cast into the stratosphere as well as saying goodbye to the beloved current and former residents of Hawkins, Indiana.
DEADLINE: First of all, how are you both feeling now that the finale is out in the world?
ROSS DUFFER: I mean, we definitely feel emotional. I think we're still processing. We went to see it last night with fans, went to a screening in the Americana [at Brand in Glendale, California], and that was an incredible experience just being, not at a premiere, just being with fans on opening night and seeing them react in real time to what's happening.
DEADLINE: You also both watched the finale with a lot of the cast just recently. What was that experience like for you?
ROSS: Oh, it was very emotional. I think for everyone, there were a lot of tears at the end, but, also, everyone was just so, so proud and just so supportive of one another. I don't know. I just felt like everything had come full circle, and just to see how much they've grown up over the years… it was really the perfect way to end the whirlwind of press tour and filming and everything. It was quiet, but I thought it was beautiful.
RELATED LINK: ‘Stranger Things 5' Star Caleb McLaughlin On That Emotional Scene With [SPOILER], Upside Down Mythology & More From Vol. 2
MATT DUFFER: It's sort of how we feel now. I think everybody was processing it. Everybody was crying. We all went back to my apartment in New York. Some of the cast chose to walk, even though it was 30 minutes, I think because they needed time to process everything. Just having heard from a lot of them yesterday, I haven't connected with them today, but, I think everyone's still reeling a little bit. Everybody's emotional.
DEADLINE: I mean, to be fair, I am feeling emotional about it, and I am only an audience member!
MATT: You have to remember, it's been 10 years, right? So for the kids, it's half their lives. I mean, Millie always says she doesn't remember life or much of it before the show, so I don't know. I think it was harder for everybody than they thought it was going to be saying farewell.
ROSS: So much of the final scenes that you see, I mean, yes, people are acting, but in a way, they're not. Those are real emotions that they're feeling, because those are all the last scenes that we captured with these actors. So, it's a vulnerable thing to see that projected on the big screen and then put out in front of everyone.
MATT: I don't want to say it's meta, because it wasn't, but some of it was a commentary on the experience of the show itself and what it felt like to say goodbye to it. So each of those individual scenes in the epilogue were very personal to all the cast, and I think that's why each of those days were as emotional as they were. Everybody was crying the entire time.
The basement scene was two days, so the first day was okay. The first day it was just the fun D&D campaign. Then the second day, everyone was wrecked. I thought they were going to run out of tears, but they did not.
ROSS: They did not.
DEADLINE: You can feel a lot of that emotion very viscerally. It doesn't fully feel like they're acting in some of those final moments.
MATT: No, that's not acting. When they're breaking…when you see Maya [Hawke] break, or any of them break, they were just crying.
DEADLINE: Well, there's a lot to unpack from the finale, but let's start there. You said that the basement scene is something you've pretty much always envisioned for the finale, but when did this idea of weaving in some ambiguity about Eleven's death crystallize for you? Why did that feel like the right way to end that story?
MATT: It's been something on our mind for a really long time. That was the original ending of the show when it was designed as a limited series, that El has to sacrifice herself in some way. I mean, the first thing we did when we were working on Season 5 was to talk about the ending and specifically talk about Eleven and, it was hard.
This is a character we've been with for 10 years. We've been with Millie for 10 years. So it was a really hard and emotional decision to make, but at the end of the day, it just felt right to us. It felt like, given the circumstances, it was the only way to actually end, permanently, everything that had been going on, and it's such a selfless act from her to protect anyone from going through what she went through, if that makes sense.
ROSS: It was always going to end with the kids in the basement. That's been planned for eight years. Once we figured out this, ‘I believe,' line from Mike, that's when everything sort of crystallized. And of course, that was very early on, like week two or three of the writers room this [season]. Once Holly became a bigger figure, sort of the passing of the torch, those were some of the first ideas we had when we were talking about what we wanted this basement scene to be, before we even started writing the season. So it was always headed towards that goal post.
RELATED LINK: Jamie Campbell Bower Unpacks Vecna's Reign Of Terror In ‘Stranger Things 5' Vol. 2: “There Are Times Where I Feel Wildly Inhuman”
MATT: At the end of the day, we see it as a big coming of age story. This scene is about one last moment of being kids before they leave that childhood behind. Them going up the stairs is them leaving it, and then Holly and her friends are the new generation who are going to live that out. So, that's why that last shot of Mike, you see him go from feeling sad about leaving his childhood behind to feeling happy and knowing the happy memories he had with his friends are going to be with him forever.
And El, in so many ways to us, represents the magic of childhood, like when you're growing up, and anything feels possible, and that goes away in some ways as you get older, but it stays with you forever. So the memories of Eleven are always going to be with Mike, and they don't vanish, right? I mean, she's going to be a part of Mike and her friends for the rest of time, and they choose to believe she's still out there, which is powerful.
So, it's not saying goodbye. She's with them forever, and their childhood and the memories of everything they went through, as scary and traumatic as it was at times, as Dustin said, there was so much good that came out of it. Eleven and everything they went through shaped who they are today.
DEADLINE: Did you consider any other deaths?
ROSS: In the writers room, I think we talked through everything. You talk through everything, every possibility, and we knew from early on what we wanted to do with Eleven and her fate, and you talk through the other characters, but I think at the end of the day, for us, the show is an adventure story. It's a coming of age story.
So for us, it was really talking about those last 30, 40 minutes and where we wanted our characters to be and what we wanted their growth to be and where we wanted to leave them behind. Having those discussions is how we landed on [the idea] that we want our heroes, most of them, to make it out of there.
DEADLINE: I have to say, ‘When Doves Cry' to ‘Purple Rain' to ‘Landslide' is one of the craziest strings of sequential needle drops I've ever heard in a show. I need to know how you landed on those songs.
MATT: It was cheap, too, I can tell you. [Laughs]. We spent a long time trying to figure out what was going to be playing on the bomb vinyl. I don't think we talked more about what song we should use than we did for that particular song, because it was really, really challenging, because the first song needed to be upbeat and hopeful on the vinyl. Then the final song had to work for Eleven's farewell. So not only are you looking for an iconic song, you need the beginning song and the end song to both work and convey completely different emotions.
We asked everybody in the cast, all of our friends. Everybody weighed in. Everyone had different ideas. Eventually we landed on ‘Purple Rain,' but the concern with that was whether or not we were going to be able to get the rights. I mean, aside from Michael Jackson, it's the hardest thing to do, to get Prince rights. I don't think we would have got them had it not been for Kate Bush, to be honest. Because of the Kate Bush effect, I think that ultimately persuaded the Prince estate. I don't know how they feel about the scene, but hopefully they're happy with it. I guess they approved it, right Ross?
ROSS: They did approve it [in the scene]. Then ‘Landslide,' we love that song, as I think everyone does, and we've always wanted to find a place for it. We're so glad that we finally did. Maya loves that song, and actually, for her final stint as a DJ, we had earplugs, and so she was listening to that song while delivering her last squawk.
DEADLINE: In some ways, Henry gets a redemption in the end, but he isn't let off the hook. He says he ultimately chose to align himself with the Mind Flayer and is still choosing to do so, and Joyce actually does the honors of killing him. Can you tell me about settling on that ending and why it felt satisfying to you?
ROSS: We discussed having a redemption moment for him, as we did with, say, Billy in Season 3, but ultimately, it felt like Henry has gone too far now — and how much of that is him in there versus how much is the Mind Flayer, how much of it is just him unwilling to admit this, we want to leave that a little bit for the audience [to decide].
Obviously, Jamie did an incredible job conveying the complexity of emotions here, but ultimately, yeah, he's gone too far to let go of this, and as a result of all this trauma that he's caused, that's why we wanted to give that moment to Joyce. The headshot moment was always in there, but it was in editorial where we ended up putting in these flashbacks as we wanted to make that moment a cathartic moment, as opposed to a stand up and cheer moment.
It's a little more complicated than that, in that our heroes have suffered as a result of this evil and as a result of Henry, so even if there was still good inside of him, it's almost a cleansing of all that evil that he's done.
MATT: Right. It was kind of f*ck you, and then she chops his head off. We said [in the edit], ‘Well, let's try a more emotional route and see if we can make this the most emotional decapitation ever.'
DEADLINE: It is pretty symbolic, since Joyce has that axe in Season 1.
MATT: Exactly. She had to use that axe.
ROSS: We went through every character going, ‘Who gets the final blow on Vecna?' Then once we landed on Joyce with that axe, us and the writers were like ‘She's got to be the one.' It just feels right.
DEADLINE: It's funny, because in Season 1, I remember thinking ‘What the hell is she going to do with an axe?'
MATT: [Laughs]. Well, she chopped through a wall at Season 1, but it didn't accomplish anything. She swung at a demo this year, but then she finally put it to real, proper good use.
DEADLINE: How long did it take you to get the finale to 2 hours and 8 minutes? Was there a lot you had to cut?
MATT: Actually, not that long. I don't remember how long the first draft was. I think it was pretty normal in that they're usually, like, 10 or 15 pages too fat, and then you just trim it down. We spent so long outlining it that the structure was pretty much intact. Our goal was to keep it around two hours and avoid a two and a half hour ‘Piggyback' [Season 4, Episode 9]. I mean, two hours is pretty luxurious for a TV episode. We didn't want there to be any filler in there. So it always landed around two hours. There's not footage missing.
DEADLINE: You said there's a hint in the finale about the spinoff you guys are working on. Can you give any hints about what the hint might be?
ROSS: I know. We were just talking about this. I don't know if I want to, but I will say, though, it's not Hopper mentioning Montauk. There's no Montauk spinoff. That was more of a wink to the fans, deep-cut fans that know that the show started as Montauk.
It's obviously not Holly and the kids or anything like that. It's something much smaller than that. We've said this before, the spinoff idea we have, it is early days, but it is an entirely new mythology. So, it is connected, and it is going to answer some questions that people have, and there's some lingering questions that weren't answered in the finale that will be answered in the spinoff. But at the end of the day, it's got its own story and its own mythology.
DEADLINE: My last question for you is about the end credits. They're awesome. Can you tell me about creating them?
MATT: I don't remember where that came in the process. I think, actually, we were editing Season 5. We were in post production when we came up with the idea. We thought about [The Lord of the Rings] Return of the King a lot, just in terms of the length of the epilogue. I always defend the Return of the King epilogue, but I'm one of those hardcore Lord of the Rings fans, to the point where I've watched all extended editions in a row on a single day. If you do that, the epilogue feels absolutely perfect and not long at all. In fact, if it felt shorter, it would feel absolutely distressing.
I think, Stranger Things, if you watch Season 5 all the way through, it's going to feel great. You just want to spend extra time with these characters. Anyway, that was sort of the reference for the epilogue. Then we love the credits at the end of Return of the King. So that was the initial idea, and they were these very simple illustrations.
Then we started to talk with Imaginary Forces, which is the title company that did the main title sequence for the show, who we absolutely love and adore. We pitched that maybe it was Will's notebook of drawings, and then they came back like a week later and suggested, ‘What if it was done actually in the style of a real D&D manual?'
What's cool about these D&D manuals is there's color images, and, also, over the years, the style of illustration changes. They brought back illustrators from the actual 1980s who drew in the manuals all the way back then. So it really came full circle, and, mainly, we wanted it to feel finite, right? I mean, that was really the key. We wanted to feel like ‘The End.'
RELATED LINK: ‘Stranger Things' Shatters Nielsen Record It Already Held As Season 5 Premiere Ushers In Highest Weekly Viewing Total Ever For A Streaming Title
ROSS: We wanted to pay tribute, I think, to all of our actors, and even the ones where we can't list their names contractually, whether it's Joe Quinn or Shannon Purser, who passed away sadly in the show.
MATT: Well, Shannon didn't pass away, Ross, let's be clear. It was Barb.
ROSS: Barb, yes.
MATT: Shannon's fine.
ROSS: Shannon's fine. [Chuckles]. We wanted to be able to pay tribute to our cast and how much they've grown through the years. Obviously, it's not to say the whole show was a D&D campaign. It was just a way to pay tribute to everyone and also let the audience, hopefully, take in this journey that they've been on for nine years.
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Anyone else seeing similarities with IT and ST? I mean it even ends with a big spider that they must killed… when does the line blur between “hommage” and just “rip off”.
They did the thing I've always said every show should do: devote the final half-hour (or more) to saying goodbye to the characters. If the final act of a big show is just closing out the final mission, it rarely feels satisfying.
Montauk would have been a great Stranger Things spinoff show, catered more to adults
They never really resolved the military storyline. How were they not tortured or put in prison?
Yeah, its my one hang up too. I felt like Linda Hamilton was wasted in her role. She has a few lines of dialogue but outside of that, she's just there to be menacing and evil. I wanted her and the rest of the squad to die or be stuck on the bridge before it collapsed. I understand the idea that, “another one will just replace her”, that's beside the point. I need the satisfaction of knowing the person that's been the heel all season has their comeuppance.
This season could have used more focus.
Loved the finale but the rest felt like a retread of what's come before.
And everything about the radio station and its tower were just ridiculous. It was too similar to the Starcourt Mall from a couple seasons ago.
And that magic stone – I didn't get it.
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Brooks Nader and her sisters are throwing it back to the '80s.
To celebrate New Year's Eve at Kate Hudson and Cade Hudson's party in Aspen, Colo., the swimsuit model and her siblings Mary Holland, Grace Ann and Sarah Jane braved the cold in barely-there outfits, befitting the bash's “80s après” theme.
Brooks, 28, selected a burgundy bodysuit accented with a gleaming gold chain belt, along with oversized ombré sunglasses, an ivory fur coat and fuzzy leg warmers to match.
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Mary Holland, 26, opted for a blue bodysuit layered beneath a white fur coat and coordinating ski boots.
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Grace Ann, 25, sported a white zippered bodysuit, matching studded boots and a brown fur jacket, shielding her eyes with sporty shades fit for the slopes.
And Sarah Jane, 22, wore a black catsuit with a white fur vest and matching hat.
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The sisters all completed their retro fits with sheer, sparkly tights.
The party was thrown by Hudson and Britney Spears' longtime manager Cade Hudson.
Cade and the “Almost Famous” star aren't related, despite sharing the same surname.
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Brooks has been vacationing in Aspen since last week, when she celebrated Christmas with Hudson, Lauren Sánchez and Jeff Bezos.
An insider previously told Page Six that the group was seen at the Am7 Aspen, an ultra-exclusive members-only club, on Dec. 23.
“They were just enjoying some cocktails and the Aspen holiday season,” the source shared.
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The “Dancing With the Stars” alum's sisters didn't appear to have joined her for the outing, though they all landed in the snowy city earlier that day.
Brooks is close to Sánchez and Bezos, even attending the couple's lavish wedding in Venice, Italy, in June.
The influencer also helped celebrate the former journalist's 56th birthday earlier this month.
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The spirits of Macon, Georgia, are turning the town into a paranormal tourist hub.
While staying at the 1842 Inn in Macon, Georgia, I woke up in the middle of the night and sat up. Someone had touched me on my upper arm. Once, twice, three times. My friend was asleep next to me. There was no one else in the room. Or was there?
That was my first – though not my last – ghostly experience in a historic building in Macon. The day before I left Macon, I met a paranormal investigation team called Macon Beyond who acknowledged that they too had endured a lot of eerie experiences at the 1842 Inn. In fact, I could watch their paranormal investigation of the property, and others, in their investigative video series focused on Macon's haunted history.
The idea for the Macon Beyond video series came from host and Hollywood actress, Carrie Genzel, known for her roles in Supernatural, Jennifer's Body, and Smallville.
“I had pitched the idea to Visit Macon about showcasing these incredible historical places that we have here but telling it from a paranormal lens and jumping into the ghosts, legends, and lore of the city,” Genzel says.
Although Genzel had ghostly experiences since she was five, she isn't a paranormal investigator and needed a team to help her explore Macon's haunted spaces. Ten years ago, Genzel met Morrighan Lynne, a psychic empath and spiritual medium, in Dallas, Texas, on another paranormal project. Lynne and her husband Jonathan Morgan, a paranormal investigator, reached out to Genzel the week of her pitch with news that they were moving to Macon.
“She goes in the next meeting [with Visit Macon] and is like, ‘I have my team.' We didn't know anything about it,” Lynne explains. “Then she's like [to us], ‘Funny thing, I've got this project, so when get here, we're going to get to work.' I'm like, this is the weirdest, most synchronistic moment. Spirits were calling us in.”
In 2024, Lynne, Morgan, and Genzel joined a camera crew and began investigating some of Macon's historic locations, with the intent to be mindful and respectful of their community.
“Unfortunately, Hollywood and some TV shows have a reputation of antagonizing, going for like the high sensation. We don't do that. We really want to respect the people living, the family, and whoever now owns the historic building,” Morgan explains.
The team has investigated the Macon City Auditorium, Hay House, Burke Mansion, 1842 Inn, and the Big House Museum – home of the Allman Brothers Band – in the last two years, sharing their investigations on the Macon Beyond page and social media. As the host of Macon Beyond, Genzel opens each video with historical information and lore, as well as interviews with the owner or employees of the location.
“I'm the audience's voice, asking the questions,” she says. “I try to do the research so that I have an idea of who may be there or who we might be talking to [in terms of spirits, to] sort of fill in what [Lynne and Morgan] may be picking up,” she says.
As the lead investigator, Morgan brings paranormal equipment like ghost boxes that scan frequencies, thermal cameras that note changes in temperature, and Rem pods, electromagnetic tools that light up and beep if an otherworldly presence is near. In the Macon City Auditorium episode, Morgan catches a figure sitting in a conference room chair with a 3D mapping device.
“I love the Auditorium because I got a lot of great evidence out of that,” Morgan shares.
Lynne, a psychic empath and spiritual medium, takes on the role of communicating between the dead and living. Sometimes this presents itself as Lynne seeing spirits, like in the Hay House when she sees a male figure standing at the fireplace mantel in the same position where William Butler Johnston, who built the house in the mid-1800s, would have received guests. Other times she may hear music from the past or physically feel something the spirits want her to feel.
“The spirits were a little apprehensive because I don't think people investigate in this area. They weren't sure what to do with us at first,” Lynne explains. “Now, I feel like they're more eager, like, ‘Oh, we can connect.'”
Lynne's gifts appeared when she was seven years old, but remained dormant until she was about 26, when she stopped ignoring her guides and angels. She first used her skills with a paranormal investigation team in Dallas and has been honing them ever since. Lynne's approach to each historic location is different than the rest of her team.
“I ask for no information. I don't even want to know where we're going until we're pulling up into the driveway,” she explains.
Once at a location, Lynne speaks to the spirits present, learning their names or what happened to them, often sifting through Macon's long history to better understand what spirits are communicating. This isn't easy considering Macon has been inhabited for over 17,000 years, is the ancestral home of the Muscogee Nation, and was an active region during slavery and the Civil War.
“I have to spend time figuring out which era is reaching out to me. Is it the most recent, the builders of the home? Is it the Indigenous people?” Lynne explains.
The most exciting moments in the Macon Beyond video series occur when team members have ghostly experiences that overlap.
“In our Hay House episode, I visually saw a dark orb come at me, break off to Morrighan, and she got dizzy. We never told Jonathan about that. He was in another part of the house at that time,” Genzel explains. “But he caught on his equipment on that same floor, a dark orb that looked exactly like what I saw. That was the greatest piece of evidence because I experienced it, Morrigan experienced it, and Jonathan caught it on camera.”
For Genzel, Morgan, and Lynne, the Macon Beyond project has allowed them to explore Macon's history and learn more about the other side.
“Nobody wants to be forgotten and those that have passed on, they don't want to be forgotten either, so it's a great way to continue to tell their stories and share them with another generation of people,” says Genzel.
Most excitingly, the Macon Beyond videos are attracting paranormal tourists to a virtually untapped paranormal destination on par with Savannah and New Orleans in terms of activity.
Marisa Rodgers, VP & Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Macon shares that “the Macon Beyond video series and its approach to blending the paranormal with history has already seen such strong streaming numbers and impressions. Sites that have been explored have seen an increase in interest from visitors.”
This doesn't surprise Morgan who encourages paranormal tourists intrigued by the video series to make a trip: “Macon is very active, especially from some other cities that I've lived in or visited.”
“It would be such an easy place to stretch and grow and practice your skills,” adds Lynne. “You're going to get something. It feels so concentrated.”
Macon Beyond will be sharing more paranormal investigations in 2026 and will likely offer travelers the chance to join them for an investigation, too (they hosted an incredibly successful investigation event that I attended in October 2025 at the Burke Mansion). Till then, take a trip out to Macon for your own paranormal experience.
“For those that have a little bit of investigative nature to them, Macon is a fun place to come and explore and learn some new stories, haunts, and lore,” says Genzel.
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The spirits of Macon, Georgia, are turning the town into a paranormal tourist hub.
While staying at the 1842 Inn in Macon, Georgia, I woke up in the middle of the night and sat up. Someone had touched me on my upper arm. Once, twice, three times. My friend was asleep next to me. There was no one else in the room. Or was there?
That was my first – though not my last – ghostly experience in a historic building in Macon. The day before I left Macon, I met a paranormal investigation team called Macon Beyond who acknowledged that they too had endured a lot of eerie experiences at the 1842 Inn. In fact, I could watch their paranormal investigation of the property, and others, in their investigative video series focused on Macon's haunted history.
The idea for the Macon Beyond video series came from host and Hollywood actress, Carrie Genzel, known for her roles in Supernatural, Jennifer's Body, and Smallville.
“I had pitched the idea to Visit Macon about showcasing these incredible historical places that we have here but telling it from a paranormal lens and jumping into the ghosts, legends, and lore of the city,” Genzel says.
Although Genzel had ghostly experiences since she was five, she isn't a paranormal investigator and needed a team to help her explore Macon's haunted spaces. Ten years ago, Genzel met Morrighan Lynne, a psychic empath and spiritual medium, in Dallas, Texas, on another paranormal project. Lynne and her husband Jonathan Morgan, a paranormal investigator, reached out to Genzel the week of her pitch with news that they were moving to Macon.
“She goes in the next meeting [with Visit Macon] and is like, ‘I have my team.' We didn't know anything about it,” Lynne explains. “Then she's like [to us], ‘Funny thing, I've got this project, so when get here, we're going to get to work.' I'm like, this is the weirdest, most synchronistic moment. Spirits were calling us in.”
In 2024, Lynne, Morgan, and Genzel joined a camera crew and began investigating some of Macon's historic locations, with the intent to be mindful and respectful of their community.
“Unfortunately, Hollywood and some TV shows have a reputation of antagonizing, going for like the high sensation. We don't do that. We really want to respect the people living, the family, and whoever now owns the historic building,” Morgan explains.
The team has investigated the Macon City Auditorium, Hay House, Burke Mansion, 1842 Inn, and the Big House Museum – home of the Allman Brothers Band – in the last two years, sharing their investigations on the Macon Beyond page and social media. As the host of Macon Beyond, Genzel opens each video with historical information and lore, as well as interviews with the owner or employees of the location.
“I'm the audience's voice, asking the questions,” she says. “I try to do the research so that I have an idea of who may be there or who we might be talking to [in terms of spirits, to] sort of fill in what [Lynne and Morgan] may be picking up,” she says.
As the lead investigator, Morgan brings paranormal equipment like ghost boxes that scan frequencies, thermal cameras that note changes in temperature, and Rem pods, electromagnetic tools that light up and beep if an otherworldly presence is near. In the Macon City Auditorium episode, Morgan catches a figure sitting in a conference room chair with a 3D mapping device.
“I love the Auditorium because I got a lot of great evidence out of that,” Morgan shares.
Lynne, a psychic empath and spiritual medium, takes on the role of communicating between the dead and living. Sometimes this presents itself as Lynne seeing spirits, like in the Hay House when she sees a male figure standing at the fireplace mantel in the same position where William Butler Johnston, who built the house in the mid-1800s, would have received guests. Other times she may hear music from the past or physically feel something the spirits want her to feel.
“The spirits were a little apprehensive because I don't think people investigate in this area. They weren't sure what to do with us at first,” Lynne explains. “Now, I feel like they're more eager, like, ‘Oh, we can connect.'”
Lynne's gifts appeared when she was seven years old, but remained dormant until she was about 26, when she stopped ignoring her guides and angels. She first used her skills with a paranormal investigation team in Dallas and has been honing them ever since. Lynne's approach to each historic location is different than the rest of her team.
“I ask for no information. I don't even want to know where we're going until we're pulling up into the driveway,” she explains.
Once at a location, Lynne speaks to the spirits present, learning their names or what happened to them, often sifting through Macon's long history to better understand what spirits are communicating. This isn't easy considering Macon has been inhabited for over 17,000 years, is the ancestral home of the Muscogee Nation, and was an active region during slavery and the Civil War.
“I have to spend time figuring out which era is reaching out to me. Is it the most recent, the builders of the home? Is it the Indigenous people?” Lynne explains.
The most exciting moments in the Macon Beyond video series occur when team members have ghostly experiences that overlap.
“In our Hay House episode, I visually saw a dark orb come at me, break off to Morrighan, and she got dizzy. We never told Jonathan about that. He was in another part of the house at that time,” Genzel explains. “But he caught on his equipment on that same floor, a dark orb that looked exactly like what I saw. That was the greatest piece of evidence because I experienced it, Morrigan experienced it, and Jonathan caught it on camera.”
For Genzel, Morgan, and Lynne, the Macon Beyond project has allowed them to explore Macon's history and learn more about the other side.
“Nobody wants to be forgotten and those that have passed on, they don't want to be forgotten either, so it's a great way to continue to tell their stories and share them with another generation of people,” says Genzel.
Most excitingly, the Macon Beyond videos are attracting paranormal tourists to a virtually untapped paranormal destination on par with Savannah and New Orleans in terms of activity.
Marisa Rodgers, VP & Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Macon shares that “the Macon Beyond video series and its approach to blending the paranormal with history has already seen such strong streaming numbers and impressions. Sites that have been explored have seen an increase in interest from visitors.”
This doesn't surprise Morgan who encourages paranormal tourists intrigued by the video series to make a trip: “Macon is very active, especially from some other cities that I've lived in or visited.”
“It would be such an easy place to stretch and grow and practice your skills,” adds Lynne. “You're going to get something. It feels so concentrated.”
Macon Beyond will be sharing more paranormal investigations in 2026 and will likely offer travelers the chance to join them for an investigation, too (they hosted an incredibly successful investigation event that I attended in October 2025 at the Burke Mansion). Till then, take a trip out to Macon for your own paranormal experience.
“For those that have a little bit of investigative nature to them, Macon is a fun place to come and explore and learn some new stories, haunts, and lore,” says Genzel.
Reports say the Justice Department is reviewing more than 5 million Epstein-related files. NPR's Stephen Fowler reports on why there has been a delay in releasing all of the files in question.Then, NPR's Michel Martin talks to Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who co-sponsored the law that mandates their release.Support NPR and hear every episode of Trump's Terms sponsor-free with NPR+. Sign up at plus.npr.org.
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The start of the New Year brought big expectations for fans of global streaming content in India. One of Netflix's most iconic series wrapped up its long journey with a highly anticipated finale, but the audience response turned out to be more surprising than expected. Instead of dominating viewing charts, the much-talked-about release found itself competing with a very different kind of show, one built on humour, conversation, and familiar faces.
The final episode of Stranger Things Season 5 became available for Indian viewers on January 1 at 6:30 am. The series, which has enjoyed massive popularity for nearly a decade, marked its conclusion with an intense showdown in Hawkins. Fans had waited years to see how the story of Eleven and her friends would finally end. Despite the early-morning release and global buzz, the show did not claim the top position on India's Netflix charts.
At the time of reporting, the most-watched show on Netflix in India was The Great Indian Kapil Show, hosted by Kapil Sharma. The latest episode from Season 4 featured members of the Indian women's cricket team, bringing sports stars and comedy together in a format that strongly appealed to Indian audiences. Guests included Harmanpreet Kaur, Richa Ghosh, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Renuka Singh, Harleen Deol, Radha Yadav, Pratika Rawal, and head coach Amol Mazumdar. Vice-captain Smriti Mandhana did not appear in the episode.Also Read
How does Bill Skarsgard's IT: Welcome to Derry finale outshine Noah Schnapp, Millie Bobby Brown's Stranger Things Season 5: Volume 2 and 3?
Stranger Things Season 5: Volume 3 India release: When and where to watch Noah Schnapp, Jamie, Bower Campbell starrer finale episode on OTT, will stream on...
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Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishabh Pant, head coach Gautam Gambhir to feature on THIS show, the name is...
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Season 4 of The Great Indian Kapil Show premiered on Netflix on December 20. The first episode featured Priyanka Chopra Jonas as the guest, setting a strong tone for the season. New episodes of the comedy talk show are released every Saturday at 8 pm. Over time, the show has hosted a wide range of well-known personalities from cinema, sports, music, and business, making it a consistent crowd-puller for Indian viewers.
While Stranger Things settled for the second position on the charts, it still performed better than several other series currently streaming in India. The final season ended with Eleven, Will, Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Max, Steve, Hopper, Joyce, and the rest of the Hawkins gang facing their long-time enemy Vecna and the OG villain, Mind Flayer, one last time. However, the finale has received mixed reactions from fans and long-time followers of the series, with some praising the emotional closure and others feeling divided about the ending and wasted potentials.
Ayush Srivastava is a passionate Sub Editor at India.com and is currently part of the entertainment team with a strong grasp on South cinema, Bollywood, and Hollywood. With more than 3 years of experi ... Read More
For breaking news and live news updates, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Read more on Latest Entertainment News on India.com.
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A world famous psychic has offered her predictions for what awaits a bunch of celebs as we enter 2026 and for some, the tea leaves are stirring up a bunch of chaos.
Sally Morgan, renowned for supposedly predicting the death of Princess Diana, shared her visions for Hollywood, the White House and more during a reading for the Daily Mail.
Before we look into the future à la Raven Baxter, it's worth mentioning that all these predictions should be taken with a grain of salt — or more accurately, enough salt to rim a spicy marg. With that out of the way, let's look into the crystal ball, shall we?
First cab off the rank was Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, the bizarre yet alluring It-couple whom Morgan predicts will break up sometime this year.
“They're not going to stay together,” Morgan claimed, despite the pair shutting down long-running split rumours as recently as last month.
Going a step further, Morgan foresaw that “'there's already someone new in [Chalamet's] life”, and while you might think, based on recent news, that it's Susan Boyle, the psychic had a specific description of the alleged new lady in the actor's life.
“He's got someone around him that is a bit like a goth and quite small, possibly with piercings,” Morgan told the Daily Mail.
Morgan claimed that Jenner and Chalamet are still sticking together for the time being to show face “for the cameras” and to continue “whatever they feel they're fulfilling with their brand”, but I have a sneaking suspicion Kris Jenner's gingerbread house would disagree.
Moving on to fellow celeb couple Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, Morgan foretold of a major life event that will befall the pair in 2026 — in the form of not one, but two (!) babies.
“They will definitely have a child. There are twins there connected to them. It could be twins and she'll have daughters,” Morgan said.
Swift has spoken openly about her desire for children in the past, with her imminent nuptials — and an accidental Instagram reshare by Donna Kelce — only further fuelling the speculation about a possible Swift-Kelce brood.
Beyond Hollywood, Morgan aimed her crystal ball towards the fictional world of James Bond, which has been a source of much chatter following Daniel Craig's departure from the titular role and news of the upcoming instalment in the franchise.
While she stopped short of naming who'll be taking their martini shaken, not stirred, Morgan did predict the actor playing James Bond will be blonde. Gasp!
“I think it's somebody with fair hair,” Morgan claimed, adding that the actor will have “fairer” hair than rumoured James Bond frontrunner Callum Turner.
Turner is one of multiple names that has been circling the coveted role — alongside Tom Holland, Jacob Elordi and Theo James — but apparently none of those dark-haired heartthrobs will be 007 if Morgan's predictions are to be believed.
Perhaps the least surprising prediction pertained to Donald Trump, who Morgan claimed will spark some kind of global meltdown in 2026. In other news, water is wet.
Given what we know of the US President, that sounds like less of a prophecy and more of a promise, but Morgan said Trump's antics will reach a tipping point this year.
“Something huge [is] going to happen in America. Certain people will think it's bad and certain people will think it's amazing, it'll be to do with Trump,” Morgan said.
“He says things all the time that shock people across the world, but he's going to do something where the politicians and the leaders have to say ‘enough is enough',” she added.
Exactly what Trump will do is anyone's guess, but given the clusterfuck that is his second term, truly nothing would surprise me, even if it was whipped by the all-knowing tarot cards.
As a That's So Raven superfan, I can say with confidence that some of these predictions feel accurate, but I'm also holding space for all of them being proved wrong as we enter 2026.
After all, who could've predicted that in 2025, a pop star would've gone to space before dating a former prime minister, without even mentioning a kiss cam that tilted the world on its axis?
Strap in, folks — we're in for a ride.
Lead images: Getty Images and Disney Channel
Tom Disalvo
News Writer / Producer
Tom Disalvo is a Weekend Writer with PEDESTRIAN.TV. whose coverage mostly spans all things entertainment. At this point, he's so deep in movie, TV and celebrity culture that he's at risk of getting trench foot. You can find him concealing his feet on Instagram @tomdisalvo.
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