Business Sentiment
Sentiment Legend:
Negative < 44
Mixed 46-54
Positive > 56
Khalil's supporters fear a new ruling could pave the way for the Trump administration to rearrest and deport him.
Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today!
A federal appeals court on Thursday delivered the Trump administration a victory in its efforts to deport Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil, opening the door for his rearrest. Khalil was a graduate student at Columbia University when he was arrested in March and detained for months. He missed the birth of his son, Deen, while in detention. “The Trump administration is trying everything in its power to come after me, to put the full weight of the government to actually make an example out of me,” Khalil tells Democracy Now! “The U.S. government has not brought a shred of evidence that I broke any laws.”
The appeals court did not weigh in on the constitutional merits, instead saying Khalil should have appealed his removal order in immigration court before going to a federal judge. “What people need to understand is the immigration courts are not real courts,” says Baher Azmy, a member of Khalil's legal team. “They're part of the executive branch.”
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We want to turn to another issue. A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that freed the Palestinian activist, the Columbia University graduate Mahmoud Khalil from a Louisiana ICE jail in June. Advocates fear the move could pave the way for the Trump administration to rearrest and deport him.
Mahmoud Khalil was arrested and jailed in March for taking part in campus protests at Columbia University as a graduate student. He was the first noncitizen student targeted and arrested by the Trump administration for pro-Palestine speech, detained for months, first in New Jersey, then in Louisiana, before a federal district judge in New Jersey granted a habeas petition in his case, saying his constitutional rights had likely been violated. Now in a split two-to-one decision, the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals has overturned that ruling on jurisdictional grounds, saying Khalil should have first appealed his removal in immigration court.
For more, we're still joined by Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights, as well as Mahmoud Khalil himself, who's joining us via Zoom.
Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Mahmoud. Can you talk about your response to the judge's decision, and what this means for you and your family, your wife and your baby, Deen, who was born while you were imprisoned in Louisiana?
MAHMOUD KHALIL: I mean, this ruling is absolutely disappointing. This administration, the Trump administration, is trying everything in its power to come after me, to put the full weight of the government to actually make an example out of me. And this means that I will be separated from my U.S. wife and son, who both were born in this country. And just, like, it underscores how this administration is weaponizing the legal system, how fragile due process can be when our rights are treated as conditional rather than guaranteed. And I must be clear: Like, it's absolutely — I have an amazing team. You have Baher with you in the studio. We're going to explore every avenue until we feel vindicated.
Yet this administration will continue to go to these ideological judges to get rulings in their favor. And basically, as you said, what they want me to do is to wait for an immigration process that's fully completed — fully controlled by the Trump administration to get justice from this, from this process, which, as we know, this wouldn't happen, that this “immigration judge,” quote-unquote, will not let us develop our case to bring it on appeal. So, imagine that I have to wait to do that. And 10 months now after my detention, the U.S. government has not brought a shred of evidence that I broke any laws, that I spoke anything in support of terrorist organizations, yet they continue to weaponize the legal system.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: Well, Mahmoud, the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has claimed that your very presence spreads antisemitism, your very presence in this country. How do you — how do you respond to this Trump administration narrative that they've created about you?
MAHMOUD KHALIL: No, I mean, this is an administration that spreads hate. This is an administration that actually embraces the actual antisemites, that supports the neo-Nazi parties across Europe, to come and claim that my presence here is about antisemitism. It's not. You know, I'm here to support Palestinian rights, the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people for their self-determination and liberation.
And again, we told them we want to see them in court, and that's what they don't want to do. They want to take this case into immigration court, which they fully control, so we don't have to present — or, they don't have to present any evidence. And as Judge Young yesterday, in another case in Massachusetts, said, that what happened in this case is essentially an unconstitutional conspiracy between Rubio himself and Noem, the secretary of homeland security, to pick up certain people, to twist the laws and to go after people they don't like. This is a judge, a Reagan appointee judge, who said that, that they are conspiring to do that, to make an example out of me, so they chill the speech of everyone in this country, regardless of their — regardless of their status.
AMY GOODMAN: So, you were the first of the students to be arrested. Then there was Mohsen Mahdawi, who's now a Columbia graduate student. There was Rümeysa Öztürk, who was a Tufts graduate student — all released. You have filed a $20 million lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming you were falsely imprisoned, maliciously prosecuted, deliberately smeared. And in a case, Judge William Young called Mr. Trump an authoritarian and said the administration's actions targeting noncitizen student protesters violated the First Amendment. That decision only applies to members of two academic organizations in the case. If you can respond to that, Baher? And, Mahmoud, if you can respond to this lawsuit that you have filed against the Trump administration? Start with Mahmoud.
MAHMOUD KHALIL: Absolutely. I mean, we're seeking accountability for all the injustices that happened against me and against other students. And this administration needs to pay for all these lawless actions that they are committing. So, this is just like one action towards that end. And this is why they are retaliating against me, because I'm also standing up against their actions, and they don't like that. They want people to just submit to their authoritarian practices and to their lawlessness, which I will not. I will not make that happen. I will continue my advocacy until Palestine is free.
AMY GOODMAN: How do you keep Mahmoud Khalil free, Baher?
BAHER AZMY: Well, just to reassure everyone, this decision, taking away jurisdiction from the district court, is not — doesn't immediately go into effect. So, the order releasing him is still in effect and will be in effect until the appeals process is exhausted. And we have a number of legal options to continue to seek to revise or reverse this split two-to-one decision, which comes over a very persuasive dissent and which is contrary to decisions in other courts of appeals.
But, ultimately, Judge Young is right. This is an authoritarian action by this government. He also talked about how Rubio and others have a fear of freedom. Imagine being so cowardly and ashamed of the First Amendment that rather take on the speech that you disagree with, you try and imprison those who dissent from U.S. foreign policy. That's the classic kind of extrajudicial detention or arbitrary detention that's the hallmark of autocratic regimes.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: But, Baher, this whole issue of Judge Young's decision on the free speech rights of noncitizens, the appeals panel claiming that he lacked subject matter jurisdiction, could you explain the logic of that?
BAHER AZMY: Yeah. So, to be clear, the appeals court in — headquartered in Philadelphia did not take on the illegality of the detention, which basically every court that has reviewed this policy has found unconstitutional. It cited a technical jurisdictional provision of the immigration laws to say that the federal court, which is a constitutional court, cannot hear these claims; it has to be put through the immigration process and the immigration courts. But what people need to understand is the immigration courts are not real courts. They're part of the executive branch. That's why we wanted our constitutional claims to be heard in a real court, a real constitutional court. And, you know, that's where these kind of constitutional claims can be, not in a court that rubber stamps the executive branch's policies.
AMY GOODMAN: Just going to end this segment with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani posting on social media, quote, “Last year's arrest of Mahmoud Khalil was more than just a chilling act of political repression, it was an attack on all of our constitutional rights. Now, as the crackdown on pro-Palestinian free speech continues, Mahmoud is being threatened with rearrest. Mahmoud is free — and must remain free,” the mayor of New York City said. That's Zohran Mamdani. Your final response, Mahmoud Khalil, as you sit here in New York City now free man?
MAHMOUD KHALIL: You know, I would say, like, this is — all these attempts are just to really distract us from what's really happening, which is Israel's genocide in Gaza and Israel's action against Palestinians in whole of Palestine, and also to distract from the fact that this administration, just two days ago, sent $3.3 billion to Israel, from our money, from our tax money. And this is why I was protesting, and this is why I will continue to protest.
AMY GOODMAN: Palestinian activist and Columbia University graduate, Mahmoud Khalil, and Baher Azmy, legal director of the Center for Constitutional Rights.
Coming up, we speak to the Palestinian American director and actress Cherien Dabis. Stay with us.
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won't see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.
Amy Goodman is the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program airing on more than 1,100 public television and radio stations worldwide. Time Magazine named Democracy Now! its “Pick of the Podcasts,” along with NBC's “Meet the Press.”
Juan González co-hosts Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. González has been a professional journalist for more than 30 years and a staff columnist at the New York Daily News since 1987. He is a two-time recipient of the George Polk Award.
Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.
American Historical Association members are undaunted by the veto: “We educate. We organize. We have to keep fighting.”
Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news — make a quick donation to Truthout today!
When members of the American Historical Association (AHA) gathered in Chicago for their annual conference from January 8-11, 2026, many hoped the professional society would condemn the undermining of education and historical research in the United States and abroad. While the majority of members who attended the conference's business meeting on January 10 voted in favor of two resolutions denouncing the destruction of education infrastructure in Gaza and attacks on core principles of education in the United States, respectively, the wins were short-lived. On January 11, the association's leadership announced that it had voted not to approve the two resolutions.
“This is a really egregious violation of both the AHA's principles and mission, but also the democratic vote,” AHA member Mezna Qato, a historian of Palestine at the University of Cambridge and a member of the Palestinian Historians Group (PHG), told Truthout. The success of the two resolutions at the January meeting was the result of months of organizing spearheaded by groups within the larger association, including PHG, Historians for Peace and Democracy (HPAD), and Historians for Palestine.
Qato told Truthout that a growing number of academics have been spurred to action as they witness escalating attacks against their profession and on-campus Palestine solidarity movements. “Part of it is about bringing your historical profession in alignment with your moral and civic and political values and doing so in a way that supports and advances other struggles within the AHA, including a defense of academic freedom, freedom of speech, [and] the profession itself against the vagaries of this rising authoritarian turn in the U.S.,” she told Truthout.
“This is a really egregious violation of both the AHA's principles and mission, but also the democratic vote.”
Members who put forward the resolutions see the AHA as a powerful space within which to organize. Chartered by congress in 1889, it is the oldest professional association of historians in the United States. It is also the largest such association in the world, with over 10,000 members who research various regions and eras at institutions worldwide.
This year's conference in Chicago featured panels on academic freedom, immigration, and teaching Palestine and the Middle East, which drew connections to contemporary threats to the field and attacks on vulnerable communities. The meeting followed weeks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the host city, which disrupted learning for hundreds of students. (Now, the attacks have mostly moved on to Minneapolis, where many schools have begun offering online learning in an effort to protect students and families from harassment or abduction.)
Members who voted on the “Resolution Opposing Attacks on Core Principles of Education” at January's AHA meeting said doing so felt particularly urgent in the face of those attacks. “The Trump administration has been so brutal, so unscrupulous, and so quick in mounting an attack on education and its core principles of fairness, transparency, truth,” AHA member Ellen Schrecker, a professor emerita of American history at Yeshiva University and HPAD member, told Truthout. “The whole sector, from Harvard's president down to daycare providers, are under assault.”
Guiding principles call for the association to take a public stance “when public or private authorities, in the United States or elsewhere, threaten the preservation of or free access to historical sources.”
The resolution calls on the association to condemn “ongoing attacks on academic freedom, free speech, faculty governance, and equity from government officials, including the president of the United States, [which] are irreparably damaging education.” It also calls on the AHA to condemn justifications for attacks on education rooted in “weaponize[d] allegations of antisemitism and racism.” That phrasing points to the way that lawmakers and special interest groups have seized on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, as well as expressions of solidarity with Palestine, to target, investigate, and attack institutions, educators, and students.
The second resolution heard at this year's meeting was a “Resolution in Solidarity with Gaza.” It recognized scholasticide in the enclave and called for “support[ing] efforts to ensure the current survival, and future rebuilding, of Palestinian higher education.” AHA member Stacy Fahrenthold, a historian of the modern Middle East at the University of California, Davis, told Truthout that supporting the future of Palestinian educational institutions is not only a moral issue but also a matter of professional importance to her field.
“If professors aren't free to do research in Palestinian history, if the archives are burned, the colleges razed to the ground, the schools destroyed, and the professoriate targeted, assassinated, and killed, the AHA's own slogan about being an advocate for the promotion of historical studies becomes an empty phrase unless we can do the most basic speech act of standing up and speaking out about these atrocities,” Fahrenthold told Truthout.
Votes on the two resolutions came after leadership vetoed a similar “Resolution to Oppose Scholasticide in Gaza” last year, even though members had voted to pass it at the annual meeting. Initially, the AHA Council also refused to add this year's resolutions to the meeting agenda. The resolutions were eventually voted on and passed during the January 10 meeting — but only after more than two-thirds of the members in attendance voted to suspend the meeting rules to allow for their introduction.
The January 11 statement announcing the AHA Council's decision not to approve the resolutions claimed both fell “outside the scope of [its] chartered mission” and that approving them “would present institutional risk.” Barbara Weinstein, a professor of history at New York University who served as AHA president in 2007 and on the council from 2006 to 2008, told Truthout that when the AHA leadership references risk, she suspects it is chiefly concerned about “blowback from the Trump administration.”
The decision tracks with a wider trend among professional societies and unions of educators of suppressing members who speak out against genocide in Gaza, as well as their efforts to distance their associations from that violence through divestment or other actions. Many have been accused of complying in advance with an increasingly authoritarian Trump administration.
“The people in the executive council are going along defending the status quo when it is indefensible. So, what do we do? We educate. We organize. We demonstrate, we demonstrate some more. We have to keep fighting.”
Under previous administrations, AHA has passed resolutions or issued statements condemning conflicts that were led or backed by the U.S., and the destruction of educational infrastructure. In 2007, it passed a resolution urging its members to oppose the war on Iraq. It also issued a statement condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The statements seem to align with guiding principles that AHA published in 2017, which call for the association to take a public stance “when public or private authorities, in the United States or elsewhere, threaten the preservation of or free access to historical sources.”
A January 15 statement from PHG also rejects the council's reasoning for blocking the resolutions and suggests that the decision undermines the association's mission. “These vetoes are an abandonment of the AHA's democratic principles and a dereliction of the AHA's duty to defend academic freedom. With these vetoes, the AHA Council has silenced Palestinian scholars and colleagues, placed historians of Palestine at greater professional and personal risk, and fed rising authoritarianism at home and abroad,” the statement reads.
Despite setbacks, Qato told Truthout she believes many members remain committed to mobilizing within the confines of the professional association, whether through future resolutions or other interventions. “The incredible work that's been done that's crystallized a broad-based opposition to Israeli and U.S. genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, that work needs to move forward,” Qato told Truthout. “The space at AHA, and the extraordinary capacity building that it has allowed for, and the conversations that have brought so many of us together — we're not going to rescind that space.”
Schrecker, who at 87 years old has been engaged in the anti-war struggle and the fight for academic freedom longer than most, told Truthout she is confident that the movement will gain ground as she and her colleagues continue their organizing work.
“The people in the executive council are going along defending the status quo when it is indefensible,” she said. “So, what do we do? We educate. We organize. We demonstrate, we demonstrate some more. We have to keep fighting.”
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won't see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.
This article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), and you are free to share and republish under the following terms:
Marianne Dhenin is an award-winning journalist and historian. Find their portfolio or contact them at mariannedhenin.com.
Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.
U.S. President Donald Trump suggested on Jan. 16 that he may impose tariffs on countries that do not back his claim on Greenland.
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said in the White House while mentioning his past threats about tariffs on European pharmaceuticals.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has repeatedly laid claim to Greenland, Denmark's semiautonomous island that plays a strategic role in access to the Arctic region. Trump has also often wielded tariffs as a tool of geopolitical coercion.
As Danish and Greenlandic authorities reject Washington's offer to buy the island, the White House has not ruled out the use of military force, despite Denmark being a NATO ally.
Earlier this week, top U.S. officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, met Danish and Greenlandic officials, but the talks failed to achieve a breakthrough.
In the meantime, small groups of European soldiers began arriving in Greenland as European allies voiced support for the territorial integrity of Denmark and Greenland.
Trump has previously accused Copenhagen of not investing enough in the island's security and claimed that, unless the U.S. takes control of Greenland, Russia and China will.
European allies, in turn, warned that any U.S. attempt to seize the island by force could lead to the breakdown in transatlantic relations and the end of NATO.
Greenland's strategic importance has grown as Arctic ice melts, opening new shipping routes and increasing access to mineral resources. The island, home to about 56,000 people, already hosts a U.S. military base.
Reporter
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said.
The embassy said it would provide further updates on the resumption of activities and any additional measures.
In this exclusive interview, the Kyiv Independent's Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces' officer who helps organize resistance movements in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Around 55% of Ukrainians support holding a referendum on a potential peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, while 32% oppose this idea, according to the poll.
Ukraine hopes to gain more clarity on "documents that we have actually drafted with the American side, and regarding Russia's response to all this diplomatic work," Zelensky said.
China's electricity purchases from Russia were suspended on Jan. 1 due to higher export prices that now exceed domestic Chinese rates, Kommersant reported.
Czech President Petr Pavel and President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss ways "to advance our strategic partnership, defense cooperation, and peace efforts," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Ex-Prime Minister Yuliia Tymoshenko is also obliged to appear in court when summoned and cannot leave Kyiv Oblast.
The announcement confirming the damage to the facility's production capacity was posted by the Navy on Jan. 16, after the SBU first reported the strike three days earlier.
Putin said Russia is ready to serve as a mediator in the Middle East, an offer that follows signals that the U.S. might launch strikes against Iran amid a deadly crackdown on protests.
"In 2025 (...) growth was supported by domestic trade, construction, (...) the production of defense products and metallurgy," Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine's economy minister, said in a press release.
Todolí foundation produces varieties from Buddha's hands to sudachi and hopes to help citrus survive climate change
It was on a trip with a friend to the east coast of Spain that the chef Matthew Slotover came across the “Garden of Eden”, an organic farm growing citrus varieties he had never heard of. The Todolí Citrus Foundation is a nonprofit venture and the largest private collection of citrus in the world with more than 500 varieties, and its owners think the rare fruit could hold the genetic secrets to growing citrus groves that can deal with climate change.
The farm yields far more interesting fruit than oranges and lemons for Slotover's menu, including kumquat, finger lime, sudachi and bergamot.
They grow everything completely naturally, and the groves have become a haven for frogs, goldfinches and bees.
Slotover is the founder of Toklas in London, one of Nigella Lawson's favourite restuarants. She recently raved about a dinner there that included langoustine and scallops with Rangpur lime and Spanish sweet limetta, and a “heavenly” guava roll with Shikuwasa mandarin.
When Slotover visited the Todolí farm, he was awestruck. “It was like the Garden of Eden”, he said. “I just cannot tell you what the experience was like … I knew about oranges and lemons and limes and grapefruit. I didn't know about tangelos and finger limes and citrons and pomelo.”
He tries to source most of the food on his European-inspired menu from the UK. “But citrus is too good to miss,” he said, during a visit to the Oxford Real Farming conference earlier this month. He teamed up with other chefs to bring over some rare varieties from the farm, and they became so popular he passed distribution over to the organic food supplier Shrub, which sells them to chefs across London.
Finger limes, also known as caviar limes, frequently feature on Slotover's menu. They contain zesty pearls that burst in the mouth and have a fragrant sweet-and-sour flavour.
The citrus collection had no commercial purpose before the chefs discovered it. “When we first approached the owner Vincente [Todolí, the former Tate Modern director], he said: ‘We don't really sell it. We give it to friends, we have an Italian guy who makes ice-cream with it.' And what we've been doing with it since has been really helpful to the farm,” Slotover said.
The foundation's technical director, Óscar Olivares-Fuster, said it operated differently to the commercial farms nearby.
“Spain is the world's largest exporter of fresh citrus,” he said. “We at Todolí do organic, we don't use pesticides, we work with nature. Our climate, the cold nights, warm days and sea breeze help us with all our varieties, more or less.”
Rather than using artificial irrigation, which is water-intensive, they have learned from the ancient Arab practices and use irrigation ditches and ponds, which are not only attractive to look at but store water very well.
They have also created a haven for songbirds previously linked to Valencia's citrus groves but which have been wiped out by herbicides and insecticides.
“We have a bank of genes here, with hundreds of varieties of citrus. This is something unique to study,” Olivares-Fuster said. “Investigating these will be key for citrus to survive all the challenges that are coming, including climate change. Eventually, citrus will be grown north of the Pyrenees and we might struggle in the south.”
One of his favourite varieties to grow is the trifoliate orange. It is a small, very sharp fruit used mostly in jams and marmalades or as a substitute for lemon zest in recipes.
He said it was interesting because unlike other citrus varieties “it will shed its leaves in winter. This means it can be very resistant to cold”. Perhaps scientists could use this genetic trait to help other citrus varieties survive in colder climates, he suggested.
The farm grows 40 Japanese citrus varieties, including the Kiyomi tangor, but also the Valentine pomelo, a sweet fruit often grown in California. Chefs are keen on calamansi, a small, sour fruit originally from the Philippines, and the fragrant Borneo lumia.
Tech titans also have an eye on plundering the country for resources that are crucial to the AI boom.
Truthout is an indispensable resource for activists, movement leaders and workers everywhere. Please make this work possible with a quick donation.
This article was originally published by The Lever, an investigative newsroom. If you like this story, sign up for The Lever's free newsletter.
President Donald Trump started his second term with his sights set on Greenland.
When Trump first proposed buying the Arctic nation during his first administration, it was treated like a joke. But in a subsequent phone call with Denmark's prime minister, who controls the autonomous territory's foreign policy, the president doubled down on his efforts to seize power. In the “aggressive and confrontational” conversation, Trump threatened tariffs if he didn't get his way. In a news conference earlier that month, he also refused to rule out the use of military force. Denmark is taking him seriously: The country announced a $2 billion military expansion in the Arctic.
Though the island is not for sale, the president emphasized Greenland's importance to U.S. national security. Left unspoken: A U.S. takeover could weaken the country's mining laws and ban on private property, aiding Trump donors' plans to profit from the island's mineral deposits and build a libertarian techno-city.
Trump, who has summarized his own natural resources policy as “drill, baby, drill,” would likely approach the island's natural resources quite differently from Greenland's current government, which has opposed large extractive projects.
In 2019, Trump's ambassador to Denmark and Greenland visited a major rare-earth mining project on the island shortly before Trump's first calls to buy the country. Opposition to the mine ushered liberal political party Inuit Ataqatigiit into power two years later, which halted the mine and banned all future oil development.
The president's renewed intention to take over Greenland has reignited debates over its sovereignty, as the country grapples with the trade-offs between economic opportunity and independence from Denmark. As the country's glaciers recede, it's also facing sweeping climate-driven transformations, threatening traditional industries like fishing and hunting and exposing valuable mineral resources.
These shifts have prompted interest from powerful players associated with Trump. Tech moguls in the front row of his inauguration, like Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, are also investors in a startup aiming to mine western Greenland for materials crucial to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.
That company, KoBold Metals, uses artificial intelligence to locate and extract rare earth minerals. Their proprietary algorithm parses government-funded geological surveys and other data to locate significant deposits. The program pinpointed southwest Greenland's rugged coastline, where the company now has a 51 percent stake in the Disko-Nuussuaq project, searching for minerals like copper.
Just two weeks before some of its investors were glad-handing at the Capitol celebrations, KoBold Metals raised $537 million in its latest funding round, bringing its valuation to almost $3 billion. Among the contributors was a leading venture capital firm founded by Marc Andreessen, an early Silicon Valley entrepreneur who has helped shape the administration's technology policies, including consulting with Trump's Department of Government Efficiency as a self-proclaimed “unpaid intern.”
“We believe in adventure,” Andreessen wrote in a lengthy 2023 manifesto that outlined his criticisms of centralized government, advocating for technologists to take control, “rebelling against the status quo, mapping uncharted territory, conquering dragons, and bringing home the spoils for our community.” Connie Chan, a general partner at his venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is listed as a KoBold director in their 2022 Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
In addition to KoBold, Andreessen has also backed other ventures eyeing the Arctic nation: He is a significant investor in Praxis Nation, a project aiming to use Greenland to establish a “crypto state,” a self-governing, experimental community built around libertarian ideals, and technology like cryptocurrency.
The venture is also funded in part by Pronomos Capital, a venture capital group founded by the grandson of economist Milton Friedman and bankrolled by libertarian figures such as Peter Thiel, whose own family reportedly managed a uranium mine in Namibia. Pronomos aims to create private, business-friendly charter cities like Praxis, often in developing countries where investors could write their own laws and regulations.
These “broligarchs” now have the ear of the president. Peter Thiel has been a significant supporter of Trump, throwing millions of dollars behind him throughout his political career and introducing him to current Vice President JD Vance.
Most notably, in December, Trump announced Peter Thiel's partner Ken Howery as his Danish ambassador, making his intentions explicitly clear: “The United States of America feels that the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity,” he wrote on TruthSocial, his social media platform.
Greenland's Prime Minister Múte Egede flatly rejected the idea, responding on Facebook, “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
For centuries, the fight to control Greenland has revolved around its natural resources. The ice-gripped country has been part of Denmark since 1721 when a merchant-backed missionary expedition sought to spread Christianity to its Inuit population — and expand whaling and trade routes.
Greenland gained autonomy from Denmark in 1979, though the Danes continued to control its foreign relations and defense, allowing the U.S. to build and operate military bases there. In a 2008 referendum, Greenlanders voted for greater independence, allowing them to take control of their natural resources along with other state functions.
That same year, the U.S. Geological Survey found the country had one of the world's largest potential oil and gas reserves. More recent estimates suggest that the Arctic could hold 13 percent of the world's undiscovered oil and 30 percent of its undiscovered natural gas. The report drew the attention of major oil companies like ConocoPhillips, Chevron, and BP, which began acquiring exploration licenses and conducting surveys around Greenland and its offshore areas.
But producing oil in such harsh conditions is difficult and expensive due to high transportation costs and infrastructure limitations. ExxonMobil, for example, withdrew its application in 2013, as a downward trend in oil prices made further development economically unfeasible.
When Siumut, a pro-independence political party, came into power earlier that year, leader Aleqa Hammond declared the country would instead transition to mineral extraction, saying, “If we want greater autonomy from Denmark, we have to finance it ourselves. This means finding new sources of income.” In 2014, the government announced a four-year national plan to create “new income and employment opportunities in the area of mineral resources activities.”
Because Greenland's vast mineral deposits often contain uranium, however, the burgeoning mining industry quickly came into conflict with Denmark's strict policy against extracting radioactive materials. Denmark chose not to develop nuclear energy in the 1980s, and has comparatively strict regulations around radiation protections.
One of the measures the Siumut-led government took in 2014 was proposing a bill that would have limited public access to environmental information and decision-making processes around mineral extraction. It also lowered environmental standards for uranium mining.
The bill failed to pass, but with Siumut's support, an international project hoping to extract uranium and rare-earth metals gained preliminary approval. The Australian-based company Greenland Minerals (now called Energy Transition Minerals) found backing from Chinese Shenghe Resources Holdings, and brought Trump's Greenland Ambassador Carla Sands to the site for a visit in July 2019. The following month, Trump announced he wanted to buy the island, comparing it to “a large real estate deal.”
Sands, a former chiropractor and soap opera actress, now works for the America First Policy Institute, a conservative think tank concerned with strengthening the U.S. mineral supply chains, among other nationalist issues.
Energy Transition Minerals' proposed mine triggered massive controversy: Concerns over the potential impact on critical fishing industries and food supplies ushered the Siumut party out of decades of power in 2021. “There is an ongoing, generational dialectic,” says Barry Zellen, a senior fellow of Arctic Security at the Institute of the North, between pro-development and pro-subsistence movements “that tends to swing pendularly.”
As the more left-leaning Inuit Ataqatigiit party took over, they quickly passed a law reinstating limits around uranium that revoked Energy Transition Minerals' permits and banned all future oil and gas exploration.
“The price of oil extraction is too high,” the party wrote in a statement at the time. “This is based upon economic calculations, but considerations of the impact on climate and the environment also play a central role in the decision.”
These kinds of environmental protections are exactly what Trump aims to remove from American mining. On his own first day in office, one of Trump's many executive orders directed government officials to remove “undue burdens” on the industry, so that the U.S. could become “the leading producer and processor of nonfuel minerals, including rare earth minerals.”
The push for control of the Arctic country comes as deep-pocketed investors like Andreessen have been drawn to startups hoping to build experimental enclaves, sold by the promise of freedom from the constraints of government.
Proposals for these cryptostates have sprung up in Honduras, Nigeria, the Marshall Islands, and Panama, the latter of which Trump has also recently proposed taking over by military force. While each concept looks a little different, often the sales pitch includes replacing taxes and regulations with cryptocurrency and blockchain.
For Praxis, these utopian dreams have led to Greenland, which is often incorrectly imagined as an unpopulated frontier. “I went to Greenland to try to buy it,” Praxis founder Dryden Brown posted on X in November, noting he first became interested in the island “when Trump offered to buy it in 2019.” Once in Nuuk, he learned that the country has long sought independence from Denmark and that many Greenlanders support sovereignty, though the country remains reliant on Denmark for financial support. It currently receives $500 million a year in Danish subsidies that account for 20 percent of the economy.
“They do not want to be ‘bought,'” Brown belatedly discovered, concluding, “There is an obvious opportunity here.” He proposed taxes from an independently-run city like Praxis could help replace Danish subsidies.
Greenland, however, does not allow private property, an arrangement that historically has given communities a stronger voice in determining how or if its natural resources are developed — and could prove a problem for Brown's planned utopia. But perhaps that could change under a new government.
On Monday, in response to a post referencing “Trump's projects related to Greenland,” Praxis official X account —whose bio reads “We're meant for more” below a version of the endeavor's hallucinogenic flag — boasted about “A new post-state in the far North.”
The startup “nation” has raised $525 million, though Brown, who dropped out of New York University and was fired from his last hedge fund job, hasn't shared many specifics on Praxis' website about his proposal for Greenland. (His previous efforts to build a city somewhere in the Mediterranean have also so far remained vague, beyond a branding guide that focused on “traditional, European/Western beauty standards” and recruiting tech employees with “hot girls.”)
But other tech tycoons' plans for the island are more concrete.
Greenland is warming at a much faster rate than the rest of the planet, causing its glaciers to precipitously retreat. As the ice recedes, these valuable deposits are becoming more accessible. A 2023 European Commission survey revealed that Greenland has 25 out of 34 minerals classified as critical raw materials, or resources that are essential to the green energy transition but have a high risk of disrupted supply chains. The country boasts some of the world's largest deposits of nickel and cobalt, and collectively, its mineral reserves almost equal those of the U.S.
This wealth of resources has drawn the attention of companies like KoBold Metals, whose Silicon Valley backers have a vested interest in supplying materials for the tech industry.
KoBold has positioned itself as providing critical solutions for climate change, facilitating a global reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by supplying the materials needed for batteries and other renewable technologies. The company hailed President Biden's use of the Defense Production Act to encourage mining in 2022, along with the Inflation Reduction Act's measures to subsidize international mining for rare earth minerals.
In Greenland, KoBold Metals' exploration licenses focus on searching for nickel, copper, cobalt, and platinum-group minerals — materials important for green energy, but also for data centers' rapid growth.
KoBold's primary development so far has been developing a copper mine in Zambia, the largest such find in a century. Copper is used as a key material in the construction of data centers, and is crucial for artificial intelligence's infrastructure. The AI boom is expected to nearly double the demand for copper by 2050. “We invested in KoBold,” OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman said, to “find new deposits.”
Their Zambia venture, too, has been part of a global power struggle, as the Biden administration backed the development of a railway to transport metals from the region to a port in Angola. The initiative was part of a broader U.S. effort to counter China's growing presence in Africa, offering investments as an alternative to its Belt and Road Initiative, a trade and infrastructure package.
KoBold's top executive, however, likes to focus on lithium. The growth [of lithium demand] is sort of staggering,” KoBold CEO Kurt House said in a 2023 presentation at Stanford. “It's like a 30x increase in global production that you need.” One of the places the U.S. might turn to for this critical mineral is Greenland, where promising deposits were recently discovered.
“Everyone wants to have lithium” for its role in creating batteries, says Majken D. Poulsen, a geologist at the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland. She explains the first exploration for lithium in Greenland was just conducted last summer in collaboration with the U.S. State Department. Under Biden, the agency also helped the country draft a mining investment law, aimed at encouraging investment in Greenland.
Though quite different in tone, Trump's Greenland bluster shares similar goals. Charlie Byrd, an investment manager at global assets management firm Cordiant Capital, is one of many investors now hoping the president's gambit will result in policy changes that are more favorable to foreign investment. “There is no doubt that that would lead to bigger institutional involvement and more strategic investment,” he told trade publication Institutional Investor this week.
Much of this interest is driven by tensions with China, which currently accounts for around 70 percent of global rare earth mining and 90 percent of its processing. This gives the Asian powerhouse enormous leverage over global tech supply chains.
Control over the minerals that power technology has become a major form of soft power, pulling invisible strings in global markets and shaping alliances. That makes mining regulations in Greenland a geopolitical chess move.
Today, “regulations from the government of Greenland are quite high,” the Geological Survey's Poulsen explains. “They have really strict regulations,” she says, including both environmental and social considerations, like “local benefits such as taxes, local workforce, local companies, [and] education.”
Michael Waltz, Trump's incoming national security adviser, appeared to confirm that gaining access to the country's minerals was driving Trump's interest. “This is about critical minerals, this is about natural resources,” he told Fox News.
Glaciers loomed through Trump Force One's cockpit window as Greenland's coast unspooled behind a bobblehead of the 47th president, his plastic bouffant bobbing in the turbulence. Dropping through the sharp, thin air, the plane delivered Donald Trump Jr. to the island's capital of Nuuk in early January with his father's message: We intend to take over.
The tour de force — which included bribing people to participate in photo shoots — failed to win over many Greenlanders, says Inuuteq Kriegel, a Nuuk resident. “We don't want to be Americans. We don't want to be Danish. We're Greenlanders,” he said.
A week after Trump Jr.'s trip, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) introduced the Make Greenland Great Again Act, instructing Congress to support Trump's negotiations with Denmark to acquire Greenland immediately. (Ogles is currently the subject of an FBI probe around his campaign finance filings and last week announced an amendment that would allow Trump to run for a third term.)
“It might sound crazy, and one might ask, ‘Why would you want Greenland?'” Ogles said in a recent video. He was speaking with Kuno Fencker, a member of Greenland's parliament representing the Siumut party, who had traveled to Washington, D.C. “Your security interest is our security interest,” Ogles told Fencker. “Our ability to make best use of your minerals, your resources, and your riches — to benefit your people and ours — is in our best interest.”
Fencker, who says taxes and royalties from the island's minerals and fossil fuels could pave the way for the island's independence, responded, “We have other vast resources, like oil and gas, but that has been stopped by the current government. But my personal view is that we have to utilize those resources.”
Fencker's U.S. trip ignited local controversy. Typically, Greenland's international negotiations require coordination and approval from Denmark; imagine someone like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) single-handedly deciding to negotiate with the European Union without Congressional approval. Fencker's party said he was not authorized to discuss Greenland's foreign affairs, while Fencker defended his travel as a private mission at his own expense.
The rogue nature of recent developments has been reinforced by bombastic press coverage. In Greenland, Kriegel says foreign reporters “often talk to the loud people — and often the same people — and they can generalize a whole population by speaking to only a few.” His own social networks are deeply uncomfortable with Trump's attempts to purchase the country.
Trump and his tech donors' eagerness to seize Greenland, existing culture and laws be damned, are “representative of a particular colonial and extractive worldview,” wrote Anne Merrild Hansen, professor of social science and arctic oil and gas studies at the University of Greenland. The approach treats land and resources as commodities to be claimed, regardless of the rights or interests of the people who live there.
All the unwelcome commotion, however, has succeeded in delivering one change: Kriegel says the country is now unified in wanting to find a path to independence from Denmark, even if there's not yet agreement on how to do so.
“You can't put a name on land,” he says. “Land belongs to the people. It's a part of us, and we're part of it.”
As Trump cracks down on political speech, independent media is increasingly necessary.
Truthout produces reporting you won't see in the mainstream: journalism from the frontlines of global conflict, interviews with grassroots movement leaders, high-quality legal analysis and more.
Our work is possible thanks to reader support. Help Truthout catalyze change and social justice — make a tax-deductible monthly or one-time donation today.
Lois is an award-winning investigative journalist. Her wide-ranging reporting has been published at The New Yorker, Harper's, The New York Times, Businessweek, National Geographic, and more.
Get the news you want, delivered to your inbox every day.
Any Lucía López Belloza was detained at Boston's airport in November and flown to Honduras two days later
The Trump administration apologized in court for a “mistake” in the deportation of a Massachusetts college student who was detained trying to fly home to surprise her family in Texas for Thanksgiving.
But the administration still argued that the federal government error should not affect her immigration case.
Any Lucía López Belloza, a 19-year-old freshman at Babson College in Wellesley, 15 miles west of Boston, was detained at the city's airport on 20 November and flown to Honduras two days later. Her sudden removal came despite an emergency court order on 21 November directing the government to keep her in Massachusetts or elsewhere in the United States for at least 72 hours for legal processes.
López Belloza, whose family emigrated from Honduras to the US in 2014 when she was seven, is currently staying with grandparents and studying remotely. She is not detained and was recently visiting an aunt in El Salvador. In early December, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers reportedly turned up at her parents' home in Austin, Texas, and behaved aggressively towards the family but left without taking further action.
At a federal court hearing on Tuesday of this week in Boston, the government argued the court lacks jurisdiction in the case because lawyers for López Belloza filed their action several hours after she was taken to Texas on the way out of the US in November. But the government also acknowledged it violated the judge's order.
In court filings and in open court, government lawyers said an ICE deportation officer mistakenly believed the order no longer applied and he failed to activate a system that alerts other ICE officers that a case is subject to judicial review and that removal should be halted.
“On behalf of the government, we want to sincerely apologize,” said Mark Sauter, assistant US attorney, to the judge, saying the employee understood “he made a mistake”. The violation, Sauter added, was “an inadvertent mistake by one individual, not a willful act of violating a court order”.
In a declaration filed with the court on 2 January, the ICE officer also admitted he did not notify ICE's enforcement office in Port Isabel, Texas, that the removal mission needed to be canceled. He said he believed the judge's order did not apply once López Belloza was no longer in the state.
The government maintains, however, that her deportation was lawful because an immigration judge ordered the removal of López Belloza and her mother in 2016, and the Board of Immigration Appeals dismissed their appeal in 2017. Prosecutors said she could have pursued additional appeals or sought a stay of removal.
Her lawyer, Todd Pomerleau, countered that she was deported in clear violation of the 21 November order and said the government's actions deprived her of due process. “I was hoping the government would show some leniency and bring her back,” he said. “They violated a court order.”
Federal Judge Richard Stearns said he appreciated the government acknowledging the error, calling it a “tragic” bureaucratic mistake. But he appeared to rule out holding the government in contempt, noting the violation did not appear intentional. He also questioned whether he had jurisdiction over the case.
“It might not be anybody's fault, but she was the victim of it,” Stearns said, adding at one point that López Belloza could explore applying for a student visa.
Pomerleau said one resolution would be allowing López Belloza to return to finish her studies while he works to reopen the underlying removal order.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
MOSCOW, January 16. /TASS/. Russia's foreign ministry strongly recommends Russian nationals refrain from trips to Moldova amid what it called numerous cases of discrimination against Russian citizens in that country.
"Moscow continues to record numerous episodes of discrimination, ungrounded harassment and undue treatment of Russian citizens in Moldova by the Moldovan authorities," the ministry said.
The ministry "strongly recommend that Russian citizens take these risks into account and refrain from traveling to Moldova."
According to the Russian foreign ministry, Moldova's authorities are hampering consular access to Russian nationals. "Relevant requests from the Russian diplomatic mission are ignored. That means that offering consular services is practically impossible."
The ministry warned that upon arrival in Chisinau's airport, holders of Russian passports "are regularly subjected to humiliating searches and checks." Moreover, they often have to spend hours in the transit zone, being deprived of basic services.
"In some cases, Russian citizens spent more than two days at the airport. Oftentimes they were subsequently banned from entering the country under invented pretexts. Cases of arbitrary application of laws, detention at the border, and criminal prosecution without compelling evidence have also been reported. On departing from Chisinau, passengers are subjected to deliberately protracted security checks so that they miss their flights," the ministry added.
Images of plants painted on pottery made up to 8,000 years ago may be the earliest example of humans' mathematical thought, a study has found.
Researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem examined pottery produced by the Halafian people of northern Mesopotamia, who lived between 6200 BC and 5500 BC.
Many bowls featured flowers that have been depicted with four, eight, 16, 32 or 64 petals. The use of these numbers forms a “geometric sequence” that implies a form of mathematical reasoning rooted in symmetry and repetition, the researchers said in the study published last month in the Journal of World Prehistory.
Study authors Yosef Garfinkel, a professor in archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Sarah Krulwich, a research assistant and MA student at the university's archaeology department, examined pottery fragments from 29 Halafian sites, excavated over a 100-year period from 1899.
They found that in nearly every one of the 375 fragments that depict flowers, the number of petals is determined by this doubling sequence, which divides a circle into symmetrical units.
“The strict adherence to these numbers, which are repeated in examples from different sites over hundreds of kilometers, cannot be accidental, and indicates that it was done intentionally,” Garfinkel told CNN.
The Halafians may have developed this form of mathematical reasoning — based on the progressive doubling of numbers — in response to managing village communities that had existed in the Near East for some 4,000 years and had become economically complex, the researchers said.
“The ability to divide space evenly, reflected in these floral motifs, likely had practical roots in daily life, such as sharing harvests or allocating communal fields,” Garfinkel said in a press statement.
In the study, the authors note that it wasn't until the third millennium BC that texts supply undisputed data on various mathematical systems. The Sumerians, in what is now Iraq, used a numerical system based on the number 60 — of the kind still used in timekeeping — and it has been suggested that a pre-Sumerian system existed, which used the number 10 as the base.
But the researchers said the Halafian use of the numbers four, eight, 16 and 32 does not fit either of these systems and “may reflect an earlier and simpler level of mathematical thinking that was in use in the Near East in the 6th and 5th millennia BC.”
“These patterns show that mathematical thinking began long before writing,” Krulwich said in the statement. “People visualized divisions, sequences, and balance through their art.”
The study contributes to the academic field of ethnomathematics, which identifies mathematical knowledge embedded in cultural expression by prehistoric or non-literate communities.
World's oldest string of yarn shows Neanderthals were smarter than we thought
This is not the first time it has been suggested that artifacts other than written documents may indicate early mathematical thinking.
Some experts believe that evidence of string-making by Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago indicates that our Stone Age ancestors had an understanding of mathematical concepts like pairs and sets, as well as other basic numeracy skills.
Garfinkel said his team's discovery constitutes a foundational step in the maturation of human thought, and that understanding how to do basic division would have been necessary for the later emergence of more complex mathematics.
“Like everything in human development, aspects of mathematics also developed in an evolutionary way from the simple to the more complex,” he said.
He and Krulwich also said in the statement that the Halafian pottery is unique in being an early instance of humans applying an understanding of symmetry to art. None of the images depicts edible crops, implying their purpose was aesthetic rather than agricultural or ritualistic.
Trees in art, as well as life, often follow simple mathematical rules, study finds
“These vessels represent the first moment in history when people chose to portray the botanical world as a subject worthy of artistic expression,” they said. “It reflects a cognitive shift tied to village life and a growing awareness of symmetry and aesthetics.”
However, Jens Høyrup, Senior Associate Professor Emeritus at Roskilde University, Denmark, who specializes in Mesopotamian mathematics and was not involved in the study, is less convinced by the archaeologists' argument.
He described the symmetry of the Halafians' floral depictions as “an isolated incident of mathematical technique” rather than evidence of broader mathematical reasoning.
“If you have to divide a circle nicely, at first you make a diameter — then it's two. Then you divide the other way, so you have four,” he told CNN. “It doesn't amount to any search for a geometric ascending sequence, it's simply halving.”
“They have a sense of symmetry, that's clear. But we cannot decide from there that they had a mathematical system,” he adds. “There's no higher mathematics; it's just the simplest way to make divisions.”
Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Worrying about money and food may age the heart even faster than traditional risk factors of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, and the findings raise new questions about how financial stress fits into cardiovascular health and what people can do to protect their hearts.
Making these lifestyle changes reduces chronic disease, even if you have a genetic risk
I turned to CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen to help explain how financial stress can affect the heart and what steps people can take to improve their heart health and protect against that stress. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore's health commissioner.
CNN: What did this study find?
Dr. Leana Wen: The researchers analyzed data from over 280,000 adults who had completed detailed surveys about the social and economic factors in their lives and underwent clinical evaluations of their cardiovascular health. Instead of just looking at whether people developed heart disease, the team focused on a concept called “cardiovascular age,” which reflects how old a person's heart and blood vessels look biologically compared with what one would expect for their actual age.
They found that people who reported higher levels of financial stress and food insecurity tended to have evidence of more advanced cardiovascular aging, even after accounting for traditional medical risk factors.
In other words, two people of the same chronological age and with the same clinical risk profiles could have hearts that “aged” at different rates, depending on how much financial strain they were under. While the study does not prove that financial stress directly causes accelerated heart aging, it strongly suggests that the economic strain can affect not only mental well-being but also cardiovascular health.
CNN: What does it mean to say that stress can “age” the heart?
Wen: When researchers measure heart aging, this refers to structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular system that increase the risk of heart disease. These include stiffening of blood vessels, changes in heart muscle function and impaired ability of the cardiovascular system to respond to exertion.
Chronic stress can accelerate these processes. Stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline affect blood pressure, heart rate, inflammation and metabolism. When these systems are activated repeatedly over long periods, they can contribute to wear and tear on the heart and blood vessels. Over time, that cumulative effect may resemble what we see with aging or long-standing medical conditions.
More than 99% of heart disease cases have a risk factor you can address before you get sick, study shows
CNN: How is financial stress different from other types of stress?
Wen: Financial stress has some unique features that make it particularly potent. Unlike an acute stressor such as a short-term work deadline or a brief illness, financial strain is often chronic and ongoing. It can involve persistent worries about bills, housing stability, medical expenses, debt or support of family members.
Because money affects so many aspects of daily life, financial stress can be difficult to escape. It may disrupt sleep, limit access to healthy food or medical care, and reduce opportunities for exercise or rest. All these factors compound one another and can amplify cardiovascular risk over time.
Worried about money? Experts share how to prepare for hard times
CNN: How does financial stress compare with traditional risk factors like high blood pressure or diabetes?
Wen: To me, what's most striking about this study is that the magnitude of the association between financial stress and heart aging was similar to or even exceeded that of many clinical risk factors. These traditional risk factors, like high blood pressure, diabetes and smoking, are well-recognized contributors to heart disease, and clinicians routinely screen for and treat them.
This research suggests that social determinants of health, including financial stress and food insecurity, may belong in the same conversation. That does not mean financial stress replaces traditional risk factors, but rather that it adds to them. Someone with high blood pressure who is also under severe financial strain may face compounded risk.
Aiming for a healthier year? A doctor shares the 5 science-backed habits that matter most
CNN: Does this mean heart disease is inevitable for people under financial stress?
Wen: No, and that is an important point. Financial stress increases risk, but it does not mean that people experiencing it are doomed to poor heart health. Risk is influenced by many factors, and there are still meaningful actions individuals and clinicians can take to reduce harm.
CNN: How should clinicians think about financial stress when assessing heart health?
Wen: Clinicians should consider financial stress as part of a patient's overall risk profile, much like family history or lifestyle factors. Asking patients about stress, financial strain and access to resources can provide important context for medical decision-making.
This does not mean clinicians need to solve financial problems, but they can help connect patients to resources, adjust treatment plans to reduce financial burden, and be mindful of how stress may affect adherence to medications or lifestyle recommendations. Also, simply acknowledging financial stress as real and relevant to health can improve trust and care.
Long walks linked to improved heart health and longevity
CNN: What are other steps people should take to protect heart health?
Wen: The fundamentals of heart health remain regular physical activity, a balanced and heart-healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, and controlling blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar.
Routine checkups matter because many cardiovascular risk factors develop silently. Treating hypertension or diabetes early dramatically lowers the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease and heart failure. And because chronic stress affects heart health as well, techniques such as mindfulness practices, adequate sleep and social connection can help buffer stress responses and contribute to better heart health.
What women can do to reduce their risk from heart disease
CNN: What is the broader takeaway from this research?
Wen: This study reinforces that health is shaped not only by the health care that people receive but also the social and economic conditions in their lives. Recognizing financial stress and food instability as part of cardiovascular risk can allow for more compassionate and effective care.
Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN's Life, But Better newsletter for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
As hospitals scramble and country reaches record-breaking rates of illness, officials cast doubt on flu shot's necessity
As the US reaches record-breaking rates of illness and hospitals scramble to care for flu patients, officials have stopped fully recommending the flu shot, casting doubt on the necessity and effectiveness of the vaccine.
“We are in the midst of a very severe flu season,” said Seema Lakdawala, associate professor of microbiology and immunology at Emory School of Medicine. Despite this, the US is dismantling many of its vaccine recommendations. Flu vaccine recommendations for children changed in early January to “shared clinical decision-making”, which has typically meant a provider recommends the shot.
When asked whether the new restrictions would lead to fewer children getting vaccinated against the flu, “maybe that's a better thing”, Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services and a longtime vaccine critic, told CBS News last week. “There is no scientific evidence that the flu vaccine prevents serious illness, hospitalizations or death in children,” Kennedy claimed, despite extensive studies, including from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), showing the effectiveness of the flu shot.
His comments come after Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, cast doubt on how well flu vaccines work.
“Every year, there's a flu vaccine. It doesn't always work very well. That's why it's been controversial of late,” Oz said on Newsmax. He instead recommended that Americans “take care” of themselves, so they can “overwhelm” the flu when they encounter it.
CDC press statements have said “the decision to vaccinate is a personal one”, urging people to consult with their doctors to understand “the potential risks and benefits associated with vaccines”. Unlike in previous years, there have been no health advisory notices from the CDC on the new variant, top health officials haven't publicly received vaccines and a successful campaign called “Wild to Mild” was halted and not resumed.
The dominant flu strain in the US is H3N2, which tends to cause more severe illness, and this particular variant, subclade K, has mutated to get around immune defenses, which means more people may be susceptible to the flu than usual. The last time H3N2 spread through the US, in 2017-18, about 51,000 people died, making it the most severe flu season in recent years.
So far this year, there have been about 15m illnesses, 180,000 hospitalizations and 7,400 deaths from the flu, the CDC estimated in its weekly update on 9 January – with deaths including at least 17 children . “There is still time to get vaccinated against flu this season,” the CDC concluded in the report, in sharp relief to public statements by health officials and new restrictions on the shots.
In an earlier CDC report, about 8.2% of visits to the doctor were for flu-like respiratory illnesses – the highest rate for this point in the season since the 1997-98 season. That rate fell slightly to 7.2% last week, but the CDC cautioned that the drop could be due to delays in reporting or seeking care because of the holidays. Some health systems are requiring providers to wear face masks amid surging cases. New York, for instance, logged the most hospitalizations it has ever seen in the week ending 27 December.
“The flu can be extremely, extremely severe. It can be really scary,” said Megan Berman, professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and faculty with the Sealy Institute for Vaccine Sciences.
Berman has seen an influx of patients who need to be hospitalized, and “what they all had in common is actually they had not been vaccinated”. Even patients who have already gotten cases of flu A would still benefit from vaccines, she said, because there was often a double peak in flu season with flu B, which the vaccine also protects against.
Early data from the UK, where flu season started early and now seems to be abating, shows that the vaccine is still effective at preventing hospitalizations: 70-75% effective in children and 30-40% effective in adults, a rate similar to previous flu shots.
While the flu shot may not stop transmission, it is still very effective at preventing severe illness, Lakdawala said. But only 42.5% of children and 43.5% of adults have received the shot this year, according to the CDC. Vaccination rates have fallen in recent years after reaching a high of 63.7% of children and 48.4% of adults in 2019-20 – more than half of the US population.
Covid rates are also high, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is increasing, putting more pressure on hospitals. Both of those childhood shots also saw recent restrictions.
The changes in the recommendations will probably further dampen vaccination rates because it “gives the message that it's not important”, Berman said. Yet “nothing has changed from the science, and I know that physicians are still strongly recommending it to everyone six months and older … Children should not be dying from a preventable illness.”
Antiviral treatments for flu have also fallen in recent years. About 79% of hospitalized flu patients in 2022-23 received antivirals, compared with 90% in 2018-19. The drop was especially pronounced in children; three out of five children hospitalized for the flu in 2022-23 received the medications, compared with four out of five in 2018-19. Only 28% of children under age five who are sick enough with the flu to see a doctor are prescribed antivirals, and only 32% of children who seek care for flu in emergency departments receive the treatments, the CDC says.
At the same time, mortality among children is rising, with nearly 300 children dying from the flu last season – the most deaths from the flu outside of a pandemic since the CDC started keeping track.
If a patient is sick enough to seek care from a doctor, they should receive antivirals, Berman said, and so should patients with underlying medical conditions, pregnant people and older people. There are four antiviral medications for the flu, and they all work well against this variant. It's best to start them as soon as possible after testing positive.
There's also a risk, as H5N1 bird flu continues to devastate flocks across the US, of two flu variants mixing to create another, deadlier variant, a process called reassortment.
“What I worry about most with bird flu is, in five years, it will have reassorted to something else,” Lakdawala said.
There are effective ways to control the spread of the flu, Lakdawala said, noting “we have every tool in our arsenal” and “we should use them when anyone's sick”. In addition to getting vaccinated and taking antivirals, people can wear face masks, improve ventilation, wash hands, cover coughs and sneezes and stay home when they are sick to keep the flu in check.
“We learned something really important about flu transmission during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that is that we can control it. We actually have the capacity to control flu disease burden,” Lakdawala said.
Berman noted that “people are not helpless”, adding: “We can do something.”
Washington Post says local medical examiner found ‘asphyxia' to be cause of Geraldo Lunas Campos's death. Plus, how Trump's dismantling of federal agencies has impacted children with cancer
Don't already get First Thing in your inbox? Sign up here
Good morning.
The death of a man who was being held at a federal detention camp in Texas in early January may be investigated as a homicide after the local medical examiner reportedly found the preliminary cause was “asphyxia due to neck and chest compression”.
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old from Cuba who was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in July last year, was pronounced dead on January 3. He had been in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, a sprawling tent facility at the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso.
The Department of Homeland Security had previously highlighted Lunas Campos as one of the “worst of the worst”, a category used by DHS to trumpet what they claim as victories in Donald Trump's mass deportation campaign. Lunas Campos had convictions for child sexual abuse, possession of a firearm and aggravated assault.
What did ICE say about his death? In a press release, the agency claimed he died after “experiencing medical distress” and said his cause of death was under investigation.
The Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado has presented her gold Nobel peace prize medal to Donald Trump after meeting him in the White House, nearly a fortnight after he ordered the abduction of Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro.
Machado, who received the award last year for her struggle against Maduro's “brutal, authoritarian state”, told reporters on Thursday she had made the gesture in recognition of the US president's “unique commitment [to] our freedom”.
Several hours later, Trump wrote on Truth Social that Machado “presented me with her Nobel peace prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect”.
What have the peace prize organizers said? Earlier in the day, they posted on X: “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel peace prize laureate cannot.”
The regime of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, will not be able to maintain control over Iranian society after the violent suppression of the latest wave of protests, one of the country's leading film-makers has predicted.
“It is impossible for this government to sustain itself in this situation,” the director Jafar Panahi told the Guardian. “They know it too. They know that it will be impossible to rule over people. Perhaps their only goal right now is to bring the country to the verge of complete collapse and try to destroy it.”
Protests caused by an ailing economy have swept through Iran since late December and have been met with deadly crackdowns by the security forces, with reports of more than 2,500 people killed.
What else did he say? “The regime will collapse, 100%,” Panahi said. “It is what has happened to dictatorship governments throughout history. When it will collapse, no one knows. We want it to be as soon as possible, in the next few minutes, but there are many factors that have to come together for it to happen.”
Karoline Leavitt, Trump's press secretary, asserted that a working group of Danish and Greenlandic foreign ministers with US officials was established to discuss the acquisition of Greenland, prompting a swift denial from Denmark.
Canada's prime minister, Mark Carney, has hailed a “new strategic partnership” with China as he held talks in Beijing with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, the first visit by a Canadian leader in eight years.
X has continued to allow users to post highly sexualised videos of women generated by its Grok AI toll, despite the company's claim to have cracked down on misuse.
Leading members of Donald Trump's campaign to overturn the 2020 presidential election results are seeking a huge European pipeline contract, the latest figures from the US president's circle to mix business and geopolitics. Designed to curb the Balkans' reliance on gas from Russia, the Southern Gas Interconnection pipeline would cost about $200m to build.
It's very rare for a fourquel to be the best film in a franchise, but that's how things stand with the chequered 28 Days Later series. In this one, which follows immediately on from the previous episode, 28 Years Later, Ralph Fiennes and Jack O'Connell bring pure death-metal craziness.
The US president vowed to “end childhood cancer”. However, his administration's dismantling of federal agencies has hit cancer research hard. It has led to budgets being slashed, grants canceled or delayed, while clinical trials – often the final hope for children with terminal illness – have been suspended or closed. It has sent families scrambling for treatment.
After the anniversary of Alan Rickman's death, fans recall his joy at a train platform mishap, enthusing about experimental theatre, an embarrassed double-take and a former colleague remembers how the actor had asked the company manager to let him know when his baby arrived and promptly sent a bottle of champagne to congratulate him and his wife.
Gripped by a terrible drought now entering its sixth year, Iran's cities are on the brink of what its meteorological organisation calls “water day zero”: the boundary beyond which supply systems no longer function. The supply failures are a dramatic example of the way climate crisis threatens basic human needs – and with it political stability.
The US agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, is facing ridicule from congressional Democrats and others after claiming Americans can save money and have their meals align with new Department of Health and Human Services dietary guidelines by simply eating “a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli”, “a corn tortilla” and “one other thing”.
First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you're not already signed up, subscribe now.
If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email newsletters@theguardian.com
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas on Thursday, according to a US official.
“During the meeting in Caracas, Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America's adversaries, especially narcotraffickers,” the official said.
The meeting, which was first reported by the New York Times, comes as Trump has asserted control over Venezuela, particularly its oil production, saying the US will effectively “run” the country following its capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Trump has shown support for Rodríguez, a longtime regime insider, over opposition leader María Corina Machado, who met with the president on Thursday and even gifted him her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
Trump administration officials insisted to lawmakers in a briefing after Maduro's capture that the move was not a regime change operation since the Venezuelan government remains largely intact and is now led by Rodríguez, who was Maduro's deputy, sources familiar with the briefing previously told CNN.
The administration's policy decision to back Rodríguez over Machado was informed by a classified CIA analysis on the impact of Maduro no longer being president and near-term implications of his potential removal, according to a source familiar with the matter.
The tightly held intelligence product was commissioned by senior policymakers, and the CIA was expected to continue providing similar recommendations on the leadership situation in Venezuela going forward, multiple sources previously told CNN.
The CIA was also involved in the plan to capture Maduro. In August, the agency had covertly installed a small team inside Venezuela to track Maduro's patterns, locations and movements, which helped bolster the operation earlier this month, sources familiar with the plans told CNN.
The assets included a CIA source operating within the Venezuelan government who assisted the United States with tracking Maduro's location and movements ahead of his capture, one source briefed on the operation told CNN.
Ratcliffe's meeting with Rodríguez this week was meant to build trust, according to the US official, and reflects the CIA director's emphasis on human intelligence gathering and wanting the agency to be less risk averse.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Prime Minister Mark Carney inspects an honour guard during an official welcoming at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
Canada had a China strategy, and it was aligned with that of our main ally and partner.
Then U.S. President Donald Trump arrived and blew up everything.
That's the background to Prime Minister Mark Carney's visit to Beijing.
Like Canadians cutting back on trips to the United States, Mr. Carney is making alternative travel plans because of an abrupt change in the weather in Canada's preferred destination.
Opinion: How Canada can use China to deliver a counterpunch to Trump
A winter sojourn in Beijing has been forced on Canada because our favourite all-season resort down south has undergone an abrupt change in management.
Mr. Trump has spent the past year telling his best customer that he regards us with something between indifference and hostility. He keeps saying that doesn't want our cars, he doesn't want our steel, he doesn't need a free-trade agreement with us and he'd like us as the 51st state.
He's taken in the welcome mat and wants us to be the doormat. Other American allies have received similar rhetoric, and higher tariffs.
All of which is destroying the possibility of a common front against the Chinese dumping machine.
Beijing's economic aim is similar to MAGA's – but its strategy has been far more thoughtful and patient.
Its goal is making China the world's pre-eminent manufacturing power, through an industrial policy of subsidies, trade barriers and currency suppression. It is dumping what are effectively subsidized goods on every other country, which eliminates producers elsewhere. Once an assembly plant in Europe, or Canada, or Michigan is put out of business by a Chinese competitor, it's gone forever.
Campbell Clark: Carney needs to be wary of the same old China ‘reset' mirage
The strategy takes advantage of free-market rules in the rest of world to deindustrialize the rest of the world. Economists have described it as the China Shock. Other formerly closed economies entered the global free trading system without ill effects, but China's impact has been different – because it set out to be different.
Last year, China ran a US$1.2-trillion trade surplus. If Beijing has its way, this year's figure will be higher, with meagre imports tilting even more to raw materials, and even more exports of manufactured goods.
China is now the dominant maker of almost everything, except for a shrinking list of high tech and specialized goods. To take one example, a quarter-century ago, Canada produced more cars than China. In 2024, China made more motor vehicles than the U.S., Japan, Germany, South Korea and Canada – combined.
One possible response to the Chinese strategy is let it happen. And that has mostly been the response until now. If the Chinese want to export below-cost goods, putting our factories out of business in the process, why not let them? Artificially suppressed Chinese prices are, at least in the short term, subsidizing Western living standards.
But in the long run, we'll end up with Beijing's autocratic regime dominating the world, militarily and economically, through a stranglehold on manufacturing.
Lawrence Martin: Rebuilding relations with China is a gamble Mark Carney has to take
In response, the free-market democracies had begun to band together to push back – building walls against Chinese industrial strategy and trying to put some limits on the abuse of free trade. That's why Canada brought in a 100-per-cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles, matching a similar U.S. tariff. The European Union also imposed tariffs of up to 35 per cent on Chinese EVs in 2024.
The U.S. is the logical leader of this movement, and not just in cars. Canada, Australia, the EU, Britain, Japan, South Korea and others are all concerned about China's impact on their industries, and the implications for their long-term security.
Mr. Carney's trip to China has to be understood in this context. What had been a solidifying common front against Beijing has turned into something close to the opposite.
The reason for the turn is that Mr. Trump is far more interested in attacking erstwhile allies than in making common cause. He's destroying the military and economic alliance system and making the common front strategy untenable.
Opinion: Instead of a China pivot, how about we start building at home?
He appears to not grasp that U.S. manufacturers are more viable and competitive with China if they have larger markets for sales and production, which can only come through mutually beneficial co-operation with countries that are not China.
The auto industry, with cars jointly made and sold on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border, is a classic example. Ditto for steel, aluminum, wood products, aircraft – the list is long.
But Mr. Trump, by pursuing a predatory divide-and-conquer strategy against alleged allies, is empowering Beijing's own moves to divide and conquer those same countries.
That leaves Canada out in the cold.
Hence Mr. Carney's winter trip to frigid Beijing, in a bid to thaw relations with a country that, in a warmer North American climate, we'd be distancing ourselves from.
Report an editorial error
Report a technical issue
Editorial code of conduct
Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.
© Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.
Andrew Saunders, President and CEO
A major air defense aid package has arrived in Ukraine to help defend its stricken energy infrastructure as the country-wide winter energy crisis deepens, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 16.
The arrival of the package, further details about which were not disclosed, came at a point when several of the surface-to-air missile systems in Ukraine were left "without missiles," the Ukrainian president said.
Each successive delivery of extra air defense support from Ukraine's partners is being begged and fought for, said Zelensky, who noted that Ukraine's needs extended far beyond the well-known U.S.-built Patriot system.
Ukraine is loosening curfew restrictions to allow citizens to reach humanitarian aid centers even at nighttime amid an ongoing energy crisis caused by Russian attacks, Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Jan. 16.
"This is necessary so that everyone who currently has no electricity, water, or heat receives the necessary assistance," Shmyhal explained during a meeting in the parliament, noting that similar rules are already in effect during air raid alerts.
A curfew was introduced in Ukraine alongside martial law at the outbreak of the full-scale war in 2022, largely prohibiting citizens from being outside during specific hours.
The curfew length varies across regions. In Kyiv and most other regions away from the front line, it lasts from midnight until 5 a.m. President Volodymyr Zelensky signaled upcoming changes in the rules earlier this week.
The news follows days of sustained Russian drone and missile attacks against the energy grid in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine, leaving citizens without heat and electricity for an extended period amid freezing temperatures.
The unprecedented energy crisis continues to afflict the most of the nation's population centers, especially the capital, where even maximum temperatures currently fail to climb higher than -10 degrees Celsius.
The resulting hardships and dangers have affected millions of Ukrainians, with heating cut to a minimum and indoor temperatures plummet, while regular non-scheduled power outages greatly limit alternative options for staying warm.
"I've recently come back to Kyiv after three years abroad, and this winter feels like the worst I have ever seen while I was visiting," said Lisa Sokolova, a 24-year-old communications manager based in the capital to the Kyiv Independent.
"Life has become critically unpredictable, it is impossible to plan even an evening or the next day. You never know if there will be heat, water, light, and the ability to work or cook."
Ukrainian authorities have declared a state of emergency to tackle the consequences and alleviate humanitarian challenges facing the population.
In Kyiv, city authorities announced on Jan. 10 a significant dialling down in outdoor light output, with most streets lights reduced to 20% power and any decorative lighting switched off entirely.
Shmyhal also instructed state companies, namely Ukrainian Railways and the energy company Naftogaz, to ensure electricity supply from abroad for the current winter in the amount of no less than 50% of total consumption.
Backup energy equipment is being distributed across regions to address the critical needs of essential infrastructure, the minister noted.
In addition to air defense support Ukraine's partners continue to supply Kyiv with emergency aid directed both at repairing energy infrastructure and mitigating the humanitarian effects of the crisis.
The U.K. allocated 20 million pounds ($26.8 million) of accelerated funding for "energy infrastructure support" on Jan. 16 while Italy has begun the delivery of industrial boilers with 1.85 million euros ($2.15 million) for the worst-affected areas, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said that since October 2025, Russian forces have targeted 11 hydroelectric power plants, 45 major combined heat and power plants, 49 thermal power plants, and 151 electrical substations across the country.
The heaviest strikes were recorded in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, as well as the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.
The intensified attacks also come at a time when Kyiv remains under significant pressure to accept capitulatory concessions as a basis for a potential peace deal with Moscow.
"I think this is a strategy of exhaustion and demoralization, it's really exhausting but despite everything, I want to stay in Kyiv and maybe to take a "break" in safer cities in Ukraine," said Sokolova.
"At the same time, I understand that capitulation will make things worse — we will lose the opportunity for justice without guarantees of safety."
Yuliia Taradiuk contributed to reporting.
Reporter
Reporter
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said.
The embassy said it would provide further updates on the resumption of activities and any additional measures.
In this exclusive interview, the Kyiv Independent's Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces' officer who helps organize resistance movements in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Around 55% of Ukrainians support holding a referendum on a potential peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, while 32% oppose this idea, according to the poll.
Ukraine hopes to gain more clarity on "documents that we have actually drafted with the American side, and regarding Russia's response to all this diplomatic work," Zelensky said.
China's electricity purchases from Russia were suspended on Jan. 1 due to higher export prices that now exceed domestic Chinese rates, Kommersant reported.
Most Ukrainians oppose trading the Donbas to Russia even in exchange for Western security guarantees, a new survey shows.
Czech President Petr Pavel and President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss ways "to advance our strategic partnership, defense cooperation, and peace efforts," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Ex-Prime Minister Yuliia Tymoshenko is also obliged to appear in court when summoned and cannot leave Kyiv Oblast.
The announcement confirming the damage to the facility's production capacity was posted by the Navy on Jan. 16, after the SBU first reported the strike three days earlier.
Putin said Russia is ready to serve as a mediator in the Middle East, an offer that follows signals that the U.S. might launch strikes against Iran amid a deadly crackdown on protests.
"In 2025 (...) growth was supported by domestic trade, construction, (...) the production of defense products and metallurgy," Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine's economy minister, said in a press release.
This London greenhouse needs renovations. How can its tropical tenants move without dying in the process?
Even on an overcast day, it is hot in the all-glass Palm House at London's Kew Gardens. The clammy heat intensifies as you climb the spiral staircase in the graceful Victorian conservatory, up to the second-storey balcony, where you can overlook its jam-packed collection of tropical plants. You experience a different world up there, a pretechnological version of the now commonplace drone view, as your gaze rides over the tops of the arcing green palms. You're looking down on a thicket of plants and history.
Just for the harrowing thrill of it, even if you're not a gardener, imagine that you are in charge of renovating this, the most famous tropical greenhouse in the world – the 177-year-old glass and wrought-iron Palm House, the greenly glowing centrepiece of London's Kew Gardens, one of the largest and most popular curated collections of tropical plants anywhere in the world (1,300 plants and 935 species in the glass house alone, a third of which are threatened), not to mention the living botanical record of the British Empire's rise and fall.
To renovate the building, you first have to move all the vegetation out of the building. But very few of the rare and valuable tropical plants in the glass house can survive outside, even in England's mild-but-getting-hotter climate.
The Palm House at Kew Gardens, opened in 1848, is a wrought-iron and glass contraption for simulating a tropical climate, insulated from the cold of London's winters.
You have to manoeuvre the exotics out of the Palm House – some of them are more than eight metres tall – and into warm, moist temporary quarters known as “decant houses.”
Then you have to strip and clean and repaint and refurbish and rethink the national treasure sometimes known as “the stove of Kew,” replacing its complicated heating and watering colonics and its 16,000 panes of glass.
In the course of doing that – and this is really important – you have to transform the Victorian relic into the prototype of the world's first carbon-neutral glass conservatory, all without destroying its heritage as a symbol of Britain's world domination. Then you have to move the plants back in.
All that will take five years. Oh, and you need to grow backups, in case the transplants don't take.
This is why Will Spoelstra, the Palm House's supervisor, has the wary look of a man trying to avoid being run over by a vehicle speeding in from an unforeseen direction. In addition to the usual sweaty overheating and hydration concerns of gardeners and botanists who specialize in “working under glass,” he has a lot on his mind.
Mr. Spoelstra has worked at Kew for more than a decade, and has been planning the logistics of the renovation for several years. But the physical transfer of the plants began only last fall.
So far, his team has identified plants whose roots can be containerized and moved by hand. That includes some specimens up to five metres in height. Larger plants will require a small gantry crane, but even then, the selection will be dictated by the height (eight metres) and space available in the temporary decant conservatories. As a result, many species will instead be propagated or regrown from seed, from cuttings or using “air layers,” where the stem of a tree is wounded and wrapped in damp moss to encourage new roots to form.
Supervisor Will Spoelstra and his team must prioritize which plants to move and which to regrow so the collection can be reassembled in the renovated space.
The building's most famous residents are 175 species of palm that inspired centuries of exploitation as well as the Western world's obsession with everything warm, exotic, fecund and forbidden. They present particular problems to Mr. Spoelstra because “palms you can only really propagate from seed. No one's ever worked out how to do it otherwise.”
A visitor asks, with a tinge of panic in his voice, whether that means regrowing them.
“We've known this is likely to happen for a while, so we've been propagating for a while,” the ever-sanguine Mr. Spoelstra replies.
Several species are impossible to move because they are upholstered in piercing spines – such as Aiphanes eggersii, a pinnate palm that produced fruit at Kew for the first time this year. The conservatory's pine-like cycads – the most common plant on the planet back when dinosaurs roamed the Earth – are a whole other category of concern.
The oldest cycad in the Palm Palace at Kew is Encephalartos altensteinii, first collected from South Africa in 1775. That's not a plant you want to accidentally kill.
It looks like a giant earthworm (the trunk) in a spritzy party hat (the foliage). Its 30-centimetre-thick, 5.5 metre-long trunk is growing horizontally and is held up off the ground by metal braces. Mr. Spoelstra will have to clear an avenue in the Palm House to get it out and into temporary storage via wheeled scaffolding. The decant houses are already one-third full, and the physical renovation doesn't begin until 2027. Experts who specialize in moving large works of art have been advising Mr. Spoelstra.
Or there's the diabolical case of the ivory nut palm. Ivory nut palms can grow 25 metres tall, and are nearly impossible to move. A new one will have to be regrown for the renovated Palm House. But for that to happen, Kew's female ivory nut palm − nut palms are dioecious, that is, they come in male and female plants – has to produce some seed. For the palm to produce some seeds, you have to fertilize its flowers with some pollen from a male ivory nut palm. Kew, alas, does not have a male ivory nut palm.
“Can't you find a male?” the visitor asks.
“They're not that easy to find,” Mr. Spoelstra mutters. Kew has, however, managed to cadge some male ivory-nut-palm pollen from a botanical centre in Singapore, with which Kew's gardeners will then manually pollinate their female. Please sigh contentedly here.
Once the plants are relocated, the physical renovation of the storied edifice can begin. The Palm House, a shimmering example of the kind of Victorian architecture that later inspired the modernists, was almost demolished after the Second World War (the government didn't want to pay for its upkeep), and has endured two major renovations. The last one was in 1987, and shut the Palm House for three years.
Rust and algae are nuisances around the complex, but unavoidable in an environment this moist and hot.
The building's famous swanny two-storey wrought-iron structure is still structurally sound. (It was one of the first prefabricated edifices ever built.) But rust and algae and peeling, and especially its energy inefficiency, require constant attention. Its aforementioned 16,000 panes of glass (which revitalized the British glass industry when they were first designed specifically for Kew in the 1840s) have to be replaced with infinitely more energy-efficient glass that nevertheless doesn't interfere with the tropical plants' lust for light and heat. The glass is cleaned every two years on the outside by professional window washers and two to three times more a year on the inside by staff. Palms that have burst through the glass roof have had to be felled. Some of the trees that have to be cut down for the renovation will be saved for scientific research; most will be composted.
The conservatory's soil will have to be tested and repacked; a new humidifying system, new rainwater tanks and a costly reverse-osmosis system will be installed. (The plants are watered every day.) The greenhouse's famous heating system – staunch hot-water pipes that run under its iron grille floors and keep the all-glass Palm House no cooler than 19 degrees at night and preferably under 30 during the day – will be replaced. (Temperatures in London reached 40 C in 2022.) So will its notorious gas-fired boilers (which replaced their coal-fired cousins) located roughly 180 metres away, via underground tunnel, under a chimney and water tank disguised as a Romanesque campanile. The refurbished Palm House will henceforth stay hot via complicated new air-source heat pumps.
The goal of the renovations is to lighten the energy load enough that it is a net consumer of carbon dioxide.
When Queen Victoria declared the Palm House open in 1848, it was touted all over the world as a pinnacle of British engineering: the glass, the wrought iron, the lightweight construction, to say nothing of what it housed and kept alive, and how. The hope is that, postrenovation, the Palm House will be revered once again – not just carbon-neutral but carbon-negative, and therefore climate positive, by 2030.
“If we can make a huge glass house in London net zero at 28 degrees constant year round, anyone can,” Rebecca Munro, Kew's executive director of development, told me on one of my visits to the garden last October. Ms. Munro is fundraising the £60-million that the Palm House redesign is projected to cost, as well as the third of Kew's £130-million annual budget that derives from philanthropic donations.
If it all works as planned, the Palm House will have been transformed from a monument to the glory of imperialism and empire, into an admonishment of the same – a practical, working example of what we can do to reverse the effects of our careless ambition.
Raoul Curtis-Machin, Kew's new executive director of gardens, points out that discussions about the Palm House's future have been wide-ranging. “Is it sustainable to be taking these tropical palms, putting them in a heated greenhouse, paying a fortune for piping and hot water?” He has a Scottish accent as thick as a Pringle sweater.
“It's kind of crazy. But the flip side is that a big percentage of our population would never get the chance to see these plants. And when you want to talk about conservation, if people can see them, they make a direct link, and build a relationship and understand the need to conserve them. So if we can heat a palm house and still make that structure sustainable, it's win-win.”
Ms. Munro and Mr. Curtis-Machin are now building a global network of glass conservatories awaiting the results of the experiment at Kew. (It's too late for downtown Toronto: The interior of the gorgeous tropical conservatory at Allan Gardens was cleared of plants in 2022 and is now rented out as an empty space for weddings.)
The Palm House was recently listed as a World Heritage site. No wonder: Kew and its vast seed bank at its sister site at Wakehurst comprise 2.5 billion living seeds and 40,000 species of wild plant. A glass house is a surprisingly serious place, especially in London, where nothing happens without the past having something to say about it.
Dutch House, built as a silk merchant's mansion in 1631, was here long before the Hanoverian Royal Family took a liking to this area and made it into Kew Palace.
The Palm House protects palms and tropical plants, but its most lasting stock has been fantasy. What became Kew Gardens – 130 hectares in the borough of Richmond in London's west end, directly under the steadily roaring landing path of Heathrow airport – was first cobbled together from a string of royal properties in 1789. Capability Brown's landscape garden movement was taking root nearby.
The acreage was further developed by Princess Augusta, the mother of George III, the so-called mad king. George used the royal pleasure grounds and what is now known as Kew Palace to recover from his bouts of illness, which may have been porphyria or bipolar disorder, or some combination thereof.
(How mad was George III? He certainly had bouts of mania. On the other hand, while I was visiting Kew, Donald Trump retweeted a meme of himself wearing a crown and piloting a jet that dumped tons of excrement on American protesters, so you be the judge.)
George built up Kew's exotic plant collection with the help of his pal Sir Joseph Banks, the doyen of natural science in Great Britain: By 1768, Kew had collected 3,400 species. (It boasts 27,000 today – not bad, given that Brazil, the most biodiverse country on Earth, today supports 46,000 known plant species.)
But the gardens fell into disrepair after George's death in 1820, and especially after the brutally cold winter of 1838, one of the rare years the Thames froze over. Kew's future was also in peril as political factions fought for its dissolution. The issue, then as now, was money: Was it reasonable that the government should spend £35,000 on palm trees when impoverished and hungry Irish were flocking to London? Was preserving nature for future generations as important as the present?
It wasn't until after young Queen Victoria took the throne in 1837 that Kew was spared. She was initially of a mind to dismantle the garden, until she was persuaded it would be a big hit with the public, thanks in part to the endless politicking and finagling of its first director, Sir Joseph Hooker. Hooker was one of a string of Scots who have run Kew since its earliest days. A perfect storm of influences made Kew a success – not least the fact that, while Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paris and Berlin had glass-housed botanical gardens, London didn't, even though it was the hub of the British Empire, whose far-flung tropical colonies produced everything from rubber and ginger to pepper and the palm oil used to lubricate British railways.
Plus – as Kate Teltscher, the author of Palace of Palms, an exceptionally readable history of Kew, explained to me recently – “particularly in the 1850s, there is the development of suburbs and middle classes who want nice villas with gardens.” The new middle class's longings were inflamed by a huge boom in gardening magazines, which in turn advertised Britain's nascent plant nurseries.
The first visitors to the Palm House showed up in 1848. By 1851, half a million of them flocked through the gates every year, at a penny a person: A half day at Kew was considered a taste of the exotic and a healthful jaunt into the country, away from the filth and soot and tuberculosis of industrializing London. These days, 2.5 million people a year pay as much as £25 each to visit Kew and Wakehurst. Many of them swing by the Palm House.
The 2030s will also be the bicentennial of Victoria's coronation, a turning point in Kew's history. She had planned to dismantle it, until courtiers convinced her otherwise.Charles Robert Leslie, c. 1897/Library of Congress
The hot and humid second-storey balcony walk inside the Palm House was Queen Victoria's favourite way to see it.
Unexpected details present themselves. For instance, looking down, you suddenly understand that most bald men in England shave their heads. Everything else you can see above and below and in front of you is a wall of variegated green leaves in a full catalogue of shapes and pointiness and widths. Some are pinnate spears, and some are fat palmate fingers. Some are like peninsulas, and some are like wild haircuts. They have exotic, difficult names, such as Heliconia bihai x spathocircinata “Cinnamon Twist.”
Voices float up as visitors below react to what they are seeing: “Banana,” someone will say, and then your mind reels through what the Palm House has taught you about bananas. They were unknown in Britain when the Palm House was built; today, Brits eat five billion bananas a year (about two a week, each), making them Britain's favourite “healthy snack.”
Those, of course are Cavendish bananas, the only kind most of us eat; they have no seeds and can only be propagated from cuttings, which means they all have the same immune systems, which is why they are all vulnerable to the vein-throttling TR4 fungus, and why, last February, a new resistant strain, the QCAV-4, became the world's first genetically modified banana approved for cultivation.
Specimens at Kew are not purely for show – studying them gives researchers new insights into plant biodiversity, flood mitigation and climate change.
You look down upon Arabica coffee plants and gorgeous, thick barkless bamboos – actually a grass that Kew researchers are studying for its flood-prevention attributes – that grow 2.5 metres every 16 days in the Palm House and reach 25 metres in the wild. And, of course, there are the palms, the princes of the plant kingdom as they were once called, ever beseeching and reaching toward you. No wonder the Christians considered them the tree of life and Jesus.
Everything is wet and dripping and moist and pinging. Sound is amplified. Every once in a while, you hear the song of a bird that has sneaked under the glass. Oh, look, a tamarind tree: Its fruit is the basis of Worcestershire sauce. It's so hot and humid I am drenched after 35 minutes. My notebooks are disintegrating in my hands. In any event, the upper storey of Kew's Palm House is where you feel the fantasy of the place, as it transports you instantly, and physically, beyond your culture, beyond where you are and who you are, beyond commerce, even, into the strange botanical Other.
The experience is unchanged since Victoria's time, but its meaning is now more urgent. The Palm House was a monument to British national pride. These days, it's an international call to climate-change action. (In the Amazon alone in 2024, fires attributed to climate change consumed an area larger than California.)
“Because the scale of climate change and biodiversity loss cut across national boundaries,” Kate Teltscher will tell you, “botanic gardens these days tend to be about saving the world from itself, from mankind.”
Up above it all, on the glassed-in walkway of the second storey of the world-famous building that first showed white Europeans what robust riches were waiting to be exploited in the steamy equatorial belly of the Earth, you can be both the villain and the hero, colonizer and victim. Up there, it is very easy to feel as if you are standing on the demarcation line between the two sides of the global debate over climate change and how seriously it threatens us.
Wherever you are in Kew Gardens, the stately Palm House draws you toward it, and makes you want to get inside, to feel the heat and experience the exotic and often endangered botanical otherness of the rest of the Earth. Half an hour later, you are just as eager to leave. You step outside, shuck your jacket off your shoulders to feel the cool outdoor air on your neck, and listen as the steady roar of overhead jets landing at nearby Heathrow rises in your ears. But as soon as you step outside, you ask yourself when you'll be able to go back in again.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to correct the title of Kate Teltscher's book Palace of Palms.
Coyotes, bats and pigeons, oh my: Canadian cities are full of wildlife. How can we better accommodate these species? City Space asked environmental studies professor Peter Alagona and ecologist Erica Spotswood for their ideas.
Six tips for a climate-friendly garden
Food gardens take root on the front lawn
How three Canadian women helped save the rare Tibetan blue poppy
Report an editorial error
Report a technical issue
Editorial code of conduct
Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.
© Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.
Andrew Saunders, President and CEO
Please disable the ad blocking feature.
To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Yomiuri Shimbun
16:49 JST, January 16, 2026
Another 11 players have been selected to defend Japan's title in the upcoming World Baseball Classic in March.
NPB Enterprise Inc. and other organizers announced the additions to Samurai Japan on Friday.
Tomoyuki Sugano, who pitched for Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles last season, returns to the national squad for the first time in two tournaments. In his debut year since departing from the Yomiuri Giants, where he was the ace pitcher, he delivered a solid performance, recording 10 wins.
From the domestic leagues, Hanshin Tigers infielder Teruaki Sato earned his first selection to the national team. Sato was a driving force behind his team's Central League championship last season, clinching two league batting titles with 40 home runs and 102 RBIs.
Also joining the roster are pitcher Yuki Matsumoto of the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks, catchers Seishiro Sakamoto of the Hanshin Tigers and Kenya Wakatsuki of the Orix Buffaloes, and outfielder Shota Morishita of the Hanshin Tigers.
From the previous championship-winning squad, infielder Shugo Maki of the Yokohama DeNA BayStars was selected, along with infielder Sosuke Genda of the Saitama Seibu Lions, and the trio of infielder Taisei Makihara, outfielder Kensuke Kondoh, and outfielder Ukyo Shuto from the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks.
Eight players, including the Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, were announced in December. Once the remaining 11 members have been selected, the roster for Japan's 30-man team will be complete.
Related Tags
Popular articles in the past 24 hours
Popular articles in the past week
Popular articles in the past month
JN ACCESS RANKING
The Japan News / Weekly Edition
Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting, readable fomat.
Read more
eng
jp
© 2026 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Editor's note: This is a developing story.
An unidentified drone crashed into a residential high-rise in the Russian city of Ryazan overnight on Jan. 16, as Russia reported a wave of drone attacks across multiple regions.
Russian officials said there were no casualties, while residents reported hearing explosions during the night. A local oil refinery is believed to be the intended target of the strikes.
According to the Russian opposition news channel Astra, the drone hit around the 18th floor of a building in the Otkrytie residential complex, though local authorities have not commented and the extent of the damage remains unclear.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed air defenses intercepted 22 drones over Ryazan Oblast, with additional drones downed over the Rostov, Voronezh, Kursk, Tula, and Volgograd regions, as well as Crimea, Oryol, and Lipetsk.
The ministry also said another 44 drones were intercepted over Belgorod Oblast.
The Kyiv Independent cannot verify claims made by Russian officials.
The Ryazan Oil Refinery, which produces upwards of 17.1 million tons of oil per year, has been a regular target of attack given its role in fueling Russia's war in Ukraine.
Ryazan, the region's capital, is located 180 kilometers (120 miles) southeast of Moscow and about 450 kilometers (280 miles) from Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia along Sumy Oblast.
North American news editor
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master's degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor's degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
"I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that," Trump said.
The embassy said it would provide further updates on the resumption of activities and any additional measures.
In this exclusive interview, the Kyiv Independent's Yuliia Taradiuk speaks with a Ukrainian Special Operations Forces' officer who helps organize resistance movements in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine.
Around 55% of Ukrainians support holding a referendum on a potential peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine, while 32% oppose this idea, according to the poll.
Ukraine hopes to gain more clarity on "documents that we have actually drafted with the American side, and regarding Russia's response to all this diplomatic work," Zelensky said.
China's electricity purchases from Russia were suspended on Jan. 1 due to higher export prices that now exceed domestic Chinese rates, Kommersant reported.
Most Ukrainians oppose trading the Donbas to Russia even in exchange for Western security guarantees, a new survey shows.
Czech President Petr Pavel and President Volodymyr Zelensky will discuss ways "to advance our strategic partnership, defense cooperation, and peace efforts," said Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Ex-Prime Minister Yuliia Tymoshenko is also obliged to appear in court when summoned and cannot leave Kyiv Oblast.
The announcement confirming the damage to the facility's production capacity was posted by the Navy on Jan. 16, after the SBU first reported the strike three days earlier.
Putin said Russia is ready to serve as a mediator in the Middle East, an offer that follows signals that the U.S. might launch strikes against Iran amid a deadly crackdown on protests.
"In 2025 (...) growth was supported by domestic trade, construction, (...) the production of defense products and metallurgy," Oleksiy Sobolev, Ukraine's economy minister, said in a press release.
In the latest episode of ‘Sanchez Effect', we take a deep dive into the real story behind the protests sweeping Iran with a guest who joins us from Tehran. Professor Marandi reveals that Israel is practically waving its national flag, admitting it orchestrated these protests, while Western media outlets conveniently look the other way. Rick points out that even Mike Pompeo acknowledged that Mossad agents were alongside demonstrators in Tehran – a delightful setup for a color revolution! But they've had no luck so far. Professor Marandi says it's because when the violence escalated, the Iranian government shut down the internet immediately and protests fizzled out very quickly. That can only mean one thing – they were being coordinated from abroad. And without internet? Oops...didn't see that coming.
Rick can't help but wonder why Israel, usually tight-lipped about its operations, would admit to being involved in this one. Marandi argues that the language of politics is shifting – just look at Trump and his tactics with Venezuela and now Greenland. Speaking of which, the US president isn't backing down, which has caused Danish officials to panic. That's as Rutte continues his usual diatribe that China and Russia are responsible for all the world's woes. When Greenland looks to him for help, though, he can only offer a big “NO COMMENT.” But don't worry, unlike Daddy Trump's golden boy, we've got plenty of comments and insights lined up for you – right here on RT.
RT News App
© Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 2005–2026. All rights reserved.
This website uses cookies. Read RT Privacy policy to find out more.
Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Friday.Sean Kilpatrick/Reuters
Prime Minister Mark Carney reached a deal with China to allow nearly 50,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into Canada at a low tariff rate in return for big reductions in Beijing's levies on canola seed and a promised elimination of its tariffs on a host of other products.
The announcement on Friday marks a break with the United States in how it treats Chinese electric vehicles by removing a tariff both countries enacted in 2024.
This brings about a truce in a painful trade war between Ottawa and Beijing as the Prime Minister seeks bigger overseas export markets and new foreign investment to offset the economic damage caused by U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist tariffs.
Prime Minister Mark Carney announced a trade deal that would allow up to 49,000 Chinese-made electric vehicles into the Canadian market, with Beijing reducing levies on canola seed and other products.
At the same time, the deal raises the prospect that Canada may be putting itself offside of Mr. Trump's tough-on-China agenda, which the President expects allies to follow.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the Canadian government's decision to allow Chinese electric vehicles at a low tariff rate is “problematic” and that Canada may come to regret the decision.
“I think in the long run, they're not going to like having made that deal,” Mr. Greer told CNBC on Friday.
Canada's trade deal with the United States and Mexico is up for review this year.
Mr. Carney announced the deal with Beijing after several hours of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his first trip to China as Prime Minister.
China's Ministry of Commerce later posted statements online that are consistent with Mr. Carney's description of the deal. The statement said the two countries have agreed to work together in a wide range of areas, such as electric vehicles, energy and agriculture, with economic and trade co-operation expected to enter a fast-track of development.
Ottawa imposed 100-per-cent tariffs on Chinese-made EVs in 2024, and Beijing later responded with retaliatory levies on seafood and agricultural products.
The Prime Minister said this is the first fruit of a new “strategic partnership” Canada is forging with China, which follows from his decision to “strategically, pragmatically and decisively” change relations with Beijing.
Doug Ford criticizes Canada's tariff deal on Chinese EVs
Andrew Coyne: In seeking to deepen trade with China, Canada is hedging its bets
Mr. Carney, speaking to reporters in Beijing, said relations with China have recently been more predictable than those with the U.S. and the “results coming from that” are visible.
The Prime Minister made several references during his visit to the upset in global trading rules - a disruption that has increased under Mr. Trump. “The world has changed much since that last visit. I believe the progress that we have made in the partnership sets us up well for the new world order,” Mr. Carney said Thursday during earlier meetings with Premier Li Qiang.
There are caveats to Canada's tariff concession, which lowers levies on Chinese EVs from 100 per cent to 6.1 per cent starting March 1: It applies to the first 49,000 vehicles imported each year. Mr. Carney later told reporters he expects the quota will rise about six per cent annually – reaching 70,000 in half a decade.
In return, China, by March 1, will cut tariffs on canola seed to approximately 15 per cent from current combined tariff levels of 84 per cent, the Prime Minister said.
And, according to Mr. Carney, Beijing has also committed to removing tariffs on Canadian canola meal, lobsters, crabs and peas by that date “until at least the end of this year.” He did not elaborate on this or whether this tariff relief would be extended beyond 2026.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister said, Mr. Xi has committed to removing visa requirements for Canadians travelling to China.
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Prime Minister Mark Carney's trip to Beijing is about boosting trade and refreshing Canada's relationship with China.
The Canadian Press
Canada imposed the tariff on Chinese electric vehicles in tandem with the U.S. in 2024 under the Biden administration.
The rationale for Canada's levies on these imports was that China is subsidizing and overproducing EVs, swamping global markets and undermining other countries' ability to compete.
Mr. Carney did not address those concerns Friday.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who has previously described Chinese EVs as “roving surveillance systems” that should not be allowed on Canadian streets, issued a statement criticizing the deal.
“Prime Minister Carney must explain how he has gone from saying China was Canada's ‘biggest security threat' before the election to announcing a ‘strategic partnership' with Beijing after the election,” he said.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also criticized the EV tariff cut Friday, warning this could hurt Canada's auto sector, which is largely concentrated in his province. “Make no mistake: China now has a foothold in the Canadian market and will use it to their full advantage at the expense of Canadian workers.”
Asked how he will explain to the United States why Canada is giving China freer access to our automobile market, Mr. Carney played down the amount of low-tariff access granted.
He said the quota for Chinese EVs reflects imports from the last full year before the tariff was applied and it is “less than 3 per cent of the size of the Canadian auto market.” Canadians buy about 1.8 million vehicles each year, Mr. Carney said.
He also defended allowing in more foreign vehicles at a time when the Canadian auto assembly industry is under pressure, saying the Chinese supply will offer lower-priced EVs for Canadian consumers.
“China's strengths in the electric vehicle sector are undeniable. They produce some of the most affordable and energy-efficient vehicles in the world,” the Prime Minister said.
Canada says it's open to Chinese investment in energy sector
Opinion: Quite the achievement for Mr. Carney in Beijing. Now what?
Part of the Chinese EV quota will be reserved for cars with an import price of $35,000 or less, Mr. Carney said. The proportion of the quota dedicated to this category will rise 50 per cent by 2030, he said, “kickstarting the availability of more affordable electric vehicles in Canada.
Mr. Carney said he expects this EV deal will spur Chinese auto industry investment in Canada. He offered no details on what would drive China's EV makers to relocate production to Canada.
He said the Canadian government has set a goal of increasing exports to China by 50 per cent by 2030.
The Prime Minister defended his engagement with China despite Western criticism of its human-rights record.
“We take the world as it is – not as we wish it to be,” Mr. Carney said.
The Prime Minister said Canada and China “respect the differences in each other's systems,” which means co-operation will be more “focused and limited” than with more like-minded countries. He suggested he doesn't plan to criticize China publicly. “We don't grab a megaphone and have the conversations that way.”
Carney says he and Xi talked about Greenland's sovereignty and the U.S. president's threats to the territory during their meeting in Beijing.
The Canadian Press
Mr. Carney, asked about U.S. threats to take Greenland by force, said he backs the sovereignty of Denmark. He added that he and Mr. Xi “found much alignment of views” when the issue came up during their meeting.
Mr. Carney's four-day official visit to China, which began on Wednesday, is the first by a Canadian prime minister since 2017. Relations between Western countries and China deteriorated as countries, including Canada, blocked Chinese companies from investing in an increasing array of sectors from telecommunications to critical minerals to security-related industries.
Canada's food-safety agency signs agreement with China
On Thursday, the Prime Minister met with Premier Li and Zhao Leji, China's top legislator. The two sides signed five non-binding memorandums of understanding, including one on strengthening energy co-operation, at a time of rising petroleum exports to China from Canada. The energy MOU also promotes Canadian uranium sales to China, saying the two countries aim to “strengthen co-operation in natural uranium trade.”
The two countries also issued a joint economic and trade co-operation “road map” that said Canada would welcome Chinese investments in areas including energy, agriculture and consumer products as part of a growing relationship.
The Carney government has stressed the need to shift trade away from the United States, which has grown more protectionist under Mr. Trump. Mr. Carney has set a 10-year goal for Canada to double non-U.S. trade, which would generate $300-billion more in annual exports.
With reports from Reuters, Alexandra Li in Beijing and Laura Stone in Toronto
Report an editorial error
Report a technical issue
Editorial code of conduct
Authors and topics you follow will be added to your personal news feed in Following.
© Copyright 2026 The Globe and Mail Inc. All rights reserved.
Andrew Saunders, President and CEO
US president intends to keep the medal and calls gift from Maria Corina Machado a ‘wonderful gesture of mutual respect'
Copy link
twitter
facebook
whatsapp
email
Copy link
twitter
facebook
whatsapp
email
Copy link
twitter
facebook
whatsapp
email
Copy link
twitter
facebook
whatsapp
email
Maria Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, gave her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Donald Trump on Thursday as she attempted to woo the US president.
Mr Trump has made no secret of his desire to be awarded the honour, which has been bestowed on several former presidents including Barack Obama.
Ms Machado, whose liberal Vente Venezuela party is widely believed to have won the 2024 election, was given the award for “promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela”.
It follows claims Mr Trump did not back installing Ms Machado as the country's leader following Nicholas Maduro's capture because she was given the honour.
Asked whether she had given Mr Trump her award during their meeting on Thursday, Ms Machado said: “I presented the president of the United States the medal of the Nobel Peace Prize.”
She said she had done so “in recognition [of] his unique commitment [to] our freedom”.
A White House official confirmed that Mr Trump intends to keep the medal.
In a Truth Social post on Thursday evening, Mr Trump wrote: “Maria presented me with her Nobel Peace Prize for the work I have done. Such a wonderful gesture of mutual respect. Thank you Maria!”
Days earlier the Nobel Institute had ruled against Ms Machado's previous suggestion of transferring last year's peace prize to Mr Trump.
Earlier in the day, the Nobel organisers posted on X: “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot.”
Last week, Mr Trump said he could not think of “anybody in history that should get the Nobel Peace Prize more than me”.
The Venezuelan politician's effort to win over the US president comes after he said he did not believe she had enough respect within Venezuela to govern the country.
He instead has shown support for acting president Delcy Rodríguez, Mr Maduro's former vice-president, who was sworn in on Jan 5.
Critics argue that Ms Rodriguez is a continuation of Mr Maduro's repressive regime. Shortly after his capture, the government directed police to search out and seize people who supported the US intervention.
But Mr Trump appears to be pleased with the current arrangement, having praised Ms Rodriguez as a “terrific” person following a call earlier this week.
On Thursday, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said the Venezuelan leaders had been “extremely cooperative” and the US president “likes what he's seeing”.
Ms Leavitt said Ms Rodriguez had been in “constant communication” with Marco Rubio, the US secretary of state, and other officials.
The US president's opinion of Ms Machado's ability to lead the country had “not changed”, Ms Leavitt added, saying his assessment “was based on realities on the ground”.
She said Mr Trump was “committed to hopefully seeing elections in Venezuela one day” but did not give an indication of a timeframe.
Ms Rodriguez must tread carefully. She will need to appease Mr Trump and US demands while also retaining the support of the hardline anti-imperialist factions in the Venezuelan government.
On Thursday, US forces seized a sixth oil tanker in a pre-dawn raid, according to the US Southern Command.
Marines and sailors launched from the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier in the Caribbean and apprehended the vessel called Veronica.
“The Veronica is the latest tanker operating in defiance of President Trump's established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” US Southern Command said in a post on social media.
The move could raise tensions with Russia, which has been moving to protect dark-fleet tankers in recent weeks.
Copy link
twitter
facebook
whatsapp
email
UNITED NATIONS, January 16. /TASS/. Russia demands that the United States and its allies refrain from reckless actions with regard to Tehran and focus on providing firm guarantees that there will be no further confrontation, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya told an Iran-themed meeting of the UN Security Council.
"We demand the US and its partners to refrain from a yet another series of reckless decisions and steps, including related to nuclear facilities. Instead, they should focus on providing firm guarantees that there will be no further confrontation, and resume the joint search for mutually acceptable solutions, including those aimed at eradicating prejudices regarding Iran's peaceful nuclear program, based on the international law and the balance of interests of all parties concerned," he said.
The envoy added that Russia was "ready to provide all possible support" to such an effort.
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 LSEG.
Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy joins 'America's Newsroom' to discuss a potential government shutdown, the impact of protests on the midterm elections and the reaction to a former 'SNL' star's criticisms about Rep. Jasmine Crockett.
Democrats in the House of Representatives are claiming a posthumous victory from their 43-day government shutdown in October that left them empty-handed.
Now that enough House Republicans broke ranks with their party last week to advance the Obamacare tax credit extension at the heart of the standoff, several members told Fox News Digital the shutdown has since appreciated in value.
"I think it looked good at both points, but certainly after we passed the bill on the House floor," Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., said.
17 REPUBLICANS REBEL AGAINST HOUSE GOP LEADERS, JOIN DEMS TO PASS OBAMACARE EXTENSION
Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., speaks during a press conference to share insights from his visit to El Salvador, March 15, 2025. (Camilo Freedman/Getty)
Despite a disappointing conclusion to the shutdown itself, Democrats like Ivey believe they're winning a messaging war over demands for expanded federal assistance as Congress eyes healthcare legislation.
"Mission accomplished," Ivey said of the effort.
The country first plunged into a shutdown on Oct. 1 when Democrats refused to advance spending legislation unless Congress renewed expiring COVID-19-era Obamacare subsidies. However, after weeks of stalled talks, a handful of Senate Democrats voted to reopen the government without securing any extension to the enhanced assistance.
Those subsidies phased out at the close of 2025, returning millions of Obamacare policyholders to pre-COVID levels of federal assistance.
The shutdown's end brought bitter frustration to members like Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. — so much so that he joined several Democrats in calling for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to step aside, citing a failure of leadership.
Two months later, his outlook on the shutdown has softened. In his view, Democrats successfully turned the country's gaze.
"He forced Republicans to bend to our proposal to extend healthcare tax credits," Khanna said, referring to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
"He's been one of the most effective leaders in Congress on this issue," Khanna added. "I believe Hakeem has shown extraordinary leadership in making healthcare the issue."
Khanna did not address Schumer's role.
CONGRESS FAILS TO SAVE OBAMACARE SUBSIDIES AFTER SHUTDOWN FIGHT, PREMIUMS SET TO SURGE
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., walks toward the House Chamber on Capitol Hill on Dec. 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Rep. John Olszewski, D-Md., said, "I think the fight was absolutely worth it. It really elevated the [healthcare] issue, and I think it forced the conversation," Olszewski said.
He added that the shutdown, in hindsight, has given him confidence Democrats have a winning hand going forward.
"I think it was not an issue. It wasn't — until Democrats stood firm and said, ‘We have to address this healthcare crisis.' I'm really always forward-focused. I think some sort of extension, even if it includes reasonable guardrails about limits on income or provisions to help prevent fraud — we can do those things," Olszewski said.
The forward-looking component of the shutdown's value is especially important for Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate for Senate in Michigan who had vented frustration with congressional Democrats over the shutdown's result. El-Sayed has built his campaign on advocating for universal healthcare and an increased government role in social services.
To him, there's still nothing gained from winning a messaging war unless Democrats capitalize on it.
"I think Democrats did a good thing by fighting the fight. We just haven't won it yet," El-Sayed said.
"If you're boxing, you say, you know, I threw a really good punch in the third round — that's not enough, we gotta keep fighting, right? This match is not over. It's unclear what Senate Republicans are going to do in the end."
HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AFTER MODERATE REPUBLICANS' OBAMACARE 'BETRAYAL'
Abdul El-Sayed, a Senate candidate from Michigan, said nothing will be gained from winning the messaging war unless Democrats capitalize on it. (Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
Nine House Republicans voted with Democrats last week to pass a three-year extension to the Obamacare subsidies. The measure now awaits consideration in the Senate, where it will also require bipartisan support to succeed.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The measure must receive 60 votes to clear the threat of a filibuster. Democrats hold 47 seats in the chamber.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
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 LSEG.
Fox News correspondent Alexandria Hoff joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss President Donald Trump's push for the GOP to win midterms or risk impeachment.
FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Eric Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign recently received almost $10,000 from the California-based office of a top Beijing law firm that has deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party, a Fox News Digital investigation found.
A filing that was released this week reveals that Swalwell's campaign received $9,999 from the DeHeng Law Offices PC on Dec. 30 and said that the office is based in Pleasanton, Calif. The law firm's website reveals that this office is their "Silicon Valley Office" and appears to only have one lawyer who works there.
Keliang "Clay" Zhu, who donated $5,000 to Swalwell's gubernatorial campaign this past November and previously donated over $10,000 to his House campaigns, is a partner at the law firm and is the only name listed for the "Silicon Valley Office," according to their website.
A Fox News Digital review revealed that the law firm was founded as the China Law Office, which was a subsidiary firm established by the CCP's Ministry of Justice in the early 1990s before being renamed the DeHeng Law Offices in 1995. While the firm, which has over two dozen offices in China, portrays themselves as independent, the firm and its lawyers continue to have longstanding cooperation with the Chinese government's departments and major state-owned enterprises.
NATIONAL SECURITY EXPERTS SOUND ALARM OVER CCP-LINKED LAND OWNERSHIP NEAR US MILITARY BASES: 'UNTHINKABLE'
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., speaks during congressional hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Zhu, who is originally from China, touts several examples of how he has helped Chinese state-owned enterprises and other Chinese companies get a foothold in the United States, according to his bio. For example, he touts representing an "investment fund of a major state-owned enterprise in acquiring majority shares in one data analytics software company in the Silicon Valley," which he valued at $100M.
Another bio touts how he "has assisted Chinese companies and funds to complete more than $9 billion investments in the fields of chips, unmanned vehicles, new energy, artificial intelligence, industrial automation, and biopharmaceuticals in the United States."
"On behalf of Chinese enterprises, he has negotiated with the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. Department of Treasury and other organizations for many times and achieved compliance plans, which greatly reduced the compliance risks for Chinese clients in the United States," the bio continued.
His bio also says he helped advise "a governmental investment fund from Shenzhen for its compliance with CFIUS regulations in the U.S." and represented "WeChat users in a historic lawsuit that sued President Trump and successfully stopped his WeChat ban in 2020."
At the time, Trump's first administration sounded the alarm over WeChat and said the "data collection threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans' personal and proprietary information" and was concerned that the CCP would use data to stalk dissenters or control messaging inside the United States, such as launching disinformation campaigns. Similar efforts to restrict WeChat have occurred in countries like Australia and India, according to the White House.
SWALWELL THREATENS TO REVOKE DRIVER'S LICENSES OF MASKED ICE AGENTS OPERATING IN CALIFORNIA
Zhu also has a history of fighting against state-level legislation aimed at preventing China's foreign land grab in the United States.
After a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit intended to stop a Texas law banning Chinese nationals from owning or leasing land in the state, Zhu described the legislation as "unfair, unconstitutional and un-American," according to AsAmNews, a daily news site focused on Asian-American and Pacific-Islander communities. Zhu similarly expressed disfavor with a Florida law meant to prevent individuals from countries that are foreign adversaries to the United States, such as China, from buying up land.
National security experts have sounded the alarm about China increasingly buying up farmland, property near military bases and other land near places of strategic value, which has been matched with state-level legislation in places like Texas, Florida, Arizona and more.
Chinese land grabs in the United States have been an ongoing concern for lawmakers. Currently, Congress is considering multiple bills related to the matter, while almost two dozen states have already passed legislation to implement changes around foreign land purchases in their states. (Getty Images)
"All Asian Americans will feel the stigma and the chilling effect created by this Florida law, just like the discriminatory laws did to our ancestors more than a hundred years ago," Zhu said in 2023 about an anti-land grab bill, according to a press release from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund. "We shall not go back."
Michael Lucci, a top China expert and the State Armor Action founder and CEO, sounded the alarm over the donations and called for Congress to reform the "campaign finance laws to define donations made on behalf of foreign adversaries to be bribes."
"Congressman Swalwell must finally stop playing footsie with America's foremost adversary: Communist China. First was his fiery romance with Fang Fang, a CCP spy, and now he's caught taking campaign checks from Communist China's favorite big law firm," Lucci told Fox News Digital. "Congress must fix this problem by reforming campaign finance laws to define donations made on behalf of foreign adversaries to be bribes, and to impose criminal penalties upon those who make such donations. And Congress should go further by altogether prohibiting the acceptance of payment for any lobbying or other influence work on behalf of an American adversary, as the State of Texas did last year."
Meanwhile, several of the firm's China-based partners have a history of working in Chinese politics, largely through the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which is a "key mechanism for multi-party cooperation and political consultation" under the leadership of the CCP, according to the CPPCC website, and is a crucial tool of the United Front strategy to influence U.S. policy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping discussing the country's economic and social development at a political gathering in Beijing, China. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
For example, Zhixu Wu, who is a "Director and Senior Partner" of the Kunming, China-based office of DeHeng Law Offices, is a member of the "Standing Committee of the 13th Kunming Committee of the CPPCC" and a member "of the 12th Yunnan Committee of the CPPCC." His bio also says he was previously awarded in 2017 with "the title of ‘Excellent League Member' for the second assistance event of the National Lawyers Service Group," which was approved by the "Eight Bureau of United Front Work Department of CPC Central Committee, Guidance Department of Lawyer's Notarization Work of the Ministry of Justice."
Degang Zheng, a senior partner in the Shenzhen office, also touts his ties to the CPPCC, saying in his bio that he is a "Member of the Executive Committee" of the CPPCC's Shenzhen chapter. Hongli MA, a senior partner in the Hangzhou office, says he was recognized for "Three consecutive years of outstanding CPPCC members in Binjiang District, Hangzhou in 2014, 2015, 2016."
Li Wang, another top attorney and the chief global partner of the Beijing office, touts how she "has served as general legal counsel for scores of Ministries of the PRC, state-owned enterprises, and private enterprises and institutions." Her bio also says she is the "Commissary of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Beijing Committee" and the "Chairman of Belt & Road Service Connections."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Representative Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was mocked on X this week after posting a video of himself lifting weights while trashing Republicans. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Swalwell's ties to China have come under scrutiny before, particularly after Chinese national, Christine Fang also known as "Fang Fang," gained special access to him and his campaign. She was deemed by U.S. officials to be part of a counterintelligence effort linked to China meant to influence and get close to U.S. political figures.
Swalwell has repeatedly claimed he cut off ties as soon as U.S. intelligence officials warned him of the threat and a congressional ethics investigation into the matter eventually found no wrongdoing on Swalwell's behalf. However, he was ultimately removed by Republicans from his post on the House Intelligence Committee, with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy citing Swalwell's past run-in with a suspected Chinese spy.
Lucci told Fox News Digital that Swalwell should commit to halting any further dalliances with America's foreign adversaries, and re-donate the funds he received from DeHeng Law Offices and Zhu "to an organization that fights the evils of communism."
Fox News Digital reached out to Swalwell and Zhu for comment on this story, but did not hear back by publication.
Cameron Cawthorne is a politics editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Cawthorne@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cam_cawthorne
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Governor Wanda Vázquez speaks at a press conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 21, 2020. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump plans to pardon former Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez, a White House official said Friday.
Vázquez pleaded guilty last August to a campaign finance violation in a federal case that authorities say also involved a former FBI agent and a Venezuelan banker. Her sentencing was set for later this month.
Federal prosecutors had been seeking one year behind bars, something that Vázquez's attorneys opposed as they accused prosecutors of violating a guilty plea deal reached last year that saw previous charges including bribery and fraud dropped.
They noted that Vázquez had agreed to plead guilty to accepting a promise of a campaign contribution that was never received.
Attorneys for Vázquez did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The official who confirmed the planned pardon indicated Trump saw the case as political prosecution and said the investigation into Vázquez, a Republican aligned with the pro-statehood New Progressive Party, had begun 10 days after she endorsed Trump in 2020. The official wasn't authorized to reveal the news by name and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Vázquez, an attorney, was the U.S. territory's first former governor to plead guilty to a crime, specifically accepting a donation from a foreigner for her 2020 political campaign.
She was arrested in August 2022 and accused of engaging in a bribery scheme from December 2019 through June 2020 while governor. At the time, she told reporters that she was innocent.
Authorities said that Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions was investigating an international bank owned by Venezuelan Julio Martín Herrera Velutini because of alleged suspicious transactions that had not been reported by the bank.
Authorities said Herrera and Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent who provided consulting services to Herrera, allegedly promised to support Vázquez's campaign if she dismissed the commissioner and appointing a new one of Herrera's choosing.
Authorities said Vázquez demanded the commissioner's resignation in February 2020 after allegedly accepting the bribery offer. She also was accused of appointing a new commissioner in May 2020: a former consultant for Herrera's bank.
Vázquez was the second woman to serve as Puerto Rico's governor and the first former governor to face federal charges.
She was sworn in as governor in August 2019 after former Gov. Ricardo Rosselló resigned following massive protests. Vázquez served until 2021, after losing the primaries of the pro-statehood New Progressive Party to former Gov. Pedro Pierluisi.
___
Associated Press reporter Dánica Coto in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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 LSEG.
Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on FoxNews.com.
President Donald Trump will pardon former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced and her co-defendants, Fox News has learned.
"This entire case is an example of political prosecution. In August of 2022, Wanda Vazquez faced bribery charges related to the financing of her 2020 gubernatorial campaign. Ms. Vazquez' pardon materials state that there was never any element of a quid pro quo deal and that her prosecution was politically motivated. The investigation into Ms. Vazquez began 10 days after she endorsed President Trump in 2020," a White House official told Fox News.
DEAL-MAKING CLEMENCY: INSIDE TRUMP'S MOST DISPUTED PARDONS OF 2025
Then-Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez Garced speaks during a press conference to announce strict new rules for all passengers flying into Puerto Rico to curb coronavirus cases in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 30, 2020. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images)
The White House official also told Fox News that Trump will pardon Vázquez's co-defendants, Julio Martin Herrera-Velutini and Mark Rossini, a former FBI agent.
"The investigation, she contends, not only monitored her campaign, but also included a monitoring of the Trump campaign. Additionally, Ms. Vazquez believes that there was no bribery at all because the discussions with the banker concerned a matter of agreeing on policy with a potential donor, and not taking action in exchange for a material gain. This case bears similarities to that of Alexander Sittenfeld, who received a pardon in May of 2025," the official added.
In 2022, Vázquez was arrested on bribery charges linked to her 2020 campaign. She was accused of engaging in a bribery scheme from December 2019 through June 2020, according to The Associated Press. The outlet noted at the time that Vázquez was serving as governor when the alleged scheme unfolded.
Former Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez exits the court after her appearance in relation with federal bribery charges in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug.4, 2022. (Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters)
NEW MOTION SEEKS COLORADO CLERK TINA PETERS' RELEASE, CHALLENGING STATE AFTER TRUMP PARDON
"I am innocent. I have not committed any crime," she told reporters at the time, according to the AP. "I assure you that they have committed a great injustice against me."
In 2019, Herrera's bank was under scrutiny by Puerto Rico's Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, which reportedly believed there were suspicious transactions not reported by the bank, according to the AP. Herrera and Rossini reportedly promised to support Vázquez's 2020 campaign in exchange for her dismissing the commissioner and appointing a new one, the AP reported at the time, citing unspecified authorities.
The then-Puerto Rico governor reportedly accepted the bribery offer in February 2020 and allegedly appointed a former consultant from Herrera's bank to fill the role, the AP reported. The outlet said that officials claimed Herrera and Rossini paid more than $300,000 to political consultants to support Vázquez's campaign.
President Donald Trump during a Mexican Border Defense medal presentation in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2025, Trump issued a slew of controversial pardons, including Jan. 6 defendants, former Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, former Rep. George Santos, Tim Leiweke, former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernandez and reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
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 LSEG.
The Baltimore Ravens and HC John Harbaugh have split after 18 seasons. Colin Cowherd discusses the news and asks if this was the right decision for both parties.
Baltimore Ravens star edge rusher Kyle Van Noy wants to see the NFL make a change to the intentional grounding rule.
Van Noy, 34, wants intentional grounding calls to count as a sack for the defender who forces the quarterback to throw the ball away, saying that it takes money out of the defender's pocket.
"One thing the @NFL needs to change back is intentional grounding from a QB should be a sack again! You work so hard as a defender and a QB can just get to throw it away to avoid the sack, taking away money from a defender! Change my mind…." Van Noy posted on X.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) looks on during the first quarter against the Buffalo Bills in an AFC divisional round game at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Jan. 19, 2025. (Mark Konezny/Imagn Images)
As currently written, intentional grounding is when a quarterback is under duress within the tackle box, facing an imminent loss of yardage, and throws a forward pass that is not in the direction and vicinity of an on originally eligible receiver. The pass does not have to be incomplete for intentional grounding to apply.
The penalty for intentional grounding is a loss of down and 10 yards from the previous spot. If the spot of the pass is further than 10 yards from the previous spot of the ball, the ball will be placed there with the loss of down.
If intentional grounding occurs in the end zone, it is a safety.
FOX SUPER 6 CONTEST: CHRIS 'THE BEAR' FALLICA'S NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND PREDICTIONS
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) throws a pass against Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy (53) during the second half at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland, on Nov. 27, 2025. (Mitch Stringer/Imagn Images)
Van Noy wants the edge rushers to receive credit for a sack on an intentional grounding, as plenty of edge rushers in the NFL have incentive bonuses for sacks recorded, and they are the ones who cause the penalty.
Six-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle responded to Van Noy's post, agreeing with him. Van Noy was asked how the NFL should award the sack if there are multiple defenders that cause the intentional grounding.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
NFL fans can play FOX Super 6 and win cash prizes. (FOX Sports)
"Great question Mike…. 3 guys should be a team sack if it's hard to tell but most of the time you can establish half sacks and full sacks. If not … guys can turn the call in so they can take a deeper let look at it. If 2 guys are hitting him should get a half. 1 guy should get full. I also think they take out half sacks and give full sacks for both but that's just me, that might be a little greedy," Van Noy posted on X.
Van Noy concluded the 12th season of his career, and his second with the Ravens. In 15 games, he had two sacks, 20 tackles and one interception. Last season, Van Noy recorded 12.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. He will be a free agent this offseason.
Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Live Updates
• Tensions over Greenland: A US delegation is in Copenhagen today to discuss cooperation with Denmark and Greenland. Earlier this week, leaders from Denmark and Greenland said a “fundamental disagreement” persists with the Trump administration over the future of the territory.
• Venezuelan opposition leader in US: María Corina Machado will speak at the at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, today. Yesterday, she met with President Donald Trump, who is keeping Machado's Nobel Peace Prize after she presented it to him.
• Meanwhile, in Minneapolis: Trump warned he might invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy US troops to Minnesota, where anti-ICE protests have grown increasingly heated.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said today that the agency is “working” to equip immigration officers with body-worn cameras.
Her comments on CNN's “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and Pamela Brown” came in response to a video showing a federal officer asking a US citizen for her ID. McLaughlin accused the media of showing short snippets of video devoid of any context.
Throughout President Donald Trump's monthslong surge of federal immigration officers, cell phone videos captured by civilians have shown officers using aggressive tactics to arrest immigrants and crack down on protesters. DHS has said these videos — including the ones showing an ICE officer fatally shooting Renee Good in Minneapolis — do not capture the moments leading up to what is recorded.
The officer who shot Good used his cellphone to record their interaction. CNN previously reported that some, but not all, ICE field offices are given body-worn cameras. Jonathan Ross, the officer who shot Good, testified during a separate case in December that immigration agents in the Minneapolis area “cannot wear them.”
When asked by CNN's Pamela Brown about ICE officers using cameras, McLaughlin said they are “of course” allowed to wear them.
Asked whether all ICE officers will have body cameras, McLaughlin responded: “We are working on that with the One Big Beautiful Bill, actually.” The law signed by Trump last July gave DHS an unprecedented surge in funding to hire and equip more immigration officers.
President Donald Trump forewarned leaders in Minnesota that he may intervene if protests continue amid immigration enforcement activities.
“In Minnesota, the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday.
“The Governor and Mayor don't know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS!” he went on. “If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!”
Trump stopped short of saying he would use the Insurrection Act to send the military into Minnesota. A day earlier, he said he would use the law if needed to “quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State.”
President Donald Trump suggested he wants to keep National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett in his current role rather than nominating him to become Federal Reserve chair.
“I see Kevin's in the audience, and I just want to thank you. You were fantastic on television today. I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said today at a White House event. “Kevin has it so good … We don't want to lose him.”
Hassett, a conservative economist who has advised Republicans throughout his career, has long been seen as the front-runner in Trump's deliberations for Fed chair, praised for his ability to articulate the president's sweeping policies.
More context: In an interview with Fox Business earlier today, Hassett weighed in on the Justice Department's investigation of Fed Chair Jerome Powell over testimony he gave last year on the central bank's $2.5 billion renovation to its Washington, DC, headquarters — the same interview Trump said he watched.
“We at the White House, we respect the independence of the Fed. … (US Attorney) Jeanine Pirro said that she was asking questions all the way back a few months ago, and so they felt the necessity of doing it this way. I find that regrettable,” Hassett said.
“Jay's a good man, I expect that there's nothing to see here — that the cost overruns are related to things like asbestos, as he says — but I sure wish they had been more transparent,” he added.
It's unclear whether Hassett was referring to the federal probe itself as “regrettable,” or how the Fed handled the Justice Department's questions about the renovation.
Last month, Trump hinted he may nominate Hassett to be Fed chair.
President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering applying new tariffs on countries that opposite his ambition of annexing Greenland.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” Trump said during an event focused on health care at the White House.
The president made the remark as he recounted using tariffs to force other nations to cooperate on a plan to lower drug prices in the United States.
Trump's push to control Greenland has prompted outrage among European nations, who fear the move could rupture longstanding transatlantic ties. Some have begun sending troops to the semiautonomous Arctic island that's currently a territory of Denmark.
Representatives from Greenland and Denmark visited the White House this week for inconclusive meetings about Trump's plans.
Tensions flared in Minneapolis again last night in the wake of a second shooting by a federal immigration officer in just one week, as President Donald Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act that would allow the deployment of US troops to Minnesota.
Here's what you need to know:
Continue reading here.
US Sen. Chris Coons is set to lead a delegation to Copenhagen today “to highlight more than 200 years of friendship between the United States and the Kingdom of Denmark,” according to a statement from the Delaware lawmaker's office.
“The trip will highlight bipartisan support for our allies in the Kingdom of Denmark and discuss how to deepen this partnership in line with our shared principles of sovereignty and self-determination, and in the face of growing challenges around the world, especially bolstering Arctic security and promoting stronger trade relations between the two countries,” the statement read.
Sens. Thom Tillis and Jeanne Shaheen as well as Reps. Sarah McBride, Gregory Meeks, Madeleine Dean and Sara Jacobs are expected to be among the delegation held in Copenhagen today and tomorrow.
They are scheduled to meet with “Danish and Greenlandic government and business leaders,” Coons' office said.
The delegation comes as President Donald Trump has made clear his desire for the US to take over the arctic territory. The push has been criticized by lawmakers across the aisle, and 75% of Americans say they oppose the idea, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Venezuela's interim president Delcy Rodríguez in Caracas yesterday, according to a US official.
“During the meeting in Caracas, Director Ratcliffe discussed potential opportunities for economic collaboration and that Venezuela can no longer be a safe haven for America's adversaries, especially narcotraffickers,” the official said.
The meeting was meant to build trust, according to the official, and reflects Ratcliffe wanting the CIA to be less risk averse.
The meeting comes as President Donald Trump has asserted control over Venezuela, particularly its oil production, saying the US will effectively “run” the country following its capture of Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Trump has shown support for Rodríguez, a longtime regime insider, over opposition leader María Corina Machado, who met with the president yesterday.
Troop activity in Greenland, with several European NATO countries deploying small numbers of military personnel there this week, has no bearing on President Donald Trump's push to acquire the Danish territory, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters yesterday.
“I don't think troops in Europe impact the president's decision making process, nor does it impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all,” Leavitt said, underscoring the president's position.
The comments come following Wednesday's meeting between Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen and his Greenlandic counterpart Vivian Motzfeldt in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Leavitt described that meeting as “productive.”
The two delegations “agreed to really establish a working group of individuals who will continue to have technical talks on the acquisition of Greenland,” Leavitt said, adding that the talks would occur “every two to three weeks.”
The White House also made clear that the president views acquiring Greenland as a priority for national security.
Meanwhile, a bipartisan delegation of US Senators, including Senators Chris Coons, Thom Tillis, Jeanne Shaheen and Dick Durbin, is expected to meet with Danish and Greenlandic government and business leaders in Copenhagen today. The group will hold a joint press conference around 9 a.m. ET.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado told reporters yesterday, that she had “presented” US President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal as a gift during an “extraordinary” meeting at the White House.
Trump has long coveted the prize, but the committee that awards it has been clear that it cannot be shared or transferred. “A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot,” it said in a post on X. The medal is currently in the president's possession, and a White House official said Trump is keeping the medal.
After her meeting with Trump, Machado told US lawmakers that the meeting with the president was “historic, not only for the future of Venezuela, but for the future of freedom in the world.”
However, Trump has previously indicated he does not think Machado has enough respect within Venezuela to govern – and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that he had not changed his view.
Three-quarters of Americans say they oppose the United States attempting to take control of Greenland, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, indicating that President Donald Trump's push to expand America's territory faces stiff headwinds with the public.
The survey finds just 25% of Americans favor the US attempting to take control of the Danish territory. Even the president's partisans are about evenly divided, with 50% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents saying they support it and 50% opposed. Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are deeply against the move, with 94% opposed overall, including 80% who say they strongly oppose it. About 8 in 10 independents who don't lean toward either party are also opposed.
Trump said Wednesday on his social media website Truth Social that “anything less” than US control of Greenland is “unacceptable.” The message came ahead of a meeting at the White House between Danish officials, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that appeared to do little to bring the two sides any closer to an agreement.
Read more about the latest CNN polling on the Trump administration.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
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 LSEG.
Renee Good's former father-in-law Tim Macklin Sr. joins 'Fox & Friends' to discuss her death, give an update on his grandson and react to the Minnesota protesters acting 'in her name.'
Several Republican lawmakers are looking to talk President Donald Trump out of invoking the Insurrection Act in Minneapolis as the city sees demonstrations over the fatal U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)-involved shooting of Renee Nicole Good.
The Insurrection Act, which was passed in 1807, was last invoked in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots over the acquittal of LAPD officers involved in the beating of Rodney King.
If invoked, the Insurrection Act would allow Trump to deploy active-duty troops or federalized National Guard members to restore order. It would temporarily override the Posse Comitatus Act, which normally restricts the use of the military for domestic law enforcement.
TRUMP THREATENS TO INVOKE INSURRECTION ACT IN MINNESOTA IF AGITATORS KEEP ATTACKING FEDERAL OFFICERS
A Border Patrol Tactical Unit agent sprays pepper spray into the face of a protester attempting to block an immigration officer's vehicle in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 7, 2026. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
There are some Republican lawmakers who are resistant to the idea of the president invoking the centuries-old law in the wake of the fatal shooting of Good. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., seemed to downplay Trump's threat, placing his hope in local law enforcement's ability to "settle things down."
"Hopefully the local officials working with not only the federal law enforcement, ICE and other agencies, but also the local law enforcement officials will be able to settle things down," Thune told reporters.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, R-Miss., cast doubt on whether it would be appropriate to invoke the act, according to The Hill.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Ala., also expressed her concerns about the move, saying that the administration needs to be "very careful," The Hill reported.
President Donald Trump looks on during the announcement of new fuel economy standards in the Oval Office at the White House on Dec. 3, 2025. (Brian Snyder/Reuters)
DHS ARRESTS ARMED MAN WITH EXTRA AMMUNITION FOR ASSAULTING FEDERAL OFFICER AT LATE-NIGHT MINNEAPOLIS RIOT
"I have felt that since the fatal shooting [of Good] a week or so ago that we needed to be very, very careful, very cautious in how we proceed, not only in Minnesota but in other areas, to keep the conflict, the potential for conflict as it relates to ICE enforcement dialed back," Murkowski said, according to The Hill.
The senator from Alaska said the situation in Minneapolis was reminiscent of what happened "during the time of George Floyd," referencing the wave of protests and rioting that followed Floyd's 2020 death in the same city. The protests over Floyd's death erupted in the final year of Trump's first term during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as Black Lives Matter and anti-police crowds filled the streets of cities across the U.S.
"Everything was just so tenuous and so volatile. We don't need that," Murkowski added, according to The Hill.
Demonstrators carry a banner during an "I Can't Breathe" Silent March For Justice in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sunday, March 7, 2021. (Emilie Richardson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
TOP HOUSE GOP LEADER DEMANDS TIM WALZ RESIGN AS MINNEAPOLIS ERUPTS OVER ICE SHOOTING
Trump issued the threat on Thursday, saying that he would invoke the Insurrection Act if the people of Minnesota continued to defy the law and attack federal agents.
"If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don't obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great state," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Following Trump's post, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called for calm and issued an appeal to the people of his state.
"Let's turn the temperature down. Stop this campaign of retribution. This is not who we are," the Democrat said. "And an appeal to Minnesotans: I know this is scary. We can — we must — speak out loudly, urgently, but also peacefully. We cannot fan the flames of chaos. That's what he wants."
A firework was set off near the scene of a shooting in Minneapolis on Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
In response to Walz, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said, "Tim Walz, Jacob Frey, and Democrat leaders in Minnesota have done nothing but turn up the temperature, smear heroic ICE officers, and incite violence against them — all in defense of criminal illegal aliens."
"In Minnesota, ICE has arrested rapists, drug traffickers, domestic abusers, and more, despite Democrat opposition. The Trump Administration will protect the American people and enforce the law without apology. The only statement Tim Walz should be making is an apology. He has repeatedly compared ICE officers to Nazis and lied about their important work, including in his speech just last night," Jackson also said.
Fox News Digital's Greg Norman-Diamond contributed to this report.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Demonstrations over the country's ailing economy which began on December 28 soon morphed into a direct challenge to its ruling theocracy.
Iran's Permanent Representative to the UN accused the U.S. and Israel of instilling “political destabilization, internal unrest and chaos” in the nation following the recent deadly protests.
Iranian senior cleric Ahmad Khatami delivers his sermon during Friday prayer ceremony in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
Vehicles drive in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A woman crosses an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
A street vendor adjusts clothes for sale in downtown Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Iranian opposition leader Reza Pahlavi speaks during a news conference on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As Iran returned to uneasy calm after a wave of protests that drew a bloody crackdown, a senior hard-line cleric called Friday for the death penalty for detained demonstrators and directly threatened U.S. President Donald Trump — evidence of the rage gripping authorities in the Islamic Republic.
Harsh repression that has left several thousand people dead appears to have succeeded in stifling demonstrations that began Dec. 28 over Iran's ailing economy and morphed into protests directly challenging the country's theocracy.
There have been no signs of protests for days in Tehran, where shopping and street life have returned to outward normality, though a week-old internet blackout continued. Authorities have not reported any unrest elsewhere in the country.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency on Friday put the death toll, at 2,797. The number continues to rise.
Iran's exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi urged the U.S. to make good on its pledge to intervene, calling Trump “a man of his word.”
Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami's sermon, carried by Iranian state radio, sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” Executions, as well as the killing of peaceful protesters, are two of the red lines laid down by Trump for possible military action against Iran.
Khatami, a member of Iran's Assembly of Experts and Guardian Council long known for his hard-line views, described the protesters as the “butlers” of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and “Trump's soldiers.” He insisted their plans “imagined disintegrating the country.”
“They should wait for hard revenge from the system,” Khatami said of Netanyahu and Trump. “Americans and Zionists should not expect peace.”
His fiery speech came as allies of Iran and the United States alike sought to defuse tensions. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke Friday to both Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Israel's Netanyahu, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Peskov said “the situation in the region is quite tense, and the president is continuing his efforts to help de-escalate it.”
Russia had previously kept largely quiet about the protests. Moscow has watched several key allies suffer blows as its resources and focus are consumed by its 4-year-old war against Ukraine, including the downfall of Syria's former President Bashar Assad in 2024, last year's U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran and the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro this month.
Days after Trump pledged “help is on its way” for the protesters, both the demonstrations and the prospect of imminent U.S. retaliation appeared to have receded. One diplomat told The Associated Press that top officials from Egypt, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Qatar had raised concerns with Trump that a U.S. military intervention would shake the global economy and destabilize an already volatile region.
Yet the Trump administration has warned it will act if Iran executes detained protesters. Pahlavi, whose father was overthrown by Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, said he still believes the president's promise of assistance.
“I believe the president is a man of his word,” Pahlavi told reporters in Washington. He added that “regardless of whether action is taken or not, we as Iranians have no choice to carry on the fight.“
Despite support by diehard monarchists in the diaspora, Pahlavi has struggled to gain wider appeal within Iran. But that has not stopped him from presenting himself as the transitional leader of Iran if the regime were to fall.
Iran and the U.S. traded angry accusations Thursday at a session of the United Nations Security Council, with U.S. ambassador Mike Waltz saying that Trump “has made it clear that all options are on the table to stop the slaughter.”
Gholam Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the U.N., blasted the U.S. for what he said was American “direct involvement in steering unrest in Iran to violence.”
Khatami, the hard-line cleric, also provided the first overall statistics on damage from the protests, claiming 350 mosques, 126 prayer halls and 20 other holy places had sustained damage. Another 80 homes of Friday prayer leaders — an important position within Iran's theocracy — were also damaged, likely underlining the anger demonstrators felt toward symbols of the government.
He said 400 hospitals, 106 ambulance, 71 fire department vehicles and another 50 emergency vehicles also sustained damage.
Even as protests appeared to have been smothered inside Iran, thousands of exiled Iranians and their supporters have taken to the streets in cities across Europe to shout out their rage at the government of the Islamic Republic.
Amid the continuing internet shutdown, some Iranians crossed borders to communicate with the outside world. At a border crossing in Turkey's eastern province of Van, a trickle of Iranians crossing Friday said they were traveling to get around the communications blackout.
“I will go back to Iran after they open the internet,” said a traveler who gave only his first name, Mehdi, out of security concerns.
Also crossing the border were some Turkish citizens escaping the unrest in Iran.
Mehmet Önder, 47, was in Tehran for his textiles business when the protests erupted. He said laid low in his hotel until it was shut for security reasons, then stayed with one of his customers until he was able to return to Turkey.
Although he did not venture into the streets, Önder said he heard heavy gunfire.
“I understand guns, because I served in the military in the southeast of Turkey,” he said. “The guns they were firing were not simple weapons. They were machine-guns.”
In a sign of the conflict's potential to spill over borders, a Kurdish separatist group in Iraq said it has launched attacks on Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard in recent days in retaliation for Tehran's crackdown on protests.
A representative of the Kurdistan Freedom Party, or PAK, said its members have “played a role in the protests through both financial support and armed operations to defend protesters when needed.” The group said the attacks were launched by members of its military wing based inside Iran.
The death toll of at least 2,797, provided by the Human Rights Activists News Agency, exceeds that of any other round of protest or unrest in Iran in decades and recalls the chaos surrounding the 1979 revolution.
The agency has been accurate throughout years of demonstrations, relying on a network of activists inside Iran that confirms all reported fatalities. The AP has been unable to independently confirm the toll. Iran's government has not provided casualty figures.
___
Amiri reported from New York.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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 LSEG.
Jennifer Cruz is seen allegedly resisting arrest in Florida. She was detained after allegedly punching a trooper in the face during an immigration enforcement operation, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
An anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agitator in Florida was arrested after allegedly punching a trooper in the face during an immigration enforcement operation.
"This is Jennifer Cruz of Jacksonville," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier wrote in an X post, sharing an image of the woman, who appeared to smile as law enforcement restrained her.
Moments before she cracked a grin, video shows Cruz kicking toward a female officer while other law enforcement members had already placed her hands behind her back.
"Jennifer disagrees with immigration enforcement and decided to commit a few felonies by getting out of her car and punching a Trooper in the face. But unlike Minnesota, we don't put up with this nonsense. Not today, Jennifer," Uthmeier wrote.
SEN JOHN FETTERMAN CALLS FOR DEMOCRATS TO ‘RESIST' ADVOCACY OF ‘EXTREME' STANCES LIKE ABOLISHING ICE
Authorities were seen restraining Jennifer Cruz, who allegedly punched a Florida trooper during an immigration enforcement operation. (@AGJamesUthmeier on X)
Footage shows a chaotic scene as authorities attempted to detain Cruz. As several officers placed her hands behind her back and walked her toward one of their vehicles, Cruz is seen attempting to kick another female officer nearby. Cruz then smirks as the officers detaining her place her on the hood of a vehicle. Once placed in the back of the vehicle,
A News4JAX reporter spoke to Juan Alvarez, the owner of the Mi Pueblo grocery store which was near where the incident occurred. He said he witnessed a traffic stop involving a state trooper.
"ICE agents showed up with the state trooper. They detained the driver," he said.
"And so yeah, they had an operation going on. And after that, they had detained another person. But it seems they got into an altercation with that person. It turned violent," he said, noting that more law enforcement showed up.
RON DESANTIS BACKS ADMINISTRATIVE LEAVE FOR JACKSONVILLE OFFICIAL WHO WARNED PUBLIC OF ICE PRESENCE
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (Rich Pope/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared Uthmeier's post and wrote, "Really bad decision to attack one of our troopers. This isn't Minneapolis…"
DeSantis also mentioned the incident at an unrelated press conference on Thursday.
"I do know that there was a woman who came out and assaulted one of our troopers," DeSantis said. "Let me just tell you guys this is not Minneapolis. That is not going to end well for you in Florida."
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., quipped in a post, "Never go full Jennifer."
WATCH: ICE TAKES DOWN ILLEGAL ALIEN WHO ALLEGEDLY RAMMED LAW ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES, NEARLY RUNNING OVER OFFICER
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier speaks at the National Conservative Convention in Washington D.C., Sept. 3, 2025. (Domonic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"This is how it's done. In Florida, we respect law enforcement and have no patience for far-left extremists who choose to defend dangerous criminals instead of their fellow Americans. This isn't Minneapolis. In Florida, if you break the law, you will pay the consequences," Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., asserted on X.
Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
A Liberian man taken into custody in Minnesota by immigration agents and later ordered released by a federal judge has been taken back into custody (AP Video: Mark Vancleave)
A Liberian man arrested over the weekend after heavily armed immigration agents used a battering ram to break through the front door of his Minneapolis home had been checking in regularly with federal authorities for years, his attorney said Tuesday. (AP video: Mark Vancleave)
A Liberian man arrested after armed immigration agents used a battering ram to enter his Minneapolis home had checked in with federal authorities for years, his attorney said Tuesday.
A federal officer shot a man in the leg in Minneapolis after being attacked with a shovel and broom handle while trying to make an arrest Wednesday, officials said. The shooting is further heightening the sense of fear and anger radiating across the city a week after an immigration agent fatally shot a woman.
Demonstrators gathered outside of the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis on Thursday night to protest the federal immigration crackdown there. President Donald Trump threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests. AP Video by David Martin.
A person looks out of their vehicle as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents walk away, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, including one wearing a ‘NOT ICE' face covering, walk near their vehicles, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Richfield, Minn. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Liberian man who has been shuttled in and out of custody since immigration agents in Minnesota broke down his door with a battering ram was released again Friday, hours after a routine check-in with authorities led to his second arrest.
The dramatic initial arrest of Garrison Gibson last weekend was captured on video. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Bryan ruled the arrest unlawful Thursday and freed him, but Gibson was detained again Friday when he appeared at an immigration office.
A few hours later, Gibson was free again, attorney Marc Prokosch said.
“In the words of my client, he said that somebody at ICE said they bleeped up and so they re-released him this afternoon and so he's out of custody,” Prokosch said, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Gibson's arrest is one of more than 2,500 made during a weekslong immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and St. Paul, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The operation has intensified and become more confrontational since the fatal shooting of Renee Good on Jan. 7.
Gibson, 37, who fled the civil war in his West African home country as a child, had been ordered removed from the U.S., apparently because of a 2008 drug conviction that was later dismissed. He has remained in the country legally under what's known as an order of supervision, Prokosch said, and complied with the requirement that he meet regularly with immigration authorities. =
In his Thursday order, the judge agreed that officials violated regulations by not giving Gibson enough notice that his supervision status had been revoked. Prokosch said he was told by ICE that they are “now going through their proper channels” to revoke the order.
Meanwhile, tribal leaders and Native American rights organizations are advising anyone with a tribal ID to carry it with them when out in public in case they are approached by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
Native Americans across the U.S. have reported being stopped or detained by ICE, and tribal leaders are asking members to report these contacts.
Ben Barnes, chief of the Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma and chair of the United Indian Nations of Oklahoma, called the reports “deeply concerning”.
Organizers in Minneapolis have set up application booths in the city to assist people needing a tribal ID.
Democratic members of Congress held a local meeting Friday to hear from people who say they've had aggressive encounters with immigration agents. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, who is Hmong American, said people are walking around with their passports in case they are challenged, and she has received reports of ICE agents going from door to door “asking where the Asian people live.” Thousands of Hmong people, largely from the Southeast Asian nation of Laos, have settled in the United States since the 1970s.
Minneapolis authorities released police and fire dispatch logs and transcripts of 911 calls, all related to the fatal shooting of Good. Firefighters found what appeared to be two gunshot wounds in her right chest, one in her left forearm and a possible gunshot wound on the left side of her head, records show.
“They shot her, like, cause she wouldn't open her car door,” a caller said. “Point blank range in her car.”
Good, 37, was at the wheel of her Honda Pilot, which was partially blocking a street. Video showed an officer approached the SUV, demanded that she open the door and grabbed the handle.
Good began to pull forward and turned the vehicle's wheel to the right. Another ICE officer, Jonathan Ross, pulled his gun and fired at close range, jumping back as the SUV moved past him. DHS claims the agent shot Good in self-defense.
FBI Director Kash Patel said at least one person has been arrested for stealing property from an FBI vehicle in Minneapolis. The SUV was among government vehicles whose windows were broken Wednesday evening. Attorney General Pam Bondi said body armor and weapons were stolen.
President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law, the Insurrection Act, to send troops to suppress protests during immigration sweeps. Minnesota's attorney general said he would sue if the president acts.
___
Associated Press reporters Ed White and Corey Williams in Detroit; Graham Lee Brewer in Oklahoma City; Jesse Bedayn in Denver; and Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at the National Palace in Mexico City, Nov. 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte, File)
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday that efforts to crack down on Mexican cartels and slow migration north were showing “compelling results” in an effort to head off intervention talk by the Trump administration.
The comments come after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened that U.S. forces “will now start hitting land” in Mexico targeting drug cartels, after the dramatic United States military raid on Venezuela that deposed then-President Nicolás Maduro.
Sheinbaum, a leftist who boasts of taking on chaos with a “cool head,” has sought to placate Trump and, unlike Maduro, has worked to build out a strong relationship between the Mexican and U.S. governments. The early January raid in Venezuela set much of Latin America on edge, fueling concern that Trump could soon turn American forces on other nations, particularly Cuba and Mexico.
On Thursday night, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Mexican Foreign Secretary Juan Ramón de la Fuente released a joint statement after a phone call, saying they agreed “more must be done to confront shared threats.”
Sheinbaum, mentioning the call on Friday in her morning press briefing, said that Mexico's government had made significant progress cracking down on cartels, citing a steep drop in the homicide rate, much lower fentanyl seizures by U.S. authorities at the border and sparse migration. She noted it was a joint effort with the U.S.
“There are very compelling results from the joint cooperation and the work that Mexico has been doing,” she said.
She reiterated her call for the United States to stop arms trafficking into Mexico and highlighted drug use in the U.S. as a key factor fueling cartel violence in Mexico.
“The other side also has to do its part. This consumption crisis they have over there also has to be addressed from a public health perspective, through education campaigns,” she said.
Sheinbaum and Trump also spoke by phone Monday. Sheinbaum said she again told Trump that U.S. intervention in Mexico was unnecessary.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump is threatening to punish countries with tariffs if they don't back the U.S. controlling Greenland. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland,” the president said, without providing details.
President Donald Trump speaks during an event to promote investment in rural health care in the East Room of the White House, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska., arrives as members of the Danish Parliament and a Greenlandic committee meet with American Congress members at the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., and Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., arrive as members of the Danish Parliament and a Greenlandic committee meet with American Congress members in the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Military vessel HDMS Ejnar Mikkelsen of the Royal Danish Navy patrols near Nuuk, Greenland, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
People walk on a beach in Nuuk, Greenland, on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don't back the U.S. controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital.
Trump for months has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said earlier this week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”
During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
“I may do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don't go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security. So I may do that,” he said.
He had not previously mentioned using tariffs to try to force the issue.
Earlier this week, the foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington this week with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
That encounter didn't resolve the deep differences, but did produce an agreement to set up a working group — on whose purpose Denmark and the White House then offered sharply diverging public views.
European leaders have insisted that is only for Denmark and Greenland to decide on matters concerning the territory, and Denmark said this week that it was increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.
In Copenhagen, a group of senators and members of the House of Representatives met Friday with Danish and Greenlandic lawmakers, and with leaders including Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
Delegation leader Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, thanked the group's hosts for “225 years of being a good and trusted ally and partner” and said that “we had a strong and robust dialogue about how we extend that into the future.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, said after meeting lawmakers that the visit reflected a strong relationship over decades and “it is one that we need to nurture.” She told reporters that “Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset, and I think that's what you're hearing with this delegation.”
The tone contrasted with that emanating from the White House. Trump has sought to justify his calls for a U.S. takeover by repeatedly claiming that China and Russia have their own designs on Greenland, which holds vast untapped reserves of critical minerals. The White House hasn't ruled out taking the territory by force.
“We have heard so many lies, to be honest and so much exaggeration on the threats towards Greenland,” said Aaja Chemnitz, a Greenlandic politician and member of the Danish parliament who took part in Friday's meetings. “And mostly, I would say the threats that we're seeing right now is from the U.S. side.”
Murkowski emphasized the role of Congress in spending and in conveying messages from constituents.
“I think it is important to underscore that when you ask the American people whether or not they think it is a good idea for the United States to acquire Greenland, the vast majority, some 75%, will say, we do not think that that is a good idea,” she said.
Along with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a New Hampshire Democrat, Murkowski has introduced bipartisan legislation that would prohibit the use of U.S. Defense or State department funds to annex or take control of Greenland or the sovereign territory of any NATO member state without that ally's consent or authorization from the North Atlantic Council.
The dispute is looming large in the lives of Greenlanders. Greenland's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, said on Tuesday that “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO. We choose the Kingdom of Denmark. We choose the EU.””
The chair of the Nuuk, Greenland-based Inuit Circumpolar Council, which represents around 180,000 Inuit from Alaska, Canada, Greenland, and Russia's Chukotka region on international issues, said persistent statements from the White House that the U.S. must own Greenland offer “a clear picture of how the US administration views the people of Greenland, how the U.S. administration views Indigenous peoples, and peoples that are few in numbers.”
Sara Olsvig told The Associated Press in Nuuk that the issue is “how one of the biggest powers in the world views other peoples that are less powerful than them. And that really is concerning.”
Indigenous Inuit in Greenland do not want to be colonized again, she said.
___
Superville reported from Washington. Emma Burrows in Nuuk, Greenland and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Nearly a year into his first term, President Donald Trump's performance on the economy is not living up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new national AP-NORC poll. (AP Video: Nathan Ellgren)
President Donald Trump gestures to a chart as he speaks at Mount Airy Casino Resort, Dec. 9, 2025, in Mount Pocono, Pa. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — Nearly a year into his second term, President Donald Trump's work on the economy hasn't lived up to the expectations of many people in his own party, according to a new AP-NORC survey.
The poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds a significant gap between the economic leadership Americans remembered from Trump's first term and what they've gotten so far as he creates a stunning level of turmoil at home and abroad.
Just 16% of Republicans say Trump has helped “a lot” in addressing the cost of living, down from 49% in April 2024, when an AP-NORC poll asked Americans the same question about his first term.
At the same time, Republicans are overwhelmingly supportive of the president's leadership on immigration — even if some don't like his tactics.
John Candela, 64, who lives in New Rochelle, New York, said the cost of living hasn't improved for his family — his salary and bills remain the same as before.
“Still paying $5 for Oreos,” he said. But he's willing to be patient: “I would expect it to be different by the time his four years are up.”
The poll reveals signs of weakness among consumers on the economy, especially Trump's core campaign promise to reduce costs. Inflation has cooled somewhat, but prices on many goods are higher than they were when the Republican president took office last January.
There is little sign overall, though, that the Republican base is abandoning Trump. The vast majority of Republicans, about 8 in 10, approve of his job performance, compared with 4 in 10 for adults overall.
“I don't like the man as a human being. I don't like his brashness. I don't like his roughness. I don't like how he types out his texts all capital as if he's yelling at everybody. But what I approve of is what he is doing to try and get the country on track,” Candela said.
On various economic factors, Trump has yet to convince many of his supporters that he's changing things for the better.
Only about 4 in 10 Republicans overall say Trump has helped address the cost of living at least “a little” in his second term, while 79% said he helped address the issue that much in his first term, based on the 2024 poll. Just over half of Republicans in the new poll say Trump has helped create jobs in his second term; 85% said the same about his first term, including 62% who said he helped “a lot.”
Only 26% of Republicans in the January survey say he's helped “a lot” on job creation in his second term.
And on health care, about one-third of Republicans say Trump has helped address costs at least “a little,” while 53% in the April 2024 poll said he helped reduce health care costs that much during his first term. Federal health care subsidies for more than 20 million Americans expired on Jan. 1, resulting in health care costs doubling or even tripling for many families.
In the town of Waxahachie, Texas, south of Dallas, 28-year-old three-time Trump voter Ryan James Hughes, a children's pastor, doesn't see an improvement in his family's financial situation. He said the medical bills haven't declined.
But, he said, “I'm not looking to the government to secure my financial future.”
The new poll underscores that Republicans are largely getting what they want on immigration, even as some report concerns about the federal immigration agents who have flooded U.S. cities at Trump's direction.
About 8 in 10 Republicans say Trump has helped at least “a little” on immigration and border security in his second term. That's similar to the share in the April 2024 poll that saw a positive effect from Trump's leadership on immigration and border security during his first term.
Most Republicans say Trump has struck the right balance when it comes to deporting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, and about one-third think he hasn't gone far enough.
But Trump's approval on immigration has also slipped among Republicans over the past year, falling from 88% in March to 76% in the new poll.
Kevin Kellenbarger, 69, a three-time Trump voter who retired from a printing company, said his Christian faith led him to the Republican Party. The Lancaster, Ohio, resident thinks the president's immigration crackdown is necessary, though he expressed dissatisfaction at the recent killing of Renee Good by a federal immigration agent in Minneapolis.
“I don't like anybody getting killed, but it wasn't Trump's fault,” Kellenbarger said, adding that President Joe Biden, a Democrat, “let millions of people in. They have to be taken out.”
Several Republicans said in interviews they thought the aggressive tactics seen recently in Minneapolis went too far, suggesting that Trump should focus more on immigrants with criminal backgrounds as he promised during the campaign.
Overall, just 38% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's leadership on immigration, while 61% disapprove.
“These families that are being separated and they're just here to try to live the American dream,” said Republican Liz Gonzalez, 40, the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a self-employed rancher and farmer from Palestine, Texas.
At the same time, Gonzalez said, she doesn't think people opposed to the crackdown should be interfering at all. “I think if they just let (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), you know, like the patrol people, do their jobs, then they would see it's not — it doesn't have to be chaos,” she said.
About two-thirds of Republicans say the country as a whole is “much” or “somewhat” better off than before Trump took office, but only about half say this about themselves and their family.
The broad sense that the country is moving in the right direction may be counteracting Republican dissatisfaction with the state of the economy.
Phyllis Gilpin, a 62-year-old Republican from Booneville, Missouri, praised Trump's ability to “really listen to people.” But she doesn't love his personality.
“He is very arrogant,” she said, expressing frustration about his name-calling. But she said the divisive politics go both ways: “I really, honestly, just wish that we could all just not be Democrat or Republican — just come together.”
___
Catalini reported from Trenton, N.J., Bedayn reported from Denver and Thomson-DeVeaux reported from Washington.
___
The AP-NORC poll of 1,203 adults was conducted Jan. 8-11 using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. The poll included interviews with 404 Republicans, and the margin of sampling error for Republicans overall is plus or minus 6 percentage points.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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 LSEG.
Fox News Digital spoke to Lake about the steps her streamlined agency took to broadcast pro-America coverage as chaos erupted in both Venezuela and Iran.
Despite President Donald Trump's past efforts to shut it down, Republicans passed a spending package that includes $643 million for the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), choosing legislative unity over a fight that could have derailed the must-pass spending bill.
The move underscored the GOP's ongoing struggle to pursue party objectives while also crafting legislation that can unite Republicans amid razor-thin margins in the House of Representatives.
The funding goes toward radio, internet, television and broadcasting grants in the Middle East. The item passed both chambers of Congress this week as part of this year's National Security, Department of State and Related Programs Act (NSRP).
Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., one of the legislators who worked on the NSRP, said the final number came about from talks with Kari Lake, a senior advisor for the agency with close ties to the president.
DHS AT CENTER OF PROGRESSIVE REVOLT AS HOUSE ADVANCES $80B SPENDING PACKAGE
Senior advisor for the U.S. Agency for Global Media Kari Lake holds up a photograph, which she says shows an empty Voice of America (VOA) newsroom, as she speaks during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on June 25, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
"She seemed to me like we're on the same team on this," Alford said when asked about those conversations. "I continue to communicate with her often and look forward to working with her as she tries to right this program and get it back to its original intent."
At the outset of his second term, Trump issued an executive order shuttering the USAGM, the parent organization of Voice of America, claiming that the organization had a clear bent against Republican principles and didn't serve the country's domestic interests. However, when courts ruled that the administration lacked the power needed to remove its congressionally approved funding, the agency remained in place.
Despite the continuation of its funding, Alford believes Republicans took a step toward the president's wishes, noting that the NSRP bill trims the agency's budget.
DEMOCRAT TAKEOVER FEARS RISE AS GOP CLINGS TO SLIM HOUSE MAJORITY
President Donald Trump takes questions from members of the press aboard Air Force One on Jan. 11, 2026, while traveling from Palm Beach, Fla. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
"I think the cuts that we're making, which is a 25% reduction, is a significant step forward to meeting what Kari Lake wants as well. I'm hoping that we can do even more in the 2027 appropriations bill," Alford said.
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., who voted to advance the NSRP funding bill and its provision on USAGM, said he personally wants to see the funding eliminated.
"I would prefer that the federal government funds zero," Higgins said moments before Wednesday's vote. "We support the president's executive actions and his executive orders, and we endeavor to codify them. We just don't have extra money to spend on things."
"But I'm not going to let something like that stop me from supporting the larger measure," he added.
Higgins, a member of the fiscally conservative House Freedom Caucus, said Republicans must pick their battles carefully amid a razor-thin, two-seat majority in the House, following the retirement of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and the sudden death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., earlier this month.
Republicans will continue to face questions about how to pursue party priorities in the coming weeks as they work through the year's remaining spending legislation.
"We don't have the luxury of just casually opposing our own bills. It's just so tight, man. So, our goal is to pass our legislation — especially when you're faced with the alternative of a government shutdown," Higgins said, noting the consequences that would follow if Congress were to fail to pass spending legislation.
Currently, Republicans hold just a two-seat majority in the chamber.
CONGRESS ROLLS OUT $80B SPENDING BILL AS DEMS THREATEN DHS FUNDING AMID SHUTDOWN FEARS
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., talks with reporters after a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington, Sept. 9, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
When asked whether Democrats had pressed to include the USAGM funding in the NSRP package, Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., did not describe the conversations but noted the package had resulted from bipartisan negotiations.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
"How things get into these appropriations bills in this climate — all we do is advocate and leverage whatever we have. Some days you're the bug, some days you're the windshield," Quigley said.
The NSRP, having cleared both chambers of Congress, now heads to Trump's desk for his signature.
Leo Briceno is a politics reporter for the congressional team at Fox News Digital. He was previously a reporter with World Magazine.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
A poster showing the Trump Gold Card is seen as President Donald Trump signs executive orders in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 19, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, file)
Workers add President Donald Trump's name to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, after a Trump-appointed board voted to rename the institution, in Washington, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
President Donald Trump's name is seen on the U.S. Institute of Peace building, Dec. 4, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, file)
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as a flag pole is installed on the South Lawn of the White House, June 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
A sign for the Rose Garden is seen near the Presidential Walk of Fame on the Colonnade at the White House, Jan. 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Most American presidents aspire to the kind of greatness that prompts future generations to name important things in their honor.
Donald Trump isn't leaving it to future generations.
As the first year of his second term wraps up, his Republican administration and allies have put his name on the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships that's yet to be built.
That's on top of the “Trump Accounts” for tax-deferred investments, the TrumpRx government website soon to offer direct sales of prescription drugs, the “Trump Gold Card” visa that costs at least $1 million and the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a transit corridor included in a deal his administration brokered between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
On Friday, he plans to attend a ceremony in Florida where local officials will dedicate a 4-mile (6-kilometer) stretch of road from the airport to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach as President Donald J. Trump Boulevard.
It's unprecedented for a sitting president to embrace tributes of that number and scale, especially those proffered by members of his administration. And while past sitting presidents have typically been honored by local officials naming schools and roads after them, it's exceedingly rare for airports, federal buildings, warships or other government assets to be named for someone still in power.
“At no previous time in history have we consistently named things after a president who was still in office,” said Jeffrey Engel, the David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. “One might even extend that to say a president who is still alive. Those kind of memorializations are supposed to be just that — memorials to the passing hero.”
White House spokeswoman Liz Huston said the TrumpRx website linked to the president's deals to lower the price of some prescription drugs, along with “overdue upgrades of national landmarks, lasting peace deals, and wealth-creation accounts for children are historic initiatives that would not have been possible without President Trump's bold leadership.”
“The Administration's focus isn't on smart branding, but delivering on President Trump's goal of Making America Great Again,” Huston said.
The White House pointed out that the nation's capital was named after President George Washington and the Hoover Dam was named after President Herbert Hoover while each was serving as president.
For Trump, it's a continuation of the way he first etched his place onto the American consciousness, becoming famous as a real estate developer who affixed his name in big gold letters on luxury buildings and hotels, a casino and assorted products like neckties, wine and steaks.
As he ran for president in 2024, the candidate rolled out Trump-branded business ventures for watches, fragrances, Bibles and sneakers — including golden high tops priced at $799. After taking office again last year, Trump's businesses launched a Trump Mobile phone company, with plans to unveil a gold-colored smartphone and a cryptocurrency memecoin named $TRUMP.
That's not to be confused with plans for a physical, government-issued Trump coin that U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said the U.S. Mint is planning.
Trump has also reportedly told the owners of Washington's NFL team that he would like his name on the Commanders' new stadium. The team's ownership group, which has the naming rights, has not commented on the idea. But a White House spokeswoman in November called the proposed name “beautiful” and said Trump made the rebuilding of the stadium possible.
The addition of Trump's name to the Kennedy Center in December so outraged independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont that he introduced legislation this week to ban the naming or renaming of any federal building or land after a sitting president — a ban that would retroactively apply to the Kennedy Center and Institute of Peace.
“I think he is a narcissist who likes to see his name up there. If he owns a hotel, that's his business,” Sanders said in an interview. “But he doesn't own federal buildings.”
Sanders likened Trump's penchant for putting his name on government buildings and more to the actions of authoritarian leaders throughout history.
“If the American people want to name buildings after a president who is deceased, that's fine. That's what we do,” Sanders said. “But to use federal buildings to enhance your own position very much sounds like the ‘Great Leader' mentality of North Korea, and that is not something that I think the American people want.”
Although some of the naming has been suggested by others, the president has made clear he's pleased with the tributes.
Three months after the announcement of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, a name the White House says was proposed by Armenian officials, the president gushed about it at a White House dinner.
“It's such a beautiful thing, they named it after me. I really appreciate it. It's actually a big deal,” he told a group of Central Asian leaders.
Engel, the presidential historian, said the practice can send a signal to people “that the easiest way to get access and favor from the president is to play to his ego and give him something or name something after him.”
Some of the proposals for honoring Trump include legislation in Congress from New York Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney that would designate June 14 as “Trump's Birthday and Flag Day,” placing the president with the likes of Martin Luther King Jr., George Washington and Jesus Christ, whose birthdays are recognized as national holidays.
Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube has introduced legislation that calls for the Washington-area rapid transit system, known as the Metro, to be renamed the “Trump Train.” North Carolina Republican Rep. Addison McDowell has introduced legislation to rename Washington Dulles International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport.
McDowell said it makes sense to give Dulles a new name since Trump has already announced plans to revamp the airport, which currently is a tribute to former Secretary of State John Foster Dulles.
The congressman said he wanted to honor Trump because he feels the president has been a champion for combating the scourge of fentanyl, a personal issue for McDowell after his brother's overdose death. But he also cited Trump's efforts to strike peace deals all over the world and called him “one of the most consequential presidents ever.”
“I think that's somebody that deserves to be honored, whether they're still the president or whether they're not,” he said.
More efforts are underway in Florida, Trump's adopted home.
Republican state lawmaker Meg Weinberger said she is working on an effort to rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport, a potential point of confusion with the Dulles effort.
The road that the president will see christened Friday is not the first Florida asphalt to herald Trump upon his return to the White House.
In the south Florida city of Hialeah, officials in December 2024 renamed a street there as President Donald J. Trump Avenue.
Trump, speaking at a Miami business conference the next month, called it a “great honor” and said he loved the mayor for it.
“Anybody that names a boulevard after me, I like,” he said.
He added a few moments later: “A lot of people come back from Hialeah, they say, ‘They just named a road after you.' I say, ‘That's OK.' It's a beginning, right? It's a start.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
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 LSEG.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano sent lava up to 1,400 feet in the air Tuesday, marking its 39th eruption of the year.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted again this week — drawing renewed attention to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and fresh safety warnings.
The Jan. 12th event marks the volcano's 40th eruptive episode since 2024, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
In a Facebook post announcing the eruption, park officials cautioned that increased interest in the activity could lead to heavy traffic and busy conditions near the park.
RESEARCHERS FIND 'COMPELLING EVIDENCE' OF POSSIBLE NOAH'S ARK REMAINS IN ONE COUNTRY
Officials urged visitors to plan ahead, slow down, follow posted signs — and park only in designated areas.
The current eruption inside the Halemaʻumaʻu crater can be viewed from several overlooks along Crater Rim Drive, though visibility can change quickly and weather such as fog or rain may obscure the lava, the park's website noted.
Park officials warned that heightened interest in the eruption may result in traffic congestion and crowded conditions around the park. (William Campbell/Getty Images)
"Consider factors such as viewing experience, long waits and crowds, hiking ability and available time when selecting where to view the eruption," the park said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
Park officials also warned that changing weather conditions, including rain, fog and reduced visibility, can affect both viewing conditions and travel within the park.
The ongoing eruption in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater is visible from multiple overlooks along Crater Rim Drive. (Gary Miller/Getty Images)
Beyond traffic and viewing conditions, officials are also monitoring environmental impacts from the eruption.
The eruption is producing significant volcanic gas emissions, Fox Weather reported.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES
"Volcanic gas, which is made up of water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide, can be released during eruptions and can be hazardous to areas immediately downwind of the eruption," Fox Weather said.
Officials are monitoring environmental impacts, as the eruption is releasing hazardous volcanic gases. (USGS -M. Zoeller/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Officials advised visitors to monitor air quality conditions, as volcanic gases can be especially hazardous for children and people with respiratory conditions.
Kīlauea has been erupting episodically since late December, the USGS said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The most eruptive episodes have lasted less than 12 hours — and they're separated by pauses that can last days or weeks.
The USGS also reported a small swarm of low-magnitude earthquakes beneath the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Wednesday, noting that activity remains confined within the Kīlauea caldera.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Fox News Digital reached out to Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park for further comment.
Kelly McGreal is a production assistant with the lifestyle team at Fox News Digital.
A look at the top-trending stories in food, relationships, great outdoors and more.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
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 LSEG.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz says Iran's Islamic regime is responsible for the deaths of ‘countless' Americans and it is on an ‘illegal march' toward a nuclear weapon in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz warned Iran during an emergency meeting of the Security Council that President Donald Trump "is a man of action" who has "made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter."
Waltz said Thursday that, "We all have a responsibility to support the Iranian people and to put an end to the regime's neglect and oppression of the Iranian nation."
Iran has been plunged into turmoil amid recent anti-government protests, with the death toll from those being at least 2,677, the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency told The Associated Press.
"Colleagues, let me be clear. President Trump is a man of action, not endless talk like we see at the United Nations. He has made it clear all options are on the table to stop the slaughter. And no one should know that better than the leadership of the Iranian regime," Waltz added.
Waltz's remarks came as Gholam Hossein Darzi, the deputy Iranian ambassador to the U.N., accused the U.S. of trying to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
TOP IRANIAN GENERAL THREATENS TO 'CUT OFF' TRUMP'S HAND OVER POTENTIAL MILITARY STRIKES
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz speaks during a United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran on Jan. 15, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
"Under the hollow pretext of concern for the Iranian people and claims of support for human rights, the United States regime is attempting to portray itself as a friend of the Iranian people, while simultaneously laying the groundwork for political destabilization and military intervention under a so-called humanitarian narrative," Darzi said.
Waltz dismissed the claim, telling diplomats at U.N. headquarters on Thursday that Iran's leaders are "afraid of their own people."
"I would like to address the allegation put forward by the regime that these inspired protests are somehow a foreign plot to give a precursor to military action. Everyone in the world needs to know that the regime is weaker than ever before, and therefore is putting forward this lie because of the power of the Iranian people in the streets," Waltz said.
IRAN ALLEGEDLY AIRS 97 'COERCIVE CONFESSIONS' AMID RECORD-BREAKING NORTH KOREA-STYLE INTERNET BLACKOUT
Iranians gather while blocking a street during a protest in Tehran, Iran, on Jan. 9, 2026. (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)
"They are afraid. They're afraid of their own people. Iran says it's ready for dialogue, but its actions say otherwise. This is a regime that rules through oppression, through violence, and through intimidation, and has destabilized the Middle East for decades. Well, enough is enough," he added.
"The regime's dereliction of duty to its own citizens is what has put the ayatollahs in the positions they are in today with hundreds of thousands, if not millions, protesting in the streets after decades of neglect and abuse. So everyone should ask themselves, everyone sitting here today, how many people are dead?" Waltz also said.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Thursday that Trump and his team "have communicated to the Iranian regime that if the killing continues, there will be grave consequences."
President Donald Trump disembarks Air Force One on his return from Detroit, Mich., at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Jan. 13, 2026. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
"And the president received a message as he revealed to all of you and the whole world yesterday, that the killing and the executions will stop. And the president understands today that 800 executions that were scheduled and supposed to take place yesterday were halted. And so the president and his team are closely monitoring this situation, and all options remain on the table for the president," she added.
Greg Norman is a reporter at Fox News Digital.
Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more Fox News politics content.
By entering your email and clicking the Subscribe button, you agree to the Fox News Privacy Policy and Terms of Use, and
agree to receive content and promotional communications from Fox News. You understand that you can
opt-out at any time.
Subscribed
You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter!
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
LSEG.
Hard-right and populist leaders from across the globe have appeared in an online video endorsing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of an election that polls suggest could end his long premiership.
The campaign video, published by Orbán this week, shows 11 national leaders and hard-right figureheads – including France's Marine Le Pen, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and Argentina's Javier Milei – endorsing the Hungarian leader's bid for a fifth consecutive term in office. The American actor Rob Schneider also lent his support.
Orbán, who returned to power in 2010 and is Europe's longest-serving prime minister, has become a lodestar for European populists and the MAGA movement in the United States. Championing national sovereignty, traditional values and hard borders, Orbán has long railed against the European Union, without seeking to leave it.
But while Orbán still commands affection abroad, he is facing a growing backlash at home. Over 16 years in office, his Fidesz party has been criticized for presiding over Hungary's democratic backsliding, economic stagnation and curbs on press freedom.
Leading the charge against Orbán is Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz loyalist-turned-arch-rival. Magyar's Tisza party has led Fidesz in the polls for more than a year, campaigning mostly against what it says is government corruption, and promising to boost Hungary's economy.
Facing his first credible challenger in years, Orbán has tried to paint Magyar as a political novice and seems to have called on his ideological allies to rally to his defense ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12.
“Security cannot be taken for granted. It must be won,” Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the campaign video. “I think Victor Orbán has all those qualities. He has the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom to protect his country.”
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Orbán was responsible for “the camp of patriots, and defenders of nations and sovereign peoples,” for achieving “ever greater success in Europe.” Le Pen was convicted last year for embezzling EU funds and received a five-year ban on running for political office, which would disqualify her from the French presidential election next year. She is appealing the decision.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she and Orbán are partners in a political project: “Together, we stand for a Europe that respects national sovereignty, (and) is proud of its cultural and religious roots.” Orbán's Central European allies – including Czech President Andrej Babiš and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki – also voiced their support.
The video also included several references to Russia's war in Ukraine, with which Hungary shares a border. Orbán, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in November, has repeatedly obstructed EU efforts to fund Ukraine's defense. On Thursday, he said he would launch a “national petition” seeking backing for his policy of rejecting the EU's latest financial support package for Ukraine.
“He is fighting for peace in Ukraine, and for peace in Europe,” Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said in the video. “Europe needs Viktor Orbán.”
No US officials featured in the video, although Schneider, the actor, said he wanted to “encourage all Hungarians to continue to move forward to protect your great culture and your amazing country” by voting for Orbán. Despite not featuring in the video, US President Donald Trump did write Orbán a letter in December wishing him “the best of luck” with his electoral campaign.
During a visit to Washington in November, Orbán secured a one-year exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil. Despite having more than three years to do so, Trump – who praised Orbán as a “great leader” of a “great country” – said it had been “difficult” for Hungary to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, since it is landlocked.
Analysts told CNN this explanation was facile. The Czech Republic, another landlocked country, stopped buying Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine, while Hungary chose to deepen its dependence on Russia. Last year, Russia accounted for more than 90% of Hungary's crude oil imports – up from 61% pre-invasion, according to a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Minnesota's federal lawsuit against Trump administration officials primarily focuses on how the surge of federal immigration agents into Minneapolis and the fatal shooting of Renee Good have terrorized local residents.
Among those affected: Members of the Minneapolis Police Department, still scarred from the summer of 2020.
“For officers present during the 2020 unrest, the incident has triggered traumatic memories as the officers resume operational duties amid concerns of potential instability,” the lawsuit states. “Officers who joined the department after 2020 report similar emotional impacts, having experienced prior unrest as community members.”
One police source referred to the current situation as a “mess.”
“We all signed up for police work and law enforcement – going out there and helping victims and putting bad people behind bars,” the source told CNN. “But becoming mediators between the federal government and activists is not what we signed up for.”
The comments reveal one aspect of how the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd more than five years ago continues to cast a long shadow over the Twin Cities and has colored the response to last week's killing of Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.
Floyd's death in May 2020 set off protests and rioting in Minneapolis, shattered the public's trust in law enforcement and sparked an exodus of police officers and a sharp rise in crime.
Minneapolis police staffing has recovered somewhat in recent years, and violent crimes have declined since peaking in 2021-22. But ICE's aggressive tactics under the Trump administration, including the fatal shooting of Good last week, threaten to upend that progress and pick at a particularly sensitive scab in the city.
“This isn't just any city; this is Minneapolis,” said Chuck Wexler, the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum, a national police research and policy organization. “Minneapolis, going back to 2020, became ground zero in the whole policing discussion.”
Whistles, then gunfire: How the deadly ICE shooting unfolded in Minneapolis
CNN spoke to Minneapolis residents, policing experts and local officials and reviewed the state's lawsuit to better understand how the city's response has been affected by the events of 2020.
In particular, the unrest nearly six years ago has had a few clear impacts: First, the police remain badly understaffed and are concerned about diverting limited resources to ICE-related issues. Second, police have focused more on de-escalation tactics, a sharp contrast from ICE. And third, activists and the public know these issues well and are better organized than elsewhere.
Together, these indicate that federal immigration agents are likely to face more significant and sustained pushback in Minneapolis than elsewhere.
“The city had an education in the good, the bad and the ugly of policing and was able to be a laboratory of sorts to see what's going on and how you can make reform,” said Thaddeus Johnson, a former law enforcement official in Tennessee and a senior fellow at the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank. “The residents themselves are probably a bit more prepared than residents in other cities for these types of events.”
The federal government launched “Operation Metro Surge,” featuring about 2,000 federal agents, in the Twin Cities last month to target Somali immigrants in response to accusations of fraud by members of the community.
According to the state's lawsuit, filed on Monday, the federal actions have pushed a short-staffed police force into costly overtime, diverted police resources and caused mental stress for officers.
In a hearing on the lawsuit Wednesday, a judge decided not to issue a temporary restraining order as Minnesota had requested. A Department of Justice attorney did not explicitly contest the claims and was given a deadline of Monday to respond to the suit.
While the local police do not enforce immigration law, they have often been called on to respond to issues created by the presence and actions of federal agents.
Answering all those calls is a challenge for the understaffed department. Minneapolis police once boasted over 900 sworn officers, but in the years after George Floyd's murder, the tally fell to a low of 550 officers.
With an aggressive recruitment strategy, the police force grew to 600 officers last year – still a small number compared to the city's population of about 400,000. Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara told CNN last year the police department relied on an “exorbitant” amount of overtime hours to cover all its shifts.
Responding to these immigration-related incidents has required thousands of hours of overtime and millions in extra costs, the lawsuit states. Scheduled days off were canceled and officers worked longer shifts to cover the shortage.
“These changes have impacted officers' personal lives and leave them exhausted,” the lawsuit says.
The federal surge and shooting of Good has “taken a toll on the mental health” of police officers, the lawsuit states. There is “legitimate concern that the cumulative psychological impact” could lead to further attrition of staff, the suit states.
Officers are feeling tapped out and believe the federal surge has negatively impacted their efforts to regain the public's trust, according to the police source. The source said he knows of several colleagues who are taking early retirement.
Since the police killing of Floyd, O'Hara and Democratic Mayor Jacob Frey have tried to focus police training on de-escalation tactics and transparency – a stark contrast to federal agents' use of masks and aggressive actions.
“We have been training our officers for the last five years very, very intensely on de-escalation,” O'Hara said last month, according to the Associated Press. “But unfortunately that is not, that is often not what we are seeing from other agencies in the city.”
The criticism underscores the differences between how Minneapolis police are trained and how ICE is trained, policing experts said.
“The expectation in Minneapolis is very different probably than any other city, and that's why the police chief of Minneapolis, Brian O'Hara, is probably so sensitive to how tactics are, how you identify yourself, and all of those issues,” Wexler said.
Federal officials have defended the actions of federal agents as appropriate.
“ICE and (Customs and Border Protection) are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and themselves,” Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CNN. “Our officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training.”
Just on Tuesday, federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis covered their faces and conducted traffic stops amid crowds of demonstrators, CNN's Ryan Young witnessed.
People confronted the agents and chanted, “ICE out now! ICE out now!” Agents fired pepper balls, flash bangs and tear gas to try to disperse the crowd.
“This crowd is extremely angry and it feels like this thing is sort of sitting on a powder keg right now,” Young explained.
Similarly, O'Hara said he was concerned that tensions could escalate to a dangerous level, like in 2020, when the city was overtaken by riots, looting and arson.
“I'm concerned that the rhetoric keeps escalating, that the tensions keep rising, that we are headed towards yet another tragedy and a potential trigger to what happened here yet again in 2020,” he told CNN's Erin Burnett on Tuesday.
On Wednesday night, law enforcement and demonstrators clashed near where a federal agent shot and injured a man after he allegedly assaulted the agent. O'Hara declared the stand-off an “unlawful assembly” and directed people to go home.
According to the Minnesota lawsuit, the aggressive actions of federal agents have damaged the public's trust in all law enforcement because people “confuse” ICE agents with local police.
“People only see the badge,” Johnson said, meaning most people don't know the difference between local police and ICE.
Masked agents and public arrests: A closer look at ICE's increasingly aggressive tactics
Minneapolis residents, though, have had a crash course since 2020 on proper police conduct, federal-local relations, consent decrees, “defund the police” and other law enforcement issues.
“The people in Minneapolis have that education already,” Johnson said. “They know the telltale signs of excessive force. They know the telltale signs of when something's not quite right.”
Sam Clingan, a father of two young boys, told CNN at a memorial for Good in Minneapolis that he and his kids have spoken about these issues.
“Unfortunately, this isn't a new practice for us, having tough conversations about things that have happened in our city,” he said.
“We have a great community here in Minneapolis and the Twin Cities in general. Lots of people who are very connected in the social justice community and who make sure they bring that perspective into their day-to-day lives and how they organize their community and step up for their community,” he said.
Michelle Gross, the president of the activist group Communities United Against Police Brutality, said last week the community has stepped up to protect their neighbors.
“Every day, regular Minneapolis residents devote hours to documenting ICE conduct, warning our neighbors, bringing food and other goods to neighbors who are sheltering in place, and providing other support,” she said, according to CNN affiliate KARE.
“Even after this horrific violence by ICE, the community continues to go out and do what we need to do to keep our neighbors safe. There are literally hundreds of people in the streets right now as we speak driving around checking ICE and their conduct.”
In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, the mayor sought to contrast the chaos created by ICE agents with the hard work of Minneapolis police.
“(Local police) have kept people safe. They have done right. They have abided by the Constitution, which is a massive juxtaposition against what we've seen from some of these ICE agents,” Frey said. “They have my support.”
CNN's Josh Campbell, Meridith Edwards and Leigh Waldman contributed to this report.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Senate Democrats believe they've uncovered a backdoor to limiting President Donald Trump's military operations abroad and conducting oversight despite limited minority power and few Republicans willing to buck the administration.
Democrats are prepared to force a flurry of votes on war powers resolutions in the coming weeks and months after one on Venezuela — despite its failure — secured last-minute concessions from the White House. Democrats are eyeing six other countries where Trump has threatened, or has already taken, military action: Iran, Colombia, Cuba, Nigeria, Mexico, and Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.
“We have discovered a sensitivity and a vulnerability by using this method, and we're going to do it a whole lot more,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), an author of the Venezuela resolution.
The plans come after Trump was forced to offer assurances this week to flip two Republicans crucial to avoiding another embarrassing setback by squashing a bipartisan resolution that would have curbed further military actions in Venezuela without Congress. Such measures require floor votes, against the wishes of Republican leaders, and only need a simple majority.
“They do put some pressure on Republicans,” Kaine went on to say to the Washington Examiner. “But we also feel like the prospect of these votes causes the administration to take some important steps that he otherwise wouldn't take.”
The White House made personal commitments to sway the minds of Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Todd Young (R-IN), who days earlier voted with all Democrats and three other Republicans to advance the resolution that would have limited Trump's unilateral military capabilities following the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Those promises included letters from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Young and Foreign Relations Committee Chairman James Risch (R-ID) confirming there were no U.S. armed forces currently in the South American country and that Trump would seek congressional authority or give written notification should the situation change. Hawley cited Rubio's assurances as satisfactory, and Young said he also secured public congressional testimony from Rubio that will occur after next week's Senate recess.
“This is not a mandate on the president. It's merely an effort to kind of reset our work on war powers,” Young told the Washington Examiner. “I feel like the message was received, which is what I wanted to happen. I felt like I got some concrete and important deliverables out of it.”
But aside from Greenland, there is likely to be even less GOP appetite to buck Trump on other countries, yielding less leverage for Democrats to score measured wins through their Republican colleagues. The Venezuela vote required Vice President JD Vance to cast his eighth tiebreaker. Unlike Venezuela, Trump has only expressed threats regarding Iran, Cuba, Colombia, Mexico, and Greenland. Last month, Trump struck Islamic State group targets in Nigeria.
Hawley and Young were noncommittal on forthcoming war powers measures and said they would evaluate each country on a case-by-case basis.
“I'm not interested in helping [Democrats] with their politics,” Hawley told the Washington Examiner. “I'm interested in making sure that No. 1: we protect the country. No. 2: the Constitution's followed. And listen, I support the president, and he and his team were great to work with on this.”
Democrats are bullish that a vote on Greenland could prove even more difficult for Republicans than Venezuela, given Trump's escalating rhetoric in seizing the NATO ally by military force. Officials from Greenland and Denmark met with high-level administration officials and lawmakers in Washington in recent days, including Vance and Rubio.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), who voted with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Democrats to limit Trump's authorities in Venezuela, was noncommittal on her position with a Greenland resolution but noted she's been “consistent” in recent months in her support for previous war powers resolutions on Venezuela.
“I don't even like to think about a war powers resolution with Greenland in it,” Murkowski told the Washington Examiner.
VANCE HELPS SQUASH VENEZUELA WAR POWERS PUSH IN SENATE, STAVING OFF SECOND TRUMP REBUKE
But others, such as Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), despite echoing the concerns of Collins and Murkowski about Trump's Greenland rhetoric, have downplayed the need to address it with what they characterize as unnecessary preemptive action by Congress. And another possible handicap to Democrats' success is their healthy dose of skepticism that the administration will keep the promises it has made to members of its own party.
“We are wise to be wary about commitments by these guys,” Kaine said. “But when they've made them — and they've made them publicly — all senators can monitor to see whether they actually live up to them.”
Protests erupted once again Thursday night in Minneapolis, fueled by outrage over federal agents' tactics in confronting Minnesotans – including US citizens. But this time, the demonstrations came under the threat of President Donald Trump invoking the Insurrection Act.
Twelve people were arrested in Minneapolis, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
“Last night in Minneapolis 12 anti-ICE agitators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement,” DHS posted on X Friday morning. “Reminder: it is a federal crime and a FELONY if you lay a finger on law enforcement or destroy federal property.”
Federal officers in tactical gear deployed tear gas and percussion grenades to try to disperse crowds near the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building.
State and local leaders have urged the community to remain calm amid unrest that escalated earlier this week after a federal agent shot and wounded a Venezuelan national who federal officials said began to resist arrest and “violently assault” one of its officers.
But heated clashes could soon turn frigid as plunging temperatures and fierce winds of 30 to 40 mph blast through the Twin Cities. By Friday evening, the wind chill will plummet below zero degrees – and it's expected to stay that way until the middle of next week.
From Saturday night into Sunday morning, the actual temperatures will drop below zero, with blustery winds ushering wind chills as low as -20 degrees.
Minnesota and Illinois invoke the 10th Amendment in lawsuits to block federal agents in their cities. Here's why that matters
Here's what else to know:
Trump using Insurrection Act in Minneapolis would be a huge risk – even by his standards
CNN's Brandon Miller, Kelly McCleary, Danya Gainor, Samantha Waldenberg and Elise Hammond contributed to this report.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Markets
Hot Stocks
Fear & Greed Index
Latest Market News
Hot Stocks
The Trump administration is exerting political pressure on Stars & Stripes, the independent military newspaper that informs US servicemembers worldwide.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced Thursday that the Department of Defense will “modernize” the outlet and “refocus its content away from woke distractions that syphon morale, and adapt it to serve a new generation of service members.”
Parnell's statement came as a shock to staffers at Stars & Stripes, who haven't heard directly about any changes yet, and who now fear that the news outlet's independence and credibility is at risk.
The statement also drew swift criticism from several Democratic lawmakers and First Amendment advocates.
“The Pentagon is trying to turn this independent newsroom into a mouthpiece for the administration's political messaging,” said Tim Richardson, journalism and disinformation program director for PEN America. “This action tramples both the First Amendment and the congressional mandate that the publication remain editorially independent.”
Congress has repeatedly affirmed and sought to protect the newspaper's unique status.
Stars & Stripes is a product of the US military and is partly funded by the Pentagon, but it models itself after commercial newspapers and covers the news freely, “without news management or censorship,” as Department of Defense policy states.
“By keeping its audience informed, Stars and Stripes enhances military readiness and better enables U.S. military personnel and their families stationed overseas to exercise their responsibilities of citizenship,” the newspaper's website says.
Parnell, a close ally of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, described a few specific adjustments. “No more repurposed DC gossip columns; no more Associated Press reprints,” he wrote.
Like many papers, Stars & Stripes runs wire stories from The Associated Press and Reuters, but Pentagon officials told right-wing website The Daily Wire that “this will no longer be the case.”
The Daily Wire also reported that all of the paper's content “will be written by active-duty service members,” which alarmed the civilian staff who currently write stories.
Parnell described Stars & Stripes as being “custom tailored to our warfighters” going forward, prompting some journalists to say that the paper already is.
With no further details about what's next, “people are obviously concerned about what this means for our ability to produce journalism going forward,” a Stripes staffer told CNN on condition of anonymity.
Richardson, of PEN America, urged Congress to “continue to protect Stars and Stripes' editorial independence and ensure the administration allows it to serve military members free from political influence.”
Most stock quote data provided by BATS. US market indices are shown in real time, except for the S&P 500 which is refreshed every two minutes. All times are ET. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices Copyright S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and/or its affiliates. Fair value provided by IndexArb.com. Market holidays and trading hours provided by Copp Clark Limited.
© 2026 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app on Google Play.
Scan the QR code to download the CNN app from the Apple Store.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
President Donald Trump answers questions after signing a bill that returns whole milk to school cafeterias across the country, in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump would not be the first president to invoke the Insurrection Act, as he has threatened, so that he can send U.S. military forces to Minnesota.
But he'd be the only commander in chief to use the 19th-century law to send troops to quell protests that started because of federal officers the president already has sent to the area — one of whom shot and killed a U.S. citizen.
The law, which allows presidents to use the military domestically, has been invoked on more than two dozen occasions — but rarely since the 20th Century's Civil Rights Movement.
Federal forces typically are called to quell widespread violence that has broken out on the local level — before Washington's involvement and when local authorities ask for help. When presidents acted without local requests, it was usually to enforce the rights of individuals who were being threatened or not protected by state and local governments. A third scenario is an outright insurrection — like the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Experts in constitutional and military law say none of that clearly applies in Minneapolis.
“This would be a flagrant abuse of the Insurrection Act in a way that we've never seen,” said Joseph Nunn, an attorney at the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty and National Security Program. “None of the criteria have been met.”
William Banks, a Syracuse University professor emeritus who has written extensively on the domestic use of the military, said the situation is “a historical outlier” because the violence Trump wants to end “is being created by the federal civilian officers” he sent there.
But he also cautioned Minnesota officials would have “a tough argument to win” in court, because the judiciary is hesitant to challenge “because the courts are typically going to defer to the president” on his military decisions.
Here is a look at the law, how it's been used and comparisons to Minneapolis.
George Washington signed the first version in 1792, authorizing him to mobilize state militias — National Guard forerunners — when “laws of the United States shall be opposed, or the execution thereof obstructed.”
He and John Adams used it to quash citizen uprisings against taxes, including liquor levies and property taxes that were deemed essential to the young republic's survival.
Congress expanded the law in 1807, restating presidential authority to counter “insurrection or obstruction” of laws. Nunn said the early statutes recognized a fundamental “Anglo-American tradition against military intervention in civilian affairs” except “as a tool of last resort.”
The president argues Minnesota officials and citizens are impeding U.S. law by protesting his agenda and the presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and Customs and Border Protection officers. Yet early statutes also defined circumstances for the law as unrest “too powerful to be suppressed by the ordinary course” of law enforcement.
There are between 2,000 and 3,000 federal authorities in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, compared to Minneapolis, which has fewer than 600 police officers. Protesters' and bystanders' video, meanwhile, has shown violence initiated by federal officers, with the interactions growing more frequent since Renee Good was shot three times and killed.
“ICE has the legal authority to enforce federal immigration laws,” Nunn said. “But what they're doing is a sort of lawless, violent behavior” that goes beyond their legal function and “foments the situation” Trump wants to suppress.
“They can't intentionally create a crisis, then turn around to do a crackdown,” he said, adding that the Constitutional requirement for a president to “faithfully execute the laws” means Trump must wield his power, on immigration and the Insurrection Act, “in good faith.”
Courts have blocked some of Trump's efforts to deploy the National Guard, but he'd argue with the Insurrection Act that he does not need a state's permission to send troops.
That traces to President Abraham Lincoln, who held in 1861 that Southern states could not legitimately secede. So, he convinced Congress to give him express power to deploy U.S. troops, without asking, into Confederate states he contended were still in the Union. Quite literally, Lincoln used the act as a legal basis to fight the Civil War.
Nunn said situations beyond such a clear insurrection as the Confederacy still require a local request or another trigger that Congress added after the Civil War: protecting individual rights. Ulysses S. Grant used that provision to send troops to counter the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists who ignored the 14th and 15th amendments and civil rights statutes.
During post-war industrialization, violence erupted around strikes and expanding immigration — and governors sought help.
President Rutherford B. Hayes granted state requests during the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 after striking workers, state forces and local police clashed, leading to dozens of deaths. Grover Cleveland granted a Washington state governor's request — at that time it was a U.S. territory — to help protect Chinese citizens who were being attacked by white rioters. President Woodrow Wilson sent troops to Colorado in 1914 amid a coal strike after workers were killed.
Federal troops helped diffuse each situation.
Banks stressed that the law then and now presumes that federal resources are needed only when state and local authorities are overwhelmed — and Minnesota leaders say their cities would be stable and safe if Trump's feds left.
As Grant had done, mid-20th century presidents used the act to counter white supremacists.
Franklin Roosevelt dispatched 6,000 troops to Detroit — more than double the U.S. forces in Minneapolis — after race riots that started with whites attacking Black residents. State officials asked for FDR's aid after riots escalated, in part, Nunn said, because white local law enforcement joined in violence against Black residents. Federal troops calmed the city after dozens of deaths, including 17 Black residents killed by local police.
Once the Civil Rights Movement began, presidents sent authorities to Southern states without requests or permission, because local authorities defied U.S. civil rights law and fomented violence themselves.
Dwight Eisenhower enforced integration at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas; John F. Kennedy sent troops to the University of Mississippi after riots over James Meredith's admission and then pre-emptively to ensure no violence upon George Wallace's “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” to protest the University of Alabama's integration.
“There could have been significant loss of life from the rioters” in Mississippi, Nunn said.
Lyndon Johnson protected the 1965 Voting Rights March from Selma to Montgomery after Wallace's troopers attacked marchers' on their first peaceful attempt.
Johnson also sent troops to multiple U.S. cities in 1967 and 1968 after clashes between residents and police escalated. The same thing happened in Los Angeles in 1992, the last time the Insurrection Act was invoked.
Riots erupted after a jury failed to convict four white police officers of excessive use of force despite video showing them beating a Rodney King, a Black man. California Gov. Pete Wilson asked President George H.W. Bush for support.
Bush authorized about 4,000 troops — but after he had publicly expressed displeasure over the trial verdict. He promised to “restore order” yet directed the Justice Department to open a civil rights investigation, and two of the L.A. officers were later convicted in federal court.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.
Federal prosecutors charged 26 people in a massive college basketball point-shaving scheme Thursday, which involved numerous players and teams from NCAA Division I men's basketball.
College basketball players were bribed to throw games and enrich sports gamblers during a recent period from September 2022 to February of last year.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, David Metcalf, described the scheme as “massive” and an “international criminal conspiracy.”
“It enveloped the world of college basketball,” he said at a news conference in Philadelphia.
The gamblers often placed bets and then recruited players with the promise of sums in the tens of thousands if they could purposely underperform in their games. If the players properly underperformed, the gamblers would win their bets, often against the teams of the bribed players.
“For example, if a team was favored to lose by 4 points, the player would receive a bribe to underperform so that his team would lose by more than that,” Metcalf said.
Several prominent schools' teams games were involved in the scheme: Abilene Christian, Alabama State, Butler, DePaul, Duquesne, East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Fordham, Georgetown, Kennesaw State, Kent State, La Salle, McNeese State, Nicholls State, Ohio University, St. Louis University, St. John's, SUNY Buffalo, Tulane, and Western Michigan University.
The betting scheme began with bets placed on Chinese Basketball Association games. Former Chicago Bulls player Antonio Blakeney allegedly colluded with Marvis Fairley and Shane Hennen to fix CBA games.
“The scheme proved lucrative,” Metcalf said. “Mr. Hennen, we allege, texted a confederate that the only things certain in life were ‘death, taxes, and Chinese basketball.'”
The betting scheme was then moved to the United States, and conspirators began recruiting college basketball players to participate.
“They picked these men because they were well connected in the world of college basketball,” Metcalf said. “They knew the players, many of them were players themselves, they were alumni, they were trainers, they were recruiters, they were networkers, they were people of influence, and because of that influence, they added gravitas and legitimacy to the scheme.”
NCAA President Charlie Baker was aware of the charges, and the organization had already investigated, or was investigating, almost all the teams named.
RAND PAUL INTRODUCES THE COLLEGIATE SPORTS INTEGRITY ACT IN SENATE
“The pattern of college basketball game integrity conduct revealed by law enforcement today is not entirely new information to the NCAA,” Baker said in a statement.
The college basketball betting scheme comes after the NCAA banned three prominent Division 1 basketball players for participating in “sports-betting related game manipulation.”
In this article
Shares of Novo Nordisk rose more than 5% on Friday after early prescription data showed an encouraging start to the U.S. launch of the company's new GLP-1 pill for obesity.
In a Friday note, TD Cowen analysts called it a "solid start" for the first-ever weight loss pill, but said "one data point does not make a trend." They cautioned that they need to see more data to fully assess what early demand is like for the Wegovy pill, which officially launched on Jan. 5 after winning approval in late December.
Still, the initial data is a boost to the Danish drugmaker's hopes of winning back more market share from its chief rival, Eli Lilly, this year in the booming obesity and diabetes drug space. Eli Lilly won the majority market share in early 2025 and is trailing closely behind Novo Nordisk in the pill space, as it prepares for the upcoming launch of its own oral drug for obesity.
In a Friday note, Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger said the Wegovy pill had around 3,100 prescriptions filled in the first week of the launch, citing IQVIA data for the week ending Jan. 9. Eli Lilly's popular obesity injection, Zepbound, had around 1,300 prescriptions filled in the first week of its commercial launch, and roughly 8,000 in the second week, he noted. That injection won U.S. approval in late 2023.
The TD Cowen analysts cited slightly different data published by Symphony through Bloomberg.
The analysts said around 4,290 prescriptions were filled for Novo Nordisk's pill during its first full week of launch, with the majority being for the starting dose of the drug. They added that the data from their source or IQVIA likely don't include prescriptions through Novo Nordisk's direct-to-consumer pharmacy or its telehealth partners.
The analysts said that compares to the roughly 1,900 prescriptions filled for Zepbound during its first full week on the market.
Assuming the Symphony data is accurate, the pill "it is already outstripping its injectable counterparts at the same stage of their launch," TD Cowen analyst Michael Nedelcovych wrote in the note. A more direct comparison between the pill and the injections can be made based on available data early next week, though the figures may not prove more useful for another two to three quarters, he added.
Nedelcovych said he wants to see the full picture on the direct-to-consumer channel, which holds "significant promise" for the pill's launch.
Demand could also shift once Eli Lilly's pill, orforglipron, enters the market in the next few months, he added.
While Novo Nordisk's drug has a head start, it is a peptide medication with dietary requirements – no food or drink for 30 minutes after taking the pill with water – that may hinder uptake. Eli Lilly's pill is a small molecule drug and not a peptide, meaning it does not have those restrictions.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
President Donald Trump on Friday said he'd prefer to keep National Economic Council Director Hassett in his position as top economic advisor, a statement that could change the dynamic in the race to see who will replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair.
During an appearance in the White House, Trump said, "I see Kevin's in the audience, and I just want to thank you. You were fantastic on television today."
"I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth," he added.
Hassett has been considered a leading contender to take the central bank reigns, competing closely with former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh.
Trump has been a fierce Fed critic and has indicated he will replace Powell when his term as chair ends in May. Hassett and Warsh are two of five finalists for the position, a group that also includes current Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman.
Traders on Kalshi pushed Warsh well ahead of the person seen as his closest competitor, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
Trump has indicated he will name a Powell successor this month but hasn't provided a specific date. Powell's term as chair ends in May.
Turning to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump said, "We don't want to him lose [Hassett], Susie, but we'll see how it all works out."
After Trump spoke, traders on predictions market site Kalshi raised their bets to a 60% chance of Warsh getting the job, compared to just 16% for Hassett and 14% for Waller.
As recently as Wednesday, Warsh and Hassett were in a near dead heat.
"It is not certain this is a definitive signal – the President has given various signals at various times and appears to enjoy the drama of this Celebrity Apprentice season – but it does look as if the former Fed governor is for the first time the clear front-runner," wrote Krishna Guha, head global policy and central bank strategy at Evercore ISI.
Traders on Polymarket expressed a similar dynamic, with Warsh leading Hassett 60% to 15% and Waller at 13%. Traders are giving little odds to BlackRock fixed income chief Rick Rieder and Fed Governor Michelle Bowman, the other two candidates considered finalists.
Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
President Donald Trump on Friday said he'd prefer to keep National Economic Council Director Hassett in his position as top economic advisor, a statement that could change the dynamic in the race to see who will replace Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve chair.
During an appearance in the White House, Trump said, "I see Kevin's in the audience, and I just want to thank you. You were fantastic on television today."
"I actually want to keep you where you are, if you want to know the truth, he added.
Hassett has been considered a leading contender to take the central bank reigns, competing closely with former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh.
Trump has been a fierce Fed critic and has indicated he will replace Powell when his term as chair ends in May. Hassett and Warsh are two of five finalists for the position, a group that also includes current Fed Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman.
Traders on Kalshi pushed Warsh well ahead of the person seen as his closest competitor, National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett.
Trump has indicated he will name a Powell successor this month but hasn't provided a specific date. Powell's term as chair ends in May.
Turning to White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Trump said, "We don't want to him lose [Hassett], Susie, but we'll see how it all works out."
After Trump spoke, traders on predictions market site Kalshi raised their bets to a 60% chance of Warsh getting the job, compared to just 16% for Hassett and 14% for Waller.
As recently as Wednesday, Warsh and Hassett were in a near dead heat.
"It is not certain this is a definitive signal – the President has given various signals at various times and appears to enjoy the drama of this Celebrity Apprentice season – but it does look as if the former Fed governor is for the first time the clear front-runner," wrote Krishna Guha, head global policy and central bank strategy at Evercore ISI.
Traders on Polymarket expressed a similar dynamic, with Warsh leading Hassett 60% to 15% and Waller at 13%. Traders are giving little odds to BlackRock fixed income chief Rick Rieder and Fed Governor Michelle Bowman, the other two candidates considered finalists.
Disclosure: CNBC and Kalshi have a commercial relationship.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
To share your story, or find out how to get involved with CNBC Cures, email CNBC.cures@cnbc.com
The growth of China's biotechnology sector has been staggering. Beijing is pumping money into the industry, backing research efforts and helping launch a new wave of labs and incubators in the country. That's a problem for the U.S. biotech industry and also affects rare disease patients who are waiting for a cure.
Among the experts speaking out against China's growing influence in the biotech sector is John Crowley, CEO of the lobbying group Biotechnology Innovation Organization, or BIO.
Crowley is something of a rock star in the rare disease community. His story is as incredible as it is inspiring.
When Crowley and his wife were told his two young children had Pompe disease, a fatal genetic disorder, Crowley left his job in marketing to try to find a cure. He partnered with a researcher who was working on Pompe, and started a company that eventually developed a treatment to save the lives of his children and thousands of others.
If it sounds like the plot of a movie, it is. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Geeta Anand wrote a book about Crowley's story, which later became the Hollywood film "Extraordinary Measures," starring Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser.
Crowley has certainly made his mark in the biotech space. He helped build two biotech companies focused on rare diseases that were later acquired by larger pharmaceuticals. Most recently, in December, BioMarin paid nearly $5 billion for Amicus Therapeutics, a company Crowley helped grow from a five-person startup in 2005 to a multibillion-dollar company when he left in 2024. Crowley left Amicus to become the CEO of BIO.
Since stepping into that post, he has become increasingly outspoken about China's biotech sector, advocating for the U.S. to become more competitive.
"We need to reduce the reliance on Chinese biotechs," Crowley said. "Once they are the dominant player, then they will decide who gets what medicines and technologies."
Crowley has seen the growth of China's biotech firsthand. "I go back to even just 10 years ago, maybe, working in China. There were maybe a couple hundred true R&D biotech companies in China. By our count, there's over 4,000 today," he said.
At the same time, Beijing is reducing the regulatory hurdles for drugmakers doing research in China, meaning the treatments they're working on can get into clinical trials more quickly. That's attractive to both major drug manufacturers and smaller researchers from around the world, who see developing drugs in China as a faster and cheaper option than in the United States. A recent article in STAT profiled the rise of one Chinese incubator, ATLATL, highlighting how it's been able to develop relationships with clients spanning the entire drug development pipeline.
To Crowley, who is a former naval intelligence officer, China's rise in biotech is a threat not just to the industry he represents, but to the millions of patients who rely upon the rare disease research that comes out of American universities.
"Our research grounded in our great academic institutions [is] a remarkable strategic advantage for the United States," Crowley said. "It's threatened today."
"The greatest threat comes from China and the rise of Chinese biotechnology," Crowley said.
"We can't let China win in biotech," he said.
Crowley is not alone in his concerns. Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, a member of the CNBC Cures Advisory Board, devotes a chapter in his forthcoming book, "The Miracle Century," to China's rise in biotech. In the book, Gottlieb lays out the case that as Beijing has simplified the regulatory approval process so breakthrough medical treatments get to market sooner, investment in those technologies has flowed from the U.S. to China. He wrote:
"If this drift continues and more drug discovery migrates from the U.S. to China, we could see our capacity for innovation begin to erode. As capital flows toward Chinese firms, U.S. biotechnology hubs like Boston and San Francisco, long the seedbeds of breakthrough science, may shrink. Restoring that American ecosystem would be anything but easy."
The shift in capital is not theoretical. It's happening.
A September article published in Nature found that from 2020-2025, 11 of the largest pharma players committed more than $150 billion in deals for access to assets developed in Asia, primarily in China.
And data gathered for another forthcoming book, "Innovation is the Best Medicine," by Dr. Roderick Wong, a physician and the founder and managing partner of life sciences investment firm RTW Investments, shows that from 2013-2025, China tripled its share of global clinical trial initiations.
Political think tanks and lawmakers in the U.S. have taken notice.
In November, the nonpartisan Atlantic Council published an analysis that identified pharmaceuticals as China's next trade weapon, likening the shift in biotech innovation to China to the offshoring of semiconductor chip manufacturing.
Spurred on by concerns about corporate espionage, access to sensitive genetic data, and memories of the supply chain bottlenecks the global medical supply industry faced after the Covid pandemic, Congress in late 2025 passed the Biosecure Act, which President Donald Trump later signed into law as part of the massive $901 billion defense spending bill.
The Biosecure Act prohibits biotech companies that receive federal funds from doing business with companies that the U.S. designates as "biotech companies of concern." While it won't prohibit all business U.S. biotech companies do with China, and language in the law was softened from an earlier version of the bill, the law is forcing some firms based in the U.S. to reexamine their ties to China.
But for people living with a rare disease, the issue isn't so clear-cut. Rare diseases don't respect borders. And parents looking for a lifesaving treatment for their child don't care if it comes from the U.S. or China. Innovation in the rare disease space is a good thing. And in a field where there might be only two or three experts in the world on any given disease, that innovation is often the result of international collaboration. More and more frequently that innovation is coming from China.
It's a conundrum that isn't lost on Gottlieb, who acknowledged the innovation from Beijing is good for rare disease patients. At least in the short term. "If the end result, though, is that the fragile U.S. innovation sector gets hollowed out and we lose our own engine of innovation, that's bad," Gottlieb said in a text. "The priority targets of Chinese drug makers may not reflect our priority targets."
"As China erodes other parts of our ecosystem, it could hollow out everything," he added.
Both Gottlieb and Crowley said the real key to maintaining U.S. leadership in biotech is getting regulators to treat rare diseases, which might affect only a few hundred people, differently from those with larger patient populations. Rare disease researchers agree, arguing that a more streamlined approval process for rare disease treatments from the FDA would dramatically bring down the cost of bringing a new treatment to market in the U.S.
David Liu, a pioneer in gene editing whose lab at Harvard University and the Broad Institute is at the cutting edge of genetic research, said he's asked the FDA to take a more lenient stance when evaluating new treatments for rare diseases. One example Liu pointed to: current guidelines for cell and gene therapies that require a company demonstrates three full-scale manufacturing runs before a treatment can get final approval.
"One full-scale manufacturing run typically costs $7 million for rare genetic disease gene editing treatments," Liu said. "One production run can typically already treat more patients than exist in the whole world. So you're just asking companies to throw away an extra $14 million."
Critics of current FDA policies argue that using a different set of standards for rare disease treatments would bring down development costs and help the drugs get to the people who need them more quickly, and that it could spur a new wave of investment in the space.
"Let's think creatively," Crowley said. "Don't apply the same standards for a rare disease with 100 kids to a treatment designed for a disease with millions of people."
"We need a system that works better," he said.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
The Trump administration on Friday will push the largest electricity grid in the U.S. to make the big technology companies pay for new power plants.
Electricity prices have exploded in recent years on PJM Interconnection due in large part to the data centers that tech companies are building to train and power artificial intelligence.
The PJM grid serves more than 65 million people across 13 states and Washington, D.C. Its service area includes northern Virginia, the largest data center market in the world.
President Donald Trump wants PJM to hold an emergency auction in which the tech companies would bid on contracts for new electricity generation, a White House official told CNBC.
Trump wants PJM to build $15 billion of new baseload power generation, the official said. He also wants PJM to cap the amount that existing power plants can charge in the grid's capacity market to protect ratepayers, the official said.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and governors from the mid-Atlantic region will announce an agreement Friday morning urging PJM to take these actions, the official said.
"Under President Trump's leadership, the administration is leading a unprecedented bi-partisan effort urging PJM to fix the energy subtraction failures of the past, prevent price increases, and reduce the risk of blackouts," White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said.
Bloomberg first reported the news.
Utility bills are rising in many parts of the U.S. despite Trump's promise to lower energy prices during his presidential campaign. The issue played a major role in the landslide victories of Democrats Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger in the governors' races of New Jersey and Virginia, respectively.
The price to secure power capacity in PJM has exploded in recent years with $23 billion attributable to data centers, according to watchdog Monitoring Analytics. Those costs are passed down to consumers. This amounts to a "massive wealth transfer," the watchdog told PJM in a November letter.
PJM was six gigawatts short of its reliability requirement for 2027 in its most recent auction. Six gigawatts is equivalent to six large nuclear plants.
The power shortage makes blackouts more likely, said Abe Silverman, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University who served as general counsel for New Jersey's public utility board from 2019 to 2023 under Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy.
"Instead of a blackout happening every one in 10 years, we're looking at something more often," Silverman said.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Norwegian lawmakers reacted with shock and dismay over Venezuela opposition leader María Corina Machado's decision to present U.S. President Donald Trump with her Nobel Peace Prize medal.
"It's completely unheard of," Janne Haaland Matlary, a professor of international politics at the University of Oslo and former state secretary in the foreign affairs ministry, told public broadcaster NRK on Friday.
She called Machado's gesture "disrespectful" and "pathetic," saying it undermined the value of the prize, which the Norwegian Nobel Committee awards annually.
Raymond Johansen, a Norwegian lawmaker for the center-left Labour Party and former governing mayor of Oslo, said in a Facebook post it was "incredibly embarrassing and damaging to one of the world's most respected and important prizes," according to a Google translation.
Machado, who met Trump at the White House for the first time on Thursday, said the gift to the U.S. president was a "profound expression of gratitude for the invaluable support of President Trump and the United States to the Venezuelan people." It comes after a U.S. military operation seized Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro, on Jan. 3.
The U.S. president thanked Machado on social media, describing it as a "wonderful gesture of mutual respect." The White House later posted a photo of Trump and Machado, with the U.S. president holding up a large, gold-colored frame displaying the medal.
The Nobel Peace Center, a museum in Norway's capital dedicated to the Nobel Peace Prize, said in a post on X: "A medal can change owners, but the title of a Nobel Peace Prize laureate cannot."
The Norwegian Nobel Committee and the Norwegian Nobel Institute had previously said: "The facts are clear and well established. Once a Nobel Prize is announced, it cannot be revoked, shared, or transferred to others. The decision is final and stands for all time."
"Whoever has received the prize has received the prize," Trygve Slagsvold Vedum, leader of Norway's Centre Party, told NRK. "The fact that Trump accepts the medal says something about him as a type: a classic scapegoat who will adorn himself with other people's awards and work," he added.
The White House was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC on Friday.
Trump has frequently spoken about his desire to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The White House responded to the Nobel Committee's decision to award Machado the medal in October last year by saying they had "proved they place politics over peace."
Some Norwegian lawmakers appeared happy to brush off Machado's gesture, however, saying it should not be seen as an indication of who the award rightfully belongs to.
Dag-Inge Ulstein, leader of Norway's center-right Christian Democratic Party, told NRK that there is "no doubt" that the Nobel Peace Prize still belongs to Machado.
Ine Eriksen Søreide, Norway's former defense minister and a member of the center-right Conservative Party, agreed with Ulstein.
"Even though Trump has now received the medal, it does not mean that he has received the Peace Prize," Søreide said.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Every time Pete publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
Elon Musk called for the firing of the billionaire CEO of Europe's biggest airline as they traded insults in an escalating war of words over Starlink.
Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary isn't convinced by Starlink, Musk's satellite internet provider, which is becoming more popular among airlines.
For example, Lufthansa — the German flag carrier which runs the continent's second-largest airline group — announced on Tuesday that it would introduce the service. The following day, Scandinavian Airlines operated its first flight with Starlink.
However, as a budget airline, Ryanair is known for its no-frills offering.
"We don't think our passengers are willing to pay for WiFi for an average one-hour flight," O'Leary told Reuters on Wednesday.
Every time Pete publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Stay connected to Pete and get more of their work as it publishes.
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
His comments sparked a debate on X. Musk said in a post: "They [Ryanair] will lose customers to airlines that do have internet."
In a subsequent interview on Irish radio on Thursday, the outspoken Ryanair boss said adding Starlink would cost the airline between $200 million and $250 million a year.
"In other words, about an extra dollar for every passenger we fly, and the reality for us is we can't afford those costs," he told Newstalk.
"Passengers won't pay for internet usage; if it's free, they'll use it — but they won't pay one euro each to use the internet."
He then hit back at Musk, saying people should "pay no attention whatsoever to Elon Musk."
"He's an idiot. Very wealthy, but he's still an idiot," O'Leary added.
Musk then threw another shot on Friday morning, calling O'Leary an "utter idiot."
"Fire him," he added.
O'Leary has been the Ryanair CEO since 1994. Last month, he told the Financial Times that he plans to retire in five to 10 years. "I don't want to hang around till 96 like Buffett," he said.
He owns around 4% of the airline, making him a billionaire and one of the richest people in Ireland.
Ryanair and its subsidiaries operate a fleet of 643 airplanes, which handled 206 million passengers last year. 2024's statistics showed that it was the world's third-largest airline group, behind American Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
The Irish airline's low-cost business model allows it to offer tickets as low as 15 euros, or about $17.40. It focuses on quick turnarounds between flights, charging for add-ons like sitting next to your friends, and on-board sales, including scratchcards and duty-free cigarettes.
Every airline that's announced Starlink deals so far has included free in-flight internet for everyone on board. So, even if O'Leary changed his mind, it seems unlikely that Musk's company would let him charge Ryanair passengers to use Starlink.
SpaceX executives also took umbrage at what they said was incorrect information about the fuel costs incurred by installing Starlink.
"You need to put [an] antenna on [the] fuselage — it comes with a 2% fuel penalty because of the weight and drag," O'Leary told Reuters.
Michael Nicolls, the VP of Starlink engineering, said in a Wednesday X post that Starlink terminals have a more fuel-efficient profile than other airplane internet providers. He added that SpaceX's analysis showed a Starlink terminal instead increased fuel costs by 0.3% on a Boeing 737-800, the model that makes up the bulk of Ryanair's fleet.
"Hmm, must be a way to get that down under 0.1%," Musk replied to him.
Ryanair declined to comment on Musk's and Nicolls' remarks when contacted by Business Insider. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
While US budget airlines have recently pivoted to offer more premium options under intense financial pressures, Ryanair has little reason to do so. Adding an amenity like Starlink would be at odds with its business model, especially if it were free for passengers.
Post-pandemic, more American travellers have been paying extra for more luxurious flights. Budget airlines have also struggled to compete on price with legacy carriers.
But on the other side of the Atlantic, Ryanair has managed to balance a spartan approach with financial success.
In its latest quarterly earnings, Ryanair posted after-tax profits of 1.72 billion euros, about $2 billion — a 20% increase from a year earlier. Southwest Airlines' latest quarterly earnings were down nearly 20% year-over-year to $54 million.
Jump to
This is CNBC's Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.
Happy Friday. This week isn't even over yet, but I'm already gearing up for next week's big events: the World Economic Forum in Davos, a major Supreme Court case and Netflix earnings.
S&P 500 futures are higher this morning after yesterday's winning session.
Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:
Chip stocks led the market higher yesterday after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company released better-than-expected results, including a 35% year-over-year increase in fourth-quarter profit.
Here's what to know:
If you're disappointed to hear that Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman's parent company filed for bankruptcy, you're not alone. Amazon would also like to have a word with Saks Global.
The e-commerce site asked a federal judge yesterday to block Saks' bankruptcy financing plan, accusing the retailer of failing to hold up its agreement. Amazon invested $475 million into Saks' 2024 acquisition of Neiman Marcus, but "that equity investment is now presumptively worthless," Amazon lawyers wrote in the filing.
The company told the judge that it and other creditors would be hurt by Saks' bankruptcy financing plan because it would have the department store operator take on more debt. As CNBC's Gabrielle Fonrouge and Annie Palmer report, Amazon threatened to "seek more drastic remedies" if Saks doesn't resolve its concerns.
President Donald Trump yesterday unveiled an outline of his health-care plan, which his administration said would reduce drug prices and insurance premiums.
The plan — dubbed the "The Great Healthcare Plan" by the White House — would codify Trump's "most-favored-nation" policy, which ties the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S. to lower prices abroad. A fact sheet said the plan would also send money for health insurance "directly" to Americans, though some health policy experts say that's a bad idea.
The announcement came as senators struggled to reach an agreement on the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. The new plan does not include extending the Obamacare tax credits, which Democrats demand be part of a health-care deal.
CNBC's Morning Squawk recaps the biggest stories investors should know before the stock market opens, every weekday morning.
Subscribe here to get access today.
Prediction markets could be getting a big bank backer.
Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said yesterday that the bank is exploring opportunities in the growing corner of finance, telling investors on the company's earnings call that he "personally met with the two big prediction companies and their leadership in the last two weeks."
While Solomon pumped the brakes on the idea that Wall Street would rapidly embrace prediction markets, he noted that trading platforms regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission "look like derivative contract activities."
"So I can certainly see opportunities where these cross into our business," he said.
From the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, to the Super Bowl, to the NBA All-Star game, sports fans have a lot to look forward to next month.
And so does NBCUniversal, which will air all three events on NBC and its streaming service Peacock. NBC Chief Marketing Officer Jenny Storms is calling it "Legendary February," and it's set to be a big test for the broadcaster, which spent billions of dollars on live sports rights.
As CNBC's Alex Sherman reports, next month is simply a reflection of what's become NBC's strategy, which — despite what co-CEO of parent company Comcast Mike Cavanagh says — is sports-first.
Here are a few stories worth reading over the long weekend.
CNBC's Dylan Butts, Pia Singh, Ari Levy, Kif Leswing, Emily Tan, Sarah Min, Gabrielle Fonrouge, Annie Palmer, Kevin Breuninger, Garrett Downs, Annika Kim Constantino, Greg Iacurci, Yun Li and Alex Sherman contributed to this report. Melodie Warner edited this edition.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Russia called the Trump administration's threats to take over Greenland "extraordinary" on Friday, adding it would continue monitoring the situation.
"The situation is unusual, I would even say extraordinary from the standpoint of international law," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to comments reported by Russian state news outlet Ria Novosti.
U.S. President Donald Trump has talked up acquiring Greenland, a self-governing Danish territory, since a daring military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. He said the U.S. needs Greenland for national security and that only Washington can counter an alleged threat from Russia and China to the island.
Peskov added that Trump "has said that international law is not a priority for him. The situation is developing along a different trajectory, and we, along with the rest of the world, will be watching to see which one."
A spokesperson for the Kremlin was not immediately available to comment when contacted by CNBC.
Peskov's comments come shortly after the U.S., Denmark and Greenland held crunch talks over the future of the Arctic island.
The White House meeting, which was described as "frank but constructive" by Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, ended on Wednesday without a diplomatic breakthrough, although they agreed to keep talking via a high-level working group.
In a recent interview with the New York Times, Trump said he doesn't "need international law" and that only his "own morality" and mind can stop him.
Several NATO members have deployed small numbers of troops to Greenland for a joint military exercise, meanwhile, seeking to beef up the military presence in and around the sparsely populated island.
Denmark, which is responsible for Greenland's defense, Germany, France, Sweden and Norway have all confirmed plans to take part in the joint exercises, known as "Operation Arctic Endurance."
Earlier in the week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that it was unacceptable to say that Beijing and Moscow were a threat to Greenland, accusing the West of double standards.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Every time Thibault publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
As the race to dominate AI accelerates, Europe's most prominent AI startup is betting that geography — not just technology — can be a competitive advantage in its home market.
Arthur Mensch, the CEO and cofounder of French AI company Mistral, said the company's edge in Europe over Silicon Valley rivals like OpenAI, Google, and Anthropic isn't about having dramatically smarter models.
Instead, he said that many European governments and regulated enterprises are seeking AI systems they can control, customize, and operate independently, rather than relying on a small number of external providers.
"European governments are coming to us because they want to build the technology and they want to serve their citizens," Mensch said on the "Big Technology Podcast" on Wednesday.
Mistral, founded in 2023 and now valued at roughly $14 billion, develops large language models that rival those of leading US systems.
But Mensch said that frontier AI models are rapidly converging in performance as research spreads and training techniques become widely available.
As a result, the real battleground is shifting away from raw intelligence and toward deployment, control, and trust — a shift that plays directly into Mistral's pitch in Europe.
Mensch said governments, banks, and heavily regulated industries want AI systems they can customize, deploy locally, and operate independently — without fear that a single vendor could change the rules or shut off access.
The approach has already paid off. France's military recently selected Mistral for an AI deal that keeps sensitive systems running on French-controlled infrastructure.
Mensch pushed back on the idea that the company benefits merely from EU regulation or protectionism.
Instead, he framed the demand as geopolitical and operational.
European governments, he said, want AI that they can govern themselves and use to serve citizens without depending on foreign platforms.
The same logic applies to regulated enterprises that need tighter control over data, compliance, and security.
Mistral's embrace of open-source models is central to that strategy.
Open source allows customers to run AI on their own infrastructure, build redundancy, and avoid vendor lock-in — a sharp contrast to the closed, centralized platforms favored by many US firms.
The appeal isn't limited to Europe. Mensch said Mistral also works with US and Asian customers who want to reduce dependence on a small group of American providers and retain more autonomy over how AI is used inside their organizations.
That approach is already extending beyond the West. Mistral recently deepened a partnership with Morocco's government to co-build locally tailored AI models and launch a joint research and development lab aimed at strengthening the country's technological autonomy.
Long term, Mensch said he doesn't believe AI will be dominated by a single winner or country. Instead, he expects multiple regional centers of expertise shaped by local needs, industries, and political realities.
In that future, he suggested, Mistral's biggest advantage may not be the models it builds — but where, and how, it builds them.
Do you work for Mistral and have a tip or story to share? Contact this reporter via email at tspirlet@businessinsider.com or Signal at thibaultspirlet.40. Use a personal email address, a nonwork WiFi network, and a nonwork device; here's our guide to sharing information securely.
Jump to
A survey released Friday by corporate insurer Axis Capital shows there's a growing divide across the C-suite on how executives view the risks, rewards and impact of cutting-edge AI technology.
On one hand, artificial intelligence is rapidly improving cybersecurity defense technologies, but AI is also equipping cybercriminals with sophisticated tools and creating new risks.
"When you think about AI, it is not merely a cyber challenge. This technology presents unique burdens, liabilities, challenges and opportunities to CEOs and boards alike," Axis CEO Vincent Tizzio told CNBC in an exclusive interview.
Axis surveyed 250 CEOs and chief information security officers across the U.S. and U.K. on how AI is reshaping the cyber risk landscape. The survey found that while CEOs tend to view AI as a driver of productivity and competitive advantage, CISOs tend to see the technology as a source of increased exposure to risks like data leaks.
Asked how confident they were that AI would strengthen their companies' cybersecurity, 19.5% of CEOs said they weren't confident compared to 30% of CISOs saying they lacked that confidence.
"The rapidity of change that's going on in AI renders reconsideration of the purchases that they're making and taking around the tools that they're bringing to the company," Tizzio said.
The study also found that AI is generally viewed positively among both U.S. and U.K. executives, although U.K. respondents expressed more caution than those in the U.S.
While 85% of U.S. leaders said they felt prepared for AI threats, only 44% in the U.K. said they felt prepared.
Cybersecurity is a major investment priority for executives as ransomware attacks have nearly doubled over the past two years, with 82% of respondents saying they plan to increase their cybersecurity budgets over the next 12 months.
"I haven't met a fellow CEO or board member that doesn't talk about the critical importance of discussing cyber as an exposure to the company's well-being," Tizzio said.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Every time Alistair publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
Hospitals, law firms, and tech companies are getting a preview of how AI is likely to reshape work: by automating tasks without eliminating the underlying jobs.
That's the core message Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang emphasized in a recent appearance on the No Priors podcast.
In a wide-ranging interview, he argued that fears of mass job destruction often confuse the "tasks" involved in a job with the broader "purpose" of the role. AI, in his view, changes how tasks get done, but the purpose remains the same. And that means, the technology probably won't destroy jobs and could even increase demand for the people responsible for outcomes at work.
Huang's framing is straightforward: Most jobs contain repeatable tasks that technology can compress, and a broader purpose that remains human-led. He highlighted radiology as a real-world example.
Years ago, AI pioneer Geoffrey Hinton predicted that AI would eradicate many radiology jobs and advised students to avoid the field. The opposite happened. While AI is automating many radiology tasks, there are actually more radiologists employed now than when Hinton made his prediction in 2016.
Here are the killer stats, shared in this 2025 blog post that describes why radiologists are still in huge demand: In 2025, American diagnostic radiology residency programs offered a record 1,208 positions, a 4% increase from 2024, and the field's vacancy rates are at all-time highs. Also, in 2025, radiology was the second-highest-paid medical specialty in the country, with an average income of $520,000, over 48% percent higher than the average radiologist salary in 2015 (the year before Hinton's prediction).
How did this happen? Huang argued that the job's purpose isn't "reading scans." Those are tasks that AI has automated. The true purpose of a radiologist is to diagnose disease, guide treatment, and support those efforts with research. When AI helps clinicians evaluate more images with higher confidence, hospitals can serve more patients, generate more revenue, and justify hiring more specialists.
The same logic, he said, applies across the economy.
"I spend most of my day typing," Huang noted, describing typing as a task, not his job's purpose. Tools that automate writing don't eliminate the need for executives; they often expand the amount of work leaders and other employees can take on, he said.
"The fact that somebody could use AI to automate a lot of my typing — I really appreciate that, and it helps a lot," he said. "It hasn't really made me, if you will, less busy. In a lot of ways, I become more busy because I'm able to do more work."
This "task versus purpose" framework is increasingly visible in knowledge work, where AI tools are speeding up and automating tasks such as drafting, summarizing, and generating code.
Huang pointed to software engineering as a case where AI can reduce time spent on a core task (writing code) while raising demand for the job's purpose: solving problems and identifying new ones worth solving.
Nvidia, he said, is hiring aggressively even as AI coding tools such as Cursor spread through the company's engineering teams, because productivity gains allow companies to pursue more ideas. That can boost revenue, leaving more money to hire new staff.
Law is another example he cited. Reading and drafting contracts are tasks, while the purpose of a lawyer is to protect clients and resolve disputes. AI can accelerate document-heavy work, but the role's true value relies on judgment, strategy, and accountability — and you need experienced, trustworthy human attorneys for that.
This even applies to waiters working in a restaurant. Their task is taking food orders, but their purpose is to ensure guests have a great time, Huang said.
"If some AI is taking the order or even delivering the food, their job is still helping us have a great experience," the CEO added. "They would reshape their jobs accordingly."
Huang's argument isn't that AI won't disrupt roles — it will. But he contends the early evidence points less toward a wholesale collapse of employment and more toward job redesign.
For workers, the implication is pragmatic: if your role is defined primarily by a repeatable task, AI is a direct threat. If it's anchored in outcomes — diagnosis, customer experience, problem-solving, conflict resolution — AI may be less a replacement than a lever, changing what you spend time on while keeping your job's purpose intact.
Sign up for BI's Tech Memo newsletter here. Reach out to me via email at abarr@businessinsider.com.
Jump to
In this article
U.S. Treasury yields rose on Friday as investors monitored the economic outlook and geopolitical concerns.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield gained more than 3 basis points to 4.197%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury advanced more than 2 basis points to 3.588%. The 30-year Treasury yield was also more than 2 basis points higher at 4.808%.
One basis point is equal to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.
Investors have been concerned about geopolitical uncertainty through the week, with President Donald Trump insistent on taking ownership of Greenland — a self-governing Danish territory — saying it's critical to U.S. national security. On Friday, the president floated imposing tariffs on countries "if they don't go along with Greenland."
A high-stakes meeting on Wednesday between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland over the Arctic island's future ended without a diplomatic solution, but talks are expected to continue.
Meanwhile, U.S.-Iran tensions have eased after Trump signaled he was holding off on military strikes, citing reports that Iran had reduced its violent crackdown on protesters.
Also this week, a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has created worries about the Fed's independence, and whether it might be politically influenced. Trump said Friday that he'd like to keep National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett in his position, a statement that boosted prediction market bets of former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh becoming the next Fed chair.
It's quiet on the economic data front, but investors are looking to the week ahead when the personal consumption expenditures index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, will be released and offer fresh insights on the economy.
The bond market will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
In this article
U.S. Treasury yields rose on Friday as investors monitored the economic outlook and geopolitical concerns.
The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield gained more than 3 basis points to 4.197%. The yield on the 2-year Treasury advanced more than 2 basis points to 3.588%. The 30-year Treasury yield was also more than 2 basis points higher at 4.808%.
One basis point is equal to 0.01%, and yields and prices move in opposite directions.
Investors have been concerned about geopolitical uncertainty through the week, with President Donald Trump insistent on taking ownership of Greenland — a self-governing Danish territory — saying it's critical to U.S. national security. On Friday, the president floated imposing tariffs on countries "if they don't go along with Greenland."
A high-stakes meeting on Wednesday between the U.S., Denmark and Greenland over the Arctic island's future ended without a diplomatic solution, but talks are expected to continue.
Meanwhile, U.S.-Iran tensions have eased after Trump signaled he was holding off on military strikes, citing reports that Iran had reduced its violent crackdown on protesters.
Also this week, a criminal investigation into Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has created worries about the Fed's independence, and whether it might be politically influenced. Trump said Friday that he'd like to keep National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett in his position, a statement that boosted prediction market bets of former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh becoming the next Fed chair.
It's quiet on the economic data front, but investors are looking to the week ahead when the personal consumption expenditures index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, will be released and offer fresh insights on the economy.
The bond market will be closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Every time Lucia publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
Why has the market fallen out of love with Disney?
Bob Iger is nearing the end of a multi-year comeback run as CEO and has overseen several key improvements to Disney's business. Streaming has stopped bleeding cash. The company has mapped out a major expansion pipeline for parks and experiences. ESPN is bolstering its streaming strategy as the pay-TV bundle continues to shrink.
Despite this, the stock is sitting about 43% below its 2021 peak — and it could leave a dent in Iger's legacy.
During Iger's 15-year first run as CEO, which ended in 2020, Disney's stock surged as he transformed the company through acquisitions — Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm — that powered its movies, TV shows, consumer products, and parks. The introduction of the streaming service Disney+ in 2019 set off a growth narrative that saw the stock reach its all-time high of $198.60 in March 2021.
Since then, Disney has fallen well behind the S&P 500. Disney is trading around $114 — up about 24% from the start of Iger's second term as CEO. By comparison, the S&P has gained around 75%.
"Disney was the one stock in media that you could compare to everyone else," longtime Bank of America analyst Jessica Reif Ehrlich said, referring to the broader market. "This is the lowest relative valuation it's had in more than 40 years."
Disney is operating within a complicated environment for media giants during Iger's second run, which is reflected in the varied stock performance of its competitors. Disney has no exact peer, but shares of its biggest rival, the pure-play streamer Netflix, have gained nearly 206% since November 2022, when Iger returned to Disney. Warner Bros. Discovery — which includes a storied Hollywood studio and HBO — was lagging until takeover interest fueled a stock run. Its shares are up 165% in that time period. Shares of NBCUniversal owner Comcast, which is dealing with both a troubled cable business and a sub-scale streamer, have declined about 12%.
Disney employees and everyday investors who spoke with Business Insider said they were frustrated by the stock's performance, but most believed it would eventually rebound.
"The fundamentals are there, and while the stock has lagged, it's part of a diversified portfolio, so I can afford to wait it out," said Dia Adams, a Disney fan and travel agent.
So, what's holding back the stock?
Wall Street analysts — most of whom, including Bank of America, recommend the stock — describe Disney as comprising three separate but interconnected businesses, each with its own distinct risk profile. At any given time, one of them looks shaky enough to hamper Disney's overall growth story.
Disney's Entertainment division, which spans linear TV networks, streaming services, and studios, is the most complex piece. Revenue from Disney's traditional TV business continues to decline as viewers shift away from the medium. That was on full display in Disney's fiscal fourth quarter ending September 27, with linear operating income falling 21% year over year.
The streaming business has been a bright spot, with operating income up 39% year over year in the fourth quarter. However, skeptics are concerned about streaming's ability to replace linear TV's decline and point out that growth is increasingly coming from outside the US, where people are often more price-sensitive.
The streaming wars could also get tougher for Disney moving forward. Netflix and Paramount Skydance are in a bidding war over Warner Bros. Discovery, and whichever combination emerges will create a larger rival that could put pressure on Disney.
Then there's Disney's studio business: hit-driven and expensive.
Wall Street was looking for Iger to work his magic on the movie business, and the films were "horrific" in Disney's 2025 fiscal year, Ehrlich said. The company blamed a decline in studio revenue on comparisons to the prior year's "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Inside Out 2." Things have been looking up, though, with the blockbuster performance of "Zootopia 2" at the box office.
The Experiences division encompasses theme parks and cruise ships, and has become a top driver of profit for Disney. The division's recent strength has relied heavily on price increases rather than a bump in attendance.
That raises a key question: How much pricing power does Disney have left?
In 2025, domestic park attendance decreased 1%, according to Disney's annual report. Disney has also faced concerns about competition in Florida from Comcast's recently opened Epic Universe, and about the delayed debut of Disney Adventure in Singapore, now scheduled for March.
Sports is the smallest segment of Disney's business by revenue, but it has a clear growth story.
ESPN is modernizing for streaming with a newly enhanced app and big direct-to-consumer ambitions. That said, the cost of sports rights is increasing, and competition is intensifying — not only from traditional rivals like Fox, but also from deep-pocketed tech companies such as YouTube and Amazon.
Disney's sports spending was a topic on its latest earnings call after it paid more than a 73% increase for NBA rights in its latest deal, which kicked off with the 2025-2026 season. The company said the value to audiences and advertisers was big, even if the cost creates some "bumpiness" in financial results.
Wall Street sees no quick fix for Disney's stock. Analysts want proof of steady, repeatable earnings growth, whether from a stronger film slate, improved streaming profitability, or an expected lift from the cruise business in late 2026.
The stock price matters in ways that affect Disney operationally. Equity is critical to retaining top executives, and stagnant shares can dull the appeal of stock-based pay. This could complicate the job of Disney's next CEO.
Disney's CEO succession has become a favorite parlor game, with chatter centering on Experiences chief Josh D'Amaro and Disney Entertainment co-chair Dana Walden.
Regardless of who is chosen, investors are hoping for steady leadership over reinvention. The desire for continuity limits Iger's ability to make sweeping changes in his final months.
"Typically, CEOs will try very hard to exit on a high note," said Laurent Yoon, US media and telecom analyst at Bernstein. "For Iger, it's certainly not good. It's going to be difficult to get stock in a good direction, at least near term."
Jump to
Every time Huileng publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
Silver has outshone gold in the blistering precious-metals rally, but the surge may be running into a real-world constraint: The industries that actually use the white metal may be starting to pull back.
"At some price level, fabricators and end users simply cannot absorb higher costs," Ole Hansen, the head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank, wrote on Wednesday.
Industrial applications for silver include solar panels, electronics, and chips crucial to the AI buildout.
"They either try to pass them on and fail, cut back on purchases, or look for substitutes," Hansen added.
The spot silver price hit a fresh record high above $93 per troy ounce this week and is already up nearly 26% in 2026. The precious metal surged about 170% in 2025, far outpacing the 73% gain in gold prices over the same period.
Every time Huileng publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Stay connected to Huileng and get more of their work as it publishes.
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
Silver occupies a more complicated position than gold because it is both a precious metal and a core industrial input. This means it benefits from the same fear-driven demand that lifts gold, while also being tied to long-term themes such as electrification, solar energy, and electronics.
That mix made silver especially vulnerable to supply shocks. A physical short squeeze in London last year amplified the surge after inventories were left unusually thin by large flows of metal into US vaults amid tariff concerns.
Chinese production overcapacity and intense competition in recent years have driven up demand for the precious metal and other inputs.
With silver now trading around $91 an ounce, some industrial consumers are beginning to respond by cutting usage or turning to substitutes.
Recently, major Chinese solar manufacturers Longi Green Energy Technology and Jinko Solar said they would begin substituting some silver with cheaper base metals. Even so, it may take time before slower buying and the use of existing stockpiles become visible enough to change the broader narrative around silver's boom, Hansen wrote.
"Every rally eventually meets its limit, and for silver, the most likely brake is industrial demand destruction," wrote Hansen.
Get the latest Silver price here.
Jump to
Every time Amanda publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Enter your email
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
When Motolani Adedipe moved from Oklahoma to Seoul, South Korea, in August, she didn't just pack her suitcase — she brought along her 6-year-old daughter, newborn baby, and mom.
Adedipe, who is from Nigeria and moved to the US to attend grad school in Texas, first grew curious about South Korea while interning at a biotech firm in Boston, where she shared an apartment with a Korean roommate.
"For that summer, I ate a lot of Korean food. She put me on K-dramas," Adedipe, now 39, told Business Insider. That early curiosity soon grew into an interest in Korea's history, economy, and language.
Adedipe began learning Korean nine years ago online and continued after she moved to Oklahoma for work, where she became an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.
In September 2024, Adedipe applied for a Fulbright scholarship to extend her research in prostate cancer survivorship. She already knew she wanted to go to South Korea — even as she prepared to give birth to her second child that November.
Every time Amanda publishes a story, you'll get an alert straight to your inbox!
Stay connected to Amanda and get more of their work as it publishes.
By clicking “Sign up”, you agree to receive emails from Business Insider. In addition, you accept Insider's
Terms of Service and
Privacy Policy.
She made it through the first review in December, but when months passed with no update, she figured she hadn't made it. So when the acceptance came through in April, the moment felt surreal.
"It was like the best news and almost the worst news at the same time. Best because finally I get to do this. But of course, the anxiety, how do we start planning now?" Adedipe said.
Thankfully, her family was supportive, especially her husband.
"It required faith, sacrifice, structure, and for both of us to really imagine a life that looked very different from what we had planned," she said.
Her physician husband couldn't accompany her to South Korea, but they agreed that she would bring both daughters along.
"How many of her peers would ever say, 'Oh, I took a gap year in Korea'?" she said, referring to their 6-year-old.
Knowing the scholarship would last just one year made the decision easier. Her husband has visited them in South Korea several times and plans to make more trips over the coming months.
"I saw it as an opportunity for my children to experience another culture, language, and way of life, while still having a clear sense of return," Adedipe said.
Now, she homeschools her daughter in the morning before sending her to a "hagwon," a type of private academy that many Korean students attend after school.
"Not all of her friends speak English, so they kind of communicate through play," she said.
Adedipe's mom, who had traveled to Oklahoma to help out with the kids, joined them in Seoul.
As she searched for housing, Adedipe had a long checklist: enough space for her family, easy access to the subway, flat streets her mother, in her early 60s, could navigate, and a neighborhood that felt safe for kids.
She found a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Mapo-gu, a district in western Seoul home to several universities.
Although the apartment was smaller than she initially hoped for, it turned out to be a great fit: It's surrounded by greenery and about a 30-minute commute to her workplace.
Her scholarship includes a housing stipend that covers her rent, which she declined to share.
Per the latest December data from the Korea Real Estate Board, the median monthly rent for an apartment in Mapo-gu is 1.39 million Korean won, or about $940.
Adedipe says her schedule varies from week to week, but her work typically starts in the afternoons. She goes into her office at Seoul National University Hospital several times a week, while continuing to supervise her lab in Oklahoma remotely at night.
Data from the Ministry of Justice showed that the number of foreigners living in South Korea at the end of 2024 stood at 2.65 million, a 5.7% increase from the previous year.
A US veteran who had retired in South Korea previously told Business Insider that he appreciated the country's safety and culture of respect. Meanwhile, a millennial who moved from Switzerland to Seoul said she valued the convenience of city life, including how most stores stay open late.
One of the biggest adjustments, Adedipe said, has been the extent to which technology is deeply woven into daily life in Seoul. Nearly everything is tied to having a registered phone number.
"Once I got my card and I got a bank account and I got a phone number that was registered, life became easy," she said.
Even though the city is known for its fast-paced lifestyle, Adedipe says she's been surprised by its human side.
"I lost my stylus in the bus, and I was able to get it back. It was tagged, and they verified they found it. That could never happen in the US," she said.
Watching her daughter flourish and adapt to their life in Seoul has been especially meaningful.
"Now that I'm seeing where she's shining. My goal is to keep encouraging her to find her passion in life and do that," she said.
In addition to learning Korean, her daughter takes part in extracurricular activities, such as piano, inline skating, and Taekwondo.
"She's doing everything that I never could have been able to give her because in Oklahoma, if you're doing all those classes, you have to drive your kids to all those classes," she said. "But here in Korea, because of how the education is structured, she does all of that in a school, and she loves it."
Living abroad with her mother has brought them closer. After leaving Nigeria for the US in her 20s, Adedipe went nearly eight years without seeing her mom because of visa issues.
"And now that I get to live with her again, it's like a dream come true," she said.
Looking back on her own experience, Adedipe says living and working in South Korea has felt like a "full circle moment," after years of interest in the country.
"It felt like all the pieces of my life — research, storytelling, culture, and well-being — were suddenly being invited into the same room," she said.
Do you have a story to share about relocating to a new city? Contact this reporter at agoh@businessinsider.com.
Jump to
Mitsubishi Corporation said on Friday that it will acquire shale gas assets in the U.S. in a $7.53 billion deal, including debt, as the Japanese trading house looks to build on its presence in the country's energy market.
Mitsubishi is looking to capitalize on rising power needs from data centers, manufacturing, as well as LNG exports, by expanding in the the world's largest gas market, citing domestic consumption, production, exports, and further demand growth.
It will acquire the assets from Aethon Energy Management in Texas and Louisiana in a transaction that includes $5.2 billion in equity purchases and $2.33 billion in Aethon's debt.
Mitsubishi's deal comes after Japan's largest power generation company, JERA, announced a $1.5 billion investment in October in the Haynesville Shale basin on the Louisiana-Texas border, as part of Tokyo's $550 billion investment pledge to the U.S.
Last month, Japanese media outlet Nikkei reported that projects in the energy sector were likely candidates for Japan's investment pledge, although it was not immediately clear if Mitsubishi's deal counts toward the proposed investment.
In a filing with the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mitsubishi said that the investment will strengthen the earnings base of the company's natural gas and LNG businesses.
It will also accelerate efforts to build an integrated value chain in the United States, "from upstream gas development to power generation, data center development, chemicals production, and related businesses," the company said.
Shares of Mitsubishi fell 2% after the transaction was announced.
The company has multiple investments in natural gas, with projects in Alaska, Malaysia, Canada and Indonesia, among others.
Mitsubishi has a total LNG production capacity across projects of about 15 million metric tons per year currently, and Atheon assets are estimated to add a similar capacity, doubling overall output.
The company said it also plans to expand in the U.S. by engaging in power generation and manufacturing businesses that capitalize on competitive upstream gas projects.
Mitsubishi currently has partnerships in upstream shale gas development with U.S. energy company Ovintiv in British Columbia, Canada, midstream marketing and logistics through subsidiary CIMA Energy in Houston, and LNG exports via LNG Canada and Cameron LNG.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
In this article
Buoyed by yet another blockbuster earnings report and a new U.S.-Taiwan trade agreement, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is poised to accelerate its multibillion-dollar expansion in Arizona.
The world's largest contract chipmaker has already committed $165 billion in the U.S., aligning with Washington's push to rebuild its domestic chip manufacturing. But TSMC executives have signaled that spending will rise even further as the company expands capacity to meet demand for artificial intelligence chips.
Speaking Thursday with CNBC's Emily Tan, TSMC Chief Financial Officer Wendell Huang said the firm would continue to ramp up its investments in Arizona.
"We have strong conviction on the AI mega trend, and that is the reason we are stepping up the capital expenditures to expand in Taiwan and in the U.S.," Huang said. "Not just to expand, but also try to accelerate where it is possible to satisfy or narrow the gap."
The comments came just hours after Chief Executive Officer C.C. Wei said on the company's quarterly earnings call that TSMC had recently purchased additional land in Arizona and planned to build a "gigafab cluster" in the state.
While the company did not disclose the dollar value of its planned expansions in the U.S., it forecast capital expenditure in the new year to increase over 30% at the midpoint compared with 2025.
The Arizona expansion coincides with a U.S.-Taiwan trade deal signed Thursday that caps U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15%, down from 20%, without stacking on existing rates.
Under the agreement, Taiwanese firms commit $250 billion in direct U.S. investments across semiconductors, AI and related sectors, along with $250 billion in credit guarantees to strengthen supply chains. The deal also grants favorable treatment for chips, supporting efforts to reshore manufacturing to the U.S.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC's Brian Sullivan that the goal of the trade deal is to bring 40% of Taiwan's semiconductor supply chain to the U.S.
Ahead of TSMC's earnings release and the trade deal, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Taiwanese chip giant had been planning a significant expansion in Arizona as part of trade negotiations between the U.S. and Taiwan, citing confidential sources.
However, on Thursday, Huang denied that its U.S. investment plans were directly tied to those trade talks.
"The [U.S.-Taiwan] trade deal is between two governments, and we are not part of the discussions," he said.
"But what I will say is we are continuing to invest and accelerate our investment in Arizona because of customers' demand, and we actually are making very good progress with our [first fab] in Arizona being up and running.
The push to expand follows progress at its current U.S. facility following years of delays and concerns.
According to executives, TSMC's first fabrication plant, which has already begun mass production, is now producing chips with yields and technology levels comparable to those of the company's leading facilities in Taiwan.
"It demonstrates that our manufacturing excellence can be repeated in the U.S. It's very meaningful for ourselves, and it's also very meaningful for our customers," Huang said.
However, he noted that the company's most advanced technologies would continue to be developed and scaled up in Taiwan, where TSMC benefits from the necessary collaboration between its research teams and manufacturing operations.
Profit margins in Taiwan also remain higher than in the U.S., partly due to lower labor costs.
Still, the company's outlook in the U.S. has improved. TSMC has moved up the production timeline for its second Arizona plant to the second half of 2027, with construction on a third facility accelerating this year. It has also begun applying for permits for a fourth plant, the company said at its recent earnings call.
According to Huang, TSMC's original plan for its first 1,100 acres in Arizona included six wafer fabrication plants, two advanced packaging facilities and a research and development center.
However, that land proved to be insufficient for the expansion plans, prompting the purchase of an additional 900-acre lot. Some facilities that were part of the original plan will now be built on this second piece of land instead, with the remainder "used for future flexibilities," Huang said.
TSMC shares were trading up more than 3% in Taipei on Friday.
Got a confidential news tip? We want to hear from you.
Sign up for free newsletters and get more CNBC delivered to your inbox
Get this delivered to your inbox, and more info about our products and services.
© 2026 Versant Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. A Versant Media Company.
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes.
Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes, and Market Data
and Analysis.
Data also provided by
Getty Images
Crypto wants its way—even if it means near-term pain.
Fresh disagreements over how crypto should be regulated have undercut early 2026 "we are so back" vibes. While there was a rally in market prices earlier this week, that more recently has stumbled as the Clarity Act, legislation that seeks to create a regulatory framework for the industry, stalled in Washington.
The almost 300-page bill was a months-long work-in-progress set for a Senate Banking Committee markup hearing this week. That, however, was postponed after Coinbase (COIN) chief Brian Armstrong pulled his support, citing issues including language that would appear to put one of the company's products at risk. Lawmakers, meanwhile, are debating an ethics issue that would restrict senior government officials, including President Donald Trump, from profiting from crypto.
Shares of crypto companies including Coinbase, Circle (CRCL), and Bullish (BLSH) took hits following the news, but appear to be recouping some ground Friday. Bitcoin and altcoins, including ethereum and solana, also gave back earlier week gains but are also moving higher.
Fresh disagreement over how crypto should be regulated has blunted the rally in bitcoin and other altcoins. That dynamic recalls how, last year, crypto prices stalled despite a number of regulatory wins—though prices were on the upswing to start 2026 before this latest round of uncertainty.
"We'd rather have no bill than a bad bill," Armstrong said on social media Wednesday evening. He listed issues with the draft bill, including what he called a "defacto ban on tokenized equities," and "amendments that would kill rewards on stablecoins."
A massive bill like the Clarity Act, which aims to delineate the roles of the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission in regulating crypto, sets guidelines for stablecoins, and covers treatment of decentralized finance, or DeFi, and software developers, was likely to cause friction between various stakeholders and lawmakers.
One of the bigger issues Armstrong outlined has to do with stablecoins, which are cryptocurrencies pegged to fiat currencies. The GENIUS Act, a stablecoin-specific law passed last year, prohibited issuers like Circle from offering yield to customers but left open a loophole that would allow companies like Coinbase to provide them. The draft restricted rewards that resemble savings accounts after banks pressed lawmakers to address the issue, arguing that it would sap deposits and hurt smaller lending firms.
Arjun Sethi, co-chief of crypto exchange Kraken, disagreed with Armstrong that the Clarity Act "would be materially worse" than the current state of affairs. "Walking away would not preserve the status quo in practice," Sethi said on social media Wednesday evening, expressing support for the bill.
Another point of contention: The bill would ban senior government officials from profiting on crypto ventures, which Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, said was outside of his committee's jurisdiction in an interview with CoinDesk, owned by crypto exchange Bullish, and would have to be addressed "at a later date."
Given the scope of some of conflict, some crypto entrepreneurs have expressed doubt that the bill will pass this year, especially with an election ahead that will likely divert attentions. Others close to the subject think it's not dead yet: Scott characterized the delay as a "brief pause" and saying "everyone remains at the table working in good faith."
X. "@brian_armstrong, 4:05 p.m., January 14, 2026."
X. "@arjunsethi, 6:22 p.m., January 14, 2026."
CoinDesk. "Senate Banking Chairman Scott; Trump-tied ethics clash doesn't belong in his crypto bill."
X. "@SenatorTimScott, 9:42 p.m., January 14, 2026."
Samson Mow, a vocal Bitcoin proponent and CEO of JAN3, who is focused on Bitcoin nation-state adoption, has once again drawn the community's attention to unique BTC features that make it the most decentralized digital currency on the market. Mow is known as one of the believers that BTC is definitely going to surge to $1 million in the near future.
Today, he took to his X account to remind the audience about the thing that makes Bitcoin what it is and drives Wall Street to chase it — the programmed scarcity of this cryptocurrency.
Mow issues important message
Samson Mow reminded the crypto community that there can only exist 21 million Bitcoin. In his tweet, he predicted that this feature of BTC will play a crucial role in the near future and have a huge impact on the world of finance: “The world is about to learn the meaning of absolute scarcity.”
The world is about to learn the meaning of absolute scarcity.
It is worth noting that more than 19 million coins have already been mined. Besides, the Bitcoin mining mechanism includes so-called halvings, created to make BTC deflationary. Every four years, miners' rewards get cut by half, thus less BTC gets injected into circulation every four years.
JAN3 boss reveals when Bitcoin may surge to $1 million
Earlier this week, Samson Mow shared the time period when he expects Bitcoin to definitely skyrocket to $1 million, and perhaps even higher. This time frame is 2031-2033. He reckons that it will be possible since Bitcoin is likely to add roughly $150,000 to its price every year before then.
During some of those years, he expects Bitcoin to print Omega candles, while in some years, Bitcoin may trade sideways, letting investors stock up on it.
What's more, Mow believes that if either option hits strong enough, Bitcoin may reach $1 million sooner than 2031.
At press time, Bitcoin is changing hands at $95,250. Over the past three days, the world's bellwether cryptocurrency has demonstrated a decline of roughly 2.75%, as it rolled down from a local peak of $97,950 — the highest price level seen by BTC over the past couple of months.
Currently, Bitcoin is largely reacting to geopolitical tensions between the U.S. and other countries, including trade tariffs imposed by the U.S. on them.
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.
Investment bank Jefferies' longtime “Greed & Fear” strategist Christopher Wood has reportedly eliminated Bitcoin from his flagship model portfolio, citing mounting concerns that advances in quantum computing may undermine the cryptocurrency's long-term security.
According to a report by Bloomberg, Wood said in the latest edition of his Greed & Fear newsletter, that the 10% Bitcoin (BTC) allocation he first added in late 2020 has been replaced by a split position in physical gold and gold mining stocks.
He argued that quantum breakthroughs would weaken Bitcoin's claim to be a dependable store of value for pension‑style investors.
Wood added that concern over quantum risk is rising among long-term, institutional investors, warning that some capital allocators now question Bitcoin's store of value case if quantum timelines compress.
He said he feared that “cryptographically relevant” machines arriving sooner than expected could let attackers derive private keys from exposed public keys, weakening the cryptography underpinning Bitcoin balances and mining rewards and, in the extreme, challenging its role as “digital gold” for pension‑style portfolios.
Quantum risk enters mainstream portfolios
The quantum issue has been discussed for years among developers and commentators, but Wood's move shows how it's now influencing mainstream asset allocation decisions at major brokerage and research houses.
Castle Island Ventures partner and Bitcoin advocate Nic Carter has discussed the quantum issue at length, warning in December that “capital is concerned and looking for a solution” on quantum risk, even though many developers, including Blockstream CEO Adam Back, remain skeptical that it is a near‑term problem.
Macro analyst Luke Gromen has also turned cautious on Bitcoin in recent months, citing macro and technological uncertainties, including quantum computing risk, as reasons to favor increasing gold exposure versus BTC on a multi‑cycle view.
Studies from firms such as EY and PwC similarly flag quantum computing as a significant emerging threat to traditional public key cryptography, warning that financial systems, including those supporting digital assets, need to prepare migration paths to quantum-resistant alternatives.
Developers say Bitcoin has time to adapt
Bitcoin developers and core infrastructure builders push back on the idea that quantum progress is an immediate threat.
Blockstream CEO Adam Back has repeatedly argued that breaking Bitcoin's current signature schemes is likely 20–40 years away and that the network would have ample time to migrate to post‑quantum signature algorithms and better key management practices well before any real‑world break becomes feasible.
Other analysts, including an a16z researcher, similarly conclude that the probability of a “cryptographically relevant” quantum computer capable of breaking today's public key systems emerging this decade is low.
They say that the bigger near‑term risks come from implementation bugs, governance, and “harvest now, decrypt later” attacks on encrypted data rather than immediate attacks on live blockchain signatures.
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.
Fri 16th January 2026
Blockchain technology allows tradable tokens for physical gold. Mamadou Toure, founder of Ubuntu Tribe, explains how the system works to Lennox Yieke.
Africa holds about 30% of global mineral reserves and nearly 40% of the world's gold. Yet extractive economic models rooted in colonial-era practices continue to funnel this wealth to a narrow elite and foreign investors, leaving the vast majority of Africans excluded from the riches beneath their feet.
Mamadou Toure, founder and chief executive of the Ubuntu Tribe company, is determined to fix this through blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. His company sets out to offer a new way to access fractional shares of gold through tradeable digital tokens.
“Today with blockchain you can tokenise an asset, meaning issue a certificate of ownership of this asset. We have issued what we call $GIFT, which stands for gold international fungible token and is equivalent to one milligram of gold,” he tells African Business.
Toure explains that each $GIFT is backed one-to-one by physical gold. What changes hands is the digital certificate of ownership, transferred at prevailing market prices on the blockchain. “You can still have the gold [in vaults] in Zurich, Stuttgart, Copenhagen or Dubai – like we do – but issue a digital certificate of ownership on blockchain so that people who are in Africa can own a piece of that gold,” he says. Each token represents just one milligramme of gold, so savers can gain exposure for as little as 10 US cents.
Ubuntu Tribe has partnered with local fintechs and mobile money operators to ensure that users of its wallet in Africa can move between local currencies, mobile money and crypto.
$GIFT has recorded more than $100m in trading volume across exchanges since its launch in late 2023, Toure says. He reports serving over 30,000 customers, with more than 10,000 downloads of its digital wallet to date.
“We took two years to build a robust, globally competitive, compliant system,” he says, noting that the company is fully regulated in Europe and is in the process of seeking regulatory approval in Kenya and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Toure says: “in 2026 we are adding between $1bn and $1.2bn worth of gold into the system to match growing demand.” Much of this demand, he argues, stems from gold's ability to act as a hedge against inflation when many African currencies – including the Nigerian naira, Ghanaian cedi and Egyptian pound – have depreciated significantly. And “since 2000, gold has gained more than 1,300% against the dollar. In just the past five years, it has surged nearly 800% against the naira, eroding purchasing power of savers. Gold helps correct this unfairness – where you can work as hard as possible, but if you're in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Douala or Johannesburg, the fruits of your labour vanish because the currency you saved in has significantly depreciated,” Toure says.
Gold prices soared more than 70% in 2025, the metal's strongest annual performance since 1979. In late December it (briefly) traded above $4,500 an ounce – up from $2,685 at the close of 2024. This rally has been driven by factors ranging from central banks' purchases to investor flight to safe-haven assets.
Analysts remain broadly bullish on gold's outlook, with JP Morgan Global Research projecting prices around $5,400 an ounce by the end of 2027. Yet gold, like any asset, is bound by a fundamental rule of financial markets: past performance is not indicative of future results. There is no guarantee that gold prices will continue to rise.
But do holders of $GIFT tokens really understand these risks – and, more importantly, do they have the skills to construct portfolios that can effectively weather inevitable market corrections?
Toure says the company has embedded several tools into its wallet to help address this. The platform offers exposure to other digital assets, including Bitcoin and a range of cryptocurrencies, enabling users to diversify their holdings and reduce concentration risks.
The company also provides users with educational resources. “We have put a strong emphasis on the Ubuntu Academy, which helps non-crypto natives and those without financial literacy to effectively onboard and grow,” Toure explains. He points to the company's investment in an AI-powered tool designed to provide bite-sized, conversational guidance on gold, savings, risk and tokenisation – delivered in plain language, tailored to the user's context and available around the clock.
“Our game is not just to make people rich for the sake of being rich. It is to create a generation of well-informed and well-prepared citizens who can navigate the risks and opportunities of investment,” Toure says.
Toure is confident that $GIFT's adoption will extend beyond retail users to small businesses, corporates and institutions. He argues that more companies are looking to deploy tokenised gold to hedge against currency depreciation, strengthen purchasing power and enhance financial performance through exposure to diverse asset classes.
Institutional investors, he says, “are very interested, especially because our gold is regulated, so they're not taking any regulatory risk by buying our token. And it's audited, which gives them comfort that there is real gold backing it,” Toure says.
The company in December announced a partnership with Global Settlement Network (GSN), a fintech firm developing blockchain infrastructure, to slash Africa–EU transfer times from weeks to seconds and bring more than $5bn worth of gold on-chain. The initiative aims to use tokenised gold as the settlement asset, sidestepping the costly reliance on dollar-based correspondent banking. According to the two companies, the roadmap begins with a 12‑month pilot focused on gold traceability and a cross-border foreign exchange (FX) corridor. This will be followed by programmable gold tokens, stablecoin FX pools and, he says, integrations with government and central bank systems by 2028.
Before becoming a full-time entrepreneur, Toure spent two decades in senior finance roles, including stints at KPMG, BNP Paribas Investment Banking and the International Finance Corporation, the World Bank's private lending arm. He later joined General Electric as managing director for investments and project finance in sub-Saharan Africa. Asked why he traded a stable career for the uncertainties of entrepreneurship, the Cameroonian is candid: “Outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens.
“I believed the financial system had reached its limits and someone had to act if Africa was truly to be given a chance. I've always had this thing where, when I see something that isn't working, I feel compelled to fix it,” he says. “The way the financial system is structured today, I can't really say it works to the advantage of the continent. What I saw in blockchain was the possibility of something different.”
Toure believes that tokenising other natural resources could help Africa move beyond GDP as the central measure of economic might. “There is a contrast between GDP, which is cash value, and wealth, which is asset value. Africa is not poor, just illiquid.”
He adds that GDP is also a flawed measure because it measures production in fiat currencies: “if the paper [fiat currency] that you have loses value against other papers, while you don't even control it, what does your GDP really mean?”
He admits that trying to rewrite Africa's financial and economic rulebook has inevitably stirred silent resistance from those who benefit from the status quo. “It has honestly been tough. When I left traditional finance with all the awards, titles and big positions, I became nobody overnight. And worse than becoming nobody, you become someone people avoid, because you're touching the one thing they told you never to touch,” he says.
Oops, something went wrong
The broader crypto market is showing renewed strength, with the Bitcoin price surging past $97,000 earlier this week.
There is growing market chatter around a strong altcoin season in Q1 2026, as the Russell 2000 index hits record highs this month in January.
On-chain data suggests traders are increasingly willing to take on more risk while positioning for a potential altcoin recovery.
Altcoins have been showing strength recently, with top assets like Ethereum , BNB , Solana , showing strong gains on the weekly chart.
On-chain indicators confirm strength in the altcoin space, with most assets showing a long-to-short ratio above 1. Privacy coins, led by Monero (XMR), have also been drawing increased attention recently.
Crypto analytics platform Alphractel noted that the long positions are currently dominating over the short positions.
The chart below shows that higher-ranked altcoins, with smaller market capitalizations, are posting even stronger ratios.
The trend points to increasing risk appetite among traders, signaling rising confidence in a broader altcoin recovery.
From an investor psychology perspective, many altcoins have corrected by 80%-90%.
As a result, investors who are already facing significant losses have little incentive to sell and are instead choosing to hold their positions.
Another popular crypto market analyst, Crypto Patel, noted that the altcoins vs Bitcoin chart is showing signs of a bottom formation.
He expects the next “altseason” in 2026 to be larger than the 2017 and 2021 cycles combined, citing a key technical setup in the OTHERS/BTC chart.
According to Patel, OTHERS/BTC has returned to a major support level that previously occurred before every major altcoin cycle.
He highlighted that similar conditions led to rallies of roughly 423% in 2017 and 503% in 2021.
If the historical pattern repeats, Patel expects a move of 702% in 2026.
The Russell 2000 index, reflecting small-cap stocks, is showing major strength after hitting a fresh all-time high in January. This highlights renewed strength in U.S. small-cap stocks, setting up a strong backdrop for risk assets.
In just the first 15 days of 2026, the index has risen 7%, adding $220 billion to its market cap.
Veteran trader Peter Brandt noted that the index has broken out from an inverse head-and-shoulders pattern, prompting him to take a long position.
Read original story Hopes of Strong Altcoin Season Ignite Again as Russell 2000 Hits All-Time High by Parth Dubey at Coinspeaker.com
Error in retrieving data
Error in retrieving data
Sign in to access your portfolio
Error in retrieving data
Error in retrieving data
Error in retrieving data
Few things haunt crypto investors more than the "what if" of missed ICOs. Bitcoin in 2009 felt like a geeky experiment. Early buyers turned tiny investments into life-changing wealth as it became digital gold. Tron in 2017 rode the blockchain hype wave, delivering big returns to those who joined its ICO before it powered decentralized entertainment empires. These weren't obvious wins at the time; they started with quiet traction, strong narratives, and community momentum that exploded later, leaving most watching from the sidelines.
The good news? Patterns repeat, and right now APEMARS ($APRZ) is teasing that same early-stage magic in a fun, meme-driven package, with emerging as the name among the best crypto projects. This story of Commander Ape's accidental Mars mission surviving 225 million km on bananas and grit has its presale live in Stage 3 (BANANA BOOST) at just $0.00002448 per token, with a planned listing at $0.0055. That creates a potential 22,367% ROI from current pricing (based on price math, not guaranteed). The real teaser? Buy in during presale, stake your tokens, and unlock 63% APY rewards two months after listing, turning your position into a yield machine while the story unfolds. Add referral bonuses (9.34% extra tokens per qualified invite over $22), and it's free crypto layered on top. With stages selling fast (earlier ones gone in hours/days, current momentum at 300+ holders and $75k+ raised), this feels like one of those rare redemption shots savvy investors chase. Let's dig more into these stories.
Bitcoin launched in 2009, not as a traditional ICO, but through a free distribution via mining and early giveaways often called the original "missed ICO" opportunity. Early adopters who grabbed BTC for pennies (or even nothing) saw astronomical returns as it evolved from a niche experiment into the king of crypto. A $100 investment back then would now be worth millions, with Bitcoin's market cap hitting around $1.93 trillion as of January 2025. Today, BTC trades at approximately $96,800 USD, up about 1.3% in the last 24 hours, cementing its status as one of the best crypto projects ever.
The drama lies in how many dismissed it as worthless code, yet those who believed early turned tiny bets into life-changing wealth. With a circulating supply nearing 20 million coins and a max cap of 21 million, Bitcoin's scarcity drove its dominance. It's a stark reminder: the best crypto projects often start quietly, build unstoppable momentum, and reward patient believers massively.
Tron (TRX) raised about $70 million in its 2017 ICO, with tokens sold at around $0.0019 each, making it a classic "missed ICO" story for those who jumped in during the frenzy. Early investors who held through the ups and downs watched TRX climb dramatically, hitting an all-time high of $0.44 in late 2024. As of January 2025, TRX trades at about $0.304 USD, with a market cap of roughly $28.8 billion and a slight dip of 1% in the last 24 hours, still delivering strong long-term ROI from its ICO price.
The project promised decentralized content and entertainment, and while it faced early skepticism, its focus on smart contracts and high throughput turned it into a top-10 player. Tron's story shows how the best crypto projects can ride hype waves to real adoption, turning modest early entries into significant gains for those who didn't miss the boat.
History has a way of repeating itself in crypto. Projects that start small, build real community interest, and offer clear early advantages often turn into the ones people talk about years later. Bitcoin and Tron did exactly that for those who got in before the crowds arrived. Now, in January 2026, a new story is unfolding with APEMARS ($APRZ), a project that's blending a fun ape-to-Mars adventure with solid mechanics. As one of the best crypto projects gaining traction right now, it's drawing eyes from investors who learned from past misses and aren't keen on repeating them.
The presale is active in Stage 3 right now, priced at $0.00002448 per token. With the planned listing at $0.0055, the price difference suggests a potential return of around 22,367% from this point (based on simple math, markets can change, of course). Recent numbers from the official site show $85,654 raised overall, Stage 3 already 87% sold, and a countdown sitting at about two days and a few hours left (or until the tokens run out). Over 380 people have joined in recent updates, and earlier stages moved even faster. Stage 1 cleared in hours, Stage 2 in a day. This kind of speed tells me demand is building quickly, and waiting could mean paying more soon.
Market trends tracked by the best crypto to buy now indicate growing demand for presale-driven projects.
What makes a project stand out early? Usually a mix of an engaging idea, fair structure, and people jumping in because they see the value before everyone else does. APEMARS fits that pattern with its light-hearted tale of Commander Ape accidentally blasting off to Mars on sheer determination and bananas. It's not just a story; it's tied to the presale's 23 stages, each one marking a step in that journey. Right now, Stage 3 is live, and at 87% sold with the timer ticking down, this feels like one of those moments where acting early could make a big difference later. Investors who caught Bitcoin or Tron at their quiet starts know the feeling: regret hits hard when the opportunity passes.
With APEMARS ($APRZ) in Stage 3 at $0.00002448 per token and listing targeted at $0.0055, a $2,500 investment buys you roughly 102 million tokens.
If it hits the listing price, that position could be worth about $561,000 (simple price math: Rs 22,367% potential return from here). Not guaranteed crypto moves with the market, but the presale-to-listing gap is what creates the opportunity.
Extra layers add more:
Stage 3 is 87% sold with Rs 2 days left (or until tokens run out). Earlier stages sold in hours. The next stage means a higher price and fewer tokens per dollar.
Getting started is easy, but with the stage nearing its end, timing matters. Visit APEMARS (double-check the site to stay safe), connect a wallet like MetaMask, and choose how much to buy with ETH or supported options. Tokens arrive in your wallet right away, with no complicated steps.
Once you have them, set up staking through the project's tools to lock in that 63% APY (rewards begin two months post-listing for stability). Then grab your referral link from the dashboard, share it, and when friends join with $22 or more, you both earn 9.34% extra tokens. It's built to grow the community naturally while putting more in your pocket.
The total supply is fixed at 70 billion tokens, with half going through this presale across 23 stages and burns planned at later checkpoints to reduce what's available over time. The contract is on Ethereum and has been checked for security.
The stories of Bitcoin and Tron remind us how the best crypto projects often start small and reward people who jump in early. Those who wait usually regret it later. In January 2026, APEMARS ($APRZ) feels like one of those moments. It has a fun story about an ape reaching Mars, plus real features like 63% APY staking (starting two months after listing), referral bonuses for extra free tokens, and a presale that's moving fast. Stage 3 is at $0.00002448, already 87% sold, with just about two days left.
Crypto is full of missed chances, but every so often, a new one gives you a real opportunity to get in from the start. APEMARS is showing that kind of promise right now, one of the best crypto projects with good momentum and smart design. If you're looking to add something new to your investments, take a quick look at apemars.com before Stage 3 ends. The timer is ticking, and these windows don't stay open long. Sometimes the best decision is to act now.
Investing early in Bitcoin, one of the best crypto projects, could have turned small amounts into millions. For example, $100 in 2009 might be worth over $100 million today due to its scarcity and adoption. Many regret missing it, but lessons highlight spotting innovative projects like APEMARS now to avoid future regrets.
Tron remains a solid choice among the best crypto projects, with its focus on decentralized entertainment and a market cap of around $28 billion. While early ICO buyers saw huge gains, current prices at $0.30 offer entry for long-term holders betting on growth in dApps and content. Research thoroughly before investing.
Many ICOs fail due to scams, poor planning, or market shifts, with studies showing over 90 percent not succeeding. Among the best crypto projects that thrive, success comes from strong teams and real utility. Failed ones often lack transparency or deliver on promises, leading investors to seek vetted presales like APEMARS.
Look for strong narratives, audited tech, and community buzz in the best crypto projects. Check tokenomics, roadmaps, and presale traction. Early signs like Bitcoin's innovation or Tron's hype can repeat in gems like APEMARS, with its meme appeal and staking rewards. Always diversify and research risks.
APEMARS is a meme coin inspired by an ape's Mars journey, positioning itself among the best crypto projects with deflationary burns and 63 percent APY staking. Its presale is live in Stage 3 at $0.00002448, targeting a $0.0055 listing for a potential 22,367 percent ROI. Join via apemars.com before it sells out.
Disclaimer: The content above is presented for informational purposes as a paid advertisement. The Tribune does not take responsibility for the accuracy, validity, or reliability of the claims, offers, or information provided by the advertiser. Readers are advised to conduct their own independent research and exercise due diligence before making any decisions based on its contents and not go by mode and source of publication. Investments in cryptocurrencies are subject to high market risks and volatility; readers should seek professional advice before investing.
Take your experience further with Premium access.Thought-provoking Opinions, Expert Analysis, In-depth Insights and other Member Only Benefits
Already a Member? Sign In Now
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising five eminent persons as trustees.The Tribune, the largest selling English daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the newspaper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.The Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).
Remembering Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia
Tom Lee's Bitmine and MrBeast collaboration has converged Ethereum with YouTube's biggest star — traders are divided on its impact. | Credit: CCN.
A $200 million investment by Tom Lee's Bitmine into YouTube star MrBeast's media company has sparked market speculation that Ethereum (ETH) could gain renewed momentum if the partnership helps draw younger audiences into crypto.
Try Our Recommended Crypto Exchanges
Sponsored
Disclosure
We sometimes use affiliate links in our content, when clicking on those we might receive a commission at no extra cost to you. By using this website you agree to our terms and conditions and privacy policy.
Bitunix
promotions
Receive up to $100,000 worth of exclusive gifts for newcomers upon registration.
Coins
151
Claim Offer
Bitget
promotions
Earn rewards worth up to 5,000 USDT on your first deposit
Coins
88
Claim Offer
BTCC
promotions
Get up to 10,055 USDT when you register, verify, and make the first deposit and the first trades.
Coins
162
Claim Offer
ALL TOP CRYPTO BETTING SITES
Bitmine said on Thursday it would take a $200 million equity stake in Beast Industries, the entertainment and consumer-products company founded by YouTube star Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson.
The announcement triggered after-hours gains and then drops in Bitmine's shares amid renewed bullish discussion around Ethereum, which sits at the center of the company's core strategy.
The investment marks one of Bitmine's largest non-core equity positions to date, as the firm continues to anchor its balance sheet around Ethereum.
Lee described Donaldson as “the leading content creator of our generation,” adding that Beast Industries' reach across younger demographics made it a natural partner.
“Beast Industries' scale and cultural relevance align with our long-term vision and values,” Lee said in a statement.
Jeff Housenbold, chief executive of Beast Industries, called the funding “a strong validation of our vision, strategy and growth trajectory.”
He said that the capital would help the company pursue its goal of becoming “the most impactful entertainment brand in the world.”
The deal has fueled discussion on social media, with some traders speculating on how the partnership could influence Ethereum's long-term adoption.
One user on X wrote that Lee has often described Ethereum as “the future of finance,” adding that “the generations that consume MrBeast content will inherit that future.”
The user also noted that “70% of MrBeast viewers are non-English speakers,” arguing that his global reach could expand awareness of crypto internationally.
Another user described the partnership as a “great onboarding opportunity for the younger generation.”
$ETH treasury company Bitmine invests $200,000,000 in MrBeast's 'Beast Industries.
How much money do you have @fundstrat ? 🤣
— Ted (@TedPillows) January 15, 2026
Meanwhile, famed commentator Ted Pillows, questioned how much capital Lee and Bitmine has.
“ETH treasury company Bitmine invests $200,000,000 in MrBeast's ‘Beast Industries,” he wrote on X. How much money do you have Fundstrat?”
Lee has said Bitmine is targeting ownership of 5% of ETH's total supply, a strategy he has dubbed the “Alchemy of 5%.”
He argues that reaching that level would significantly expand staking revenue and deepen the firm's role in institutional crypto infrastructure.
Lee told Ark Invest chief executive Cathie Wood in November that Bitmine plans to launch a company-run Ethereum staking operation “very soon.”
Once operational, he said, the firm could earn a pre-tax yield of about 2.79% on its Ethereum holdings, potentially converting a large portion of its reserves into a recurring revenue stream.
Addressing concerns about network concentration, Lee said ownership levels even approaching 10% would not undermine Ethereum's decentralization.
“If someone has 10% of a system, they aren't in control of it,” Lee said.
Separately, Lee has repeatedly reiterated his bullish stance on Ethereum's price outlook.
Lee recently told investors that while Ethereum could briefly dip toward $2,500, the upside remains substantial.
“We think that ETH can be $7,000 to $9,000 by the end of January,” Lee said.
In a recent note to shareholders, Lee said that if Bitcoin reaches $250,000, Ethereum could trade between $12,000 and $22,000 based on historical price ratios.
In more aggressive scenarios, he said ETH could climb as high as $250,000 if Bitcoin were to reach $1 million.
From a technical standpoint, Ethereum has begun to show renewed bullish momentum, according to Victor Olanrewaju, an analyst at CCN.
Based on Fibonacci retracement levels, Olanrewaju said Ethereum is approaching resistance near $3,175.
“If buyers push through, the next targets lie between $3,508 and $3,782,” he said.
On the downside, a break below immediate support around $3,050 could see Ethereum test levels near $2,621.
Meanwhile, on-chain data shows Bitmine continues to scale its Ethereum exposure, having staked an additional 154,208 ETH, worth about $479 million.
As of Tuesday, the firm's total Ethereum holdings stood at roughly 1.34 million ETH, valued at around $4.17 billion.
Top Trending Crypto Articles
Best Exchanges
Check Out Our Recommended Exchanges Here
Buy Crypto Fast
How To Buy Crypto with a Credit Card Now
Safe Crypto Gambling
See Our Picks for the Best Crypto Gambling Sites
Crypto has always been synonymous with volatility. In this market, charts move like heart monitors, and every Instagram guru seems to have the next 100x gem until its price goes down by next week. For every trader, the routine is pretty much the same: watching crypto charts at 2 a.m., trying to decipher candlesticks like they were ancient runes, panicking, selling, and then repeating the cycle. It can be chaotic to say the least.
However, amidst this chaos, AI has emerged as a transformative force in the industry, reshaping how people approach crypto trading through automated strategies, predictive models, and enhanced risk management. It's essentially becoming the backbone of a more lucrative future for cryptocurrency traders and helping them make better decisions. For example, while making an ada price prediction is not an easy feat, machine learning models help traders receive predictive insights and act before major price movements occur, which is quite a big deal.
In the very first years after cryptocurrency's inception, trading relied mainly on manual analysis, which was cumbersome. Human traders would spend hours glued to their computer screens, monitoring price charts, news cycles, and social media platforms to inform their decision-making. This may have worked then, but as the crypto market evolved, the approach became entirely impractical. With the crypto landscape becoming more complex, the need for data-driven and faster insights has become more and more visible.
AI and ML models entered the scene as trailblazer solutions meant to change everything, as they can process vast amounts of data in real time. These state-of-the art technologies track price movements, macroeconomic indicators, and social sentiment, with the purpose of identifying trends and optimizing trading strategies.
Let's take a deeper look at the impact of AI on the crypto landscape:
In the trading world, prediction is a big piece of the puzzle. If you can forecast price changes, you have an edge, and this matters especially when navigating such a volatile market like crypto. A study evaluating AI-driven strategies for Bitcoin trading between 2018 and 2024 concluded that an AI-led model achieved an overall return of 1640%, an outperformance of traditional buy-and-hold approach that illustrates the predictive power of AI.
Has this been possible before? Not really, given the unpredictable nature of the market. But AI and ML are on a mission to change the world by delivering accurate predictions no matter how complex the datasets are.
The crypto market runs all day long without any pause, but for human traders, it's impossible to work 24/7. That's not the case for AI, though. AI-powered trading bots can execute trades round-the-clock without compromising efficiency at all, and capture opportunities which a human eye could easily miss. In 2024 alone, the market cap of AI crypto agents increased 29% to more than $31 billion in only a few weeks, which reflected quick adoption and investor confidence. What does this mean for you as a trader? No more countless hours staring at the charts.
Human intervention is prone to errors and bias. Psychologically speaking, it's just hard to navigate the turbulent seas of crypto trading without emotions getting in the way of success. Whether it's the exhilaration of striking it rich or the distress of unexpected market downturns, emotions can sway decision-making processes very quickly. But AI is a compass guiding traders through this ocean of uncertainty. Compared to a human trader who will become fearful after seeing a price plummet, AI maintains an objective and analytical approach and therefore, ensures the decisions are based on logic and data. AI-powered trading bots enable traders to set specific conditions, like buying an asset when the price drops below a specific level and allow the bot to execute the trades automatically as soon as the conditions are met, which is what makes the trades efficient.
Crypto traders are familiar with risk in crypto trading. Lack of regulation, unexpected price drops, psychological pitfalls like panic selling and FOMO, can all turn crypto trading into an unnerving experience. But the integration of AI into trading is radically improving risk management techniques. With this technology, it becomes easy to analyze patterns from historical data and spot early signs of market instability. This means you can know if the market is about to drop or surge and adjust your positions in real time. AI also follows stringent risk management protocols, which means each trade will align with a predetermined risk profile, regardless of the emotional factors or the noise.
The role of AI in crypto is only beginning. As it evolves, there's a strong likelihood to see it merging with fascinating technologies, like voice interfaces for more intuitive control, zero-knowledge proofs for privacy and multi-modal tools which can pull insights from more than numbers and charts only. One of the biggest shifts? Bots will not simply follow scripts, but adapt on the fly, learn from new data, and possibly respond to humans in real-time.
AI will also contribute to the growth of decentralized finance. As DeFi protocols expand, the technology can automate complex financial services and increase their accessibility for a global audience. AI agents, the unseen architects of a new digital era, are already working hard to drive automation and optimization in DeFi and blockchain, and support AI's expanding role in decentralized finance. The ongoing evolution of the technology promises to transform crypto by making it smarter, faster, more secure and more accessible.
There's no doubt that AI is already doing an excellent job in transforming crypto and will continue to do so. But here's the catch: many traders believe AI will trade for them and expect the technology to perform miracles. If it fails, they just blame the technology. In reality, this mindset will only sabotage your trades, because the truth is that AI isn't meant to replace your trading strategy but to enhance it. Just like there's no car without a driver, there cannot be a bot without a skilled trader behind it. The real power is in combining both human skills with algorithms, because while AI analyzes faster, humans interpret smarter, and bring experience and context to the game.
The next generation of successful traders won't be those who trade the hardest, but who leverage AI to achieve a trading system that's balanced, efficient, and emotionally stable.
I am Erika Balla, a technology journalist and content specialist with over 5 years of experience covering advancements in AI, software development, and digital innovation. With a foundation in graphic design and a strong focus on research-driven writing, I create accurate, accessible, and engaging articles that break down complex technical concepts and highlight their real-world impact.
I am Erika Balla, a technology journalist and content specialist with over 5 years of experience covering advancements in AI, software development, and digital innovation. With a foundation in graphic design and a strong focus on research-driven writing, I create accurate, accessible, and engaging articles that break down complex technical concepts and highlight their real-world impact.
Table of Contents
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko signed Decree No 19 on January 16, 2026, creating a regulatory framework for crypto banks in the country.
The decree permits High-Tech Park residents to combine token-based services with traditional banking operations.
This development positions Belarus among nations actively integrating digital assets into mainstream financial systems.
The decree defines a crypto bank as a joint-stock company authorized to merge digital token operations with conventional banking and payment services.
Market entry requires dual qualification: companies must hold High-Tech Park residency status and secure registration in the National Bank's crypto bank registry.
This two-tier approval process ensures oversight from both technology sector authorities and traditional financial regulators.
Crypto banks will operate under regulations governing non-bank credit and financial institutions. Additionally, these entities must adhere to decisions issued by the Hi-Tech Park Supervisory Board.
According to BelTA, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree in January 2026 establishing a “crypto bank” framework, allowing eligible High-Tech Park firms to offer token services alongside traditional banking under dual supervision by park authorities and the…
— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) January 16, 2026
The combined oversight mechanism creates a supervisory framework that addresses both technological innovation and financial stability concerns.
The registration requirements establish clear entry barriers for prospective crypto banks. Only joint-stock companies meeting specific criteria can participate in this market segment.
This structural requirement suggests authorities are prioritizing institutional participants over individual operators or smaller entities.
The dual regulatory model enables crypto banks to develop financial products combining traditional banking benefits with digital token technology.
Customers will access services that merge established banking security with the speed and efficiency of blockchain-based transactions. This hybrid approach targets users seeking both innovation and regulatory compliance.
Crypto banks must maintain compliance with existing financial institution standards while implementing token-based solutions.
The decree does not eliminate conventional banking regulations but rather extends them to cover digital asset operations.
Financial institutions will navigate requirements from multiple supervisory bodies throughout their operations.
The framework positions Belarus as a jurisdiction encouraging financial technology development within structured oversight.
Unlike some jurisdictions that separate crypto activities from traditional banking, Belarus permits integration under specific conditions.
This approach reflects growing international recognition that digital assets require specialized but connected regulatory treatment rather than complete isolation from established financial systems.
Comments are closed.
Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.
Get Up To $100k Back! Exclusive Thrill Originals!
Leading real estate developer MegPrime Holding, LLC, said Thursday it will launch a “universal payments” cryptocurrency after receiving approval from the SEC.
The Texas-based homebuilder received a No-Action Letter from the regulator to roll out the cryptocurrency, named MegPrime Token (MP Token).
The token aims to convert routine spending into tangible value and “long-term financial progress.” Users making rent or mortgage payments through MP Token on the MegPrime app could reap up to 20% back in the same token, MegPrime said in a press release.
Furthermore, renters who use MP Token for payments could be eligible to receive 100% of their previous year's rent, capped at $25,000, towards a future home purchase. Qualified users may also avail of mortgage rates up to 2.0% below the market rate.
The token will be available for purchase during its upcoming Token Generation Event and subsequently on the MegPrime app. It is also anticipated to be listed on other third-party cryptocurrency exchanges.
“The integration of blockchain technology into the residential homebuilding space is an economic leap forward and represents what we believe to be the single greatest use case for blockchain technology of our time,” said Aaron Ipour, co-founder of Megatel Homes and MegPrime.
MegPrime described the token as a “utility-based digital currency,” rather than an investment or bank deposit. The blockchain on which the token will be based has not been disclosed.
The development comes as the market remains constrained by high borrowing costs and tight supply.
The 30-year fixed mortgage rates, which were near 2.65% in early 2021, spiked to the mid-6% region last year, impacting household affordability.
Redfin, a real estate brokerage platform, predicted the rates will average 6.3% in 2026, only a slight dip from 2025. The firm projected rents to rise between 2% and 3% nationwide in 2026.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
A newsletter built for market enthusiasts by market enthusiasts. Top stories, top movers, and trade ideas delivered to your inbox every weekday before and after the market closes.
Loading...
Search
Most Trusted AI Platform for Winning Trades
Copyright © 2026 Intellectia.AI. All Rights Reserved.
Select market data provided by Financial Markets Infrastructure and Data|LSEG
Broker connection service provided by Connect to brokerage accounts for data and trading SnapTrade
Company
Market
Strategies
Resource
Products
Tools
Features
News
Compare
We know that some animals are bilaterian—meaning they display bilateral symmetry—while others are not, but nature is rarely so black-and-white.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
Make a list of complex animals as distantly related to humans as possible, and sea anemones would likely be near the top of the list. Of course, one lives in the water and the other doesn't, but the differences are more biologically fundamental than that—sea anemones don't even have brains.
So it's surprising that this species in the phylum Cnidarians (along with jellyfish, corals, and other sea creatures) contains an ancient blueprint for bilaterians, of which Homo sapiens are a card-carrying member.
A study by a team of scientists at the University of Vienne discovered that sea anemones, whose Cnidarian status means they grow radially around a central point (after all, what is the “face” of a jellyfish), use a technique commonly associated with bilaterians, known as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) shuttling, to build their bodies. This complicates the picture of exactly when this technique evolved or if it possibly evolved independently of bilaterians. The results of the study were published last year in the journal Science Advances.
“Not all Bilateria use Chordin-mediated BMP shuttling, for example, frogs do, but fish don't, however, shuttling seems to pop up over and over again in very distantly related animals making it a good candidate for an ancestral patterning mechanism,” University of Vienna's David Mörsdorf, a lead author of the study, said in a press statement. “The fact that not only bilaterians but also sea anemones use shuttling to shape their body axes, tells us that this mechanism is incredibly ancient.”
To put it simply, BMPs are a kind of molecular messenger that signals to embryonic cells where they are in the body and what kind of tissue they should form. Local inhibition from an inhibitor named Chordin (which can also act as a shuttle) along with BMP shuttling creates gradients of BMP in the body. When these levels are their lowest, for example, the body knows to form the central nervous system. Moderate levels signal kidney development, and maximum levels signal the formation of the skin of the belly. This is how bilaterians form the body's layout from back to body.
Mörsdorf and his colleagues found that Chordin also acts as a BMP shuttle—just as displayed in bilaterians like flies and frogs. Thi signals that this particular evolutionary trait likely developed before Cnidarians and bilaterians diverged. Seeing as these two phylums of the animal kingdom have vastly different biological structures, that divergence occurred long ago, likely 600 to 700 million years ago.
“We might never be able to exclude the possibility that bilaterians and bilaterally symmetric cnidarians evolved their bilateral body plans independently,” University of Vienna's Grigory Genikhovich, a senior author of the study, said in a press statement. “However, if the last common ancestor of Cnidaria and Bilateria was a bilaterally symmetric animal, chances are that it used Chordin to shuttle BMPs to make its back-to-belly axis.”
Find Answers
Get The Facts
Learn The Truth
What Are They?
Start Your Build
Transform Your Perception
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.
Lost Church Staircase Leads to Ancient Burials
Neanderthal DNA Shapes Our Sensitivity
We May Have Just Found a Hidden Shipwreck
Archaeologists Found a Strange Underground Vault
These 1,100-Year-Old Warriors Might Be Related
Experts Found Evidence of an Ancient Roman Society
Teenager Finds 1,800-Year-Old Roman Minerva Ring
Archeological Find May Become Modern Housing
We May Have the Evolutionary Timeline All Wrong
Archaeologists Found a Celtic Instrument of War
Scientists Finally Found a Missing Blob of Water
Researchers Discover Ancient Maya City in Jungle
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
The stone carving could be thousands of years old, possibly from the Bronze Age.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
The land known today as Kazakhstan was formed and founded by the crucible of history.
Home to a variety of cultures in the Bronze Age, including the Srubna, Afanasevo, and Andronovo, this country of the Eurasian Steppes hosted the Dark Age Huns, medieval Turks, and a variety of Khans. And that's all before becoming subjects of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union until eventually gaining independence after the latter's dissolution in the 1990s. Because Kazakhstan sits at such a crossroad of history, it's also one of the most archaeologically rich places on Earth—and a new discovery by unsuspecting fire crews once again proves this fact.
While patrolling the Sandyktau region, an area located some 200 miles northwest of Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, Nursultan Ashkenov and Akhmet Zaripov, both employees of the district fire service, stumbled upon an austere face carved into the side of a granite boulder. According to local news sources, the department immediately contacted the country's Ministry for Emergency Situations as well as the local museum.
The face is around 10.5 inches long and roughly 8 inches wide, and some archeologists hypothesize that the carving was likely part of some ritual complex.
“The face is clearly visible,” Sergey Yarygin, a scientist at the Alkey Margulan Institute of Archaeology, said to Archaeology Magazine (click link to see images), “with large eyes, a long straight nose, and protruding lips. Kazakh archaeology not only enriches the scientific world with its remarkable discoveries but also reveals the main stages of the ancient and medieval development of Kazakhstan society.”
However, figuring out when this face was used for such ritualistic purposes is a bit more complicated. According to Yarygin, similar carvings have been found at Bronze Age sites across Central Asia and Western Europe, but the carving also holds a striking resemblance to other types of iconography found in Iron Age sites in southern Siberia or even medieval Turkish cultures.
The mysteries of Kazakhstan's historical melange strike again.
Teams investigating the carving will likely need more time to determine its age and what culture might've created the stunningly somber carving.
This discovery is only one of several made across the county recently, as reported by the Astana Times. Archaeologists uncovered a number of artifacts from the northwestern Pavlodar region, including pottery fragments, kitchen utensils, and an arrowhead dated to around the mid-13th to 8th century BCE. Other discoveries in the central Karaganda region also point to a variety of artifacts likely belonging to the Alakul culture, a subculture of the Andronovo culture, that thrived in this region around 2000 to 1700 BCE.
All of these discoveries uncover the fascinating fabric of history that pervades the largest country within the Eurasian Steppe.
Find Answers
Get The Facts
Learn The Truth
What Are They?
Start Your Build
Transform Your Perception
Darren lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes/edits about sci-fi and how our world works. You can find his previous stuff at Gizmodo and Paste if you look hard enough.
Lost Church Staircase Leads to Ancient Burials
Neanderthal DNA Shapes Our Sensitivity
We May Have Just Found a Hidden Shipwreck
Archaeologists Found a Strange Underground Vault
These 1,100-Year-Old Warriors Might Be Related
Experts Found Evidence of an Ancient Roman Society
Teenager Finds 1,800-Year-Old Roman Minerva Ring
Archeological Find May Become Modern Housing
We May Have the Evolutionary Timeline All Wrong
Archaeologists Found a Celtic Instrument of War
Scientists Finally Found a Missing Blob of Water
Researchers Discover Ancient Maya City in Jungle
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
New research from Nagoya University in Japan has identified a previously overlooked risk associated with widely used eye ointments. The study shows that petrolatum-based eye ointments can cause a popular glaucoma implant to swell and, in some cases, rupture. Using both patient cases and laboratory testing, the researchers demonstrated that these ointments can compromise the PRESERFLO MicroShunt, a device currently used to treat glaucoma in more than 60 countries.
This is the first study to combine clinical observations with experimental evidence to clearly link petrolatum-based eye ointments to structural damage in this type of implant.
Glaucoma and the Role of the MicroShunt
Glaucoma is a chronic eye disease that damages the optic nerve and can result in permanent vision loss. The condition is often caused by elevated pressure inside the eye when fluid drainage becomes blocked. Researchers estimate that glaucoma affects approximately 76 million people worldwide.
One treatment option is the MicroShunt, a tiny filtration device surgically implanted in the eye to help excess fluid drain more effectively. Compared with traditional glaucoma surgeries, the MicroShunt is associated with fewer post-operative complications and often reduces the need for ongoing medication.
Why the Implant Material Can Be Affected
The MicroShunt is manufactured from a styrenic thermoplastic elastomer made from a polystyrene-block-polyisobutylene-block-polystyrene (SIBS) block polymer. This material is designed to be flexible, highly biocompatible, and less likely to cause inflammation or scarring inside the eye.
At the same time, the material is sensitive to contact with hydrocarbon- and oil-based substances. Because it has a strong affinity for oils, petrolatum-based eye ointments can penetrate the implant. When oil components enter the material, the device may swell and experience changes in its shape and mechanical strength.
Manufacturer Warnings Often Overlooked
The MicroShunt manufacturer specifically cautions against this type of exposure. According to the instructions, "the MicroShunt should not be subjected to direct contact with petrolatum-based (i.e., petrolatum jelly) materials, such as ointments and dispersions." Despite this guidance, the warning is not always widely recognized or consistently followed in clinical settings.
"Swollen MicroShunts can be structurally fragile," said ophthalmologist and Assistant Professor Ryo Tomita of Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, the study's first author. "During surgery, I observed a rupture in a swollen MicroShunt. If more clinicians are aware of this risk, they will be able to prevent similar problems."
Collaboration Between Medicine and Engineering
To investigate the issue more closely, Tomita worked with Assistant Professor Taiga Inooka and Associate Professor Kenya Yuki from Nagoya University Hospital and the Graduate School of Medicine. They collaborated with Dr. Takato Kajita and Junior Associate Professor Atsushi Noro from the Graduate School of Engineering to study how the MicroShunt changes after contact with petrolatum-based eye ointments.
The medical team analyzed patient cases, while the engineering researchers carried out laboratory experiments. The results were published in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology.
Clinical Evidence From Patient Cases
The clinical analysis involved seven glaucoma patients whose MicroShunt implants were later removed for various reasons. A clear pattern emerged based on whether the implant had been exposed to petrolatum-based ointment.
In three cases, the MicroShunt was exposed outside the conjunctiva and patients were treated with a petrolatum-based eye ointment. All three devices showed noticeable swelling, and two of them had ruptured.
In another three cases, the MicroShunt remained covered by the conjunctiva and no ointment was used. These implants maintained their original structure.
One additional case was particularly revealing. Although the MicroShunt was exposed outside the conjunctiva, no ointment was applied. In this case, the implant did not swell. This finding indicates that direct contact with the ointment, rather than conjunctival exposure alone, is the primary cause of swelling.
Laboratory Tests Confirm the Mechanism
Laboratory experiments reinforced the clinical findings. Researchers immersed unused MicroShunts in petrolatum-based eye ointment to recreate the changes observed in patients.
Microscopic measurements revealed rapid expansion. After 24 hours of exposure, the outer diameter of the MicroShunt increased to 1.44 times its original size. The fin-like portion of the device widened to 1.29 times its initial dimension.
Chemical testing explained why these changes occurred. After 24 hours of immersion, oil components accounted for about 45% of the MicroShunt's total weight. After three months, oil content increased to 73%.
These results confirmed that swelling is driven by the absorption of oil-based ointment components into the implant material.
Implications for Glaucoma Treatment
Based on their findings, the researchers advise clinicians to avoid using petrolatum-based eye ointments in patients with MicroShunt implants, especially when the device is exposed outside the conjunctiva. They recommend considering alternative post-operative treatments and note that further studies are needed to determine whether swelling affects implant performance even when rupture does not occur.
"Our study found that commonly used medical materials can cause unexpected complications if their chemical properties and usage environments are not fully understood," Noro stated. "From both medical and engineering perspectives, we emphasize the importance of understanding the chemical properties of medical materials and appropriately managing their usage environments."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Nagoya University. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Cite This Page:
Experts Sound Alarm Over Nutritional Gaps in People Taking Ozempic and Wegovy
A Colossal Iron Mystery Has Been Discovered in the Ring Nebula
These Giant Long-Necked Dinosaurs Could Stand Upright – and Scientists Finally Figured Out Why
Scientists Discover a Hidden Earthquake World Beneath Northern California
Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Or view our many newsfeeds in your RSS reader:
Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:
Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?
The digested meat from the wolf pup's last meal, which took place a staggering 14,400 years ago, contained enough DNA from the woolly rhino to sequence its entire genome.
Here's what you'll learn when you read this story:
After 14,400 years, the final meal of a Siberian wolf pup has contributed massively to science and our understanding of the now-extinct woolly rhinoceros. For the first time ever, researchers have sequenced an entire genome of an Ice Age animal thanks to what was found inside the stomach of another animal.
Over a decade ago, a pair of Siberian wolf pups were pulled from the permafrost near the village of Tumat in northeast Siberia. One pup had its final meal still preserved inside its stomach, a piece of flesh from the now-extinct woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis).
Radiocarbon dating placed the pup's last meal at roughly 14,400 years ago, about 400 years before the extinction of the woolly rhinoceros, an animal that was similar in size to the modern white rhino. The woolly rhino was a cold-adapted herbivore with a robust coat of hair that allowed it to better survive the harsh temperatures, though they still evidently fall prey to a hungry wolf pup (more likely an entire hungry wolf pack).
In a new study published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, scientists explained how they sequenced a high-coverage genome from the muscle tissues of the woolly rhino found inside the wolf, one of the youngest specimens of the animal ever discovered.
“Sequencing the entire genome of an Ice Age animal found in the stomach of another animal has never been done before,” said Camilo Chacon-Duque, study author and formerly a researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics, in a statement. “Recovering genomes from individuals that lived right before extinction is challenging, but it can provide important clues on what caused the species to disappear, which may also be relevant for the conservation of endangered species today.”
The team compared genome-wide diversity, inbreeding, genetic load, and population size changes in the new sample with two other Late Pleistocene Siberian woolly rhinos, one sample from around 18,000 years ago and the other from about 49,000 years ago.
“It was really exciting, but also very challenging, to extract a complete genome from such an unusual sample,” said student Sólveig Guðjónsdóttir, the study's lead author who worked on the project while doing her master's thesis at Stockholm University.
“Our analyses showed a surprisingly stable genetic pattern with no change in inbreeding levels through tens of thousands of years prior to the extinction of woolly rhinos,” said Edna Lord, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Palaeogenetics.
The results imply the woolly rhinos had a viable population for 15,000 years after the first humans were thought to have arrived in northeastern Siberia, which suggests that climate warming rather than human hunting caused the extinction, according to the study authors.
“We found no evidence of population size decline, nor any genomic erosion, shortly prior to the species' demise,” the study authors wrote. “Given the few long homozygous segments, typically indicative of recent inbreeding, we infer a stable population size only a few centuries before extinction.”
The authors concluded that the woolly rhinoceros' extinction likely occurred rapidly. The wolves likely didn't help, either.
Find Answers
Get The Facts
Learn The Truth
What Are They?
Start Your Build
Transform Your Perception
Tim Newcomb is a journalist based in the Pacific Northwest. He covers stadiums, sneakers, gear, infrastructure, and more for a variety of publications, including Popular Mechanics. His favorite interviews have included sit-downs with Roger Federer in Switzerland, Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles, and Tinker Hatfield in Portland.
Lost Church Staircase Leads to Ancient Burials
Neanderthal DNA Shapes Our Sensitivity
We May Have Just Found a Hidden Shipwreck
Archaeologists Found a Strange Underground Vault
These 1,100-Year-Old Warriors Might Be Related
Experts Found Evidence of an Ancient Roman Society
Teenager Finds 1,800-Year-Old Roman Minerva Ring
Archeological Find May Become Modern Housing
We May Have the Evolutionary Timeline All Wrong
Archaeologists Found a Celtic Instrument of War
Scientists Finally Found a Missing Blob of Water
Researchers Discover Ancient Maya City in Jungle
A Part of Hearst Digital Media
We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
©2026 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
January 15, 2026
2 min read
Astronomers Spot Mysterious Bar-Shaped Cloud of Iron Inside an Iconic Nebula
A distinctive nebula inside the constellation Lyra holds a never-before-seen cloud of iron atoms—and researchers aren't sure why
By Jackie Flynn Mogensen edited by Claire Cameron
Roger Wesson et al/MNRAS
Join Our Community of Science Lovers!
The Ring Nebula is a sight to behold. Located in the constellation Lyra, this kaleidoscopic doughnut of gas is the dying echo of a star not too unlike our sun. And according to a new study, it also hosts a never-before-seen, massive cloud of iron atoms. Astronomers aren't sure why.
The cloud, which is in the shape of a bar, has slightly more mass than Mars. Astronomers spotted it using the William Herschel Telescope (WHT) in Spain using an optical spectrometer called the WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE). The findings are detailed in a new paper in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
“When we processed the data and scrolled through the images, one thing popped out as clear as anything—this previously unknown bar of ionized iron atoms, in the middle of the familiar and iconic ring,” said Roger Wesson, an astronomer at Cardiff University in Wales and lead author of the new paper, in a statement.
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Roger Wesson et al/MNRAS
How the bar got there is a mystery. The bar is located somewhere in the middle of the nebula and is about as long as 500 times Pluto's orbit around the sun. It's possible that the bar could tell scientists more about how the nebula formed. The researchers plan to conduct a follow-up study with WEAVE to try and answer some of these questions.
Astronomers don't know why it exists, but it likely is not the only one of its kind. “It would be very surprising if the iron bar in the Ring is unique,” Wesson said in the same statement. “So hopefully, as we observe and analyze more nebulae created in the same way, we will discover more examples of this phenomenon, which will help us to understand where the iron comes from.”
Jackie Flynn Mogensen is a breaking news reporter at Scientific American. Before joining SciAm, she was a science reporter at Mother Jones, where she received a National Academies Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications in 2024. Mogensen holds a master's degree in environmental communication and a bachelor's degree in earth sciences from Stanford University. She is based in New York City.
If you enjoyed this article, I'd like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I've been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you'll support us in that mission.
Thank you,
David M. Ewalt, Editor in Chief, Scientific American
Subscribe to Scientific American to learn and share the most exciting discoveries, innovations and ideas shaping our world today.
Scientific American is part of Springer Nature, which owns or has commercial relations with thousands of scientific publications (many of them can be found at www.springernature.com/us). Scientific American maintains a strict policy of editorial independence in reporting developments in science to our readers.
© 2025 SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, A DIVISION OF SPRINGER NATURE AMERICA, INC.ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Search author on:
PubMed
Google Scholar
Humanoid robots are being trialed in car manufacturing.Credit: VCG/Getty
Humanoid robots are on the brink of being commercially useful, say Chinese and US firms that have announced plans to produce them at scale in the past three months.
Many researchers agree that there has been a step change in humanoid capability over the past five years, owing to cheaper parts as well as innovations such as improved battery power and artificial-intelligence algorithms, which allow for better perception and autonomy.
In November, Chinese firm UBTECH announced that it had made “the world's first mass delivery of humanoid robots”. More than 1,000 of its Walker S2 model humanoids were sent to factories in 2025, says Yu Zheng, a roboticist and vice-dean of the UBTECH Research Institute in Shenzhen. The silver-white humanoid can walk autonomously and stably, as well as grab and move objects, but deployment “is still at an early stage”, says Zheng.
Whether humanoids are saving companies time or money remains to be seen. Battery time is limited to hours and many activities still require human operators, who use the robots as puppets to complete tasks while gathering data for future iterations. Other researchers caution that technical and safety limitations mean that humanoids are far from ready for general-purpose use in homes and offices.
“They can do maybe one or two things autonomously, or semi-autonomously,” says Esyin Chew, a roboticist at Cardiff Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom, who is overseeing a project involving trialling more than 80 robots in service and health-care settings. “But they cannot react to real-world problems like our human brains,” she says.
The AI revolution is coming to robots: how will it change them?
The AI revolution is coming to robots: how will it change them?
Science fiction has long fuelled the idea that robots will ultimately come in human form, despite the body type being inherently complex and unstable compared with the static or quadruped robots already used in industry, says Oskar Palinko, a roboticist at the University of Southern Denmark in Odense. “A humanoid will fall over if it loses power,” he says.
But humanoids have the advantage of functioning in environments people have created. This in theory could make a humanoid a “universal tool” that could do the job of multiple other types of machines, says Palinko.
Humanoids are much closer to this dream than a decade ago, he says, thanks to denser batteries that fuel bots for hours rather than minutes, cheaper and more precise actuators (that convert electricity to movement) and AI learning algorithms in robot control systems. Developers are increasingly making use of generative models that enable robots to 'reason' and make sense of the world, as well as imbue them with the ability to learn tasks for which they are not pre-programmed.
Humanoids first application could be in car factories. Some US robotics developers, including Boston Dynamics and Tesla, are running pilots of humanoid robots in their parent company's industrial plants. The automotive industry is “an ideal setting” in which to apply humanoids, says Carolina Parada, based in Boulder, Colorado, who leads the robotics team at Google DeepMind, which last week announced a partnership with Boston Dynamics. Their factories host diverse and complex tasks and “in a semi-structured environment that is built for robots”, she says.
Companies are pinning their hopes on robots learning on the job. When a UBTECH Walker S2 fails while working autonomously, a backup remote operator takes over, completing the task, says Zheng. This process gathers data to improve future functionality he says. UBTECH and Boston Dynamics are applying the same technique in vast data-collection centres, in which humans remotely operate humanoid robots to teach them to perform a range of tasks.
Robots demonstrate principles of collective intelligence
Robots demonstrate principles of collective intelligence
Although China and the United States are leading the way in humanoid development, China seems particularly poised to embrace the robots. Factories in the country are willing to let UBTECH test out and improve their robots, says Zheng. "Currently the efficiency and productivity of a humanoid robot may not match those of a human worker, and our customers know that well," adds a UBTECH spokesperson. "They see it as the beginning."
or
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00164-0
Reprints and permissions
The AI revolution is coming to robots: how will it change them?
How robots can learn to follow a moral code
Are robots the solution to the crisis in older-person care?
Robots need better batteries
Meet the ice-hunting robots headed for the Moon right now
Bioinspired robots walk, swim, slither and fly
Robots smaller than the eye can see could revolutionise micro-robotics
Six steps to protect researchers' digital security
Technology Feature 14 JAN 26
AI can spark creativity — if we ask it how, not what, to think
World View 13 JAN 26
AIs are biased toward some Indian castes — how can researchers fix this?
News 12 JAN 26
Fresh starts: how to thrive when you leave academia
Career Feature 12 JAN 26
Drug woes won't be tamed by US price regulations
Correspondence 09 DEC 25
China accounts for more than half of leading output in the applied sciences
Nature Index 03 DEC 25
AI tools boost individual scientists but could limit research as a whole
News & Views 14 JAN 26
LLMs behaving badly: mistrained AI models quickly go off the rails
News & Views 14 JAN 26
A foundation model for continuous glucose monitoring data
Article 14 JAN 26
Title: Associate or Senior Editor, Nature Communications (Digital health and computational biology) Location: New York, Jersey City, Philadelphia o...
New York City, New York (US)
Springer Nature Ltd
Title: Associate Publisher or Publisher Location: Shanghai, Beijing, Pune - hybrid working model Closing date: February 4th, 2026 About Springer ...
Shanghai, Beijing, Pune - hybrid working model
Springer Nature Ltd
Full/Associate/Assistant Professor Positions of State Key Labs are opening.
Beijing, Nanjing and Wuhan
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Theoretical Particle Physics and Cosmology, tenure-track, HKUST
Hong Kong (HK)
Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)
Observational Cosmology, HKUST, tenure-track
Hong Kong (HK)
Department of Physics, The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST)
The AI revolution is coming to robots: how will it change them?
How robots can learn to follow a moral code
Are robots the solution to the crisis in older-person care?
Robots need better batteries
Meet the ice-hunting robots headed for the Moon right now
Bioinspired robots walk, swim, slither and fly
Robots smaller than the eye can see could revolutionise micro-robotics
An essential round-up of science news, opinion and analysis, delivered to your inbox every weekday.
Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.
Nature
(Nature)
ISSN 1476-4687 (online)
ISSN 0028-0836 (print)
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(2026)Cite this article
Despite advances in lipid-lowering treatment, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of mortality, underscoring the need to address residual risk. Targeting both the synthesis and clearance of triglyceride (TG)-rich lipoproteins is a promising approach. Liver X receptor (LXR) repression can reduce plasma TG and cholesterol and improve insulin sensitivity by suppressing de novo lipogenesis and intestinal lipid absorption and enhancing clearance of TG-rich lipoproteins, but its clinical utility remains unexplored. Here we demonstrate the role of LXR inverse agonists in lipid metabolism and metabolic diseases in preclinical models and humans. Given concerns that systemic LXR repression may impair reverse cholesterol transport, we developed TLC-2716, an orally administered, gut- and liver-restricted LXR inverse agonist. In human liver organoids modeling steatohepatitis, TLC-2716 reduced lipid accumulation and suppressed inflammation and fibrotic gene expression. In a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial, 14-day treatment with TLC-2716 was well tolerated (primary endpoints) and resulted in placebo-adjusted reductions up to 38.5% in plasma TG and 61% in postprandial remnant cholesterol (secondary endpoints). In conclusion, these results highlight the tolerability and therapeutic potential of TLC-2716 as a treatment for managing dyslipidemia and reducing residual atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk in humans. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05483998.
Dyslipidemia encompasses a broad spectrum of lipid abnormalities, including hypertriglyceridemia (serum triglyceride (TG) > 150 mg dl−1, a common dyslipidemia in adults1), elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Excessive circulating TG contributes to metabolic disorders, including acute pancreatitis2, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD)3 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)4. Elevated remnant cholesterol (RC), which represents the cholesterol in TG-rich lipoproteins, is also an independent risk factor for ASCVD5. Currently, management of severe hypertriglyceridemia (TG ≥ 500 mg dl−1) focuses on lifestyle modification and fibrates as first-line therapy6. Given the increasing prevalence of hypertriglyceridemia, research into more effective treatment strategies remains essential.
Hypertriglyceridemia results from an imbalance between the production and release of TG-rich lipoproteins from the liver (very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)) and intestine (chylomicrons) and lipolytic removal of TG from these lipoproteins and their remnants5. Lipoprotein lipase (LPL) is the main enzyme involved in hydrolysis of TG-rich lipoproteins, and its activity is inhibited by apolipoprotein C3 (ApoC3) and angiopoietin-like proteins (for example, ANGPTL3 and ANGPTL4); therapies that inhibit ANGPTLs and ApoC3 to reduce plasma TG are under investigation7,8,9. Furthermore, inhibiting de novo lipogenesis (DNL)10 provides another strategy to reduce serum TG and potentially tissue inflammation attributable to lipotoxic mediators11.
The liver X receptors (LXRs; LXRα (encoded by NR1H3) and LXRβ (encoded by NR1H2)) are members of the nuclear hormone receptor superfamily and key transcriptional regulators of systemic lipid metabolism12,13. LXR activation increases liver and plasma TG and LDL-C in animal models14,15,16,17 and humans18 by upregulating DNL genes10, including SREBF1, ACACA and FASN, and suppressing hepatic LPL activity by inducing ANGPTL3 and APOC3 (ref. 7). By contrast, repression of LXR activity in the liver reduces hepatic DNL and, consequently, plasma and liver TG and improves hypertriglyceridemia and related comorbidities in preclinical models19. Therapies that inhibit LXR target genes involved in lipogenesis (for example, ACACA and FASN) and lipid clearance (for example, ANGPTL3 and APOC3) show promising safety and efficacy in clinical trials20. Repression of LXR systemically carries potential risks, including the impairment of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT), the efflux of cholesterol from peripheral cells such as macrophages, which could promote atherogenesis and negatively impact cardiometabolic health21. In fact, LXR agonists increase ABCA1 expression and RCT22,23 and reduce atherosclerosis in mice24, but their clinical development was hindered by parallel increases in plasma TG and LDL-C. Together, these data formed the basis for the development of LXR inverse agonists that have shown beneficial effects on hyperlipidemia25, alcoholic liver disease26,27 or MASLD28 preclinically. However, to date, no LXR inverse agonist has been evaluated in humans.
Here, we leveraged human genetic data, dysmetabolic rodent models, humanized experimental models, toxicology studies and a phase 1 clinical trial to evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of TLC-2716, an orally administered LXR inverse agonist, which to date has not been tested in humans19,29. In dysmetabolic rodents, TLC-2716 and an analog (TLC-6665) reduced serum and liver TG and plasma cholesterol; these results were validated in humanized liver mice and a human liver organoid (HLO) model of steatohepatitis. Pharmacokinetics (PK) assessment of TLC-2716 revealed that its activity is primarily restricted to the liver and gut, thereby avoiding inhibition of peripheral RCT and reducing atherogenic risk. The preclinical safety of TLC-2716 was confirmed in mouse and non-human primate (NHP) toxicology studies, and its preliminary tolerability, efficacy and PK were demonstrated in a phase 1 trial in healthy participants. In conclusion, LXR repression by TLC-2716 improved lipid homeostasis without notable adverse effects (in preclinical studies and humans), supporting its further clinical development for the treatment of hypertriglyceridemia and associated cardiometabolic disorders.
We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in the UK Biobank (UKBB)30,31. As expected32, genetic variants within NR1H3, but not NR1H2 (Extended Data Fig. 1a), are associated with lipid biomarkers, such as TG, HDL-C and ApoA, glucose and plasma levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (Fig. 1a). In two other unrelated human populations (FinnGen33 and the Million Veteran Program34), GWAS results confirmed the associations between genetic variants within NR1H3, but not NR1H2, and its target genes (for example, APOC3, APOE, IDOL and ACACA) and metabolism-related phenotypic traits, including hyperlipidemia and plasma TG (Extended Data Fig. 1b,c). Fine-mapping indicated that rs61731956, an NR1H3 locus, might be the potential causal signal for HDL-C and ApoA. Burden testing also suggested a link between NR1H3 function and lipid metabolism (Extended Data Fig. 2a,b).
a, Lollipop plot showing the association between genetic variants within NR1H3 and metabolic-related phenotypic traits based on whole-exome sequencing (WES) data in the human UKBB. The genome-wide significance threshold (P < 5 × 10−8) is indicated by the red dashed lines. FSI, Framingham Steatosis Index62; IGF1, insulin-like growth factor 1; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; sig., significant; VEP, variant effect prediction. b, Gene set enrichment analysis highlighting the coexpressed gene sets of NR1H3 in both sexes across two human liver datasets (GTEx and the Human Liver Cohort (HLC)). NES, normalized enrichment score; chol., cholesterol; FA, fatty acid; *q < 0.05, **q < 0.01 and ***q < 0.001. c, Manhattan plot displaying the gene modules associated with NR1H3 expression in human livers. Absolute gene module association score (GMAS) significance threshold (red dashed line), | GMAS | ≥ 0.268 (ref. 35). d, Box plot showing the difference in NR1H3 gene expression in human livers according to the NAS. A two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test and Benjamini–Hochberg (BH) adjustment were applied to assess the significance between individuals with MASLD (NAS score of >0) and individuals with a NAS score of 0. Adjusted P values are indicated; N = 216 individuals in total. Box plots indicate the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR; box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles), and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers). e, Heat map showing the association between hepatic LXR target gene expression and fibrosis scores in two different human MASH datasets; log2(fold change) (log2(FC)) is represented by color. The P value is two sided, and BH-adjusted P values are indicated as follows: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001. f, Mendelian randomization analysis showing the causal effect of the expression of NR1H3 in blood on plasma lipid-related phenotypic traits. ALT, alanine aminotransferase. The P value is two sided, and associations with a BH-adjusted P value of <0.1 are shown.
Source data
We also analyzed human liver gene expression data from Gene Expression Omnibus35, Genotype–Tissue Expression (GTEx)36 and the Human Liver Cohort37. Consistent with previous studies, expression of NR1H3 correlated positively with genes associated with amino acid, fatty acid, TG and cholesterol metabolism, indicating its essential role in lipid regulation (Fig. 1b,c). However, associations between lipid metabolism and NR1H2 were less robust (Extended Data Fig. 1d,e). We then explored two human MASLD datasets38,39 and found that hepatic expression of NR1H3 is increased in individuals with MASLD Activity Scores (NAS) from 1 to 7, compared with those without MASLD (NAS = 0; Fig. 1d). Moreover, half of LXR target genes are upregulated in individuals with advanced hepatic fibrosis (stage > 2; Fig. 1e). Consistently, hepatic expression of LXR target genes, such as Fasn, Scd1 and Acaca, positively correlates with liver steatosis and liver TG in MASLD mouse models, whereas Srebf1 expression positively correlates with plasma TG40 (Extended Data Fig. 2c). In addition, we performed Mendelian randomization to test whether changes in NR1H3 expression are causally linked to lipid homeostasis. We confirmed that higher NR1H3 expression in blood causes an increase in TG in humans, and its expression is also associated with HDL-C and liver disease markers (Fig. 1f).
TLC-2716 (ref. 41) and its analog TLC-6665 (ref. 41) are two LXR inverse agonists. Information on these compounds is available in patent US11970484B2 (ref. 41; Supplementary Fig. 1). Their potencies against LXRα and LXRβ were evaluated in biochemical binding assays, cellular mammalian two-hybrid interaction assays evaluating nuclear receptor co-repressor (NCOR) recruitment and cellular reporter assays evaluating transcriptional activity (Fig. 2a). TLC-2716 and TLC-6665 demonstrated comparable binding to and repression of LXRα and LXRβ activity with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC50) of 7–15 and 14–17 nM, respectively (Fig. 2a). Repression of LXR activity by TLC-2716 dose dependently reduced intracellular TG accumulation in primary human Upcyte hepatocytes with an EC50 of 289 ± 34 nM via inhibition of DNL19 (Fig. 2b).
a, Biochemical and cellular potency of TLC-2716 and its analog TLC-6665. IC50, half-maximal inhibitory concentration; M2H, mammalian two-hybrid. b, TLC-2716 lowers lipid droplet accumulation in primary human Upcyte hepatocytes (PH). Data are shown as mean ± s.d.; N = 8 experiments. c–f, Liver target engagement assessed by the expression of LXR target genes (c), liver TG content (d), plasma TG AUC (e) and plasma TC AUC (f) in HFD-DIO mice (n = 6 per group), HFD-fed SD rats (n = 6 per group) and HFD-fed ZDF rats (n = 6 for vehicle and 5 for the treatment group) treated with TLC-2716; Ctrl, control. g,h, Liver TG content (g) and plasma TG AUC (h) in DIO mice (n = 10 per group) and ZDF rats (n = 6 per group) after TLC-6665 treatment. i, Intestinal lipid absorption, as measured by the appearance of [3H]triolein in the plasma of DIO mice treated with vehicle or TLC-6665 (5 mg per kg (body weight) by oral gavage; n = 5 per group). Data are shown as mean ± s.d.; dpm, disintegrations per minute. j, Ileal Srebp1c expression in DIO mice treated with TLC-2716 (n = 6 per group). k, Hepatic expression (left) and plasma levels (right) of ANGPTL3 in HFD-fed ZDF rats treated with vehicle or TLC-2716 for 4 weeks; n = 11 for vehicle and 8 for the treatment group. l, Hepatic transcript levels of enzymes involved in circulating TG clearance and/or hepatic TG secretion in HFD-fed ZDF rats treated with vehicle or TLC-6665; n = 6 per group; *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01 and ***P < 0.001. Data were analyzed by two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test and BH adjustment (c–f and j–l), two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test (g and h) or two-way analysis of variance with Sidak's multiple comparisons test (i). Box plots indicate the median (center line), IQR (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles), and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers; d–f, j and k).
Source data
To evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of LXR inverse agonists in vivo, we used three different dysmetabolic rodent models, including high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese (DIO) mice, HFD-fed Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats and HFD-fed Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (Extended Data Fig. 3a). In these models, TLC-2716 dose dependently reduced hepatic expression of DNL genes and plasma and liver TG (Fig. 2c–e and Extended Data Fig. 3b). The area under curve (AUC) for plasma TG and total cholesterol (TC) was significantly reduced at the highest dose of TLC-2716 (1 mg per kg (body weight) per day) in DIO mice and ZDF rats (Fig. 2e,f and Extended Data Fig. 3b,c). Importantly, TLC-2716 did not impact liver injury biomarkers, including plasma alanine transaminase (Extended Data Fig. 3d) or aspartate aminotransferase (Extended Data Fig. 3e). Similarly, TLC-6665 also inhibited hepatic expression of DNL genes (Extended Data Fig. 4a–d) and reduced liver and plasma TG levels in DIO mice and ZDF rats (Fig. 2g,h).
In addition to direct effects on hepatic lipid synthesis, LXR repression exerts pleiotropic effects to reduce dyslipidemia. TLC-6665 reduced intestinal lipid absorption, measured by the uptake of 3H-labeled triolein tracer, in DIO mice (Fig. 2i). Further, TLC-2716 dose dependently inhibited ileal Srebp1c expression in DIO mice (Fig. 2j). In ZDF rats, TLC-2716 reduced hepatic Angptl3 expression and plasma levels of ANGPTL3 (Fig. 2k). Similarly, liver expression of Angptl3, Angptl4 and Angptl8, as well as Apoc1, Apoc2 and Apoc3, was suppressed by TLC-6665 in ZDF rats (Fig. 2l). Together, these data confirm that LXR inverse agonists improve dyslipidemia via multiple mechanisms, including direct inhibition of lipid synthesis in the liver (Fig. 2c and Extended Data Fig. 4c,d) and intestine (Fig. 2j), reduced intestinal absorption of dietary lipids (Fig. 2i) and increased lipid clearance from circulation (Fig. 2k,l).
The therapeutic effects of our LXR inverse agonists in MASLD were evaluated in the choline-deficient HFD and sodium nitrite rat model42 (Extended Data Fig. 5a). Over 6 weeks of treatment, TLC-6665 decreased liver fibrosis (assessed histologically with picrosirius red staining; Extended Data Fig. 5b) and hepatic hydroxyproline and collagen content by 64% and 50%, respectively (Extended Data Fig. 5c,d). Liver TG (Extended Data Fig. 5e) and hepatic expression of DNL-related genes, stellate cell activation genes and fibrogenesis-related genes (Timp1) were also reduced (Extended Data Fig. 5f).
The effect of LXR repression by TLC-6665 (5 mg per kg (body weight) per day) on insulin sensitivity in DIO mice was assessed after 4 weeks of treatment using a two-step hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp, where pioglitazone (30 mg per kg (body weight) per day) served as a positive control. The glucose infusion rate was higher in mice on TLC-6665 than in those treated with vehicle and was noninferior to pioglitazone, indicating enhanced systemic insulin sensitivity (Extended Data Fig. 5g,h). Hepatic glucose production suppression with TLC-6665 trended to be similarly reduced to pioglitazone during the 8 mU kg−1 min−1 insulin infusion (Extended Data Fig. 5h). Glucose utilization by muscle was also higher with TLC-6665, particularly in the oxidative soleus muscle (Extended Data Fig. 5i). A higher dose of TLC-2716 (15 mg per kg (body weight) per day) also improved glucose homeostasis in ZDF rats, as evidenced by an approximately 56% reduction in fasting plasma glucose after four weeks of treatment (Extended Data Fig. 5j). LXR inverse agonists hence improve insulin sensitivity in dysmetabolic rodents.
Because cholesterol metabolism differs between rodents and humans, humanized liver chimeric PXB mice were used to confirm the effects of TLC-2716 on lipid metabolism43. TLC-2716 trended to reduce hepatic TG, despite the short duration (8 days) of dosing (Extended Data Fig. 6a,b). Moreover, hepatic expression of genes involved in cholesterol and TG metabolism was suggestively reduced (adjusted P < 0.1) with TLC-2716 (Extended Data Fig. 6c). Specifically, TLC-2716 reduced the expression of HMGCR, indicative of reduced cholesterol synthesis, and genes involved in hepatic LDL-C uptake (PCSK9 and IDOL) and bile acids synthesis (CYP7A1). Reductions in the expression of ANGPTL3 and DNL-associated genes were also observed with TLC-2716 (Extended Data Fig. 6c).
The effect of TLC-2716 on lipid accumulation was also evaluated in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell-derived HLOs established from human donors with different genetic backgrounds, including those with a known risk variant for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH; the glucokinase regulatory protein (GCKR) rs1260326: C (GCKRCC) > T variant (GCKRTT))44. These HLOs were exposed to high concentrations of oleate for 3 days to induce a MASH-like phenotype (steatotic HLOs (sHLOs)) and then treated with TLC-2716 or vehicle (Fig. 3a). TLC-2716 dose dependently reduced intracellular lipid content in sHLOs (Fig. 3b,c). RNA sequencing revealed that sHLOs with different GCKR genotypes were segregated by principal component 1 (PC1), whereas PC2 separated sHLOs by TLC-2716 (5 µM; Fig. 3d). Gene set enrichment analysis further illustrated that TLC-2716 suppressed the expression of LXR-associated genes (Fig. 3e) and the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism, inflammation and fibrosis, with a more pronounced effect in the GCKRTT sHLOs, wherein lipid biosynthesis is upregulated45,46 (Fig. 3f).
a, Schematic showing the experimental pipeline of studies in sHLOs. b, Representative images of lipid accumulation in sHLOs. Scale bars, 100 μm. Experiments were repeated four times, and similar results were observed. c, Dose-dependent reduction in lipid accumulation in sHLOs treated with TLC-2716 for 3 days. P values were calculated by two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test; n = 238 (DMSO), 196 (500 nM) and 153 (5 µM). d, PC analysis of normalized gene expression of GCKRTT and GCKRCC sHLOs ±5 μM TLC-2716 (n = 3 per group). e, Effects of TLC-2716 on LXR-related gene sets in GCKRTT and GCKRCC sHLOs (n = 3 per group); ES, enrichment score. f, Gene set enrichment analysis indicating the altered lipid-, inflammation- and fibrosis-related gene sets following TLC-2716 exposure. The effect is more robust in the GCKRTT variant. Reg., regulation; pos., positive; pro., process; ECM, extracellular matrix. q values are indicated by *q < 0.05, **q < 0.01 and ***q < 0.001. g, Liver, plasma and ileum exposures in mice dosed with 1 mg per kg (body weight) TLC-2716 or TLC-6665 by oral gavage on day 1. Data are shown as mean ± s.d.; n = 3 per group. h, Expression of genes involved in cholesterol synthesis, metabolism and efflux/transport in liver, ileum and buffy coat in DIO mice dosed with TLC-2716 (0.3 and 1 mg per kg (body weight)) for 3 weeks (n = 6 per group). Significance was calculated using a two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test and adjusted by the BH method. Box plots indicate the median (center line), IQR (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles), and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers; c and h).
Source data
Plasma and tissue (liver and ileum) concentrations of TLC-2716 and TLC-6665 were evaluated in male DIO mice after 14 days of treatment. The compounds demonstrated different pharmacology in vivo, with TLC-2716 having lower plasma exposures and higher and sustained ileum and liver exposures (due to active uptake into hepatocytes) than TLC-6665 (ratio of AUCs of TLC-2716/TLC-6665 in plasma and liver of 0.17 and 6.24, respectively; Fig. 3g). TLC-2716 also dose dependently reduced the expression of transcripts involved in cholesterol synthesis (Hmgcr) in the liver and cholesterol efflux transporters (Abca1, Abcg5 and Abcg8) in the intestine (Fig. 3h). However, TLC-2716 did not alter the expression of the cholesterol efflux transporters Abca1 and Abcg1 in the buffy coat, the fraction of blood that primarily contains white blood cells (Fig. 3h). These data indicate that TLC-2716 acts primarily in the liver and intestine and does not inhibit LXR activity in white blood cells, which are responsible for RCT and associated with atherogenic risk. Given its lower plasma exposure, TLC-2716 was selected for clinical evaluation in the treatment of severe dyslipidemias and related disorders.
The safety of TLC-2716 was assessed in preclinical toxicology studies in mice and NHPs. TLC-2716 was administered orally at 1, 5 and 15 mg per kg (body weight) per day (2- to 28-fold the maximum clinical dose based on allometric scaling) for 28 days to young, lean male and female NHPs. Dose-dependent reductions in plasma TG and TC were observed in TLC-2716-treated monkeys (Extended Data Fig. 7a,b), without adverse clinical or histopathological observations at any tested doses. In mice, TLC-2716 was administered orally at 15, 60 and 120 mg per kg (body weight) per day (7- to 57-fold the maximum clinical dose) to lean male and female CD-1 mice for 26 weeks. Consistent with observations in dysmetabolic rodents, plasma TG and TC were reduced at all doses of TLC-2716 in both sexes (Extended Data Fig. 7c,d). No adverse clinical observations or changes in liver biochemistry or histopathology indicative of liver injury were present at any tested doses (Extended Data Fig. 7e,f). In both toxicology studies, the no-observed-adverse-effect level was the highest dose evaluated.
Given the favorable efficacy and toxicological profile in preclinical species, a randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical trial of TLC-2716 was conducted in humans (ClinicalTrials.govNCT05483998, from 27 July 2022 to 18 June 2023; Fig. 4a). TLC-2716 was first tested in a single-ascending dose (SAD) study in 50 healthy individuals in which single doses of up to 20 mg were well tolerated19,29 (Fig. 4a,b). To explore the PK and effect of multiple doses on safety-related endpoints and plasma lipids and biomarkers, another 50 healthy individuals were randomized into a multiple-ascending dose (MAD) trial (Fig. 4a,c). At baseline, mean plasma TG was 102 ± 39 mg dl−1 and LDL-C was 111 ± 30 mg dl−1; TG ≥ 100 mg dl−1, RC ≥ 20 mg dl−1 and LDL-C ≥ 100 mg dl−1 were observed in 23, 20 and 30 individuals, respectively (Table 1). Participants were randomized to receive either placebo (two participants per dose) or TLC-2716 0.5, 2, 6 or 12 mg (eight participants per dose) orally once daily for 14 days. All doses were administered in a fed state except in an additional cohort of eight participants treated with 6 mg of TLC-2716 daily for 14 days after an overnight fast. PK analysis revealed a short half-life (mean t1/2 of 1.43–1.74 h) and time to maximal plasma concentration (mean tmax of 2.0–4.0 h) and low maximal plasma concentrations (mean Cmax of 0.95–6.37 ng ml−1) on day 14, consistent with rapid hepatic uptake of TLC-2716 (Extended Data Fig. 8a,b).
a, Flow diagram for the CONSORT of the TLC-2716 phase 1 clinical trial. b,c, Baseline characterization of healthy participants enrolled in SAD and MAD cohorts in the phase 1 trial. Data are shown as median (minimum, maximum) or n (%).
Following 14 days of treatment, TLC-2716 caused dose-dependent improvements in atherogenic plasma lipids (exploratory outcomes), including TG, RC, TC, non-HDL-C, LDL-C and the number of LDL and small LDL particles (Fig. 5a–g and Table 1). Although a trend to reduced ApoB was noted (Fig. 5h), decreasing HDL-C in the placebo and the highest dose of TLC-2716 were observed (Fig. 5i). Consistent with preclinical improvement in insulin sensitivity, TLC-2716 dose dependently reduced the TG/HDL-C ratio47 and lipoprotein insulin resistance index (Lipo-IR)48, both exploratory surrogate markers of insulin resistance (Fig. 5j,k).
a–k, Dot plots showing the therapeutic effect of 14 days of treatment with TLC-2716 at 0.5, 2, 6 or 12 mg on TG (a), RC (b), TC (c), non-HDL-C (d), LDL-C (e), the number of total LDL particles (f) and small LDL particles (g), ApoB (h), HDL-C (i), TG/HDL-C ratio (j) and Lipo-IR (k). The significance of comparisons between day 14 and day 1 within the same dose group was calculated by two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test and adjusted by the BH method, while the significance of relative (%) changes of each parameter following 14 days of treatment compared with placebo calculated by [(day 14 – day 1) / day 1] was calculated by two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test and adjusted by the BH method.
Source data
The 6- and 12-mg doses of TLC-2716 had the most favorable effects on plasma lipids (Fig. 5 and Table 1). Placebo-adjusted median percentage changes in TG from day 1 to day 14 were −37.6% (95% confidence interval (95% CI), −54.0 to −19.9) with 6 mg and −38.5% (95% CI, −67.9 to −7.2) with 12 mg (Fig. 5a and Table 1). Likewise, placebo-adjusted reductions in RC in the 6- and 12-mg groups were −33.5% (95% CI, −50.3 to −16.9) and −29.5% (95% CI, −59.1 to 2.6), respectively, when measured predose (Fig. 5b and Table 1) and −59.2% (95% CI, −90.2 to −7.1) and −61.0% (95% CI, −100 to −11.7), respectively, when measured postprandially 12 h postdose (Table 1). Finally, placebo-adjusted reductions in total LDL particles were robustly decreased: −20.3% (95% CI, −45.9 to −3.4) with the 6-mg dose and −36.5% (95% CI, −67.8 to −19.8) with the 12-mg dose (Fig. 5f and Table 1). Corresponding placebo-adjusted reductions in the number of small LDL particles were −52.2% (−100.1 to 9.8) and −60.8% (−121.4 to 0.1), respectively (Fig. 5g and Table 1). In exploratory analyses, reductions in TG, RC and LDL-C in participants treated with 6 or 12 mg of TLC-2716 were greatest in participants with higher baseline values of these parameters (Extended Data Fig. 8c–e). For example, in participants with baseline TG of ≥100 mg dl−1, the placebo-adjusted reductions in TG from day 1 to day 14 were −45.2% (95% CI, −61.3 to −27.9) with 6 mg and −60.8% (95% CI, −70.4 to −37.9) with 12 mg.
In addition, both the 6- and 12-mg doses of TLC-2716 led to reductions in plasma levels of the LXR-related proteins ApoC3 and ANGPTL3 between days 1 and 14 (Extended Data Fig. 8f,g), suggesting that the benefits of TLC-2716 are driven, at least in part, by the repression of LXR target genes, upregulation of LPL and increased clearance of TG-rich lipoproteins. Effects on RCT were assessed by measuring ABCA1 and ABCG1 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells on day 14, at predose (plasma TLC-2716 levels are undetectable) and 4 h postdose (approximate tmax of TLC-2716). TLC-2716 did not reduce the expression of either of these genes (Extended Data Fig. 8h), likely due to transient and low systemic exposure of the compound attributable to active hepatic uptake.
TLC-2716 was well tolerated in this phase 1 study19,29. No clinically notable changes in vital signs or safety laboratory and electrocardiogram parameters, deaths, serious adverse events (AEs) or discontinuations of study medication were reported. All treatment-emergent AEs in the TLC-2716 cohorts were mild (grade 1), except for a single moderate (grade 2) AE of thrombophlebitis in the 2-mg MAD group, which was considered unrelated to treatment. The most common AEs (reported in at least three participants overall) were mild diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, back pain and pruritus (Extended Data Fig. 9). In general, the incidences of these AEs were similar between participants treated with placebo and TLC-2716 and were not dose dependent.
First-generation LXR inverse agonists have demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models for the treatment of metabolic disorders, including dyslipidemia and MASLD19,28. TLC-2716, developed based on this generation of LXR inverse agonists, has not been evaluated in humans, nor has any other compound of its kind19,29. Here, we demonstrated consistent metabolic benefits of an oral, gut- and liver-restricted LXR inverse agonist, TLC-2716, in rodent, NHP and HLO models and, ultimately, in healthy human participants, supporting the potential of this approach for the treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.
As previously described32, genetic variants within NR1H3 are associated with lipid metabolism in human datasets, whereas such associations were not found for NR1H2. Similarly, hepatic expression of NR1H3 appears to play a more prominent role in regulating lipid metabolism, likely due to its greater hepatic expression than NR1H2 (ref. 36). These observations may partially explain why Nr1h2-knockout mice exhibit lower plasma TG reductions in atherosclerosis models than Nr1h3-knockout mice49, further indicating the impact of LXR activity on the regulation of DNL and lipid metabolism12,50. Here, we used two LXR inverse agonists, TLC-2716 and an analog TLC-6665 (ref. 41), which potently suppress both LXRα and LXRβ. Both compounds reduced serum TG while improving cholesterol metabolism by three primary mechanisms: (1) repression of hepatic ANGPTL3 and APOC3 expression, causing increased LPL activity and clearance of TG-rich lipoproteins; (2) repression of hepatic SREBP1C, mediating reduced DNL and VLDL synthesis and release by the liver; and (3) reduced fatty acid absorption and chylomicron assembly in the intestine.
Homeostasis of LXR activity plays an important role in maintaining global metabolic health. On the one hand, the LXR pathway is upregulated in metabolic diseases, including hypertriglyceridemia and MASLD (Fig. 1d), wherein exaggerated DNL leads to hepatic steatosis, lipotoxicity, inflammation and progressive fibrosis51. On the other hand, Nr1h3-knockout mice fed a high-cholesterol and/or HFD develop a MASH-like phenotype32,52,53. In two recent studies, knock-in mice carrying dominant-negative Nr1h3 mutations (W441F and W441R) exhibited more severe liver injury than Nr1h3-knockout mice following a MASH-inducing diet32,52. Overall, the exacerbation of liver damage caused by Nr1h3 loss-of-function/knockout or dominant-negative Nr1h3 mutations in MASH may be due to severely perturbed LXR activity in these settings. By contrast, LXR inverse agonists, which reduce the basal activity of this constitutively active receptor (favoring interaction with the co-repressor NCOR1), have demonstrated potential in reducing plasma lipids25 and hepatic fibrosis28. Here, two LXR inverse agonists reduced plasma TG and TC, without inducing a MASH-related phenotype in rodents or NHPs. In a MASH rat model, 6 weeks of LXR inverse agonist treatment reduced hepatic steatosis and fibrosis (Extended Data Fig. 5b–e), and, importantly, liver biochemistry remained stable with both short-term (2–3 weeks) and long-term (26 weeks) treatment (Extended Data Figs. 3d,e and 7e,f). RNA-sequencing analysis of sHLOs further confirmed that TLC-2716 does not elevate the expression of proinflammatory or profibrotic gene expression (Extended Data Fig. 10). Indeed, consistent with alleviation of the MASH phenotype, the expression of fibrosis-related genes was downregulated following TLC-2716 treatment of sHLOs harboring a risk variant (GCKRTT) associated with enhanced lipogenesis (Fig. 3f). Together, our data provide evidence that LXR inverse agonists restore basal LXR homeostasis in dysmetabolic models, leading to improved lipid metabolism and hepato-protection.
Dyslipidemia commonly accompanies insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and ectopic lipid accumulation in liver and skeletal muscle contributes causally to the development of insulin resistance54. Hence, we hypothesized that LXR inverse agonism may improve insulin sensitivity by reducing dyslipidemia. Indeed, TLC-2716 improved fasting glycemia in ZDF rats (Extended Data Fig. 5j), and TLC-6665 had comparable effects on insulin sensitivity to the approved PPARγ agonist pioglitazone55 in DIO mice (Extended Data Fig. 5g). These insulin-sensitizing effects of LXR repression may offer additional cardioprotective benefit to that attributable to improvements in circulating lipids56. Despite comparable therapeutic effects, TLC-2716 and TLC-6665 exhibit distinct PK profiles, with TLC-2716 showing restricted distribution to both the intestine and liver due to active uptake by hepatic transporters. The limited systemic activity of TLC-2716 likely minimizes the risk of disrupting RCT (as demonstrated by unchanged expression of relevant genes in rodents and humans) and potential proatherogenic effects that have been linked to systemic LXR repression21. These data provide a rationale for the evaluation of TLC-2716 to treat individuals with severe dyslipidemia and suggest that TLC-2716 may reduce residual cardiovascular risk due to benefits on both lipid and glucose metabolism.
TLC-2716 was demonstrated to be safe in preclinical toxicology studies. In addition, all doses of TLC-2716 were safe and well tolerated in this phase 1 trial involving 100 healthy volunteers. TLC-2716 treatment for 14 days led to dose-dependent improvements in plasma TG and RC and other atherogenic lipids, including non-HDL-C and both total and small LDL particle number (Fig. 5). Although these data must be interpreted cautiously due to our evaluation of healthy volunteers and multiple exploratory endpoints, we observed greater benefits of TLC-2716 in individuals with higher baseline lipids, potentially due to LXR upregulation in these individuals. For example, in individuals with baseline TG of ≥100 mg dl−1 or RC of ≥20 mg dl−1 (roughly one-half of included participants), TLC-2716 at 12 mg led to placebo-adjusted reductions in TG and RC of >60% after only 14 days of dosing. These improvements are within the range of other therapies that target TG-rich lipoproteins, including injectable inhibitors of ApoC3 (refs. 57,58), ANGPTL3 (ref. 59) and ANGPTL4 (ref. 60), and support the potential of TLC-2716 to provide meaningful clinical benefit in individuals at risk for ASCVD. Inhibitors of ApoC3 and ANGPTL3 increase LDL-C concentrations, likely due to LPL-mediated conversion of TG-rich lipoproteins into LDL particles61. By contrast, the repression of LXR activity with TLC-2716 led to dose-dependent reductions in plasma LDL particles. This distinction, which is likely relevant from an ASCVD risk perspective, presumably reflects the pleiotropic mechanisms of LXR repression, including reductions in both ANGPTL3 and ApoC3 (as demonstrated in this study), decreased hepatic synthesis of TG-rich lipoproteins and reduced intestinal lipid absorption. Overall, the oral administration of TLC-2716 may offer a compelling advantage over these alternative therapies due to patient convenience, reduced cost and the potential to combine with other lipid-lowering therapies in fixed-dose oral combinations.
Several additional findings of this phase 1 study warrant discussion. First, TLC-2716 caused dose-dependent reductions in the TG/HDL-C ratio and Lipo-IR index, both surrogate markers of insulin resistance, suggesting that TLC-2716 may improve insulin sensitivity, as observed in preclinical studies. However, because our study population comprised insulin-sensitive healthy volunteers, the potential benefits of TLC-2716 should be confirmed in insulin-resistant individuals with dyslipidemia. Similarly, because baseline lipids were relatively normal in these healthy volunteers and lipid-lowering therapies were contraindicated in this study, the benefits of TLC-2716 when added to background therapies for hypertriglyceridemia (for example, fibrates and statins) in individuals with disease require confirmation. Ultimately, these questions will be answered in upcoming phase 2 studies, including an ongoing phase 2a study of TLC-2716 in individuals with overweight/obesity with moderate-to-severe hypertriglyceridemia (TG ≥ 350 mg dl−1) and MASLD (NCT06564584).
In conclusion, this randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 study has demonstrated that TLC-2716 (a liver- and gut-restricted oral LXR inverse agonist) is safe and well tolerated and produces substantial improvements in plasma lipid metabolism. These clinical results are consistent with findings from genetic analysis and preclinical studies, reinforcing both safety and therapeutic promise of LXR repression in improving circulating lipids and addressing hepatic consequences of metabolic dysfunction.
Biochemical binding of TLC-2716 and TLC-6665 to LXRα or LXRβ was determined by time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based biochemical assays evaluating the concentration-dependent displacement of a N-terminally biotinylated coactivator NCOA3 to recombinant glutathione S-transferase (GST)-tagged LXRα or LXRβ ligand-binding domain (LBD). Briefly, different concentrations of TLC-2716 or TLC-6665 were incubated with an assay buffer (Tris/HCl buffer (pH 6.8) containing 240 mM KCl, 1 µg µl−1 bovine serum albumin and 0.002% Triton X-100) containing 530 µg ml−1 recombinant GST-tagged LXRα/LXRβ LBD, 125 pg µl−1 GST-Tb cryptate (CisBio), 400 nM N-terminally biotinylated NCOA3 (coactivator) peptide, 1 μM 24(S)-25-epoxycholesterol (LXR agonist, only in the NCOA3 assay) and 2.5 ng µl−1 Streptavidin-XL665 (CisBio) for 1 h at 4 °C, following which fluorescence was measured in a VictorX4 multiplate reader (PerkinElmer Life Science) using 340 nm as excitation and 615 and 665 nm as emission wavelengths. Assays were performed in triplicate.
LXRα and LXRβ activity status was determined via detection of interaction with coactivator and co-repressor proteins in mammalian two-hybrid experiments. HEK293 cells were transiently transfected with full length proteins of LXRα or LXRβ and their respective LBD domains under the pCMV-AD promoter(Stratagene). The cofactors, either the coactivator SRC1 or the co-repressor NCoR, were expressed as fusions to the DNA binding domain of the yeast transcription factor GAL4. Interaction was monitored via activation of a coexpressed Firefly luciferase reporter gene under control of a promoter containing repetitive GAL4 response elements (vector pFRLuc, Stratagene). Four hours after transfection, cells were incubated with a concentration range of TLC-2716 and TLC-6665 for 16 h, after which they were lysed, and luciferase activities were measured sequentially in the same cell extract using a BMG luminometer.
HT-29 or HepG2 cells were stably transfected with pGL4 luciferase reporter plasmid containing the ABCA1 or SREBP1C, respectively, promoter region upstream of the Firefly luciferase reporter gene and incubated with a concentration range of TLC-2716 or TLC-6665 for 16 h as described above.
Human primary Upcyte hepatocytes were cultivated in medium containing high concentrations of glucose (25 mM) and palmitate (100 nM) for 5 days in the presence or absence of TLC-2716, and intracellular lipids were measured by Bodipy staining.
The in vivo studies were performed at Synovo in accordance with their bioethical guidelines, which are fully compliant with ethical regulations and internationally accepted principles for the care and use of laboratory animals. Animal housing facilities were maintained at 20–22 °C with 30–50% humidity. Mice were kept on a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle with ad libitum access to food and water.
Eighteen-week-old male C57BL/6 DIO mice (14 weeks on HFD, Research Diets), purchased from The Jackson Laboratory, were dosed with vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% Kollidon-30 in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer) or TLC-2716 (0.3 or 1 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for 3 weeks.
Six- to 7-week-old male obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats (ZUCKER-Leprfa, Charles River Laboratories) were fed a HFD for a total of 5 weeks and dosed with vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% Kollidon-30 in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer) or TLC-2716 (0.1 or 1 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for the last 2 weeks. In a second study, 6- to 7-week-old male ZDF rats (ZDF-Leprfa/Crl) were prefed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet for 2 weeks and dosed with vehicle or TLC-6665 (5 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks.
Six- to 7-week-old male SD rats (Charles River Laboratories) were fed a HFD for a total of 5 weeks and dosed with vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% Kollidon-30 in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer) or TLC-2716 (0.1 or 1 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for the last 3 weeks.
Six- to 8-week-old male Wistar rats (Charles River Laboratories) were fed an L-amino acid rodent diet with 60 kcal% fat with no added choline and 0.1% methionine (Research Diets, A06071302) for a total of 12 weeks. After 4 weeks of diet feeding, animals started receiving sodium nitrite injections (25 mg per kg (body weight) intraperitonially) three times a week for the remainder of the study. After 6 weeks of choline-deficient HFD feeding, animals were dosed with vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% Kollidon-30 in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer) or TLC-6665 (5 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for the last 6 weeks.
Human liver chimeric PXB mice were purchased from PheonexBio, and in-life procedures were performed at InterVivo Solution in accordance with their bioethical guidelines, which are fully compliant with ethical regulations and internationally accepted principles for the care and use of laboratory animals. Briefly, animals were assigned to two groups (n = 5 male mice per group), vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% Kollidon-30 in 100 mM sodium phosphate buffer) or TLC-2716 (1 mg per kg (body weight) daily by oral gavage) for 8 days, after which animals were humanely killed by cardiac puncture, and plasma and tissues were collected for lipid and gene expression endpoints as described below.
Liver tissue was dipped into ice-cold PBS for 1 min and then fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS overnight for a maximum of 16 h. Afterward, samples were transferred to cold 70% ethanol/PBS to avoid prolonged fixation and embedded in paraffin before sectioning. Sections were stained with picrosirius red to visualize collagen.
Plasma samples were analyzed for levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol and triglycerides using respons 910 (Diasys Diagnostics Systems), as per the manufacturer's instructions.
Collected frozen liver samples were ground to a fine powder with a pestle and mortar under liquid nitrogen. An aliquot was subjected to lipid isolation using organic solvents (hexane and isopropanol), and, after extraction, triglyceride and cholesterol levels were quantified using commercially available kits (FUJIFILM Wako Chemicals Europe). An additional aliquot was used for collagen determination after acid hydrolysis (Total Collagen Assay, Quickzyme Biosciences).
The study was performed at Physiogenex S.A.S. in accordance with ethical regulations, Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (revised 1996 and 2011, 2010/63/EU) and French laws.
Twenty-four-week-old DIO mice (Jackson Laboratories) were fed a HFD (Research Diets, D12492) for 18 weeks and dosed with vehicle (5% DMSO and 0.5% hydroxypropyl methylcellulose in phosphate-buffered saline), TLC-6665 (5 mg per kg (body weight)) or pioglitazone (30 mg per kg (body weight)) once daily by oral gavage for 4 weeks. Animals were subjected to a two-stage hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp procedure after a 6-h fast and 2 h after the last dose. Briefly, animals received a bolus of D-[3-3H]glucose (30 μCi per mouse) followed by D-[3-3H]glucose (30 μCi min−1 kg−1) infusion (2 μl min−1) for up to 210 min. Insulin was simultaneously infused at 8 mU kg−1 min−1 for the first 100 min and at 18 mU kg−1 min−1 for the last 110 min. Blood glucose was measured from the tip of the tail every 10 min by a glucometer. The glucose infusion rate was adjusted according to blood glucose levels until a first euglycemic steady state was reached (from ~70 to 100 min of infusion) and similarly adjusted until a second euglycemic steady-state was reached (from ~150 to 210 min of infusion). During both steady states, blood (5 μl) was collected frequently from the tail tip for 3H-radioactivity measurements and calculations of glucose flux.
A 26-week Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) toxicology study was conducted at Inotiv according to the protocol, Inotiv's Standard Operating Procedures and in compliance with the current US Food and Drug Administration GLP Regulations for Non-Clinical Studies (21 CFR Part 58). Animal housing facilities were maintained at 20–26 °C with 30–70% humidity. Mice were kept on a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle with ad libitum access to food and water. Briefly, the safety profile of TLC-2716 was evaluated in CD-1 mice (Charles River Laboratories) administered orally once daily at 0 (vehicle: 100 mM sodium phosphate puffer, 0.5% polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP; pH 7.4) and 3% DMSO), 15, 60 and 120 mg per kg (body weight) per day for 26 weeks. This terminal study included comprehensive assessments of toxicokinetics and clinical laboratory parameters (hematology, clinical chemistry and urinalysis). Animals were monitored daily for clinical signs, with regular measurements of body weight, food consumption and vital signs. Necropsy and detailed tissue analysis were performed at study termination.
A 4-week GLP toxicology study was conducted in cynomolgus monkeys (Guangzhou Xiangguan Biotech) to evaluate the safety profile of TLC-2716 administered orally once daily at 1, 5 and 15 mg per kg (body weight) per day. This terminal study included comprehensive assessments of toxicokinetics and clinical laboratory parameters (hematology, clinical chemistry and urinalysis). Animals were monitored daily for clinical signs, with regular measurements of body weight, food consumption and vital signs. Necropsy and detailed tissue analysis were performed at study termination. All procedures involving animals were reviewed and approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and were conducted in accordance with international guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals.
Target organs (liver and intestine) were subjected to gene expression analysis by real-time quantitative PCR with reverse transcription (RT–qPCR). Aliquots of liver and ileum were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen and subsequently homogenized with a pestle and mortar under liquid nitrogen. Aliquots of the homogenized tissues were processed for RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis. Aliquots from the reverse-transcribed samples were used for the detection of specific mRNA transcripts of different genes of interest by RT–qPCR using commercially available mouse cDNA sequence-specific PCR primers and Taqman probes. Resulting cycle threshold (Ct) values were normalized to the housekeeping gene Tbp measured in the same sample. Results are plotted as fold change compared with vehicle controls. All primers or product codes for RT–qPCR are indicated in Supplementary Table 1.
HLOs were generated as previously described63. Briefly, human iPS cells were differentiated into foregut progenitor cells using a published protocol44. To initiate organoid formation, foregut cells were resuspended in Matrigel at a final concentration of 750,000 cells per ml. Fifty-microliter droplets of the cell–Matrigel mixture were plated and cultured in Advanced DMEM/F12 (Gibco) supplemented with B27, N2, 10 mM HEPES, 1% GlutaMAX, 1% penicillin–streptomycin, 5 ng ml−1 FGF2, 10 ng ml−1 VEGF, 20 ng ml−1 EGF, 3 μM CHIR99021, 0.5 μM A83-01 and 50 µg ml−1 ascorbic acid for 4 days. The medium was then replaced with the same basal formulation containing 2 μM retinoic acid and cultured for an additional 4 days. Finally, the organoids were maintained in hepatocyte culture medium (Lonza) for 6 days to promote hepatic maturation. To induce a steatohepatitis-like phenotype, HLOs were gently retrieved from the Matrigel and washed with PBS. HLOs were then exposed to 300 μM sodium oleate (Sigma) in hepatocyte culture medium for 3 days using ultra-low attachment six-well plates (Corning). For quantification of intracellular lipid accumulation, sHLOs were rinsed three times with prewarmed PBS and stained with 2 μM BODIPY 493/503 (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for neutral lipid detection, along with NucBlue Live ReadyProbes (Thermo Fisher Scientific) for nuclear counterstaining. Fluorescent images were acquired using a Keyence BZ-X710 automated fluorescence microscope. Lipid droplet volume was quantified using the Hybrid Cell Count application (Keyence) and normalized to nuclear signal intensity. For RNA sequencing, total RNA was extracted from iPS cell-derived HLOs using an RNeasy Plus Mini kit (Qiagen) following the manufacturer's protocol. RNA quality were assessed using a Fragment Analyzer (Advanced Analytical), and only samples with an RNA Quality Number of ≥8.0 were used for library preparation.
Genotypes of GCKR variants were determined using an Illumina Infinium Global Diversity Array with the Enhanced PGx platform (Illumina) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Genomic DNA was extracted from undifferentiated iPS cells using a QIAamp DNA Mini kit (Qiagen). Genotyping was performed at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Genomics Sequencing Facility using standard Infinium HTS assay protocols. Quality control steps included removal of samples with a call rate of <98%, excess heterozygosity or sex mismatch. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with a call rate of <95%, Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium P of <1 × 10−6 or minor allele frequency of <1% were excluded from downstream analysis. Genomic positions were mapped to the GRCh38 (hg38) human reference genome.
We analyzed metabolic-related phenotypic traits from the UKBB30,31 under Application Number 48020 by focusing on participants of European ancestry only (based on the UKBB return dataset 2442). A GWAS was performed using REGENIE. Step 1 involved the estimation of population structure using genotyping arrays (UKBB field 22418). Step 2 calculated genetic variant–phenotype associations based on the WES data (UKBB field 23159) using the following covariates: the first ten genetic PCs, age, sex and age–sex interaction. Gene-based testing (burden test) was performed using REGENIE step 2 by collapsing single-variant test statistics into gene-level results. Variants were grouped into functional sets defined by mask objects, where each mask represents a labeled variant category that combines different types of annotations.
Summary statistics from the FinnGen33 study were downloaded from https://www.finngen.fi/en/access_results, and those for the Million Veteran Program34 database were accessed through dbGaP under accession number phs002453.v1.p1 through the AgingX project (ID 10143). The significant (P < 5 × 10−8) associated phenotypic traits of genetic variants within candidate genes in each human population were further extracted. Fine-mapping results were downloaded from https://www.finucanelab.org/data (ref. 64).
Significant cis-eQTLs of LXRα (NR1H3) and LXRβ (NR1H2) in liver or blood were obtained from the GTEx (version 8, 208 individuals)36 or eQTLGen (31,684 individuals)65. Linkage disequilibrium clumping for SNPs was estimated using Plink (genetics.binaRies R package, window size 1 Mb, minor allele frequency ≥ 1%) on the 1000 Genomes reference panel66. Only one independent SNP was found within NR1H3 using the GTEx liver cis-eQTLs, whereas eight independent SNPs were identified using the eQTLGen blood cis-eQTLs, suggesting that the eQTLGen blood cis-eQTLs are more reliable for Mendelian randomization analysis. Therefore, significant cis-eQTLs of LXR in blood extracted from eQTLGen were applied as exposures in the Mendelian randomization analysis. GWAS summary statistics for plasma lipid-related traits were derived from WES data in the UKBB and served as outcomes. The causal effects of NR1H3 and NR1H2 gene expression on lipid traits were estimated by Inverse Variance Weighted approach using the TwoSampleMR67,68,69,70 R package (v0.6.2).
Liver gene expression datasets were obtained from GTEx36 and the Human Liver Cohort37. Correlation coefficients between each gene and LXRα (NR1H3) or LXRβ (NR1H2) were calculated by Pearson correlation. Genes were ranked by correlation coefficient, and gene sets were extracted using the msigdbr R package (version 7.5.1)71. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using the clusterProfiler R package (4.12.6)72.
RNA was sequenced by BGI with the DNBSEQ platform. The quality of the reads was then verified using FastQC (version 0.11.9). Low-quality reads were removed, and no trimming was needed. Alignment was performed against the human genome (GRCh38, v113) following the STAR (version 2.73a) manual guidelines73. Normalized effective library sizes were calculated by trimmed mean of M values. The voom function of the Limma R package (version 3.60.0)74 was applied to transform gene counts for linear modeling with precision weights. The differential expression analysis for the transcriptome was performed using the R package Limma (version 3.60.0)74. Genes were ranked by log2 (fold change), and gene sets were extracted using the msigdbr R package (version 7.5.1)71. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed using the clusterProfiler R package (version 4.12.6)72.
The study protocol was approved by the Northern B Health and Disability Ethics Committee (2022 FULL 12858). This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (registration: NCT05483998) and was conducted at a single site in New Zealand (Auckland Clinical Research) from 27 July 2022 to 18 June 2023, in accordance with relevant local regulatory policies. Written informed consent was obtained before enrollment.
The randomized, placebo-controlled phase 1 study included SAD and MAD cohorts. In the SAD cohorts, healthy participants were treated with single oral doses of TLC-2716 (0.5, 2, 6, 12 and 20 mg) or placebo, and in the MAD cohorts, participants received once-daily oral doses of TLC-2716 (0.5, 2, 6 and 12 mg) or placebo for 14 days. For each cohort, eight participants were randomized to receive TLC-2716, and two participants were randomized to receive placebo; study medications were administered in a fed state within 5 min of completing a standardized breakfast. In an additional MAD cohort, eight participants received TLC-2716 (6 mg) after an overnight fast to evaluate the effects of fasted versus fed dosing on the PKs of TLC-2716. Participants were confined in the study center until 72 h following the last dose of study drug, and all participants returned to the study center 14 days after the last dose of study drug for a safety follow-up visit. To maximize participant safety in SAD cohorts, safety and tolerability of the study drug through day 2 were assessed in two sentinel participants (one randomized to TLC-2716 and one randomized to placebo) per cohort before dosing of the remaining participants in each cohort. In addition, TLC-2716 dose escalation was preceded by a review of safety, PK and pharmacodynamic data by a safety review committee consisting of the principal investigator and sponsor representatives.
In brief, eligible study participants were healthy, nonsmoking men and women between 18 and 55 years of age and with a BMI from 19 to 35 kg m−2, inclusive at screening. All participants had an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≥80 ml min−1, normal liver biochemistry (total bilirubin 1.0- to 1.5-fold the upper limit of normal was permitted in participants with Gilbert's syndrome) and 12-lead electrocardiograms and screening laboratory evaluations (for example, hematology, chemistry and urinalysis) that were normal or considered to have no clinical importance by the investigator. In the MAD cohorts, an attempt was made to enroll participants with TG of ≥150 mg dl−1 and/or LDL-C of ≥130 mg dl−1 to enable preliminary assessment of the lipid-lowering benefits of TLC-2716. Key exclusion criteria included women who were pregnant or lactating, TG of ≥500 mg dl−1, LDL-C of ≥190 mg dl−1, the presence of serious active medical or psychiatric illness, excessive alcohol consumption (defined as greater than 21 units per week for men and 14 units per week for women), substance abuse or recent receipt of an investigational compound. Participants who had taken any prescription or over-the-counter medications, including herbal products, within 28 days before the start of study drug dosing, except vitamins, acetaminophen, ibuprofen and/or hormonal contraceptives, were excluded. A complete list of inclusion and exclusion criteria is available from the authors.
Safety and tolerability assessments, including AE monitoring, laboratory tests, physical examinations and electrocardiogram evaluations, were performed throughout the study. AEs were graded according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events Grading Scale v5.0. Intensive PK sampling over 72 h after dosing on day 1 (in SAD and MAD cohorts) and day 14 (in MAD cohorts) was conducted, and TLC-2716 plasma concentrations were determined using a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry assay. PK parameters were estimated via noncompartmental methods using Pheonix WinNonlin 6.2.1 and 8.3.4 (Certara).
Plasma lipid parameters, including ApoB, were evaluated by NMR LipoProfile (Labcorp). RC was calculated as the difference between TC and the sum of direct LDL-C and HDL-C. Unless indicated, lipid parameters were measured before dosing following an overnight fast. Plasma ApoC3 and ANGPTL3 were evaluated by ELISA (360biolabs), and the impact of TLC-2716 on peripheral RCT was evaluated by assessing changes in the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, before dosing and 4 h after dosing on day 14 (Gnomix).
Due to its exploratory nature, no formal power or sample size calculations were used to determine the sample size for this study. Empirically, the sample size was selected to adequately characterize the safety, PKs and pharmacodynamics of TLC-2716. Given the skewed distribution of plasma lipid data, we applied the Hodges–Lehmann estimator in deriving placebo-adjusted percentage change from baseline values in lipid parameters. This method estimates the median (and 95% confidence interval) of all possible pairwise differences between treatment groups and addresses the potential impact of skewed data or outliers. For analyses of changes from baseline, two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (for comparisons within groups) and two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-tests (for comparisons between groups) were used, which were adjusted using the BH adjustment method. In this clinical trial study, sex is self-reported. Due to the small sample size of each group, sex is not considered in the analysis.
Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.
The study protocol and statistical plan are available within the article and Supplementary Information. The raw data for preclinical experiments and the summary results for the clinical trial phase 1 data are available in the Source Data, whereas the individual data from the phase 1 clinical trial are available upon reasonable request from academic or qualified clinical researchers affiliated with recognized institutions, strictly for the purpose of conducting noncommercial, ethically approvable research aligned with the original scope of the trial. Applicants are required to submit a detailed research proposal, curriculum vitae and declaration of non-conflict of interest. Requests must clearly describe the research objectives and methodology and must be reviewed and approved by the corresponding authors. All approved requestors will be required to sign a data access agreement that restricts data use solely to the approved research project and prohibits any further distribution. The HLO RNA-sequencing data are available under GEO number GSE299888. Source data are provided with this paper.
This study did not generate original code.
Kiss, L. et al. The effect of serum triglyceride concentration on the outcome of acute pancreatitis: systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci. Rep. 8, 14096 (2018).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Scherer, J., Singh, V., Pitchumoni, C. S. & Yadav, D. Issues in hypertriglyceridemic pancreatitis—an update. J. Clin. Gastroenterol. 48, 195–203 (2014).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Saadatagah, S. et al. Coronary heart disease risk associated with primary isolated hypertriglyceridemia; a population-based study. J. Am. Heart Assoc. 10, e019343 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Perry, R. J. et al. Reversal of hypertriglyceridemia, fatty liver disease, and insulin resistance by a liver-targeted mitochondrial uncoupler. Cell Metab. 18, 740–748 (2013).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Quispe, R. et al. Remnant cholesterol predicts cardiovascular disease beyond LDL and ApoB: a primary prevention study. Eur. Heart J. 42, 4324–4332 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Staels, B. et al. Mechanism of action of fibrates on lipid and lipoprotein metabolism. Circulation 98, 2088–2093 (1998).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Kovrov, O., Landfors, F., Saar-Kovrov, V., Näslund, U. & Olivecrona, G. Lipoprotein size is a main determinant for the rate of hydrolysis by exogenous LPL in human plasma. J. Lipid Res. 63, 100144 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Ahmad, Z. et al. Inhibition of angiopoietin-like protein 3 with evinacumab in subjects with high and severe hypertriglyceridemia. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 78, 193–195 (2021).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Lang, W. & Frishman, W. H. Angiopoietin-like 3 protein inhibition: a new frontier in lipid-lowering treatment. Cardiol. Rev. 27, 211–217 (2019).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Neuschwander-Tetri, B. A. Hepatic lipotoxicity and the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis: the central role of nontriglyceride fatty acid metabolites. Hepatology 52, 774–788 (2010).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Ertunc, M. E. & Hotamisligil, G. S. Lipid signaling and lipotoxicity in metaflammation: indications for metabolic disease pathogenesis and treatment. J. Lipid Res. 57, 2099–2114 (2016).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Janowski, B. A., Willy, P. J., Devi, T. R., Falck, J. R. & Mangelsdorf, D. J. An oxysterol signalling pathway mediated by the nuclear receptor LXR. Nature 383, 728–731 (1996).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Janowski, B. A. et al. Structural requirements of ligands for the oxysterol liver X receptors LXRα and LXRβ. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 96, 266–271 (1999).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Lolis, E. et al. Preliminary crystallographic analysis of murine macrophage inflammatory protein 2. J. Mol. Biol. 225, 913–915 (1992).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Schultz, J. R. et al. Role of LXRs in control of lipogenesis. Genes Dev. 14, 2831–2838 (2000).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Joseph, S. B. et al. Direct and indirect mechanisms for regulation of fatty acid synthase gene expression by liver X receptors. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 11019–11025 (2002).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Grefhorst, A. et al. Differential effects of pharmacological liver X receptor activation on hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in lean and ob/ob mice. Am. J. Physiol. Endocrinol. Metab. 289, E829–E838 (2005).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Kirchgessner, T. G. et al. Beneficial and adverse effects of an LXR agonist on human lipid and lipoprotein metabolism and circulating neutrophils. Cell Metab. 24, 223–233 (2016).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Griffett, K. & Burris, T. P. Development of LXR inverse agonists to treat MAFLD, NASH, and other metabolic diseases. Front. Med. 10, 1102469 (2023).
Article
Google Scholar
Batchuluun, B., Pinkosky, S. L. & Steinberg, G. R. Lipogenesis inhibitors: therapeutic opportunities and challenges. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 21, 283–305 (2022).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Rader, D. J. & Ikewaki, K. Unravelling high density lipoprotein–apolipoprotein metabolism in human mutants and animal models. Curr. Opin. Lipidol. 7, 117–123 (1996).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Costet, P., Luo, Y., Wang, N. & Tall, A. R. Sterol-dependent transactivation of the ABC1 promoter by the liver X receptor/retinoid X receptor. J. Biol. Chem. 275, 28240–28245 (2000).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Sparrow, C. P. et al. A potent synthetic LXR agonist is more effective than cholesterol loading at inducing ABCA1 mRNA and stimulating cholesterol efflux. J. Biol. Chem. 277, 10021–10027 (2002).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Joseph, S. B. et al. Synthetic LXR ligand inhibits the development of atherosclerosis in mice. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 99, 7604–7609 (2002).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Griffett, K. et al. Antihyperlipidemic activity of gut-restricted LXR inverse agonists. ACS Chem. Biol. 17, 1143–1154 (2022).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Sengupta, M. et al. A two-hit model of alcoholic liver disease that exhibits rapid, severe fibrosis. PLoS ONE 16, e0249316 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Sengupta, M., Griffett, K., Flaveny, C. A. & Burris, T. P. Inhibition of hepatotoxicity by a LXR inverse agonist in a model of alcoholic liver disease. ACS Pharmacol. Transl. Sci. 1, 50–60 (2018).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Griffett, K. et al. The LXR inverse agonist SR9238 suppresses fibrosis in a model of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. Mol. Metab. 4, 353–357 (2015).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Gane, E. J. et al. Safety, pharmacokinetics, and lipid lowering effects of the oral, liver-targeted liver X receptor (LXR) inverse agonist TLC-2716 in healthy volunteers. Circulation 148, A12564 (2023).
Article
Google Scholar
Backman, J. D. et al. Exome sequencing and analysis of 454,787 UK Biobank participants. Nature 599, 628–634 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Bycroft, C. et al. The UK Biobank resource with deep phenotyping and genomic data. Nature 562, 203–209 (2018).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Lockhart, S. M. et al. Damaging mutations in liver X receptor-α are hepatotoxic and implicate cholesterol sensing in liver health. Nat. Metab. 6, 1922–1938 (2024).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Kurki, M. I. et al. FinnGen provides genetic insights from a well-phenotyped isolated population. Nature 613, 508–518 (2023).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Gaziano, J. M. et al. Million Veteran Program: a mega-biobank to study genetic influences on health and disease. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 70, 214–223 (2016).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Li, H. et al. An integrated systems genetics and omics toolkit to probe gene function. Cell Syst. 6, 90–102 (2018).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
GTEx Consortium. The Genotype–Tissue Expression (GTEx) project. Nat. Genet. 45, 580–585 (2013).
Article
Google Scholar
Schadt, E. E. et al. Mapping the genetic architecture of gene expression in human liver. PLoS Biol. 6, e107 (2008).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Pantano, L. et al. Molecular characterization and cell type composition deconvolution of fibrosis in NAFLD. Sci. Rep. 11, 18045 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Govaere, O. et al. Transcriptomic profiling across the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease spectrum reveals gene signatures for steatohepatitis and fibrosis. Sci. Transl. Med. 12, eaba4448 (2020).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Benegiamo, G. et al. The genetic background shapes the susceptibility to mitochondrial dysfunction and NASH progression. J. Exp. Med. 220, e20221738 (2023).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Gege, C. et al. LXR modulators with bicyclic core moiety. International patent WO2020002611A1 (2024).
Takayama, F. et al. A novel animal model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH): hypoxemia enhances the development of NASH. J. Clin. Biochem. Nutr. 45, 335–340 (2009).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Tateno, C. et al. Near completely humanized liver in mice shows human-type metabolic responses to drugs. Am. J. Pathol. 165, 901–912 (2004).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Ouchi, R. et al. Modeling steatohepatitis in humans with pluripotent stem cell-derived organoids. Cell Metab. 30, 374–384 (2019).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Fernandes Silva, L., Vangipurapu, J., Kuulasmaa, T. & Laakso, M. An intronic variant in the GCKR gene is associated with multiple lipids. Sci. Rep. 9, 10240 (2019).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Liu, Y. J. et al. ACMSD inhibition corrects fibrosis, inflammation, and DNA damage in MASLD/MASH. J. Hepatol. 82, 174–188 (2025).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Rasouli, N. et al. Association of baseline characteristics with insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in the Glycemia Reduction Approaches in Diabetes: a Comparative Effectiveness (GRADE) Study cohort. Diabetes Care 44, 340–349 (2020).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Flores-Guerrero, J. L. et al. Lipoprotein insulin resistance index, a high-throughput measure of insulin resistance, is associated with incident type II diabetes mellitus in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease study. J. Clin. Lipidol. 13, 129–137 (2019).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bischoff, E. D. et al. Non-redundant roles for LXRα and LXRβ in atherosclerosis susceptibility in low density lipoprotein receptor knockout mice. J. Lipid Res. 51, 900–906 (2010).
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Yang, C. et al. Sterol intermediates from cholesterol biosynthetic pathway as liver X receptor ligands. J. Biol. Chem. 281, 27816–27826 (2006).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Ahn, S. B., Jang, K., Jun, D. W., Lee, B. H. & Shin, K. J. Expression of liver X receptor correlates with intrahepatic inflammation and fibrosis in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Dig. Dis. Sci. 59, 2975–2982 (2014).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Clark, A. T. et al. A mutation in LXRα uncovers a role for cholesterol sensing in limiting metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. Nat. Commun. 16, 1102 (2025).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Peet, D. J. et al. Cholesterol and bile acid metabolism are impaired in mice lacking the nuclear oxysterol receptor LXRα. Cell 93, 693–704 (1998).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Samuel, V. T. & Shulman, G. I. The pathogenesis of insulin resistance: integrating signaling pathways and substrate flux. J. Clin. Invest. 126, 12–22 (2016).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Alam, F. et al. Efficacy and safety of pioglitazone monotherapy in type 2 diabetes mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Sci. Rep. 9, 5389 (2019).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Ng, K. W., Allen, M. L., Desai, A., Macrae, D. & Pathan, N. Cardioprotective effects of insulin. Circulation 125, 721–728 (2012).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bergmark, B. A. et al. Olezarsen for hypertriglyceridemia in patients at high cardiovascular risk. N. Engl. J. Med. 390, 1770–1780 (2024).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Ballantyne, C. M. et al. Plozasiran, an RNA interference agent targeting APOC3, for mixed hyperlipidemia. N. Engl. J. Med. 391, 899–912 (2024).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Rosenson, R. S. et al. Zodasiran, an RNAi therapeutic targeting ANGPTL3, for mixed hyperlipidemia. N. Engl. J. Med. 391, 913–925 (2024).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Cummings, B. B. et al. Safety and efficacy of a novel ANGPTL4 inhibitory antibody for lipid lowering: results from phase 1 and phase 1b/2a clinical studies. Lancet 405, 1923–1934 (2025).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Nordestgaard, A. T. et al. Target populations for novel triglyceride-lowering therapies. J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 85, 1876–1897 (2025).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Long, M. T. et al. Development and validation of the Framingham Steatosis Index to identify persons with hepatic steatosis. Clin. Gastroenterol. Hepatol. 14, 1172–1180 (2016).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Shinozawa, T. et al. High-fidelity drug-induced liver injury screen using human pluripotent stem cell–derived organoids. Gastroenterology 160, 831–846 (2021).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Cui, R. et al. Improving fine-mapping by modeling infinitesimal effects. Nat. Genet. 56, 162–169 (2024).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Võsa, U. et al. Large-scale cis- and trans-eQTL analyses identify thousands of genetic loci and polygenic scores that regulate blood gene expression. Nat. Genet. 53, 1300–1310 (2021).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Auton, A. et al. A global reference for human genetic variation. Nature 526, 68–74 (2015).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bowden, J., Davey Smith, G., Haycock, P. C. & Burgess, S. Consistent estimation in Mendelian randomization with some invalid instruments using a weighted median estimator. Genet. Epidemiol. 40, 304–314 (2016).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Pierce, B. L. & Burgess, S. Efficient design for Mendelian randomization studies: subsample and 2-sample instrumental variable estimators. Am. J. Epidemiol. 178, 1177–1184 (2013).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Davey Smith, G. & Hemani, G. Mendelian randomization: genetic anchors for causal inference in epidemiological studies. Hum. Mol. Genet. 23, R89–R98 (2014).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Davey Smith, G. & Ebrahim, S. ‘Mendelian randomization': can genetic epidemiology contribute to understanding environmental determinants of disease? Int. J. Epidemiol. 32, 1–22 (2003).
Article
Google Scholar
Liberzon, A. et al. The Molecular Signatures Database (MSigDB) hallmark gene set collection. Cell Syst. 1, 417–425 (2015).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Yu, G., Wang, L.-G., Han, Y. & He, Q.-Y. clusterProfiler: an R package for comparing biological themes among gene clusters. OMICS 16, 284–287 (2012).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Dobin, A. et al. STAR: ultrafast universal RNA-seq aligner. Bioinformatics 29, 15–21 (2013).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Ritchie, M. E. et al. limma powers differential expression analyses for RNA-sequencing and microarray studies. Nucleic Acids Res. 43, e47 (2015).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Download references
We thank all members of the Auwerx, Takebe and OrsoBio teams for helpful discussions. We thank Z. Kutalik (University of Lausanne) for expert guidance in statistical genetics. The work in J.A.'s group was supported by grants from the EPFL, and the work in T.T.'s group was supported by grants NIH DP2 DK128799-01, R01DK135478, PHS Grant P30 DK078392, AMED JP24gm1210012, JP24fk0210150, JP23fk0210106, JST JPMJMS2022, JPMJMS2033 and World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) PRIMe, MEXT, Japan.
Laboratory of Integrative Systems Physiology, Institute of Bioengineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
Xiaoxu Li, Giorgia Benegiamo, Giacomo V. G. von Alvensleben & Johan Auwerx
OrsoBio, Menlo Park, CA, USA
Archana Vijayakumar, Natalie Sroda, Ryan S. Huss, Steve Weng, Eisuke Murakami, Brian J. Kirby, Robert P. Myers & G. Mani Subramanian
Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Masaki Kimura & Takanori Takebe
Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Masaki Kimura & Takanori Takebe
WM Therapeutics, Heidelberg, Germany
Claus Kremoser
New Zealand Clinical Research, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Edward J. Gane
Premium Research Institute for Human Metaverse Medicine (WPI-PRIMe), and Division of Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, The University of Osaka, Suita, Japan
Takanori Takebe
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
X.L., R.P.M., G.M.S. and J.A. conceived the project. A.V., N.S., E.M. and C.K. performed all in vivo studies. R.S.H., S.W., B.J.K., E.J.G. and R.P.M. oversaw the phase 1 clinical trial. M.K. and T.T. performed the sHLO experiments. G.V.G.v.A. provided the GWAS summary statistics in UKBB. X.L., B.J.K. and R.P.M. performed data analysis. G.B., A.V., R.P.M., G.M.S. and T.T. provided scientific advice and materials. J.A. and G.M.S. supervised the study. X.L., R.P.M. and J.A. wrote the paper with contributions from all authors.
Correspondence to
G. Mani Subramanian or Johan Auwerx.
A.V., R.S.H., S.W., E.M., B.J.K., R.P.M. and G.M.S. are employed by OrsoBio, and J.A. and T.T. are advisors to OrsoBio. C.K. is employed by WM Therapeutics. The other authors declare no competing interests.
Nature Medicine thanks the anonymous reviewers for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Peer reviewer reports are available. Primary Handling Editor: Ashley Castellanos-Jankiewicz, in collaboration with the Nature Medicine team.
Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
(a) Lollipop plot showing the association between genetic variants within LXRβ based on whole exome sequencing (WES) data in the human UK Biobank (UKBB). The suggestive significance threshold is represented by the red dashed lines: -Log10(P value) ≥ 6. (b, c) Dot plots showing the MASLD/lipid metabolism-related clinical traits that have GWAS hits within LXRα, LXRβ and LXR target genes in the FinnGen study (b) and the Million Veteran Program (MVP) (c). Only significant associations (P value < 5 × 10−8) were shown. (d) Manhattan plot displaying the gene modules associated with LXRβ expression in human livers. Absolute gene-module association score (GMAS) significance threshold (red dashed line): |GMAS | ≥ 0.268. (e) Gene set enrichment analysis highlighting the co-expressed genesets of LXRβ in both sexes across two human liver datasets (the GTEx and the Human Liver Cohort [HLC]). Significance: *q value < 0.05; **q value < 0.01; ***q value < 0.001. P: plasma; TG: triglyceride; FA: fatty acid.
Source data
(a) Fine-mapping analysis showing the potential causal variants for Apolipoprotein A and HDL cholesterol calculated by SuSiE method based on human UKBB database. Only genetic variants within 95% credible sets and posterior inclusion probability (PIP) > 0.1 are shown. The genetic variant located in LXRα with a posterior inclusion probability (PIP) > 0.9 is highlighted in red. (b) Burden test using the UKBB whole exome sequence indicating the effect of loss of function (LoF) variant group on plasma lipid metabolism. Deleterious LoF variants contain LoF and missense variants. Genetic variants with minor allele frequency < 0.001 were grouped. N = 371,089 and 370,799 for European participants with HDL cholesterol and triglycerides, respectively. Data are shown as beta ± SE. The P value is two-sided. (c) Heatmap illustrating the Pearson correlation between hepatic gene expression of LXR-regulated genes and MASLD-related traits in collaborative cross (CC) founder mice fed western diet (WD) and housed at thermoneutrality to induce MASLD. Liver%: liver weight expressed as percentage of the body weight. Steatosis%: percentage of tissue area occupied by fat vacuoles quantified from H&E-stained liver sections. Correlation coefficients are represented by color and Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) adjusted P values are indicated as follows: *<0.05; **<0.01; ***<0.001.
Source data
(a) Schematic illustrating the study design in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice (n = 6/group), high-fat diet (HFD)-fed Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats (n = 6/group), and HFD-fed Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats (n = 6 for vehicle and 5 for treatment group) treated with TLC-2716. (b-e) Plasma TG (b), plasma TC (c), plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (d), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels (e) in DIO mice, SD rats, and ZDF rats treated with TLC-2716 once daily by oral gavage for 14-21 days. Black lines indicate vehicle-treated animals. Significance was calculated by Two-way ANOVA with formula lipid-related parameter ~ treatment condition + days + interaction between treatment condition and days, followed by Tukey Honest Significant Differences test. Adjusted P values were indicated as follows: * <0.05; ** <0.01; *** <0.001. Data are shown as mean ± s.d.
Source data
(a-b) Schematics illustrating evaluation of TLC-6665 in DIO mice (a) and HFD-fed Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats (b). (c-d) Liver target engagement assessed by expression of LXR target genes in DIO mice (c, n = 10/group) and ZDF rats (d, n = 6/group) after treatment with TLC-6665. Significance were calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test and adjusted by BH adjustment.
Source data
(a) Schematic showing the experimental pipeline of MASH studies in Wistar Han rats. CDHFD: choline-deficient high fat diet. Rats were treated with vehicle or TLC-6665 (5 mg/kg) once daily by oral gavage for 6 weeks. (b) Representative images of hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) or Picrosirius red (PSR)-stained liver sections. Scale bar: 100μm. Images are representative of six biological replicates that showed similar results. (c-f) Measurements include liver hydroxyproline (c), liver collagen (d), liver TG content (e), and liver gene expression (f) from the MASH study in Wistar Han rats treated with vehicle or TLC-6665. n = 8/group (a-f). (g-h) Time course of glucose infusion rate (GIR, g, Data are shown as mean ± s.d.) and steady-state GIR and hepatic glucose production (HGP, h) during the two-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (the 1st [8 mU/kg/min] and 2nd [18 mU/kg/min] steps of insulin infusion) performed in DIO mice treated with vehicle, TLC-6665 (5 mg/kg) or pioglitazone (30 mg/kg) (i) Tissue glucose uptake measured at the end of the two-step hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp performed in DIO mice treated with vehicle, TLC-6665, or pioglitazone for four weeks. EDL: extensor digitorum longus. n = 8/ctrl group, n = 8/TLC-6665 group, and n = 9/ Pioglitazone group (g-i). (j) Fasting plasma glucose levels after 5 weeks of treatment in HFD-fed ZDF rats dosed with vehicle (n = 11) or TLC-2716 (15 mg/kg, n = 5) once daily by oral gavage. *p < 0.05; **p < 0.01; ***p < 0.001. Two-tailed Mann-whitney U test and Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) adjustment (f&h-i). Two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test (c-e& j). Two-way ANOVA with Tukey Honest Significant Differences test (g). Box plots indicate the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR) (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles) and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers) (c-f&h-j).
Source data
(a) Schematic for the evaluation of TLC-2716 in humanized liver chimeric PXB® mice. (b, c) Liver triglyceride (TG) content (b) and levels of liver transcripts involved in lipid synthesis and metabolism (c) in humanized liver chimeric PXB mice treated with TLC-2716 (1 mg/kg, once daily by oral gavage) for 8 days. n = 5/group. P values were calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test and adjusted by Benjamini-Hochberg (BH) adjustment. Box plots indicate the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR) (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles) and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers) (b-c).
Source data
(a-b) Plasma TG (a) and TC (b) in a GLP toxicology study in cynomolgus monkeys treated with vehicle (n = 5/sex) or TLC-2716 1 mg/kg (n = 2 for male, n = 3 for female), 5 mg/kg (n = 5/sex), and 15 mg/kg (n = 5/sex) once daily by oral gavage for 28 days. (c-f) Plasma TG (c), TC (d), ALT (e), and the ratio between ALT and AST (f) in CD-1 mice treated with 26 weeks of vehicle or TLC-2716 (15, 60, and 120 mg/kg) once daily by oral gavage. n = 10/group. P values were calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test and adjusted by BH adjustment. Box plots indicate the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR) (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles) and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers) (a-f).
Source data
(a-b) Line plot showing the plasma exposure in humans treated with 2 mg (n = 6), 6 mg (n = 8/condition), or 12 mg (n = 8) TLC-2716 for 14 days (a) and the PK parameters for each dose group were indicated. (b). TLC-2716 was administered in fed state unless indicated. PK parameters presented as mean (%CV) except t1/2 and Tmax, which are presented as median (min, max). (c-e) Box plots indicating the relative (%) change from Day 1 to Day 14 of TG (c), remnant cholesterol (d), and LDL-C (e) in individuals with normal or elevated baseline values: TG ( ≥ 100 mg/dL), remnant cholesterol ( ≥ 20 mg/dL), and LDL-C ( ≥ 100 mg/dL), respectively. Significance was calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test and BH adjustment. Elevated TG: n = 4 (placebo), 3 (0.5 mg), 3 (2 mg), 8 (6 mg), 3 (12 mg). Normal TG: n = 5 (placebo), 4 (0.5 mg), 4 (2 mg), 6 (6 mg), 3 (12 mg). Elevated RC: n = 4 (placebo), 2 (0.5 mg), 3 (2 mg), 7 (6 mg), 2 (12 mg), Normal RC: n = 5 (placebo), 5 (0.5 mg), 4 (2 mg), 7 (6 mg), 4 (12 mg). Elevated LDL-C: n = 6 (placebo), 4 (0.5 mg), 6 (2 mg), 8 (6 mg), 3 (12 mg). Normal LDL-C: n = 3 (placebo), 3 (0.5 mg), 1 (2 mg), 6 (6 mg), 3 (12 mg). (f-g) Dot plots showing the effect of 14-days feeding of TLC-2716 at 0.5 mg, 2 mg, 6 mg, or 12 mg on plasma levels of ApoC3 (f, n = 8/group) and ANGPTL3 (g, n = 8/group). The significance of comparisons between Day 14 and Day 1 within the same dose group calculated by two-tailed Wilcoxon signed-rank test and BH adjustment, while the significance of changes of each parameter upon 14 days of treatment compared to placebo [(Day 14 – Day 1) / Day 1] calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test and BH adjustment. ANGPTL3 and ApoC3 were measured 12 h post dose in the postprandial state. (h) Boxplot showing the effect of TLC-2716 on plasma expression of genes involved in peripheral reverse cholesterol transport (ABCA1 and ABCG1). Pbo: placebo. n = 4 (placebo-Predose), 3 (placebo-4h), 8/treatment group. Significance was calculated by two-tailed Mann-Whitney U test. Box plots indicate the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR) (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles) and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers) (c-e& h).
Source data
Overall summary of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) in Phase 1 study of TLC-2716 in 50 healthy subjects involved in the MAD cohort.
(a-e) Normalized gene expression of pro-inflammatory or pro-fibrotic genes in two subtypes of sHLOs, defined by the presence of variants in GCKR (CC vs TT). n = 3 samples per group. P values were calculated by two-tailed Student's t-test and BH-adjusted P values were indicated as follows: ns (not significant) BH-adjusted P value > 0.05. Box plots indicating the median (center line), interquartile range (IQR) (box bounds, 25th and 75th percentiles) and smallest and largest values within 1.5× IQR (whiskers) (a-e).
Source data
Supplementary Fig. 1. Blank copy of the informed consent, approved study protocol for phase 1 clinical trial and CONSORT checklist.
List of primers used in this study.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Reprints and permissions
Li, X., Benegiamo, G., Vijayakumar, A. et al. An oral, liver-restricted LXR inverse agonist for dyslipidemia: preclinical development and phase 1 trial.
Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04169-6
Download citation
Received: 18 June 2025
Accepted: 08 December 2025
Published: 16 January 2026
Version of record: 16 January 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04169-6
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(Nat Med)
ISSN 1546-170X (online)
ISSN 1078-8956 (print)
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited
Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Translational Research newsletter — top stories in biotechnology, drug discovery and pharma.
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(2026)Cite this article
Cancer interception is a preventative approach aiming to reduce cancer incidence by targeting precancers and early-stage cancers. Lynch syndrome (LS) is a prevalent hereditary cancer syndrome affecting ~1 in 300 individuals, with an overall lifetime cancer risk as high as 80%. LS is caused by germline mutations in the DNA mismatch repair genes, leading to microsatellite instability (MSI) and accumulation of shared mutations. When these occur in coding regions, they generate frameshift peptides (FSPs). Nous-209 is a neoantigen-directed immunotherapy based on a heterologous prime boost using great ape adenovirus and modified vaccinia virus Ankara encoding 209 FSPs shared across MSI neoplasms. We present the results from cohort 1 of a phase 1b/2 single-arm trial of Nous-209 for cancer interception in LS carriers (n = 45). Safety and immunogenicity were coprimary endpoints. Safety was assessed in 45 participants. Vaccination was safe with no intervention-related serious adverse events (AEs). The most common AEs were injection-site reactions (any grade in 91% of participants after prime and 76% after boost with no grade 3) and fatigue (any grade in 80% after prime and 53% after boost with 4% grade 3 after prime or after boost). Neoantigen-specific immune responses were observed after vaccination in 100% of evaluable participants (n = 37), with induction of potent T cell immunity (mean response at peak of ~1,100 interferon-γ spot-forming cells per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells). The immune response was durable and detectable at 1 year in 85% of participants. Both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells were induced, recognizing multiple FSPs. Peptide–human leukocyte antigen predictions allowed the identification of >100 immunogenic FSPs with demonstration of cytotoxic activity in vitro. Immunogenic FSPs were found in independent datasets of LS MSI colorectal precancers and cancers. These results highlight Nous-209 ability to efficiently stimulate immunity against neoantigens in LS, supporting its development for cancer interception (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT05078866).
Lynch syndrome (LS) is one of the most prevalent hereditary cancer syndromes affecting ~1 in 300 people1. Persons with LS carry heterozygous germline mutations in one of four DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes (MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 and PMS2), conferring 50–80% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), 40–60% risk of endometrial cancer and increased risk of multiple other tumor types2. In the US, it is estimated that nearly 1 million individuals are affected by LS3. However, LS remains vastly underdiagnosed and current preventive options are limited to surveillance and prophylactic surgeries. The results of the CAPP2 study supported the role of aspirin 600 mg daily taken for 2 years as chemoprevention for at-risk LS carriers4. However, the use of high-dose aspirin in clinical practice is limited because of perceived risks of side effects; therefore, novel strategies for cancer interception remain an unmet need for this population.
The development of LS-associated cancers typically results from the acquisition of MMR deficiency because of a second inactivating somatic hit on the alternative wild-type allele of the MMR gene, thus leading to subsequent accumulation of mutations within microsatellite (MS) regions5. The most common type of mutations in MS regions are frameshift insertions and deletions (indels)6. When they involve regions coding MS, indels result in the synthesis of frameshift peptide (FSP) neoantigens (neoAgs), which are expected to be highly immunogenic and dissimilar to native proteins. Recurrent and shared neoAgs across neoplastic lesions and different individuals have been identified in LS carriers, some of which have immunogenic features7. In this context, LS represents an ideal condition to leverage immune-interception strategies such as neoAg-based cancer vaccines targeting both precancers and cancers8.
The development of ‘off-the-shelf' vaccines for LS carriers represents indeed a promising approach to cancer interception and prevention. By targeting shared neoAgs generated through the accumulation of genetic mutations, such vaccines could stimulate the immune system to recognize and eliminate precancers before they develop into cancers. The discovery of neoAgs has revived the interest in the field of cancer vaccines that are emerging as promising approaches for targeting personalized or shared neoAgs9. The first phase 1/2a clinical trial leveraging peptide-based neoAg vaccination in LS carriers involved the use of three recurrent FSPs (TAF1B, HT001 and AIM2) in 22 participants with a history of stage III/IV MMR-deficient (MMRd) CRC10. The intervention was well tolerated and induced both humoral and cellular immune responses. Another phase 1/2 study evaluated a neoAg-based dendritic cell vaccine in 23 LS carriers and reported the induction of neoAg-specific immune responses and no incidence of LS-related cancers in transforming growth factor-β receptor 2–responsive participants over a 10-year follow-up11.
Recently, novel delivery platforms have been developed, including DNA, RNA and viral vectored vaccines. Several clinical trials have now demonstrated the safety, immunogenicity and initial evidence of antitumor efficacy of neoAg-based vaccines across cancer types and settings12,13,14,15.
Therefore, the selection of the vaccine platform is key in determining the magnitude, quality and breadth of T cell responses to achieve effective and durable antitumor immunity. Among these new platforms, viral vector-based vaccines represent a powerful platform capable of inducing strong and durable T cell responses in human16,17. Their ability to deliver large gene inserts allows the targeting of many neoAgs simultaneously. This is a crucial aspect for cancer interception linked to the need to induce a broad T cell response for high coverage and for addressing the heterogeneity of their potential future tumors. Vaccination based on great ape adenovirus (GAd) and modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vectors encoding 209 shared frameshift mutations (Nous-209) was used to target shared neoAgs in persons with metastatic tumors with microsatellite instability (MSI) and demonstrated safety and potent immunogenicity18. Moreover, early signs of clinical efficacy, observed when the vaccine is used in combination with an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 agent, are supported by evidence of vaccine-induced T cells infiltrating tumor biopsies after treatment, along with the expansion and diversification of the T cell receptor-β repertoire in persons showing clinical response18. Here, we present results from a phase 1b/2 open-label, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of Nous-209 monotherapy in 45 healthy LS carriers. Comprehensive characterization of T cell responses, including breadth, longevity and functional cytotoxic activity, is reported here to demonstrate the ability of Nous-209 to promote the induction of T cell responses targeting FSPs identified in colorectal precancers and cancers from an independent LS dataset.
NCT05078866 is a phase 1b/2 single-arm, open-label, clinical trial testing Nous-209 for cancer immune interception in LS carriers.
Eligible participants included adults of age ≥ 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of LS and with no evidence of active or recurrent invasive cancers for at least 6 months before screening. Safety and immunogenicity were the primary endpoints of this study. Changes in the number of colorectal adenomas, advanced neoplasia and/or carcinomas were prespecified secondary endpoints. The trial enrolled two cohorts: cohort 1 (initial vaccination) reported in this study, and cohort 2, consisting of a subset of participants from cohort 1 who were revaccinated at 1 year to assess the benefit of annual boost. The safety and immunogenicity of cohort 2 will be reported in a separate manuscript.
Nous-209 was administered intramuscularly (IM) as a ‘priming' dose of GAd20-209-FSPs on week 0 day 1, followed by a ‘boost' with MVA-209-FSPs at week 8. Blood samples were collected serially at baseline and weeks 3, 8, 9, 24 and 52/68 (Fig. 1a). Before vaccination, all potentially eligible participants underwent standard-of-care screening colonoscopies or flexible sigmoidoscopy. Participants identified to have colorectal adenomas with high-grade dysplasia or diagnosis of invasive carcinoma at baseline were excluded from the study. More specifically, there were five screening failures. Two of them were excluded because of diagnosis of gastric cancer and one with diagnosis of bladder cancer within the previous 6 months.
a, Overall schematic of Nous-209 administration and immunogenicity assessment. The initial priming GAd20-209-FSPs (GAd) was given on day 1 followed by booster MVA-209-FSPs (MVA) at week 8. Research blood samples were collected for immunogenicity evaluation over time. b, CONSORT flow diagram of study enrollment and analysis cohorts. c, Maximum frequency and severity of AEs observed following vaccinations with GAd-209-FSP (week 0) and MVA-209-FSP (week 8).
Source data
A total of 45 healthy LS participants enrolled between November 2022 and November 2023 were vaccinated (Fig. 1b), with the first participant of the study enrolled on November 10, 2022 and the last participant enrolled on November 30, 2023. Baseline demographics and clinical characteristics are summarized in Table 1. All participants carried a pathogenic germline MMR mutation with the majority in MSH2 (47%), while the remainder were in MSH6 (24%), MLH1 (18%) and PMS2 (11%). The median age was 50 years (range, 24–71) and 42% of participants (19/45) were cancer survivors (Extended Data Table 1) and had no evidence of active malignancy within the 6 months before study enrollment. Most study participants were male (56%) and self-reported white (91%). The coprimary endpoints of the trial were safety (rate of adverse events, AEs) and immunogenicity against the FSPs encoded by the Nous-209 vaccine.
AEs were reported by 98% (44/45) of participants during the first 9 weeks after vaccination with GAd-209-FSP prime (Fig. 1c and Table 2). Overall, no treatment-related serious AEs (SAEs) were observed and vaccination was well tolerated. The most common treatment-related AEs included systemic reactogenicity symptoms and local injection-site reaction. Specifically, injection-site reactions of any grade occurred in 91% of participants following GAd-209-FSP prime vaccination and 76% following MVA-209-FSP boost vaccination; no grade 3 injection-site reactions were observed. With respect to systemic reactogenicity, the most common events included fatigue (any grade: 36 of 45 participants (80%) after GAd-209-FSP prime, 24 of 45 (53%) after MVA-209-FSP boost; grade 3: 2 of 45 (4%) participants after GAd-209 prime or after MVA-209-boost) and myalgia (any grade: 34 of 45 participants (76%) after GAd-209-FSP prime, 11 of 45 (24%) after MVA-209-FSP boost; grade 3: 2 of 45 participants (4%) after GAd-209-FSP prime or after MVA-209-FSP boost) (Fig. 1c, Supplementary Table 1 and Extended Data Fig. 1). All grade 3 symptoms occurred after the GAd prime dose. In all cases, symptoms were transient, lasting 1–4 days, did not require hospitalization and were managed with self-administered acetaminophen in some cases (Extended Data Table 2). All AEs reached full resolution and, indeed, all participants were able to receive the booster MVA dose as scheduled.
Vaccine immunogenicity was the coprimary endpoint of the study and was evaluated using an ex vivo enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISpot) assay against 16 peptide pools that covered the entire repertoire of the 209 FSPs encoded by Nous-209, with each pool covering multiple FSPs (Fig. 2a). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated at different time points before (baseline) and after vaccination. The presence of Nous-209-induced neoAg-specific responses before and after vaccination was evaluable in 37 participants. Nous-209 elicited a positive interferon-γ (IFNγ) T cell response at peak (week 9) in 100% (37/37) of evaluable participants determined according to the predefined protocol criteria for ELISpot positivity (Methods). Total responses at peak after vaccination reached a mean of ~1,100 spot-forming cells (SFCs) (Fig. 2a). Furthermore, 10% of participants (4/37) showed positive spontaneous T cell responses to neoAg peptide pools at baseline before vaccination. In these four subjects, Nous-209 either boosted or induced de novo T cell responses to the vaccine neoAg. Long-term immune responses at 6 months and 1 year after vaccination were evaluable in 33 participants, showing maintenance of elevated and long-lasting T cell immunity with a decline in immune response occurring after the initial peak response at 1 year. Positive T cell responses were indeed still detectable ex vivo in 97% and 85% of evaluable participants at 6 months and 1 year, respectively (Fig. 2b). Responses were directed against different peptide pools with the induction of a broad polytope response to vaccine neoAg (Fig. 2c,d). More specifically, the breadth of the cellular immune response was evaluated by counting the number of Nous-209 peptide pools targeted across visits with an average of eight immunogenic pools per participant. A total of 13% of participants showed reactivity against 1–3 pools, 54% showed reactivity against 4–9 pools and 33% showed reactivity against 10–16 pools (Fig. 2d). In exploratory analyses, we observed no statistically significant associations between the number of positive pools at peak and gender, age, self-reported race/ethnicity, mutated MMR gene or cancer previvor versus survivor status. However, the increase in positive pools at peak from baseline was significantly higher in females compared to males (P = 0.045; Supplementary Table 2).
a, T cell responses assessed by ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot at baseline and peak immune response. Shown are the numbers of SFCs per 106 PMBCs corresponding to the sum of the responses to 16 separate pools of peptides encompassing the 209 FSP sequences. Each line represents data from an individual subject (n = 37), with circles representing the mean of three technical replicates per time point. Comparison of baseline versus peak immune response was performed using a two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test; P < 0.0001. b, Kinetics of immune response over time showing durability of T cell response after vaccination (mean ± s.e.m.; n = 37 subjects at baseline and peak, n = 33 subjects at 6 months and 1 year). c, Representation of immunogenic peptide pools eliciting IFNγ reactivity by ex vivo ELISpot annotated for participant ID, mutated MMR gene, age, gender and cancer history (previvor or survivor). Right, bar plot showing the cumulative number of reactive pools across visits per each participant. d, Breadth of immune response assessed as the number of positive pools eliciting IFNγ reactivity across visits. Pie chart showing the frequency (%) of LS carriers with a number of reactive pools ranging from 1–3 (pink), 4–9 (dark pink) or 10–16 (violet).
Source data
Full deconvolution of T cell responses against all 209 FSPs and relative minimal epitopes was not feasible given the high number of encoded neoAgs and the limited availability of PBMC samples. To further dissect immune responses after Nous-209 at the level of individual FSPs, we pursued an alternative approach that first determined the reactive peptide pools in each participant and then predicted the top epitopes included in the immunogenic pools on the basis of each participant's human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I genotyping, when full deconvolution of T cell response was not feasible (Fig. 3a). Following this strategy, we restricted the analysis to top FSPs and epitopes with the best participant's class I HLA-binding prediction (half-maximal effective concentration < 500 nM), which were considered the best target candidates of Nous-209 immune response. This work of deconvoluting the peptide pools, while not comprehensive for all 16 available pools, provides insights into the immunogenicity of specific individual FSP, thus leading to the identification of 115 immunogenic FSPs in our trial cohort of LS carriers (Supplementary Table 3).
a, Schematic flowchart illustrating the steps involved in the deconvolution of reactive peptide pools and mapping of immunogenic FSPs in LS carriers on the basis of HLA-binding prediction and samples availability for each participant. b, Bar plot showing the number of Nous-209 FSPs found in independent dataset of cancer (n = 11) and precancer (n = 12) lesions by lookup approach (cutoff: VAF ≥ 10% and mutated tumor reads ≥ 3). c, The pie chart represents the percentage of the identified immunogenic FSPs (n = 115) found in the total number of cancer and precancer samples analyzed. d, Ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot responses on PBMCs before or after depletion of CD8+ T cells in presence of some identified reactive pools or FSPs. CD4 and CD8 indicate the subtype-specific CD4 and CD8 T cell responses identified in five LS carriers. Bars represent the pre-CD8 and post-CD8 T cell depletion response for each subject, respectively. Data are shown as the mean number of SFCs per 10⁶ PBMCs ± s.e.m. Dots represent three technical replicates.
Source data
To demonstrate the ability of Nous-209 to elicit an immune response against FSPs present in colorectal precancers and cancers of LS carriers, we leveraged available genomic and transcriptomic data from previously published work in an independent cohort of 12 MSI precancers (eight adenomas and four advanced adenomas) and 11 MSI CRCs7. Overall, we identified the presence of a median of 32 FSPs per lesion that are encoded by Nous-209 (Fig. 3b). Interestingly, when restricting the analysis to the 115 immunogenic FSP identified in our trial cohort, we specifically found that 94 of 115 (82%) were present in colorectal precancers and cancers (Fig. 3c). To distinguish CD4+ and CD8+ T cell-mediated responses, CD8+ T cells were depleted. Ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot assays were performed before and after depletion of CD8+ T cells in presence of the highest reactive pools or FSPs identified as immunogenic. Responses were defined as CD8+ mediated if IFNγ production was reduced after depletion and as CD4⁺ mediated if no substantial change was observed. The results showed that the immunogenic FSPs or reactive pools were able to stimulate both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the five tested participants (Fig. 3d).
To analyze the phenotype and killing activity of vaccine-induced CD8+ T cells, we generated HLA class I dextramer-detecting neoAg-reactive CD8+ T cells against an FSP from SPEF2 that was identified among the most recurrent immunogenic FSP in multiple LS carriers (Extended Data Fig. 2a). The SPEF2 FSP sequence includes an 8-mer peptide (IAKKRIKL) predicted in silico to be a strong binder to HLA-B*08:01, which is shared by several trial participants and was confirmed as immunogenic by ELISpot in 11 participants (participants 16, 18, 19, 27, 29, 30, 31,39, 40, 10 and 32; Extended Data Fig. 2a–c). In two participants (participants 10 and 32) SPEF2 FSP was mapped as immunogenic after in vitro stimulation (Extended Data Fig. 3). In participant 18, class I dextramer staining detected SPEF2 FSP vaccine-induced CD8+ T cells directly ex vivo at week 9 after MVA boost, representing ~1.64 % of all circulating CD8+ cells, which persisted at 6 months and 1 year after vaccination (Extended Data Fig. 2d), consistent with the longevity of T cell responses observed using ex vivo ELISpot assays. Vaccine-induced SPEF2 FSP dextramer-positive CD8+ T cells were further characterized by examining the phenotype of nave (CD45RA+CCR7+), central memory (CD45RA−CCR7+), effector memory (CD45RA−CCR7−) and terminally differentiated (TemRA; CD45RA+CCR7−) memory subsets. The analysis showed that, after Nous-209, antigen-specific T cells display a TemRA phenotype, thus demonstrating the induction of a long-term memory response by Nous-209 (Extended Data Fig. 2d). This was confirmed in additional participants who mounted an immune response against SPEF2 FSP after Nous-209 vaccination (Supplementary Fig. 1). Lastly, the cytotoxic potential was investigated by flow cytometry analysis with intracellular cytokine staining in participant 18 PBMCs stimulated ex vivo with SPEF2 peptide. We observed antigen-specific IFNγ secretion and detection of CD8+ T cells expressing the degranulation marker CD107a, thus indicating a cytotoxic function that was stimulated after Nous-209 vaccination (Extended Data Fig. 4a).
A second neoAg, CDC7, found recurrently immunogenic in participants with HLA-A*03:01, was selected to further evaluate the ability of Nous-209-induced T cells to eliminate tumor cells presenting the neoAg. We conducted a direct killing assay using a microfluidic three-dimensional coculture system (Extended Data Fig. 4b). This approach modeled T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor cells expressing CDC7 FSP using PBMCs from participant 12. Our in vitro assay was based on the MMRd HCT116 human colon cancer cell line that was genetically modified to express the FSP from CDC7 and their matching HLAs (CDC7-HCT116 herein; Methods) and cocultured with in vitro-stimulated effector PBMCs obtained from the same participant before and after vaccination with Nous-209. HCT116 cells were cocultured with PBMCs at an effector-to-target (E:T) ratio of 5:1. To assess both functional and cytotoxic responses, PBMCs were divided into two groups after in vitro stimulation; half of the cells were analyzed for IFNγ secretion using ELISpot and the remaining cells were used for the microfluidic coculture assay. After 48 h, target cell viability and apoptosis were assessed using luminescence-based assays. Our results showed a significant reduction in CDC7-HCT116 tumor cell survival when cocultured with T cells after Nous-209 vaccination compared to both baseline PBMCs from the same participant and all controls (Extended Data Fig. 4c,d). To ensure rigorous evaluation, we used multiple control conditions, including HCT116 cells transduced with CDC7 and HCT116 cells transduced only with the HLA of interest but without the CDC7 neoAg. These controls helped determine whether tumor cell killing was CDC7 dependent rather than influenced by HLA expression alone or intrinsic effects of CDC7 transduction. Quantitative viability assays revealed a marked decrease in tumor cell survival after Nous-209 vaccination compared to baseline and all control conditions (P < 0.0001; Extended Data Fig. 4d). In addition, a significant increase in caspase 3/7-mediated apoptosis was observed in CDC7-HCT116 cells following coculture with PBMCs after vaccination with Nous-209 (P < 0.0001; Extended Data Fig. 4d), thus confirming antigen-specific T cell-mediated cytotoxicity against tumor cells expressing the CDC7 cognate pHLA. To strengthen these findings, we assessed the IFNγ secretion capacity of the stimulated PBMCs in response to CDC7 neoAg stimulation. At baseline, there was no significant difference between CDC7-stimulated PBMCs and the negative control (DMSO; P > 0.05), indicating that CDC7-specific responses were not detectable before vaccination. In contrast, PBMCs after Nous-209 vaccination from participant 12 exhibited significantly higher IFNγ secretion compared to both the negative control (DMSO; P < 0.0001) and baseline PBMCs (P < 0.0001), thus reinforcing the antigen-specific activation of Nous-209-induced T cells (Extended Data Fig. 4e). These findings demonstrate that Nous-209 vaccination induces a potent and durable neoAg-specific CD8+ T cell response capable of both cytokine secretion and direct tumor cell killing. The presence of long-lived TemRA CD8+ T cells, their ability to degranulate and their direct cytotoxic function provide compelling evidence that Nous-209 effectively primes the immune system to target and eliminate neoAg-expressing tumor cells in LS carriers.
As a prespecified secondary endpoint of our study, we aimed to characterize the number, size and pathology features of colorectal neoplasia among 43 of 45 vaccinated participants who underwent their standard-of-care screening lower endoscopy at the end of the study. Two vaccinated participants withdrew from the study before undergoing the end-of-study colonoscopy and were not evaluable for this analysis. Overall, the majority of participants (n = 31) had no colorectal adenomas on their end-of-study colonoscopies. Interestingly, of the total 23 adenomas detected in 12 participants, none were classified as advanced adenomas (diameter > 10 mm, presence of high-grade dysplasia and/or villous histology), while two participants had advanced adenomas at baseline colonoscopy (Fig. 4a,b and Supplementary Table 4). Compared to baseline, no statistically significant differences were observed in the overall proportion of study participants with detectable adenomas or advanced adenomas or in the total counts at their end-of-study colonoscopy (Extended Data Tables 3 and 4). Genomic characterization of available precancers removed at baseline (n = 10) and end-of-study (n = 12) colonoscopies was performed by next-generation sequencing assessing both the MSI status and the presence of Nous-209 FSPs. Although not statistically significant, the analysis showed a decrease in the proportion of MSI-High (MSI-H) and MSI-Low (MSI-L) precancers observed at baseline compared to end of study. More specifically, MSI-H and MSI-L precancers were observed in 30% and 30% of participants at baseline and 17% and 8% of participants at end-of-study colonoscopy, respectively. After vaccination, two precancers were MSI-H and one was MSI-L, while the remaining nine were microsatellite stable (MSS) (Extended Data Fig. 5a). Regarding the presence of Nous-209 FSPs after vaccination, none of the MSS precancers displayed any of the Nous-209 FSPs, which were only identified in the two MSI-H lesions and in the MSI-L lesion (Extended Data Fig. 5b).
a, Number of participants who underwent screening colonoscopy at baseline and end of study (EoS; n = 43) who had no adenomas (adenomas absent), at least one adenoma (adenomas present) and advanced adenomas (advanced adenomas present) detected. b, Number of adenomas per trial participant at baseline and end of study; comparison of baseline versus EoS was performed using a two-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test; NS, not significant. c, Number of reactive pools measured at 6 months (n = 34 evaluable subjects) between the participants with and without adenomas. Data are shown as the mean ± s.e.m. Comparison of participants with and without adenomas was performed using a one-tailed Mann–Whitney U-test; *P = 0.0381.
Source data
In exploratory analyses performed among 34 participants with evaluable immune response data at 6 months, we observed an association between the breadth of immune response (number of reactive FSP pools) at 6 months and the presence versus absence of any detectable adenomas on the end-of-study colonoscopy (mean: 1.5 versus 4 pools, respectively; Fig. 4c). A similar trend was observed at peak, whereas no statistically significant difference was detected at 12 months, likely because of the expected contraction of the immune response over time. No CRC was identified at colonoscopy. Furthermore, three of 45 vaccinated participants were subsequently diagnosed with invasive noncolorectal carcinomas, including one participant with MMRd gastric cancer, one with MMR-unknown non-small cell lung cancer and one with MMR-proficient prostate cancer.
Cancer interception aims to halt or reverse carcinogenesis at early stages by targeting aberrant cells within precancers. Vaccine-based interception strategies that induce tumor-specific T cells are especially promising in the context of hereditary cancer predisposition syndromes, where the immune microenvironment of precancers may be less immunosuppressive compared to that of advanced cancers, where immune suppression often blocks T cell activity against tumor antigens, thus preventing effective immune responses. Indeed, for solid tumors, there has been notable recent progress in the development of novel neoAg-based cancer vaccines targeting micrometastatic disease in the adjuvant setting. For example, a recent randomized phase 2 trial of adjuvant personalized mRNA vaccine combined with immune checkpoint blockade in participants with resected high-risk melanoma demonstrated significantly improved recurrence-free survival versus checkpoint blockade alone12. Similarly, among participants with resected pancreatic adenocarcinoma, a phase 1 study of a personalized neoAg mRNA vaccine combined with checkpoint blockade in the adjuvant setting demonstrated a strong correlation between induction of neoAg-specific T cell responses and delayed tumor recurrence14. In both of these examples, the approaches relied on a pipeline of personalized vaccine design and production informed by somatic mutation profiling of surgical tumor specimens. However, when transitioning from adjuvant therapy to cancer interception, personalized vaccine approaches have limited practical application, primarily because of the absence of bulk tumor tissue for sequencing. Therefore, we propose that off-the-shelf vaccine strategies are optimally suited for clinical development towards cancer interception. By focusing on recurrent and shared antigen targets, off-the-shelf vaccines avoid the potential pitfalls and resource-intensity of personalized vaccine design and production. Indeed, recent efforts have demonstrated the feasibility and preliminary signals of activity of an adjuvant off-the-shelf vaccine against the most common and recurrent somatic KRAS mutations observed in colorectal and pancreatic cancers19.
LS carriers represent a well-defined, high-risk population of individuals who are likely to benefit from novel interception strategies against colorectal and other cancers8. Defects in the DNA MMR pathway lead to the development of MSI in LS-associated neoplasms (precancers and cancers) and the accumulation of many shared FSP. These peptides are non-self-antigens and foreign to the immune system, thus representing potentially the most immunogenic and safest type of neoAg. The rationale behind the use of a preventive neoAg-based vaccination study with Nous-209 relies on the induction of a broad T cell response against shared mutations targeting precancers and early-stage tumors to prevent cancer progression in this population. We reasoned that targeting a large number of neoAg is the most effective approach to achieve tumor control across a broad population, maximizing the likelihood of engaging and eradicating tumor cells. Therefore, a vaccine designed to target a wide range of shared neoAg could be particularly valuable in anticipating and targeting mutations that may emerge during tumorigenesis. One key distinction between the vaccine platform used in this study and other neoAg vaccines is that the latter have generally targeted a more limited number of neoAgs, as not all platforms allow for the inclusion of 209 neoAgs for an overall length of 6,000 aa.
In this study, we report the safety and immunogenicity of Nous-209 assessed in a phase 1b/2 trial in healthy LS carriers. Nous-209 was safe in all treated participants with no treatment-related SAEs reported and with mostly mild reactions to the vaccines, consistent with expected safety profile of heterologous prime and boost vaccines with GAd and MVA vectors20,21. NeoAg-specific T cell response was elicited in all evaluable participants after Nous-209 by ex vivo IFNγ ELISpot, with induction of broad and polytopic responses targeting multiple FSPs. Although we primarily focused on characterizing CD8+ T cell responses, induction of tumor-specific CD4+ T cells was also observed following vaccination, in line with previous data on the capacity of the platform to induce both component of the T cell immunity13,22,23. This is a desirable feature, as several pieces of evidence suggest that promoting both subsets of T cells is beneficial for effective antitumor immunity24,25. Vaccination resulted in the generation of antigen-specific CD8+ with effector memory phenotype. In particular, the observed predominance of TemRA (CCR7⁻CD45RA+) cells among the dextramer+ CD8+ population possibly reflects a repeated antigen exposure in persons with LS, who may experience ongoing presentation of frameshift-derived neoAgs in MSI precancer lesions, contributing to a skewing toward more differentiated effector memory phenotype.
Overall, these results are consistent with the findings from a phase 1 study in metastatic MMRd cancer showing that Nous-209 elicits broad T cell responses in most treated participants18. Interestingly, a recurrent immunogenic FSP (derived from SPEF2) was characterized after vaccination both in LS carriers and in participants with metastatic disease18, with evidence of in vitro induction of cytotoxic T cells determined by the expression of degranulation marker CD107a in LS and trafficking in the tumor bed in vivo in metastatic disease, concomitant with clinical response. Taken together, these findings, including the in vitro cytotoxic activity against a tumor cell line expressing a second recurrent antigen targeted by Nous-209, are supportive for the tumor killing activity of the vaccine-induced T cells.
The selection of our Nous-209 FSPs was initially validated primarily in sporadic metastatic MMRd tumors26,27 and more recently confirmed in a large dataset of 58 incident MMRd CRCs from LS carriers detected during routine surveillance28, thus providing further evidence of the vaccine's potential to target early-stage tumors. An important new finding from our study is the demonstration of the presence of Nous-209 FSPs in the MSI precancers within an independent dataset. This observation underscores the potential of Nous-209 to target precancers and highlights its relevance in the context of cancer interception. At the yearly colonoscopy following vaccination, the frequency of study participants in which at least one adenoma was detected (~28%) was similar to the frequency observed at baseline before vaccination and in line with the expectations29,30. Interestingly, genomic analysis of available precancerous lesions from baseline and end-of-study colonoscopies showed a trend toward reduced frequency of MSI precancers after vaccine exposure, in line with the mechanism of action of Nous-209 targeting frameshift mutations occurring as a consequence of the impairment of the MMR system. Moreover, when focusing on advanced adenomas, their baseline detection rate was 4.65%, consistent with previous reports31, whereas, following Nous-209 administration, no participants with advanced adenomas were found. Advanced adenomas are considered CRC precursors and previous reports have shown that the MMRd status is more frequently observed in advanced adenomas than in adenomas7,32. Therefore, although this trial was not powered to detect significant differences in advanced adenomas among participants, we consider the observed reduction in the frequency of advanced adenomas as a potentially encouraging early signal of efficacy. Nonetheless, these data will help inform the development of further larger and randomized studies of Nous-209 as a strategy for immune interception in LS.
We acknowledge several limitations in our study, including the small sample size that limits the power of correlative analysis. In addition, most participants were self-reported non-Hispanic white, which limits the assessment for differences in safety and immunogenicity across races and ethnicities. By addressing barriers to accrual, future studies with larger cohorts that are representative of all who are affected by LS will be able to confirm the generalizability of our findings. We further acknowledge that deeper characterization of immune responses at the level of individual immunogenic FSPs was limited by the availability and volume of collected blood specimens. While our study provides important safety and immunogenicity signals, a larger randomized study will be essential to evaluate the clinical activity of Nous-209 toward a reduction in cancer incidence in LS. Lastly, except for cardioprotective aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use was not allowed during study participation. Given the potential use of aspirin at different dosing as a chemoprevention in LS participants, future studies may need to consider combinatorial strategies.
Overall, this clinical trial provides important proof-of-concept data of the safety and the robustness of induced immunogenicity of Nous-209 in LS carriers, representing a neoAg vaccine-based approach for LS and supporting its clinical development as a valuable intervention for cancer immune interception.
Our study population comprised individuals aged 18 years or older with a diagnosis of LS, as determined by documented carrier status of a deleterious or pathogenic or suspected to be deleterious or pathogenic (known or predicted to be detrimental or result in loss of function, respectively) germline mutation in MLH1, MSH2/EPCAM, MSH6 or PMS2, identified by a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments-approved laboratory test. Consistent with the primary objectives to evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of Nous-209 amongst healthy LS carriers, eligible trial participants had no evidence of active or recurrent invasive cancers for at least 6 months before screening and received no cancer-directed treatment (surgery, systemic therapy, hormonal therapy or radiation) within 6 months before screening. We excluded participants who had histologic evidence of high-grade dysplasia and/or invasive cancer at baseline screening. Eligible participants had adequate organ function and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0–1. Except for cardiopreventive aspirin (<100 mg daily), participants consented to refrain from the use of aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or cyclooxygenase inhibitors for the duration of the study treatment. At the study entry, a total of nine participants reported taking aspirin at a low dose (<81 mg orally daily) for cardiovascular or cancer prevention. Three of them decided to discontinue its use upon recruitment and six continued, with three stating the use for cardiovascular and three stating the use for cancer-preventive reasons. Participants consented to refrain from receiving other vaccinations within the first 10 weeks of initiating study treatment and from receiving adenoviral-based vaccines for the duration of study participation (including postintervention follow-up from week 9 through week 52). We excluded individuals with active infection, including human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) except those with documented laboratory evidence of cleared HBV or HCV infection, individuals with a history of organ allograft or other history of immunodeficiency or individuals with a intercurrent condition requiring systemic treatment with corticosteroids (>10 mg daily of prednisone equivalents) or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of study treatment. Females who were pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant or men attempting or planning to conceive children within 6 months of the end of study treatment were excluded. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria are available in the study protocol (Supplementary Information).
The trial was a phase 1b/2 single-arm, open-label, multicenter, prospective study originally designed with the coprimary endpoints of safety and immunogenicity following initial vaccination with Nous-209 monotherapy. To achieve a goal of at least 36 individuals evaluable for the primary immunogenicity endpoint, up to 45 participants were enrolled between November 2022 and November 2023 at four institutions (The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC), The University of Puerto Rico, Fox Chase Cancer Center and City of Hope) within the National Cancer Institute (NCI) iCAN PREVENT clinical trial consortium. At baseline, all participants underwent standard-of-care screening lower endoscopy (flexible sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy). Confirmed eligible participants received initial Nous-209 vaccination as a single 1-ml IM injection of GAd20-209-FSPs (nominal concentration of 2 × 1011 viral particles per ml) at week 0 (prime), followed by a single 1-ml IM injection of MVA-209-FSPs (nominal concentration of 2 × 108 infectious units per ml) at week 8 (boost).
Following key preactivation amendments, protocol version 5 was approved for study initiation in August 2022. In October 2023, protocol version 5.3 was approved, allowing for the addition of a revaccination cohort (cohort 2) in which a subset of eligible participants who completed initial Nous-209 vaccination at week 0 and wk 8 (cohort 1) were then randomized to receive either an MVA-209-FSP IM injection at week 52 or a GAd20-209-FSP IM injection at week 52 followed by an MVA-209-FSP IM injection at week 60. Safety and immunogenicity outcomes related to cohort 2 will be reported in a future manuscript. Separate reporting of cohorts 1 and 2 was permitted by protocol.
Our study was designed and developed by academic authors in collaboration with the Division of Cancer Prevention of the NCI and Nouscom. All authors confirm that the study and analyses were conducted in accordance with the general principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and Good Clinical Practice guidelines of the International Council for Harmonization. Written informed consent was obtained from all study participants. The NCI Central Institutional Review Board and The University of Texas MDACC Institutional Review Board approved this study (protocol nos. MDA21-06-01 and 2022-0065, respectively). Safety monitoring was performed regularly by the Data Safety Monitoring Board of MDACC. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05078866).
The coprimary endpoints of the trial were safety (rate of grade 2 and 3 AEs) and immunogenicity following initial Nous-209 vaccination. Our primary safety and tolerability endpoint was assessed during the prime and boost vaccination phase (week 0 through week 9 + 7 days). AEs were monitored throughout the study (up to 52 weeks + 14 days following initial vaccination) in all participants who received at least the GAd-209-FSP vaccination at week 0 and were graded according to version 5.0 of the NCI Common Toxicity Criteria for AEs. After each vaccine injection, participants were asked to record symptom reactivity events daily on a memory aid (vaccine report card) for up to 7 days (or up to 8 days after symptom resolution). Protocol-defined injection-site reactions included pain, tenderness, erythema or redness, induration or swelling, itching and bruising, while systemic reactogenicity symptoms included fever, chills, malaise, fatigue, myalgia or muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and arthralgia or joint pain.
Our coprimary immunogenicity endpoint was assessed at week 9 and was defined as reactivity to at least one of the 16 FSP pools using an ELISpot assay. Notably, in the case of detection of reactivity pools at baseline, an increase of at least 80% in the preexisting reactivity (measured at baseline) was considered as a positive response to the vaccine.
Per protocol, evaluable participants underwent screening lower endoscopy (colonoscopy or flexible sigmoidoscopy) at week 52 ± 14 days (cohort 1) or week 68 ± 14 days (cohort 2) for standard-of-care endoscopic assessment in accordance with local institutional practices for high-risk screening populations and for collection of research biopsies. For all participants, clinical endoscopic biopsies of abnormal mucosa and/or resected polyp specimens (if any) were submitted for routine clinical pathology assessment at each participating study site. As prespecified secondary endpoints, we recorded polyp burden (count, size, histology and presence or absence of high-grade dysplasia) and neoplasia incidence. Additional secondary endpoints are detailed in the study protocol (Supplementary Information).
PBMCs from whole blood were isolated at different time points and cryopreserved at each of the clinical sites before shipment to the central laboratory for immunogenicity assessment at Nouscom. To maintain the functionality of PBMCs, isolation and freezing procedures were completed within a maximum of 8 h from blood collection. PBMCs were isolated using Leucosep Bio-One polypropylene tubes (prefilled; Greiner, Merck) following the manufacturer's instructions. Cryopreserved cells were thawed, washed, counted and rested overnight before use in immunological assays.
A set of 976 recombinant, lyophilized peptides, with the majority of them being 15 aa in length, overlapping by 11 aa and spanning the entire sequence of Nous-209, were produced by JPT Peptide Technologies. Individual FSPs were covered by its specific pool of overlapping peptides and then arranged in 16 peptide pools for immunogenicity assessment, as described below. Lyophilized peptides were reconstituted at 40 mg ml−1 in sterile DMSO (Sigma, D2650), aliquoted and stored at −80 °C. To prepare pools 1–16, the peptides were mixed to a final concentration of 0.4 mg ml−1 for each peptide.
IFNγ ELISpot assays were performed ex vivo in triplicate with 2 × 105 PBMCs per well in R10. PBMCs were resuspended in R10 medium, stimulated with a set of peptides designed to cover the 209 FSPs encoded by the vaccine and arranged into 16 peptide pools (P1–P16) at a final concentration of 3 µg ml−1. Cells were plated in ELISpot plates (human IFNγ ELISpot PLUS kit, Mabtech) and incubated for 18–20 h at 37 °C in a humidified CO2 incubator. At the end of incubation, the ELISpot assay was developed according to the manufacturer's instructions. Spontaneous cytokine production (background) was measured by incubating PBMCs with medium alone, supplemented with the peptide diluent DMSO (negative control, Sigma-Aldrich), whereas CEFX (JPT Peptide Technologies), a pool of known peptide epitopes for a range of HLA subtypes and different infectious agents, was used as positive control. Results are expressed as SFCs per 106 PBMCs in stimulated cultures after subtracting the DMSO background. A response was considered positive if (1) the number of SFCs per 106 PBMCs ≥ 50 and (2) it was at least twice the DMSO background value. A subject was classified as a responder if reactivity to at least one of the 16 FSP peptide pools is induced after vaccination. If a subject exhibited preexisting reactivity to a peptide pool at baseline, the vaccine was expected to enhance this response by at least 80% in at least one of the 16 FSP peptide pools; in this case, such participants were considered as responders. NeoAg vaccine peptide pools were deconvoluted to identify immunogenic peptides by IFNγ ELISpot assays ex vivo or after in vitro stimulation. ELISpot plates were analyzed on the CTL ImmunoSpot S6 universal analyzer.
To characterize neoAg-induced CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell responses, CD8+ T cells were selectively depleted from the total using anti-CD8 microbeads (Miltenyi Biotech, 130-045-201) following the manufacturer's instructions. The CD8− cell population was then stimulated with either individual peptides or peptide pools (final concentration 3 μg ml−1) and T cell responses against specific peptides were assessed using an IFNγ ELISpot assay. The depletion efficiency of CD8+ T cells was confirmed by flow cytometry. T cell responses were classified as CD8⁺ mediated if a significant reduction in IFNγ spot count was observed following CD8⁺ T cell depletion. Conversely, responses were classified as CD4⁺ mediated if no substantial change in spot count was detected after depletion
PBMCs were thawed and rested for 1 h at 37 °C in R10. The samples were then incubated with anti-human Fc block (Pharmingen BD) at a 1:50 dilution in fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) buffer (1× PBS and 0.5% FBS) for 20 min at 4 °C. After washing with FACS buffer, the samples were stained with HLA class I dextramer HLA-B*0801/IAKKRIKL 8-mer peptide (SPEF2 FSP) conjugated to PE at room temperature for 30 min, protected from light. The live/dead near-IR dead cell stain kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, L10119) was added at 1:100 dilution and cells were incubated for 15 min at room temperature. The following surface staining antibodies were added: CD4 (BioLegend, clone A161A1, 357406), CD8 (BioLegend, clone SK1, 344710), CD45RA (BioLegend, clone HI100, 304142) and CCR7 (CD197; BioLegend, clone G043H7, 353226). After a 30-min incubation at room temperature, the samples were washed and resuspended in FACS buffer until acquisition. For intracellular staining, PBMCs were stimulated with the vaccine single peptide (from SPEF2, 11-mer) (4 µg ml−1), DMSO (control) and PMA/ionomycin cell stimulation cocktail (positive control; Affymetrix) in the presence of anti-human CD107a (LAMP1; BioLegend, clone H4A3, 328618). After overnight coculture, BD GolgiPlug transport inhibitors (BD, 51-2301KZ) were added. Following 3 h of incubation at 37 °C, the samples were washed with FACS buffer and incubated with Fc block for 20 min at 4 °C. The samples were then washed and stained with live/dead dye in staining buffer for 15 minutes at room temperature. For surface staining, cells were labeled with CD4 (BioLegend, clone A161A1, 357406) and CD8 (BioLegend, clone SK1, 344710) antibodies. After a 15-min incubation at room temperature, the samples were washed twice before fixation and permeabilization with CytoFix/CytoPerm (BD Cytofix/Cytoperm kit) for 15 min at 4 °C. The samples were washed twice and resuspended in 1× perm/wash buffer (BD Cytofix/Cytoperm kit) for intracellular staining with IFNγ (BioLegend, clone 4S.B3, 502532). After 30 min of incubation at room temperature, the samples were washed and then resuspended in perm/wash buffer until acquisition. Data were acquired on a BD FACS Canto II and analyzed using FlowJo (version 10.1). The gating strategies are provided in Supplementary Fig. 2.
To investigate neoAg-specific immune responses, we genetically modified the MMRd HCT116 colon cancer cell line, which harbors an MLH1 mutation, to express multiple HLA alleles and neoAg minigenes (MGs) derived from the CDC7 gene mutation. These MGs encode neoAg peptides of varying amino acid lengths (specifically 50-mer, 15-mer and 9-mer) designed to be presented by both MHC class I and class II alleles, as informed by previous studies7. The codon-optimized CDC7 50-mer construct was cloned into a lentiviral backbone obtained from VectorBuilder (plasmid VB240607-1533chz). The design of the construct included an N-terminal signal peptide (MSPMRVTAPRTLILLLSGALALTETWAGS), the mutated CDC7 epitope containing the HLA-A*03:01-restricted 15-mer (TSRILNLQVLKKILR) with its minimal 9-mer core (TSRILNLQV), an MHC I trafficking domain (MCLRLRTKLEKALSALFIWPQHSYKIVGIVAGLAVLAVVVIGAVVATVMCRRKSSGG) and a flexible C-terminal linker (KGGSYSQAASSDSAQGSDVSLTA). This configuration ensured efficient routing of the CDC7 construct through the secretory pathway and enhanced antigen processing and presentation for recognition by neoAg-specific T cells. HCT116 cells were transfected to express HLA-A11:02, A24:01, A03:01 and B07:02, in addition to their endogenous alleles (HLA-A02:01, A01:01, and B45:01). The transfection process followed a two-step protocol. In the first step, HLA allele expression cassettes were cloned into PiggyBac transposon vectors under constitutive promoters and cotransfected with a transposase helper plasmid into HCT116 cells using Lipofectamine 3000 according to the manufacturer's instructions. The fluorescent reporters (red fluorescent protein, blue fluorescent protein and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)) were included to enable tracking of transgene expression and selection of stable clones by drug selection, followed by flow cytometry sorting to ensure the expression of all transgenes within single cells. In the second step, HCT116 cells carrying the HLA constructs were transduced with ready-to-use lentiviral particles generated by VectorBuilder carrying the CDC7 50-mer construct. Cells were plated 1 day before infection, exposed to viral supernatant supplemented with 8 μg ml−1 polybrene and spinoculated at 800g for 90 min at 32 °C to enhance transduction efficiency. After overnight incubation, the medium was replaced with fresh complete DMEM and cells were expanded for 5–7 days. Puromycin selection was applied to enrich for stable integrants, which were further purified by FACS on the basis of EGFP expression. Stable clones were subsequently validated by PCR and sequencing for integration, by western blot and flow cytometry for expression and by functional assays to confirm HLA surface expression and CDC7 MG presentation.
For the functional evaluation of neoAg-specific immune responses, the 15-mer peptide CDC7 (TSRILNLQVLKKILR), which is restricted to MHC I, was used for in vitro validation. The peptide was synthesized by JPT Peptide Technologies and used to stimulate PBMCs derived from LS trial participant 12 collected at baseline and at week 8 after Nous-209. PBMCs were cultured in R10 medium (RPMI 1640 with L-glutamine (Corning, 10040CV), 10% heat-inactivated FBS (HyClone, SH30070.03), 10 mM HEPES buffer (Corning, 25060-CI) and 1× penicillin–streptomycin (Corning, 30002CI)), supplemented with 330 U per ml recombinant human IL-7. Stimulation was carried out using 4 µg ml−1 CDC7 peptide per well, with concanavalin A and DMSO serving as positive and negative controls, respectively. On days 3, 7 and 10, the cells were replenished with R10 medium containing 10 U per ml interleukin 2 (IL-2). After 12 days of culture, the expanded T cells were divided into two populations; one half was used for microfluidic coculture assays to assess tumor cell-targeting potency, while the other half was subjected to IL-2 withdrawal for subsequent IFNγ ELISpot analysis. On day 13, the second population of stimulated PBMCs was seeded in triplicate (3 × 105 cells per well) into 96-well ELISpot plates precoated with human IFNγ capture antibodies. The cells were restimulated with 3 µg ml−1 CDC7 peptide and incubated for 16–20 h. IFNγ secretion was measured using the ELISpot assay, following the manufacturer's protocol (Mabtech). SFCs were quantified using the ImmunoSpot S6 UNIVERSAL analyzer (Cellular Technology Limited).
To evaluate the tumor-targeting potency of neoAg-stimulated T cells, experiments were performed using the OrganoPlate three-lane 64 microfluidic system (MIMETAS). A collagen I extracellular matrix (ECM) gel was prepared by mixing collagen I (5 mg ml−1; AMSbio), 1 M HEPES (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and NaHCO3 (Sigma) in a 1:1:8 ratio on ice. Then, 2 μl of the gel mixture was loaded into each gel inlet and polymerized in a humidified incubator at 37 °C for 15 min. Genetically modified HCT116 cells expressing CDC7 MG derived from the CDC7 gene mutation, encoding peptides of varying amino acid lengths, were used in these experiments. Cells were labeled with the fluorescent dye CellTracker red CMTPX (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and seeded into the top perfusion inlets adjacent to the ECM gel channels at a density of 10,000 cells per µl (2 µl per chip). The plate was incubated on its side for 3–4 h to ensure cell attachment to the ECM gel. NeoAg-stimulated PBMCs were labeled with the fluorescent dye CellTracker green CMFDA (Thermo Fisher Scientific) and seeded into the bottom perfusion channels at a 5:1 E:T ratio. Following cell seeding, 50 µl of culture medium was added to all perfusion inlets and outlets to ensure complete filling of the channels without air bubbles. The coculture system was maintained on a rocker platform (14° inclination, 8-min intervals) for 48 h to enable continuous medium perfusion. After the 48-h incubation, genetically modified HCT116 cells and control cells were collected from the microfluidic chamber outlets. Migrated T cells were depleted from the collected samples using CD3 MicroBeads (Miltenyi Biotec) and column-based magnetic separation according to the manufacturer's instructions. This process ensured the efficient removal of CD3+ T cells, leaving a purified tumor cell population for downstream analyses. Tumor cell viability was subsequently assessed using the CellTiter-Glo luminescent cell viability assay (Promega). Apoptotic cell death was quantified using a caspase 3/7 luminescence assay, performed in accordance with the manufacturer's protocols. For viability, equal volumes of reagent and culture medium were added to samples, inducing cell lysis and generating a stable luminescent signal proportional to intracellular adenosine triphosphate content. Luminescence was recorded using a plate luminometer, expressed as relative luminescence units, normalized to untreated control wells and reported as percentage viability relative to control. For apoptosis, equal volumes of Caspase-Glo 3/7 reagent and sample were combined, resulting in caspase-mediated cleavage of a luminogenic DEVD substrate and light emission proportional to caspase 3/7 activity. Luminescence was recorded on a plate luminometer, normalized to control wells and expressed as percentage apoptosis relative to baseline.
Genomic DNA was extracted from five serial slides from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) blocks of endoscopic resections of colorectal adenomas from on-study colonoscopies. First, we deparaffinized the tissue sections with xylene and 100% alcohol. Then, tissues were collected and incubated with lysis buffer in the presence of proteinase K using the Roche microRNA isolation kit. Lysates were centrifuged for 30 min at 4 °C at 15,000 rpm and cell pellets were used for extraction of genomic DNA using the AllPrep DNA/RNA FFPE kit (Qiagen), following the manufacturer's protocol. DNA quality was assessed using TapeStation analyzer; then, Twist exome capture, library preparation and raw sequencing were performed by the Advanced Technology Genomics Core at The University of Texas MDACC using the Illumina NovaSeqX platform. Alignment of WES data was performed using BWA-mem (version 0.7.19) with default parameters to human genome reference hg38. Duplicate reads were marked with GATK (version 4.6.2.0). Base quality recalibration was performed with GATK Apply BQSR.
Tumor exome data were processed starting from the raw data (FASTQ files), which were downloaded from the National Center for Biotechnology Information under BioProject PRJNA954699. A preliminary quality control of the raw sequence data was performed by filtering out reads of low quality with Trimmomatic (version 0.33)33. The remaining reads were aligned on the GRCh37 human genome BWA-mem (version 0.7.17-r1188)34. Multimapping reads were filtered out using SAMtools (version 1.9)35. Optical duplicates were marked using Picard's MarkDuplicates tool with Picard tools. DNA alignments were further optimized at regions around indels and base scores were recalibrated after the optimization step using GATK software (version 3.7)36. Frameshift mutations within the Nous-209 neoAgs were identified from aligned sequencing data (BAM files) using a lookup-based approach. A mutation was considered present if a minimum of three reads supported the variant and the variant allele frequency (VAF) exceeded 10%, consistent with previously established criteria.27
MSI status of previously published datasets7 and colorectal adenomas from on-study colonoscopies was determined using MSIsensor2 (version 0.1; https://github.com/niu-lab/msisensor2.git)37 in ‘tumor-only' mode. The pipeline involved indexing the reference genome (hg19), scanning 2,793 MS sites and calculating MSI scores on the basis of the proportion of unstable loci. A sample was classified as MSI-H if the MSI score exceeded the predefined threshold of 20%, MSI-L if the MSI score was between 10% and 20% and MSS if the score was <10%, according to the recommended cutoffs from MSIsensor2.
MHC class I binding affinity predictions were performed using the Immune Epitope Database and Analysis Resource MHC I prediction tool (https://www.iedb.org/). Peptide sequences of interest were analyzed for their potential to bind HLA class I molecules using the Consensus method (version 2.18) with peptide lengths of 8, 9 and 10 aa. The analysis included the prediction of binding affinities (half-maximal inhibitory concentration values) for HLA alleles. Downstream immunogenicity analyses were performed, prioritizing peptides on the basis of the results of MHC class I binding affinity predictions.
The trial was conducted using Simon's minimax two-stage design, wherein the immunogenicity response rate was defined by the number of evaluable participants with immunogenicity by ELISpot assay among all treated participants. On the basis of prior evidence38, our primary efficacy endpoint was evaluated with respect to a predefined target immunogenicity response rate of ≥75%; by contrast, we considered a immunogenicity response rate of ≤55% to be unacceptable. In the first stage, 24 participants were enrolled and accrual halted to fully evaluate immunogenicity at week 9; with 16 or more responses observed in the first stage, additional participants enrolled in the study to reach a total of 36 evaluable participants. Upon study completion, Nous-209 vaccination was considered effective if >24 participants demonstrated immunogenicity. Under these operating characteristics, if the true immunogenicity response rate is 0.55, the probability of stopping the trial early was 83% at an expected sample size 26. Immunogenicity rates are reported with 95% exact confidence intervals evaluated using the Clopper–Pearson method. Our study applied a Bayesian toxicity monitoring plan in which treatment would be considered unsafe if the estimated rate of unacceptable toxicity (grade 3 of higher treatment-related AEs except for vaccine reactogenicity symptoms) was ≥30% with a probability of ≥70%. Assuming a β prior probability of toxicity with parameters (0.3, 0.7) and considering the Simon's two-stage design, the trial had a 99.6% chance of stopping early if the true toxicity rate was 50% when the true response rate was 55%. SAS 9.4 was used for exploratory statistical analyses of associations between clinical and demographic factors and immunogenicity. Frequencies and percentages are reported for categorical variables. Summary statistics such as number of nonmissing observations, mean, median, s.d., minimum and maximum are provided for continuous data. The chi-squared test and Fisher's exact test were used to evaluate the association between categorical variables and vaccine responses. Wilcoxon's rank sum test or Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare the distributions of continuous response variables (such as the number positive pools at specific time points), across different demographic or clinical groups. Statistical analyses for cell viability, apoptosis and cytokine secretion were conducted using Prism 10 (GraphPad Software). For cell viability and apoptosis assays, data were analyzed across the following groups: genetically modified HCT116 cells cocultured with CDC7-stimulated PBMCs (patient 12 at baseline and after Nous-209), nongenetically modified HCT116 cells cocultured with CDC7-stimulated patient 12 PBMCs at baseline and after Nous-209 (control group) and genetically modified HCT116 cells cultured alone (CDC7-HCT116 control). Statistical comparisons were performed using a two-sided unpaired t-test, with significance indicated in the figure (P values < 0.0001). For the CTL-related IFNγ ELISpot secretion assay, paired t-tests were used to compare PBMCs at baseline and after Nous-209, with comparisons to the negative control (DMSO) and results expressed as the mean ± s.d.; statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. Levels of significance are indicated as follows: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 and ****P < 0.0001. Significant differences are annotated in the respective figures for clarity. All other ELISpot data were presented as the mean ± s.e.m., with significance tested using a two-tailed, Mann–Whitney statistical analysis.
Further information on research design is available in the Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary linked to this article.
Deidentified individual participant clinical and genomic data that underlie the results reported in this article are available for transfer, with responses provided within 30 days of request. Interested investigators can obtain and certify the data transfer agreement and submit requests to the principal investigator (E.V.), which will coordinate with the NCI. Investigators and institutions who consent to the terms of the data transfer agreement form, including but not limited to the use of these data for the purpose of a specific project and only for research purposes, and to protect the confidentiality of the data and limit the possibility of identification of participants in any way whatsoever for the duration of the agreement will be granted access. E.V. will then facilitate the transfer of the requested deidentified data. This process is expected to be through a secure file transfer service but the study leadership reserves the right to change the specific transfer method at any time, provided appropriate levels of access authorization and control can be maintained. WES data generated in this study were deposited to the Sequence Read Archive under BioProject PRJNA1370313. Source data are provided with this paper.
Win, A. K. et al. Prevalence and penetrance of major genes and polygenes for colorectal cancer. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev. 26, 404–412 (2017).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bonadona, V. et al. Cancer risks associated with germline mutations in MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6 genes in Lynch syndrome. JAMA 305, 2304–2310 (2011).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Lynch, H. T., Snyder, C. L., Shaw, T. G., Heinen, C. D. & Hitchins, M. P. Milestones of Lynch syndrome: 1895-2015. Nat. Rev. Cancer 15, 181–194 (2015).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Burn, J. et al. Cancer prevention with aspirin in hereditary colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome), 10-year follow-up and registry-based 20-year data in the CAPP2 study: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 395, 1855–1863 (2020).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Baretti, M. & Le, D. T. DNA mismatch repair in cancer. Pharmacol. Ther. 189, 45–62 (2018).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Kloor, M. & von Knebel Doeberitz, M. The immune biology of microsatellite-unstable cancer. Trends Cancer 2, 121–133 (2016).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bolivar, A. M. et al. Genomic landscape of Lynch syndrome colorectal neoplasia identifies shared mutated neoantigens for immunoprevention. Gastroenterology 166, 787–8011 (2024).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bowen, C. M., Sinha, K. M. & Vilar, E. Immunoprevention strategies for colorectal cancer in Lynch syndrome carriers. Cancer J. 30, 352–356 (2024).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Xie, N. et al. Neoantigens: promising targets for cancer therapy. Signal Transduct. Target. Ther. 8, 9 (2023).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Kloor, M. et al. A frameshift peptide neoantigen-based vaccine for mismatch repair-deficient cancers: a phase I/IIa clinical trial. Clin. Cancer Res. 26, 4503–4510 (2020).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Jolanda, I. et al. Preventive dendritic cell vaccination induced TGF-βRII frameshift neoantigen-specific T-cells are linked to long-term disease-free survival in Lynch syndrome patients. Preprint at Research Square https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6718232/v1 (2025).
Weber, J. S. et al. Individualised neoantigen therapy mRNA-4157 (V940) plus pembrolizumab versus pembrolizumab monotherapy in resected melanoma (KEYNOTE-942): a randomised, phase 2b study. Lancet 403, 632–644 (2024).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
D'Alise, A. M. et al. Phase I trial of viral vector-based personalized vaccination elicits robust neoantigen-specific antitumor T-cell responses. Clin. Cancer Res. 30, 2412–2423 (2024).
Article
PubMed Central
PubMed
Google Scholar
Rojas, L. A. et al. Personalized RNA neoantigen vaccines stimulate T cells in pancreatic cancer. Nature 618, 144–150 (2023).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Yarchoan, M. et al. Personalized neoantigen vaccine and pembrolizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: a phase 1/2 trial. Nat. Med. 30, 1044–1053 (2024).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Sasso, E. et al. New viral vectors for infectious diseases and cancer. Semin. Immunol. 50, 101430 (2020).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Secli, L. et al. Personalized cancer vaccines go viral: viral vectors in the era of personalized immunotherapy of cancer. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 24, 16591 (2023).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
D'Alise, A. M. et al. Adenoviral-based vaccine promotes neoantigen-specific CD8+ T cell stemness and tumor rejection. Sci. Transl. Med 14, eabo7604 (2022).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Pant, S. et al. Lymph-node-targeted, mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine in pancreatic and colorectal cancer: the phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial. Nat. Med. 30, 531–542 (2024).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Sheehy, S. H. et al. ChAd63-MVA-vectored blood-stage malaria vaccines targeting MSP1 and AMA1: assessment of efficacy against mosquito bite challenge in humans. Mol. Ther. 20, 2355–2368 (2012).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Swadling, L. et al. A human vaccine strategy based on chimpanzee adenoviral and MVA vectors that primes, boosts, and sustains functional HCV-specific T cell memory. Sci. Transl. Med. 6, 261ra153 (2014).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
D'Alise, A. M. et al. Adenoviral vaccine targeting multiple neoantigens as strategy to eradicate large tumors combined with checkpoint blockade. Nat. Commun. 10, 2688 (2019).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Garzia, I. et al. Tumor burden dictates the neoantigen features required to generate an effective cancer vaccine. Cancer Immunol. Res. 12, 440–452 (2024).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Janssen, E. M. et al. CD4+ T cells are required for secondary expansion and memory in CD8+ T lymphocytes. Nature 421, 852–856 (2003).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Ahrends, T. et al. CD4+ T cell help confers a cytotoxic T cell effector program including coinhibitory receptor downregulation and increased tissue invasiveness. Immunity 47, 848–861 (2017).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
De Paolis, E. et al. Characterization of shared neoantigens landscape in mismatch repair deficient endometrial cancer. NPJ Precis. Oncol. 8, 283 (2024).
Article
PubMed Central
PubMed
Google Scholar
Leoni, G. et al. A genetic vaccine encoding shared cancer neoantigens to treat tumors with microsatellite instability. Cancer Res. 80, 3972–3982 (2020).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
De Marco, L. et al. Abstract PR-05: Nous-209 off-the-shelf vaccine targets neoantigens mutations well represented both in primary and metachronous incident CRCs from Lynch syndrome patients. Cancer Immunol. Res. 12, PR-05 (2024).
Article
Google Scholar
Del Carmen, G. et al. Colorectal surveillance outcomes from an institutional longitudinal cohort of lynch syndrome carriers. Front. Oncol. 13, 1146825 (2023).
Article
PubMed Central
PubMed
Google Scholar
Castillo-Iturra, J., Sanchez, A. & Balaguer, F. Colonoscopic surveillance in Lynch syndrome: guidelines in perspective. Fam. Cancer 23, 459–468 (2024).
Article
PubMed Central
PubMed
Google Scholar
Sanchez, A. et al. Gene-specific detection rate of adenomas and advanced adenomas in Lynch syndrome. Gastroenterology 169, 663–675 (2025).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Dabir, P. D. et al. Microsatellite instability screening in colorectal adenomas to detect Lynch syndrome patients? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. J. Hum. Genet. 28, 277–286 (2020).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Bolger, A. M., Lohse, M. & Usadel, B. Trimmomatic: a flexible trimmer for Illumina sequence data. Bioinformatics 30, 2114–2120 (2014).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Li, H. & Durbin, R. Fast and accurate short read alignment with Burrows–Wheeler transform. Bioinformatics 25, 1754–1760 (2009).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Danecek, P. et al. Twelve years of SAMtools and BCFtools. Gigascience 10, giab008 (2021).
Article
PubMed Central
PubMed
Google Scholar
McKenna, A. et al. The Genome Analysis Toolkit: a MapReduce framework for analyzing next-generation DNA sequencing data. Genome Res. 20, 1297–1303 (2010).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Niu, B. et al. MSIsensor: microsatellite instability detection using paired tumor–normal sequence data. Bioinformatics 30, 1015–1016 (2014).
Article
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Roudko, V. et al. Shared immunogenic poly-epitope frameshift mutations in microsatellite unstable tumors. Cell 183, 1634–1649 (2020).
Article
PubMed Central
CAS
PubMed
Google Scholar
Download references
Nouscom provided the vaccine to the NCI under a Clinical Trials Agreement and contributed to the study design, data analysis and the decision to publish the results. Employees of Nouscom received salaries for their contributions to the study. We thank the participants and their families for their involvement in this clinical trial. This work was supported by grants UG1 CA242609 and R01 CA257375 (US National Institutes of Health (NIH)/NCI) to E.V. and the generous philanthropic contributions to MD Anderson Cancer Center SPORE in Gastrointestinal Cancer P50 CA221707 (US NIH/NCI) and P30 CA016672 (US NIH/NCI) to the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Core Support Grant. J.W. was supported by the Paul Calabresi Clinical Oncology Program Award K12 (CA088084–20). F.D. was supported by the Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (CPRTP) postdoctoral fellowship in cancer prevention program RP170259 (Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas).
These authors contributed equally: Anna Morena D'Alise, Jason Willis.
Nouscom SRL, Rome, Italy
Anna Morena D'Alise, Guido Leoni, Irene Garzia, Laura Antonucci, Lorenzo De Marco, Elisa Micarelli, Laura Seclì & Elisa Scarselli
Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Jason Willis
Department of Clinical Cancer Prevention, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Fahriye Duzagac, Nan Deng, Charles M. Bowen, Lana A. Vornik, Araceli Garcia-Gonzalez, Laura Reyes-Uribe, Powel H. Brown, Krishna M. Sinha & Eduardo Vilar
Department of Clinical Genetics, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Michael J. Hall
University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus, San Juan, PR, USA
Marcia Cruz-Correa & Veroushka Ballester
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
Gregory E. Idos
Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Selvi Thirumurthi
Nouscom AG, Basel, Switzerland
Sven Gogov
Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
Wenli Dong & J. Jack Lee
Division of Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA
Ellen Richmond, Asad Umar & Luz Maria Rodriguez
Department of Surgery, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
Luz Maria Rodriguez
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
E.V. and E.S. designed the study. E.V., J.W., M.J.H., M.C.C., G.E.I., S.T., V.B., L.A.V., A.G., E.R., A.U., P.H.B. and L.M.R. contributed to clinical oversight and participant recruitment, enrollment and treatment. A.M.D. oversaw the immunomonitoring work and analysis. L.A. and I.G., performed the immunological assays. L.D.M., E.M., G.L. and N.D. performed the computational analyses. C.M.B., K.M.S., F.D. and L.R. contributed to execution and data analysis. S.G. and L.S. contributed to data analysis. W.D. and J.J.L. contributed to the statistical analysis. A.M.D., E.V., E.S. and J.W. wrote, reviewed and edited the manuscript. All authors reviewed the manuscript, provided edits and approved the final version. E.S. and E.V. had full access to all the data in the study and take responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
Correspondence to
Elisa Scarselli or Eduardo Vilar.
E.V. has had a consulting or advisory role with Janssen Research and Development, Recursion Pharma, Nouscom, Abbvie, Moderna, Permanence Bio and Parabilis, has received research support from Janssen Research and Development and has equity in Permanence Bio. J.W. has had a consulting role with Healios H.K. and TME Therapeutics and has received research support from Amal Therapeutics. E.S. is Nouscom cofounder and employee and reports stock ownership. A.M.D. and S.G. are employees of Nouscom and report stock ownership. I.G., L.A., L.D.M., E.M. and L.S. are employees of Nouscom. M.C.C. has research contracts with BMS, Jannsen, MERCK, AstraZeneca, Abbvie, Huyabio, BeiGene, Natera, Exact Sciences, INCYTE, Astellas, Genentech, GenMab, Revolution Medicine and Pfizer. The remaining authors declare no competing interests.
Nature Medicine thanks Asaf Maoz, Else Marit Inderberg and Zsofia Stadler for their contribution to the peer review of this work. Primary Handling Editor: Saheli Sadanand, in collaboration with the Nature Medicine team.
Publisher's note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Barplot showing the number of observed non-reactogenic and reactogenic AEs according to grade and attribution among cohort 1 participants (N = 45) following administration of GAd-209-FSPs and MVA-209-FSPs. Reactogenic AEs included fever, chills, malaise, fatigue, myalgia/muscle aches, headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, and arthralgia/joint pain.
a) Heat map of the most recurrent immunogenic individual FSP identified in ≥ 5 participants assessed. The bar plot on the rows indicates the number of immunogenic FSPs detected for each participant. b) Deconvolution of Pool 3 immune response at the level of single FSP in Pt 18 to identify the immunogenic reactive SPEF2 FSP. c) Baseline versus post Nous-209 T cell immune response against SPEF2 FSP in multiple LS carriers, with 7 pts sharing the HLA-B:08:01; bars in b and c show mean SFC/106 PMBCs ± SEM, dots refer to 3 technical replicates. d) Neoantigen-specific T cell responses were tracked in the blood at baseline and post Nous-209 by dextramer staining to detect CD8+ T cell response recognizing the immunogenic SPEF2 FSP mapped in Pt 18. Pie charts shows frequencies of naive (CD45RA+CCR7+), central memory (CM; CD45RA−CCR7+), effector memory (EM; CD45RA−CCR7−) and T effector memory RA+ (TEMRA; CD45RA+CCR7−) cells in total CD8+ population (left-most chart) and CD8+dextramer+ populations from corresponding dot plots.
Source data
Bars represent pre-IVS and post-IVS ELISpot results, shown as mean SFC/10⁶ PBMCs ± SEM, dots represent the 3 biological replicates used to generate each mean. Statistical analysis was performed using a two-tailed Mann–Whitney U test; ****P < 0.0001.
Source data
a) Representative dot plot for participant 18 intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) for CD8+ cells producing CD107α (left) and IFN-γ (right) in ex vivo culture with DMSO or SPEF2 CD8 peptide. Cells were gated on PBMCs [forward scatter (FSC)-A versus side scatter (SSC)-A], singlets (FSC-A versus FSC-H), live cells (FSC-A versus Live/Dead), CD8 and cytokine + cells. b) Schematic representation of the microfluidic 3D co-culture system used to evaluate the cytotoxic activity of Nous-209-induced T cells against CDC7-expressing HCT116 cells. Effector T cells were co-cultured with genetically modified HCT116 target cells within an extracellular matrix gel under gravity-driven flow at an effector-to-target (E:T) ratio of 5:1. Cytotoxicity was assessed using caspase 3/7 apoptosis assays and viability measurements after 48 hours. c) Representative fluorescence microscopy images showing CDC7-HCT116 target cells (red) and T cells (green) before and after Nous-209 vaccination. Images depict baseline PBMCs from Pt12 and post-vaccination PBMCs, alongside control conditions. A reduction in red fluorescence in the post-vaccination condition indicates antigen-specific tumor cell killing. Scale bar: 100 µm. d) Quantification of tumor cell viability and caspase-3/7 apoptosis after 48-hour co-culture. Each point represents one independent microfluidic culture (n = 3 technical replicates from the same donor). Bar graphs show the percentage of viable and apoptotic cells across experimental conditions, including baseline and post-Nous-209 T cells, as well as control conditions (HCT116 cells co-cultured with baseline PBMCs, post-Nous-209 PBMCs, and CDC7-HCT116 without T cells). Data are presented as mean ± SD. Statistical comparisons were performed using a two-sided unpaired t-test, with significance indicated in the figure (P-value < 0.0001 where shown). e) IFN-γ ELISpot analysis of in vitro expanded baseline and post-vaccination PBMCs from Pt12 in response to CDC7 neoantigen stimulation. Each dot represents one technical replicate well, defined as an independently plated well from the same PBMC sample subjected to identical stimulation conditions (n = 3 wells per condition). DMSO and ConA were used as negative and positive controls, respectively. Bars show mean ± SD. Statistical significance was assessed using a two-sided paired t-test, with significance indicated in the figure (P-value < 0.0001 where shown).
Source data
a) Microsatellite Instability (MSI) status derived from whole-exome sequencing data pre-cancers endoscopically removed at baseline (N = 10) and post-vaccination (N = 12). MSI status was categorized as high (MSI-H, MSI score >20%), low (MSI-L, score between 10 and 20%), or stable (MSS, score <10%) based on established thresholds; b) Number of Nous-209 FSPs identified in baseline (N = 10) and post-vaccination (N = 12) pre-cancers.
Source data
Supplementary Figs. 1 and 2 and clinical study protocol.
Supplementary Table 1: AEs by Common Toxicity Criteria for AEs grade and attribution. Supplementary Table 2: Number of positive (reactive) pools and relative increase at peak from the baseline in females compared to males. Supplementary Table 3: List of immunogenic FSPs identified upon peptide pool deconvolution (pools 1 to 16). Supplementary Table 4: Adenoma counts and characterization at baseline and at end of study.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Statistical source data.
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Reprints and permissions
D'Alise, A.M., Willis, J., Duzagac, F. et al. Nous-209 neoantigen vaccine for cancer prevention in Lynch syndrome carriers: a phase 1b/2 trial.
Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04182-9
Download citation
Received: 29 July 2025
Accepted: 12 December 2025
Published: 16 January 2026
Version of record: 16 January 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04182-9
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(Nat Med)
ISSN 1546-170X (online)
ISSN 1078-8956 (print)
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited
Sign up for the Nature Briefing: Cancer newsletter — what matters in cancer research, free to your inbox weekly.
Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(2026)Cite this article
Preparing for tomorrow's threats by enhancing our ability to help patients today.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Anthony Fauci: The face of America's fight against coronavirus. BBC News (2020).
Jefferson, T. et al. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 1, CD006207 (2023).
PubMed
Google Scholar
Rains, S. A. & Richards, A. S. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 121, e2313610121 (2024).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
CAS
Google Scholar
Public confidence in U.S. health agencies slides, fueled by declines among Democrats. ASAPH/Annenberg Science Knowledge surveys (Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2025).
Gandhi, R. T. et al. JAMA 333, 609–628 (2025).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
US Preventative Services Task Force. JAMA 330, 736–745 (2023).
Article
Google Scholar
Bor, J. et al. JAMA Health Forum 6, e251118 (2025).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Conrad, N. et al. Lancet 401, 1878–1890 (2023).
Article
PubMed
Google Scholar
Patel, R. R. et al. MMWR Morb. Mortal Wkly Rep. 74, 541–549 (2025).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Donenberg, G. R. et al. Glob. Implement. Res. Appl. 2, 166–177 (2022).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Powers, J. H. III & Zuckerman, D. M. Medical Research Archives https://doi.org/10.18103/mra.v13i3.6291 (2025).
Article
Google Scholar
Kadri, S. S. et al. Clin. Infect. Dis. 67, 1803–1814 (2018).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Hou, K. et al. Signal. Transduct. Target. Ther. 7, 135 (2022).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Alfonso-Gonzalez, L., Fernandez, F. J. & Vega, M. C. Front. Immunol. 16, 1630488 (2025).
Article
PubMed
PubMed Central
Google Scholar
Gupta, A., Rudra, A., Reed, K., Langer, R. & Anderson, D. G. Nat. Rev. Drug Discov. 23, 914–938 (2024).
Article
PubMed
CAS
Google Scholar
Download references
This work was supported in part by the NIH, the NIAID, and with federal funds from the National Cancer Institute, under contract no. 75N91019D00024 task order no. 75N91019F00130.
Office of the Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Jeffery K. Taubenberger
Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, Clinical Research Directorate, Frederick, MD, USA
John H. Powers
Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
Jay Bhattacharya
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
Correspondence to
Jeffery K. Taubenberger.
The authors declare no competing interests.
Reprints and permissions
Taubenberger, J.K., Powers, J.H. & Bhattacharya, J. The new vision from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04160-1
Download citation
Published: 16 January 2026
Version of record: 16 January 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04160-1
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative
Advertisement
Nature Medicine
(Nat Med)
ISSN 1546-170X (online)
ISSN 1078-8956 (print)
© 2026 Springer Nature Limited
Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.
What happens here matters everywhere
Tech Moves covers notable hires, promotions and personnel changes in the Pacific NW tech community. Submissions: [email protected]
by Lisa Stiffler on Jan 16, 2026 at 10:32 amJanuary 16, 2026 at 10:44 am
Satish Thomas, a 20-year veteran of Microsoft who spent two decades at the Redmond tech giant, is taking a new job at Google.
“I'm joining during what feels like one of the most consequential moments in tech history — right in the heart of the AI era,” Thomas wrote on LinkedIn. He did not specify what role he's taking at Google.
Thomas said Microsoft “shaped me in ways I never imaged.” He began his two-decade run at the company as an intern. “I'm deeply grateful to the amazing people and teams I've had the privilege to work with,” he said. “Leaving isn't easy — but some opportunities are so special and unique that you just have to go for them.”
Thomas spent the past six years as a corporate vice president at Microsoft, where he led strategy, product management, and engineering execution for Microsoft Cloud for Industry. He previously held leadership roles in Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Microsoft AppSource.
— Raji Rajagopalan has a new role at Microsoft: GitHub's vice president of engineering.
Rajagopalan has been with the tech giant for more than 20 years, joining the company as a software engineer. She's leaving the Microsoft Foundry Team for the new role.
“My goal is to help GitHub continue to be the place loved by devs, where innovation happens and human-agent workflows thrive, as we move into this new era of AI-driven development,” Rajagopalan said on LinkedIn.
— Katie Bardaro is senior VP of customer experience at Avante, a Seattle startup building software to help companies decrease HR administration workload and reduce overall benefits program costs. It also offers an AI assistant designed to provide benefits guidance to employees.
“What drew me here is the opportunity to work at the intersection of data, AI, and total rewards, all while helping companies and employees navigate one of the most complex (and impactful) parts of the employee experience: benefits,” Bardaro said on LinkedIn.
Bardaro was previously chief customer officer at Syndio, a company that analyzes workplace pay equity issues and provides strategies for fixing disparities. Prior to that she was at Payscale for more than a decade.
— Vivek Sharma is leaving Stripe for a cryptic new venture focused on “AI's potential to fundamentally change how people work.”
Sharma, who has held executive roles at Microsoft and Meta, didn't provide further details about the stealthy startup in a LinkedIn post, but did name his collaborators:
“More details coming soon,” Sharma said of the startup. “But if you want to be an early adopter or just want to chat, please reach out!”
— Jeff Carr is now CEO of Atana, a startup building workplace training content that incorporates behavior-based learning and development. Carr joined the Bellevue company in August as president. He succeeds Atana co-founder and former CEO John Hansen, who will remain as executive chair.
In announcing the news, Hansen said that Carr “aligned with Atana's vision immediately and has been instrumental in bringing us into new opportunities and new strategic relationships in a very short period of time.”
Carr has held multiple CEO roles in the past, including leadership of workforce training company Inkling and at the HR company PeopleFluent.
Atana originally launched in 1993. Hansen, a startup veteran and longtime lecturer at the University of Washington, acquired the business in 2016 and oversaw the expansion of new learning content.
— Longtime Microsoft gaming leader Larry Hyrb shared on LinkedIn that he was laid off from Unity after 18 months on the job.
Hyrb, known by his longtime handle “Major Nelson,” left Microsoft in 2023 after more than two decades in corporate communications, promoting the launches of games and other products. He was the host of one of the company's earliest podcasts, Major Nelson Radio, which later became Xbox Podcast.
At Unity, a San Francisco-based gaming company, Hyrb worked with the Community and Advocacy Team, supporting connections among creators, developers and gamers.
— Serial tech entrepreneur Jay Bartot is now a technical advisor and chief technologist for TheFounderVC, a Seattle-based venture capital firm that launched in 2024.
Bartot is also co-founder and CTO of the software startup AirSignal, an affiliate professor at the UW, and a startup mentor at Creative Destruction Lab.
Bartot said on LinkedIn that he looks forward to working with the TheFounderVC team “to help exceptional early-stage founders build the next generation of great Vertical AI companies and products.”
— Auger, a startup building logistics and supply chain software, named Tucker Reimer as principal of supply chain innovation. Reimer joins the Bellevue startup from the Johnsonville sausage company where he served as vice president of global planning and analytics.
Dave Clark, the former Amazon Worldwide Consumer CEO and Flexport CEO, launched Auger in 2024 with $100 million in Series A funding.
— Lucas Dickey joined Stripe as a product builder focused on Stripe Atlas, a tool that helps entrepreneurs incorporate their business.
Dickey said on LinkedIn that he has used Atlas four times to start his own companies and aligns with Stripe's goal of “making the administrative layer a breeze — and helping new companies start strong from day one.”
His startups include Deepcast, a podcast platform, and Fernish, a decor-focused business that was acquired.
Hiring elite engineers or proven revenue leaders in 2026?
Great teams still win, and finding them is harder than ever. That's why GeekWire teamed up with Prime Team Partners on GeekWork, a hiring initiative built to help companies connect with exceptional talent.
Prime Team Partners blends AI-powered recruiting with deep human expertise. GeekWire brings unmatched reach across the tech community. Together, we help employers cut through the noise and hire smarter, faster.
Learn more about GeekWork: Contact GeekWire co-founder John Cook at [email protected].
Click for more about underwritten and sponsored content on GeekWire.
Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman departs after leading Seattle real estate giant for 20 years
Tech Moves: Acumatica hires CPO; former Amazon manager named new mayor of Bellevue
Tech Moves: AWS VP switches roles; Seattle's new economic development head; Microsoft Teams exec departs
GeekWire Studios has partnered with AWS for the Guide to re:Invent. This interview series took place on the Expo floor at AWS re:Invent 2025, and features insightful conversations about the future of cloud tech, as well as partnership success stories.
Explore the series now.
Click for more about underwritten and sponsored content on GeekWire.
Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline
Have a scoop that you'd like GeekWire to cover? Let us know.
GitHub will join Microsoft's CoreAI division with departure of CEO Thomas Dohmke
Tech Moves: Syndio hires LinkedIn product vet; Microsoft chief scientist joins Shutterstock board
Tech Moves: Amazon AI leader joins Google Cloud; Meta taps new chief legal officer from Microsoft
Tech Moves: Read AI adds product VP; Microsoft legal chief steps down; Truveta co-founder departs; Marchex CEO is out
Catch every headline in your inbox
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Google
Government & Policy
Hardware
Instagram
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
On Tuesday, U.K.-based Iranian activist Nariman Gharib tweeted redacted screenshots of a phishing link sent to him via a WhatsApp message.
“Do not click on suspicious links,” Gharib warned. The activist, who is following the digital side of the Iranian protests from afar, said the campaign targeted people involved in Iran-related activities, such as himself.
This hacking campaign comes as Iran grapples with the longest nationwide internet shutdown in its history, as anti-government protests — and violent crackdowns — rage across the country. Given that Iran and its closest adversaries are highly active in the offensive cyberspace (read: hacking people), we wanted to learn more.
Gharib shared the full phishing link with TechCrunch soon after his post, allowing us to capture a copy of the source code of the phishing web page used in the attack. He also shared a write-up of his findings.
TechCrunch analyzed the source code of the phishing page, and with added input from security researchers, we believe the campaign aimed to steal Gmail and other online credentials, compromise WhatsApp accounts, and conduct surveillance by stealing location data, photos, and audio recordings.
It is unclear, however, if the hackers were government-linked agents, spies, or cybercriminals — or all three.
TechCrunch also identified a way to view a real-time copy of all the victims' responses saved on the attacker's server, which was left exposed and accessible without a password. This data revealed dozens of victims who had unwittingly entered their credentials into the phishing site and were subsequently likely hacked.
The list includes a Middle Eastern academic working in national security studies; the boss of an Israeli drone maker; a senior Lebanese cabinet minister; at least one journalist; and people in the United States or with U.S. phone numbers.
TechCrunch is publishing our findings after validating much of Gharib's report. The phishing site is now down.
According to Gharib, the WhatsApp message he received contained a suspicious link, which loaded a phishing site in the victim's browser.
The link shows that the attackers relied on a dynamic DNS provider called DuckDNS for their phishing campaign. Dynamic DNS providers allow people to connect easy-to-remember web addresses — in this case, a duckdns.org subdomain — to a server where its IP address might frequently change.
It's not clear whether the attackers shut down the phishing site of their own accord or were caught and cut off by DuckDNS. We reached out to DuckDNS with inquiries, but its owner Richard Harper requested that we send an abuse report instead.
From what we understand, the attackers used DuckDNS to mask the real location of the phishing page, presumably to make it look like a genuine WhatsApp link.
The phishing page was actually hosted at alex-fabow.online, a domain that was first registered in early November 2025. This domain has several other, related domains hosted on the same dedicated server, and these domain names follow a pattern that suggests the campaign also targeted other providers of virtual meeting rooms, like meet-safe.online and whats-login.online.
We're not sure what happens while the DuckDNS link loads in the victim's browser, or how the link determines which specific phishing page to load. It may be that the DuckDNS link redirects the target to a specific phishing page based on information it gleans from the user's device.
The phishing page would not load in our web browser, preventing us from directly interacting with it. Reading the source code of the page, however, allowed us to better understand how the attack worked.
Depending on the target, tapping on a phishing link would open a fake Gmail login page, or ask for their phone number, and begin an attack flow aimed at stealing their password and two-factor authentication code.
But the source code of the phishing page code had at least one flaw: TechCrunch found that by modifying the phishing page's URL in our web browser, we could view a file on the attacker's servers that was storing records of every victim who had entered their credentials.
The file contained over 850 records of information submitted by victims during the attack flow. These records detailed each part of the phishing flow that the victim was in. This included copies of the usernames and passwords that victims had entered on the phishing page, as well as incorrect entries and their two-factor codes, effectively serving as a keylogger.
The records also contained each victim's user agent, a string of text that identifies the operating system and browser versions used to view websites. This data shows that the campaign was designed to target Windows, macOS, iPhone, and Android users.
The exposed file allowed us to follow the attack flow step-by-step for each victim. In one case, the exposed file shows a victim clicking on a malicious link, which opened a page that looked like a Gmail sign-in window. The log shows the victim entering their email credentials several times until they enter the correct password.
The records show the same victim entering their two-factor authentication code sent to them by text message. We can tell this because Google sends two-factor codes in a specific format (usually G-xxxxxx, featuring a six-digit numerical code).
Beyond credential theft, this campaign also seemed to enable surveillance by tricking victims into sharing their location, audio, and pictures from their device.
In Gharib's case, tapping on the link in the phishing message opened a fake WhatsApp-themed page in his browser, which displayed a QR code. The lure aims to trick the target into scanning the code on their device, purportedly to access a virtual meeting room.
Gharib said the QR code was generated by the attacker, and scanning or tapping it would instantly link the victim's WhatsApp account to a device controlled by the attacker, granting them access to the victim's data. This is a long-known attack technique that abuses the WhatsApp device linking feature and has been similarly abused to target users of messaging app Signal.
We asked Granitt founder Runa Sandvik, a security researcher who works to help secure at-risk individuals, to examine a copy of the phishing page code and see how it functions.
Sandvik found that when the page loaded, the code would trigger a browser notification asking the user for permission to access their location (via navigator.geolocation), as well as photos and audio (navigator.getUserMedia).
If accepted, the browser would immediately send the person's coordinates to the attacker, capable of identifying the location of the victim. The page would then continue to share the victim's location data every few seconds, for as long as the page remained open.
The code also allowed the attackers to record bursts of audio and snap photos every three to five seconds using the device camera. However, we did not see any location data, audio, or images that had been collected on the server.
We do not know who is behind this campaign. What is clear is that the campaign was successful in stealing credentials from victims, and it is possible that the phishing campaign could resurface.
Despite knowing the identities of some of the people in this cluster of victims who were targeted, we don't have enough information to understand the nature of the campaign. The number of victims hacked by this campaign (that we know of) is fairly low — fewer than 50 individuals — and affects seemingly ordinary people across the Kurdish community, as well as academics, government officials, business leaders, and other senior figures across the broader Iranian diaspora and Middle East.
It may be that there are far more victims than we are aware of, which could help us understand who was targeted and potentially why.
It is unclear what motivated the hackers to steal people's credentials and hijack their WhatsApp accounts, which could also help identify who is behind this hacking campaign.
A government-backed group, for example, might want to steal the email password and two-factor codes of a high-value target, like a politician or journalist, so they can download private and confidential information.
That could make sense since Iran is currently almost entirely cut off from the outside world, and getting information in or out of the country presents a challenge. Both the Iranian government, or a foreign government with interests in Iran's affairs, could plausibly want to know who influential Iranian-linked individuals are communicating with, and what about.
As such, the timing of this phishing campaign and who it appears to be targeting could point to an espionage campaign aimed at trying to collect information about a narrow list of people.
We asked Gary Miller, a security researcher at Citizen Lab and mobile espionage expert, to also review the phishing code and some of the exposed data from the attacker's server.
Miller said the attack “certainly [had] the hallmarks of an IRGC-linked spearphishing campaign,” referring to highly targeted email hacks carried out by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a faction of Iran's military known for carrying out cyberattacks. Miller pointed to a mix of indications, including the international scope of victim targeting, credential theft, the abuse of popular messaging platforms like WhatsApp, and social engineering techniques used in the phishing link.
On the other hand, a financially motivated hacker could use the same stolen Gmail password and two-factor code of another high-value target, such as a company executive, to steal proprietary and sensitive business information from their inbox. The hacker could also forcibly reset passwords of their victim's cryptocurrency and bank accounts to empty their wallets.
The campaign's focus on accessing a victim's location and device media, however, is unusual for a financially motivated actor, who might have little use for pictures and audio recordings.
We asked Ian Campbell, a threat researcher at DomainTools, which helps analyze public internet records, to look at the domain names used in the campaign to help understand when they were first set up, and if these domains were connected to any other previously known or identified infrastructure.
Campbell found that while the campaign targeted victims in the midst of Iran's ongoing nationwide protests, its infrastructure had been set up weeks ago. He added that most of the domains connected to this campaign were registered in early November 2025, and one related domain was created months back in August 2025. Campbell described the domains as medium to high risk and said they appear to be linked to a cybercrime operation driven by financial motivations.
An additional wrinkle is that Iran's government has been known to outsource cyberattacks to criminal hacking groups, presumably to shield its involvement in hacking operations against its citizens. The U.S. Treasury has sanctioned Iranian companies in the past for acting as fronts for Iran's IRGC and conducting cyberattacks, such as launching targeted phishing and social engineering attacks.
As Miller notes, “This drives home the point that clicking on unsolicited WhatsApp links, no matter how convincing, is a high-risk, unsafe practice.”
To securely contact this reporter, you can reach out using Signal via the username: zackwhittaker.1337
Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai contributed reporting.
Topics
Security Editor
Zack Whittaker is the security editor at TechCrunch. He also authors the weekly cybersecurity newsletter, this week in security.
He can be reached via encrypted message at zackwhittaker.1337 on Signal. You can also contact him by email, or to verify outreach, at zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com.
Plan ahead for the 2026 StrictlyVC events. Hear straight-from-the-source candid insights in on-stage fireside sessions and meet the builders and backers shaping the industry. Join the waitlist to get first access to the lowest-priced tickets and important updates.
Mira Murati's startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems
Digg launches its new Reddit rival to the public
Anthropic's new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code
Google's Gemini to power Apple's AI features like Siri
Google co-founders may be leaving California
Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents
© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.
The past year has been traumatic for many of the volunteer tech warriors of what was once called the United States Digital Service (USDS). The team's former coders, designers, and UX experts have watched in horror as Donald Trump rebranded the service as DOGE, effectively forced out its staff, and employed a strike force of young and reckless engineers to dismantle government agencies under the guise of eliminating fraud. But one aspect of the Trump initiative triggered envy in tech reformers: the Trump administration's fearlessness in upending generations of cruft and inertia in government services. What if government leaders actually used that decisiveness and clout in service of the people instead of following the murky agendas of Donald Trump or DOGE maestro Elon Musk?
A small though influential team is proposing to answer that exact question, working on a solution they hope to deploy during the next Democratic administration. The initiative is called Tech Viaduct, and its goal is to create a complete plan to reboot how the US delivers services to citizens. The Viaduct cadre of experienced federal tech officials is in the process of cooking up specifics on how to remake the government, aiming to produce initial recommendations by the spring. By 2029, if a Democrat wins, it hopes to have its plan adopted by the White House.
Tech Viaduct's advisory panel includes former Obama chief of staff and Biden's secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough; Biden's deputy CTO Alexander Macgillivray; Marina Nitze, former CTO of the VA; and Hillary Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook. But most attention-grabbing is its senior adviser and spiritual leader, Mikey Dickerson, the crusty former Google engineer who was the first leader of USDS. His hands-on ethic and unfiltered distaste for bureaucracy embodied the spirit of Obama's tech surge. No one is more familiar with how government tech services fail American citizens than Dickerson. And no one is more disgusted with the various ways they have fallen short.
Dickerson himself unwittingly put the Viaduct project in motion last April. He was packing up the contents of his DC-area condo to move as far away as possible from the political scrum (to an abandoned sky observatory in a remote corner of Arizona) when McDonough suggested he meet with Mook. When the two got together, they bemoaned the DOGE initiative but agreed that the impulse to shred the dysfunctional system and start over was a good one. “The basic idea is that it's too hard to get things done,” says Dickerson. “They're not wrong about that.” He admits that Democrats had blown a big opportunity “For 10 years we've had tiny wins here and there but never terraformed the whole ecosystem,” Dickerson says. “What would that look like?”
Dickerson was surprised a few months later when Mook called him to say he found funding from Searchlight Institute, a liberal think tank devoted to novel policy initiatives, to get the idea off the ground. (A Searchlight spokesperson says that the think tank is budgeting $1 million for the project.) Dickerson, like Al Pacino in Godfather III, was pulled back in. Ironically, it was Trump's reckless-abandon approach to government that convinced him that change was possible. “When I was there, we were severely outgunned, 200 people running around trying to improve websites,” he says. “Trump has knocked over all the beehives—the beltway bandits, the contractor industrial complex, the union industrial complex.”
Tech Viaduct has two aims. The first is to produce a master plan to remake government services—establishing an unbiased procurement process, creating a merit-based hiring process, and assuring oversight to make sure things don't go awry. (Welcome back, inspector generals!) The idea is to design signature-ready executive orders and legislative drafts that will guide the recruiting strategy for a revitalized civil service. In the next few months, the group plans to devise and test a framework that could be executed immediately in 2029, without any momentum-killing consensus building. In Viaduct's vision that consensus will be achieved before the election. “Thinking up bright ideas is going to be the easy part,“ Dickerson says. “As hard as we're going to work in the next three to six months, we're going to have to spend another two to three years, through a primary season and through an election, advocating as if we were a lobbying group.”
The group's second aim is to roll back what it regards as the damage of the Trump administration. “There needs to be a task force to triage and figure out what has been done” by DOGE, Dickerson says. One challenge will be reversing the de-siloing of personal information that violated previous privacy standards. It's a lot easier to blow up a silo than to replace spilled grain. “That was DOGE's whole schtick from the very beginning. That's going to take years to figure out,” says Dickerson.
Writing a plan to roll back DOGE is tricky, because there are three years left for the current White House to muck things up—or perhaps course-correct to mitigate some of the missteps made in 2025. For instance, after trashing the existing USDS, the administration recently revived the initiative's idealistic original premise of recruiting Silicon Valley talent to revamp government operations, branding this new initiative as the US Tech Force “It's all copy-pasted from 2014—it's the same exact thing,” says Dickerson. “How dumb and unnecessary it was to fire everybody and then run a new flag up the pole and say, ‘Hey, everybody, come get hired.'”
Obviously, the diciest part of the project is its dependence on the election of a democrat to the presidency in 2028. (Dickerson says that it's also possible that the plan could be executed by “a McCain Republican,” but that animal appears to be extinct.)
Even if an amenable democrat does take the White House, Viaduct's work will be squandered if the new president doesn't go all in on the plan. “Getting the buy-in is the key to a successful plan,” says Jenny Wang, a former official under both Obama and Biden, who is now Tech Viaduct's project manager. “If there's no support, it doesn't matter.” Republicans are usually willing to walk through coals to achieve their aims, while Democrats tiptoe over eggshells. “Surrendering to a status quo that is not working right is a natural reaction, but it would be terrible for leadership to do that,” says one longtime government reformer familiar with the Viaduct plan.
Dickerson acknowledges Viaduct's effort might well be for naught. “I am not sure at all that there's going to be what we recognize as a fair election in 2029, and I'm even less sure that someone who's not crazy is going to win it. But if an opportunity comes to us as it did in 2020, let's be better prepared for it,” he says.
If the worst happens, Dickerson is prepared for that, too. “I'm half-retired in the middle of the Arizona desert, and if the US is going to continue to collapse into chaos, there's nothing I can do about it except be as far away from it as I can,” he says. In that case, a lot of his friends—and maybe a certain journalist—might show up on his doorstep, offering help to restore that abandoned sky observatory.
This is an edition of Steven Levy's Backchannel newsletter. Read previous newsletters here.
In your inbox: The week's biggest tech news in perspective
The dominance of the dollar is coming to an end
Big Story: Understanding Trump's retro coup in Venezuela
Billion-dollar data centers are taking over the world
Livestream AMA: Welcome to the Chinese century
© 2026 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Google
Government & Policy
Hardware
Instagram
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
YouTube is updating its advertiser-friendly content guidelines to allow more videos on controversial issues to earn full ad revenue, as long as they're dramatized or discussed in a non-graphic manner. These controversial topics include self-harm, abortion, suicide, and domestic and sexual abuse. YouTube notes that content on child abuse or eating disorders will remain ineligible for full monetization.
YouTube announced the change this week in a video on its Creator Insider channel.
“In the past, the degree of graphic or descriptive detail was not considered a significant factor in determining advertiser friendliness, even for some dramatized material,” YouTube explained. “Consequently, such uploads typically received a yellow dollar icon, which restricted their ability to be fully monetized. With this week's update, our guidelines are becoming more permissive, and creators will be able to earn more ad revenue.”
The Google-owned company says it's making the change in response to creator feedback that YouTube's guidelines were leading to limited ad revenue on dramatized and topical content. YouTube notes that it wants to ensure that creators who are telling sensitive stories or producing dramatized content have the opportunity to earn ad revenue.
“We took a closer look and found our guidelines in this area had become too restrictive and ended up demonetizing uploads like dramatized content,” YouTube said. “This content might reference topics that advertisers find controversial, but are ultimately comfortable running their ads against. For example, content may be in a fictional context or voiced from personal experiences in passing or in a non-graphic manner. So, as long as the content steers clear of very descriptive or graphic scenes or segments, creators can now earn more ad revenue.”
The move comes as YouTube has been easing up on how it polices content on its platform.
The company told moderators last year to leave up videos that may violate platform rules if they are considered to be in the public interest. The New York Times reported at the time that these videos included discussions of political, social, and cultural issues. The policy shift came at a time when social media platforms were rolling back online speech moderation after President Donald Trump returned to office.
YouTube notes that there are still some areas where ads will remain restricted, as topics like child abuse, including child sex trafficking and eating disorders, are not included in this update. Descriptive segments of those topics or dramatized content around them remain ineligible for ad revenue.
Topics
Consumer News Reporter
Aisha is a consumer news reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining the publication in 2021, she was a telecom reporter at MobileSyrup. Aisha holds an honours bachelor's degree from University of Toronto and a master's degree in journalism from Western University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Aisha by emailing aisha@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at aisha_malik.01 on Signal.
Plan ahead for the 2026 StrictlyVC events. Hear straight-from-the-source candid insights in on-stage fireside sessions and meet the builders and backers shaping the industry. Join the waitlist to get first access to the lowest-priced tickets and important updates.
Mira Murati's startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems
Digg launches its new Reddit rival to the public
Anthropic's new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code
Google's Gemini to power Apple's AI features like Siri
Google co-founders may be leaving California
Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents
© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.
A huge downturn
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
Even though Nvidia's AI GPUs and rack-scale solutions remain the most sought-after AI accelerators, curbs set on exports of Nvidia's AI processors to China, first by the White House and then by Beijing, are having a drastic effect on the company's presence in the People's Republic. As a result, the company's share in China could drop to just 8% in the coming years as domestic suppliers can satisfy around 80% of local demand, reports Nikkei, citing analysis from Bernstein.
"The new products meet the needs of domestic developers," said Zhang Jianzhong, chief executive of Moore Threads, at a news conference while announcing the codenamed Huashan product, the company's first GPU dedicated solely for the acceleration of AI workloads. "There will be no more need to wait for advanced products from overseas."
Analysts from Bernstein cited by Chinese media expect Nvidia's share of China's AI processor market to drop to around 8% this year from 66% in 2024 as Huawei, Cambricon, and other local independent hardware vendors (IHVs) together approaching 80%. The rise of Chinese hardware accelerators is a result of a combination of events, including restrictions set on Nvidia hardware, progress of hardware from companies like Huawei, Cambricon, Moore Threads, and MetaX, as well as substantial improvements in their software stacks.
Moore Threads' Huashan can compete against Nvidia's Hopper H100 and H200 products, the company's previous-generation AI accelerators that the U.S. recently allowed to export to China, but with some serious strings attached. However, they are considerably slower than Nvidia's existing Blackwell B200 and B300 GPUs, which are barred from export to the People's Republic. Meanwhile, Huawei's AI CloudMatrix 384 can beat both GB200 NVL72 and GB300 NVL72 systems in BF16 FLOPS, a popular format used for AI training, albeit with four times more power consumption. The company's next-generation Atlas 950 SuperCluster, based on 524,288 Ascend 950DT AI accelerators, is projected to offer up to 524 FP8 ExaFLOPS for AI training and up to 1 FP4 ZettaFLOPS for AI inference (MXFP4 to be more specific) sometimes in 2026 – 2027 and 4 ZettaFLOPS by the end of 2028. This is still behind leading Blackwell-based clusters, such as Oracle's OCI Supercluster running 131,072 B200 GPUs and offering peak performance of up to 2.4 FP4 ZettaFLOPS for inference, but it is evident that Chinese developers are rapidly increasing the performance of their AI hardware.
Given the progress, the remaining hurdle is completing the transition from an ecosystem long centered on Nvidia to a fully domestic hardware and software stack, which may not be that easy to achieve, as many existing AI deployments use Nvidia hardware and Nvidia CUDA software stack and porting them to Chinese hardware and software is hard and expensive.
Yet, transition to domestic AI hardware (and domestic hardware in general) is China's long-term national goal. A draft five-year plan reportedly circulated by the Communist Party in October calls for semiconductor self-reliance under a 'new national system' that directs state bodies, private companies, and financial institutions. At the heart of this effort are the so-called 'four little dragons' of Chinese GPUs: Moore Threads, MetaX, Biren Technology, and Suiyuan Technology (Enflame).
Large hyperscalers are also intensifying their custom silicon programs. Baidu's Kunlunxin unit plans to introduce five AI processors by 2030, and Alibaba is also not giving up on its own silicon efforts. Yet, to a large degree, China's AI industry is limited by SMIC's ability to produce chips on its 7nm-class process technologies in sizable quantities. If the company cannot increase its output substantially in the coming years, then either China's AI sector will fall behind America's dramatically, or it will find a way to obtain high-performance GPUs from Nvidia to keep up.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Anton Shilov is a contributing writer at Tom's Hardware. Over the past couple of decades, he has covered everything from CPUs and GPUs to supercomputers and from modern process technologies and latest fab tools to high-tech industry trends.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Google
Government & Policy
Hardware
Instagram
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
Italy has launched two investigations into Microsoft's Activision Blizzard, alleging the company has engaged in “misleading and aggressive” sales practices for its popular smartphone games Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile.
The country's competition regulator, Autorità Garante della Concorrenza E Del Mercato (AGCM), said the investigations focus on the use of design elements to induce users, particularly children, into playing for long periods, and make in-game purchases by urging them to not miss out on rewards.
“These practices, together with strategies that make it difficult for users to understand the real value of the virtual currency used in the game and the sale of in-game currency in bundles, may influence players as consumers — including minors — leading them to spend significant amounts, sometimes exceeding what is necessary to progress in the game and without being fully aware of the expenditure involved,” the AGCM wrote in a statement.
The AGCM said the games are advertised as free-to-play but offer in-game purchases.
That isn't particularly surprising, however, as, unlike full-priced games, free-to-play games have long relied on loot boxes and sales of in-game cosmetics for monetization. Diablo Immortal, for example, offers in-game cosmetics, as well as currency that allows players to accelerate their progression and gain items for crafting, for as much as $200.
Given the nature of the game, it's not unusual for many users to repeatedly spend on such items in the course of play.
Both Diablo Immortal and Call of Duty Mobile have player bases in the hundreds of thousands.
The authority is also looking into the games' parental control features, as the default settings lets minors make in-game purchases, play for long periods without restraints, and allow them to chat with others in-game. The AGCM also highlighted privacy concerns, as the games appear to lead users to select all consent options when signing up, and said it would look into the company's consent process for harvesting and using personal data.
“In the Authority's view, the company may be acting in breach of consumer protection rules and, in particular, the duty of professional diligence required in a sector that is particularly sensitive to the risks of gaming-related addiction,” the regulator said.
Activision Blizzard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Topics
Editor
Ram is a financial and tech reporter and editor. He covered North American and European M&A, equity, regulatory news and debt markets at Reuters and Acuris Global, and has also written about travel, tourism, entertainment and books.
You can contact or verify outreach from Ram by emailing ram.iyer@techcrunch.com.
Plan ahead for the 2026 StrictlyVC events. Hear straight-from-the-source candid insights in on-stage fireside sessions and meet the builders and backers shaping the industry. Join the waitlist to get first access to the lowest-priced tickets and important updates.
Mira Murati's startup, Thinking Machines Lab, is losing two of its co-founders to OpenAI
AI models are starting to crack high-level math problems
Digg launches its new Reddit rival to the public
Anthropic's new Cowork tool offers Claude Code without the code
Google's Gemini to power Apple's AI features like Siri
Google co-founders may be leaving California
Google announces a new protocol to facilitate commerce using AI agents
© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.
What happens here matters everywhere
by Taylor Soper on Jan 16, 2026 at 7:00 amJanuary 16, 2026 at 8:51 am
Claude Code has become one of the hottest AI tools in recent months — and software engineers in Seattle are taking notice.
More than 150 techies packed the house at a Claude Code meetup event in Seattle on Thursday evening, eager to trade use cases and share how they're using Anthropic's fast-growing technology.
Claude Code is a specialized AI tool that acts like a supercharged pair-programmer for software developers. Interest in Claude Code has surged alongside improvements to Anthropic's underlying models that let Claude handle longer, more complex workflows.
“The biggest thing is closing the feedback loop — it can take actions on its own and look at the results of those actions, and then take the next action,” explained Carly Rector, a product engineer at Pioneer Square Labs, the Seattle startup studio that organized Thursday's event at Thinkspace.
Software development has emerged as the first profession to be thoroughly reshaped by large language models, as AI systems move beyond answering questions to actively doing the work. Last summer GeekWire reported on a similar event in Seattle focused on Cursor, another AI coding tool that developers described as a major productivity booster.
Claude Code is “one of a new generation of AI coding tools that represent a sudden capability leap in AI in the past month or so,” wrote Ethan Mollick, a Wharton professor and AI researcher, in a Jan. 7 blog post.
Mollick notes that these tools are better at self-correcting their own errors and now have “agentic harness” that helps them work around long-standing AI limitations, including context-window constraints that affect how much information models can remember.
On stage at Thursday's event, Rector demoed an app that automatically fixed front-end bugs by having Claude Code control a browser. Johnny Leung, a software engineer at Stripe, said Claude Code has changed how he thinks about being a developer. “It's kind of evolving the mentality from just writing code to becoming like an architect, almost like a product manager,” he said on stage during his demo.
R. Conner Howell, a software engineer in Seattle, showed how Claude Code can act as a personal cycling coach, querying performance data from databases and generating custom training plans — an example of the tool's impact extending beyond traditional software development.
Earlier this week Anthropic — which is reportedly raising another $10 billion at a $350 billion valuation — released Claude Cowork, essentially Claude Code's non-developer cousin that is built for everyday knowledge work instead of just programming.
AI coding tools are energizing longtime software developers like Damon Cortesi, who co-founded Seattle startup Simply Measured in 2010 and is now an engineer at Airbnb. He said Thursday's event was the first tech meetup he's attended in more than five years.
“There's no limit to what I can think about and put out there and actually make real,” he said.
In a post titled “How Claude Reset the AI Race,” New York Magazine columnist John Herrman noted the growing concern around coding automation and job displacement. “If you work in software development, the future feels incredibly uncertain,” he wrote.
Anthropic, which opened an office in Seattle in 2024, said it used Claude Code to build Claude Cowork itself. However, analysts at William Blair issued a report this week expressing skepticism that other businesses will simply start building their own software with these new AI tools.
“Vibe coding and AI code generation certainly make it easier to build software, but the technical barriers to coding have not been the drivers of software moats for some time,” they wrote. “For the most successful and scaled software companies, determining what to build next and how it should function within a broader system is fundamentally more important and more challenging than the technical act of building and coding it.”
For now, Claude Code is being rapidly adopted. The tool reached a $1 billion run rate six months after launch in May. OpenAI's Codex and Google's Antigravity offer similar capabilities.
“We're excited to see all the cool things you do with Claude Code,” Caleb John, a Seattle entrepreneur working at Pioneer Square Labs, told the crowd. “It's really a new era of software development.”
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the report cited was from William Blair.
University of Washington scientists and students are using AI to create real medicines.
Better treatments for cancer, autoimmune diseases, viruses and more are now on the horizon thanks to groundbreaking work with artificial intelligence from a team of scientists at the University of Washington's Institute for Protein Design. Led by Nobel Prize winner David Baker, this team of Huskies uses AI tools to create proteins — biology's building blocks — that lay the foundation for new medicines. Together, this international group of students, faculty and researchers acts as a “communal brain,” with each Husky contributing ideas and expertise from their fields. The institute's recent breakthroughs — including an antivenom for snakebites, and antibiotics that combat drug-resistant bacteria — show how this innovative science can save and change lives.
Read more.
Click for more about underwritten and sponsored content on GeekWire.
Microsoft responds to AI data center revolt, vowing to cover full power costs and reject local tax breaks
5 new proposals to regulate AI in Washington state, from classrooms to digital companions
Ai2 CEO Ali Farhadi named to ‘AI Power List,' with a nod to institute's open-source focus
GeekWire Studios has partnered with AWS for the Guide to re:Invent. This interview series took place on the Expo floor at AWS re:Invent 2025, and features insightful conversations about the future of cloud tech, as well as partnership success stories.
Explore the series now.
Click for more about underwritten and sponsored content on GeekWire.
Subscribe to GeekWire's free newsletters to catch every headline
Have a scoop that you'd like GeekWire to cover? Let us know.
How is AI helping you at work? We asked Seattle founders and investors about their favorite tools
Finding value from AI: These tools boost coding, writing, video editing, researching, travel planning
Survey: Two-thirds of AI-native startups let AI write most of their code
‘Massive productivity booster': Seattle developers on how Cursor is changing the way they code
Catch every headline in your inbox
Latest
AI
Amazon
Apps
Biotech & Health
Climate
Cloud Computing
Commerce
Crypto
Enterprise
EVs
Fintech
Fundraising
Gadgets
Gaming
Google
Government & Policy
Hardware
Instagram
Layoffs
Media & Entertainment
Meta
Microsoft
Privacy
Robotics
Security
Social
Space
Startups
TikTok
Transportation
Venture
Staff
Events
Startup Battlefield
StrictlyVC
Newsletters
Podcasts
Videos
Partner Content
TechCrunch Brand Studio
Crunchboard
Contact Us
It took Rebecca Yu seven days to vibe code her dining app. She was tired of the decision fatigue that comes from people in a group chat not being able to decide where to eat.
Armed with determination, Claude, and ChatGPT, Yu decided to just build a dining app from scratch — one that would recommend restaurants to her and her friends based on their shared interests.
“Once vibe-coding apps emerged, I started hearing about people with no tech backgrounds successfully building their own apps,” she told TechCrunch. “When I had a week off before school started, I decided it was the perfect time to finally build my application.”
So, she created the web app Where2Eat to help her and her friends find a place to eat.
Yu is part of the growing trend of people who, due to rapid advancements in AI technology, can easily build their own apps for personal use. Most are coding web applications, though they are also increasingly vibe coding mobile apps intended to run only on their own personal phones and devices. Some who are already registered as Apple developers are leaving their personal apps in beta on TestFlight.
It is a new era of app creation that is sometimes called micro apps, personal apps, or fleeting apps because they are intended to be used only by the creator (or the creator plus a select few other people) and only for as long as the creator wants to keep the app. They are not intended for wide distribution or sale.
For example, founder Jordi Amat told TechCrunch that he built a fleeting web gaming app for his family to play over the holidays and simply shut it down once the vacation was over.
Then there's Shamillah Bankiya, a partner at Dawn Capital, who is building a podcast translation web app for personal use. Interestingly enough, Darrell Etherington, a former TechCrunch writer, now a vice president at SBS Comms, is also building his own personal podcast translation app. “A lot of people I know are using Claude Code, Replit, Bolt, and Lovable to build apps for specific use cases,” he said.
One artist told TechCrunch that he built a “vice tracker” for himself to see how many hookahs and drinks he was consuming each weekend.
Even professional developers are vibe coding personal apps. Software engineer James Waugh told TechCrunch he built a web app planning tool to help with his cooking hobby.
Because tools ranging from Claude Code to Lovable typically don't require robust coding knowledge just to get to a functional app, we are witnessing the early rise of micro apps. These are apps that are extremely context-specific, address niche needs, and then “disappear when the need is no longer present,” Legand L. Burge III, a professor of computer science at Howard University, said.
“It's similar to how trends on social media appear and then fade away,” Burge III continued. “But now, [it's] software itself.”
Yu said she now has six more ideas she wants to code. “It's really exciting to be alive right now,” she said.
In some ways, it was always easy for someone without much coding experience to create web apps via no-code platforms like Bubble and Adalo, which launched before LLMs became popular. What's new is the rising ability to create personal, temporary apps for mobile devices, too. Also new: the growing realization that anyone can code just by describing, in regular language, the app they want.
Mobile micro apps still aren't as easy as their web counterparts. This is because the standard way to load an app on an iPhone is to download it from the App Store, which requires a paid Apple Developer account. But increasingly mobile vibe-coding startups like Anything (which raised $11 million, led by Footwork) and VibeCode (which raised a $9.4 million seed round from Seven Seven Six last year) have emerged to help people build mobile apps.
Christina Melas-Kyriazi, a partner at Bain Capital Ventures, compared this era of app building to social media and Shopify, “where all of a sudden it was really easy to create content or to create a store online, and then we saw an explosion of small sellers.” she said.
Still, micro apps also have issues. Building and sharing the code with other people can become somewhat expensive given the subscriptions required, especially if all the costs are associated with just one app. Building an app also remains tedious for some. Yu, for example, said her dining app wasn't hard to create; it was just very time-consuming. She had to lean on ChatGPT and Claude to help her understand some coding decisions. “Once I learned how to prompt and solve issues efficiently, building became much easier,” she said.
Then there are quality issues. Such personal apps may have bugs or critical security flaws — they can't just be sold as-is to the masses.
But there is still significant potential in an era of personal app building, especially as AI and model reasoning, quality, and security become more sophisticated over time.
The software engineer, Waugh, said he once built an app for a friend who had heart palpitations. He built her a logger that let her record when she was having heart issues so she could more easily show her doctor. “Great example of a one-off personal software that helps you keep track of something important,” he told TechCrunch.
Another founder, Nick Simpson, told TechCrunch he was so bad at paying parking tickets — the consequence of San Francisco's tough parking availability — that he decided to build an app that would automatically pay them after scanning the ticket. As a registered Apple developer, his app is in beta on TestFlight, but he said a bunch of his friends now want it, too.
Nevertheless, Burge III believes that these types of apps can open “exhilarating opportunities” for businesses and creators to create “hyper-personalized situational experiences.”
Etherington added to that, saying he believes a day is dawning when people stop subscribing to apps that have monthly fees. Instead, they will just build their own apps for personal use.
Melas-Kyriazi, meanwhile, expects to see the use of personal, fleeting apps the same way spreadsheets like Google Sheets or Excel were once used.
“It's really going to fill the gap between the spreadsheet and a full-fledged product,” she said.
One media strategist, Hollie Krause, said she didn't like the apps her doctor kept recommending, so she built one herself that can help her track her allergies.
She had no technical experience and finished the web app in the same time it took her husband to go to dinner and back. Now, she said, they have two web apps, both built with Claude: one for allergies and sensitivities, and the other to keep tabs on chores around the house.
“I was like ‘wow I hate Excel but I'd love to make an app for our household,” Krause told TechCrunch. “So, I spun it up and hosted it on Tiiny.host and popped it on our cellphones.”
She thinks vibe coding will bring “a lot of innovation and problem solving for communities that wouldn't have access otherwise,” and hopes to beta-test her allergy health app so she can one day release it to others.
“The app will be to help others who struggle to navigate life for themselves, and for caregivers to also be able to have access,” she said. “I truly think that vibe coding means I can help people.”
Topics
Senior Reporter, Venture
Dominic-Madori Davis is a senior venture capital and startup reporter at TechCrunch. She is based in New York City.
You can contact or verify outreach from Dominic by emailing dominic.davis@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at +1 646 831-7565 on Signal.
© 2025 TechCrunch Media LLC.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
The Pure Power 13 M 650W distinguishes itself with Platinum-level efficiency despite Gold certification, exceptional voltage regulation, and outstanding ripple suppression. The semi-passive cooling and FSP's mature platform deliver excellent thermal management and acoustics under most operating conditions. Elite capacitors raise minor concerns about longevity, though the 10-year warranty provides reassurance. The price sits high for Gold certification but represents solid value when compared against Platinum-tier competitors.
Platinum-level efficiency (certified)
Outstanding ripple suppression
Semi-passive cooling mode
ATX 3.1 compliant
Excellent voltage regulation
Comprehensive 10-year warranty
Mediocre capacitors
Longer than necessary
Premium pricing
Rated at 40C
Why you can trust Tom's Hardware
Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Be quiet! maintains its reputation for engineering products that prioritize acoustic performance without compromising functionality. The German manufacturer's portfolio spans power supplies, cases, and thermal solutions, all designed with noise reduction as a fundamental principle. This focus has cultivated a loyal following among enthusiasts who refuse to accept unnecessary system noise as inevitable.
The Pure Power 13 M 650W represents Be quiet!'s latest effort to balance performance, efficiency, and value in the mid-range segment. This unit targets builders constructing systems where reliable power delivery and quiet operation matter more than bleeding-edge specifications. The ATX 3.1 compliance ensures compatibility with current and upcoming hardware, particularly graphics cards utilizing the 12V-2x6 connector standard. This 650W model provides adequate capacity for mainstream gaming configurations while maintaining headroom for transient load spikes, making it one of the best power supplies on the market.
RAIL
+3.3V
+5V
+12V
+5Vsb
-12V
MAX OUTPUT
20A
20A
54.1A
3A
0A
120W
120W
650W
15W
3.6W
TOTAL
650W
AC INPUT
100 - 240 VAC, 50 - 60 Hz
MSRP
$99
The Pure Power 13 M 650W arrives in sturdy cardboard packaging with an all-black aesthetic. A picture of the unit dominates the front panel, while specifications occupy the rear. Internal protection consists of a nylon pouch and basic paper inserts that secure the PSU during shipping. This packaging approach prioritizes function over presentation.
The bundle includes only essential items. Mounting screws and an AC power cable constitute the entirety of included accessories. A few cable ties assist with management. A basic printed manual provides necessary installation guidance without excessive documentation.
The fully modular cable configuration allows complete customization of connected cables, including the 24-pin ATX connector. All cables feature uniform black coloring across connectors and wires. Most cables utilize flat ribbon-style construction for simplified routing, though the 24-pin ATX and 12V-2x6 cables feature black nylon sleeving. The 12V-2x6 connector carries a 450W rating, appropriate for the unit's capacity. An unusual CPU power configuration provides one 4+4 pin EPS connector alongside a single 4-pin EPS connector, creating an asymmetric arrangement rarely seen in modern designs.
Connector type
Hardwired
Modular
ATX 24 Pin
-
1
EPS 4+4 Pin
-
1
EPS 8 Pin
-
1
PCI-E 5.0
-
1
PCI-E 8 Pin
-
2
SATA
-
5
Molex
-
2
Floppy
-
-
The chassis measures 86 mm × 150 mm × 160 mm (H × W × D), exceeding standard ATX dimensions quite a bit. This 160mm depth represents a compromise. Given the 120mm fan and 650W output, a more compact design could have been achievable with a slightly different internal layout, but Be Quiet! is primarily focused on optimal heat dissipation and would not let 20 mm's of extra length get in the way
The external finish employs satin black chassis paint, applied with precision. Be Quiet!'s embossed logo appears on the right side panel, providing subtle branding without visual clutter. A removable parallel wire fan guard sits above the intake, with a white decorative ring beneath creating modest visual interest. The left side contains the standard electrical specifications sticker. The top panel remains completely unadorned.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
The rear panel houses the standard on/off switch adjacent to the AC receptacle. The front accommodates modular cable connectors with subtle white legends printed alongside each position. Notably, Be Quiet! clearly marks the 12V-2x6 connector's 450W limitation, preventing confusion about power delivery capabilities. With a total sustained output of just 650W, this unit is definitely not designed to power a top-tier graphics card.
The cooling solution employs a Be Quiet! QF2-12025-MS 120mm fan featuring a rifle bearing engine. While rifle bearings represent an advancement over basic sleeve designs through enhanced lubrication and structural improvements, they typically exhibit shorter operational lifespans compared to fluid dynamic bearing or ball bearing alternatives. The 10-year warranty mitigates concerns about premature failure.
The platform employs established but modern topologies, emphasizing on reliability and cost effectiveness. Input filtering incorporates four Y capacitors, two X capacitors, and two filtering inductors at the AC receptacle entry point. Two rectifying bridges occupy a dedicated heatsink immediately following the filtration stage, providing adequate thermal management for the rectification components.
The APFC circuitry features two Toshiba TK20A60W MOSFETs and one diode on a substantial heatsink spanning the PCB edge. One filtering inductor and two Elite capacitors (330 μF and 270 μF) complete the APFC components. These Elite capacitors represent the first indicator of cost optimization in component selection.
The primary stage utilizes a half-bridge LLC resonant converter topology with two STM 24N60DM2 MOSFETs mounted on the same heatsink as the APFC components. This configuration has become standard in modern mid-range units, offering good efficiency characteristics. The heatsink dimensions provide ample thermal dissipation area, contributing to strong thermal performance.
Four MOSFETs generate the 12V rail through synchronous rectification, with small PCB-mounted heatsinks providing cooling. DC-to-DC conversion circuits on an additional daughterboard produce the 3.3V and 5V rails.
Secondary side capacitors consist primarily of Elite units, with just one Rubycon capacitor present. Elite typically appears in lower-tier products, rarely in units carrying extensive warranties. This component choice contrasts with the otherwise premium design and raises questions about long-term reliability despite the company's confidence indicated by the warranty period.
For the testing of PSUs, we are using high precision electronic loads with a maximum power draw of 2700 Watts, a Rigol DS5042M 40 MHz oscilloscope, an Extech 380803 power analyzer, two high precision UNI-T UT-325 digital thermometers, an Extech HD600 SPL meter, a self-designed hotbox and various other bits and parts.
The Pure Power 13 M 650W achieves remarkable electrical conversion efficiency despite the Gold certification badges on its box. With 115 VAC input, the unit demonstrates 91.2% average efficiency across the nominal load range (20% to 100% capacity). This figure increases to 93.3% with 230 VAC input. Peak efficiency occurs near 50% load, reaching approximately 94% with 230 VAC input. These figures comfortably exceed 80Plus Platinum requirements and approach Titanium-level performance, making the Gold certification a curious understatement. It actually does have a Platinum certification from both Cybenetics and CLEAResult. Be Quiet! likely chose conservative marketing to position this unit below their Straight Power series, avoiding internal product cannibalization.
The semi-passive cooling mode keeps the fan stationary until load exceeds approximately 200W. Once operational, the fan maintains extremely low speeds across most of the load range. This design choice prioritizes acoustic performance during typical operating conditions. Beyond 600W, fan speed increases very sharply but not to its top speed. Internal temperatures remain remarkably low throughout testing.
Elevated ambient temperature testing reveals measurable but passable efficiency degradation. Even though the unit is technically rated for operation up to 40°C, it effortlessly delivers its full output while maintaining commendable performance levels. The efficiency drops by about 1% evenly across the load range, without any signs of significant thermal stress. This thermal headroom demonstrates robust component selection and effective heatsink design.
The semi-passive mode activates more readily under elevated temperatures, with the fan engaging right after the load exceeds 100W. Despite earlier activation, fan speed remains subdued until load reaches approximately 90% of capacity. At this threshold, the thermal control circuit prioritizes reliability over acoustics, commanding maximum fan speed. This transition is very aggressive, suggesting that the unit it programmed to prioritize component protection over consistent acoustic performance when stressed. The internal temperatures remain relatively low even at maximum output, well below the point where over-temperature protection would engage.
The electrical performance demonstrates competitive characteristics within its segment. Voltage regulation maintains tight tolerances, with the 12V rail exhibiting approximately 1% variance. The 3.3V and 5V rails demonstrate even tighter regulation at 1.5% and 1.6% respectively. This precision is rather typical performance for Gold-certified units but not bad compared to more premium Platinum-certified products either. Ripple suppression achieves outstanding results. The 12V rail exhibits maximum ripple of 30 mV, while the 5V and 3.3V rails measure 20 mV maximum. These figures are way below the ATX specification limits, demonstrating exceptional filtering capabilities.
During our routine evaluation, we examine the fundamental protection features of all power supply units we review, including Over Current Protection (OCP), Over Voltage Protection (OVP), Over Power Protection (OPP), and Short Circuit Protection (SCP). The 3.3V and 5V rails trigger OCP at 146% and 142% of maximum current respectively – a bit high but not unnaturally so for a modern PSU. The 12V rail OCP activates at 120%, a bit sharp for an ATX 3.1 unit. The OPP permits sustained operation up to 128% of nominal capacity before shutdown, offering substantial headroom for transient loads.
Load (Watts)
131.81 W
328.11 W
489.73 W
651.31 W
Load (Percent)
20.28%
50.48%
75.34%
100.2%
Amperes
Volts
Amperes
Volts
Amperes
Volts
Amperes
Volts
3.3 V
1.78
3.44
4.44
3.43
6.66
3.41
8.88
3.39
5 V
1.78
5.12
4.44
5.09
6.66
5.06
8.88
5.05
12 V
9.61
12.13
24.01
12.09
36.02
12.03
48.03
12
Line
Regulation (20% to 100% load)
Voltage Ripple (mV)
20% Load
50% Load
75% Load
100% Load
CL1 12V
CL2 3.3V + 5V
3.3V
1.6%
18
12
16
20
16
18
5V
1.5%
16
14
16
20
18
18
12V
1%
24
16
26
30
28
22
The Pure Power 13 M 650W occupies an interesting position in the power supply market. FSP's platform delivers very solid performance through mature design choices rather than innovative approaches. This conservative strategy ensures reliability while potentially limiting competitive differentiation beyond the core specifications.
The construction quality meets expectations for a unit carrying a 10-year warranty from an experienced OEM. FSP's in-house manufacturing and quality control processes provide consistency that contract manufacturing arrangements often struggle to match. The electrical characteristics consistently exceed its Gold-level markings substantially, with efficiency and power quality reaching Platinum-tier performance. The ripple suppression achieves exemplary results, delivering cleaner power than many higher-certified competitors.
The component selection presents the primary concern. While active components utilize quality silicon from reputable manufacturers, the reliance on Elite capacitors for bulk filtering raises questions about long-term stability. Elite is an established manufacturer and has been around for decades but we rarely see their products in top-tier products. The company's willingness to back this design with a decade warranty suggests confidence in the platform's longevity despite the unconventional capacitor choice.
Thermal and acoustic performance delivers great results, with a hint of. The semi-passive mode provides excellent silence during light loads, aligning with Be Quiet!'s brand philosophy. However, the aggressive thermal management above 90% load creates noticeable noise as the control circuit prioritizes component protection. This design choice favors reliability over consistent acoustic refinement, a reasonable engineering decision that nevertheless creates a slight contradiction with the company's quiet-focused branding.
The pricing represents the most significant consideration. At approximately $100 retail, this Gold-certified unit commands a premium compared to competitors with identical certification. However, when evaluated against Platinum-certified alternatives with similar specifications, the value proposition becomes more compelling. The 10-year warranty, ATX 3.1 compliance, and genuine Platinum-level efficiency provide tangible benefits that justify the price premium for users prioritizing long-term reliability over initial cost savings.
The Pure Power 13 M 650W targets a specific audience. Budget-focused builders seeking minimum cost for adequate Gold certification will find better value elsewhere. Conversely, enthusiasts and professionals valuing balanced performance, comprehensive compatibility, and warranty-backed reliability will appreciate the investment. The ATX 3.1 compliance ensures compatibility with current and future mainstream graphics cards, providing partial protection against obsolescence. The only setback is the high retail price but, considering this should be compared to Platinum-level products when reaching the shopping cart, the Pure Power 13 M 650W is a great investment for those seeking a premium unit at this power range.
MORE: Best Power Supplies
MORE: How We Test Power Supplies
MORE: All Power Supply Content
Dr. E. Fylladitakis has been passionate about PCs since the 8088 era, beginning his PC gaming journey with classics like Metal Mutant and Battle Chess. Not long after, he built his first PC, a 486, and has been an enthusiast ever since. In the early 2000's, he delved deeply into overclocking Duron and Pentium 4 processors, liquid cooling, and phase-change cooling technologies. While he has an extensive and broad engineering education, Dr. Fylladitakis specializes in electrical and energy engineering, with numerous articles published in scientific journals, some contributing to novel cooling technologies and power electronics. He has been a hardware reviewer at AnandTech for nearly a decade. Outside of his professional pursuits, he enjoys immersing himself in a good philosophy book and unwinding through PC games.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
A smart plug is a pretty handy gadget, but for a while they were touted as a device you could add to anything to turn it smart. That's true to a certain degree; you can use a smart plug to add instant power control to any outlet, letting you turn the outlet on and off at your command from anywhere in your home (or even if you aren't there). The TV can now turn off on command, the lights will automatically flip on at 5 pm, and a simple coffee maker or appliance can essentially run itself if all it needs is power.
If you're looking to control something simple that really only needs power sent to it for the full experience, then we've found some of the best smart plugs to do that for you. TP-Link's smart plugs have been my favorite for years, and the TP-Link Tapo Matter-Certified Smart Plug Mini (P125M) ($19, 3-pack) lets you skip getting an app and use Matter to directly connect it to your home hub of choice. Smart plugs are also great for outdoor use, and the Cync Outdoor Smart Plug ($19) is made for the outdoors and has two plugs built into it.
Uncertain if a smart plug can solve your dumb device problems? Read on for all of our tips on what smart plugs are really for, how to best use them, and how to tell if they're a fit for your device. While you're at it, be sure to check out our other smart-home buying guides, including Best Smart Bulbs, Best Security Cameras, Best Smart Speakers, and Best Smart Displays.
Smart plugs get plugged into an outlet socket, and then you plug your device of choice (a lamp, a coffee maker, et cetera) into the plug to allow you control over the power flow. The smart plug can connect to Wi-Fi and an app, along with your smart speaker if you have one, to let you control it with automated schedules, the dedicated app, or your voice.
Controlling the power flow to a device can let you switch on lamps around your house at a certain time or turn them off without leaving your bed. It can also let you turn on simple coffee machines or turn off the TV for you. But for many devices, sending power back to the device doesn't necessarily turn it back on.
A smart plug is a great fit for a device that has a simple on-and-off switch you can leave on, and let the smart plug take over the on-and-off part. The best example is a lamp with a manual switch, and it's my most frequent use of a smart plug around my house. I also really like outdoor-specific smart plugs for “dumb” outdoor lights and decorations (like my Santa Claus inflatable that hangs off my balcony), though I've now switched to permanent outdoor lights that have controls akin to a smart bulb.
Smart plugs also have scheduling abilities in the app, so you can set the smart plug to turn your lights on and off at certain times to appear home, or have all the lights and TV turn off automatically at 11 pm to force yourself to go to bed. (I do this, but I just tell Alexa to turn it back on. Maybe one day I'll go to bed on time.)
I've used my smart plugs with a TV to turn it off, but sending power back to it doesn't actually turn it back on, so it wasn't as useful to me at the time. Now, with a 3-year-old, that could be a handy way to claim that the TV is broken so that I don't have to watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for the umpteenth time.
Smart plugs aren't a great fit for devices that require you to push buttons or select a mode for it to work after the power is already sent to it. My electric tea kettle won't heat up until I choose how hot it should become, for example, so I can't use a smart plug to start my morning routine, as some people recommend. Many coffee machines work the same way. As mentioned above, the TV is another example that won't turn on when power is restored; I would still need to find the remote to turn it on and choose what I want to watch.
We've tested many smart plugs over the years. These are our favorites.
TP-Link
Amazon (3-Pack)
Best Buy (3-Pack)
The Tapo Smart Wi-Fi Plug Mini (TP15) has everything I'm looking for in a smart plug: a small form factor that doesn't block other outlets, Matter compatibility, and easy setup. The Matter aspect means you can skip getting the TP-Link app and set it up directly with home hubs like Google, Alexa, and Apple.
Works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Matter
Cync
Home Depot
If you need a smart plug made to withstand the elements, we like this one from Cync. I used it for controlling my outdoor Christmas decorations that aren't already smart (it's permanently attached to my inflatable Santa), while my smart string lights are plugged in next to it. It's two outlets hanging off a cord, so it's easy to plug into recessed outdoor outlets.
Works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Meross
Amazon (4 Pack)
Walmart (2 Pack)
If you want a smart plug you're certain will play well with Siri and Apple Home, Meross' plugs are my go-to. The MSS110 smart plug costs more than our other picks, but it's designed with Apple HomeKit in mind while also being compatible with Google and Alexa. It behaves like everything else–you're just paying extra for those HomeKit powers, and you will need an Apple HomePod, HomePod Mini, or Apple TV to act as your smart home hub.
Works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Samsung SmartThings
TP-Link
Amazon
TP-Link's Kasa line of mini smart plugs is a favorite at WIRED. They perform the same as the larger plugs but in a compact body that's easier to stack with others. If you use just one, it won't obstruct the second outlet at all. The app is pretty simple to navigate; there are scenes, timers, and schedules you can program to your liking. WIRED editor Julian Chokkattu has also been using the larger version of these plugs, the HS103 ($14), for years on his lamps, Christmas lights, and fans with no issues. There's also the EP25 ($23) version of that offers energy monitoring.
Works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
There are many smart plugs with similar features and designs, so choosing one might come down to price and brand preference. Here are some others we like.
Alexa Smart Plug for $25: Look, any Matter-compatible plug (like the one we recommend above) is just as easy to add to your Alexa as Amazon's own Smart Plug. But if you aren't interested in mixing ecosystems and want to guarantee you'll never, ever need another app (which Matter plugs also guarantee!), this smart plug is fine.
Cync Smart Plug for $15: We haven't tried this particular version, but we did use an older one when the brand was still C by GE, and we liked it. The new app is super simple to use and controls all your products. It works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Eve Energy Strip for $75: Eve's sleek black-and-silver casing will fit right in with your Apple aesthetic, and it also works with HomeKit. But it's very expensive and has only three outlets, despite its size.
Hubspace Defiant Smart Indoor Plug for $10: This is made by Home Depot's smart home ecosystem, and it works fine, besides needing a little more effort to plug something into it. It also works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
Roku Indoor Smart Plug SE for $9: Roku's smart-home ecosystem is made by Wyze, so it's the same product with some extra compatibility. Roku's version works with Roku Voice, so if you have a Roku Voice Remote you use with a Roku player (can I say Roku six more times?), you can use that to command your smart plug.
Wyze Smart Plug for $29 (2-pack): This used to be my budget pick, but now that it's $15 a plug (in a two-pack for $30 total), it's been moved down to an honorable mention. It's still a great, reliable plug that works with Amazon and Google, if you're a fan of Wyze.
Can You Control Smart Plugs Away From Home?
Yes, smart plugs connect to Wi-Fi to allow you to switch them on and off away from home, so long as they're successfully connected to Wi-Fi and a hub, if necessary.
What Should You Not Plug Into a Smart Plug?
Don't plug in anything that will still need to be turned on after power is established to the device. I also don't recommend plugging in major appliances or putting it behind something so heavy that you won't be able to reach it if you needed to reset it or wanted to remove it.
Are Smart Plugs or Smart Bulbs Better for Making a Lamp Smarter?
Personally, I prefer smart bulbs (see our guide to those here) since you'll get many more options, including control over the lamp's color and brightness, and can even sync some bulbs to music. Plugs are a better option if you have a lamp that won't work with standard light bulbs or if you just want simple on-and-off controls.
How Does WIRED Test Smart Plugs?
Smart plugs aren't a super-complicated item, but they should integrate easily and quickly with your existing smart home ecosystem. My main test is always to determine how easy a plug is to set up and use in my everyday life, so I can tell you if it would be easy to use in yours.
I test smart plugs by setting them up with both the associated app and via the smart home interoperability standard Matter, if available, to compare ease of setup. After setup is complete, I plug a lamp into the smart plug—usually a table lamp near my desk or a floor lamp in the living room. I also keep an eye out for whether it takes too much manual effort to plug something into the smart plug, if it isn't secure when plugged in, or if it blocks other outlets. Then I connect the smart plug with different voice assistants to check compatibility and response time, and use the plug in my everyday routines for about a week.
Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that's too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
Exclusive 10% Off Squarespace Promo Code
Buy an eligible French Door Refrigerator and get a free Single Door Refrigerator (up to $515 value)!
10% off Dell Coupon Code for New Customers
Samsung Promo Code: 10% off TVs
10% off Canon promo code with upgrade
$25 off $25+ DoorDash Promo Code for New Customers
© 2026 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. WIRED may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices
OpenAI is investing as it sees BCIs as ‘an important new frontier' that will deliver seamless AI interactions. It is focused on non-invasive AI-accelerated tech.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
OpenAI has signaled its intentions to become a major player in brain computer interfaces (BCIs). The scale of the firm's first round of investment in Merge Labs, as it emerges from stealth mode, places it among the most heavily funded BCI efforts in the U.S., second only to Neuralink. That's because Merge Labs, co-founded by Altman, will be going forward with $252 million in its tech advancement war chest, reports Bloomberg. However, it admits there's a long road ahead.
OpenAI wasn't the only contributor in this investment round, but it was the biggest. Another notable investor was Gabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, which owns the gaming storefront Steam. Newell's hat is already in this ring with his own brain tech company, Starfish Neuroscience.
OpenAI's interest in Merge Labs BCIs could result in further public sparring matches between two of the biggest personalities in tech. Altman's Merge Labs will be making ripples in Musk's Neuralink pond. However, their approaches to BCIs, as we currently understand them, are quite different. These differences will likely be pivotal to their relative successes.
The limited amount of Merge Labs' currently public materials confirms that the fledgling BCI outfit will be developing fundamentally new approaches to this technology. “We believe this requires increasing the bandwidth and brain coverage of BCIs by several orders of magnitude while making them much less invasive,” explains a blog penned by the freshly uncloaked firm. “To make this happen, we're developing entirely new technologies that connect with neurons using molecules instead of electrodes, transmit and receive information using deep-reaching modalities like ultrasound, and avoid implants into brain tissue.”
Merge Labs also claims that the most recent breakthroughs in biotechnology, hardware, neuroscience, and computing will be adopted. The resulting BCIs, according to the company, will be “equal parts biology, device, and AI,” mixed into an accessible form factor.
So, in brief, Merge Labs BCIs will contrast with Neuralink's approach because they will avoid implants into brain tissue. The key will be whether the firm's technology can achieve workable results from “AI operating systems that can interpret intent, adapt to individuals, and operate reliably with limited and noisy signals.”
The $252 million investment in Merge Labs sounds like quite a gamble, as Bloomberg's report suggests the money will effectively establish a research lab to fix the disadvantages of the non-invasive BCI route. In other words, the money raised appears to be for a pre-prototype outfit, not a product-ready company. Meanwhile, Neuralink is pretty deep into testing its BCIs with humans, as are various Chinese competitors.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Mark Tyson is a news editor at Tom's Hardware. He enjoys covering the full breadth of PC tech; from business and semiconductor design to products approaching the edge of reason.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
Just like RAM, expect them to be made of unobtainium in short order
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
A keen-eyed Reddit user caught a brainwave while browsing for high-capacity SSDs and was struck with the following thought: with the AI-infused silicon shortages, we've reached the point where NVMe gumstick-style SSDs are more expensive than gold by weight. The thread generated discussion aplenty, so we figured we'd dig into this and look up pricing and weight across a range of models. Spoiler alert: It's very much true for 8 TB drives and quickly heading there for 4 TB models.
We compiled multiple searches from Newegg, Microcenter, Best Buy, and Walmart, collecting over a hundred sample points. The requirements were: NVMe SSDs on a PCIe 4.0 or 5.0 interface, with four terabytes of capacity, sold by the store itself, and in stock. The selection excluded enterprise drives, as those would quickly throw off the math, plus everyone knows they are priced like antimatter anyway.
Collecting the average weight for these SSDs yields an average of 8.2 g for 8 TB SSDs and 8 g for 4 TB models. An eyeball look says that dual-sided, higher-capacity drives don't appreciably increase their weight. Needless to say, only models without heatsinks were considered.
Gold is currently sitting at a shiny $148 per gram, so even picking the lower boundary of SSD weight at 8 grams, that makes your average SSD worth around $1,148. And guess what? The average price for an 8 TB consumer drive is around $1,476, and far higher than that if you want a performance unit instead of just a mass-storage model. So yes, at 8 TB, solid-state drives are indeed pricier than gold. But the story doesn't stop there.
Even 4 TB drives aren't immune to high pricing, with a portion of models now also hitting prices close to the equivalent in gold grams. Interestingly, there's definitely a strong divide between higher-priced units. Bar some exceptions, the majority of the sub-$800 space is made of mass-storage models, indicating that if you want both performance and capacity, be ready to loosen the purse strings.
There's also a divide by manufacturer, too. The upper echelons of the price ranks are filled almost exclusively by Western Digital (Sandisk) models, with relatively few offerings from competitors.
It's hard to read the tea leaves here. A cursory observation would state that WD is pricing itself out of the market, but it may be that WD drives are in high demand, and new stock is coming in at much higher prices. Anyone who's been shopping for SSDs recently certainly has noticed a rising trend overall, and PCPartPicker's price tracker illustrates this.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
The graph above for 4 TB drives illustrates the trend very clearly, with an exceedingly sharp rise in the past two months. Also note the much wider distribution in prices (the gray area), potentially illustrating the wave of old-price stock going away.
For now, it's still easy to obtain speedy 4 TB drives around the $600-$800 mark, like the Corsair MP700 Elite or Samsung 9100 Pro. However, our guess is that those offerings are all but guaranteed to dry up really quickly, so if you're on the fence for buying one of them, it's best to pull the trigger right away on one of the best SSDs. And even mass-storage units around $500 like won't last long, either.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Bruno Ferreira is a contributing writer for Tom's Hardware. He has decades of experience with PC hardware and assorted sundries, alongside a career as a developer. He's obsessed with detail and has a tendency to ramble on the topics he loves. When not doing that, he's usually playing games, or at live music shows and festivals.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
Cheaper graphics cards with lots of memory are an endangered species
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
Reports and rumors of how Nvidia plans to prioritize production of its RTX 50-series graphics cards in 2026 are swirling after a CES with no new consumer GPU launches, followed by reports that the company is ending the production of some RTX 50-series gaming GPUs and moving them to end-of-life status.
We've received a comment from Nvidia on the matter. We also spoke with the CEO of Gigabyte during CES, and his comments provide context about the overall situation and outlined a rather simple calculation that Nvidia could use to determine which GPUs it will prioritize.
We asked Nvidia for comment on the recent news that some models are being cancelled and received the following statement: "Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability."
While that statement suggests that it's full steam ahead for existing RTX 50-series products, there's more to the story. Tom's Hardware's Paul Alcorn was able to sit down with Gigabyte CEO Eddie Lin at CES for a wide-ranging interview that suggests Nvidia will still prioritize production of some of its GPUs over others based on a rather straightforward calculation, and that we should expect some RTX 50-series products to be in relatively short supply as the year progresses.
Lin described Nvidia's potential GPU allocation strategy, which focuses on maximizing profit from the limited memory resource, as follows: "They cannot produce only high-end or low-end [products]... but they can, for example, they have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, five segments. They focus on 1, 3, and 5, and reduce the percentage on 2 and 4, because on 2 and 4, the revenue contribution per gigabyte of memory is lower. They will calculate how much revenue [each segment] contributes per gigabyte of memory." [Emphasis added]
Lin went on to share the example of a $300 GPU (like the RTX 5060), for which "the memory contributes $35 per GB of revenue, whereas for a $400 8GB GPU, that product would contribute $50 per GB of memory. For a $500 [card] with 16GB of memory, that puts you at only $32 of revenue per GB, then the [contribution] is lower."
Additionally, Lin noted that Gigabyte continues to receive bundled memory from Nvidia with its GPUs. Rumors have swirled that Nvidia is no longer providing board makers with memory, which would portend a dire situation for smaller-scale players if they were forced to buy memory on the open market. Other vendors could be subject to different agreements and conditions with Nvidia, but we haven't received any confirmation from vendors that Nvidia is no longer bundling memory.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Using Lin's framework, we can understand what graphics cards are likely to be prioritized and deprioritized for allocation in 2026. Consider the following table:
Model
Memory size (GB)
MSRP
Gross revenue/GB
GPU
RTX 5060
8
$299
$37.38
GB206
RTX 5060 Ti 8GB
8
$379
$47.38
GB206
RTX 5060 Ti 16GB
16
$429
$26.81
GB206
RTX 5070
12
$549
$45.75
GB205
RTX 5070 Ti
16
$749
$46.81
GB203
RTX 5080
16
$999
$62.44
GB203
RTX 5090
32
$1,999
$62.47
GB202
RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell
96
$8,500
$88.54
GB202
At the lower end of the market, the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB contributes $47.38 of gross revenue per gigabyte of GDDR7 compared to the RTX 5060's $37.38, meaning that the 5060 Ti will likely be prioritized for allocation despite its wildly underwhelming initial reception.
The RTX 5060 Ti 16GB is the most threatened card of the bunch by this measure, since as a byproduct of its MSRP and higher VRAM capacity, it contributes just $26.81 of revenue per GB of GDDR7 on board — the lowest of any RTX 50-series card.
Moving up the stack, the RTX 5070 and RTX 5070 Ti contribute the same gross revenue per gigabyte, meaning that the cheaper-to-produce 5070 will likely be favored over its Ti sibling (which uses a bigger, more power-hungry GPU and a more complex board design)—or that both cards are likely to be deprioritized in favor of the more profitable RTX 5060 Ti 8GB.
At the highest end, the RTX 5080 and RTX 5090 contribute nearly the same revenue per gig of VRAM, meaning that the RTX 5080 will likely take precedence for allocation of 2GB GDDR7 chips going forward due to its smaller GPU die (half the size of the RTX 5090's) and much less complex board design. It would also mean that the 32GB of VRAM needed to produce one large 5090 GPU would instead create two 16GB RTX 5080s, which would help with overall supply and possibly lead to more margin.
Just for fun, the RTX 5090 and RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell share the same GB202 GPU (albeit with differing SM counts), but even with 96GB of GDDR7 on board, the RTX Pro 6000 contributes a whopping 41% more revenue per GB of GDDR7 on board versus the 5090.
Of course, the RTX Pro 6000 uses 3GB GDDR7 chips in clamshell mode to achieve its memory capacity rather than the 2GB single-side parts on the RTX 5090, so it's not an apples-to-apples comparison.
But it does make it obvious why Nvidia may have foregone launching the RTX 50-series Super refresh at CES: the margins afforded by using 3GB packages on RTX Pro products are simply much more attractive than they would have been for GeForce cards that presumably would have sold for near the same MSRPs as non-Super cards did at launch.
Going forward, we expect that the RTX 5060 Ti 8GB, RTX 5070, and RTX 5080 may be the easiest cards to find on shelves, relatively speaking, while enthusiast favorites like the RTX 5060 Ti 16GB and RTX 5070 Ti will be in short supply. The writing is also on the wall for the RTX 5090 — we can already see the supply situation reflected in today's empty e-tail shelves and dramatically inflated prices from third-party sellers. We'll continue to monitor this situation and update our list of the best GPUs for gaming accordingly.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
As the Senior Analyst, Graphics at Tom's Hardware, Jeff Kampman covers everything to do with GPUs, gaming performance, and more. From integrated graphics processors to discrete graphics cards to the hyperscale installations powering our AI future, if it's got a GPU in it, Jeff is on it.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
Availability questions linger despite denial
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works.
Asus has released a public statement clarifying that the RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti models are not discontinued or marked as end-of-life (EOL). The company also confirmed that fluctuations in supply for both models have been primarily due to the ongoing memory crisis, "which have temporarily affected production output and restocking cycles.”
The statement appears to be a response to a recent report from the YouTube channel Hardware Unboxed, which claimed that an Asus PR representative had confirmed the RTX 5070 Ti was end-of-life after the outlet requested a review unit. Asus has since backtracked, stating that the information shared by its PR representative was incomplete and that the company has no plans to discontinue these models. "We would like to clarify recent reports regarding the ASUS GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB," the company stated. "Certain media may have received incomplete information from an ASUS PR representative regarding these products."
In a recent post on X, Hardware Unboxed, which first reported the issues, says that the whole situation unfolded when the outlet initially requested RTX 5070 Ti review samples from Asus, as well as other board partners. An Asus PR representative apparently responded to the request, saying that samples could not be provided due to supply constraints, claiming the models were “end of life.” When asked to clarify, Asus reportedly confirmed that this was indeed the case.
Sorry everyone but we've just been provided with ANOTHER clarifying statement from Asus. This one completely walks back their original statement to us“We would like to clarify recent reports regarding the ASUS GeForce RTX™ 5070 Ti and RTX™ 5060 Ti 16 GB. Certain media may…January 16, 2026
Hardware Unboxed then contacted retailers to verify the claim, who similarly indicated that no stock was available. Based on both Asus' purported confirmation and retailer feedback, the outlet published a video detailing the situation. Shortly after, Nvidia released a media statement saying that all GeForce SKUs were still being shipped, despite the ongoing memory constraints. " Demand for GeForce RTX GPUs is strong, and memory supply is constrained. We continue to ship all GeForce SKUs and are working closely with our suppliers to maximize memory availability," the company told Tom's Hardware.
Asus followed up, stating that Nvidia had informed them the RTX 5070 Ti was not EOL and that Asus was instead streamlining some models. Hardware Unboxed published an updated statement, only for Asus to release yet another statement for clarification, directly contradicting the original claim and clarifying its original statement, which stated that the RTX 5070 Ti was neither discontinued nor at end of life. "The GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and GeForce RTX 5060 Ti 16 GB have not been discontinued or designated as end-of-life (EOL). ASUS has no plans to stop selling these models," the company said.
Following this, Hardware Unboxed immediately renewed its request for RTX 5070 Ti samples, but says it has yet to receive a response. The conflicting statements add confusion for consumers at a time when GPU availability is already limited. While Asus says the cards aren't discontinued, inconsistent supply and messaging suggest availability could remain uneven in the coming days.
On a separate note, Nvidia is rumored to be cutting graphics card supply to its board partners by roughly 15–20%, which could potentially tighten inventory and push prices even higher. The GPU market is already in shambles thanks to the recent price increases on flagship models, including the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080, which have witnessed a price surge of 79% and 35%, respectively. If Nvidia reduces the number of GPUs it supplies to manufacturers, the current pricing crisis could get even worse.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News, or add us as a preferred source, to get our latest news, analysis, & reviews in your feeds.
Kunal Khullar is a contributing writer at Tom's Hardware. He is a long time technology journalist and reviewer specializing in PC components and peripherals, and welcomes any and every question around building a PC.
Tom's Hardware is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.
©
Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street,
New York,
NY 10036.
edit: gpt-oss 20B & 120B both eagerly visit it.
reply
There is a current "show your personal site" post on top of HN [1] with 1500+ comments. I wonder how many of those sites are or will be hammered by AI bots in the next few days to steal/scrape content.If this can be used as a temporary guard against AI bots, that would have been a good opportunity to test it out.1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46618714
If this can be used as a temporary guard against AI bots, that would have been a good opportunity to test it out.1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46618714
1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46618714
reply
reply
reply
I really don't know how you're supposed to shield your content from AI without also shielding it from humanity.
reply
reply
reply
They don't respect robots.txt, they don't care about your sitemap, they don't bother caching, just mindlessly churning away effectively a DDOS.Google at least played nice.And so that is why things like anubis exist, why people flock to cloudflare and all the other tried and true methods to block bots.
Google at least played nice.And so that is why things like anubis exist, why people flock to cloudflare and all the other tried and true methods to block bots.
And so that is why things like anubis exist, why people flock to cloudflare and all the other tried and true methods to block bots.
reply
reply
reply
My site is hosted on Cloudflare and I trust its protection way more than flavor of the month method. This probably won't be patched anytime soon but I'd rather have some people click my link and not just avoid it along with AI because it looks fishy :)
reply
There have been several amplification attacks using various protocols for DDOS too...
reply
Still, I think it would be interesting to know if anybody noticed a visible spike in bot traffic(especially AI) after sharing their site info in that thread.
reply
reply
reply
reply
Unless you mean DDoS protection, this one helps for sure
reply
I agree my tinfoil hat signal told me this was the perfect way to ask people for bespoke, hand crafted content - which of course AI will love to slurp up to keep feeding the bear.
reply
reply
reply
reply
Not sure if that's the intended use case. At least Cloudflare politely masks for CAPTCHA.
reply
Are you sure the block isn't due to the authors of those websites using some other tool in addition?
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
I shortened a link and when trying to access it in Chrome I get a red screen with this message: Dangerous site
Attackers on the site you tried visiting might trick you into installing software or revealing things like your passwords, phone, or credit card numbers. Chrome strongly recommends going back to safety.
Dangerous site
Attackers on the site you tried visiting might trick you into installing software or revealing things like your passwords, phone, or credit card numbers. Chrome strongly recommends going back to safety.
reply
https://jpmorgan.c1ic.link/logger_zcGFC2_bank_xss.docmDefinitely not meta
Definitely not meta
reply
reply
Deceptive site issueThis web page at [...] has been reported as a deceptive site and has been blocked based on your security preferences.What's going on? I can't find any setting to disable this.
This web page at [...] has been reported as a deceptive site and has been blocked based on your security preferences.What's going on? I can't find any setting to disable this.
What's going on? I can't find any setting to disable this.
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
But what I'd like to understand is why there are so many of the same thing. I know I've seen this exact idea multiple times on HN. It's funny the first time, but once it's done once and the novelty is gone (which is almost immediately), what's the point of another and another and another?
reply
I have home made url shorteners in go, rust, java, python, php, elixir, typescript, etc. why? because I'm trying the language and this kind of project touches on many things: web, databases, custom logic, how and what design patterns can I apply using as much of the language as I can to build the thing.
reply
I'm not criticising the author or anyone who came before. I'm trying to understand the impetus between redoing a joke that isn't yours. You don't learn anything new by redoing the exact same gag that you wouldn't learn by being even slightly original or making the project truly useful.Ideas are a dime a dozen. You could make e.g. a Fonzie URL shortener (different lengths of “ayyyyy”), or an interstellar one (each is the name of a space object), or a binary one (all ones and zeroes)… Each of those would take about the same effort and teach you the same, but they're also different enough they would make some people remember them, maybe even look at the author and their other projects, instead of just “oh, another one of these, close”.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. You could make e.g. a Fonzie URL shortener (different lengths of “ayyyyy”), or an interstellar one (each is the name of a space object), or a binary one (all ones and zeroes)… Each of those would take about the same effort and teach you the same, but they're also different enough they would make some people remember them, maybe even look at the author and their other projects, instead of just “oh, another one of these, close”.
reply
reply
Plus, I don't think I've seen another of these which is exactly like this (just extremely close in concept), so the argument doesn't hold.
reply
You may want to learn about design and novelty. Some people just want to learn about execution.
reply
reply
reply
reply
Edit: I see referencnes to shadyurl in the comments and I have heard of that, but probably wouldn't have thought of it.
reply
https://xkcd.com/1053/Again, this was not a criticism, but a genuine question.
Again, this was not a criticism, but a genuine question.
reply
reply
URL Shortener is still one of the most popular System Design questions, building this project is a great way to have some experience / understanding of it, for example.
reply
I agree. But a URL shortener with a twist isn't just fun, it's funny. The joke—as opposed to the usefulness—is what's interesting about it. But when the same joke is overdone, it's no longer funny.> building this project is a great way to have some experience / understanding of ithttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46632329
> building this project is a great way to have some experience / understanding of ithttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46632329
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46632329
reply
Giving the author the benefit of the doubt, they may have not seen it before, or was bored and just wanted to make a toy.And it seems like many in HN are in enough a similar boat to me to have up voted it to trending, so at least some people found it entertaining, so it fulfilled its purpose I suppose.It's a good question though, and I don't think anyone really knows the answer.
And it seems like many in HN are in enough a similar boat to me to have up voted it to trending, so at least some people found it entertaining, so it fulfilled its purpose I suppose.It's a good question though, and I don't think anyone really knows the answer.
It's a good question though, and I don't think anyone really knows the answer.
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
I know people have fond memories of long ago when they thought surely some big company's URL shortener would never be taken down and learned from that when it later was.
reply
For example, the healthcare.gov emails. For links to that domain, they would still transform them with lnks.gd, even though:1) The emails would be very long and flashy, so they're clearly not economizing on space.2) The "shortened" URL was usually longer!3) That domain doesn't let you go straight to the root and check where the transformed URL is going.It's training users to do the very things that expose them to scammers!
1) The emails would be very long and flashy, so they're clearly not economizing on space.2) The "shortened" URL was usually longer!3) That domain doesn't let you go straight to the root and check where the transformed URL is going.It's training users to do the very things that expose them to scammers!
2) The "shortened" URL was usually longer!3) That domain doesn't let you go straight to the root and check where the transformed URL is going.It's training users to do the very things that expose them to scammers!
3) That domain doesn't let you go straight to the root and check where the transformed URL is going.It's training users to do the very things that expose them to scammers!
It's training users to do the very things that expose them to scammers!
reply
reply
I love this version and I hope you do too.
reply
reply
https://c1ic.link/campaign_WxjLdF_login_page_2.batYou seem to be able to encode arbitrary text, so long as it follows [A-Za-z0-9]+\.[A-Za-z0-9]+
You seem to be able to encode arbitrary text, so long as it follows [A-Za-z0-9]+\.[A-Za-z0-9]+
reply
https://wellsfargo.c1ic.link/TODO_obfuscate_url_8wyS7G_hot_s...
reply
reply
reply
I use them in tests, just for fun: https://github.com/ClickHouse/ClickHouse/blob/master/tests/q...
reply
reply
Funnily enough the domains appear to have been bought up and are now genuinely shady.
reply
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31386108
reply
And got: https://c1ic.link/account_kPvfG7_download_now.bat
reply
reply
https://c1ic.link/ad_k9OFWW_redeem_gift.bat
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
Edit: looks like you need an invite code.Bummer
Bummer
reply
reply
reply
What would be a good name here? A URL redirector?
reply
reply
reply
reply
Thanks!
reply
reply
reply
While this seems like it would make it harder for them I wouldn't be surprised if scammers eventually try to abuse this service too and I have no doubt that people would happily click these if they found in them in a phishing email, that said I give the folks behind this a lot of credit for having a way to contact them and report links if that happens.
reply
reply
reply
reply
In example.com/blah, the /blah part is interpreted by the host itself.And apart from that I would indeed consider DNS records a database.
And apart from that I would indeed consider DNS records a database.
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45295898edit: fixed typo
edit: fixed typo
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
Msn.com
Office.com
Sharepoint.com
Hotmail.com
Etc, plus all the subdomains they insert before them. It makes it very easy to create phishing emails that look plausible.
reply
reply
reply
I honestly don't mind too much since it's a once a year thing (hacktober) and honestly companies should be trying to catch out employees who click any and all links.
reply
Eventually we got asked to please make it stop. I asked them to please stop sending fake phishing emails to robots.
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
https://c1ic.link/bzSBpN_login_page_2Edit: Chrome on Android warned me not to visit the site!
Edit: Chrome on Android warned me not to visit the site!
reply
And got https://twitter.web-safe.link/root_4h3ku0_account_verificati...
reply
Interesting that it spit out a .zip url. Was not expecting that so I changed all the “.” to “DOT” so I don't get punished for posting a spammy link despite this literally being a website to make links as spammy and creepy as possible.
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
https://wiki.archiveteam.org/index.php/URLTeam
reply
Saves using one of the "free" ones which looks like its free but you're actually on a free trial, then you can't access your links after that trial expires.
reply
reply
Wanted to show our open source agent harness called Gambit.If you're not familiar, agent harnesses are sort of like an operating system for an agent... they handle tool calling, planning, context window management, and don't require as much developer orchestration.Normally you might see an agent orchestration framework pipeline like:compute -> compute -> compute -> LLM -> compute -> compute -> LLMwe invert this so with an agent harness, it's more like:LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
If you're not familiar, agent harnesses are sort of like an operating system for an agent... they handle tool calling, planning, context window management, and don't require as much developer orchestration.Normally you might see an agent orchestration framework pipeline like:compute -> compute -> compute -> LLM -> compute -> compute -> LLMwe invert this so with an agent harness, it's more like:LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Normally you might see an agent orchestration framework pipeline like:compute -> compute -> compute -> LLM -> compute -> compute -> LLMwe invert this so with an agent harness, it's more like:LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
compute -> compute -> compute -> LLM -> compute -> compute -> LLMwe invert this so with an agent harness, it's more like:LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
we invert this so with an agent harness, it's more like:LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
LLM -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLM -> LLM -> compute -> LLMEssentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Essentially you describe each agent in either a self contained markdown file, or as a typescript program. Your root agent can bring in other agents as needed, and we create a typesafe way for you to define the interfaces between those agents. We call these decks.Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Agents can call agents, and each agent can be designed with whatever model params make sense for your task.Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Additionally, each step of the chain gets automatic evals, we call graders. A grader is another deck type… but it's designed to evaluate and score conversations (or individual conversation turns).We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
We also have test agents you can define on a deck-by-deck basis, that are designed to mimic scenarios your agent would face and generate synthetic data for either humans or graders to grade.Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Prior to Gambit, we had built an LLM based video editor, and we weren't happy with the results, which is what brought us down this path of improving inference time LLM quality.We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
We know it's missing some obvious parts, but we wanted to get this out there to see how it could help people or start conversations. We're really happy with how it's working with some of our early design partners, and we think it's a way to implement a lot of interesting applications:- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
- Truly open source agents and assistants, where logic, code, and prompts can be easily shared with the community.- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
- Rubric based grading to guarantee you (for instance) don't leak PII accidentally- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
- Spin up a usable bot in minutes and have Codex or Claude Code use our command line runner / graders to build a first version that is pretty good w/ very little human intervention.We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
We'll be around if ya'll have any questions or thoughts. Thanks for checking us out!Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
Walkthrough video: https://youtu.be/J_hQ2L_yy60
reply
How would it compare?
reply
I look at Gambit as more of an "agent harness", meaning you're building agents that can decide what to do more than you're orchestrating pipelines.Basically, if we're successful, you should be able to chain agents together to accomplish things extremely simply (using markdown). Mastra, as far as I'm aware, is focused on helping people use programming languages (typescript) to build pipelines and workflows.So yes it's an alternative, but more like an alternative approach rather than a direct competitor if that makes sense.
Basically, if we're successful, you should be able to chain agents together to accomplish things extremely simply (using markdown). Mastra, as far as I'm aware, is focused on helping people use programming languages (typescript) to build pipelines and workflows.So yes it's an alternative, but more like an alternative approach rather than a direct competitor if that makes sense.
So yes it's an alternative, but more like an alternative approach rather than a direct competitor if that makes sense.
reply
What helped was treating agents less like “always-on brains” and more like short-lived executors. Each step had an explicit goal, explicit inputs, and a defined end. Once the step finished, the agent stopped and context was rebuilt deliberately.Harnesses like this feel important because they shift the problem from “make the model smarter” to “make the system more predictable.” In our experience, reliability came more from reducing degrees of freedom than from adding intelligence.
Harnesses like this feel important because they shift the problem from “make the model smarter” to “make the system more predictable.” In our experience, reliability came more from reducing degrees of freedom than from adding intelligence.
reply
My philosophy is make the LLMs do as little work as possible. Only small, simple steps. Anything that can be reasonably done in code (orchestration, tool calls, etc) should be done in code. Basically any time you find yourself instructing an LLM to follow a certain recipe, just break it down to multiple agents and do what you can with code.
reply
Gambit hopefully solves some of that, giving you a set of primitives and principles that make it simpler to communicate intent.
reply
[see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45988611 for explanation]
reply
reply
reply
are things like file system baked in?fan of the design of the system. looks great architecturally
fan of the design of the system. looks great architecturally
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
reply
A new research paper was published in Volume 17, Issue 12 of Aging-US on December 29, 2025, titled "Age-specific DNA methylation alterations in sperm at imprint control regions may contribute to the risk of autism spectrum disorder in offspring."
The study – selected as our Editors' Choice for January, 2026 – was led by first authors Eugenia Casella and Jana Depovere, with corresponding author Adelheid Soubry from the University of Leuven. The research shows that a man's age is linked to specific changes in sperm DNA that may influence early development in children. These findings are relevant as autism diagnoses have increased while many men are becoming fathers later in life.
Autism spectrum disorder is a growing public health concern affecting millions of families worldwide. The study focused on DNA methylation, a natural process that helps regulate how genes function without changing the DNA sequence itself. DNA methylation plays a key role during early development and can be sensitive to age-related biological changes.
Researchers analyzed sperm samples from 63 healthy, non-smoking men between the ages of 18 and 35. DNA methylation was measured at hundreds of thousands of locations across the genome. The analysis identified more than 14,000 DNA sites where methylation levels changed with age, with most showing a gradual decrease as men got older.
"To identify sperm-specific marks, we conducted an epigenome-wide association study in sperm from 63 men, using the Illumina 450K array."
While individual changes were small, their location within the genome was important. Many age-related changes occurred near imprint control regions, which help ensure that certain genes are active only from one parent. These regions are established during sperm development and are usually maintained after fertilization. Disruptions in these regions may affect how genes are regulated in offspring.
Researchers found that several genes affected by age-related DNA changes have previously been linked to autism. These genes are involved in brain development, nerve communication, and early growth. Changes in their regulation may increase vulnerability to neurodevelopmental differences.
Overall, the findings provide new biological insight into earlier evidence linking paternal age to child health. However, the authors note that autism is a complex condition shaped by many genetic and non-genetic factors, and no single cause has been identified. The study results suggest that age-related changes in sperm DNA may be one contributing factor. By clarifying how paternal age influences sperm biology, this research supports future studies in reproductive health as family planning increasingly shifts toward later parenthood.
Aging-US
Age-specific DNA methylation alterations in sperm at imprint control regions may contribute to the risk of autism spectrum disorder in offspring. Aging-US. https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.206348
Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
Subtle abnormalities in kidney function – even within the range considered normal – may help identify people at risk of developing chronic kidney disease. This is shown in a new study from Karolinska Institutet, published in Kidney International. The researchers have therefore developed a web-based tool that could aid in early detection and thus primary prevention.
Chronic kidney disease is a growing global health concern afflicting 10−15 per cent of adults worldwide and is projected to become one of the top five leading causes of years of life lost by 2040. In the absence of effective screening programmes, patients are often diagnosed late, when more than half of their kidney function has already been lost.
To address this gap, researchers at Karolinska Institutet have constructed population-based distributions for estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) - the most widely used measure of kidney function. The aim is to help doctors identify people at risk, thus enabling early preventive action.
We were inspired by the growth and weight charts used in paediatrics, which intuitively help clinicians identify children at risk of obesity or undergrowth."
Yuanhang Yang, first author of the study, postdoctoral researcher, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet
The researchers have made their eGFR distribution charts openly available to healthcare professionals and developed a web-based calculator, developed by PhD student Antoine Creon, that can help assess how a patient's eGFR compares with population norms for their age.
The study included over 1.1 million adults in the region of Stockholm, Sweden, covering roughly 80 per cent of the population aged between 40 and 100 years. Nearly seven million eGFR tests collected between 2006 and 2021 were used to construct age- and sex-specific distributions.
The findings show that departures from the median eGFR for one's age and sex are associated with worse outcomes. Individuals with an eGFR below the 25th percentile had a markedly higher risk of developing kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation. Mortality also displayed a U-shaped relationship; both low and high percentile extremes were linked to increased risk of death.
The study also illustrates this lack of awareness in healthcare, according to the researchers. Among those with a seemingly normal eGFR above 60 ml/min/1.73 m², but below the 25th percentile, only one fourth had received additional testing for urinary albumin, which is important for detecting early kidney damage.
"For example, consider a 55-year-old woman with an eGFR of 80. Most clinicians would not react to such a seemingly normal value. However, our charts show that this corresponds to the 10th percentile for women of that age, and that she has a three-fold higher risk of starting dialysis in the future. This signals an opportunity to act earlier," says Juan Jesús Carrero, professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.
The study is part of the SCREAM project and has been funded by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation, Region Stockholm and the Swedish Kidney Foundation, among others. The researchers report no conflicts of interest related to the content of the study.
Karolinska Institutet
Yang, Y., et al. (2026) Population-based eGFR distributions and associated health outcomes provide opportunities for early identification and primary prevention of chronic kidney disease. Kidney International. DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2025.11.009
Posted in: Device / Technology News | Medical Condition News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
Edited by Mamta Pawara
January 16, 2026
Preexisting alcohol misuse, present in more than 58% of participants, was associated with increased Generalised Anxiety Disorder seven-item (GAD-7) scores during the COVID-19 pandemic in France, particularly affecting women and those with high perceived loneliness.
"We identified women and people with high perceived loneliness as groups particularly vulnerable to anxiety, with a worsening of their psychic state as the crisis persisted," the authors wrote.
"Our current findings suggest that certain groups may benefit now from targeted psychological support in primary care or in addiction centres. Implementing a simple non-intrusive question about perceived loneliness in clinical practice could help to screen those at the greatest risk for high anxiety," they added.
This study was led by Charline Galesne, University of Bordeaux College of Health Sciences, Bordeaux, France. It was published online on January 06, 2026, in BMJ Open.
The use of a convenience sample recruited through online networks meant the results were not representative of the general French population. A high attrition rate was present, with only 39% of participants completing at least one follow-up questionnaire.
This study received funding from the University of Bordeaux, Kap Code, and the Kappa Santé CRO. Additional funding was received from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Health Agency, Public Health France, and the National Institute Against Cancer. One author received support through a PhD grant from the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Regional Council.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
Galesne C, Arsandaux J, Macalli M, et al. Effects of alcohol misuse on the evolution of anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic in France: Results from CONFINS cohort. BMJ Open. Published online January 06, 2026. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2025-105567
Send comments and news tips to uknewsdesk@medscape.co.uk.
Regulatory affairs have long been regarded as a necessary hurdle in drug development, with drug developers routinely required to ensure compliance by preparing dossiers and managing submissions via complicated national and international frameworks.
That perception is outdated, however, as regulatory strategy now represents a source of competitive advantage rather than mere compliance. Regulatory expertise can de‑risk programs, accelerate timelines, and even improve a compound's commercial value when it is integrated into drug development planning at an early stage.
Regulatory experts at hVIVO have seen this transformation firsthand, with their extensive experience across human challenge studies, early‑phase clinical trials, and complex therapeutic areas highlighting that regulatory affairs are no longer solely confined to the back room.
Rather, regulatory affairs are key to influencing policy, shaping development pathways, and ensuring that innovative and vital treatments reach patients as quickly as possible.
Compliance remains the foundation of any work related to regulatory affairs, because no program can progress without robust documentation, including CTAs, INDs, eCTDs, and GxP validation.
Acceleration is assured by embedding a well‑designed regulatory strategy from the outset. For example, beginning with a Target Product Profile (TPP) and a specifically tailored regulatory roadmap allows sponsors to align on population, indication, and endpoints prior to committing any major resources.
Employing such a proactive approach ensures the avoidance of potentially expensive missteps while maintaining developmental focus on the defined end goal.
hVIVO emphasizes that the importance of a regulatory strategy is not simply a static checklist. Rather, this strategy must be a living plan that is adaptable to both commercial realities and scientific progress.
The early involvement of regulatory experts ensures that sponsors are clear on what is acceptable to regulatory agencies, what is realistically feasible, and how best to position their specific product for success.
Regulatory designations such as EMA PRIME, FDA Fast Track, and orphan status are more than just badges of honor. These strategic assets help accelerate development and enhance commercial value, with smaller biotechs leveraging them to attract partners and investors, and larger pharmaceutical companies using them to reduce their products' time to market.
The team of regulatory consultants at hVIVO has guided sponsors through these regulatory pathways, helping them secure designations that transform a program's trajectory.
A universal flu vaccine application for the EMA PRIME scheme provides a useful example of how a combination of these expedited pathways and an appropriate regulatory strategy can directly impact both commercial outcomes and scientific progress.
Regulatory success depends on more than just technical expertise, however. Relationships with sponsors, agencies, and policymakers are also key to a program's success, and hVIVO's experienced consultants have extensive experience preparing briefing packages, rehearsing meetings, and managing interactions with regulators to improve the likelihood of a positive outcome.
hVIVO's team understands that simplicity and clarity are essential, especially when working with agencies that operate under tight review timelines.
Human challenge studies highlight the importance of this point because acceptance of these models varies, as they are not currently fully codified in regulatory guidance. hVIVO's teams have helped challenge models to become more widely accepted by directly engaging regulators, clearly explaining the science, and lobbying for greater and wider inclusion in guidance.
This approach is a notable example of regulatory strategy in action: influencing policy and creating pathways for innovation that would otherwise be blocked by building trust and rapport with regulators.
Challenge models may be considered less rigorous than field trials, but they offer vital proof‑of‑concept data that is key to de‑risking subsequent development and accelerating antiviral and vaccine programs.
Regulatory strategy makes challenge studies acceptable, and hVIVO's experts have secured regulatory confidence by positioning them as controlled, scientifically robust, and ethical, and by aligning endpoints with field trial triggers where applicable.
This increased acceptance must continue to broaden into the future, expanding into later phases, patient populations, and new therapeutic areas. This will require a robust combination of scientific excellence and regulatory advocacy, but it remains a clear example of how strategy elevates compliance into competitive advantage.
Its integrated approach is another of hVIVO's key strengths. The company's regulatory services operate seamlessly across non‑clinical, clinical, and CMC.
Senior experts undertake the work, supported by a network of specialists across the group, ensuring delivery is never delegated to less experienced or junior team members.
Sponsors benefit from end‑to‑end support thanks to this breadth and depth, ranging from marketing authorization dossiers to consultancy and operational support for IND‑enabling toxicology packages.
Integration also ensures quality and consistency across the development lifecycle. Sponsors benefit from cross‑functional expertise, whether in cardiometabolic research, respiratory or infectious diseases, or complex combination products. This rare holistic approach affords sponsors a genuine competitive advantage.
Regulatory strategy continues to evolve, with this evolving landscape being reshaped by early adaptive designs, real‑world evidence, and master protocols such as umbrella and platform protocols.
Agencies are increasingly open to innovative approaches, but only when sponsors present them clearly and convincingly. The role of regulatory affairs has also evolved and is now as much about negotiation and communication as it is about comprehensive documentation.
Partnership is the future, regulators are increasingly encouraging dialogue, sponsors are seeking greater acceleration, and experienced service providers are required to serve as the bridge between. The right combination of technical expertise and relational skill is key to regulatory professionals' ability to shape policy, influence guidance, and accelerate innovation.
Regulatory affairs are no longer the hurdle that they were historically considered to be; rather, they can become a lever for credibility, speed, and commercial success with the right strategy.
Compliance is imperative, but competitive advantage stems from acceleration. Strong relationships, expedited pathways, and integrated expertise all help to ensure a regulatory strategy that drives innovation rather than simply satisfying requirements.
hVIVO understands that regulatory strategy is essential, making the difference between success and delay, or confidence and uncertainty. Sponsors opting to partner with experienced regulatory experts will do more than meet obligations; they will gain a competitive edge in the race to provide improved therapies to patients.
Produced from materials originally authored by Ronald Ullers and Vi Stuart from hVIVO.
hVIVO is a full-service early phase CRO offering end-to-end drug development services from preclinical consultancy through to Phase III clinical trials, including world-leading end-to-end human challenge trials services. With decades of experience in rapidly delivering data for our global client base, our team brings together strategic insight and operational expertise to deliver a variety of clinical study types across multiple locations.
To support rapid study start-up and reliable delivery, our dedicated recruitment teams in Germany and the UK provide direct access to both healthy volunteers and patient populations. This is complemented by our integrated drug development consultancy, as well as our infectious disease and immunology laboratories and biobanking services.
Sponsored Content Policy: News-Medical.net publishes articles and related content that may be derived from sources where we have existing commercial relationships, provided such content adds value to the core editorial ethos of News-Medical.net, which is to educate and inform site visitors interested in medical research, science, medical devices, and treatments.
Last updated: Jan 16, 2026 at 6:54 AM
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
APA
hVIVO. (2026, January 16). Regulatory strategy as a competitive advantage in modern drug development. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 16, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/whitepaper/20260116/Regulatory-strategy-as-a-competitive-advantage-in-modern-drug-development.aspx.
MLA
hVIVO. "Regulatory strategy as a competitive advantage in modern drug development". News-Medical. 16 January 2026.
A national panel of experts has issued the strongest call yet for the Department of Health and Social Care to overhaul how it approaches dementia prevention, pointing to vital evidence that dementia risk can be reduced and providing a framework for the development of new government policy that could improve brain health for millions.
The Nottingham Consensus, published in Nature Reviews Neurology, was led by researchers at the NIHR Policy Research Unit in Dementia and Neurodegeneration at Queen Mary University of London (DeNPRU-QM). It sets out 56 recommendations aimed at turning decades of research into tangible policy.
The recommendations span four policy areas:
Across all the recommendations, the panel emphasised the importance of addressing health inequalities to ensure that everyone in society has the same chance of living to an old age with a healthy brain. This means creating policies that account for how individual choices interact with social, economic and environmental conditions to influence brain health across a lifetime.
We know dementia risk can be reduced, but the evidence has not yet been transformed into a coherent governmental strategy. People need clear, evidence-based guidance on protecting their brain health, but the information they receive can be confusing or make them feel blamed. What we need now is coordinated, structural action to develop dementia prevention policies that are equitable, realistic and grounded in the lives people actually lead."
Dr. Harriet Demnitz-King, Lead Author, Postdoc Research Fellow, Queen Mary University of London
Senior author Charles Marshall, Professor of Clinical Neurology at Queen Mary University of London, said: "Dementia is now the leading cause of death in the UK, so we desperately need a clear public health plan to improve this situation. We hope that this consensus will lead to better public messaging about dementia, improved recognition and management of other conditions that increase dementia risk, a strategy on structural approaches to improving brain health, and research that addresses gaps in our knowledge about how best to do all this. Implementing our recommendations will ensure that as many people as possible live to old age without dementia."
Dementia cases are set to triple by 2050, yet public awareness that dementia risk can be reduced remains strikingly low. The panel, made up of a diverse group of 40 experts, identified three high-priority areas for individual action where evidence is particularly strong: hearing loss, social isolation and high blood pressure. But they also warned that without structural support – such as affordable hearing services, accessible social infrastructure and effective blood pressure management – these interventions will fail to reach the people who need them most.
The Nottingham Consensus provides clear, actionable recommendations to support a policy shift towards dementia prevention in line with the 10 Year Health Plan for England. It calls for a joined-up approach that builds dementia prevention into wider government action on issues such as smoking, alcohol, pollution and social inequality. Putting the recommendations into practice would send a clear signal that, with the right structural support, dementia risk can be reduced.
Queen Mary University of London
Demnitz-King, H., et al. (2026). The Nottingham consensus on dementia risk reduction policy: recommendations from a modified Delphi process. Nature Reviews Neurology. doi: 10.1038/s41582-025-01173-9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01173-9
Posted in: Medical Condition News | Healthcare News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
A new review reveals how complications after overseas cosmetic and weight-loss surgery are landing back in UK hospitals, exposing serious risks for patients and unresolved pressures for the NHS.
Study: Complications and costs to the UK National Health Service due to outward medical tourism for elective surgery: a rapid review. Image credit: Pla2na/Shutterstock.com
In a recent study published in BMJ Open, researchers examined reported cases of complications linked to outward medical tourism from the UK, residents traveling abroad for elective surgery, and the implications for NHS care on patients' return.
They found that outward medical tourism, mainly involving bariatric, metabolic, and cosmetic surgery, with only a small number of ophthalmic cases, can lead to serious postoperative complications requiring the use of NHS services.
Outward medical tourism refers to people travelling abroad to obtain elective medical procedures that are not urgently required. This practice has grown steadily over recent decades, as suggested by earlier estimates and policy analyses. It has been supported by low-cost international travel and online marketing by overseas providers. While such travel may benefit individual patients by reducing costs or shortening waiting times, it raises concerns for health systems in patients' home countries.
For the UK NHS, outward medical tourism poses challenges because patients may return with complications requiring follow-up care, hospital admission, or further surgery. These complications can be difficult to manage when details of the original procedure are incomplete or unavailable. Previous evidence suggests that wound infections, poor healing, sepsis, and organ failure are among the most common and severe outcomes, particularly after cosmetic and bariatric surgery.
Although estimates suggest a large and growing number of UK residents seek medical care abroad, the scale, costs, and consequences for the NHS remain unclear. Earlier research highlighted variable motivations for travel, limited patient awareness of risks, and reliance on NHS services to manage complications.
Researchers conducted a rapid review design to synthesize UK-based evidence on the costs, complications, and benefits of outward medical tourism undertaken for elective procedures, seeking to provide insights for policy and practice. They followed recognized guidance for such reviews, adhered to established reporting standards, and prospectively registered the study.
Comprehensive searches were conducted across multiple medical and scientific databases, covering studies published during 2012, 24. Additionally, citation tracking and searches of grey literature were undertaken, with relevant earlier studies identified from a previous review.
Eligible studies were quantitative or descriptive UK-based reports examining complications, costs, or benefits to the NHS resulting from elective surgery undertaken abroad. Case reports, case series, surveys, conference abstracts, and grey literature were included, while opinion pieces were excluded. Emergency, cancer, fertility, dental, and transplant-related tourism were also excluded.
Screening and data extraction were primarily conducted by one reviewer, with quality checks by additional reviewers. Outcomes included types of surgery, complications, NHS resource use, and treatment costs. Data were synthesized narratively, complications graded where possible, and reported costs were adjusted to 2024 prices. The study quality and overall certainty of evidence were evaluated using standardized tools.
The search identified 38 reports describing 37 studies published between 2007 and 2025. These studies reported on 655 patients treated by the NHS for complications following elective surgery abroad. Most evidence related to bariatric, metabolic surgery, 385 patients, and cosmetic surgery, 265 patients, while ophthalmic surgery accounted for only five reported cases. No studies reported benefits or savings to the NHS.
Most patients were women, around 90 percent, with an average age of 38 years. The most common destination country was Turkey, accounting for over 60 percent of reported cases. Sleeve gastrectomy was the most frequent bariatric procedure, while abdominoplasty and breast surgery dominated cosmetic procedures.
At least 53 percent of patients experienced severe complications, often requiring surgery, prolonged hospitalisation, or intensive treatment. Although no deaths were reported, hospital stays were substantial, averaging 17 days for bariatric surgery complications and 6 days for cosmetic surgery complications. These figures were derived from subsets of reported cases rather than from comprehensive national data.
Reported NHS costs ranged from £1,058 to £19,549 per patient at 2024 prices. Longer hospital stays and surgical interventions were the main drivers of cost. However, the evidence base was weak, and cost estimates were likely to be underreported due to missing or incomplete data.
The rapid review shows that outbound medical tourism for elective surgery can result in serious complications that place considerable demands on NHS specialist hospital services, particularly in secondary and tertiary care, as reported. Most cases involved bariatric or cosmetic surgery, with no evidence of financial or system-level benefits to the NHS.
A major strength of the review is its comprehensive and systematic search, including grey literature, and its capture of data from over 650 patients. However, the evidence base is limited by retrospective case reports and small case series, high risk of bias, incomplete reporting, and poor generalisability. Many studies only included emergency presentations, likely underestimating the true burden.
Overall, there is little certainty about the evidence on costs, and key gaps remain, particularly regarding primary care impacts, long-term outcomes, and population-level estimates. The authors caution that current evidence does not allow reliable quantification of the overall national impact on the NHS. The findings highlight the need for clear NHS policy on postoperative responsibility, better public information about risks, and improved data collection to support informed decision-making and future health service planning.
Download your PDF copy now!
England, C., Bromham, N., Needham-Taylor, A., Hounsome, J., Gilen, E., Ingram, B., Davies, J., Edwards, A., Lewis, R. (2026). Complications and costs to the UK National Health Service due to outward medical tourism for elective surgery: a rapid review. BMJ Open 16(1). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2025-109050. https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/16/1/e109050
Posted in: Men's Health News | Women's Health News | Medical Patent 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.
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
APA
Pramanik, Priyanjana. (2026, January 16). UK patients seeking surgery overseas are returning with complications the NHS must treat. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 16, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260116/UK-patients-seeking-surgery-overseas-are-returning-with-complications-the-NHS-must-treat.aspx.
MLA
Pramanik, Priyanjana. "UK patients seeking surgery overseas are returning with complications the NHS must treat". News-Medical. 16 January 2026.
Recreational physical activity may be associated with breast tissue composition and biomarkers of stress in adolescent girls, according to a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center (HICCC). The findings shed new light on how physical activity during adolescence-a critical period of breast development-may influence biological pathways related to future breast cancer risk.
In adult women, higher levels of recreational physical activity (RPA) are consistently linked to a lower risk of breast cancer, with studies showing roughly a 20 percent reduction in risk among the most active women compared with the least active. Until now, however, the biological mechanisms underlying this association-particularly earlier in life-have remained poorly understood. The new study provides some of the first evidence linking RPA to breast tissue composition and stress-related biomarkers in adolescent girls. The findings are published in the journal Breast Cancer Research.
The importance and urgency of this research are underscored by the rising incidence of breast cancer in young women and the alarmingly low levels of recreational physical activity observed both in this study and among adolescents across the United States and globally. Our findings suggest that recreational physical activity is associated with breast tissue composition and stress biomarker changes in adolescent girls, independent of body fat, which could have important implications for breast cancer risk."
Rebecca Kehm, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, and first author of the study
Girls who reported engaging in at least two hours of recreational physical activity in the prior week, compared with none, had lower percent water content in breast tissue-an indicator of lower breast density- and lower concentrations of urinary biomarkers linked to stress. These findings align with previous research in adult women showing that higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower mammographic breast density, a key predictor of breat cancer risk.The researchers analyzed data from the population-based Columbia Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Program Study, which draws from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) Mothers and Newborns birth cohort. Participants were originally recruited to the cohort between 1998 and 2006 from prenatal clinics at NewYork-Presbyterian and Harlem Hospital, as well as affiliated satellite clinics, serving urban neighborhoods including Washington Heights, Central Harlem, and the South Bronx.
During adolescence, participants self-reported past-week engagement in recreational physical activity, including both organized and unorganized activities, and completed clinic visits that included blood and urine collection as well as breast tissue assessments.
The average age of girls in the study was 16 years, and 64 percent identified as Hispanic. More than half (51 percent) reported no recreational physical activity in the past week. Seventy-three percent reported no participation in organized activities, and 66 percent reported no participation in unorganized activities.
"Our research has several strengths, including the use of multiple biomarkers measured in urine, blood, and breast tissue," said Mary Beth Terry, PhD, Columbia Mailman School professor of Epidemiology, and senior author of the study. "We measured biomarkers of stress and chronic inflammation that are widely validated and commonly used in epidemiologic research, enhancing confidence in our findings. Importantly, this research was conducted in a population-based, urban cohort of Black/African American and Hispanic girls-groups that are historically underrepresented in research and face persistent disparities in both physical activity levels and breast cancer outcomes."
"Our study population of urban Hispanic (Dominican) and non-Hispanic Black/African American adolescent girls is critical to include in breast cancer research," added Kehm, who is also affiliated with HICCC. "These groups not only have been historically underrepresented in studies but they face higher risks of developing breast cancer at younger ages and of experiencing more aggressive subtypes. At the same time, Black and Hispanic girls consistently report lower levels of recreational physical activity than their non-Hispanic White peers."
The authors note that additional longitudinal studies are needed to determine how these adolescent biomarkers may translate into breast cancer risk later in life, and say the findings underscore the potential importance of promoting physical activity early in development.
Co-authors are : Lothar Lilge, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, and University of Toronto; E. Jane Walter, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network; Regina Santella, Melissa L. White, Julie Herbstman, and Frederica Perera, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health; and Rachel L. Miller, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The study was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, grants U01ES026122 and P30ES009089; and the National Cancer Institute, grant R00CA263024.
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Kehm, R. D., et al. (2026). Recreational physical activity and biomarkers of breast cancer risk in a cohort of adolescent girls. Breast Cancer Research. doi: 10.1186/s13058-025-02216-1. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13058-025-02216-1
Posted in: Child Health News | Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Women's Health News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn't have.
The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a years-long scheme in which it overstated how sick patients were to illegally boost revenues.
"Medicare Advantage is a vital program that must serve patients' needs, not corporate profits," said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian for the Northern District of California, in announcing the settlement.
"Fraud on Medicare costs the public billions annually, so when a health plan knowingly submits false information to obtain higher payments, everyone — from beneficiaries to taxpayers — loses," he said.
Medicare Advantage plans offer seniors a private alternative to original Medicare. The insurance plans have grown dramatically in recent years and now enroll about 34 million members, more than half of the people eligible for Medicare. About 2 million Medicare members are enrolled in KP plans.
Attorney Max Voldman, who represents whistleblower James Taylor, said the case shows the need for a "continued effort to fight fraud in health care."
"It's important to send a signal to the industry, and this number hopefully does that," he said.
Taylor, a longtime Kaiser Permanente physician, filed his suit against the company in October 2014.
"It was a long, hard-fought case," Voldman said.
The Justice Department took over his case, bundled with others, in July 2021. In court filings, the government argued the health plan "pressured" doctors in Colorado and California to add diagnoses "regardless of whether these conditions were actually considered or addressed by the physician during the patient visits," policies that violated Medicare requirements.
From 2009 through 2018, KP added roughly half a million diagnoses that generated about $1 billion in improper payments to the health plan, according to the complaint.
The government pays Medicare Advantage plans higher rates to cover sicker patients. But over the past decade, dozens of whistleblower lawsuits, government audits, and other investigations have alleged that health plans exaggerate how sick patients are to pocket payments they don't deserve, a tactic known in the industry as "upcoding."
The Justice Department alleged that Kaiser Permanente officials knew its practices were "widespread and unlawful" but that the company "ignored numerous red flags and internal warnings that it was violating" Medicare rules. In settling the case, KP did not admit any wrongdoing.
In a statement posted on its website, the company said it settled the case "to avoid the delay, uncertainty, and cost of prolonged litigation."
The company noted that other health plans had "faced similar government scrutiny" over Medicare Advantage billing practices. It said the whistleblower cases "involved a dispute about how to interpret" Medicare's billing requirements.
The civil suits were filed under the False Claims Act, a federal law that permits private citizens to sue on behalf of the government and share any money collected as a result.
In all, six whistleblowers filed cases against Kaiser Permanente. In June 2021, the District Court for the Northern District of California consolidated the cases into two, one brought by Taylor and the other by Ronda Osinek, also a former KP employee.
Osinek, who trained physicians on medical coding guidelines, filed her case in August 2013. In her suit, she alleged that Kaiser Permanente inflated claims submitted to Medicare by having doctors amend medical files, often months after a patient's visit, to slap on diagnoses that were not treated at the time or didn't exist.
Under the settlement, the whistleblowers, known as "relators," are set to receive a combined $95 million, according to the Justice Department.
The KP settlement comes on the heels of a Senate report this month that accused UnitedHealth Group of "gaming" the Medicare Advantage payment system, which is called "risk adjustment."
"My investigation has shown UnitedHealth Group appears to be gaming the system and abusing the risk adjustment process to turn a steep profit," Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said in a statement accompanying the report's release.
Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said his findings were based on a review of more than 50,000 pages of internal company documents. UnitedHealth Group disputed the findings and has long denied that its coding practice triggers improper payments.
The report cited several medical conditions that have repeatedly been linked to overbilling by Medicare Advantage plans, such as coding for opioid dependence disorder in patients who are taking their medications as directed for pain.
The Senate report also alleged that Medicare Advantage plans have improperly diagnosed dementia.
The report said that Medicare removed dementia from its list of codes in 2014 partly due to concerns over upcoding. After the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reintroduced the code in 2020, researchers found that "annual incident dementia diagnosis rates in MA increased by 11.5%" relative to traditional Medicare, the report said.
"Medicare Advantage is an important option for America's seniors, but as the program adds more patients and spends billions in taxpayer dollars, Congress has a responsibility to conduct aggressive oversight," Grassley said. "Bloated federal spending to UnitedHealth Group is not only hurting the Medicare Advantage program, it's harming the American taxpayer."
KFF Health News
Posted in: Healthcare News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
Formulatrix, a leader in laboratory automation solutions, and Spear Bio, an innovator in ultrasensitive protein biomarker detection, today announced their ongoing partnership to automate and optimize the SPEAR UltraDetect™ assay platform using the F.A.S.T.™ (Flow Axial Seal Tip) Liquid Handler.
This partnership combines Spear Bio's next-generation immunoassay technology with Formulatrix's precision automation, streamlining the SPEAR UltraDetect workflow - from sample preparation to qPCR setup – to deliver high throughput, reproducibility, and efficiency for protein biomarker analysis in life science and diagnostic research.
The SPEAR UltraDetect assay platform represents a new benchmark in ultrasensitive immunoassays for detecting protein biomarkers at attomolar concentrations in minimal volumes. Powered by Successive Proximity Extension Amplification Reaction (SPEAR) technology, this assay platform employs a two-factor authentication mechanism requiring sustained co-localization of two antibodies to generate amplifiable signal. Combined with the homogeneous, wash-free assay format, the SPEAR UltraDetect assay platform ensures exceptional specificity and zero surface-introduced interference for reliable protein detection, even at extremely low concentrations.
Compatible with standard qPCR platforms and automated liquid handling systems, the SPEAR UltraDetect platform provides scalable, high-precision results for researchers working across discovery and translational applications.
The SPEAR UltraDetect workflow with the F.A.S.T. offers customers a semi-automated solution, with set-up time of less than 20 minutes while ensuring best-in-class precision.
Key workflow enhancements include:
Together, these features empower researchers to achieve consistent, high-quality data at unprecedented speed and precision.
Our collaboration with Spear Bio demonstrates how automation can elevate the performance of next-generation assays. By pairing the F.A.S.T. system's precision with Spear Bio's cutting-edge assay design, laboratories can achieve unmatched accuracy and reproducibility in biomarker quantification.
Jeremy Stevenson, President and CEO, Formulatrix
The integration of the F.A.S.T. system into our SPEAR UltraDetect workflows has reshaped what customers can achieve. By combining automated small volume liquid handling with ultrasensitive homogenous detection, we're reducing the sample volume requirement and increasing robustness in low-abundant protein measurements for researchers worldwide. This partnership is expanding what's possible and setting a new standard for automated biomarker quantification.
Feng Xuan, Founder and CEO, Spear Bio
In validation studies, Spear Bio demonstrated that automating the SPEAR UltraDetect workflow with the F.A.S.T. system reduced hands-on time by over 80 % and improved precision to < 5 % average CV with 1 µL sample. The collaboration highlights both companies' commitment to innovation and reproducibility in molecular research.
Spear Bio
Posted in: Device / Technology News | Life Sciences News
Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:
APA
Spear Bio. (2026, January 16). Formulatrix® and Spear Bio advance automated ultrasensitive protein detection through ongoing partnership. News-Medical. Retrieved on January 16, 2026 from https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260115/Formulatrixc2aec2a0and-Spear-Bio-advance-automated-ultrasensitive-protein-detection-through-ongoing-partnership.aspx.
MLA
Spear Bio. "Formulatrix® and Spear Bio advance automated ultrasensitive protein detection through ongoing partnership". News-Medical. 16 January 2026.
Sickle cell anemia is the world's most common genetic disorder. It causes the red blood pigment hemoglobin to crystallize, which results in rigid, malformed red blood cells with a sickle shape. This impairs the cells' mobility and causes severe complications, including circulatory disorders, organ failure, a significantly shortened life expectancy and reduced quality of life - especially in children and adolescents.
The disease, which is hereditary, can be treated with hydroxyurea. When taken regularly, this drug can improve quality of life; however, it is not well tolerated by all patients. A bone marrow transplant is another possibility, but there is a lack of suitable donors and other treatments, such as gene therapies or therapeutic antibodies, come with extremely high costs. Now, an international team led by Max Gassmann, professor emeritus of veterinary physiology at the University of Zurich, is pursuing an alternative and significantly more cost-effective approach. More specifically, they are investigating the potential application of the Alzheimer's drug memantine in the treatment of sickle cell anemia, a use outside its approved indication. Memantine has been used to treat Alzheimer's disease for about 20 years, meaning it is no longer patentable.
In previous preclinical studies, researchers demonstrated that memantine has a stabilizing effect on red blood cells. They then investigated the drug's safety and tolerability in a phase II study. "In the best case, memantine would be available for the treatment of sickle cell anemia, as a well-tolerated, easy-to-store, and very cost-effective drug that is no longer patent-protected," says Max Gassmann. This would be particularly significant for countries with a high disease burden and limited resources, for example Africa or certain places in India.
A total of 17 study participants received age-appropriate doses of memantine for 12 months. The research team took several key findings from the study: the treatment was well tolerated, and more than 25 laboratory parameters confirmed the drug's safety over a period of two to three years. At the same time, a clear clinical benefit was demonstrated: both the number and duration of hospitalizations decreased significantly. Children in particular experienced fewer painful flare-ups. No serious side effects or discontinuations of the study due to the therapy itself were observed.
All patients involved in the study continued their existing hydroxyurea therapy, as discontinuing it would have been unethical. "The observed effects should therefore be interpreted as complementary to hydroxyurea," Gassmann explains. The research team is now planning a follow-up study that will, for the first time, include patients who have not received hydroxyurea treatment, in order to allow a systematic analysis of combination therapies. This approach aims to evaluate the clinical efficacy of memantine in a comprehensive and evidence-based way.
University of Zurich
Koren, A., et al. (2025). MeMAGEN: a phase IIa/IIb open-label trial of memantine testing safety and tolerability in sickle cell patients. HemaSphere. DOI: 10.1002/hem3.70278. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hem3.70278
Posted in: Medical Research News | Medical Condition News | Pharmaceutical News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
A new randomized controlled trial has found promising evidence that the smoking cessation medication varenicline (Chantix/Champix) can help people with cannabis use disorder (CUD) to reduce cannabis use. CUD is a rising problem globally, partly due to recent legalization in several countries and US states, and until now no medications have been found to treat it.
CUD is characterized by continued use of cannabis despite 'clinically significant impairment' such as ignoring important social, occupational, or recreational activities and persistent use despite physical or psychological problems associated with cannabis. Cannabis use is also associated with psychosis, sleep disorders, withdrawal, and mood and anxiety disorders.
Varenicline is an effective medication for quitting tobacco. This trial, conducted at the Medical University of South Carolina and published in Addiction, tested whether varenicline could help with CUD. Results showed it helped men reduce cannabis use, but not women. (Varenicline works equally well for both sexes as a stop-smoking aid.)
The trial included 174 participants with CUD who used cannabis at least three days per week. Participants were randomized to varenicline (working up to a dose of 1 mg twice daily) or placebo for 12 weeks. Participants also received a weekly brief medical management session to encourage their adherence to both the medication and the treatment plan.
The men in the study who received varenicline used cannabis fewer times per week than the men on placebo. Specifically, the varenicline group averaged 7.9 cannabis sessions per week during the study and 5.7 sessions in the week following the study, compared with more than 12 weekly sessions for the placebo group. The male varenicline group also used cannabis an average of 3.8 days per week, compared with 4.7 days per week for the male placebo group.
The women in the study who received varenicline did not differ in their cannabis use from the women on placebo. The varenicline group averaged just over 10 sessions per week, compared with the placebo group's 9.2 weekly sessions (which dropped to 8.2 in the week following the study). The female varenicline group used cannabis an average of 4.9 days per week, compared with 3.6 days for the female placebo group.
The female varenicline group showed higher withdrawal and craving scores and higher anxiety than any of the other groups. Perhaps connected with that, women receiving varenicline reported lower medication adherence than women receiving placebo.
Cannabis use disorder is rising quickly in the United States. Current pharmacological treatment options are very limited, and so our ability to help people reduce their cannabis use is also limited. Our study found that varenicline, a drug that helps people to reduce or stop smoking, may be effective at reducing cannabis use as well, but only for men. Our next step is to further explore varenicline for cannabis use disorder, using a larger sample size of women, to better understand this sex difference in the treatment outcome. In the meantime, we are encouraged that varenicline shows potential promise in treating this fast-growing problem."
Professor Aimee McRae-Clark, Lead Author
Society for the Study of Addiction
McRae‐Clark, A. L., et al. (2026). Varenicline for cannabis use disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Addiction. DOI: 10.1111/add.70296. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/add.70296
Posted in: Drug Trial News | Medical Condition News
Cancel reply to comment
Rosanna Zhang
In our latest interview, News-Medical speaks with Rosanna Zhang from ACROBiosystems about utilizing organoids for disease modeling in the field of neuroscience research.
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.
News-Medical.Net provides this medical information service in accordance
with these terms and conditions.
Please note that medical information found
on this website is designed to support, not to replace the relationship
between patient and physician/doctor and the medical advice they may provide.
Last Updated: Friday 16 Jan 2026
News-Medical.net - An AZoNetwork Site
Owned and operated by AZoNetwork, © 2000-2026
Your AI Powered Scientific Assistant
Hi, I'm Azthena, you can trust me to find commercial scientific answers from News-Medical.net.
To start a conversation, please log into your AZoProfile account first, or create a new account.
Registered members can chat with Azthena, request quotations, download pdf's, brochures and subscribe to our related newsletter content.
A few things you need to know before we start. Please read and accept to continue.
Please check the box above to proceed.
Great. Ask your question.
Azthena may occasionally provide inaccurate responses.
Read the full terms.
Terms
While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena
answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses.
Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or
authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for
medical information you must always consult a medical
professional before acting on any information provided.
Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with
OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their
privacy principles.
Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential
information.
Read the full Terms & Conditions.
Provide Feedback
POPULAR SEARCHES
BROWSE BY
Benjamin Cremaschi has been recognized as U.S. Soccer's Young Male Player of the Year. The award comes as a result of a standout 2025 that saw Cremaschi become just the second U.S. player to claim a Golden Boot as the leading scorer at a major youth tournament. The midfielder, who came from the Inter Miami academy, is currently on loan at Parma.
The 20-year-old midfielder's defining moments of 2025 came at the U-20 World Cup, where he served as the U.S. team's captain through their quarterfinal run. At that tournament, Cremaschi scored five goals, headlined by a three-goal, two-assist performance against New Caledonia in a 9-1 win. He then scored a brace in the Round of 16 win over Italy, setting a U.S. U-20 record for most goals in a tournament in addition to his Golden Boot win.
On the club level, Cremaschi played 22 times for Inter Miami, having broken through as the club's biggest homegrown star. This summer, though, Cremaschi departed Florida for Italy, signing on loan with Parma.
In addition, the midfielder also featured for the USMNT in January camp.
Cremaschi's win comes just one day after U.S. Soccer confirmed that Chris Richards had been recognized as the federation's Male Player of the Year.
"This award means a lot to me," Cremaschi said. "It's a representation of how my year went with my clubs and the National Team. This is an amazing accomplishment, but it also speaks to all the people around me that keep me going as a player. I want to thank my family, teammates and everyone that made this award possible. My U-20 teammates gave me the confidence I needed to be the player and leader I needed to be at the World Cup. That is a group of guys I will never forget.
"I also want to thank Marko Mitrovic – a coach I've had at many different levels with the National Team – for his belief and guidance along the way. Finally, I'm so grateful to my family, for their support and love."
Cremaschi was one of five finalists for the award, which he claimed with 38.9 percent of the weighted vote. Finishing second in that voting was Philadelphia Union starlet Cavan Sullivan, who collected 34.8 percent, while Borussia Dortmund rising star Mathis Albert came in third with 12.3 percent.
The U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year award has been given out since 1998, with Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Christian Pulisic and Gio Reyna among the past winners. Last year, Tanner Tessmann claimed the award for his run with the U.S. at the 2024 Olympics.
Cremaschi has played sparingly for Parma this season as the American midfielder adjusts to life in Serie A. In total, he's made just four Serie A appearances, although he did start a cup game against Bologna in December.
Parma, who sit 14th in Serie A, will face 15th-place Genoa on Sunday.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
In 2025, there was one women's soccer player that stood above all the rest for the United States, and she's a Cincinnati native.
U.S. Soccer announced Friday that Rose Lavelle has been voted the U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year. It's the first time she's earned the honor.
“I'm really happy for Rose, who is thriving. She's an extremely selfless person who has been through a lot of adversity,” said USWNT head coach Emma Hayes in a press release. “I think we all know that Rose is not only one of the best players in the world, but also one of the most fun to watch, and to coach, so it's very satisfying to see her recognized in this way."
Rose totaled 29.2% of the weighted vote for the honor. She was followed by Sam Coffey (23.9%) and Catarina Macario (22.3%).
Last year was a busy one for Lavelle: She played for the Stars and Stripes in her hometown for the first time since 2022 and scored two goals during the October international window. In total, Lavelle was included on the scoresheet in each match that she started.
"When I look at the past year, it feels like a testament to the support system I had, with my family, the medical staff at Gotham and with the National Team, all my teammates, coaches and friends,” said Lavelle in a press release. "I wouldn't have been in the position to even be up for the award without all of the support I received throughout the year just to get back on the field. So, this award is definitely shared with all the people I was lucky enough to have in my corner along the way.”
In November, Lavelle was named the National Women's Soccer League Championship MVP after netting the winning goal in the NWSL title game for Gotham FC.
All of that happened in a shortened campaign, after recovering from ankle surgery. She didn't play in an international match until June 26 and played in 16 of Gotham's 26 regular games, making 13 starts.
Votes for U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year are taken form coaches, players who earned a cap that year, members of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, National Women's Soccer League head coaches and select media members and administrators.
2026 will be Rose's 10th year as part of the USWNT. She's appeared in 116 matches for the United States over that time, and has an Olympic gold medal and World Cup title to her name.
The USWNT will play their first match of 2026 on Jan. 24, against Paraguay, in Carson, California. Lavelle and the U.S. will return to the Buckeye State as part of the SheBelieves Cup in March, when they take on Canada in Columbus on March 4.
Hearst Television participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.
Already midway through the first month of 2026, the soccer world is fully up and running for the World Cup year, with teams in Europe hitting midseason and MLS clubs kicking off preseasons this week.
While key U.S. men's national team players like Weston McKennie and Christian Pulisic are enjoying strong seasons and aiming for new deals at their current clubs, others are still looking to earn their spot on this summer's World Cup squad under manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Here's Sports Illustrated's look at who will look to turn heads in this weekend's action.
George Campbell will have a familiar face around West Brom for the foreseeable future, as the former Atlanta United and CF Montréal center back prepares for his debut under new manager Eric Ramsay, who arrives from Minnesota United.
The central defender has played consistently for West Brom this season under Ryan Mason, amassing 1,766 minutes across 22 matches and netting a goal and two assists. Yet, the Baggies have struggled and enter this weekend's action sitting 18th in the Championship.
Taking on second place, Middlesbrough, Campbell will have to adapt to Ramsay's system. With Minnesota, that meant significant time without the ball and more reliance on the backline to spark quick transitions, a shift from what Campbell has traditionally thrived at.
He'll take on fellow USMNT World Cup hopeful Aidan Morris.
After struggling to play a significant number of minutes for Atalanta in 2025 after joining on loan from AC Milan, Yunus Musah's role has been elevated since the calendar flipped. The 23-year-old American has played in each of the last six matches, bringing him to 12 appearances and 379 minutes across Serie A action this season.
While he has struggled at times over the last two years, he is finally starting to reap the rewards of making the shift away from one of Italy's biggest clubs and has been versatile in his usage, before a recent spell in his natural defensive midfield position.
This week sees a massive opportunity for Musah, as seventh-place Atalanta takes on 19th-place Pisa, with one club eyeing potential European qualification spots and the other in the thick of a relegation battle.
Musah has just two starts this year. Could he get another? If so, his consistency will determine if he is able to crack the USMNT's March roster.
Brenden Aaronson is one of the most in-form attackers in Europe at the moment, with two goals and two assists in his last four Premier League appearances with Leeds United. Yet, given his form comes in a months-long spell without an international camp, it's difficult to know where he genuinely stands in Pochettino's pecking order.
As such, it's critical he maintains form enough to earn a call into the March camp, which will give him an opportunity to showcase himself as a potential World Cup player and, depending on how he continues, a potential starter.
This weekend sees Aaronson's Leeds United take on Fulham in Premier League action, pitting the in-form American attacker against USMNT fullback Antonee Robinson, who has returned to an elite-level after months dealing with significant injuries.
The striker pool for the USMNT is highly competitive, but 21-year-old Damion Downs is making every effort to crack the squad in the early stages of his career. After struggling for minutes and form with Southampton, he made a loan move to the Bundesliga's Hamburger S.V. to start the year, returning to a league he previously found success in with FC Köln.
Manager Merlin Polzin threw Downs right into the starting lineup in his debut, a 2–1 loss to SC Freiburg, giving the American a level of trust and confidence rarely seen by midseason loan-player arrivals.
While he has not scored since April 2025, when he found the back of the net for Köln in a 3–1 win over Preussen Münster, he was noticeable on his debut, winning 11 duels and taking a single shot.
This weekend, Downs will look to snap his goalscoring drought as Hamburger takes on American-heavy Borussia Mönchengladbach, featuring Gio Reyna and Joe Scally.
Ben Steiner is an American-Canadian journalist who brings in-depth experience, having covered the North American national teams, MLS, CPL, NWSL, NSL and Liga MX for prominent outlets, including MLSsoccer.com, CBC Sports, and OneSoccer.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
Chelsea are set for a huge benefit from Marc Guehi's transfer to Manchester City. The Crystal Palace captain is on the verge of linking up with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad for the second half of the season and beyond, as the Cityzens look to close the gap to Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. The Gunners are six points clear of their nearest challengers, who are suffering a defensive injury crisis.
The West London club are set to benefit financially from Guehi's impending move to City, having included a sell-on clause when the defender joined Crystal Palace in 2021. The 25-year-old centre-back will complete his move to the Etihad Stadium in the coming days, with the Manchester club agreeing a £20m fee to secure his services. As part of the original deal that took Guehi from Stamford Bridge to Selhurst Park, Chelsea inserted a clause entitling them to 20% of any future transfer fee.
That provision means Chelsea are due to receive around £4m once the transfer is finalised, more than four years after Guehi left the club. City identified the England international as a priority target and moved to secure him mid-season, keen to avoid competition should he have entered the final stages of his contract. Palace head coach Oliver Glasner has also indicated the deal is nearing completion, confirming Guehi will not feature in their next match. A double blow for Eagles fans after the Austrian announced he would also be departing the club in the summer.
Speaking in a bombshell interview on Friday, Glasner said: "My latest understanding is the deal for Marc is in the final stages," Glasner said. "I cannot confirm the club's latest. It's not done. But the result is Marc doesn't play tomorrow for us. Every player, depending on their contract situation, there is a price where the club say they want to do it. When a player says they want to move, a deal happens. It looks like it happens now."
That was not the only bad news delivered by Glasner, though, as he announced his desire for a new challenge. He added: "A decision has already been taken, months ago. I had a meeting with Steve [Parish] in October, the international break. We had a very long talk, and I told him I will not sign a new contract. We agreed at the time it was the best to keep it between us. It's the best that we could do that and keep it confidential for three months. But now it's important to have clarity, and we had a very busy schedule so that's why we didn't want to talk about it. Steve and I want the best for Crystal Palace."
Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!
Guehi came through Chelsea's academy but made only two senior appearances for the club. After a loan spell at Swansea City, he was sold to Palace, where he established himself as captain and one of the Premier League's most reliable defenders. The additional income is a boost for Chelsea, whose head coach Liam Rosenior recently signed a long-term contract running until 2032 following his appointment as Enzo Maresca's successor. The extra finance will be the last link between the centre-back and the Premier League club, who always had half an eye on bringing the England international back to Stamford Bridge.
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Guehi's move to City is set to be announced in the coming days to provide some much-needed relief for Guardiola heading into the second half of the campaign. The likes of John Stones, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol are all currently missing for the club and not set to return anytime soon. The transfer represents a huge step up for Guehi, who was on the verge of joining Liverpool at the end of the summer transfer window. With City paying half of what the Reds were willing to fork out, they will feel the deal is a bargain, despite Guehi being in the final year of his contract and being available as a free agent in the summer.
by
Rose Lavelle has been named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year for 2025.
The midfielder was joined by her club teammate, Lilly Reale, who earned the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year honors. Both players feature for Gotham FC, and won the 2025 National Women's Soccer League Championship with their club.
“When I look at the past year, it feels like a testament to the support system I had, with my family, the medical staff at Gotham and with the National Team, all my teammates, coaches and friends,” Lavelle said, via a press release. “I wouldn't have been in the position to even be up for the award without all of the support I received throughout the year just to get back on the field. So, this award is definitely shared with all the people I was lucky enough to have in my corner along the way.”
For country, Lavelle made her 2025 debut for the national team on June 26, against the Republic of Ireland, after missing time due to an ankle injury. In her return back to the national team, she scored once and assisted another goal. She started five of her six USWNT appearances in 2025. She scored in two other matches: a goal 34 seconds into the match against Portugal (Oct. 26) and once against New Zealand (Oct. 29).
For Gotham FC, Lavelle started 13 of 16 regular-season appearances, scoring five goals and providing two assists. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native started all three playoff appearances and scored the game-winning goal in the NWSL Championship, in a 1-0 victory against the Washington Spirit. She earned the game's MVP honor.
Lavelle earned 29.2 percent of the ‘weighted' vote, with midfielder Sam Coffey (23.9) and forward Catarina Macario (22.3) rounding out the top three. Other nominees were defender Emily Fox and forward Alyssa Thompson.
hug if you're a 2025 U.S. Soccer Player of the Year ☺️ pic.twitter.com/LMBqZl349i
Meanwhile, Reale easily won the U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year honor with 48 percent of the ‘weighted' vote. Jordyn Bugg compiled 29.6 percent, and Micayla Johnson finished the top three with 16.1 percent of the vote. Other nominees were defender Pearl Cecil and forward Riley Tiernan.
“I am constantly reminded of how special this National Team program is when I reflect on all of the relationships, knowledge, laughs and opportunities that U.S. Soccer has given me over the years,” Reale said, via a press release. “It was this environment where I first learned what it truly took to reach the next level and just how different each person's journey will look. This year in particular has been one marked by major growth moments, joy and lots of lessons. Through it all, I feel so lucky to have been surrounded by such charismatic teammates, coaches and fans.”
“Being able to play alongside many of my role models and represent my country at the highest level is something that I'll never take for granted,” she continued. “Looking back on all the incredible players that have won this award in past years only serves as added motivation for me to strive to follow in their footsteps. Thank you to everyone who has guided me on this journey, your support really means the world!”
Reale also took home the NWSL's Rookie of the Year award, beating out Maddie Dahlien of the Seattle Reign and Tiernan of Angel City FC. She was also named to the league's Second Best XI.
Reale has been a mixture in both the U.S. senior national team and the U-23 national team. She scored twice for the U-23 team against Germany, to lead the visitors to a 2-1 victory in Europe. Reale made her U.S. senior debut on June 26 against the Republic of Ireland, where she earned her first senior assist. She also featured against Canada (July 2), New Zealand (Oct. 29) and Italy (November).
U.S. Soccer Young Player of the Year award winners receive $10,000, donated by Henkel, for a charity or organization of the winner's choosing. Real chose the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston, in her native Massachusetts.
A special announcement for a couple special players ☺️Shoutout to @GothamFC for helping us pull off the surprise 🤝 pic.twitter.com/S4jtP43ul1
It's hard, if not completely impossible, to spin the deal as a positive for...
Triple Espresso returning, USWNT honing roster and the NWSL improving
High Impact Player mechanism debate with NWSLPA signals pivotal moment for league
The season kicks off on March 13 and runs through Decision Day on Nov....
The union's second recent grievance against the NWSL alleges the league violated the CBA...
The annual match between the NWSL Champion and Shield winner from the previous season...
Sam Coffey is officially a player for Manchester City. The reported move from the...
Copyright © 2021 The Equalizer
The upcoming documentary “Unmatched: The Team That Changed the Beautiful Game” will make a bold claim: The trajectory of women's soccer and women's sports was forever altered by one University of Portland team.
Conceived and directed by filmmaker and UP alum Joe Kuffner, the film tells the story of the 2005 women's soccer team, which won a national championship and featured sports icons Megan Rapinoe and Christine Sinclair on its roster.
The project is currently being filmed, with no firm release date set, according to Kuffner.
Kuffner describes the film's storylines in three “buckets:” the team and its historic win, the alums it produced — including the leading goal scorer in international soccer history and a leading advocate of equal pay for the U.S. Women's National Team — and Portland, a city that has since embraced women's soccer.
“There's greatness on the field [and] change makers off the field in the city that supports women's soccer unlike any other place in the world,” Kuffner said. “So that's kind of like the little elevator pitch.”
A central argument of the documentary is the team's impact on the state of women's sports today. Kuffner believes the 2005 team's win spurred the next nine years of NCAA average attendance records for the program, which prepared the city for the National Women's Soccer League's (NWSL) Portland Thorns.
“This city had been primed by decades of treating women's soccer seriously,” Kuffner said. “If [the NWSL] didn't work in Portland, it couldn't work anywhere.”
Spectators converse at a women's soccer match during Megan Rapinoe's UP Athletics Hall of Fame induction night on September 28, 2024. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Crowley.
The Thorns' success then strengthened a young NWSL, turning it into the valuable enterprise it is today.
“I think you can easily make an argument that the NWSL wouldn't have lasted if it wasn't for the Portland Thorns and the support that team had early on to carry the league,” Kuffner said. “And I think you can just as easily say that the Thorns wouldn't have had that type of success without those UP teams that came before them.”
Kuffner's idea for the film was born out of creative necessity. After leading another documentary following cancer patients through clinical trials for his day job at Providence Health, he started searching for his next story around the time of Rapinoe and Sinclair's retirements from their respective international teams. Kuffner thought back to his college days at UP, where he sat in classrooms with the legendary players, and found a concept he couldn't let go of.
“I don't know if there was a single moment, but it was a sort of realization that these two incredible global icons were college teammates at this tiny school, and the buzz around the city was real,” Kuffner said. “So it was just like, ‘Oh my gosh. This is a worthy story that needs to be told. It's an underdog story. It's a story about everything.'”
Kuffner is uniquely positioned to lead the project. He not only graduated from UP in 2005 but also grew up going to UP soccer games as a kid, hanging posters of legendary female Pilots on his bedroom wall, and eventually worked in the school's marketing department post-grad.
“I was there at Merlo Field's first game when it opened,” Kuffner said. “I grew up with posters of Tiffeny Milbrett and Shannon MacMillan on my wall. So just having that deep connection, knowing all the people at the university, there's a lot of trust there.”
Director Joe Kuffner behind the scenes of "Unmatched". Photo courtesy of Caitlin Crowley.
Kuffner reached out to UP's athletics department with the film idea in early 2024, and the university has since helped connect him with sources and granted him access to records and photos, though Kuffner and his team maintain full editorial control.
Jason Brough, senior associate athletic director, received Kuffner's call and was immediately on board with the idea.
“I loved it,” Brough said. “I think, as Joe's trying to point out in the documentary, [the success of the NWSL] kind of started here, and I think the University of Portland had a lot to do with that. We're filling Pioneer Courthouse Square with the city coming out to support [the 2005 team] in the middle of December. I don't think there's any place that had more of a community buy-in.”
The documentary will include a wide-ranging cast to tell its story. So far, the “Unmatched” crew has completed 27 interviews. Along with team members and soccer personnel, they've spoken with folks like Andrew Guest, a UP professor who's researched women's soccer, and Jenny Nguyen, founder of women's sports-only sports bar, The Sports Bra, according to Kuffner.
Jen Tate, the film's producer, says one of her favorite aspects of the project is hearing about the team's bond and shared memories.
“I think each individual has their own experience, but they also have something collective that they shared,” Tate said. “Getting to hear how they describe each other and how they were each other's witness to this time and this greatness, that's a really cool thing to be able to tap into and ask someone about, like, ‘Tell me what it was like to be a part of this team, this magic.'”
One of Kuffner's stand-out memories from filming was Rapinoe's interview in September of 2024, the first conversation the crew shot. Though the team's standard is around two hours, Kuffner only had 30 minutes to interview her, as Rapinoe was in town to be inducted into the UP Athletics Hall of Fame and had a packed schedule.
As the minutes ticked by, people trickled in to watch the soccer star on camera. Rapinoe's fiancée, legendary women's basketball player Sue Bird, joined President Robert Kelly, Vice President of Athletics Scott Leykam, and Portland Magazine Editor Jessica Murphy Moo in “crashing” the interview. The pressure was on as Kuffner navigated the moment.
“I was like, ‘Oh my God. I hope I don't sound like a total idiot,'” Kuffner said. “But it was great. Megan really is that same person that I knew when I was a student. She's obviously a high-profile person, but she's very generous.”
Though “Unmatched” is a soccer film, Tate, who is not a big soccer fan herself, feels strongly that it can impact people from all walks of life.
“This [team] is so important to this small group of people but so relatable, almost on a global level,” Tate said. “Anyone who hears the story will be like, ‘Oh yeah, we're gonna root for these underdogs.'”
While the documentary has no release date, the “Unmatched” team is aiming to complete filming this spring and hopes for a final cut by the end of 2026, in time for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027, according to Tate.
The crew's next step is fundraising for post-production, seeking donations, grants and investors to hasten the film's progress. They've already won an Impact Grant from Oregon Film and an Amplify Portland Grant from the Portland Events & Film Office, according to Kuffner.
Once the film reaches the public, Tate's goals for its impact are multifaceted. She says she loves the idea of creating “Portland heroes” for kids in the area through the stories of these players, and she sees value in creating something that positively depicts Portland as the city faces nationwide scrutiny.
Megan Rapinoe interacts with fans during her UP Athletics Hall of Fame induction night. Photo courtesy of Caitlin Crowley.
She also wants “Unmatched” to be a feel-good experience that feels like an “easy choice” for anyone.
“I love the idea of the easy – ‘Oh, this is what we're watching together as family tonight' — because it's good for the soul,'” Tate said.
Kuffner hopes “Unmatched” reminds fans of their memories on Merlo Field and encourages more turnout for the Pilots, though the college sports landscape and the team's success has changed.
“This is kind of a cheesy answer, but I genuinely hope that women's soccer fans in Portland watch this and remember how fun it was to come to games at UP [because] the business of college sports is so different now,” Kuffner said. “Maybe they're not top-five ranked or going to the Final Four every year. But [Merlo Field] is a beautiful place to see a game. I really hope that people remember how fun it was and come back.”
Maggie Dapp is the Editor-In-Chief of The Beacon. She can be reached at dapp26@up.edu.
by Audrey Day
, by Rieve Randall
and by Kaeden Souki
by Brady McCracken
by Clara Pehling
‘Unmatched: The Team That Changed the Beautiful Game' tells story of legendary Pilots women's soccer team
COLUMN: Fall sports roundUP
STAFF OPINION: How tidying can help you take back control
The Student Voice Of The University of Portland Since 1935
The Student Voice of the University of Portland Since 1935
Manage your account
...
Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Gotham FC and United States Women's National Team midfielder Rose Lavelle was voted the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, the federation announced Friday.
Lavelle, 30, helped lead Gotham FC to the NWSL secure a second league title in three years in 2025. She recorded five goals and two assists over the Bats' final nine regular-season matches.
She also scored the decisive goal in the Bat's NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit. Lavelle received NWSL Championship MVP honors for her efforts.
Lavelle is the only player to score in a World Cup final and two NWSL Championship games.
"When I look at the past year, it feels like a testament to the support system I had, with my family, the medical staff at Gotham and with the national team, all my teammates, coaches and friends," Lavelle said in a news release.
"I wouldn't have been in the position to even be up for the award without all of the support I received throughout the year just to get back on the field. So, this award is definitely shared with all the people I was lucky enough to have in my corner along the way."
Defender Lilly Reale, Lavelle's Gotham FC teammate, earned 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year honors.
Votes for the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year are collected through coaches, current and former players and administrators and media members.
Earlier this week, United States Men's National Team defender Chris Richards was named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. And midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi was named 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.
The U.S. women will take on Paraguay in an international friendly Jan. 24 in Carson, Calif. They will meet Chile in another friendly Jan. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Americans will open SheBelieves Cup play against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville.
The U.S. men will take on Belgium in a friendly March 28 in Atlanta. They will start World Cup play against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Gotham FC and United States Women's National Team midfielder Rose Lavelle was voted the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, the federation announced Friday.
Lavelle, 30, helped lead Gotham FC to the NWSL secure a second league title in three years in 2025. She recorded five goals and two assists over the Bats' final nine regular-season matches.
She also scored the decisive goal in the Bat's NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit. Lavelle received NWSL Championship MVP honors for her efforts.
Lavelle is the only player to score in a World Cup final and two NWSL Championship games.
Related
Spirit's Trinity Rodman injures leg on day of USWNT call-up
Rose Lavelle 'delights' USWNT with goal, assist in return vs. Ireland
National Women's Soccer League to establish $5 million restitution fund for players
"When I look at the past year, it feels like a testament to the support system I had, with my family, the medical staff at Gotham and with the national team, all my teammates, coaches and friends," Lavelle said in a news release.
"I wouldn't have been in the position to even be up for the award without all of the support I received throughout the year just to get back on the field. So, this award is definitely shared with all the people I was lucky enough to have in my corner along the way."
Defender Lilly Reale, Lavelle's Gotham FC teammate, earned 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year honors.
Votes for the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year are collected through coaches, current and former players and administrators and media members.
Earlier this week, United States Men's National Team defender Chris Richards was named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. And midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi was named 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.
The U.S. women will take on Paraguay in an international friendly Jan. 24 in Carson, Calif. They will meet Chile in another friendly Jan. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Americans will open SheBelieves Cup play against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville.
The U.S. men will take on Belgium in a friendly March 28 in Atlanta. They will start World Cup play against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a look at recent winners
Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Gotham FC and United States Women's National Team midfielder Rose Lavelle was voted the 2025 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, the federation announced Friday.
Lavelle, 30, helped lead Gotham FC to the NWSL secure a second league title in three years in 2025. She recorded five goals and two assists over the Bats' final nine regular-season matches.
She also scored the decisive goal in the Bat's NWSL Championship win over the Washington Spirit. Lavelle received NWSL Championship MVP honors for her efforts.
Lavelle is the only player to score in a World Cup final and two NWSL Championship games.
Related
Spirit's Trinity Rodman injures leg on day of USWNT call-up
Rose Lavelle 'delights' USWNT with goal, assist in return vs. Ireland
National Women's Soccer League to establish $5 million restitution fund for players
"When I look at the past year, it feels like a testament to the support system I had, with my family, the medical staff at Gotham and with the national team, all my teammates, coaches and friends," Lavelle said in a news release.
"I wouldn't have been in the position to even be up for the award without all of the support I received throughout the year just to get back on the field. So, this award is definitely shared with all the people I was lucky enough to have in my corner along the way."
Defender Lilly Reale, Lavelle's Gotham FC teammate, earned 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Female Player of the Year honors.
Votes for the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year are collected through coaches, current and former players and administrators and media members.
Earlier this week, United States Men's National Team defender Chris Richards was named the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year. And midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi was named 2025 U.S. Soccer Young Male Player of the Year.
The U.S. women will take on Paraguay in an international friendly Jan. 24 in Carson, Calif. They will meet Chile in another friendly Jan. 27 in Santa Barbara, Calif.
The Americans will open SheBelieves Cup play against Argentina on March 1 in Nashville.
The U.S. men will take on Belgium in a friendly March 28 in Atlanta. They will start World Cup play against Paraguay on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
LAD Entertainment
LAD Stories
Home> News> World News
James Moorhouse
FIFA has issued a statement about the upcoming World Cup as Donald Trump's travel ban continues to throw things into chaos.
It was always likely to be an unforgettable summer of football as soon as the US were confirmed as joint hosts with Mexico and Canada, and last summer's Club World Cup only added fuel to that fire.
Trump even famously crashed Chelsea's medal proceedings after they won the tournament. The US president also left members of the Juventus squad baffled during a trip to the White House, discussing bombing Iran with the Italian side.
The 79-year-old has made it clear that he doesn't want people from certain countries visiting to the US, taking the total tally to 75 this week, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously explained the slightly crazy reasoning behind the bans.
Advert
In a strong-worded post on X, she wrote: "I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
The travel ban comes into place just a few months before the tournament is set to begin, with fans of Iran, who boycotted the draw and Haiti, for whom this is a first ever World Cup, already told that they won't be able to attend.
And after Trump added a hefty amount more of countries to his list, the fans of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Uruguay may just have had their plans thrown into doubt.
Senegal and the Ivory Coast are under partial travel bans while the other eight countries on that list have had their immigrant visa processing suspended.
Meanwhile, Iraq, Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also feature on the list, and they could still qualify for the tournament through playoff fixtures.
As things stand, this doesn't apply to travel visas, meaning that they can currently still visit for the summer's tournament but they will no doubt have to be extremely stringent when flying over if they don't want to find themselves in serious trouble.
FIFA has now issued a press release with an update on ticket sales, warning fans that a match ticket doesn't guarantee you entry to the country.
"A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country's government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States," FIFA's press release states.
"Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.
"FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks."
Iranian fans will also be prohibited from visiting Canada, although that is currently the only World Cup nation on the countries travel ban list.
Even with how chaotic the World Cup draw was, fans from these countries will no doubt be devastated about the possibility of not seeing their sides play on football's biggest stage.
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Iran, US News, World Cup, Politics
James is a NCTJ Gold Standard journalist covering a wide range of topics and news stories for LADbible. After two years in football writing, James switched to covering news with Newsquest in Cumbria, before joining the LAD team in 2025. In his spare time, James is a long-suffering Rochdale fan and loves reading, running and music. Contact him via [email protected]
@JimmyMoorhouse
Advert
Advert
Advert
LAD Entertainment
LAD Stories
Home> News> World News
James Moorhouse
FIFA has issued a statement about the upcoming World Cup as Donald Trump's travel ban continues to throw things into chaos.
It was always likely to be an unforgettable summer of football as soon as the US were confirmed as joint hosts with Mexico and Canada, and last summer's Club World Cup only added fuel to that fire.
Trump even famously crashed Chelsea's medal proceedings after they won the tournament. The US president also left members of the Juventus squad baffled during a trip to the White House, discussing bombing Iran with the Italian side.
The 79-year-old has made it clear that he doesn't want people from certain countries visiting to the US, taking the total tally to 75 this week, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously explained the slightly crazy reasoning behind the bans.
Advert
In a strong-worded post on X, she wrote: "I just met with the President. I am recommending a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies.
“Our forefathers built this nation on blood, sweat, and the unyielding love of freedom — not for foreign invaders to slaughter our heroes, suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars, or snatch the benefits owed to AMERICANS. WE DON'T WANT THEM. NOT ONE.”
The travel ban comes into place just a few months before the tournament is set to begin, with fans of Iran, who boycotted the draw and Haiti, for whom this is a first ever World Cup, already told that they won't be able to attend.
And after Trump added a hefty amount more of countries to his list, the fans of Senegal, Ivory Coast, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Uruguay may just have had their plans thrown into doubt.
Senegal and the Ivory Coast are under partial travel bans while the other eight countries on that list have had their immigrant visa processing suspended.
Meanwhile, Iraq, Jamaica and the Democratic Republic of the Congo also feature on the list, and they could still qualify for the tournament through playoff fixtures.
As things stand, this doesn't apply to travel visas, meaning that they can currently still visit for the summer's tournament but they will no doubt have to be extremely stringent when flying over if they don't want to find themselves in serious trouble.
FIFA has now issued a press release with an update on ticket sales, warning fans that a match ticket doesn't guarantee you entry to the country.
"A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country's government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States," FIFA's press release states.
"Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.
"FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks."
Iranian fans will also be prohibited from visiting Canada, although that is currently the only World Cup nation on the countries travel ban list.
Even with how chaotic the World Cup draw was, fans from these countries will no doubt be devastated about the possibility of not seeing their sides play on football's biggest stage.
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Iran, US News, World Cup, Politics
James is a NCTJ Gold Standard journalist covering a wide range of topics and news stories for LADbible. After two years in football writing, James switched to covering news with Newsquest in Cumbria, before joining the LAD team in 2025. In his spare time, James is a long-suffering Rochdale fan and loves reading, running and music. Contact him via [email protected]
@JimmyMoorhouse
Advert
Advert
Advert
Everything Alexandria
Soccer fans in Alexandria are in for a treat, as the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) has announced it will be staying in Alexandria during the FIFA World Cup this summer.
The team's base camp will be in Alexandria, where players will stay at the AKA Hotel at 625 First Street in Old Town and train at Episcopal High School as they participate in the World Cup. Games will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Jun. 11 through July 19.
Team representatives selected Alexandria after analyzing more than 60 locations and touring eight “potential camps” in the northeastern U.S. and Canada, after which Head Coach Zlatko Dalić and staff “unanimously agreed that Alexandria was the best choice,” HNS announced in a press release yesterday (Thursday).
“Alexandria offers us the best combination of an excellent training centre and a comfortable hotel, with immediate proximity to the airport and a good geographical position in relation to the cities where we will play our group-stage matches,” Technical Director Stipe Pletikosa said. “From a sporting perspective, which is always our top priority, we will have truly top-class conditions at Episcopal High School — from the pitches and fitness facilities to recovery areas — so there were very few doubts.”
In a social media video this morning, Mayor Alyia Gaskins said the city is planning a lineup of “amazing events” with the arrival of HNS. Visit Alexandria, the city's official tourism organization, confirmed to ALXnow that it was involved in the team's decision and will release more details at a later date.
Gaskins also celebrated, saying it was “a huge opportunity, and we're so excited to welcome such an amazing and talented team.”
A post shared by Alyia Gaskins (@alyia4alx)
“[It's] an opportunity for the team and fans to get to know our city, and for us to get to know more about their Croatian culture and to celebrate and cheer them on throughout the World Cup,” Gaskins said.
In the announcement, the team noted the AKA Hotel's positive reviews and “multiple awards for its modern design,” “excellent facilities” and close proximity to Reagan National Airport, which is a 6-minute drive away.
Nearby Episcopal High School's training center offers a “high-end fitness facility” with a running track, cardio equipment, a gym and recovery facilities including hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, electrical stimulation and ultrasound for the team's usage.
“Based on everything we heard and saw, Alexandria was the best option for us, and I am pleased that we managed to secure this location,” Dalić said. “There are many factors that make a good base camp and that we took into account—from the conditions at the training center, the quality of the hotel, geographic location, distance from the airport, privacy, and surroundings—and in all aspects, Alexandria offers the best combination of these factors.”
“Of course, the overall impression of a camp is ultimately shaped by results, so I hope Alexandria will remain in our memories just as fondly as ‘Forest Rhapsody' in Russia or the Hilton in Doha,” the coach added.
Photo via Hrvatski nogometni savez /Facebook.
Katie Taranto is a site editor and reporter at ALXnow. She previously covered local businesses at ARLnow and K-12 education at The Columbia Missourian. She is originally from Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.
Dr. Martin Luther King Celebration
Read More
STM, a Catholic PreK-8th grade school, is hosting an Open House for families applying for 2026-2027 (and beyond)
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Read More
Alexandria, VA
©2026 Copyright Local News Now LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Save now on essential digital access to trusted FT journalism on any device. Savings based on monthly annualised price.
Then $75 per month. Complete digital access to quality FT journalism on any device. Cancel or change your plan anytime during your trial.
Complete digital access with exclusive insights and industry deep dives on any device.
Delivery Monday - Saturday, including FT Weekend and FT Digital Edition: all the content of the FT newspaper on any device. Savings based on annual price.
Check whether you already have access via your university or organisation.
Terms & Conditions apply
Discover all the plans currently available in your country
Digital access for organisations. Includes exclusive features and content.
See why over a million readers pay to read the Financial Times.
Manchester United legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has officially secured a prestigious return to international coaching. Following his departure from Old Trafford and a recent managerial stint at Leicester City, the former prolific striker joins Ronald Koeman's Netherlands backroom staff. He aims to bolster the Oranje attack ahead of the World Cup this summer, marking his third spell with the national side as they prepare for the global stage.
Van Nistelrooy is set to make a high-profile return to the international stage, having been confirmed as the new assistant coach for the Netherlands national team. The 49-year-old will officially join the technical staff on February 1, tasked with aiding head coach Koeman in the crucial months leading up to the World Cup this coming summer. This appointment marks a significant shift for Van Nistelrooy, who has spent recent periods navigating the volatile waters of English club management.
The move comes after a turbulent period in the Premier League for the Dutchman. Having served as an assistant and interim head coach at Manchester United following Erik ten Hag's sacking and subsequently holding the reins as the manager of Leicester City, Van Nistelrooy has opted to bring his expertise back to his homeland. He had been regarded as an option to take over as United boss again following Ruben Amorim's recent sacking, but the Red Devils opted to hire Michael Carrick instead.
The former striker is being brought in to provide specific expertise that only a forward of his calibre possesses. By returning to the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB), Van Nistelrooy steps away from the day-to-day grind of club management to focus on tournament football, a format where intensity and preparation are paramount.
With this appointment, the technical staff of the Dutch national team has been significantly strengthened. Van Nistelrooy joins an already experienced team that includes Erwin Koeman and Wim Jonk, bringing the total number of assistants to three. However, Van Nistelrooy's remit appears to be distinct. Ronald Koeman has highlighted the specific value the former Real Madrid and PSV star brings, particularly regarding the development of the squad's attacking options.
"Ruud has shown that he can really add something to our staff with his own style and vision of football," Koeman stated regarding the appointment. "He knows the laws of football at the very highest level. Because of his background as a striker, he can also assist our attackers individually. There are multiple reasons why he is a very valuable addition to us."
Van Nistelrooy's ability to connect with players, combined with his "personality and approach," as noted by Koeman, suggests he will act as a vital bridge between the squad and the senior management.
This is not Van Nistelrooy's first venture into international coaching, nor is it his first time sitting on the Dutch bench. This will be his third tenure as an assistant for Oranje following his illustrious playing career. He previously served in the role between 2014 and 2016, working under Guus Hiddink and Danny Blind, and later returned to the setup for the European Championship in 2021.
His CV as a player is undeniably world class, boasting 70 caps and 35 goals for his country, along with a club career that saw him dominate defences across Europe for PSV, United and Madrid. After hanging up his boots, Van Nistelrooy diligently worked his way up through the PSV academy as a youth coach before taking the top job in Eindhoven before later following Ten Hag to Old Trafford.
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
With the World Cup on the horizon, the KNVB is leaving nothing to chance. Nigel de Jong, the director of top football, explained that the expansion of the staff is a direct response to the rigours of a major tournament. "A final tournament places high demands on both staff and players," De Jong remarked. "We not only want to continue delivering quality during that period, but also guarantee sufficient individual attention for players."
For Van Nistelrooy, the opportunity to represent his country on the world stage again is a privilege he does not take lightly. "Returning to Oranje in this role and representing the Netherlands with this staff and talented group of players is a huge honour and a wonderful challenge for me," he said. "The fact that this is also happening on the stage of a World Cup makes it extra special. With my experience in various roles, including that of assistant, I know this position is a perfect fit for me. I look forward to making a valuable contribution and contributing to a successful tournament."
Harry Kane has, as a complete forward that blends goal-scoring with ball-playing, been compared to Toni Kroos and Kevin De Bruyne by Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany. England captain Kane is all about hitting the net - an artform that he has mastered down the years - but his remarkable numbers in the final third also include plenty of assists.
The 32-year-old frontman has teed up four efforts for grateful team-mates this season, while finding the target on 31 occasions himself across all competitions. Records have continued to tumble around the most prolific of No.9s.
Kane has always prided himself on being a team player, with the former Tottenham striker happy to drop deep and bring others into play. He still spends enough time in the box that allows a sensational strike rate to be maintained.
He is a talismanic presence for club and country, with Bayern and England looking to him for inspiration. Kane rarely disappoints, with his historic tally of goals for the Three Lions being taken to 78 through 112 appearances. At Bayern, the target has been found on 116 occasions across 123 games.
Kompany is delighted to have a modern day legend working under him at the Allianz Arena, with there few flaws that can be spotted in Kane's game. He is a playmaker as much as goalscorer, with his skill set considered to be comparable with World Cup-winning former Real Madrid midfielder Kroos and Manchester City icon De Bruyne - who is now on the books of Serie A champions Napoli.
Kompany has said: “All of our players have a lot of freedom in their position. Harry is allowed to move freely, in the box and behind it. This isn't just about tactics, but about adapting to the respective game. He sometimes has passes in him like Toni Kroos and Kevin De Bruyne. But in the end, he always has to be in the penalty area.”
Looking for smarter football bets? Get expert previews, data-driven predictions & winning insights with GOAL Tips on Telegram. Join our growing community now!
Kane has, during the 2025-26 campaign, become the quickest player to register 100 goal contributions in the Bundesliga. He reached that milestone in just 78 matches - with ex-Bayern winger Arjen Robben now second on that list having required 119 games to hit the same mark.
Kane's fabled trophy curse was lifted in 2024-25 when becoming a title winner in Germany and is now looking to chase down more major honours at home abroad - having also savoured Super Cup success. Kompany is determined to aid that quest.
He has said of the record books being rewritten: “He won two titles this year for the first time in his career. So I think he has a lot of individual records. He'll keep having a lot of individual records because he's a special player. But I think that now the most important for him is to keep winning titles. We are putting ourselves in good positions and that's important and he plays a big part of course.”
Kane said of his latest achievement: “Extremely proud, obviously. I think it's been entirely of the commitment that I put in every day and the work that I put in, also to the team-mates, to the coaching staff who keep making me better, keep making me improve. And yeah, look, I don't focus too much on these things, but when they happen, I just look forward to bringing on the next one. So let's see how quick we can get the next 100.”
Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting
Kane is considered to set the benchmark for central strikers, with former England international Fraizer Campbell having told GOAL of why the most reliable of finishers may be the best of the lot. He said: “He's right up there with the best of them. [Robert] Lewandowski is probably a similar kind of player to him. He's just as good, if not better than him.
“It's credit to him. He's gone from being on the bench at Leicester in the Championship to being the world's best No.9. His numbers and goals don't lie, and you don't do that by chance - it's by working hard, dedication and continuing to do what you do best, hitting the back of the net week in, week out. He's definitely one of the all-time greats, in my opinion.”
Bayern, who remain unbeaten in the league this season and are 11 points clear at the top of the table, will be back in Bundesliga action on Saturday when playing host to RB Leipzig. Kane will hope to be on target there, while also continuing his countdown to the 2026 World Cup finals - with the potential there for GOAT status to be earned with the Three Lions.
Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Swipe for next article
Many England fans have had to commit to World Cup tickets after Fifa's deadline for initial applications passed on Tuesday, though how much they'll have to pay - whether $60 or $7,000 - is still unknown
Removed from bookmarks
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
The deadline for initial World Cup ticket applications passed on Tuesday, with many England fans having no idea what they'll end up paying, despite having to commit. The difference could end up thousands of dollars, but they now can't cancel.
Some fans eligible for the limited $60 "category 4" tickets will still be sitting near relatives in the same section facing thousands of dollars of difference. There have been many similar stories. A number of supporters naturally rushed to book already expensive hotels and flights when the schedule was confirmed on 6 December, only to make the difficult decision to cancel once prices were actually announced a few days later. A new system, that represents an inexplicable shift from all recent tournaments, has ensured some tickets have gone to five times the price of Qatar. The initial backlash forced Fifa into a minor climbdown, where 10 percent of tickets for all qualified teams - the Participating Member Associations (PMA) - were brought into a fixed $60 “category 4”. There's an immense jump to category 3.
Discussion groups involving members of the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) feature comments like “obscene”, “blatant exploitation”, a “preying on loyalty and the feeling this is priceless” and ultimately: “Fifa can stick it. They've ruined the best tournament in the world.”
All of which represents a doubt and uncertainty that cuts a very different tone to Fifa's bombastic press release about “500 million ticket requests” and how this set “a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport”.
Supporter groups have nevertheless expressed cynicism at those figures, and the manner they escalated over the 33-day application period, despite Fifa stating that unique credit card data has been used for validation.
Such claims don't mesh with experience on the ground. Data from Football Supporters Europe (FSE) - who represent fan groups across the continent - suggests that the level of interest is comparable with Qatar. That tournament barely saw any major fan group travel outside Argentina, Mexico, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. That might end up a concern given that Fifa said on Tuesday the highest number of applications outside the hosts came from Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
It is certainly a concern as regards how this tournament will feel, look and sound, and whether there will be enough emotionally invested fans to create the atmosphere that really amplifies a World Cup. Essentially, what Argentina brought to 2014 and 2022.
Fans who actually have confirmed orders laugh wryly at the Fifa sign-off - typically underneath figures reaching around $7,000, potentially breaching many credit limits before hotels and flights - that reads: “Thanks for being a true fan!”
Such marketing speak was echoed by president Gianni Infantino in Tuesday's statement: “I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response. Knowing how much this tournament means to people around the world, our only regret is that we cannot welcome every fan inside the stadiums.”
Except, this gratitude is apparently expressed in prices that ensure only a certain tax band can actually afford to be welcomed inside the stadiums, in a system that doesn't seem to truly recognise this “meaning”.
As written in The Independent before, the entire story articulates a central tension in 2026 football, which is that between its cultural importance and the will to make it a mere entertainment commodity. Fifa, officially a not-for-profit charity, seem to very much be leaning towards the latter.
Duly, there is a deepening anger at the lack of attention to a genuine social issue within this. The Independent has already reported how the normally protected accessibility tickets are appearing on Fifa's own resale site at six times the price, amid the controversy that carers will also be charged in a decision that goes against the body's own statutes on human rights.
By Tuesday's deadline, fans requiring accessibility tickets had no idea if they were paying $60, or if their carer will be forced to pay thousands more. The extra cost was last week criticised by Level Playing Field for fostering further “exclusion”, as they also accused Fifa of a “delay and ignore” approach in so far neglecting to answer FSE questions.
Those within Fifa privately stress that the US hosting has thrown up more legal complications than any previous World Cup, especially with how legislation prevents requests for proof of disability, leading to the current system.
Fan groups counter that this is another case of “a pinch of truth being expanded to justify the whole ticketing policy”. They argue that Fifa knew all of this years in advance, so could have come up with multiple different solutions or guardrails, and that there's nothing to prevent making a companion ticket free of charge or putting accessibility in the cheapest category.
They proffer that the same applies to the ongoing debate over the US “secondary market” - in other words, legalised touting - that Fifa insiders say “throws up completely new challenges than anything we've faced before”.
Again, multiple proactive solutions were possible, including protecting PMA tickets from transfer. There's instead a feeling that Fifa are just seeking to earn resale differences themselves rather than tackle the issue.
That runs alongside ongoing frustration that the FA are not more outspoken on behalf of England fans. The body's general stance is that the idiosyncratic top-down nature of football politics means they can be most effective raising issues behind the scenes. It's understood the FA did relay concerns to Fifa amid the initial backlash, and that this played a part in the creation of category 4 tickets.
Except, the highly limited number has created a headache for the FA, as travelling fans who fall just outside the caps needed for $60 tickets face ballots to see whether they are in the much more expensive category 2 rather than 3. Such fans pay £70 every two years to be a member of the ESTC and generally go to at least 11 away games over four years, in the hope such loyalty will be rewarded, only to be faced with what they feel is “exploitation”.
That has fostered further frustration with the FA strategy, and questions like “what results can they actually point to?” Ultimately, the big nations have never even tried to properly challenge Infantino's Fifa as a bloc.
For the FA's part, they have been more proactive than many counterparts, amid a lament that the initial backlash has waned. Belgium and Denmark have instead parroted Fifa's lines about raising money for the global game and the need to conform to the US market.
Such responses also cut to the core of all this, Fifa's power structure, and how it was decided. Pricing ultimately came from those close to Infantino, with very little information dispersed - even to the Fifa Council.
When pressed, insiders ultimately resort to those same justifications: raising money for the game, and “demand”.
That's despite Fifa's immense surpluses coming from the old pricing system, and the key point that they just do not have to concern themselves with demand. What's more, no previous World Cup has conformed to the host market.
But what of the future? As one senior official said, “the sad part is that it's probably done”. In other words, the prices are set for this tournament. Just one of many further questions is what happens if it's a commercial success.
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Home> Football> Football News> FIFA World Cup
Ryan Smart
FIFA have issued a statement on the status of the 2026 World Cup after Donald Trump placed indefinite visa processing suspensions on more nations.
Trump has issued a series of updated travel bans to certain foreign nations across his second term in the White House beginning January 2025.
These range from full travel bans, partial travel bans and immigrant visa suspensions.
There are exemptions for the vast majority of countries on the list, including the ability of a 'small subset of travellers', including athletes, to travel to 'major sporting events'.
Advert
That means that the likes of Iran and Haiti - who are both on the full ban list - can still send their players, coaches and support staff to the United States for the 2026 World Cup.
Senegal and Ivory Coast, meanwhile, are under partial travel bans.
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Trump administration would suspend immigrant visa processing for a total of 75 countries.
They include eight World Cup nations - Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Ghana, Jordan, Morocco, Tunisia and Uruguay.
Those suspensions do not apply to travel visas - meaning fans from the affected countries can still travel to the US for the World Cup as things stand.
Also on Wednesday, FIFA issued a press release containing updates on ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup.
They state that fans from all 211 of its member nations submitted ticket requests between December 11 and January 13, during their Random Selection Draw ticket sales phase.
The statement adds that fans placed 'an average of 15 million ticket requests per day over the 33-day application window', and that it has succeeded in 'setting a new benchmark for demand in the history of world football'.
A paragraph towards the end of the statement, however, notes that possessing a match ticket does not necessarily guarantee entry to host nations United States, Canada or Mexico.
Canada has a travel ban list featuring six nations, but this only relates to travel to that particular country. Out of the 48 nations competing in the World Cup, only Iran feature on the list.
"A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each country's government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States," FIFA's press release states.
"Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible.
"FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks."
Topics: FIFA, Donald Trump, FIFA World Cup, Football
Live in constant hope of the top flight as a Preston North End fan. Written in the past for SPORF, GiveMeSport and more.
Advert
Advert
Advert
Log in
Subscribe Now
Region
Search
Top News
Podcasts
Connections: Sports Edition
Dodgers Sign Kyle Tucker
NFL
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Fantasy
NFL Odds
NFL Picks
NFL Draft
Podcasts
Scoop City Newsletter
Playoff Schedule
Divisional Round Analysis
NFL Draft Order
Brugler Mock Draft
NCAAF
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Podcasts
Newsletter
Recruiting
Odds
Picks
Indiana-Miami Preview
Portal QB Rankings
CFP Odds
New Coach Grades
NBA
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
The Bounce Newsletter
NBA Draft
Podcasts
Fantasy
NBA Odds
NBA Picks
Aldridge: Journalism Worth Defending
Vecenie: Trades I'd Like To See
Trades To Undo
Trade Deadline News
MLB
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Podcasts
The Windup Newsletter
Fantasy
MLB Prospects
MLB Odds
MLB Picks
Top 50 Free Agents
Way-Too-Early Power Rankings
NHL
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Podcasts
Fantasy
NHL Odds
NHL Picks
Team Projections
Red Light Newsletter
Trade Deadline News
NCAAM
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Bracket
Standings
Podcasts
Olympics
Home
Team USA Women's Hockey Roster
Team USA Hockey Roster
Team Canada Hockey Roster
NCAAW
Home
Scores & Schedule
Bracket
Standings
Podcasts
Tennis
Home
WNBA
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Podcasts
Fantasy Football
Home
NFL Home
Scoop City
Betting
Discord
2026 Men's World Cup
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Premier League
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Fantasy
The Athletic FC Newsletter
Podcasts
Golf
Home
Coming Soon to Your Inbox
Global Sports
College Sports
Soccer
Women's Soccer
Home
NWSL Schedule
Full Time Newsletter
Podcasts
NWSL
Women's World Cup
USWNT
College Sports
MLS
Home
Teams
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Podcasts
NWSL
Home
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Full Time newsletter
Podcasts
Peak
Formula 1
Home
Prime Tire newsletter
Schedule
Standings
McLaren
Ferrari
Red Bull
Mercedes
Aston Martin
Alpine
Haas
Racing Bulls
Williams
Sauber
Sports Business
Home
MoneyCall Newsletter
Sailing
Opinion
Home
Betting
Home
Fantasy Football
Odds
NFL Picks
UK Betting
Fantasy Baseball
Home
MLB Home
Rates & Barrels
Betting
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Hockey
Top 50 Prospects
Terminology
Memorabilia and Collectibles
Culture
Home
Motorsports
Home
Podcasts
NASCAR
Women's Hockey
Home
Scores & Schedule
Standings
Teams
MMA
Home
Boxing
Home
Paul vs. Joshua Live
The Pulse Newsletter
Cities
College Betting Scandal
Harbaugh Nears Giants Deal
National Championship Confidential
Today's Pulse Newsletter
Connections: Sports Edition
World Cup
FIFA president Gianni Infantino and the World Cup trophy Roberto Schmidt / AFP / Getty Images
“BREAKING NEWS,” Gianni Infantino crowed on Instagram, before the news release had even dropped. “UNBELIEVABLE.” He was trumpeting a number, 500 million — up from 350 million last week and 150 million late last month — the number of requests that FIFA claims it received for 2026 World Cup tickets.
“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand — it's a global statement,” Infantino, FIFA's president, said.
But what he didn't say, and what FIFA won't say, is the story.
Advertisement
They have given us a big, round number. But it's somewhat empty, or at least difficult to interpret, without more specific numbers — and namely, a breakdown of how those 500 million requests are distributed across the World Cup's 104 matches.
Of course, there is “unprecedented” interest in the tournament as a whole, and especially in a few dozen high-profile matches. The question is whether there's immense interest in, say, Uruguay vs. Saudi Arabia — and, more importantly, whether FIFA's prices have dampened that interest.
That there would be huge demand for 2026 World Cup games has long been obvious. With more teams and more games than ever before, in massive North American stadiums — most of them in the world's richest and most diverse country — the tournament was always going to smash records. The 1994 World Cup in the U.S. remains the attendance standard-bearer, and that was with 24 teams. The 2026 field is twice as large.
But the “statement” that Infantino and FIFA want the 500 million figure to make is more extensive. Every announcement boasting “soaring global demand” — from the 5 million ticket requests in this application window's first 24 hours to the 500 million in total — has come amid an uproar over prices. The statement, implicitly, is that despite all the criticism, people are willing to pay these prices; that demand is overwhelming supply; and that, if anything, World Cup tickets are actually underpriced.
In some cases, that statement is clearly valid. The “over 500 million” requests make it resounding. FIFA could, in fact, have charged much more for Portugal vs. Colombia or for any of Mexico's matches. It could have even charged more than its current $8,680, $5,575 and $4,185 price points for the World Cup final.
But what about $500, $400 and $180 for Egypt vs. Iran? Or $450, $380 and $140 for Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast? Or, heck, $2,735, $1,940 and $1,120 for U.S. vs. Paraguay? Are there millions of requests for those matches?
Advertisement
The big, round number — “a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport,” FIFA said — suggests that stadiums will be full and demand is sufficient across the board.
But it's also entirely possible that a vast majority of the 500 million requests are for, say, the 30 most attractive games, while others are undersubscribed. The Athletic has asked FIFA for match-by-match numbers; the global soccer governing body hasn't provided them.
So, it's plausible that there are 50 million requests for Colombia-Portugal alone, because, well, if you can afford to invest $265 (the Category 3 price) in that game, why wouldn't you apply — knowing that, even if you can't attend, you could almost certainly resell your ticket for well over $1,000?
And while you're at it, why wouldn't you apply for all 43 games whose get-in price (cheapest ticket) on the secondary market right now is over $600, per TicketData.com?
America's unregulated resale market — and FIFA's choice to lean into it rather than restrict it — has undoubtedly inflated these overarching ticket request numbers. Scalpers are surely among the 500 million. (How numerous? We'll never know.)
The more interesting numbers are the ones for games whose primary prices aren't dwarfed by secondary prices. The games where a successful application doesn't necessarily equal either a desirable experience or a guaranteed profit.
How many requests, for example, were there for Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia in Houston, or for Uzbekistan vs. a playoff winner in Atlanta?
Perhaps we're cherry-picking the least appealing fixtures, but what about the two games that sit right at the group-stage median on the secondary market, Japan vs. a playoff winner and Belgium vs. Egypt?
What about that U.S. opener vs. Paraguay, for which a fan is currently reselling a Category 3 ticket for $1,259 before fees, not all that much higher than the $1,120 price FIFA set back in October (and never raised)?
Those numbers would be telling.
In the end, it makes no difference whether there were 1 million, 10 million or 100 million requests for Portugal-Colombia tickets. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., will be full on June 27, as will MetLife Stadium for the final on July 19, as will any stadium that hosts Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and so on.
Advertisement
What matters is whether Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., is full for its (underwhelming) group games; and whether the 30 least attractive matchups draw packed, passionate crowds; and whether FIFA has to lower ticket prices in a fourth sales phase this spring to attract them – thereby angering the fleeced fans who bought tickets early.
We'll find out in June.
One big, round number isn't a definitive final chapter in this ticketing saga. The games, and the atmospheres around them, will be.
Henry Bushnell is a senior writer for The Athletic covering soccer. He previously covered a variety of sports and events, including World Cups and Olympics, for Yahoo Sports. He is based in Washington, D.C. Follow Henry on Twitter @HenryBushnell
Javier Aguirre officially announced the Mexico national team's first roster of 2026 as World Cup preparations resume, leaning on in-form Liga MX giants Chivas who supplied eight players to the 27-man squad.
Gabriel Milito's Chivas have won nine of their most recent 12 Liga MX games, playing an attractive brand of soccer with a squad exclusively made up of Mexican talents. With Aguirre unable to call upon players who are competing in Europe for the opening camp of the year, he's constructed a roster that includes the very best from Liga MX.
But two Chivas players specifically were notable surprises in the squad given they have both been previously capped by the U.S. men's national team: Richard Ledezma and Brian Gutiérrez.
Both players appear to have given the green light to play for Mexico, but according to ESPN, the pair are awaiting a response from a letter Mexico's soccer federation sent U.S. Soccer, plus FIFA's approval to have any chance of representing El Tri at the 2026 World Cup.
Club América, Cruz Azul and reigning champions Toluca each will supply three players to the roster, the joint-second most of any team. Elsewhere, the exciting Tijuana midfielder Gilberto Mora will aim to continue his rise with El Tri and he'll be joined by Iker Fimbres and Obed Várgas—the only non Liga MX player on the roster—the trio that built a prolific midfield in the 2025 U–20 World Cup.
Overall, it's a cohesive roster capable of ending El Tri's six game winless streak it entered the year carrying. The core of Mexico's recent rosters remains intact, with an influx of young exciting talents that will be eager to impress Aguirre in an effort to secure one of the final spots in the 2026 World Cup roster.
Mexico is on a mission to win its first game since the 2025 Gold Cup final, but it'll have to do so on the road and in front of what are expected to be hostile crowds.
El Tri will first take on Panama on Jan. 22 at the Estadio Rommel Fernández, before traveling to the suffocating altitude of the Estadio Olímpico in Santa Cruz, Bolivia on Jan. 25, for a bout against a team that's preparing for the 2026 World Cup playoffs.
Date
Kick-off Time
Opponent
Thursday, Jan. 22
9 p.m. E.T. / 6 p.m. PT
Panama
Sunday, Jan 25
2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT
Bolivia
Goalkeepers
Defenders
Midfielders
Forwards
Roberto Casillas is a Sports Illustrated FC freelance writer covering Liga MX, the Mexican National Team & Latin American players in Europe. He is a die hard Cruz Azul and Chelsea fan.
© 2026 ABG-SI LLC - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC. - All Rights Reserved. The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates, licensees and related brands. All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER.
ussoccer.com
ATLANTA – U.S. Men's National Team defender Chris Richards has been voted the 2025 U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year after an outstanding year in which he started 11 of 12 matches for which he was available for the USMNT and all six matches leading to the 2025 Gold Cup Final, a tournament in which he recorded two goals and earned a spot on the Best XI.
The Birmingham native has become a staple in the English Premier League with Crystal Palace FC, starting and playing the full 90 minutes in both domestic trophy wins, the FA Cup and Community Shield.
“It means a lot to me to join a very prestigious list of players,” Richards said. “This has been a big year, and we have an even bigger year coming up. This shows how well we've done as a team and the momentum we are building towards the World Cup.”
This is Richards' first U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year award and it comes in his first year being nominated. First recognized in 1984, a total of 28 players have won the award. The 25-year-old becomes the second consecutive defender to earn this recognition after Antonee Robinson won the award in 2024, marking the first time two defenders have won the award consecutively since Marcelo Balboa and Alexi Lalas in 1994 and 1995.
Richards was surprised with the news during an interview with Pat McAfee on the eponymous The Pat McAfee Show, which aired on ESPN earlier this afternoon.
“It was sick. I see Pat all the time on College GameDay. It was cool for him to announce this on his show and to give a shoutout,” Richards added. “It just shows how much the game is growing in the U.S., how much respect there is for the sport, and how much the excitement is building for the World Cup this summer.”
In a list of nominees that included defender Max Arfsten, defender Alex Freeman, goalkeeper Matt Freese and midfielder Malik Tillman, Richards won with 48.6 percent of the weighted total, followed by Tillman (21.7%) and Freeman (13%).
In addition to fan voting, votes for U.S. Soccer Male Player of the Year are collected from National Team coaches, USMNT players who earned a cap in 2025, members of the U.S. Soccer Board of Directors, U.S. Soccer Athletes' Council, professional league head coaches and sporting directors, select media members and former players and administrators.
In 2025, Richards played the most games (12) and minutes (1004) of his career in a calendar year. The 25-year-old started at the center of defense for the U.S. in every game on the way to the 2025 Gold Cup Final, a tournament that he scored twice, including a header in the final against Mexico. A combination of leadership and strong performances led to his inclusion in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup Best XI.
At the club level, Richards has established himself as a key fixture within the Crystal Palace defense. Throughout the 2024-25 season with The Eagles, he made 32 total appearances in all competitions, registering a goal and assist.
Richards backstopped Crystal Palace to a trophy at the end of the season, defeating Manchester City 1-0 in the 2025 FA Cup Final to collect the first FA Cup trophy in the club's history which dates back to 1861. Later that summer, Richards and Palace opened the 2025-26 season with a victory over Liverpool in penalty kicks in the 2025 Community Shield, with Richards once again going the distance.
Milos Raonic's wife Camille Raonic penned an emotional tribute to her husband after he announced his retirement from tennis on Monday.
Camille took to social media to express her gratitude and love toward the Canadian, stating his ‘career meant so much to so many'. Raonic married Camille in April 2022 and paid tribute to her during his announcement on Monday.
“Your powerful serve became your signiture, your relentless work eithic set you apart and your quiet determination propelled you to the world's biggest stages,” she wrote on Friday. “You broke records, shattered expectations and redefined what was possible for Canadian tennis.”
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Camille Raonic née Ringoir (@camille_ringoir)
Raonic won eight tour-level titles during his career and climbed to a career-high No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
You May Also Like: Milos Raonic announces retirement
Read More News
View All News
View Related Videos
View All Videos
A post shared by Camille Raonic née Ringoir (@camille_ringoir)
Raonic won eight tour-level titles during his career and climbed to a career-high No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings.
You May Also Like: Milos Raonic announces retirement
Read More News
View All News
View Related Videos
View All Videos
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more.
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices
Carlos Alcaraz arrives at the 2026 Australian Open with more than just the year's first major trophy in his sights.
The World No. 1 is playing for a chance to complete the Career Grand Slam and join another exclusive list. Should Alcaraz triumph in Melbourne, he will become just the sixth man in the Open Era — and the fifth ATP No. 1 Club member — to win all four major titles at least once.
Alcaraz would join Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Rod Laver famously captured all four majors in a single season in 1969, but the PIF ATP Rankings were not introduced until 1973. Since then, only four men have completed the Career Grand Slam, each carving a unique path through tennis history.
Andre Agassi
After falling short in consecutive Roland Garros finals in 1990 and 1991, Agassi eventually got over the line at the clay-court major eight years later in 1999. The American rallied from two sets down against Andrei Medvedev in an epic final to become the first man in the PIF ATP Rankings era to complete the Career Grand Slam.
“That was a day, in between the lines of a tennis court, when I knew I wouldn't have any more regrets,” Agassi reflected to Tennis Channel last year. “It was the last one of the four for me to win. It was one I could have won 10 years earlier a couple of times.”
During his career, Agassi won eight major titles and spent 101 weeks at World No. 1 before he retired in 2006.
Roger Federer
Federer also completed his Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros, in 2009, when he finally conquered the one major that had eluded him. His straight-sets victory over Robin Soderling came after years of three consecutive final losses to great rival Rafael Nadal.
“This might be my greatest victory, or rather the one that lifts the most pressure off my shoulders,” Federer said after the match. “I think for the rest of my career I can enjoy playing and never hear that I've never won Roland Garros.”
The Swiss legend lifted 20 major trophies, including winning the other three major trophies at least five times each during his career. He reached the Roland Garros final once more in 2011, but was stopped for a fourth time by Nadal.
Roger Federer wins the 2009 Roland Garros title. Photo: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal secured his Career Grand Slam at the 2010 US Open, becoming the youngest man in the Open Era to do so at age 24. The victory marked one of the Spaniard's most dominant years, winning each of the final three Grand Slam tournaments to complete a rare surface sweep.
By winning the 2022 Australian Open, Nadal achieved the Career Grand Slam twice, winning each of the four majors at least two times — a testament to his adaptability beyond a record 14 Roland Garros titles. The Spaniard finished his career with 22 Grand Slam trophies and an enduring reputation for competitive intensity.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic completed his Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros 2016, joining Federer and Nadal in a golden era defined by historic Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalries. He had fallen in three previous finals — two to Nadal (2012, ‘14) and one to Stan Wawrinka (2015) — but made no mistake with a four-set comeback win over Andy Murray.
“It's incredibly flattering to know that Rod Laver is the last one that managed to do that,” said Djokovic, who held all four major titles at the same time. “There are not many words that can describe it. It's one of the ultimate challenges that you have as a tennis player. I'm very proud, very thrilled.”
Djokovic would go on to complete the Career Grand Slam three times, becoming the only man in history to do so. He holds a record 24 major titles and has spent a record 428 weeks at No. 1 throughout his career.
Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the 2016 Roland Garros title. Photo: Julian Finney/Getty Images.
Alcaraz at the Crossroads
Now, six-time major champion Alcaraz stands on the brink of joining this elite group. Over the next two weeks at Melbourne Park, history is once again in play for the 22-year-old.
“It's my first goal, to be honest,” Alcaraz said after his triumph at the 2025 US Open, referring to completing the Career Grand Slam. “When I go to the preseason to [see] what I want to improve, what I want to achieve, the Australian Open is there.
“It is always the main goal for me to complete a Career Grand Slam, Calendar Grand Slam… So it's going to be great.”
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more.
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices
No matching videos found. Please use different search term.
Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more.
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices
“I want to be surprised after every match,” insisted the former world No. 1 as she aims to complete a Career Grand Slam in Melbourne.ByDavid KanePublished Jan 16, 2026 copy_link
Published Jan 16, 2026
MELBOURNE, Australia—Iga Swiatek's Media Day press conference got off to an uncomfortable start at the 2026 Australian Open when a journalist spoiled her projected path to a Career Grand Slam.The former world No. 1 is seeded second in the women's draw and was not happy to learn that both Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina landed in her quarter, employing a fairly spectacular eye roll before shutting down the topic entirely.“I'm not looking at the draw,” said Swiatek who, like many players, prefers not to see the full bracket. “So thanks for the heads-up.”“It's not a joke,” she added firmly. “I'm literally not doing that. So please don't spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match. No, because I didn't know. That's it.”The six-time Grand Slam champion has no problem going head-to-head with the media, taking umbrage with the premise of a question about her energy levels last summer after a US Open defeat.
The former world No. 1 is seeded second in the women's draw and was not happy to learn that both Naomi Osaka and Elena Rybakina landed in her quarter, employing a fairly spectacular eye roll before shutting down the topic entirely.“I'm not looking at the draw,” said Swiatek who, like many players, prefers not to see the full bracket. “So thanks for the heads-up.”“It's not a joke,” she added firmly. “I'm literally not doing that. So please don't spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match. No, because I didn't know. That's it.”The six-time Grand Slam champion has no problem going head-to-head with the media, taking umbrage with the premise of a question about her energy levels last summer after a US Open defeat.
“I'm not looking at the draw,” said Swiatek who, like many players, prefers not to see the full bracket. “So thanks for the heads-up.”“It's not a joke,” she added firmly. “I'm literally not doing that. So please don't spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match. No, because I didn't know. That's it.”The six-time Grand Slam champion has no problem going head-to-head with the media, taking umbrage with the premise of a question about her energy levels last summer after a US Open defeat.
“It's not a joke,” she added firmly. “I'm literally not doing that. So please don't spoil it for me. I want to be surprised after every match. No, because I didn't know. That's it.”The six-time Grand Slam champion has no problem going head-to-head with the media, taking umbrage with the premise of a question about her energy levels last summer after a US Open defeat.
The six-time Grand Slam champion has no problem going head-to-head with the media, taking umbrage with the premise of a question about her energy levels last summer after a US Open defeat.
Swiatek was nonetheless able to rebound for the very next question, which was about her successful run at the One Point Slam.“It was great,” smiled Swiatek. “I think it was so much fun. Honestly, like, everybody was watching. Like also off the court, everybody said they were so, like, emotional about it, you know?”The reigning Wimbledon champion was able to score wins over ATP players Frances Tiafoe and Flavio Cobolli, outrallying the latter to reach the quarterfinals.“It's fun. It's something new, refreshing. I think this is what tennis sometimes needs, to put the events out like that. Yeah, playing against Flavio was super fun. Honestly, I like to play against guys. I already could do that in some mixed doubles. Here, I felt like I need to really push him. When he would have a chance to open the court, I would be nowhere there.“Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance!”
“It was great,” smiled Swiatek. “I think it was so much fun. Honestly, like, everybody was watching. Like also off the court, everybody said they were so, like, emotional about it, you know?”The reigning Wimbledon champion was able to score wins over ATP players Frances Tiafoe and Flavio Cobolli, outrallying the latter to reach the quarterfinals.“It's fun. It's something new, refreshing. I think this is what tennis sometimes needs, to put the events out like that. Yeah, playing against Flavio was super fun. Honestly, I like to play against guys. I already could do that in some mixed doubles. Here, I felt like I need to really push him. When he would have a chance to open the court, I would be nowhere there.“Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance!”
The reigning Wimbledon champion was able to score wins over ATP players Frances Tiafoe and Flavio Cobolli, outrallying the latter to reach the quarterfinals.“It's fun. It's something new, refreshing. I think this is what tennis sometimes needs, to put the events out like that. Yeah, playing against Flavio was super fun. Honestly, I like to play against guys. I already could do that in some mixed doubles. Here, I felt like I need to really push him. When he would have a chance to open the court, I would be nowhere there.“Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance!”
“It's fun. It's something new, refreshing. I think this is what tennis sometimes needs, to put the events out like that. Yeah, playing against Flavio was super fun. Honestly, I like to play against guys. I already could do that in some mixed doubles. Here, I felt like I need to really push him. When he would have a chance to open the court, I would be nowhere there.“Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance!”
“Half of the players I think took it seriously; half of them didn't. I was, like, warming up, I was ready. I really wanted to play a backhand cross-court rally with Frances, but didn't get a chance!”
At 24 years old Swiatek, who began the year with a win for Poland at the United Cup, is part of a trio that includes Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner of active players with victories at three of the four major tournaments. But that's a narrative Swiatek insists she's not thinking too much about.“I think you guys are thinking more about it,” she said through another awkward—but decidedly less tense—exchange. “Since the beginning of the year, there are many people coming to me and talking to me about it. I'm really just focusing on, like, day-by-day work. This is how it's always been for me. This is how I actually was able to achieve the success that I already have, just focusing really on grinding, match by match.Winning a Grand Slam is tough. Like a lot of things have to come together to do that. Yeah, it's a tough tournament. So, I have, like, no expectations. Obviously, it would be a dream come true. This is not, like, my clear goal that I wake up with. I'm thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve, like, day by day.”That day by day process will begin on Monday against Yuan Yue—an opponent about whom Swiatek will no doubt be duly informed.
“I think you guys are thinking more about it,” she said through another awkward—but decidedly less tense—exchange. “Since the beginning of the year, there are many people coming to me and talking to me about it. I'm really just focusing on, like, day-by-day work. This is how it's always been for me. This is how I actually was able to achieve the success that I already have, just focusing really on grinding, match by match.Winning a Grand Slam is tough. Like a lot of things have to come together to do that. Yeah, it's a tough tournament. So, I have, like, no expectations. Obviously, it would be a dream come true. This is not, like, my clear goal that I wake up with. I'm thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve, like, day by day.”That day by day process will begin on Monday against Yuan Yue—an opponent about whom Swiatek will no doubt be duly informed.
Winning a Grand Slam is tough. Like a lot of things have to come together to do that. Yeah, it's a tough tournament. So, I have, like, no expectations. Obviously, it would be a dream come true. This is not, like, my clear goal that I wake up with. I'm thinking more about how I want to play, what I want to improve, like, day by day.”That day by day process will begin on Monday against Yuan Yue—an opponent about whom Swiatek will no doubt be duly informed.
That day by day process will begin on Monday against Yuan Yue—an opponent about whom Swiatek will no doubt be duly informed.
Many tennis fans have done a double take watching clips of Carlos Alcaraz's new service motion on social media in recent days. ‘Where have I seen that serve before?', they've asked.
Could the Spaniard be channeling the technique of someone with even more Grand Slam titles than himself?
When a reporter asked about the new motion in his Australian Open pre-tournament press conference Friday, Alcaraz was ready to have a little fun.
“You wanted to say it's really similar to Djokovic serve (smiling). I know you want to,” Alcaraz bantered. “I wasn't thinking about making the same serve as Djokovic. But at the end, I can even see the similarities.
“I think everyone has to make changes, small details. For me the serve is something that I really want to be better every year, in every tournament. I'm just putting constant work on the serve.”
Alcaraz is not in danger of losing his grip on the No. 1 PIF ATP Ranking this fortnight, even if rival Jannik Sinner completes an Australian Open three-peat. But that doesn't mean the 22-year-old is lacking purpose at Melbourne Park: He will attempt to become the youngest player in history to complete the career Grand Slam.
“As I said before, this is my main goal for this year,” said Alcaraz, who already has won $60m in his young career. “The first tournament is the main goal. I made a really good pre-season, just to be in good shape. I'm just hungry for the title, hungry to do a really good result here. I'm just getting ready as much as I can. I'm really excited about the tournament beginning.”
Reflecting on the departure of Juan Carlos Ferrero from his team, Alcaraz does not believe the change will impact his chances at the Open.
“I have plenty of confidence with the team that I have right now… I'm really grateful for the seven years I've been with Juan Carlos. I learned a lot. Probably thanks to him I'm the player that I am right now.
“We closed this chapter in mutual. We are still friends, good relationship. But we just decided like this.”
Alcaraz, who last year fell in the quarter-finals to Novak Djokovic, plays his first match against Australian Adam Walton on Day 1, Sunday. He is seeded to meet another Aussie, Alex de Minaur, in the quarter-finals. With Sinner and Djokovic in the bottom half of the draw, potential semi-final opponents for Alcaraz include No. 3 Alexander Zverev, No. 7 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 11 Daniil Medvedev.
Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the past eight Grand Slam titles in the past two seasons and have gone head-to-head in the past three major finals, with the Spaniard winning Roland Garros and the US Open and Sinner triumphing at Wimbledon.
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
Get official marketing communications from the ATP and WTA! We'll send you newsletters keeping you informed about news, tournaments, competitions, ticketing, partner offers and more.
Your data will be used in accordance with the
ATP Privacy Policy
and
WTA Privacy Policy.
© Copyright 1994 - 2024 ATP Tour, Inc. All Rights Reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or by any means (including photocopying, recording or storing it in any medium by electronic means), without the written permission of ATP Tour, Inc.. Terms & Conditions | Privacy | Community Social Media Policy | Modern Slavery Statement | Feedback | Cookies | Your Privacy Choices
The six-time champion will compete on Rod Laver Arena for the first time since his 2022 retirement.ByDavid KanePublished Jan 15, 2026 copy_link
Published Jan 15, 2026
MELBOURNE, Australia—Roger Federer will bid a proper farewell to the Australian Open ahead of the 2026 tournament on Saturday, competing alongside ATP legends Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and Pat Rafter for a “Battle of the world No. 1s” doubles match that kicks off the event's inaugural Opening Ceremony.The six-time champion, who famously coined the “Happy Slam” nickname for the Australian Open, will be back on Rod Laver Arena for the first time since 2020, having officially retired from the sport at the 2022 Laver Cup.“I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm happy I'm here,” Federer said in a press conference moderated by former ATP doubles No. 1 Todd Woodbridge. “I'm happy there's a moment for the crowd, for me personally, but also being on the court with Lleyton that I shared so much with, Pat that I always loved playing against, even though I never beat him. I always loved Pat. He was one of my favorite players. Then Andre, I was fortunate enough to play against him maybe 10 times or so. Just being together with those guys is going to make me feel better, as well.“I have great memories of just being here,” he added. “It's been an incredible tournament for me and one of my favorite places to play tennis.”
“I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm happy I'm here,” Federer said in a press conference moderated by former ATP doubles No. 1 Todd Woodbridge. “I'm happy there's a moment for the crowd, for me personally, but also being on the court with Lleyton that I shared so much with, Pat that I always loved playing against, even though I never beat him. I always loved Pat. He was one of my favorite players. Then Andre, I was fortunate enough to play against him maybe 10 times or so. Just being together with those guys is going to make me feel better, as well.“I have great memories of just being here,” he added. “It's been an incredible tournament for me and one of my favorite places to play tennis.”
“I have great memories of just being here,” he added. “It's been an incredible tournament for me and one of my favorite places to play tennis.”
At 44 years old, Federer has been inching back into the tennis spotlight, competing in a celebrity doubles match at last fall's Rolex Shanghai Masters and teasing a potential “Legends” tour involving himself and longtime rival Rafael Nadal.“It's hard to make it a priority in the schedule when you have four children and so many other things going on,” said Federer, who for now prefers competing in doubles rather than singles. “I'm happy I'm super still active, busy, doing loads of sports. Tennis is part of that.”Federer took a stroll down memory lane during the press conference, recalling a particularly iconic point that helped him win the 2017 Australian Open, but confessed that nostalgia for his playing days isn't as strong as some might assume.“If I would have won half of what I've done, I'd be equally proud sitting here because I achieved way more than I ever thought I would,” said Federer. “The run, the time that I've had, it what stands out to me. It's been so much fun.”
“It's hard to make it a priority in the schedule when you have four children and so many other things going on,” said Federer, who for now prefers competing in doubles rather than singles. “I'm happy I'm super still active, busy, doing loads of sports. Tennis is part of that.”Federer took a stroll down memory lane during the press conference, recalling a particularly iconic point that helped him win the 2017 Australian Open, but confessed that nostalgia for his playing days isn't as strong as some might assume.“If I would have won half of what I've done, I'd be equally proud sitting here because I achieved way more than I ever thought I would,” said Federer. “The run, the time that I've had, it what stands out to me. It's been so much fun.”
Federer took a stroll down memory lane during the press conference, recalling a particularly iconic point that helped him win the 2017 Australian Open, but confessed that nostalgia for his playing days isn't as strong as some might assume.“If I would have won half of what I've done, I'd be equally proud sitting here because I achieved way more than I ever thought I would,” said Federer. “The run, the time that I've had, it what stands out to me. It's been so much fun.”
“If I would have won half of what I've done, I'd be equally proud sitting here because I achieved way more than I ever thought I would,” said Federer. “The run, the time that I've had, it what stands out to me. It's been so much fun.”
Ranked outside the Top 1000, the former US Open champion won three straight matches for the first time since 2024.ByDavid KanePublished Jan 15, 2026 copy_link
Published Jan 15, 2026
MELBOURNE, Australia—Sloane Stephens will be the first to tell you that ebbs and flows are natural parts of a tennis career.“In my career, I've had ups and downs that have been exciting, not exciting, anticlimactic, all the things,” Stephens said with a smile after booking her spot in the 2026 Australian Open main draw. “That's a part of life and a part of the journey.”But even Stephens, a 32-year-old former Grand Slam champion currently ranked No. 1097 in the world, would concede her trajectory doesn't quite mirror one of the average player's.“I just told my coach earlier that this whole tennis journey keeps getting weirder and weirder,” joked the American.
“In my career, I've had ups and downs that have been exciting, not exciting, anticlimactic, all the things,” Stephens said with a smile after booking her spot in the 2026 Australian Open main draw. “That's a part of life and a part of the journey.”But even Stephens, a 32-year-old former Grand Slam champion currently ranked No. 1097 in the world, would concede her trajectory doesn't quite mirror one of the average player's.“I just told my coach earlier that this whole tennis journey keeps getting weirder and weirder,” joked the American.
But even Stephens, a 32-year-old former Grand Slam champion currently ranked No. 1097 in the world, would concede her trajectory doesn't quite mirror one of the average player's.“I just told my coach earlier that this whole tennis journey keeps getting weirder and weirder,” joked the American.
“I just told my coach earlier that this whole tennis journey keeps getting weirder and weirder,” joked the American.
That journey took the 2017 US Open winner off tour for much of the last 12 months as she dealt with a persistent foot injury. Playing just six matches in 2025, Stephens watched tennis from the literal sidelines as an analyst for various networks, watching the game evolve—but remain recognizable—in her absence.“When you don't play a lot, there's a little lull. You don't feel as competitive and you don't feel as attached to the game,” she explained. “So, it was just being able to get back, train really hard, and play and have fun on court at home. Then, I was able to translate that into a match.”After starting the 2026 season with a three-set defeat at the ASB Classic, Stephens—along with her mom, aunt, and coach Kamau Murray—traveled to Melbourne early to compete in qualifying for the first time since 2011. For reference, the last time Stephens didn't gain direct acceptance into a Grand Slam main draw, the Harry Potter and Twilight film series were still in theaters.“I think I was the only Grand Slam champion to be in qualies, which was interesting,” Stephens said with a still-formidable side eye. “I was like, ‘Oh God! A lot of pressure.' I hadn't won a match since God knows whenever, so I was just like, it's an opportunity to go and play and try to figure it out.”
“When you don't play a lot, there's a little lull. You don't feel as competitive and you don't feel as attached to the game,” she explained. “So, it was just being able to get back, train really hard, and play and have fun on court at home. Then, I was able to translate that into a match.”After starting the 2026 season with a three-set defeat at the ASB Classic, Stephens—along with her mom, aunt, and coach Kamau Murray—traveled to Melbourne early to compete in qualifying for the first time since 2011. For reference, the last time Stephens didn't gain direct acceptance into a Grand Slam main draw, the Harry Potter and Twilight film series were still in theaters.“I think I was the only Grand Slam champion to be in qualies, which was interesting,” Stephens said with a still-formidable side eye. “I was like, ‘Oh God! A lot of pressure.' I hadn't won a match since God knows whenever, so I was just like, it's an opportunity to go and play and try to figure it out.”
After starting the 2026 season with a three-set defeat at the ASB Classic, Stephens—along with her mom, aunt, and coach Kamau Murray—traveled to Melbourne early to compete in qualifying for the first time since 2011. For reference, the last time Stephens didn't gain direct acceptance into a Grand Slam main draw, the Harry Potter and Twilight film series were still in theaters.“I think I was the only Grand Slam champion to be in qualies, which was interesting,” Stephens said with a still-formidable side eye. “I was like, ‘Oh God! A lot of pressure.' I hadn't won a match since God knows whenever, so I was just like, it's an opportunity to go and play and try to figure it out.”
“I think I was the only Grand Slam champion to be in qualies, which was interesting,” Stephens said with a still-formidable side eye. “I was like, ‘Oh God! A lot of pressure.' I hadn't won a match since God knows whenever, so I was just like, it's an opportunity to go and play and try to figure it out.”
She figured it out with few issues over three rounds, rallying from a set down to defeat Australian Olivia Gadecki on Wednesday and holding off a late surge to solve No. 2 seed Lucia Bronzetti to guarantee a 14th main-draw appearance in Melbourne.“It was weird to be in qualies and wonder how it even worked,” mused Stephens. “I didn't even know we played back-to-back from yesterday to today. There were so many things I didn't know, but I was like, ‘I'm just gonna play.' It's strange but it's fun. You go out there, do the best you can. A lot of times in my career, I haven't been afraid to put myself out there, win or lose. Sometimes you get rewarded and sometimes you don't.”Where past years have been rife with stress, the 2013 semifinalist is taking a different approach on the court and behind the scenes, vlogging her trip to Melbourne in a rare peek behind the curtain into Stephens' off-court life.“I would have never shown anything like that ever in life,” Stephens laughed. “It's just another way to have fun and experience things, and not be so serious. Being on the other side and doing TV and stuff, I can see how fans would want to see those kinds of moments.“Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it.”
“It was weird to be in qualies and wonder how it even worked,” mused Stephens. “I didn't even know we played back-to-back from yesterday to today. There were so many things I didn't know, but I was like, ‘I'm just gonna play.' It's strange but it's fun. You go out there, do the best you can. A lot of times in my career, I haven't been afraid to put myself out there, win or lose. Sometimes you get rewarded and sometimes you don't.”Where past years have been rife with stress, the 2013 semifinalist is taking a different approach on the court and behind the scenes, vlogging her trip to Melbourne in a rare peek behind the curtain into Stephens' off-court life.“I would have never shown anything like that ever in life,” Stephens laughed. “It's just another way to have fun and experience things, and not be so serious. Being on the other side and doing TV and stuff, I can see how fans would want to see those kinds of moments.“Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it.”
Where past years have been rife with stress, the 2013 semifinalist is taking a different approach on the court and behind the scenes, vlogging her trip to Melbourne in a rare peek behind the curtain into Stephens' off-court life.“I would have never shown anything like that ever in life,” Stephens laughed. “It's just another way to have fun and experience things, and not be so serious. Being on the other side and doing TV and stuff, I can see how fans would want to see those kinds of moments.“Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it.”
“I would have never shown anything like that ever in life,” Stephens laughed. “It's just another way to have fun and experience things, and not be so serious. Being on the other side and doing TV and stuff, I can see how fans would want to see those kinds of moments.“Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it.”
“Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it.”
Definitely one of the goals this year is just to have more fun and to enjoy it. I want my family, friends and everyone to be able to experience it. Sloane Stephens
As mom Sybil texted near the small interview scrum, Stephens showed off her Free People Movement tennis dress, a lacey yellow ensemble evocative of Ted Tinling's iconic designs.“This was made in my living room, and it took about four fittings,” claimed Stephens, lifting her sweatshirt to show off the intricacies. “Maria Sakkari asked me if it was even a tennis dress and I was like, ‘Yeah girl. Let me show you!' Free People Movement, they're growing and they're like the cool kids in town.”Win or lose, that's a role Stephens has inhabited flawlessly in over a decade on tour. Determined to play through this comeback with no regrets, she appears ready to take that casual confidence back to the Grand Slam stage this weekend.
“This was made in my living room, and it took about four fittings,” claimed Stephens, lifting her sweatshirt to show off the intricacies. “Maria Sakkari asked me if it was even a tennis dress and I was like, ‘Yeah girl. Let me show you!' Free People Movement, they're growing and they're like the cool kids in town.”Win or lose, that's a role Stephens has inhabited flawlessly in over a decade on tour. Determined to play through this comeback with no regrets, she appears ready to take that casual confidence back to the Grand Slam stage this weekend.
Win or lose, that's a role Stephens has inhabited flawlessly in over a decade on tour. Determined to play through this comeback with no regrets, she appears ready to take that casual confidence back to the Grand Slam stage this weekend.
As Sinner goes for a three-peat and Djokovic chases major No. 25, former finalists Medvedev and Zverev find themselves in the same quarter.BySteve TignorPublished Jan 15, 2026 copy_link
Published Jan 15, 2026
© 2026 Getty Images
The men's draw at the first Grand Slam of 2026 would seem to be as simple, straightforward, and drama-free as any we've ever seen. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have played in the finals of the last three majors, and as they head toward their mid-20s, they're only getting better. Who could possibly derail a fourth straight final-round collision?126 other players will do their best starting on Sunday in Melbourne (Saturday evening Eastern Time). Do any of them have a chance? Here's a section by section look at the draw.👉 Bookmark: Where to watch the 2026 AO on Tennis Channel
126 other players will do their best starting on Sunday in Melbourne (Saturday evening Eastern Time). Do any of them have a chance? Here's a section by section look at the draw.👉 Bookmark: Where to watch the 2026 AO on Tennis Channel
👉 Bookmark: Where to watch the 2026 AO on Tennis Channel
Before we anoint Sinner and Alcaraz as the de facto finalists, we should remember that the Australian Open is the only Slam where one of them hasn't made the final. Or even the semifinals.That would be Alcaraz. Three years ago he was injured; two years ago, he lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals; last year he lost to Novak Djokovic, also in the quarterfinals. He has never come out of the gates firing on all cylinders.This year the 22-year-old will be facing another potential obstacle: The absence of his long-time, and now former, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Along with the instruction that Ferrero gave him in practice, he also conveyed a lot of information to him during matches. When Ferrero wasn't there, Alcaraz could look lost. We'll see how he handles not hearing his voice.Read: Instant reaction to the men's draw reveal
That would be Alcaraz. Three years ago he was injured; two years ago, he lost to Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals; last year he lost to Novak Djokovic, also in the quarterfinals. He has never come out of the gates firing on all cylinders.This year the 22-year-old will be facing another potential obstacle: The absence of his long-time, and now former, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Along with the instruction that Ferrero gave him in practice, he also conveyed a lot of information to him during matches. When Ferrero wasn't there, Alcaraz could look lost. We'll see how he handles not hearing his voice.Read: Instant reaction to the men's draw reveal
This year the 22-year-old will be facing another potential obstacle: The absence of his long-time, and now former, coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. Along with the instruction that Ferrero gave him in practice, he also conveyed a lot of information to him during matches. When Ferrero wasn't there, Alcaraz could look lost. We'll see how he handles not hearing his voice.Read: Instant reaction to the men's draw reveal
Read: Instant reaction to the men's draw reveal
There's NEVER an easy path to the final in Melbourne 🫢 Tell us which match you want to see the most ✍️ #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/mrsZtmH47u
That said, his draw gives him a pretty clear path to his first AO semifinal. He'll start against 79th-ranked Adam Walton. In the third round he might face either Corentin Moutet or Seb Korda. Tommy Paul is a possible fourth-round opponent. And No. 6 Alex De Minaur is scheduled to be his quarterfinal foe. Facing an Aussie at home shouldn't bother Alcaraz: He's 5-0 against De Minaur.There are other talented players in this quarter—Alexander Bublik. Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe—but Alcaraz can't meet any of them until the quarters.Dark HorseBublik. The 10th seed is coming off a title run last week, and can beat anyone on any given day. Alcaraz could face him in the quarters; they've never played before.First-Round Matches to WatchKorda vs. Michael Zheng, a top college player from New Jersey who has been rising through the Challenger ranksPaul vs. Aleksander KovacevicBublik vs. Jenson BrooksbySemifinalist: Alcaraz
There are other talented players in this quarter—Alexander Bublik. Flavio Cobolli, Frances Tiafoe—but Alcaraz can't meet any of them until the quarters.Dark HorseBublik. The 10th seed is coming off a title run last week, and can beat anyone on any given day. Alcaraz could face him in the quarters; they've never played before.First-Round Matches to WatchKorda vs. Michael Zheng, a top college player from New Jersey who has been rising through the Challenger ranksPaul vs. Aleksander KovacevicBublik vs. Jenson BrooksbySemifinalist: Alcaraz
Dark HorseBublik. The 10th seed is coming off a title run last week, and can beat anyone on any given day. Alcaraz could face him in the quarters; they've never played before.First-Round Matches to WatchKorda vs. Michael Zheng, a top college player from New Jersey who has been rising through the Challenger ranksPaul vs. Aleksander KovacevicBublik vs. Jenson BrooksbySemifinalist: Alcaraz
First-Round Matches to WatchKorda vs. Michael Zheng, a top college player from New Jersey who has been rising through the Challenger ranksPaul vs. Aleksander KovacevicBublik vs. Jenson BrooksbySemifinalist: Alcaraz
Semifinalist: Alcaraz
Medvedev is a three-time finalist at Melbourne Park.© 2026 Getty Images
© 2026 Getty Images
Alexander Zverev is No. 3 in the world. He made the final here last year, has been to the semis two other times, and has a 31-10 record in Melbourne. But after his well-publicized, and self-publicized, struggles of 2025, how much of a threat is the 28-year-old this time around?Like Alcaraz, his draw should help. The seeds closest to him are Andrey Rublev and Cam Norrie; Zverev is 13-3 against them combined.The two tougher opponents in this quarter—No. 11 seed Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime—are both in the lower half. Medvedev, who just won in Brisbane, is a three-time Australian Open finalist who looks determined to make up for the collapse he suffered in 2025. Auger Aliassime has reached the quarterfinals here, and finished last year with a meteoric rise into the Top 5.If Medvedev and FAA collide in the fourth round, I'll take Medvedev. I'll also take him over Zverev in the quarters.First-Round Matches to WatchLearner Tien vs. fellow Californian Marcos GironAuger-Aliassime vs. Nuno BorgesSemifinalist: Medvedev
Like Alcaraz, his draw should help. The seeds closest to him are Andrey Rublev and Cam Norrie; Zverev is 13-3 against them combined.The two tougher opponents in this quarter—No. 11 seed Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime—are both in the lower half. Medvedev, who just won in Brisbane, is a three-time Australian Open finalist who looks determined to make up for the collapse he suffered in 2025. Auger Aliassime has reached the quarterfinals here, and finished last year with a meteoric rise into the Top 5.If Medvedev and FAA collide in the fourth round, I'll take Medvedev. I'll also take him over Zverev in the quarters.First-Round Matches to WatchLearner Tien vs. fellow Californian Marcos GironAuger-Aliassime vs. Nuno BorgesSemifinalist: Medvedev
The two tougher opponents in this quarter—No. 11 seed Daniil Medvedev, No. 7 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime—are both in the lower half. Medvedev, who just won in Brisbane, is a three-time Australian Open finalist who looks determined to make up for the collapse he suffered in 2025. Auger Aliassime has reached the quarterfinals here, and finished last year with a meteoric rise into the Top 5.If Medvedev and FAA collide in the fourth round, I'll take Medvedev. I'll also take him over Zverev in the quarters.First-Round Matches to WatchLearner Tien vs. fellow Californian Marcos GironAuger-Aliassime vs. Nuno BorgesSemifinalist: Medvedev
If Medvedev and FAA collide in the fourth round, I'll take Medvedev. I'll also take him over Zverev in the quarters.First-Round Matches to WatchLearner Tien vs. fellow Californian Marcos GironAuger-Aliassime vs. Nuno BorgesSemifinalist: Medvedev
First-Round Matches to WatchLearner Tien vs. fellow Californian Marcos GironAuger-Aliassime vs. Nuno BorgesSemifinalist: Medvedev
Semifinalist: Medvedev
If Medvedev and FAA collide in the fourth round, I'll take Medvedev. I'll also take him over Zverev in the quarters.
What should we make of Novak Djokovic's chances? There are two radically different factors to consider. On the positive side, he has won this tournament 10 times, and has a 99-10 record there. On the negative side, he's 38 and hasn't won a major since 2023—an eternity for him.Still, Djokovic held steady when he had to in 2025, making the semis at all four Slams, before (a) his body gave out, or (b) he was overmatched by either Sinner or Alcaraz, or (c) both. This time he's in Sinner's half. More important, he's in a quarter that should give him a chance to show how much he still has left.Djokovic starts against 71st-ranked Pedro Martinez, a clay-courter he has never played before. The first seed he could face is No. 27 Brandon Nakashima; he has never played him before, either. His fourth-round opponent could be a towering server like Jakub Mensik or Hubert Hurkacz.
Still, Djokovic held steady when he had to in 2025, making the semis at all four Slams, before (a) his body gave out, or (b) he was overmatched by either Sinner or Alcaraz, or (c) both. This time he's in Sinner's half. More important, he's in a quarter that should give him a chance to show how much he still has left.Djokovic starts against 71st-ranked Pedro Martinez, a clay-courter he has never played before. The first seed he could face is No. 27 Brandon Nakashima; he has never played him before, either. His fourth-round opponent could be a towering server like Jakub Mensik or Hubert Hurkacz.
Djokovic starts against 71st-ranked Pedro Martinez, a clay-courter he has never played before. The first seed he could face is No. 27 Brandon Nakashima; he has never played him before, either. His fourth-round opponent could be a towering server like Jakub Mensik or Hubert Hurkacz.
Djokovic cuts practice short due to neck injury 🚨“He's the greatest of all time...but he better pray he has a good draw” - Danielle Collins#AusOpen pic.twitter.com/4ipI5uozQI
The two highest-ranked players in this quarter—No. 5 Lorenzo Musertti and No. 9 Taylor Fritz—are both on the other side. Of those, Fritz may be more dangerous on hard courts, but he happens to be 0-11 against Djokovic.We'll find out how fairly quickly Novak handles best-of-five. If he can keep his fitness up and his body together, he should be the favorite to make his 13th semi here.Dark Horse: 31st seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was a finalist Down Under as recently as 2023, and is the last player to beat Sinner there. He could play Musetti in the third round.First-Round Matches to WatchNakashima vs. Botic Van de ZandschulpHurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
We'll find out how fairly quickly Novak handles best-of-five. If he can keep his fitness up and his body together, he should be the favorite to make his 13th semi here.Dark Horse: 31st seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was a finalist Down Under as recently as 2023, and is the last player to beat Sinner there. He could play Musetti in the third round.First-Round Matches to WatchNakashima vs. Botic Van de ZandschulpHurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Dark Horse: 31st seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was a finalist Down Under as recently as 2023, and is the last player to beat Sinner there. He could play Musetti in the third round.First-Round Matches to WatchNakashima vs. Botic Van de ZandschulpHurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
First-Round Matches to WatchNakashima vs. Botic Van de ZandschulpHurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Nakashima vs. Botic Van de ZandschulpHurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Hurkacz vs. Zizou BergsStan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Stan Wawrinka vs. Laslo DjereGrigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Grigor Dimitrov vs. Tomas MachacSemifinalist: Djokovic
Semifinalist: Djokovic
Sinner's last loss at this event was a five-set defeat to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the 2023 round of 16.© AFP or licensors
© AFP or licensors
Sinner is on a 14-match Australian Open win streak dating back to 2023. Last year he dropped just two sets on the way to the title, and won his semifinal and final in lop-sided fashion. The courts, the atmosphere, the time of year, the fact that he has an Australian coach: Everything about the so-called Happy Slam suits Sinner's serene demeanor.His draw likely suits him, too, whoever is in it. It's hard to think of a player in the field, outside of Alcaraz, who could be called a credible threat to Sinner at this tournament right now.He'll start against 94th-ranked Hugo Gaston; Sinner is 2-0 against him. In the third round, he could play 28th seed Joao Fonseca, who made a splash at this tournament last year; they've never met. Sinner's potential fourth-round opponent, Karen Khachanov, does have a win over him, back in 2020, but the Italian is 4-0 against the Russian since.
His draw likely suits him, too, whoever is in it. It's hard to think of a player in the field, outside of Alcaraz, who could be called a credible threat to Sinner at this tournament right now.He'll start against 94th-ranked Hugo Gaston; Sinner is 2-0 against him. In the third round, he could play 28th seed Joao Fonseca, who made a splash at this tournament last year; they've never met. Sinner's potential fourth-round opponent, Karen Khachanov, does have a win over him, back in 2020, but the Italian is 4-0 against the Russian since.
He'll start against 94th-ranked Hugo Gaston; Sinner is 2-0 against him. In the third round, he could play 28th seed Joao Fonseca, who made a splash at this tournament last year; they've never met. Sinner's potential fourth-round opponent, Karen Khachanov, does have a win over him, back in 2020, but the Italian is 4-0 against the Russian since.
Sinner's potential quarterfinal opponents include No. 8 Ben Shelton and No. 12 Casper Ruud. Sinner is 8-1 against Shelton, and 4-0 against Ruud.All of which is to say: Sinner losing before the semis would be a shock.First-Round Matches to WatchShelton vs. Ugo HumbertKhachanov vs. Alex MichelsenSemifinalist: Sinner
All of which is to say: Sinner losing before the semis would be a shock.First-Round Matches to WatchShelton vs. Ugo HumbertKhachanov vs. Alex MichelsenSemifinalist: Sinner
First-Round Matches to WatchShelton vs. Ugo HumbertKhachanov vs. Alex MichelsenSemifinalist: Sinner
Shelton vs. Ugo HumbertKhachanov vs. Alex MichelsenSemifinalist: Sinner
Khachanov vs. Alex MichelsenSemifinalist: Sinner
Semifinalist: Sinner
Medvedev d. Alcaraz; Sinner d. DjokovicFinalSinner d. Medvedev
Sinner d. Medvedev
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
It's a massive sum, considering the numbers were not boosted by tying into a TV broadcast event.
By
Aaron Couch
Film Editor
In mid-December, Marvel Studios embarked on a rarity in modern movie marketing when it released a teaser for Avengers: Doomsday solely in theaters. Typically, a launch for a movie of that would size hit online immediately, and might be tied to a big TV broadcast, like a championship sporting event, to help boost the numbers.
But the low-key teaser focusing on Chris Evans' Steve Rogers played exclusively in theaters in front of Avatar: Fire & Ash before debuting online five days later. Three more teasers followed weekly in theaters, with spots featuring Thor and The X-Men, as well as a fourth and final centering on Black Panther‘s Shuri and M'Baku meet Ben Grimm from Fantastic Four.
Related Stories
Movies
Black Panther Teams With the Fantastic Four in Latest 'Avengers: Doomsday' Teaser
Movies
Kat Dennings Says Marvel "Did Scan Me," Joking "They Could Put Me in Anything They Want"
The experiment paid off in a big way, with insiders saying that the four teasers have reached a combined 1.02 billion views. The individual numbers for each teaser was not revealed, but it's a massive sum, considering these were strictly organic online views with no tie-ins to a broadcast event.
Popular on THR
Pirated versions of the teasers appeared online early, and Marvel was well aware that once something is in a theater, it's impossible to stop someone from recording it with a smartphone. But that did not dampen enthusiasm. According to insiders, the social volume was for each teaser was on average 188 percent greater than for a typical Marvel drop, and the combined four teasers now top the highest views for Marvel trailer launches on Instagram (505 million) and TikTok (103 million) views. They also spawned 16 owned organic trends on X, including “Doomsday” “Steve Rogers” “Thor” “X-Men” “Wakanda.”
Just how big is the 1 billion-plus combined figure? It's tough to make an apples to apples comparison, since usually studios tout 24-hour numbers, and the first Doomsday trailer hit online Dec. 23. But consider this: years ago, Deadpool & Wolverine launched to a record-setting 365 million views in 24 hours, making it the top trailer of all time during that period. But that number included the 100-plus million who watched the Super Bowl on TV. More recently, Fantastic Four: First Steps flew to 202 million in 24 hours — tied to a big media event featuring the cast.
Doomsday, which bows Dec. 18, and 2027's Avengers: Secret Wars mark the return of Marvel stalwarts Joe and Anthony Russo as directors, with the duo producing via their AGBO banner. And the two movies bring Robert Downey Jr. back into the fold, this time as Doctor Doom. Marvel is said to be particularly proud that the four teasers were so successful without showing Downey, proving that there remains a great and passionate interest in the characters, and their originating actors.
In some way, Marvel sees this teaser gambit, which required close coordination with theaters around the world, as continuing the famous, five-hour live-streamed casting announcement for the movie. Marvel is continuing the tradition, launching a live-streamed countdown clock to Doomsday.
“Each one of those trailers is narrative information,” Joe Russo recently cryptically said on the Empire podcast. “And it's all part of a larger story. And so, I would argue that Doomsday has already started for you.”
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
A scoop-driven, insider view of Hollywood's genre and blockbuster movie landscape, led by Borys Kit and Aaron Couch.
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
By Anthony D'Alessandro
Editorial Director/Box Office Editor
Warner Bros. put some big tentpoles on the release calendar starting with the highly anticipated J.J. Abrams sci-fi movie The Great Beyond starring Glen Powell and Jenna Ortega which is going Nov. 13 this year in Imax. The pic joins Paramount's Johnny Depp starring, Ti West directed title Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol on that date. This is the first time we're getting news about the Abrams movie which has been shrouded in secrecy.
Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Merritt Wever and Samuel L. Jackson also star in The Great Beyond.
The rest of the movies are bound for 2027: Sam Esmail's Panic Carefully on Feb. 26 next year, the Tim Miller directed Keanu Reeves movie known as Shiver currently going Aug. 13, and the buzzed about Peter Safran Company and Atomic Monster prequel, The Conjuring: First Communion on Sept. 10, the prized Warner post Labor Day launch date for genre pics.
Related Stories
Festivals
From James Gray, Ruben Östlund & Paweł Pawlikowski To Iñárritu's Tom Cruise-Starrer, 'Cliff Booth' & Judith Godrèche's Directorial Debut: 79 Films That Could Light Up Festivals In 2026
Acquisitions
Greg & Ted's Excellent WBD Adventure With Studio Lot Tour, David Zaslav As Their Guide; Check Out The Photos
Panic Carefully which was also written by Mr. Robot architect Esmail, stars Julia Roberts, Eddie Redmayne, Brian Tyree Henry, Ben Chaplin, Aidan Gillen, Joe Alwyn, Naledi Murray and Elizabeth Olsen. Warners will have Imax screens on that date with the pic going up against Universal's CoComelon Movie next year.
Watch on Deadline
Miller and Reeves' project is reportedly set in the Caribbean Sea, with the protag being a smuggler slumming on a job as he contends with dead bodies, pirates and sharks, all within a time loop. Warners was closing in on the Ian Shorr scripted package back on Halloween. The movie as of now will face off on Aug. 13, 2027 against a Universal Blumhouse title.
Very little is known about The Conjuring: First Communion which comes from director Rodrigue Huart, from a script by Richard Naing & Ian Goldberg. It's not certain if Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's The Warrens are coming back. Warners always had this September date in 2027 on hold previously.
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Comment
Name
Email
Website
Δ
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks
We want to hear from you! Send us a tip using our annonymous form.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By Zac Ntim
International Reporter
EXCLUSIVE: Epic Pictures and Dread will release The Mortuary Assistant, the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game, in cinemas on February 13.
Directed by Jeremiah Kipp (Slapface) and starring Willa Holland (Arrow) and Paul Sparks (Boardwalk Empire), the film will stream on Shudder from March 27. We can share the film's first trailer above.
The Mortuary Assistant follows newly certified mortician Rebecca Owens (Holland), who accepts a night shift at a mortuary, embalming bodies alone after hours. As disturbing events escalate, Rebecca uncovers demonic rituals, the dark secrets of her enigmatic mentor (Sparks), and her own buried trauma—racing to survive the night before her body becomes a vessel for possession.
Related Stories
Acquisitions
Shudder Acquires 'The Mortuary Assistant' Video Game Adaptation
Casting
Willa Holland & Paul Sparks To Topline 'The Mortuary Assistant' Video Game Adaptation
The Mortuary Assistant was written by Tracee Beebe and Brian Clarke. The film was produced by Patrick Ewald's Epic Pictures via the Company's horror division, Dread, Cole Payne's Traverse Media, and Jacob P. Heineke. Executive producers include Brian Clarke, Katie Page, Yulissa Morales, Randy Sinquefield, Patrick Fischer, and Oliver Garboe.
Watch on Deadline
“Seeing The Mortuary Assistant make the leap from game to film is incredibly rewarding,” Brian Clarke, writer and the game creator, said in a statement.
“Fans of the game will finally witness the world they've explored come alive, while genre film audiences will discover a story filled with tension, dark secrets, and unforgettable scares. It's a unique crossover that bridges two communities of horror fans in a way I've always imagined.”
Check out the trailer above.
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Comment
Name
Email
Website
Δ
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks
We want to hear from you! Send us a tip using our annonymous form.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By Justin Kroll
Film Editor
EXCLUSIVE: Universal's sequel to its live-action hit, How to Train Your Dragon, is gearing up fast as sources tell Deadline Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is set to join the cast in the role of Drago. He joins returning castmembers Mason Thames, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James and Harry Trevaldwyn in the sequel with Cate Blanchett recently added as a new addition to the cast.
Dean DeBlois returns to write, direct and executive produce the next entry in this iconic franchise.
Marc Platt will produce for his Universal-based Marc Platt Productions alongside Adam Siegel, President of Marc Platt Productions. The film is set to bow on June 11, 2027. Senior Vice President of Production Lexi Barta will oversee the film on behalf of the Studio.
Related Stories
News
Live-Action 'How To Train Your Dragon' Sets Fall Date On Peacock
News
Epic Universe, 'How To Train Your Dragon' Buoy Comcast Q2 As Company Posts Gain On Sale Of Hulu Stake
The sequel continues to follow the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless have captivated fans across four blockbuster films, under the guidance of filmmaker DeBlois, and have grossed more than $2.2 billion. While some actors, like Butler and now Blanchett, are returning to reprise the roles they voiced in the original pics, Ólafsson will be a new actor in the role of the villainous Drago, who was originally voiced by Djimon Honsou in the animated sequel.
Watch on Deadline
Since 2010, when DreamWorks Animation's soaring epic was first introduced, fans have been captivated by the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon and the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless. The franchise has been lauded with four Academy Award® nominations and a Golden Globe Award for the second filmed chapter. The franchise is based on the best-selling books series by Cressida Cowell.
Universal's live-action adaptation of How to Train Your Dragon soared to a global box office of $636.4 million, becoming the No. 4 MPA release of 2025 and delivering the franchise's biggest box office performance.
Ólafsson can currently be seen in Nine Bodies in a Mexican Morgue, Severance Season 2 and Your Friends and Neighbors, Somebody Somewhere Season 3 and La Palma.
Upcoming projects include 121212, a heist series for Apple TV+; A Winter's Journey for Sony Pictures Classics; and Blood on Snow, a feature film directed by Cary Fukunaga. He also stars and executive produces Reykjavík Fusion through his new Icelandic production hub, ACT4.
Previous television credits include the Golden Globe–nominated The Missing; three seasons of Trapped; The Tourist; The Widow; NOS4A2; Quarry; True Detective and two seasons of Lady Dynamite.
On the big screen, Darri has appeared in Eurovision (Netflix), Murder Mystery (Netflix), Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Warner Bros.), and The Meg (Warner Bros.), among many others.
Ólafsson is represented by Principal Entertainment and Conway Van Gelder Grant.
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Comment
Name
Email
Website
Δ
Good for Olafsson!! Really good actor
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks
We want to hear from you! Send us a tip using our annonymous form.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By Peter White
Executive Editor, Television
EXCLUSIVE: Eddie Vedder, lead singer of veteran rockers Pearl Jam, has been helping to fund a cure for Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) and Netflix has picked up his documentary on the subject.
Matter of Time follows Vedder as he hosts a fundraising concert in Seattle to draw attention to the childhood disease, which is a rare genetic skin condition, and aid in the discovery of a cure.
The documentary will premiere on the streamer on February 9.
Eddie Vedder and his wife Jill founded the EB Research Partnership (EBRP) in 2010, a nonprofit dedicated to funding research to treat and cure the life-threatening disease, one that afflicted the child of Jill's childhood friend.
Related Stories
News
Ted Sarandos Says Netflix Will Commit To 45-Day Window After WB Acquisition; Doesn't Want To "Overread" Donald Trump Comments About Merger
Cancellations and Renewals
Netflix Orders Third Course Of 'Culinary Class Wars,' Renewing Competition Series For Team-Based Season 3
In October 2023, Vedder performed two sold out solo shows at Seattle's Benaroya Hall with all proceeds going towards funding critical research. The doc will weave together this performance with personal stories from researchers, doctors, funders, parents and young people living with EB
Watch on Deadline
Matter of Time is directed by Matt Finlin, who previously helmed The Movie Man, which Deadline's Pete Hammond called a “Canadian Cinema Paradiso” and it is produced by Door Knocker Media, which Finlin founded with Karen Barzilay, in association with EB Research Partnership and the Vitalogy Foundation.
It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and has played festivals including the Nashville Film Festival, where it won Best Feature Music Documentary, and the San Diego International Film Festival, where it won Best Picture.
“This film captures all angles of the EB Community experience,” said Eddie Vedder. “From families and researchers, to volunteers and donors all coming together for an event that includes a big dose of music for good measure. Please join in and meet these incredible people. Their stories will remain with you.”
“This isn't a concert film in the traditional sense. It's a portrait of a community that isn't crying out to be saved; they're saving themselves,” said Finlin. “In a time when so many problems feel unsolvable, that kind of determination was deeply inspiring to capture as a filmmaker. What EB patients, families, researchers, and EB Research Partnership are doing isn't just making progress for their own disease — it's reshaping how we think about curing rare diseases worldwide.”
Jill Vedder, co-founder and chairwoman of EBRP, said, “It has been a profound honor to work in service of the EB community for more than a decade. Matter of Time is a film that shows the power of a community all focused on the same dream.”
Michael Hund, CEO of EB Research Partnership, added, “This film is more than a movie, it is a movement, showing the world how accelerating treatments and cures is possible when courageous patients and families, the brilliant medical and scientific community, inspired artists, and innovative business models come together. We are pioneering the path for how rare diseases like EB can be cured, scaling our model beyond EB, and inviting the world to join us.”
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Comment
Name
Email
Website
Δ
Legend.
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks
We want to hear from you! Send us a tip using our annonymous form.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland will soon expand its timeline to a slightly longer time ago, Disney has announced. The Star Wars-themed land will start featuring characters from the original Star Wars trilogy on April 29, after seven years of heavily focusing on the sequels. Darth Vader, Luke, Leia, and Han are among the old favorites who will start appearing in Galaxy's Edge, but they're not taking the whole place over: Rey will still be hanging out in the Resistance camp, while characters who can fit in either era will roam the marketplace.
“Star Wars characters appear in Star Wars theme park” might not sound like news, but this is actually a significant change for Galaxy's Edge. The land has been strict about its time period since it opened in May 2019. It's set between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, and Disney avoided elements that might undermine guests' immersion in that particular period. (This is a land that launched with even retail and food service employees instructed to stay in character, with food items exclusively referred to with made-up Star Wars words like “Endorian tip-yip”; both have been rolled back, but Disney was taking the theme very seriously at first.) Regular appearances from Rey, a masked Kylo Ren, and First Order officers and Stormtroopers have been a standard feature since day one, sequel trilogy actors appear in both video and audio-animatronic form in its signature ride Rise of the Resistance, and the lead characters from earlier movies have remained out of sight. OG-only fans could meet up with Chewbacca and check-out a life-sized R2-D2 sold in the Droid Depot, both of whom are alive and… well, present in Force Awakens. (R2's not exactly doing well in that one, spending most of it under a tarp in a closet or garage somewhere.) Han Solo and Darth Vader were nowhere to be seen (although Luke did make some appearances at the park in 2025). The Mandalorian and Grogu were later added as walkaround characters in 2022, but their timeline is fuzzy enough where it's entirely possible they could've bummed around Battuu (the planet Galaxy's Edge is set on) when the First Order was there. This all changes in April, signaling a major change in the land's approach to immersion.
Anybody who was really into the LARPing aspect of Galaxy's Edge might be comforted to hear that Disney will still try to maintain some thematic separation between the original and sequel characters. Luke, Leia, Han, and Vader will appear in one part of the land, near the Millennium Falcon, Oga's Cantina, and the shops, while Rey will patrol on the opposite side, near the Resistance camp setting of Rise of the Resistance. And in the marketplace between the two ends of the land guests will be able to meet Ahsoka Tano and the Mandalorian and Grogu.
In addition to the character additions, Galaxy's Edge will also start featuring selections from John Williams' film scores in April. First Order Cargo, a store that sold First Order merchandise (for all the aspiring space fascists on your holiday list), will change its name to Black Spire Surplus alongside the timeline shift, with a newer, broader range of items on sale. Other stores will also see a merch refresh to reflect the altered timeline. It's the biggest change to Galaxy's Edge since it opened, and should breathe some new life into the land several years into its run.
Recommended for You1Industry introduces new digs, and some familiar faces, in a propulsive premiere2George Clooney says there is no reason to be cruel to Paul Dano3There's never been a better time to get in on the guy who makes the world's longest films4The Pitt's Noah Wyle on how Dr. Robby meets his match in season 25The Wood Brothers return to A.V. Undercover with "Maps"
© 2026 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
Valentine's Day is here early for Emily Ratajkowski.
The 34-year-old model shared a scantily clad video on Instagram Friday morning, wearing nothing but a sheer red lingerie set.
The three-piece look was from Lounge's Laced with Love Valentine's Collection, which is rife with red and black embroidered pieces sure to send temperatures soaring.
Advertisement
Ratajkowski models the Valentina set ($125) which includes a bra, matching thong and garter belt.
Advertisement
In the steamy Instagram video, she kneels on the floor of her apartment in front of a duo of full-length mirrors. Ratajkowski plays with her hair and adjusts the band of her G-string while in the impressive pose.
Fans, of course, went wild in the comment section. “Lord have mercy 🔥🥵🔥 i can't put it into words. My God Emily,” one person said. Another wrote, “Absolutely out of this world 🔥🔥🔥.”
Advertisement
The “Gone Girl” actress previously starred in a campaign for the same brand this past fall, modeling a hot pink and floral garter set as well as a brown bra and panty combo.
And the model is well-known for slipping into her undies; Last year, she was the face of Italian brand Intimissimi's Valentine's Day campaign, getting vampy in a bright red set.
One thing's for sure, the Victoria's Secret model looks good in the fiery shade.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Justin Long has quietly become one of indie horror's most reliable trust indicators. From “Tusk” to “Barbarian,” he's a familiar face whose presence on screen typically signals genre storytellers with something truly worthwhile to say. But in Ryan Prows' “Night Patrol,” arriving in theaters from RLJE Films and Shudder, the actor barely registers.
That's an ironic testament to Prows' clear creative vision and strong narrative control. It's also proof the director was mostly successful in steering his film‘s sprawling ensemble cast through a hazy, imperfect vampire saga — about corrupt, blood-sucking police targeting vulnerable citizens in Southern California.
Related Stories '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' and Sundance Give Us Something to Talk About That Isn't Awards Season A Year After David Lynch's Death, the Band Xiu Xiu Is Keeping ‘Eraserhead' Alive Onstage
Grounded in a gritty and ethereal Los Angeles that, true to life, puts “vibes” first, “Night Patrol” is a gangland dramedy that casually bounces between caustic one-liners and gun shots. Co-written by Prows, Shaye Ogbonna, Tim Cairo, and Jake Gibson, the film packs a shaggy script about power and brutality that combines beats of a satirical creature feature with the drama of a street war erupting between Bloods and Crips. When LAPD officer Ethan Hawkins (Long) gets promoted to the elite “night squad,” he and his ex-partner, Xavier Carr (Jermaine Fowler), find something even more hellish within the task force.
Popular on IndieWire
Wazi (RJ Cyler) and Ayanda (Nicki Micheaux), Xavier's brother and mom, encounter that demonic force in their circles, too. They've got their own magic to bring to the battle at hand, and Prows doesn't hesitate to unleash the bright, neon green glow of a supernatural artifact into the cross-fire police action of the modern thriller's first act. More mystically minded than you might guess, gang members Bornelius (rapper Freddie Gibbs), Three Deuce (filmmaker Flying Lotus), and Tripp (hip-hop artist YG) buy into the fantasy and meet the genre shift with expletive-laced humor that doesn't relieve tension but increases it.
Meanwhile, the (extra?) evil police are presented as broadly horrific and outwardly racist. Fitting! The casting matches the meathead characters visually, but the disproportionate number of objectively bad thespians on Team Thin Blue Line results in an acting performance disparity that's sometimes brutal to watch as the fighting progresses. Pro-wrestler CM Punk appears as a deputy who can't figure out even one of his scenes — while co-stars Fowler and Long get the smartest jokes of the movie. (You need the context, but keep your ears perked for the truly hilarious, “I remember MY first sandwich!“)
There's enough blood-and-guts fun to be had thanks to the vampire setup, but Prows and his cast shine brightest when they're toying with savage melodrama. Dermot Mulroney appears in a surprise role that doubles as a predictable but enjoyable soap opera reveal, and the opening scene deftly introduces Cyler's Wazi as a lovable underdog. He witnesses the state murder his situationship, mere minutes before learning not only that magic is real but that it also runs in the family.
Romantic, spiritual, or criminal, the textured relationships of “Night Patrol” make for enough rich connective tissue between characters across this unreal L.A. to make Prows' universe feels almost capable of supporting a TV show. But even saving many of cinematographer Benjamin Kitchens' most beautiful shots for the end of the film, Prows seems to run out of plot as the finale fades into ambience.
Pacing proves an impossible obstacle for “Night Patrol,” with its routine lulls suggesting the theatrical release could eventually do better as “second screen” programming enjoyed at home. Astonishingly slow at times, Prows' heavy-handed style — complete with three, semi-gothic title cards it really didn't need — builds to a sense of boredom that blankets even the most essential and emotional scenes.
It's a low-budget affair that feels less like wading around in a cinematic mood and more like languishing in underwhelming production values as the monotony of the last 45 minutes grinds on. But Prows takes big, decisive swings when the plot does manage to pick up, and ultimately, the audience is rewarded with a tonally chunky experience that isn't for everyone but impresses as both otherworldly and authentic.
Caught somewhere between “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The Wire,” this dark genre hybrid has a lot of flaws, but none of them are fatal. With “Night Patrol,” Prows drives a stake through the hearts of two familiar landscapes to try a unique idea with ever-prescient themes and a gamely frantic pulse.
From RLJE Films and Shudder, “Night Patrol” is in theaters on Friday, January 16.
Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film reviews and critical thoughts? Subscribe here to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
By Nellie Andreeva
Co-Editor-in-Chief, TV
Taylor Sheridan's latest series, family drama The Madison starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, will premiere March 14 on Paramount+, with the streamer also releasing first-look images. The first season of the series, which follows New York City's the Clyburns in the Madison River valley of central Montana, consists of six episodes.
That is the smallest order to date for a Taylor Sheridan series whose seasons typically run for 10 episodes (Yellowstone, Landman, Tulsa King, Mayor of Kingstown) or 8 episodes (Lioness, 1923). But that comes with a nice bonus — a second season, I hear.
The Madison, a love story channeled through a family drama, is produced by Paramount Television Studios, David C. Glasser's 101 Studios and Bosque Ranch Productions.
Watch on Deadline
As Deadline reported in August, Glasser revealed at the time that The Madison Season 2 was slated to begin filming in September at the new 450,000 sf production campus in Fort Worth, Texas that is backed by him, Sheridan, Paramount and Perot. The second installment has now been completed, I hear. It is envisioned as a second season, with a small possibility for it running as Part 2 of Season 1, sources said.
Described as Sheridan's most intimate work to date and a study of grief and human connection, The Madison unfolds across Montana and Manhattan as it examines family ties.
In addition to Pfeiffer and Russell, the series stars Beau Garrett, Elle Chapman, Patrick J. Adams, Amiah Miller, Alaina Pollack, Ben Schnetzer, Kevin Zegers, Rebecca Spence, Danielle Vasinova and Matthew Fox.
The Madison is executive produced by Sheridan, Glasser, John Linson, Art Linson, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin, Bob Yari, Christina Voros, Michael Friedman, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell and Keith Cox.
You can see first-look images above and below.
Get our Breaking News Alerts and Keep your inbox happy.
Comments On Deadline Hollywood are monitored. So don't go off topic, don't impersonate anyone, and don't get your facts wrong.
Comment
Name
Email
Website
Δ
I will tune in for that sheriff alone!!
Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks
We want to hear from you! Send us a tip using our annonymous form.
Sign up for our breaking news alerts
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Celebrity makeup artist Emily Cheng recently glammed up Gracie Abrams using Hourglass Illusion Luminous Glow Foundation, but you needn't be a star to get the same glow.
As a longtime Hourglass fan, testing out its new extended foundation shades was a must for me. (Since the colder seasons have my skin tone leaning on the cooler/neutral side of the color wheel, I found my best match to be shade 15: Medium Cool Rosy.)
It's not every day you find a foundation that caters to undertones ranging from cool (winter) to warm peach (summer), and I'm hooked for life on this game changer of a formula.
Advertisement
Read on for my full review of the star-worthy base — and the accompanying brush.
Pros:
Cons:
I wore a full Hourglass foundation beat to the office, and have have never received so many compliments at work. Colleagues I barely speak to — and even regular nearby coworkers — remarked that I looked absolutely radiant. All that positive feedback completely changed how I think about my daily makeup routine.
After starting the day at 6:30 a.m. and leaving the office around 8:30 p.m., my makeup still looked and felt intact (apart from my lipstick) — perfect for my after-work social plans.
Pros:
Cons:
To properly test Hourglass' foundation brush, I applied the product on two separate days (in the office bathroom, under the same lighting) — one day using the brush, and the other using my hands. The difference in coverage was immediate and noticeable, highlighting just how much application method can impact the performance of a foundation.
Throughout my month of testing, I found the formula applied more evenly with the Hourglass-branded tool, and even cut my application time in half.
Designed to mimic the delicate and precise control of the fingertips, the cruelty-free brush features a unique vegan fiber technology and custom bristles for effortless blending and intuitive, even application.
Overall, I preferred using the brush, since it yielded the best results and lasted longer (and kept my makeup looking fresher) throughout the day.
On the cusp of 34, I've learned that fine lines don't want to be covered — they want to be negotiated with. After a 14-hour wear test, the Hourglass foundation was still delivering luscious hydration and coverage that smoothed out texture without settling into my lines. The tone match was so perfect, I did triple takes in the mirror.
Buildable coverage is a standout feature, but application method also makes a huge difference. The formula is extremely smooth and glides on like a gloss — and since it's so hydrating, you don't need to moisturize beforehand. Given Hourglass' commitment to clean makeup, it came as no surprise that the foundation covered my rosacea with zero irritation.
The Fallout games were never really about the end of the world—because, as it turns out, nothing ever really ends. Look back at the original entries in the long-running RPG series, published by Interplay in the 1990s: From the very beginning, these games were far more interested in what people build in the aftermath of the bombs dropping than in their actual fall, filling the Wastelands with weird new societies growing up like weeds in the wake of total devastation. It's why Interplay paid Ron Perlman “$40 bucks and a sandwich” to intone those legendary words at the top of every game: “War never changes.” We blow things up, we build something new, and, whoops, wouldn't you know it, we're in constant danger of blowing it up all over again.
It's in that mindset that I've been thinking a lot about Fallout: New Vegas lately. To be fair, I think about New Vegas a lot in any case; it's my favorite game in one of my favorite game series ever, so I can start mentally running back through its highlights without much in the way of provocation. (You can read my thoughts on one of its best bits, the incredibly dark playable short story Vault 11, right here.) But as The A.V. Club's episodic reviewer for Prime Video's generally pretty enjoyable Fallout TV show—currently in the midst of a second season that tromps straight through the 2010 classic's old stomping grounds—it's been more on my mind lately than ever. And that has me thinking about rebuilding, because New Vegas, more than any other Fallout game, isn't really about the end of the world: It's about what comes next.
Some context, for the context-hungry: New Vegas was released two years after Bethesda Softworks launched its grand project to save Fallout in the mid-2000s, reviving the moribund franchise, to massive success, with 2008's Fallout 3. That's a game I respect, more than like, if I'm being brutally honest: Fallout 3 did incredible work in dragging the series back from the dead (and straight into people's living rooms), but it also lacked much of the humor, thoughtfulness, and expressiveness that I associated with the Fallout brand. The Capitol Wasteland—transplanted 3,000 miles from the California wreckage of the first two games—was cool as hell to explore, and I liked shooting a Super Mutant in first-person as much as the next Vault Dweller. But I rarely felt I could change the game's world in the same ways that Fallout 2 had taught me I could, allowing me to decide, say, the fate of criminal cesspool New Reno, or the complex, condescending politics of newly founded “utopia” Vault City.
New Vegas, though, was a sop to cranky-old-bastard-before-their-time 26-year-olds exactly like me: Developed, with Bethesda's blessing, by Obsidian Entertainment (staffed with many of the creators of the original games) and set in the Mojave Desert—i.e., close enough to California for there to be bleed-over from those earlier stories—it was a big, incredibly buggy love letter to old-school Fallout. And because both those players, and those developers, had gotten all of their “explore the devastated, civilization-deprived wastes” needs out of their systems with those previous games, it was also a game that was way more interested in people, and the societies they build, then Fallout often gets credit for. It's a game filled with weird little cargo cults, like the Kings—a gang who discovered a Vegas school for Elvis impersonators, decided “The King” must be a figure of great and terrible power, and patterned their whole look and mannerisms after his persona—or The Boomers, former Air Force survivors who've developed a quasi-religious fixation on their decaying weapons of war. And on the edges, pressing in, the forces of actual capital C civilization: The basically good, if bureaucratic and corruption-prone, New California Republic on one side, and the violently misogynistic Caesar's Legion on the other. (With Robert House, the shadowy, Howard Hughes-esque ruler of New Vegas pulling strings from the shadows.) Each of these groups is extending their fingers out into an essentially lawless frontier, with the player tasked with deciding which of them, if any, will ultimately take control.
If there's a thing that the Fallout show—which has just gotten done, in its most recent episode, with walking viewers through a loving, gorgeous recreation of the game's Strip area, and the surrounding town of Freeside—doesn't really grasp about Fallout in general, and New Vegas specifically, it's that this whole setup is ultimately far more Deadwood than Mad Max. I try not to bemoan this too much in my TV reviews, because the show is its own thing (no matter how many times Bethesda talks about how incredibly canon it all is). But it's pretty clear that the series wants the Wasteland to be a wasteland, and not the frontier that New Vegas (much more interestingly, to my mind) portrays it as.
That's especially apparent in the show's treatment of the NCR, which is depicted in the series as a last gasp of civilized humanity, destroyed in a fit of cruel pique by a jumped-up middle manager with major divorced dad energy. But the NCR of the games is neither so fragile, nor so perfect, as that nuked-back-to-dust utopia. Growing up from a small settlement in Fallout 1, by the time of New Vegas it's become messy in all the ways democratic societies do: Rife with division, inefficient at the edges, and held together by a core of people who passionately believe in the goodness of its ideals. Critics point out how it's slow; how its policies inevitably favor the rich over the poor; how all its “help” in the New Vegas region seems entirely predicated on keeping control of the Hoover Dam and the power it generates. And the player can take all these critiques in, and, if they so choose, agree with them—or just as easily decide that they'll take well-meaning inefficiency over something more cruelly effective any day of the week. It's the kind of commentary and satire you can only engage in, as a player, because New Vegas is interested in operating at scale, in showing conflicts not just between characters, but between the civilizations they represent. It's a story about societies colliding, which, turns out, you can only do if you don't depict each and every one of them as being nuked back to the Stone Age.
Really, it's all there in the name: Fallout has always been a series that cares about what comes after, rather than simply exulting in the power of destruction. And while I absolutely, 100 percent get why the TV series doesn't truck with much of this stuff—getting people to tune into a video game adaptation is still hard enough, without dropping a big-ass lore bible on their heads—it's also a big part what makes these games, and especially New Vegas, special to me. The bombs were just the prelude; it's the fallout that fascinates.
Recommended for You1Industry introduces new digs, and some familiar faces, in a propulsive premiere2George Clooney says there is no reason to be cruel to Paul Dano3There's never been a better time to get in on the guy who makes the world's longest films4The Pitt's Noah Wyle on how Dr. Robby meets his match in season 25The Wood Brothers return to A.V. Undercover with "Maps"
© 2026 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
With so much good music being released all the time, it can be hard to determine what to listen to first. Every week, Pitchfork offers a run-down of significant new releases available on streaming services. This week's batch includes new albums from Julianna Barwick & Mary Lattimore. Subscribe to Pitchfork's New Music Friday newsletter to get our recommendations in your inbox every week. (All releases featured here are independently selected by our editors. When you buy something through our affiliate links, however, Pitchfork earns an affiliate commission.)
Last year, curators at the French museum Musée de la Musique invited Julianna Barwick and Mary Lattimore to use some of their historically significant artifacts to record an album. The musicians—both of whom make airy, whimsical, near-ambient compositions—took them up on the offer without hesitation. Although they spent nine days testing out pieces and taping compositions, the duo whittled down their recordings into an album's worth of material. Musically, Tragic Magic is almost exactly what you might expect: songs with ethereal vocal harmonies and gentle harp plucks, complete with titles like “Perpetual Adoration” and “Melted Moon.”
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at BandcampBuy at Rough Trade
Between the launch of his surprisingly viable acting career and the birth of three children, A$AP Rocky has found plenty of time since 2018's Testing to pretend his follow-up, Don't Be Dumb, was just around the corner. The campaign kicked up a gear last month when he unveiled the record's visual universe, with Tim Burton behind the album art and the director's close collaborator Winona Ryder in the “Punk Rocky” video—plus another fellow Burtonite Danny Elfman on string arrangements. “Highjack,” the rapper's 2024 track with Jessica Pratt, does not make the cut, but a new one called “The End” does. And Rocky helicoptered in a squadron of other guests too, including Doechii, Gorillaz, Thundercat, Westside Gunn, Will.i.am, and Tyler, the Creator.
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicBuy at Rough Trade
What began as a slowcore outlet for Peter Katz a decade ago has since become a slightly poppier and mathier trio over the years, eventually evolving into the present-day iteration of Peaer. Doppelgänger, their first new album in nearly seven years, wastes no time explaining just how happy they are to be back with the jubilant opener “End of the World.” From there, though, Peaer find themselves caught in bristly knots like “Button” and “Bad News,” suggesting they returned to a thornier world that needs some untangling after all.
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at Bandcamp
In the midst of a tour with his Surf Gang cadre, evilgiane has surprise-released this follow-up to his 2022 instrumental LP Giane. Clams Casino and Rue Jacobs are the only guests, the former co-composing the piano-and-sub-bass elegy “Poker” and the latter riding the vaporwave of “Aerial Passing.” The rest of the record is a showcase for evilgiane's ambient finesse, full of muffled earworms and lulling tones, with the odd technical beat racing in to wake you from its daydream.
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at Bandcamp
Newcomers to Xiu Xiu could do worse than starting with their hauntingly intense version of Robyn's “Dancing on My Own,” one of 12 covers that make Xiu Mutha Fuckin' Xiu: Vol. 1 a perfect introduction to the influential art-rockers' dark allure. About half of the tracklist checks out—takes on direct antecedents like Throbbing Gristle, This Heat, and Coil—leaving a half-dozen curveballs, from a dubbed-out take on Talking Heads' “Psycho Killer” to an industrial revamp of GloRilla's “Lick or Sum” and a disarmingly gorgeous interpretation of Daniel Johnston's “Some Things Last a Long Time.”
Listen on Apple MusicListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at BandcampBuy at Rough Trade
Sleaford Mods foretold The Demise of Planet X with an increasingly surprising string of collaborations with British darlings, from Life Without Buildings' Sue Tompkins (on the joyous single “No Touch”) to Andrea Arnold (director of Fish Tank and, now, the “No Touch” video) to Game of Thrones and Star Wars star Gwendolyn Christie, who blazes through an unlikely rap verse on “The Good Life.” That collaborative spirit extends to the commonwealth on “Elitist G.O.A.T.”—which features New Zealander Aldous Harding—but not to the likes of compatriots Rishi Sunak or the old English fascist Henry Williamson, who get a lyrical kicking in Jason Williamson's latest batch of reliably caustic bars.
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at BandcampBuy at Rough Trade
Once a hired hand for the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Damien Jurado, Courtney Marie Andrews has beaten down a country-folk path of her own in the past decade. The poet and singer-songwriter recorded Valentine, her follow-up to 2022's Loose Future, in Los Angeles, with Jerry Bernhardt co-producing and Grizzly Bear's Chris Bear on drums. “Love, it turns out, is a lot more than I gave it credit for,” Andrews says of the source material. “I was in one of the darkest periods of my life, and songs were the only way I could reckon with it.”
Listen on Apple MusicListen on SpotifyListen on TidalListen on Amazon MusicListen/Buy at BandcampBuy at Rough Trade
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly noted the A$AP Rocky and Jessica Pratt song “Hijack” appeared on the rapper's new album. It has since been updated.
© 2026 Condé Nast. All rights reserved. Pitchfork may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. Ad Choices
CN Entertainment
Hallmark star Melissa Gilbert is receiving love from a friend and fellow former child star as she faces one of the most difficult times in her life.
On January 16, the “Little House on the Prairie” and “When Calls the Heart” star received a supportive message from “One Day at a Time” actor Glenn Scarpelli on social media, as he sent “love” without commentary on her personal life.
The loving message was shared days after Gilbert's husband, actor and producer Timothy Busfield, turned himself in to the Albuquerque Police Department following a warrant for his arrest. Busfield is facing charges of sexual abuse involving a minor when he was a director for the Fox TV series “The Cleaning Lady,” according to court documents obtained by local news station KOAT. The actor has denied the allegations against him and vowed to fight to clear his name, he said in a video message posted by TMZ.
Scarpelli, 59, is best known for his role as Alex Handris on the CBS sitcom “One Day at a Time,” from 1980 to 1983. The series aired at the same time as Gilbert's final seasons playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on NBC's “Little House on the Prairie.”
In the aftermath of Gilbert's personal crisis, Scarpelli posted a throwback photo of the two posing with fellow ‘80s child star Lisa Whelchel (“The Facts of Life”). He captioned the post with a simple show of support for Gilbert.
“Loving my Ol' Friend Melissa Gilbert right now. No commentary, just love… That is all,” Scarpelli wrote.
He added the hashtags #love #support #friendship #melissagilbert.
Fans reacted in the comments section to note that Scarpelli has a kind heart.
“Melissa has always been one of my favorite child actresses and I that you and she are still close friends, Glenn,” one fan wrote.
“Well said, such a tough time for her❤️,” another fan agreed.
Gilbert, 61, has not directly spoken about the allegations against her husband of 12 years. She deactivated her Instagram account, and her rep, Ame Van Iden, told People magazine that Gilbert is “not making public statements at this time” as she honors the request of her husband's lawyers.
“During this period, her focus is on supporting and caring for their very large family, as they navigate this moment,” Van Iden added. “Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
Gilbert's longtime “Little House on the Prairie” co-stars have also not publicly addressed the legal situation involving Busfield.
On the Jan. 15 episode of “The Little House on the Prairie 50th Anniversary“ podcast, host Pamela Bob appeared to reference the topic as co-hosts and “LHOP” alum Alison Arngrim and Dean Butler looked on. Bob noted that it had been a “tough week,” and said she was happy to have old episodes of “Little House” as a “safe space.
It is unclear when the podcast episode was taped.
Comment
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Δ
Previous
Next
Like EntertainmentNow?
Go here and check the boxnext to EntertainmentNow
About
Contact US
Privacy Policy
Terms Of Service
Editorial Guidelines
Sitemap
Copyright © 2026 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress VIP
By
Emily Zemler
Jimmy Kimmel has a tempting opportunity for Donald Trump. After Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize to the president yesterday, Kimmel attempted to bribe Trump with his choice of any of the awards Kimmel has won over the years.
“Trump loves awards,” Kimmel said. “Giving him an award seems like the only way to get him to do anything. And with that said, Mr. President, I have an offer I think you'll find difficult to refuse. If you, and only if, you agree to pull ICE out of Minneapolis and put them back at the borders where they belong, I am prepared to offer you one of the following trophies that I have been honored with over the years.”
Kimmel showcased a red velour stand lined with numerous awards, including a Daytime Emmy, a Clio, a Webby, and a Writers Guild Award. “Or,” Kimmel added, “best of all, I'm willing to hand over my 2015 Soul Train Award for White Person of the Year.”
“The choice is yours,” Kimmel said. “I will personally deliver any or even all of these to the Oval Office in exchange for leaving the people of Minneapolis alone.”
Kimmel recounted Machado's visit to Washington, D.C. “Trump said Machado was coming to the White House to pay her regards to our country,” Kimmel said. “Whether she made that payment in cash or check, we don't know. But after disappearing their president, Trump refused to support Machado as the new leader of Venezuela. And some in his circle believe it's because she didn't give him her Nobel Prize.”
After visiting Trump, Machado told reporters she had given the president her medal. “Rarely does a president yank a Nobel Prize off of someone's neck,” Kimmel noted. “You know he's back in the Oval Office sucking on it like a pacifier right now.”
Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October, a blow to Trump, who had been heavily campaigning to receive the honor. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said Machado was given the prize for “her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.”
In the months since, Trump has invaded Venezuela, removed its leader Nicolás Maduro, and taken over the country's oil reserves. The president has repeatedly told reporters that the South American nation — home to some of the largest oil reserves on the planet — “stole our oil.”
Trending Stories
Trump Says U.S. ‘Shouldn't Even Have an Election' as He Threatens Insurrection Act
Kiefer Sutherland Allegedly Asked Uber Driver to Pull Over, Repeatedly, Before Arrest
Trump's ‘Year Zero' Is Over. Now Comes the Reckoning
Jimmy Kimmel Offers Trump One of His Awards If He Gets ICE Out of Minnesota
“We're going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil,” Trump said. “We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.”
Although Trump missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize, he did receive the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize in December, a completely made-up award given to him by FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Infantino said Trump earned the prize thanks to his “exceptional and extraordinary actions to promote peace and unity around the world.”
We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
The new release marks the group's "most immersive and narratively driven chapter to date," a concept album that takes a big bite into vampire mythology.
By
Lars Brandle
ENHYPEN promised THE SIN : VANISH, and ENHYPEN delivered.
The K-pop outfit's seventh mini-album arrives at the stroke of midnight, one full month after its announcement, as the followup to June 2025's sixth mini album DESIRE : UNLEASH.
According to a statement, the new release marks the group's “most immersive and narratively driven chapter to date,” a concept album that specifically takes a big bite into vampire mythology.
Explore
ENHYPEN
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
“The album follows an unprecedented escape of vampire lovers, tracing the fragile balance between desire and consequence in a world bound by unbreakable rules,” reads the release.
Related
Olivia Dean Outpoints The Kid LAROI For Australia's Chart Title
The 'Heated Rivalry' Soundtrack Is Here: Stream It Now
Dolly Parton Teams With Miley Cyrus, Reba McEntire, Queen Latifah & Lainey Wilson for 80th-Birthday Version of 'Light of a Clear Blue Morning'
This is no ordinary collection of works from JUNGWON, HEESEUNG, JAY, JAKE, SUNGHOON, SUNOO and NI-KI.
From start to finish, the 11-track collection blends music, narration, and cinematic storytelling, with songs meshed with narration and skits.
It's presented in the style of a reporter discussing a vampire escape case, and presented in four languages: Korean (voiced by actor Park Jeong Min), English, Japanese (voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda), and Chinese (voiced by singer Lars Huang).
The experimental album gathers lead single “Knife,” which traces the beginning of the lovers' escape as they face pursuit without hesitation; charges through “No Way Back (featuring So!YoON!)” (Alternative R&B), “Stealer” (Alternative Dance Pop), “Big Girls Don't Cry” (Pop), and “Lost Island” (Pop) and closes with the introspective “Sleep Tight” (R&B), JAKE's first self-written track, with additional lyric contributions from HEESEUNG.
Earlier, the group teased on YouTube excerpts from four narration tracks –“The Beginning,” “The Fugitives,” “The Voice,” and “The Beyond.”
The latest effort arrives after DESIRE : UNLEASH debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200, just months after ENHYPEN made their historic Coachella Festival debut on the Sahara Stage. In addition to new music, the band will stay busy on the road this year with a stop at the inaugural edition of the Hello, Melbourne K-pop festival at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia on March 14 alongside TREASURE and Taemin.
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Your email address will not be published.
Required fields are marked *
Post Comment
A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
The 2,793-day wait is over.
By
Michael Saponara
The wait is over. It's been 2,793 days to be exact, between A$AP Rocky's Testing album in 2018 to Don't Be Dumb‘s arrival on Friday (Jan. 16).
Rocky's fourth studio album finally hit streaming services to give rap its first blockbuster release of 2026. While there's no Rihanna appearance, it's still a star-studded affair with features from Tyler, The Creator, Doechii, Bossman Dlow, Brent Faiyaz, Gorillaz, Jon Batiste, Slay Squad, Thundercat, Westside Gunn and Will.i.am.
The project boasts 15 tracks in total, including previously released singles “Punk Rocky,” which saw Winona Ryder star in the music video, and “Helicopter.” He allegedly displays six different alter egos across the project.
Related
Olivia Dean Outpoints The Kid LAROI For Australia's Chart Title
ENHYPEN Unleash Experimental Vampire Lovers LP 'THE SIN : VANISH': Stream It Now
The 'Heated Rivalry' Soundtrack Is Here: Stream It Now
Explore
A$AP Rocky
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
According to a press release, the Harlem native has already sold more than 130,000 units ahead of the album landing on DSPs.
Legendary filmmaker Tim Burton also played a role in the album's creation, with Rocky previously thanking him for his assistance. “SORRY 4 THE WAIT DON'T BE DUMB FINALLY HERE! THANKS TIM BURTON FOR HELPING ME MAKE THIS MOVIE,” Rocky wrote to IG in December when revealing the album's cover art, which Burton created.
Don't Be Dumb serves as Rocky's first album since 2018's Testing, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200. It's unclear if he has plans to tour the album across the globe, but Rocky is booked to headline Governors Ball 2026 on June 7 in NYC.
Life is much different for Rocky these days compared to 2018, when his last album arrived. The New York rapper and partner Rihanna welcomed their third child together — daughter Rocki — in September.
The hip-hop star performs cuts from the new collection for Amazon Music's “Songline” special, which was filmed in locations across New York City and premieres on Yams Day, Sunday Jan. 18 at 9 p.m. ET. The latest “Songline” episode will stream exclusively on Amazon Music, Prime Video, and Twitch.
Dive into Rocky's world and stream Don't Be Dumb below.
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Your email address will not be published.
Required fields are marked *
Post Comment
A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
By
Kory Grow
Ahead of her 80th birthday, Dolly Parton revisited her twangy 1977 ballad, “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” with an impressive group of friends in a new video. The clip features Lainey Wilson, Miley Cyrus, Queen Latifah, and Reba McEntire singing their parts in a recording studio.
The clip begins with Parton narrating, “You know, we're living in troubled and uncertain times.” Latifah responds, “Yeah, we sure are.” Parton rejoins, “But we can't let the darkness win.” Each artist takes turns, round-robin style, singing the verses, while David Foster plays piano. The new version includes a gospel choir, the Christ Church Choir, giving the song a peppy finish as the women all harmonize the chorus along with them. “Everything's gonna be all right,” Parton says at the end, looking into the camera. “It's gonna be OK.”
The artist teased the new clip with an Instagram reel, explaining she wrote the tune, on which she sings, “I can see the light of a clear blue morning” and “everything's gonna be all right,” in 1976 when she “needed a little hope.” At the time, she was coming to terms with separating from her musical and business partner, Porter Wagoner. “This time around, I've invited some very special women, some real ‘shining lights' to help me bring that hope to life again.”
“As I celebrate my 80th birthday, this new version is my way of using what I've been blessed with to shine a little light forward, especially by sharing it with some truly incredible women,” Parton echoed in another statement when the song came out. Net proceeds from the recording will benefit pediatric cancer research at Nashville's Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Trending Stories
Trump Says U.S. ‘Shouldn't Even Have an Election' as He Threatens Insurrection Act
Kiefer Sutherland Allegedly Asked Uber Driver to Pull Over, Repeatedly, Before Arrest
Trump's ‘Year Zero' Is Over. Now Comes the Reckoning
Jimmy Kimmel Offers Trump One of His Awards If He Gets ICE Out of Minnesota
Popular on Rolling Stone
The song, which combined country, pop, and even gospel into one uplifting song, originally featured on Parton's 18th solo studio album, New Harvest…First Gathering. Parton wrote the tune herself, but, like the new version, the album featured several notable guests including Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Minnie Pearl, Kitty Wells, and Ernest Tubb as backing vocalists. She re-recorded the song as a more upbeat, modern-sounding pop song for the Straight Talk movie soundtrack in 1992, and again in 2003 as a lush piano ballad for her post-9/11 patriotic album, For God and Country.
Cyrus, too, has a history with “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” since she covered the song during a Saturday Night Live appearance in 2021. “Tomorrow is Mother's Day, and this is for all the moms out there,” Cyrus said before the performance, which was a cold open.
We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
The 34-track soundtrack features music from artist and composer Peter Peter.
By
Nicole Fell
Assistant Editor
The Heated Rivalry soundtrack is finally here.
The 34-track album featuring the score of the Canadian show's composer Peter Peter dropped Friday, midnight local time. The soundtrack is Peter's debut score. He was hired by Heated Rivalry creator and showrunner Jacob Tierney after the writer spent “much of the series' preproduction immersed in Peter's previous solo work,” according to a release.
Released by Milan Records, the soundtrack includes both tender tracks for the moments of yearning and up-beat, techo-infused tracks for the show's more heart pounding moments. Friday's release is strictly digital, however, the label says the soundtrack is set to be released in physical forms — both on CD and vinyl — later this year.
Related Stories
Music
Harry Styles Announces Music Return With Fourth Solo Album 'Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally'
Movies
Stray Kids Concert Movie Sells Over $1.4M in Ticket Sales in Less Than 24 Hours (Exclusive)
The music of Heated Rivalry, both the score and songs used in the show, have been a hot topic online. Tierney using T.A.T.u's 2002 anthem “All The Things She Said” as a major needle drop caused the song's Spotify streams to jump 135 percent in the U.S. in the week following the episode it was featured in. British artist Harrison's remix of the show, also featured in the same sequence, saw a 139,000 percent increase in global streams on the platform from Dec. 12 to Dec. 24.
Heated Rivalry, hailing from Canadian streamer Crave and airing on HBO Max in the U.S., centers around a fictional hockey universe based on books by Rachel Reid. The show focuses on two rival professional players — Canada-born Shane Hollander (Williams) of the fictitious Montreal Metros and Russia-born Ilya Rozanov (Storrie) of the fictitious Boston Raiders — as they navigate a near-decade-long situationship turned relationship.
Crave renewed Heated Rivalry for a second season and HBO Max confirmed it will continue to air the series. Earlier this week, Reid announced that she'll be publishing her seventh book in the Game Changers series, which Heated Rivalry and its sequel The Long Game belong to. The book, Unrivaled, will be the next chapter in Shane and Ilya's story.
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
The change in leadership may mean a new hope for the storied franchise or it could be an attack of the clones by giving fans more of the same.
By Aaron Couch, Borys Kit
January 15, 2026 2:30pm
After 14 years guiding Star Wars into the modern era through all its ups and downs, Kathleen Kennedy is stepping down as the president of Lucasfilm. Her departure from the company, which is effective this week, has long been expected, but still marks a seismic shift for one of the biggest brands in Hollywood.
Kennedy had already spent decades producing movies such as Indiana Jones and E.T. when she joined Lucasfilm in 2012, taking on the role of co-chair alongside Star Wars creator George Lucas. She was elevated to sole head of the company just a few months later, after Disney paid $4 billion for the brand and Lucas exited.
Related Stories
Movies
Disney Will Bring the Original Star Wars Trilogy to Disneyland in Theme Park Pivot
TV
'Stranger Things' Director Shawn Levy on How the Duffers Stuck the Landing, and Bringing the "Epic and Intimate" to 'Star Wars: Starfighter'
Kennedy is not departing the galaxy far, far away immediately. As part of her exit, she will continue on as a producer on the next two Lucasfilm movies, The Mandalorian and Grogu, coming May 22, and 2027's Star Wars: Starfighter. She will pursue other projects outside Lucasfilm as an independent producer.
Popular on THR
In her wake, executive vp and chief creative officer Dave Filoni has been promoted to oversee the creative direction of the company as president and chief creative officer, Lucasfilm. President & GM of Lucasfilm business Lynwen Brennan will handle the business side of things as co-president, Lucasfilm. Splitting creative and the business duties is a common Disney strategy, with Pixar run by Pete Docter and Jim Morris, and Walt Disney Animation overseen by Jared Bush and Clark Spencer.
Filoni and Brennan will report to Alan Bergman, co-chairman, Disney Entertainment.
“It has been a true privilege to spend more than a decade working alongside the extraordinary talent at Lucasfilm,” Kennedy in a statement. “Their creativity and dedication have been an inspiration, and I'm deeply proud of what we've accomplished together. I'm excited to continue developing films and television with both longtime collaborators and fresh voices who represent the future of storytelling.”
Kennedy's exit closes out one Star Wars era and launches a new one, with the elevation of Filoni and Brennan posing many questions with few answers yet revealed. One thing is certain: After a period of relative inactivity as the Kennedy succession was settled, Lucasfilm could see development go into hyperdrive under the new leadership.
Filoni was mentored by Lucas and came up through the world of animation, overseeing beloved series such as The Clone Wars before teaming with Jon Favreau on live-action shows such as The Mandalorian and Ahsoka. Brennan joined Lucasfilm in 1999 and rose to president of Industrial Light & Magic before assuming her current role in 2015, overseeing all of business for the company.
Kennedy was a veteran producer boasting eight best picture Oscar nominations on titles such as The Sixth Sense and Lincoln when she took over Lucasfilm and worked quickly to move into the new era of Star Wars movies. She courted J.J. Abrams to direct Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the $2 billion grossing feature that launched a new trilogy in 2015. It was the first Star Wars feature since 2005's Revenge of the Sith and met the moment of pent-up demand with a mix of nostalgia and new characters. It stands as the top grossing movie of all time at the domestic box office with $936.6 million. More movies followed annually, including the $1 billion grossing Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Last Jedi ($1.33 billion), Solo: A Star Wars Story ($392.9 million) and The Rise of Skywalker ($1 billion).
It was not always smooth sailing. Kennedy fired filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller as directors of Solo, replacing them with Ron Howard mid-production. The film became the first Star Wars movie to lose money in its theatrical run. During the production of Rogue One, she sidelined director Gareth Edwards, with Tony Gilroy brought in to overhaul the movie. And while that move engendered plenty of sky-is-falling narratives, it proved to be savvy as the movie became a major critical and financial hit, and later led to Gilroy's critically adored and Emmy-winning Disney+ prequel series Andor.
Following Rise of Skywalker, which received a mixed response, Disney put Star Wars movies on pause, with CEO Bob Iger acknowledging it produced too many movies too quickly. Over the past decade, Lucasfilm went through stops and starts as it promised movies that failed to materialize, including projects from Game of Thrones creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, Last Jedi filmmaker Rian Johnson and Taika Waititi. A movie starring Daisy Ridley has been stuck in development since it was announced in 2023.
It now has two films on the way, with Mandalorian and Grogu arriving May 22 and Shawn Levy's Star Wars: Starfighter dated for May 28, 2027.
While the movie side of Star Wars faltered after Rise of Skywalker, Kennedy's decision to bring in Favreau to create and launch the first live-action Star Wars TV series proved to be a win beyond anyone's expectation. The Mandalorian shot Baby Yoda into popular culture and the initial seasons not only restored Star Wars' golden stature but also became the flagship show for Disney+ when it launched in late 2019.
The series that followed, however, had mixed results, with one, the 2024 show The Acolyte, being outright rejected by a certain faction of the sometimes intemperate fan base. Andor, on the opposite end of the spectrum, showed Star Wars could be used to tell stories with political themes. It became a showcase for its actors and ended its run with five Emmys and 22 nominations. Overall, Star Wars series under Kennedy have landed 85 Emmy noms. Coming up will be a second season of Ahsoka and the animated Maul: Shadow Lord series.
Lucasfilm in recent years also undertook reviving Ron Howard's Willow series on Disney+, as well as a fifth and final Indiana Jones movie, but neither found the hoped-for audience.
The new leadership arrives with its own set of questions. Filoni is known for his intimate and arcane franchise knowledge, which served him well in animation, but less so in live-action. Season three of The Mandalorian and season one of Ahsoka dealt with intricate facets of interclan rivalry and Jedi witches that were perhaps too in the weeds for casual viewers. He was also set to make his live-action feature directorial debut with a movie that combined characters from these the series, but that movie was put on the back burner and Favreau's The Mandalorian and Grogu is now opening this spring.
Observers point out that under Filoni and Brennan, the franchise could see a continuation of many of the practices and priorities set forth under Kennedy. After all, both have been at Lucasfilm for years and are part of the institution.
Others point out that the company stepped back from announcing projects, both feature and TV, last year, as Kennedy negotiated her exit and a search for successors took place. For all intents and purposes, the company was spinning its wheels. Now, these sources say, Lucasfilm can move ahead with full force as it seeks to recapture the excitement and creativity of a more civilized age.
On Thursday, Disney's top brass gave Kennedy a sendoff, with CEO Bob Iger recalling: “When we acquired Lucasfilm more than a decade ago, we knew we were bringing into the Disney family not only one of the most beloved and enduring storytelling universes ever created, but also a team of extraordinary talent led by a visionary filmmaker — someone who had been handpicked by George Lucas himself, no less.”
Added Bergman: “Kathleen Kennedy has been a tremendous force in the industry for 50 years, and it's been our privilege to have her here at Disney leading Lucasfilm for nearly 14 of them.”
The journey to reawaken the Force won't be straightforward. The franchise has always struggled to appease those nostalgic for the classic stories and characters, a fanbase with strict ideas on what Star Wars means, and those who believe that evolving is the only way the brand doesn't get stuck in amber.
This week, in a prophetic movie, Disneyland announced a pivot at Star Warsland. It will phase out characters and storylines created during the Kennedy-run sequels such as Kylo Ren and bringing back Darth Vader and other Lucas creations.
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
A scoop-driven, insider view of Hollywood's genre and blockbuster movie landscape, led by Borys Kit and Aaron Couch.
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
By
Charisma Madarang
Mickey Rourke once again took to Instagram to address the GoFundMe fiasco launched by his manager after news that The Wrestler actor was facing eviction after being sued by his landlord.
“Vicious cruel godamm lie to hustle money using my fuckin name so motherfuckin enbarassing,” Rourke wrote on a social media post. “There will b severe repercussions to individual who did this very bad thing to me and anyone who knows me knows payback k will be goddamm severe!!!!!!”
The post was one in several the actor shared on Thursday, Jan. 15, including one wishing his friend, fellow actor Eric Dane, who revealed his ALS diagnosis last year, well. In another, Rourke wrote in the caption alongside a black-and-white photo of himself, that over $100,000 had been raised by ” CONCERNED STRANGERS” and that his attorney was working on getting the money returned to donors. He added that there is still $90,000 that needs to refunded and urged people to get their money back. “THE PERSON WHO PULLED THIS CRAP SHOULDNT GET ONE FUCEN DOLLAR,” the actor wrote and said that his main concern at the moment was the wellbeing of Dane.
Earlier this month, Rourke said that he was not involved with the GoFundMe campaign launched under the premise of helping the actor to stay in his home, saying it was “humiliating” and that he would “never ask strangers or fans or anybody for a nickel.”
Trending Stories
Trump Says U.S. ‘Shouldn't Even Have an Election' as He Threatens Insurrection Act
Kiefer Sutherland Allegedly Asked Uber Driver to Pull Over, Repeatedly, Before Arrest
Trump's ‘Year Zero' Is Over. Now Comes the Reckoning
Jimmy Kimmel Offers Trump One of His Awards If He Gets ICE Out of Minnesota
Kimberly Hines, who's been Rourke's manager for over a decade and launched the GoFundMe with her assistant, told The Hollywood Reporter that the fundraiser was not a “grift.” Hines said that the actor was aware of who was behind the effort, while also acknowledging that it was possible Rourke didn't fully understand what a GoFundMe was when she presented the idea to him.
Following Rourke's denouncement of the GoFundMe, Hines told fans that if Rourke didn't want the money, donors would be reimbursed. “He's calling me for money. He's calling friends for money,” claimed Hines. “A GoFund is set up for him, and now he's rejecting it? ‘OK, Mick, no problem.' But nobody here has done anything wrong.”
We want to hear it. Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Now a more confident physician, Dearden's Dr. Mel King greeted Patrick Ball's recovering senior resident with open arms in the season 2 premiere as the two talk about the past 10 months in the second episode of the season.
By
Hilary Lewis
Deputy Editor, East Coast
[The following story contains spoilers through the second episode of The Pitt season two, “8:00 a.m.”]
As Patrick Ball‘s Dr. Langdon has returned to the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center from a stint in rehab in The Pitt season two, viewers are likely watching how numerous characters are reacting to the disgraced doctor‘s return to the emergency department.
While Noah Wyle's Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch is still cold to Langdon, banishing him to triage and refusing to engage too much with his formerly trusted colleague after he discovered Langdon's drug addiction and kicked him out of the hospital near the end of season one, Taylor Dearden's Dr. Mel King greets Langdon with open arms — literally.
Related Stories
TV
'The Pitt' Season 2 Premiere Ratings Soar
Business
'The Pitt' Creator R. Scott Gemmill Signs With UTA
When she first sees him, she shouts out his name and runs over to give him a hug, eager to welcome back the fellow physician with whom she appeared to develop a fast friendship on her own first day in the emergency department in season one.
But while she seems excited to see him, it's not until the second episode of the season when viewers learn if she knew about his drug problem and where he'd been while he was away.
Langdon tells her about his addiction and stint in rehab while he's examining her after a patient on the run from the cops knocks her over, causing her to hit her head on the hospital floor.
She seems to take in the news thoughtfully and indicates that she was trying not to listen to rumors, as Langdon says he “let a lot of people down” and apologizes to her.
“You never let me down,” Mel says, acting as if he didn't need to apologize.
Explaining Mel's reaction, Dearden says it's in keeping with her optimistic, kind-hearted character but also reflects how far Mel has come as a doctor.
“Mel sees the best in everyone, and pretty much only sees the best in everyone, and even if there's a dark spot, she's like the first to forgive, and I don't think the news affects her at all,” Dearden tells The Hollywood Reporter of learning the truth about Langdon. “I think the only thing that is different is that she's a different doctor now. She's not someone who desperately needs someone to to be there for her. And she's more independent and trying, and she's excited to reincorporate Dr. Langdon back into her professional life and as a friend and a mentor.”
As for Langdon, Ball says he's returning far less confident than he was in season one.
“You meet a Langdon in season one that was really sure of himself and knew what his role was and knew that if there was a problem, he was the one to fix it and liked to move fast and work hard and was always pretty sure that he was doing the right thing,” he tells THR. “I think in season two, you meet a Langdon who maybe isn't so sure.”
And as with other elements of The Pitt that strive for an accurate representation of health care workers, addiction is something that the medical community is grappling with, Ball explains.
“This is something that affects my life and the lives of many people that I love, and so to be asked to be part of telling this story was an honor and a responsibility, and something that I wanted to make sure that we did with the utmost respect and realism,” he says. “I didn't want anybody to feel like this was a suffering Olympics or anything like that. And I wanted to make sure that we understand that addiction is a disease. It's been very important to me that we believe that rehabilitation is possible and change is possible, and that nobody out there who may be suffering from addiction feels like they are too far gone or that they're going to be stigmatized and laughed at by this show. And I think [showrunner R.] Scott [Gemmill] and [executive producer] John [Wells] and [star-writer-producer] Noah [Wyle], they've done a really good job of treating that with respect.”
New episodes of The Pitt drop Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on HBO Max ahead of the season finale on April 16.
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Inside the business of TV with breaking news, expert analysis and showrunner interviews
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
Although the world has mostly moved on from 2022's FX miniseries Pam & Tommy—in which Lily James and Sebastian Stan played Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, reckoning with the release and widespread dissemination of their infamous sex tape—Pamela Anderson certainly has not. Anderson (who's been working steadily since giving a revelatory and heartbreaking turn in 2024's The Last Showgirl) was vocal at the time of the show's release about being unhappy to have her life turned into true-crime-as-cultural-examination fodder, and she hasn't gotten any happier since. That includes telling Andy Cohen (per TMZ) this week that she felt “yucky” to be seated near star and executive producer Seth Rogen at the recent Golden Globes, and made it clear that she believes Rogen owes her an apology.
“I just felt like ugh,” Anderson said of the series. “How can someone make a TV series out of difficult times in your life? And I am a living, breathing human being over here.” Anderson added that, after being seated near Rogen at the Globes last week, she felt an urge to confront him about the series, which was created by Robert Siegel, but developed under Rogen and Evan Goldberg's production banner. “Sometimes it hits you and you feel kind of down. It felt a little yucky. Eventually, hopefully, he will reach out to me to apologize, not that it matters. When you are a public person, they say you have no right to privacy. But your darkest, deepest secrets or tragedies should not be fair game for a TV series. That pissed me off a little bit.”
Pam & Tommy was a modest critical success at the time of its release, earning 10 Emmy nominations. (It won one, for makeup.) But while the series is ostensibly on Anderson's side—with much focus put on how exploited she was by basically every other person active in the sex tape scandal—it also couldn't escape the fact that it was itself telling a lurid story about her for its own benefit, and without her permission. (The series got around rights issues by licensing a Rolling Stone article about the incident.) This isn't the first or even the second time Anderson has spoken about the topic—it comes up in her 2023 Netflix documentary Pamela, A Love Story, where she called the show's producers “assholes”—but it's also clear that it's a wound that isn't in any danger of healing any time soon.
Recommended for You1Industry introduces new digs, and some familiar faces, in a propulsive premiere2George Clooney says there is no reason to be cruel to Paul Dano3There's never been a better time to get in on the guy who makes the world's longest films4The Pitt's Noah Wyle on how Dr. Robby meets his match in season 25The Wood Brothers return to A.V. Undercover with "Maps"
© 2026 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
Prince William and Kate Middleton's decision to hire a crisis management expert was reportedly done to get ahead of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's potential return to the UK.
The Prince and Princess of Wales recently hired Liza Ravenscroft, who has a background in crisis management, the Mail on Sunday reported last week.
Although the royal couple hardly has bad press, Ravenscroft's hiring has to do with Harry and Markle, a Daily Mail report published Thursday claims.
Advertisement
“William and Catherine know that there may be trouble ahead, and it's likely to come from a familiar source – Prince Harry and Meghan,” the outlet reported.
Advertisement
“The Establishment ‘plot' to bring the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back to Britain is gathering pace, with a decision expected within the next couple of weeks on the reinstatement of the couple's automatic armed police protection – paid for by British taxpayers – when they make return visits to this country,” the report continued.
The outlet claimed recent stories of Markle potentially returning to the UK this summer and Harry reportedly inviting his father, King Charles, to the 2026 Invictus Games, was a way to put pressure on the royal family to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Sussex back.
“The plot is known as ‘Project Thaw' because the aim is to ‘warm up' the duke's and duchess's frosty relationships with the rest of the Royal Family and with the British people,” the outlet claimed.
“Harry and Meghan returning to set up their ‘rival' royal court at the same time as trying to make a fortune for themselves has the makings of a future crisis for the monarchy,” the outlet continued.
Advertisement
Start your day with Page Six Daily.
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Want celebrity news as it breaks?
Reps for the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex didn't immediately respond to Page Six's request for comment.
Advertisement
Harry could soon reunite with the royal family after he scored a victory in his long-running battle for security when visiting the UK.
Ravec, the Royal and VIP Executive Committee, launched a new risk assessment at Harry's request and determined that he met the threshold for official protection.
Meanwhile, royal author Christopher Andersen recently told Us Weekly that Harry is “somewhat uneasy” with living under the spotlight, while his wife “embraces that life more.”
“He has suffered from crippling social anxiety,” Andersen alleged.
“Does it pain Harry to be pointedly excluded from times when the royal family gets together, like Christmas at Sandringham? Of course it does,” he also quipped.
William and Harry notably did not reunite when Harry returned to Britain in September 2025 as their relationship continues to be strained.
François Arnaud has unfollowed the “Heated Rivalry” cast and others involved in the hit drama — including co-stars Hudson Williams, Robbie G.K. and Connor Storrie.
The actor, 40, also unfollowed series creator Jacob Tierney in the social media purge, which saw him trim his “following” list from over 1,000 to 213 in the past week, per Just Jared.
Arnaud is said to be weathering online threats after being seen jetting out from JFK airport with Storrie, 25, following their press week in the Big Apple, sparking dating rumors — and some fans think Storrie would be better paired with Williams, 24.
Advertisement
Fans flocked to X to comment on the escalating social media drama.
Advertisement
“François Arnaud has unfollowed everyone involved with Heated Rivalry on Instagram including the whole cast and creator Jacob Tierney Nasty comments and online harassment seem to have caused François to limit his online presence,” one person remarked, while another chimed in, “They need to leave this gentle king alone.”
“The comments and harassment is horrible and unjustified, but I don't get unfollowing his cast members?” questioned a third.
Others were concerned the apparent drama could affect Arnaud's participation in Season 2 of the hit series.
“If because of toxic fans we don't get François Arnaud in season 2 of HEATED Rivalry I'm gonna lose my f–king mind believe me,” an X user wrote.
Advertisement
Start your day with Page Six Daily.
Please provide a valid email.
By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Want celebrity news as it breaks?
“Saying françois isn't helping by unfollowing any accounts related to the show. HE IS GETTING DEATH THREATS,” yet another person wrote.
Advertisement
“THE QUEER MAN ON THIS SHOW IS GETTING DEATH THREATS. & you think he's just being ‘messy' and ‘asking for attention' this fandom is full of people who belong in padded rooms.”
Storrie and Hudson star in the steamy show as rival hockey players — and secret lovers — Shane Hollander and lya Rozanov, while Arnaud plays Scott Hunter.
Reps for Storrie and Arnaud did not immediately return Page Six's requests for comment.
Arnaud admitted he's been overwhelmed by his social media following amid the success of “Heated Rivalry,” even suggesting he should shut down the whole account.
“Oh, Helen Hunt… who not only followed me and other guys from the show, also commented on an old post of me, an old post,” he said during an appearance on the Sirius XM podcast “The Morning Mashup.”
Advertisement
“And she said, ‘You're so good in this and everything else,'” the actor claimed.
“I was like, ‘Is she going through my whole filmography?' Yeah, I had to, I'm like, ‘Oh delete Instagram now. I don't need to see anything else.' Shut the whole thing down.”
“This is how it should end,” he added. “This is my happy ending.”
After HGTV star Leslie Davis dropped the bombshell on January 14, 2026, that she was engaged to a man she met while filming “Rock the Block,” fans have been eager for more details.
Davis and her twin sister, Lyndsay Lamb, won season five of HGTV's popular competition series, but it turns out Davis also won the heart of carpenter Don Reidy — a shock to “Unsellable Houses” fans who thought she was still married to her first husband, Jacob, with whom she shares three sons — Kyler, Cash, and Cole.
Reidy had worked on multiple HGTV shows before being called to Treasure Island, Florida in late 2023. That's where four teams of HGTV duos were competing on the fifth season of “Rock the Block,” tasked with completely renovating identical, luxury waterfront condos in six short weeks.
Lamb and Davis, who starred for five seasons on “Unsellable Houses,” were up against Bryan and Sarah Baeumler from “Battle on the Beach,” Keith Bynum and Evan Thomas of “Bargain Block,” and Page Turner and Mitch Glew from “Fix My Flip.” (Notably, after some serious drama at the end of the competition, all of those shows have gone by the wayside)
On January 15, Davis told People that Reidy was assigned to her and Lamb as their “specialty carpenter,” explaining, “He worked on mine and Lyndsay's home exclusively for the entire project, helping us make all of our custom woodwork items.”
As he constructed a wood ceiling, pergola, and custom shelves in their beach home's loft, Davis told the outlet that they also “built a great friendship.”
But the entrepreneur, who co-owns a real estate and renovation company in Washington state with her sister — Lamb & Co. — told People that falling in love was “completely unexpected,” insisting she had “zero clue it would happen.”
Though Davis and Reidy remained friends on the set of “Rock the Block,” she told People, “Somehow as the months passed after the show ended, we became closer and closer, talking non-stop on the phone and then fell in love.”
As EntertainmentNow previously reported, Reidy lived in Colorado at the time. Davis confirmed to People that he moved to Snohomish, Washington, “about a year later.”
Reidy's Facebook profile shows that he left Colorado in August 2024, telling friends, “God has given me so many big opportunities and I am jumping in … Life here has been amazing but I am ready for my next adventure.”
Reidy, who has worked behind the scenes on HGTV shows including “100 Day Hotel Challenge,” is now listed as the Renovation Project Lead for Lamb & Co. He proposed to Davis over holiday break with all three of her sons there to help pull of the surprise, she shared on Instagram. Her rep told People a wedding date has not been set.
It couldn't happen to a sweeter gal. I met Leslie and Lyndsay at the Home and Patio Show in Jacksonville, FL when I waived at the two of them while they were filming a commercial for the show. They came right over to me and we had a nice chat. I'm sorry I never gave them my name.
Comment
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Δ
Previous
Next
Like EntertainmentNow?
Go here and check the boxnext to EntertainmentNow
About
Contact US
Privacy Policy
Terms Of Service
Editorial Guidelines
Sitemap
Copyright © 2026 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress VIP
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter
The 'Last Week Tonight' host made the comments on Trevor Noah's podcast Thursday.
By
Alex Weprin
Senior Editor
HBO Last Week Tonight host John Oliver is not a big a fan of the non-stop barrage of media mergers, but he and his team have no plans to change what they are doing, regardless of whether Netflix or Paramount ends up with the prize.
“I think mergers are generally bad. I think you're always hoping for the least bad option,” Oliver told former Daily Show host Trevor Noah on his podcast Thursday (Noah will host the Grammy Awards for Paramount next month). “I think that the key thing for us is to act with enough aggression or confidence… I will act assuming nothing is going to happen. We're not going to change, right?”
Related Stories
TV
Netflix Renews 'Culinary Class Wars' for Season 3 But Shakes Up Competition Format
TV
Emilia Clarke Is Over the Fantasy Genre Following 'Game of Thrones'
“We've been behaving the way we've been behaving for long enough that you can't really reason with us,” he continued. “So there's no point doing that.”
Related Video
Oliver noted that HBO has been sold twice already since he started hosting his show, once in Time Warner's sale to AT&T, and again in WarnerMedia's spinout into Warner Bros. Discovery.
“You know, these things come with cuts,” Oliver said.
And he expressed skepticism about the state of media generally, questioning whether all of the deals are really warranted.
“There are going to be question marks on all of this, right? Because it's very hard to justify this legally,” Oliver said. “Now, whether that makes it impossible for it to happen, that's an open question.”
Netflix of course has a signed deal for Warner Bros., but Paramount is threatening a hostile bid. Both could face tough regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe, though Paramount has argued that it has an easier path.
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day
Send us a tip using our anonymous form.
It's well-known that Bob Dylan spent plenty of time in Greenwich Village during his early years in New York. However, he also called Harlem home for a significant amount of time. Now, the townhouse that the iconic musician lived in is up for sale.
Currently on the market for $2.75 million, that's a quarter of a million dollars less than it was six months ago when it hit the market for $3 million, according to the New York Post.
Dylan first bought the Harlem townhouse in 1986 and lived there for 14 years until he sold it in 2000. At that time, the new owners purchased the home for $560,000.
In 2018, the property was snapped up by lawyer Isam Salah and Elaina Richardson, “the former editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, who just stepped down after running Yaddo, the famed Sarasota Springs artists' colony, which she headed for the past 25 years,” according to the Post. The couple paid $3.17 million for the property.
Dylan's former townhouse is located at 265 W. 139th St., and “was designed by legendary Gilded Age architect Stanford White,” the Post notes. Built in 1893, “[t]he 4,500-square-foot home is part of Strivers' Row, in the St. Nicholas Historic District,” and is “part of a row of houses designed in 1891 to 1893 by White's firm, McKim, Mead & White.” Despite it's age, the home “is remarkably preserved and modern.”
The townhouse that is 19-foot-wide “opens to a striking wood-paneled vestibule that leads to a 19-foot salon.” Beyond that, the home features a “large, eat-in chef's kitchen, which includes a full-height wine fridge” and “spills onto a terrace.”
Offering residents four to five bedrooms, the primary suite is found on the third floor of the home and boasts a radiant floor and a marble bath. The remaining bedrooms are located on the fourth floor.
“Other perks include plenty of outdoor space, including a gated carport and a rear alleyway, which offers unusual privacy in the city,” as well as additional enviable details, such as the “original moldings, pocket doors, crown molding, wainscoting, inlaid hardwood floors and high ceilings.” Beyond that there are “six original decorative fireplaces, built-in bookcases, an original range stove and a 4-foot-tall safe — now used as a bar — plus a rooftop skylight.”
The potential new owners will also surely appreciate the cellar with laundry, workshop bench and a good amount of storage.
Comment
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Δ
Previous
Like EntertainmentNow?
Go here and check the boxnext to EntertainmentNow
About
Contact US
Privacy Policy
Terms Of Service
Editorial Guidelines
Sitemap
Copyright © 2026 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Powered by WordPress VIP
When Disney bought 20th Century Fox back in 2019, it ended up owning the rights and licenses to an absolutely gobsmacking number of TV shows and films, many of which we can't imagine it had any idea what to do with. Leave aside those wildly off-brand shows that were still in production, like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia. What is The House Of Mouse to do with a series like Will Forte's wonderfully bizarre The Last Man On Earth, which ran for four seasons of frequently wacky, frequently depressing apocalypse comedy on Fox, before wrapping up in 2017? What can you do with Phil “Tandy” Miller and his frequently eyebrow-free adventures? Sell them off to the French?
Anyway, Disney has now sold The Last Man On Earth off to the French, with Variety reporting that a remake of the series was announced at a Parisian showcase of new Disney+ shows on Thursday night. The series—about a guy who survives a global pandemic, and is forced to try to survive and restart civilization despite being a lazy, emotionally immature slacker—will be revived for French audiences with comedian Artus now in the Will Forte role.
A synopsis released for the new show leans into the wish fulfillment element that made up basically the bulk of its pilot episode, before all involved (including Forte and co-creators Chris Miller and Phil Lord) decided it'd be a lot more fun to have “hero” Phil Miller contend with other survivors, like Kristen Schaal, instead. (We don't know if France has a Kristen Schaal, but if not, they should get one. She's great!) Here's the description: “After traveling across the country, Adam must face the facts: he is the last man on Earth. Free from everything, he enjoys the advantages of solitude… but remains desperately alone. However, he still holds out hope that another survivor exists. And perhaps even a female survivor.”
Artus, for his part, is a pretty major comedy star in France at the moment; his 2024 comedy film A Little Something Extra, about a pair of criminals who go undercover in a summer camp for young adults for disabilities, quickly became one of the highest-grossing movies in the country's history.
Recommended for You1Industry introduces new digs, and some familiar faces, in a propulsive premiere2George Clooney says there is no reason to be cruel to Paul Dano3There's never been a better time to get in on the guy who makes the world's longest films4The Pitt's Noah Wyle on how Dr. Robby meets his match in season 25The Wood Brothers return to A.V. Undercover with "Maps"
© 2026 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
Look: We're going to try like hell to write this story without putting any Star Wars jokes in it. No “bad feelings,” no “disturbances in the Force,” no “so-and-so becomes more powerful than you can possibly imagine.” We're grown-ups, a huge shake-up just happened in the world of one of the planet's biggest entertainment brands, and we can do this in a calm, measured, professional way.
Anyway: A huge “Who da man? Yo da man!” to long-time Star Wars writer and producer Dave Filoni, who has just been named Chief Creative Officer and Co-President of Lucasfilm, filling the latter job alongside long-time Lucasfilm Business head Lynwen Brennan. The pair will co-fill the chair now vacated by decade-plus Star Wars head honcho Kathleen Kennedy, who took the job at Lucasfilm shortly before George Lucas sold the company to Disney back in 2012, serving as Lucas' hand-picked steward and chief decision maker for the brand throughout the conglomerate's ownership of the franchise.
Kennedy's departure from the role isn't exactly a big surprise: She's been talking about stepping back from the high-pressure, high-getting-yelled-at-by-randos job for at least a few years at this point. (An exit interview she gave to Deadline today suggests she stayed on longer than intended in part to help Filoni bulk out his resumé; he came to the franchise as a writer and animator, but has spent the last few years getting experience as a live-action director on shows like Ahsoka in order to round out his “running a movie studio” skillset.) The news, not coincidentally, was timed to the reveal that filming has wrapped on Shawn Levy and Ryan Gosling's Star Wars: Starfighter, the second Star Wars movie to wrap since the franchise took its little seven-year theater nap after the release of The Rise Of Skywalker in 2019. (The other, the Filoni-penned The Mandalorian And Grogu, arrives in theaters this May.)
The division of labor in the new Lucasfilm isn't difficult to parse: Brennan's a stalwart of the company's business side, having spent 26 years rising up through the ranks at Industrial Light & Magic, and will presumably handle the technical and money portions of the equation, as she has done for years. Filoni, meanwhile, has carved out a name for himself mostly through his work in TV, first in the Clone Wars animated series, and then by essentially asserting himself as the only person who seemed to have an actual narrative plan for this universe in the aftermath of the sequel trilogy's various highs and lows. (One of the chief architects of The Mandalorian, he's noted for being an inveterate lore guy, and has never been shy about jabbing Star Wars fans' nostalgia buttons as needed to give his various productions a boost.) Given that you were never going to find any human being alive who all Star Wars fans were going to instantly rally behind, it's not hard to see why he was the easy pick for CCO: Give or take a Book Of Boba Fett here or there, he's made it clear that he knows how to generate steady, crowd-pleasing adventure stories that trot out all the right signs and signifiers without rocking the spaceship. He's never been the guy to make something bold and groundbreaking like, say, Tony Gilroy's Andor. But, as Kennedy's exit interview notes, there are a lot of directors (James Mangold, Taika Waititi, Donald Glover, Steven Soderbergh, and more) who show up wanting to do something bold and groundbreaking with Star Wars, and sometimes you probably need a guy who just knows what color the lightsabers are supposed to be, and who just wants to see the Hero's Journey play out in a slightly different form. Again.
As for Kennedy, she's reportedly excited to focus on her passions in life: Making movies with her husband, veteran filmmaker Frank Marshall; producing more Star Wars movies (in a non-running-the-company role); and, obviously, getting seriously into making films with AI. (“In responsible ways,” of course, which nobody, no matter how hard they're tempted to make the obvious joke, could suggest they have a bad feeling about.)
Recommended for You1Industry introduces new digs, and some familiar faces, in a propulsive premiere2George Clooney says there is no reason to be cruel to Paul Dano3There's never been a better time to get in on the guy who makes the world's longest films4The Pitt's Noah Wyle on how Dr. Robby meets his match in season 25The Wood Brothers return to A.V. Undercover with "Maps"
© 2026 Paste Media Group. All Rights Reserved
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
A shouty and self-serious action thriller about a team of ambiguously corrupt Miami cops who threaten to turn on each other after they discover a fortune of very stealable cartel money hidden in an unassuming safe house, Joe Carnahan's “The Rip” would be easy to dismiss as run-of-the-mill streaming fare if not for the casting wrinkle that juices up its drama at every juncture.
To put it simply: Ben Affleck plays one cop. Matt Damon plays another. They love each other, albeit only in a pathologically straight let's bark hyper-steroidal sub-“Heat” jargon at each other while swallowing our feelings sort of way. But over the course of a dark and deadly night in the suburbs of Hialeah, the relationship between these ride-or-die bros will fray apart as those giant buckets full of benjamins — the titular “rip” — start to cloud the latter's judgment. Tense as the situation is on its own, the whole thing is kicked up a notch by the sick meta spectacle of watching Hollywood's bestest friends begin to sour into mortal enemies. It just hits different when Ben and Matt are trying to bring each other down, and “The Rip” takes full advantage of the palpable history between them from its first proper scene all the way through the last and most ridiculous of its (way too many) different endings.
Popular on IndieWire
Related Stories ‘Night Patrol' Review: Police Brutality Meets ‘Buffy' in Ryan Prows' Dreamy Gangland Vampire Saga '28 Years Later: The Bone Temple' and Sundance Give Us Something to Talk About That Isn't Awards Season
The suspicions kick off with a murder-mystery that will hover over the rest of Carnahan's script, as the captain of a Tactical Narcotics Team is gunned down by two masked shooters for reasons unknown. Her team doesn't take it well. Quoth Detective Numa Baptiste (Teyana Taylor in a small, functional role that she unsurprisingly imbues with life): “She was my friend. And my bitch.”
She was also Detective Sergeant JD Byrne's fuck buddy, so he's extra steamed about the murder as well, and hellbent on figuring out whether his captain was killed by one of their own (Affleck is great at playing aggro with a conscience, and, as we learn in the most gratuitous one-shot male shirtless scene this side of “Ant-Man,” also shredded to the bone). It's the only thing JD cares still about, and we believe him when he says that Damon's increasingly disaffected Lieutenant Dane Dumars deserved the recent promotion that both men were vying for. Dane has a dead son, he needs something to live for, and JD is the kind of guy who cares about balancing the scales of justice to whatever degree he can.
“The Rip” doesn't offer any particularly sharp insights about the moral dilemmas faced by Miami's finest (Carnahan's lean and hardy screenplay is less interested in big picture ideas than in getting a weary Damon to say things like “That guy just got his dick knocked in by the grind”), but the movie's plot hinges on the notion that police don't get paid enough, and that weeding out the “bad ones” — with bullets to the head — would make a material difference to the world at large.
So when Dane's team discovers that the six-figure Hialeah rip is actually worth closer to $20 million, the situation turns into something of a purity test, as each member of the TNT has to suss out how far across the line their partners are willing to go (Steven Yeun and Catalina Sandino Moreno capably round out the overqualified team, the latter armed with a money-sniffing dog named Wilbur). Is it possible for an American cop in 2026 to resist the temptation to abuse their power? That's a good question. Is it dramatically plausible? That might be an even better one.
The intergroup suspicions are plenty tense enough, but Carnahan packs this powder keg even tighter by placing Dane's team under a ticking clock; after some other interested parties catch wind of the fortune, it's only a matter of time before our characters find themselves under siege. Imagine a crazy aggro cross between the claustrophobic back-stabbing of a classic French heist movie and the walls are caving in implosiveness of “Assault on Precinct 13” and you'll have a decent idea of how “The Rip” unfolds, which it does in sufficiently entertaining fashion.
Juan Miguel Azpiroz's gritty cinematography manages to sidestep most of the Netflix gloss, Sasha Calle adds a curious wrinkle to the story as the current — and ambiguously culpable — resident of the Hialeah house, and the eventual fireworks are concussive enough to blow a hole right through your tablet or TV. It's also worth nothing that the movie was produced by Affleck and Damon's Artists Equity, and promises all 1,200 members of the cast and crew a one-time bonus if it manages to surpass certain viewership benchmarks; not only does that share the wealth mentality dovetail with the story at hand, but, for viewers aware of the arrangement, it also helps to chip away at the inherent disposability of straight-to-streaming content.
Is “The Rip” a better film because its third AD might actually be able to afford their rent next month? Not necessarily, but knowing that its performance matters to more than Netflix's shareholders does restore an ounce of material weight to a project that might otherwise have felt like vaporware.
But the most important reason why “The Rip” is a slight cut above the average streaming fare is the lived-in history that Affleck and Damon bring to their characters' dynamic. I can only speak as someone who's associated these actors with each other for more than 30 years, but it's raw to see JD and Dane start to second-guess each other — it engenders a state of disbelief that echoes the uncertainty felt by the rest of their team. This movie gets way too high on its own supply by the end, but for the better part of its runtime even the film's silliest expressions of pathos (i.e. Dane's “The Night of the Hunter”-esque hand tattoos, which I would hate to ruin for you here) are grounded by the emotional credibility of the relationship between its two leading men. “Fuck, it'd be so much easier if we just stole this money,” Dane half-jokes at one point early on. Easier to steal from a stranger's house maybe, but there's nothing easy about taking something that valuable away from your friends.
“The Rip” will be available to stream on Netflix starting Friday, January 16.
Want to stay up to date on IndieWire's film reviews and critical thoughts? Subscribe here to our newly launched newsletter, In Review by David Ehrlich, in which our Chief Film Critic and Head Reviews Editor rounds up the best new reviews and streaming picks along with some exclusive musings — all only available to subscribers.
By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy.
We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Here's how a report on alien abductions in the United States begins: “Most alien abduction stories begin quietly — a strange light, a missing moment, something that feels off.”
Sounds like something from the “Twilight Zone” or worse.
It's the Alien Abduction Odds Index 2026 and it looks at where abductions are reported and shows the pattern. They're not necessarily making a prediction.
“The odds are low everywhere. But the takeaway is simple: these reports don't appear everywhere — they appear somewhere,” the report says.
Well, sort of.
As many know, South Carolina was the site of the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman for years, a saucer-shaped wooden structure built over a period of years by Jody Pendarvis. The ramshackle 48-foot-wide, 16-foot-tall structure was written up by any number of publications and heralded as a roadside attraction.
It was never reported whether any UFOs actually checked it out over the decades it existed, but Pendarvis was quoted as saying “Maybe another UFO came by and set the fire” when the place burned down in 2024 after a 30-year run.
The study said South Carolina has a 1.03% chance with odds of 1 in 97.
South Carolina ranked 29th in the country — not too high, not too low.
New Hampshire - 2% or 1 in 50 odds.
“New Hampshire ranks #1 in the U.S. because people there report UFO sightings more often than anywhere else — about 24 sightings per 100,000 residents,” the report said.
Idaho - 1.9% or 1 in 53
Vermont - 1.79% or 1 in 56
Maine - 1.78% or 1 in 56
Oregon - 1.68% or 1 in 60
“In several top states, a large share of sightings involve close encounters. In Idaho, Vermont, Oregon, and Wyoming, roughly 1 in 5 reports includes claims like missing time or direct contact,” the report said.
Florida - 1 in 80 odds
Alabama - 1 in 99
Mississippi - 1 in 127
Tennessee - 1 in 96
Wyoming residents are more often reported abduction-style experiences.
California, meanwhile, recorded nearly 17,000 sightings since 2019, but the state's large population leaves it outside the top 15.
New Mexico with 1 in 431 odds. This despite the state being the site of the renowned Roswell, New Mexico, which launched UFO conspiracy theories about the United States military finding a crashed UFO.
The United States Army Air Forces said it had recovered a flying disc, headlines screamed around the world and the announcement was retracted within a day.
They said instead it was a weather balloon, but the UFO rumor never died, prompting books, movies and TV shows.
Maybe that's why the aliens never came back.
Only 44¢ per day
Part of the McClatchy Media Network
In case you've faced some hurdles solving the clue, Paranormal communication device featured in a Norman Rockwell painting, we've got the answer for you. Crossword puzzles offer a fantastic opportunity to engage your mind, enjoy leisure time, and test your knowledge simultaneously.
Now, let's delve into solving the Paranormal communication device featured in a Norman Rockwell painting crossword clue, featured as 16 Across in the USA Today Crossword on January 16, 2026.
Answer: OUIJABOARD
This crossword clue page was generated automatically using information from play.usatoday.com. You can send feedback via this form.
Essential reading for tens of thousands of Berkeleyans. The Daily Briefing is the easiest way to stay up to speed with what's happening in Berkeley.
Nosh
Arts
Business
City
City
COVID-19
Crime & Safety
Events
Housing
Neighborhoods
Schools
Obituaries
Opinion
Berkeleyside
Nonprofit news. Free for all, funded by readers.
Heads up: We sometimes link to sites that limit access to non-subscribers.
"*" indicates required fields
Δ
Berkeleyside is Berkeley, California's independently-owned local news site. Learn more about the Berkeleyside team. Questions? Email editors@berkeleyside.org.
More by Berkeleyside Staff
Richmondside
Oaklandside
Donate to Berkeleyside and support independent local journalism.
Enter the code sent to your email.
Email address
Enter your password
Sign in by entering the code we sent to , or clicking the magic link in the email.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Link
Copy link
You must be logged in to post a comment.
By Emma McKenna
For 15 seasons, Supernatural balanced dark fantasy, a Dom Toretto level of “family” quotes, and a surprising amount of humor. But at its core, the CW series was built on horror. While not every monster-of-the-week episode was focused on genuine terror, there are some installments that still haunt viewers long after the credits rolled. Even star Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester) has admitted there's one episode that got under his skin more than the rest.
So, with that in mind, here are the five episodes we think prove Supernatural could be just as scary as anything on late-night cable. I mean, if Dean Winchester can get spooked, what chance do we have?
Do they? Does everyone love a clown? Sam Winchester certainly doesn't. And considering clowns have long been a staple of the horror genre, it's unlikely many others like them, either. From the very real, very terrifying John Wayne Gacey to Stephen King's It, the sinister creep-factor of clowns makes this episode a given on this list.
The episode builds up the scary through the innocence of children (another key element in scary plotlines). The demon can only be seen by children, and for some reason, the kids aren't remotely concerned seeing it at the carnival, then by the side of the road on their way home. By the time the clown turns up at the family home, the children are more than happy to let it in to kill their parents. It's a terrifying detail that makes the adults powerless until it's too late.
For many fans, this one hit close to home. Anyone who grew up uneasy around clowns found new reasons to keep their distance after watching. The eerie carnival setting, the sense of danger lurking just outside the tent, and even the sinister feeling of chaos within the fun house makes it one of the show's most underrated horror outings. It effectively weaponizes a common phobia while still delivering a monster-of-the-week mystery.
What makes it more interesting is that this episode came 9 years before the bizarre and very real nightmare-fuel phenomena of the 2016 clown sightings. People were dressing up as creepy clowns and being extremely menacing in the middle of the night. From standing in the middle of abandoned roads, blocking rivers, to creeping up to people's ring doorbells and staring into the cameras. So, if anything, Supernatural was way ahead of the trend, and with hindsight, “Everybody Loves a Clown” certainly deserves to be on this list.
Season 2's “No Exit” is a chilling reminder that some of the darkest monsters come from real history. The episode centers on the ghost of infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes, known as America's first serial killer. His spirit captures and torments women living in an apartment building. So, Sam and Dean team up with Jo Harvelle (played by Alona Tal) to put an end to the hauntings.
The true-crime angle adds an extra layer of dread. Holmes' crimes were very real, and extremely heinous. His “Murder Castle” which Sam briefly mentions in the episode, is disturbing not only because of what he did there, but also that a living, breathing human being had the capacity to think of it and act on those thoughts. Seeing his presence bleed into Supernatural's world gives the episode disturbing authenticity.
Its claustrophobic setting certainly adds extra terror. The victims are trapped in the walls and crawlspaces of the building, echoing Holmes' real-life torture designs. But it's the fact that Sam and Dean can't actually kill Holmes' ghost. Sure, they manage to incapacitate him and pour a city-sized amount of concrete on top of him, but he's still there. It's the fact that any time in the future, some developer could come along, dig up the ground, and start the whole thing over again.
And while Holmes was a spirit in Supernatural, he was no less horrific than his living, breathing version, showing that sometimes the scariest monsters are the human ones. That's exactly why Jensen Ackles singled out “The Benders” as the scariest episode of the entire series.
In the episode, Sam is kidnapped by a backwoods family who hunt people for sport — literally nothing supernatural here! Ackles has explained in numerous interviews that what made this episode stand out was its realism. He told ScreenRant “It's not the supernatural element, it's humans doing very bad things”.
The episode plays like a classic survival horror film, reminiscent of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes. But, like “No Exit”, “The Benders” is based on very real people. In Kansas between 1871 and 1872, a family known as “The Bloody Benders” were accused of killing up to 20 travelers after letting them stay in their cabin.
Even after facing down countless demons and angels across 15 seasons, Ackles still points to “The Benders” as the one that made him shiver. That endorsement alone makes it a must-watch for anyone curious about Supernatural's scarier side.
Few episodes of Supernatural have been as effective at pure horror as “Bloody Mary”. Early in the show's run, the writers utilized familiar urban legends for their monster-of-the-week stories, and none is more notorious than the story of chanting “Bloody Mary” into a mirror.
The Winchester brothers investigate mysterious deaths tied to mirrors, leading to eerie sequences where Bloody Mary herself crawls out of reflective surfaces. Even today, fans point to this episode as the one that made them afraid to look in a mirror at night. The episode's atmosphere and commitment to the legend make it one of the most terrifying in the series.
In a quite literal game of “Truth or Dare”, the episode also succeeds by turning the legend personal. It punishes those hiding guilty secrets, forcing characters — and by proxy, the viewer — to confront uncomfortable truths. It's horror with psychological teeth.
Though not officially cited as the scariest episode for Jared Padalecki (aka Sam Winchester), this is one he has definitely acknowledged as causing the creeps.Children in horror often walk the line between innocent and sinister, and Supernatural takes full advantage of that uncanny energy in “The Kids Are Alright.” Dean reconnects with old flame, Lisa, only to discover that the children in her neighborhood are acting in an odd Invasion of the Body Snatchers kind of way. Eventually, he realizes the kids are most certainly not alright, and they've been replaced by changelings — creatures who feed on their human mothers while posing as their children.
It's one of the show's creepiest creature designs, with changelings revealed as pale, leech-faced monsters when you see their reflections in mirrors. The juxtaposition of childhood innocence with suddenly aggressive neediness and predatory malice creates some of the series' most unsettling visuals.
The episode hits hard because it takes something as familiar, comfortable, and wholesome as suburban family life, and corrupts it with horror. For parents watching at home, “The Kids Are Alright” may be the one that lingers long after bedtime.
Which Supernatural episodes do you think are scariest? What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Get access to exclusive stories on new releases, movies, shows, comics, anime, games and more!
By signing up, you confirm that you have read and agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.