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El-Sayed holds edge over Stevens in surprisingly close election
In today’s issue: ▪ Michigan Senate primary down to the wire ▪ Ethics panel investigating Miller ▪ Blanche vows to roll back abortion access ▪ Abbott orders AI data center audit The heated Democratic primary for an open Michigan Senate was not the blowout that some polls predicted, underscoring the divide within the party. Progressive…
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EA’s Saudi takeover will be “a real waste” if it turns the publishers into a “sequel-and-mega-franchise machine”, Helldivers 2 studio boss says
EA’s $55 billion leveraged buyout by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Silver Lake and Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners has officially completed after receiving European Commission approval, taking the publisher private. Arrowhead CEO Shams Jorjani, whose studio makes Helldivers 2, has warned that the deal risks being “a real waste” of EA’s diverse catalogue if the…
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Eli Roth admits AI was used in Ice Cream Man
Director Eli Roth has confirmed that generative artificial intelligence was used in parts of his new slasher film “Ice Cream Man”, reversing his earlier claim that the film’s animated sequences were made using traditional techniques. He made the admission in a recent interview but gave few specifics on how extensively AI tools were employed or…
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Google Assistant will disappear from your phone next month
Google has confirmed it will begin phasing out access to Google Assistant on Android phones and tablets from 4 September 2026, replacing it entirely with its Gemini AI assistant. The move marks the effective end of Assistant on mobile devices, following earlier plans to retire it in 2025 that were delayed until this year. It…
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Disney Earnings Buoyed By ‘Toy Story 5’, Theme Parks, Streaming Profit; Books $100M Tariff Refund
Disney reported a strong fiscal third quarter, with chief executive Josh D’Amaro citing gains across film, theme parks and streaming in his first full quarter at the helm. Total operating income rose 21% to $5.6 billion, beating Wall Street expectations, driven largely by Toy Story 5’s box office success, higher theme park attendance, and streaming…
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WoW will let some WeakAura-style mods function in its next major patch, as the war on combat AddOns turns into more of a truce
World of Warcraft developer Blizzard is set to loosen its stance on combat-related AddOns, allowing some WeakAura-style mods to function again in the game’s next major content patch. This marks a shift from the more combative approach the studio had recently taken towards these popular community-made tools, which many players use to track cooldowns, buffs…
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Andy Burnham is breaking the transatlantic mold
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s decision to host Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at a naval base signals a strategic shift toward European autonomy and a departure from traditional reliance on the United States.
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Mexican influencer shot dead during livestream
Mexican influencer César Gastélum was shot dead on Tuesday evening while livestreaming on TikTok in Culiacán, northern Mexico. He was filming with two friends outside a fast food restaurant when two men on a motorbike pulled up and one of them shot him at close range, in an attack that highlights the growing risks faced…
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‘They’re selling the safety of the traveling public’: TSA workers decry Trump privatization push
The union representing US Transportation Security Administration workers has raised alarms over a Trump administration plan to expand the privatisation of airport security checkpoints, warning it puts profit ahead of passenger safety. The American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) is exploring legal options to challenge the “TSA Gold+” programme, which would hand control of screening…