The Nasdaq 100 has rallied slightly to show signs of life as we head toward that crucial Federal Reserve interest rate decision later today. A hike of 25 basis points is expected. This is perhaps the market coming to terms with the new reality as we hold the consolidation.
The question will be whether or not Kevin Warsh sounds extraordinarily hawkish during this press conference, or if it is a situation where it is one and done. I think that probably comes into play here as well. Rates are backing off the 5% level in the 10-year at the moment, at least, but it is worth noting that the market has been extraordinarily resilient.
The Dow Jones 30 is rising a bit in the early part of the session as well. It is in the oversold part of the stochastic oscillator. It is kind of a messy look for the stochastic oscillator at the moment, but it is worth noting that the area right around 52,250 has been important and so far seems to be holding up. The 50-day EMA near the 52,700 level offers pretty significant resistance, so it could be worth watching.
The S&P 500 continues to hang around the 7,600 level. That is an area that had previously been significant resistance and now is offering a significant amount of support over the last 4 or 5 trading sessions. We also have the 50-day EMA there as well. So, a bounce from here and a recovery just means more consolidation.
It will be interesting to watch how this plays out during that press conference. It could be a volatile and ******* py session, but ultimately, the stock market has been rather resilient. The earnings calendar treated us fairly well, and the resiliency of the U.S. economy continues.

#significant #extraordinarily

Intel is a little higher in pre-market trading, but recently we've seen some noise as broad semiconductor de-risking continues to be one of the stories here. Intel itself has been a fairly successful story over the last year as the turnaround continues for the company.
AI industry leaders got crushed. Perhaps the prospect of slowing frontier model development, as thrown out there by multiple leaders in the industry, has spooked the markets. Investors immediately figured that slower data-center CapEx and semiconductor demand would be part of that. It is a little overdone. It's just a few words, but it looks like the market is trying to turn things around.
Furthermore, you have to keep in mind that interest rates being higher than anticipated has been a bit of a drag.
NVIDIA looks slightly positive in early market trading, with the market trying to reach toward the 50-day EMA. Again, this is about anxiety, with AI capital expenditures being the immediate problem. After all, if fewer data centers were to be built, NVIDIA is directly hit.
The market is looking at this in more fear-than-fact-based terms because NVIDIA's actual business numbers remain extraordinarily strong. So really, rates and the fear of a slowdown are fighting the reality of growth and economic numbers in this company that remain truly envy-worthy of most others.

#Intel #little #continues

Intel is a little higher in pre-market trading, but recently we've seen some noise as broad semiconductor de-risking continues to be one of the stories here. Intel itself has been a fairly successful story over the last year as the turnaround continues for the company.
AI industry leaders got crushed. Perhaps the prospect of slowing frontier model development, as thrown out there by multiple leaders in the industry, has spooked the markets. Investors immediately figured that slower data-center CapEx and semiconductor demand would be part of that. It is a little overdone. It's just a few words, but it looks like the market is trying to turn things around.
Furthermore, you have to keep in mind that interest rates being higher than anticipated has been a bit of a drag.
NVIDIA looks slightly positive in early market trading, with the market trying to reach toward the 50-day EMA. Again, this is about anxiety, with AI capital expenditures being the immediate problem. After all, if fewer data centers were to be built, NVIDIA is directly hit.
The market is looking at this in more fear-than-fact-based terms because NVIDIA's actual business numbers remain extraordinarily strong. So really, rates and the fear of a slowdown are fighting the reality of growth and economic numbers in this company that remain truly envy-worthy of most others.

#market #Intel #trading #company

A Russian businessman close to Vladimir Putin paid for Donald Trump Jr.'s island getaway in May, something the couple called "an extraordinarily generous wedding gift from a friend."
Trump Jr. and his wife, Bettina, confirmed the spending on social media after ProPublica reported that Umar Kremlev paid for "hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses," including renting out one of the private islands in the Bahamas where there was a reception and where guests stayed.
Kremlev is the president of the International Boxing **** ociation, an organization that has been criticized for its ties to the Russian government and has lost much of its standing in international sports. In April, Putin awarded Kremlev the "Order of Friendship," the organization announced.

#putin #paid #wedding

Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows as much as anybody of the Cleveland Browns' long-spanning futility, and he put that past to good work on Sunday while roasting Cleveland.
Tomlin trolled Cleveland after the team's rotten season debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, quoting a former Steelers player to sum up the franchise's misfortunes.
"In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Browns is the Browns," Tomlin quipped during a Sunday NBC Sports segment.
Okay, that's pretty funny. Tomlin's first season on the sideline has gone extraordinarily well so far, and moments like this will only increase the odds he stays in NFL broadcasting for the long haul.
If you're a Cleveland fan, we're sorry for this. Maybe brighter days are ahead... eventually.

#former

SpaceX (SPCX) shares were in focus on Friday after CEO Elon Musk offered an extraordinarily bullish long-term revenue forecast for the newly public ****** e infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI) company. The billionaire now believes ****** eX could generate about $3.5 trillion in annual revenue by 2033, seven years earlier than Morgan Stanley's comparable estimate.
SpaceX stock is currently down about 30% versus its year-to-date high.
Dear Sandisk Stock Fans, Mark Your Calendars for August 31
Dear Palantir Stock Fans, Here's What Maven's Billion-Dollar ARR Means for PLTR
Wu-Tang Clan Member Raekwon Is a Palantir 'OG,' Visiting Headquarters 16 Years After Receiving His Custom PLTR Jacket

#SpaceX #years #spcx

The 10-year Treasury yield hit a 19-month high Monday morning in a challenge to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's effort to ****** ert control over long-term government bond yields. Higher long-term bond yields are generally a negative for stock prices and mortgage rates, and place upward pressure on the surging cost of servicing the federal debt.
Treasury announced on Aug. 19 that it would at least double the size of buybacks of government bonds with durations of 10 years up to 30 years. The announcement stirred a brief easing of yields, with the 10-year yield slipping to 5 basis point to 4.65%. But the 10-year yield touched 4.76% on Monday, the highest since January 2025.
The 30-year Treasury yield, at 5.27%, hasn't yet eclipsed the 5.29% level ahead of Bessent's buyback news. That was the highest 30-year yield level since 2007.
The upward pressure on the 10-year Treasury yield has a number of contributors. A big one seems to be a surge in corporate debt issuance by AI hyperscalers like Google, Amazon and Microsoft. Those technology ****** ans are offering higher rates than Treasury, directing some buying power away from government debt and forcing yields higher. Persistent inflation is another factor and the resumption in U.S.-Iran strikes over the weekend won't help.
Then there's the federal budget deficit, which will come in around 6% of GDP this year, extraordinarily high for a period of solid economic growth. The rising burden of interest costs and the expense of Social Security and Medicare for baby boomers suggests that big deficits may be here to stay.

#yield

Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva got married in 2018
The couple share two children, sons Alexander and James
Gere and Silva moved their family to Spain, Silva's home country, in 2024
Richard Gere and Alejandra Silva Gere have been married since 2018.
A source close to the couple told PEOPLE at the time of their wedding that the two were "extraordinarily happy." The insider added: "They're so comfortable with each other, have fun together and are looking forward to their future together." Silva, who is 33 years younger than her husband, had first met the actor years before they wed.

#gere #silva #richard #years

NEW YORK (AP) — Venus Williams bowed out of her 26th U.S. Open singles appearance early Monday morning, falling in straight sets to fellow American wild card Sofia Kenin after not getting on the court until midnight.
The 46-year-old lost 6-2, 7-6 (6) in what could be the final singles match at a Grand Slam, if not her illustrious career. It was Williams' 14th consecutive singles defeat dating to her last victory in Washington in July 2025.
Williams has now lost six in a row at the U.S. Open since winning in the first round in 2019.
She and her 27-year-old opponent waited extraordinarily long to take the court at Arthur Ashe Stadium, delayed by Novak Djokovic's 4-hour, 36-minute defeat to Mariano Navone that threatened to move them next door to Louis Armstrong Stadium. The men's action ended just in time to play on Ashe — but not before making some history.
At 12:13 a.m., it was the latest start to a match at the U.S. Open, six minutes later than the previous record of Aryna Sabalenka against Ekaterina Alexandrova in the round of 32 in 2024.

#open #ashe

Opening arguments began in a California-led trial against Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), brought by a coalition of 29 state attorneys general alleging the company designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to children and teens. New Mexico's attorney general warned the consequences for Meta could be "astronomical."
Meta already lost a case in New Mexico that will cost it nearly $1 billion, but California's case, backed by far more states and a much larger population, could be dramatically more expensive.
That raises the real question: is Wall Street underpricing the real financial risk of this trial, or is the New Mexico result already the worst case investors need to worry about?
As of August 17, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)'s stock is down only 12.52% this year. Even though the mounting legal pressure and most ******* ysts' concern so far have focused on Meta's AI infrastructure spending, which could reach $145 billion this year, rather than fears about the ad business itself. Meta has said the state coalition's "limited claims are unsubstantiated and their financial demands are vastly disproportionate." The New Mexico judge already ruled some of the plaintiffs' broader design-change requests would be unfair since rivals like TikTok and YouTube would keep the same features.
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, fresh off winning nearly $1 billion from Meta in his state alone, warned "you could wake up with a headline judgment that is...astronomical," and said mapping that result onto a state as large as California could be "a potentially massive and market-shifting force." Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)'s own attorneys have said the consolidated case could lead to damages as high as $1.4 trillion. The states' own lawyers estimate a more likely $200 billion. Meta gets 98% of its revenue from online advertising, an extraordinarily concentrated exposure to whatever penalties this case produces. UCLA's Julia Powles said, "California matters more than any other jurisdiction in the U.S."

#meta #case #billion #general

To nine-year-old Zenaida, it wasn't Dolly Parton's storied country music career that made her so great.
It's the entertainment icon's beloved Imagination Library book donation program that has had the biggest impact on the young girl's life.
"These are the first books I learned how to read," Zenaida told AFP late Wednesday, flipping through Parton's "Coat of Many Colors" children's book at a makeshift memorial in the singer-songwriter's hometown at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains.
Parton's extraordinarily successful book project was born of personal anguish: her own father grew up illiterate in rural Tennessee.
But thanks to the Imagination Library, millions of children like Zenaida in the United States and around the world have received a literacy boost from Parton herself: books that arrive by mail, for free, from birth until age five.

#zenaida #book #books #wednesday

Anne Hathaway teared up after being named a Disney Legend at an event on Sunday afternoon.
The Oscar-winning actress was presented with the honour by her The Devil Wears Prada director, David Frankel, amid The Disney Legends Award ceremony held in Anaheim, California.
"I am here today because I'm one of the most insanely lucky people in the world," she began, appearing emotional. "How lucky am I that I was born into a family where acting, storytelling and imagination were valued and celebrated."
Anne, who is currently expecting her third child with husband Adam Shulman, went on to credit late director Garry Marshall, as well as co-producers Debra Martin Chase and the late Whitney Houston, for selecting her to play Mia Thermopolis in the hit 2001 movie, The Princess Diaries.
She also thanked the team behind the 2006 comedy-drama, The Devil Wears Prada, including co-stars Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and Emily Blunt.
"I'm so lucky that my first booking led to so many opportunities when I was still so young, (like) getting a job that a million girls were built for in The Devil Wears Prada. I got to be with Stanley Tucci. I got to be with Emily Blunt. I got to be with um...oh what's her name," the 43-year-old continued, pretending to forget Meryl. "I've gotten to spend my life so far, doing what I love, having so many adventures along the way, knowing joy and valuing the extraordinarily good fortune that allows me to share my life with my greatest blessing - a family I couldn't love more."

#prada #lucky #meryl #stanley

The Rays had an extraordinarily busy trade deadline in 2026, and in a pleasant surprise, they were the ones buying and not selling — and better yet, the Rays did so without trading any of their top prospects.
Here's a recap of the Rays moves, and with all of them happening in August:
Rays acquire Freddy Peralta from Mets for OF Aidan Smith, INF Emilien Pitre, and RHP Gary Gill Hill
Rays acquire C/1B Liam Hicks from Marlins for INF Brayden Taylor, SS Adrian Santana, and RHP Jacob Kisting
Rays acquire RHP Tyler Wells from Orioles for RHP Michael Forret

#rays #METS #pitre

Zohran Mamdani stormed into office brandishing the banner of "affordability," and almost singlehandedly pushed the issue to the center of today's political debate. Of all the charismatic, 34-year-old Mayor's initiatives aimed at lowering living costs, the one that's garnered the most coverage is his proposal to get Gotham into the grocery business.
The city-owned food store initiative looks so radical, even for this avowed democratic socialist, because it puts a city in direct competition versus an immense, entrenched private industry. On his other big "affordability" initiatives, providing free bus service and freezing rent on one million apartments, Mamdani's simply using his regulatory and budget powers in the Democratic mayors' traditional vein of tightening price controls on housing and delivering more freebees
This one's different: It's extraordinarily rare for a municipality to challenge local businesses by starting its own enterprises that aim to do the same thing. The only major example: city-backed companies that battle the Verizons and Comcasts to supply broadband. They're all either struggling, or already flopped. Mamdani's predecessor Eric Adams shuttered the $2 billion fiber-optic buildout started a few years earlier under Mayor Bill de Blasio. As for supermarkets, Chicago last year killed plans for a city-owned emporium as impractical. Kansas City, apparently the only major metro ever to open a taxpayer-funded supermarket, ended the failed foray in early 2025.
Hence, Mamdani's plan would probably reign as the biggest push any city's ever made to launch its own business amid a galaxy of private players. The Mayor's identified a big problem. New Yorkers indeed suffer from extremely high prices for everything from chicken to eggs to milk. The city's riddled with "food desert" neighborhoods where residents often can't find much other than processed items nearby, and must travel 20 minutes or more to reach outlets that offer wide choices of fresh foods at low cost.
But that drastic shortage in the metro that ranks among the world's wealthiest is almost totally self-inflicted. Contrary to Mamdani's claim that "the private market alone has not delivered affordable, full-service grocery options," here's the real rub: A web of antiquated regulations—and one in particular that effectively bans big stores where they're needed most—is blocking major chains from deploying billions of their own capital to open far more of the kinds of giant extravaganzas featuring baseball-field length stretches of checkout lanes that bring far lower stickers to the suburbs just beyond Gotham's borders.

#affordability

Prince William received support from Prince Albert of Monaco after both royals addressed Europe's devastating wildfires. Albert echoed William's environmentalist concerns while expressing solidarity with families affected by the dangerous fires. Their statements highlighted growing concerns about the extreme weather and the need for stronger environmental action.
Prince Albert released a statement supporting communities affected by wildfires across France, Spain, and the U.K. He shared the message alongside his wife, Princess Charlene, offering support to families forced to evacuate. Albert also praised firefighters and emergency workers protecting communities and threatened natural environments.
"Protecting our environment is an emergency that must bring us all together," Albert wrote. He connected the devastating fire to wider climate disruptions affecting natural environments and biodiversity. His comments closely echoed Prince William's recent warning about increasingly extreme climate conditions.
William previously shared a statement alongside his wife, Kate Middleton, addressing the ongoing wildfire crisis. "Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires across France, Spain and the U.K," he wrote. He also thanked emergency workers and volunteers facing "extraordinarily difficult conditions."
William and Albert have previously worked together on environmental issues and commitment to conservation. In June 2025, William traveled to Monaco for the Blue Economy and Finance Forum.

#william #wildfires #emergency #monaco

Typically, when an extraordinarily tall player comes along, his main value is simply his height. Take Tacko Fall, for instance.
When he was at UCF, Fall, at 7-6 and around 300 lbs, was a huge pain in the paint. Duke learned about this in the 2019 NCAA tournament, when Central Florida nearly knocked the Blue Devils out.
Victor Wembanyama changed this expectation a bit. At 7-4, maybe 7-5, Wembanyama is a brilliant shot blocker, but also an excellent ball handler for his height, and he shoots very well from behind the line as well.
He's the new standard for very, very tall guys who have game.
Now, there's another kid on the horizon from Australia. His name is Jongkuch Mach. He's 18 and 7-6. He's being compared to Wemby, but he's not there yet.

#fall #well #take #duke

Montaka Global Investments, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the update is available to download here. Montaka manages a concentrated portfolio of high–conviction, long-term, competitively advantaged businesses bought when prices are attractive. While it delivered positive returns in the June quarter, its 12-month performance was largely negative due to declines in the March quarter amid the 'SaaSpocalypse', yet the underlying businesses performed well. Montaka's strategy focuses on owning businesses that grow earnings in large markets, which struggled against short-term bottleneck trades that gained popularity. However, Montaka aims for long-term excess returns above market indices, anticipating that current mispricing will eventually correct. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Montaka Global Investments highlighted Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA). Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is a leading global payment technology company provides transaction processing and other payment-related products and services. On July 22, 2026, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) closed at $531.98 per share, reflecting a market capitalization of $470.05 billion. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) posted a one-month return of 8.81%, while its shares lost 5.59% over the past 52 weeks.
Montaka Global Investments stated the following regarding Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"On the other side of the market are some of the world's highest quality businesses which have been overlooked during the semiconductor–mania.
Take Visa and Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA), for example. Both are extraordinarily advantaged businesses and have consistently grown annual revenues at double–digit percentage rates for many years. And in our view, strong growth will likely continue – driven by new value–added services attached to their payment networks (related to stablecoins, agentic commerce, fraud detection, and other data services) which are growing at even faster rates.

#incorporated #businesses #Investments #quarter

Montaka Global Investments, an investment management company, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the update is available to download here. Montaka manages a concentrated portfolio of high–conviction, long-term, competitively advantaged businesses bought when prices are attractive. While it delivered positive returns in the June quarter, its 12-month performance was largely negative due to declines in the March quarter amid the 'SaaSpocalypse', yet the underlying businesses performed well. Montaka's strategy focuses on owning businesses that grow earnings in large markets, which struggled against short-term bottleneck trades that gained popularity. However, Montaka aims for long-term excess returns above market indices, anticipating that current mispricing will eventually correct. In addition, please check the Strategy's top five holdings to know its best picks in 2026.
In its Q2 2026 investor letter, Montaka Global Investments highlighted Visa Inc. (NYSE:V). Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a multinational financial services company known for its payment technology network that offers credit, debit, and prepaid card products and other services. On July 22, 2026, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) closed at $353.42 per share. One-month return of Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) was 5.95%, and its shares lost 1.07% over the past 52 weeks. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) has a market capitalization of $665.89 billion.
Montaka Global Investments stated the following regarding Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) in its Q2 2026 investor update:
"On the other side of the market are some of the world's highest quality businesses which have been overlooked during the semiconductor–mania.
Take Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) and Mastercard, for example. Both are extraordinarily advantaged businesses and have consistently grown annual revenues at double–digit percentage rates for many years. And in our view, strong growth will likely continue – driven by new value–added services attached to their payment networks (related to stablecoins, agentic commerce, fraud detection, and other data services) which are growing at even faster rates.

#NYSE #Services #quarter #investor

Pau Cubarsi’s remarkable rise has convinced Barcelona that they are witnessing the emergence of a truly generational defender, with the club believing the teenager has everything needed to become a future Ballon d’Or winner.
According to MARCA, there is growing confidence within Barcelona that Cubarsi could eventually become only the fourth defender in football history to lift the prestigious individual award.
It is a remarkable level of belief for a player who is still just 19 years old, but one that shows the impact he has made for both club and country.
After establishing himself as an undisputed starter under Hansi Flick, Cubarsi has taken a giant step forward by helping Spain win the FIFA World Cup, where he started all eight matches, played every minute of the tournament and was deservedly named the competition’s Best Young Player.
At Barcelona, those achievements have only strengthened the conviction that the defender’s ceiling remains extraordinarily high.

#remarkable #ballon

With it being a day ending in Y, the Mets have made another roster move. The team has called up right-handed pitcher Daniel Duarte from Triple-A Syracuse and optioned fellow right-handed pitcher Xzavion Curry to Syracuse. Both pitchers have been part of the team's roster churn at the fringe of its major league bullpen this year.
Duarte has thrown five innings for the Mets at the major league level, and he has a 0.00 ERA and a 2.50 FIP in that extraordinarily small sample. He'll presumably get sent back to Syracuse before long, and in 30.1 innings at that level this year, he has a 4.75 ERA and a 4.96 FIP.
As for Curry, he's thrown six innings over the course of four appearances for the Mets, and he has a 3.00 ERA and a 4.94 FIP. He's thrown 49.1 innings for Syracuse this year, working almost exclusively as a starter, and he has a 4.74 ERA and a 5.67 FIP there.

#METS #innings #thrown

The news that 39-year-old former NFL running back Chris Johnson has ALS has reignited the discussion about the risks of playing football, and recent research puts into focus just how significant the link between playing in the NFL and developing ALS at a young age appears to be.
The Concussion & CTE Foundation said today that it has identified 10 NFL players since 1960 who died of ALS before the age of 50. ALS is typically a disease ******* ociated with aging, and it is extraordinarily rare in the general population for people to die of the disease before age 50. The same study says that based on population models, there should have been fewer than one NFL player since 1960 who died of ALS before age 50: Mathematically, the expected number would be 0.24 ALS deaths before age 50 out of a sample the size of the 19,824 NFL players whose health records were studied.
The study did not name all 10 players who have died of ALS, but some former NFL players who have been publicly identified as dying of ALS before turning 50 include 49ers linebacker Eric Scoggins at age 49, Patriots and Eagles running back Kevin Turner at age 46, Vikings defensive back Orlando Thomas at age 42 and Oilers defensive tackle Glenn Montgomery at age 31.
Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, a co-author of the study, said the findings are alarming.
"ALS deaths among former NFL players, particularly those who die at younger ages, are occurring far more often than could possibly be expected by chance," he said. "These findings are deeply concerning and underscore the urgent need to understand how repetitive head impacts and motor neuron disease may be connected. We must translate this knowledge into action by helping former players access specialized neurological care and accelerate research toward treatments and prevention. Every ALS diagnosis is devastating, and this data strengthens our responsibility to act with urgency.”

Lumen Field—sorry, “Seattle Stadium” as we shall call it for a few more days—is home to the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, and it will be the setting for one of the biggest World Cup matches the United States men have ever played.
Despite a very controversial and harsh-looking red card on star striker Folarin Balogun, the Americans not only hung on with a man disadvantage against Bosnia and Herzegovina, they extended their 1-0 lead (provided by Balogun) with a Malik Tillman free kick that sent Levi’s Stadium Lumen Field South San Francisco Bay Area stadium into a frenzy.
The USA’s 2-0 win over the heavy underdog Bosnians is the first World Cup knockout stage win for the US men since 2002, which is also the last time they reached the quarterfinals. Their best ever finish at a World Cup was the inaugural edition in 1930, back when there were only 13 teams and not 48.
Up next for the Americans are Belgium, who extraordinarily and improbably rallied from 2-0 down against Senegal to win 3-2 in extra time (in Seattle, no less!) just hours before the USA game. Belgium are not nearly as strong as they were when they eliminated the US in the 2014 World Cup and finished third in 2018, but they’re still the best side the Americans have faced all tournament. The Balogun red card also means he will be suspended for the next match, which is a huge blow given he’s the team’s leading scorer.
USA vs. Belgium will be the final match in Seattle for the tournament, and the atmosphere should be buzzing even more than it did when the Americans beat Australia 2-0 in the group stage. Seattle Stadium was filled to capacity and there was plenty of Seahawks royalty in attendance. There will surely be a heavy Seahawks presence and almost certainly a considerable presence of Seahawks fans who will flip their 12 flag for the American flag on Monday, July 6.

When a cat has cornered a mouse and appears to be toying with its prey, it isn’t actually being cruel so much as it is planning and practicing all the ways in which it may finally kill it off.
We are, it almost goes without saying, speaking about France at the 2026 World Cup here. Les Bleus have scored at least three goals in their last four games and, each time, looked an awful lot like they might have run the score up further, if only they hadn’t run out of time, energy or interest.
And yet France, extraordinarily, also seem to still be very much working out what they even are at this World Cup. Like the student in art school who plainly has more talent in his pinky toe than the rest of his class can muster in the aggregate, but who is still tinkering with the basics of form and style.
Didier Deschamps’ France are going through a radical transformation before our very eyes.
Related: Kylian Mbappé at the double as France swat aside Sweden in World Cup masterclass

Prosecutors in New York have dropped a rape charge against Harvey Weinstein after his accuser Jessica Mann declined to withstand another retrial.
"To be clear, we believe Ms. Mann's account and her credibility as a witness," Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg said in a Thursday statement. "This has been an extraordinarily taxing ordeal for her, and she has never wavered while testifying in front of two grand juries and three trial juries over the course of eight years. We thank her for her honesty and her tremendous bravery."
However, Weinstein will remain behind bars due to his other New York ***** ual felony conviction, as well as those in California.
The disgraced movie mogul was facing one charge of third-degree rape for an alleged incident in 2013 involving former aspiring actress Mann. The case previously ended in a June 2025 mistrial followed by another mistrial last month due to a deadlocked jury.
Last year, Weinstein was found guilty of first-degree ***** ual ***** ault for forcibly subjecting former "Project Runway" production ***** istant Miriam Haley to a ***** act in 2006. He was acquitted on a second charge of ***** ually ***** aulting former model Kaja Sokola, also in '06. This is all in addition to the 16-year sentence the producer is facing in California, following his conviction in December 2022; though that verdict is under a similar appeal that got his initial 2022 New York conviction thrown out.

If nothing changes between now and the start of training camp, the Philadelphia Eagles will arrive in late July with five tailbacks and one fullback on the roster. If Sean Mannion's offense borrows concepts from the systems popularized by Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, fullback Carson Steele may have a clear path toward making the roster, maybe.
At running back, however, the math becomes more complicated. Philadelphia carried three tailbacks for much of last season, and there is a reasonable argument that they could follow a similar blueprint again. That makes every roster spot important. Here are the biggest questions facing each member of Philadelphia's backfield.
This feels like an unfair question until you remember what Barkley accomplished during his first season in Philadelphia. ***** ody expected him to join the 2,000-yard rushing club. Even fewer expected him to do it immediately after arriving. Still, history has always told us that following a 2,000-yard campaign with another equally dominant season is extraordinarily difficult. The physical toll alone makes that challenge daunting. Barkley followed suit and followed his Offensive Player of the Year campaign with a more modest 1,140 rushing yards last season.
That's still a productive season by normal standards, but it naturally raises questions about whether his absolute peak is already behind him. The Eagles believe a healthier offensive line and a longer offseason could help reverse that trend. Another interesting subplot remains whether Howie Roseman extended Barkley too early or whether he simply secured a franchise cornerstone before the price increased.
Few players earned fan support as quickly as Tank Bigsby. When given opportunities, he ran with purpose, power, and aggression. He consistently fell forward, bringing an element of physicality that fit perfectly within Philadelphia's offensive identity.

A rollover on the interstate at 3:00 a.m. is already a bad day. But for a growing number of motor carriers, even worse financial damage comes from the tow bill that follows.
Stephen Brasher, Travelers Inland Marine Claim Unit Manager, joined FreightWaves' What the Truck?! with host Malcolm Harris to break down how predatory towing practices are draining carriers of tens (and sometimes hundreds) of thousands of dollars per incident.
Brasher says the tow operators hold nearly all the leverage, invoices are routinely inflated, and motor carriers who don't respond immediately can watch storage fees consume whatever margin they had left.
"Imagine it's 3:00 a.m. and one of your drivers is involved in a rollover accident on the interstate," Brasher said. "The truck and trailer are blocking the roadway, the trailer is breached, and cargo is strewn across the highway. When the County Sheriff shows up, his priority is to get those travel lanes cleared as fast as possible, so he dispatches a tow company."
The motor carrier has no say in which company responds, and the moment that tow operator hooks up, a billing clock starts running that can be extraordinarily difficult to stop. "Motor carriers need to understand, you do not get to choose that tow company," Brasher said.

A Christmas Card Sent Me Down A Rabbit Hole For The Perfect ‘CEO Shoes’ — And I Finally Found Them

Our search for “CEO shoes” started with a Christmas card left out on the dining table. The holiday flier was what you would expect — smiling family members, a few notes on their year, some kid achievements — but as my husband leaned in to look at the photo, what really caught his eye was the extraordinarily sharp dress shoes our friend was wearing. They had this well-worn, classy, effortless cool that wasn’t overly stuffy and didn’t scream “I’m wearing these for the family photo.”
Turns out t

Getty Images
Retail crypto's mood is "extraordinarily negative," but institutional investors are "unremittingly bullish," according to Bitwise ******* et Mangement's Matt Hougan.
Amberdata's Greg Magadini expects interest in bitcoin as a "debasement hedge" to pick up next year.
The rise and subsequent retreat of bitcoin perfectly encapsulates the crypto industry's year. It won big—but it doesn't have much to show for it yet.
The price of bitcoin, the world's most well-known cryptocurrency, soared above $126,000, a record, but those gains evaporated and it's poised to finish down for 2025.