|  | Nasdaq | 22,780.51 | |
|  | S&P | 6,715.79 | |
| | Dow | 46,758.28 | |
| | 10-Year | 4.119% | |
| | Bitcoin | $122,507.10 | |
| | Palantir | $173.07 | |
| | Data is provided by |  |
*Stock data as of market close, cryptocurrency data as of 6:00pm ET. Here's what these numbers mean. | - Markets: The first Friday of the month came and went without the publication of a BLS jobs report due to the government shutdown, depriving Wall Street of its typical happy hour discussion fodder and leaving the Fed flying blind ahead of its next decision on interest rate cuts. But investors mostly shrugged off their anxieties, and ultimately, stocks closed mixed for the day but still up for the week.
- Stock spotlight: Palantir slipped following reports that battlefield communications systems it provided to the military (as well as those provided by defense tech firm Anduril) had security flaws—which the companies said had already been addressed.
| |
|
|---|
SOCIAL MEDIA People are lining up for a chance to share videos of themselves getting swallowed whole by a jumbo cat. Sora, the TikTok-like AI video app OpenAI released this week, topped the Apple App Store’s free charts despite being invite-only. Some are so eager to make bespoke AI content part of their screentime that they’re buying invite codes on eBay. So, what’s the fuss all about? - Sora allows people to upload images of themselves and prompt AI to create unsettlingly realistic videos of their avatars in absurd situations like surfing with sharks or completing Tom Cruise-level stunts.
- Its “cameos” feature lets users opt into allowing their friends (or the app’s entire user base) to use their likenesses in video creations.
Cameos has already spawned a viral hit of what looks like CCTV footage capturing Sam Altman shoplifting at Target. Is Sora so wrong? Along with the download frenzy, there’s a chorus of concern over potential bullying, anxieties around AI slop degrading online culture, and the implications of widely accessible deepfakes. OpenAI says it has built in controls to prevent explicit content, as well as videos promoting self-harm. As for copyright concerns, OpenAI said the app is opt-out for IP owners. One Hollywood talent agency already said it’ll take OpenAI to court if Sora unlawfully uses their clients’ IP. Sora isn’t alone: Meta released a similar AI video feed called Vibes on its Meta AI app last week. Does this mean people actually want AI slop? Sora’s debut comes as the appetite for engaging with synthetic content on social media is being tested. Financial Times columnist John Burn-Murdoch notes that social media usage has declined globally (except in North America), with FT polling showing that adults spent 10% less time on social apps last year than they did in 2022. He attributes this to social platforms becoming less…social by pushing content that has nothing to do with users’ friends. OpenAI is betting that infusing feeds with personalized AI can keep people engaged.—SK | | |
|
|
WORLD  Hamas partially agrees to Trump’s Gaza plan, but wants to negotiate. Hamas said yesterday it would agree to release all remaining hostages and give up power over the Gaza Strip, but that it wanted to negotiate further details of the 20-point peace plan President Trump unveiled this week alongside Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier in the day, Trump had given the group an ultimatum to accept the plan by Sunday, but following Hamas’s statement, Trump said, “I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE,” and called on Israel to “immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Netanyahu’s government then said it was preparing to implement the “first stage” of the plan.—AR
 Sean “Diddy” Combs sentenced to more than four years. The hip-hop mogul got 50 months in prison yesterday after being convicted in July of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. That’s shorter than the 11-year sentence that federal prosecutors were seeking, but more than what his lawyers requested, which was the 14 months he’s already served. It’s also much shorter than the life sentence Combs was potentially facing before being acquitted of more serious sex trafficking and racketeering charges. Still, the judge said a significant sentence was needed to show “exploitation and violence against women is met with real accountability.” A lawyer for Combs vowed to appeal the sentence, telling ABC the judge had improperly acted as a “13th juror.”—BC
 Trump admin halts $2.1b for Chicago transit as shutdown continues. Trump’s budget director, Russ Vought, said yesterday that the administration is withholding the money pegged for extending Chicago’s Red Line L train, making it the latest freeze on funds to a Democrat-led city since the federal government shut down. The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, Reuters reports, as Trump seeks to target his opponents’ priorities during the shutdown. He has also threatened to fire federal workers. The shutdown is likely to last at least through the weekend after Democrats, who are demanding funding for Obamacare subsidies, rejected a Republican-backed bill to fund the government yesterday.—AR
|
|
|
Presented By Pendulum Did you hear about the group of PhD scientists from Johns Hopkins, Harvard, and Stanford who walked into a lab—and left with a breakthrough probiotic in hand? These scientists zeroed in on one of the most beneficial strains for gut health, Akkermansia muciniphila. They figured out how to bring live Akkermansia muciniphila to the probiotics market. The final result of their work? Pendulum’s Akkermansia probiotic. This particular strain is so groundbreaking because it can strengthen gut lining, improve metabolic and digestive health, and naturally increase GLP-1.* With more than 16k medical provider recommendations, 4.5k mentions of Akkermansia muciniphila in scientific publications, and loyal customers like Halle Berry, this stuff sure sounds promising. Try Akkermansia yourself and take 20% off. |
|
FOOD & BEV Nothing ruins a buzz like a ransomware attack. Japan is on the verge of running out of its most popular beer, Asahi Super Dry, after Asahi announced on Monday that a cyberattack caused its systems to fail. Days later, Japan’s biggest brewery is still experiencing disruptions in its shipping and customer service operations. A crisis brewing Asahi said its data may also have been stolen in the attack. A company spokesperson told Agence France-Presse on Friday, “No immediate recovery of our system is in sight.” That could leave a bitter taste in the mouths of customers and investors: - Bars and stores are already running low on Asahi products, which include beer, whisky, and tea.
- The company’s stock, listed on the Tokyo exchange, fell ~12% this week, according to Bloomberg.
- Asahi, which means “rising sun,” also risks being eclipsed in the fiercely competitive Japanese beer market by rivals Kirin, Sapporo, and Suntory.
Beyond beer: Cyberattacks are a growing concern in Japan. There were a record 116 ransomware cases reported in the first six months of 2025, Bloomberg reported, citing the National Police Agency. Zoom out: The problem is global. In the UK, luxury automaker Jaguar Land Rover and retailers Marks & Spencer and the Co-op Group have all been victims of high-profile cyberattacks this year.—BC | | |
|
|
Together With bolt.new Most vibe-coding tools are like toys. Fun at first, but they often get stuck in endless error loops, infrastructure headaches, and projects collapsing under their own weight. Meet Bolt.new, the #1 professional vibe-coding platform. Bolt puts the most powerful coding agents and enterprise-grade infrastructure directly in your browser. Try Bolt v2 today. |
|
ICYMI Here’s everything that didn’t make it into this week’s newsletters but we immediately sent to the group chat.  You can now exclude tracks you listen to from your Spotify taste profile, which basically lets you choose the ones that influence your recommended songs and annual Wrapped report card. Performative Phoebe Bridgers fans, you win this round…
Italian police raided a Salvador Dalí exhibit and confiscated 21 suspected forgeries, which must’ve been a surreal experience for museum guests. There’s an asteroid with a 4% chance of colliding with the moon in 2032, and some scientists are wondering whether we should hit it with a nuclear bomb. We’d also like them to weigh in on whether we should throw this big jar of broken glass at the spider crawling toward our bed. Divers from a shipwreck salvaging company found an estimated $1 million worth of long-lost gold and silver coins off the coast of Florida. They are reportedly checking our couch cushions next. Two Maryland firefighters face misdemeanor charges for allegedly flooding the baseball field next to their station’s parking lot with a fire hose after one too many outfield balls hit their cars. Guess there will always be someone to rain on your parade, even when you knock it out of the park.—ML |
|
|
NEWS - The US killed four people whom Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described as “male narcoterrorists,” in a fourth attack on what officials say are drug-smuggling boats from Venezuela. Questioned about the lawfulness of the strikes, the administration told Congress this week that the US is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
- Jeff Bezos said AI represents an “industrial bubble” that makes it hard for investors to tell the good ideas from the bad ones, but that the tech is real and will benefit society.
- One of the two victims killed in an attack on a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur appears to have been accidentally shot by police, authorities said.
- A fire broke out at a Chevron oil refinery near Los Angeles, potentially threatening California’s fuel supply.
- Apple and Google dropped apps from their stores that could be used to anonymously track ICE agents after the Justice Department demanded Apple do so.
- NBC’s content will remain on YouTube TV after NBCUniversal and Google clinched a multiyear distribution agreement.
|
|
|
Together With Surfshark How to avoid ad ambushes. Ever been ambushed by 37 ads or a dozen autoplay videos when you’re just trying to read a recipe online? CleanWeb by Surfshark fixes that. It blocks ads, trackers, and malware before they load so you can browse faster, safer, and with less digital side-eye. CleanWeb is easy to install and just 2.89/mo. Check it out. |
|
COMMUNITY Last week, we asked: “What’s the most cherished memento you’ve ever brought back with you from a trip?” Here are some of our favorite responses: - “A stuffed Winnie the Pooh from Japan. As a 30-something female postdoc in the late ’90s, friends were few and far between. He was my little buddy. I even carried him off the plane [upon arriving] home a year later...much to my mother’s dismay. Not quite the image of the family’s first ‘doctor.’”—Lesley from Vero Beach, FL
- “A five-mark gambling chip from the spa at Baden-Baden, Germany. Cheapest memento I brought back.”—Michele Drier
- “Half a key. The other half broke off in the lock of the massive wood door to the apartment building where my host family lived when I did my semester abroad in Florence in 1991. I had to explain, in my pathetic Italian, that I had ‘un grande problema.’”—Julie from Virginia
- “A polo ball that was hit out of bounds by King Charles.”—Sue from Woodstock, CT
This week’s question What’s the most spectacular live event you’ve ever attended? Sam’s answer to get the juices flowing: “I once went to see my friend’s band open for the punk rock band Gogol Bordello in Brooklyn, fully expecting to leave after his set was over. But I ended up being sore the next day from three hours of nonstop dancing to the headliners performing rockified Romani and Ukrainian tunes.” Submit your response here. |
|
|
|
