Unusual Whales

Hollywood studios proposed contracts that would allow them to scan actors and create AI that would give them the actors' likeness rights forever

At today's press conference, Hollywood actors confirmed their decision to go on strike. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, the chief negotiator for SAG-AFTRA, disclosed a proposal from Hollywood studios that appears to have been inspired by an episode of the TV show Black Mirror. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television

Bank of America, $BAC, secretly opened credit card accounts in customer names, double charged overdraft fees, and withheld promised perks from users

Federal regulators announced on Tuesday that Bank of America had failed to deliver promised benefits to certain credit card customers, charged them excessive overdraft fees, and secretly opened credit card accounts in their names without their knowledge or consent. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Consumer

BREAKING: Microsoft has won a US court nod to buy Activision, in a loss for the FTC

Microsoft Corporation has received court approval to proceed with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc., valued at $69 billion. This decision comes after the US Federal Trade Commission's attempt to block the largest-ever gaming deal was defeated. Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley's ruling in San Francisco allows

30% of Americans say ‘tipping culture is out of control'

The customary practice of tipping has traditionally been associated with sit-down restaurants, food delivery, salons, and similar scenarios. However, in recent years, and especially since the pandemic, more Americans are feeling the pressure to tip in situations like point-of-sale transactions and at drive-thrus. The idea of tipping even extended to

It is the least affordable to buy a car ever

The cost of purchasing a car has skyrocketed in recent times, making it increasingly expensive for consumers. Not only have new car prices reached nearly their highest levels ever, but the interest rates for financing a purchase have also surged significantly. Recent reports indicate that fewer affordable new cars are

Judge denies Biden admin's request to lift ban on communication with social media companies

On Monday, a federal judge denied the Biden administration's request to lift his order that restricts communication between the administration and major social media companies. Judge Terry Doughty of the Western District of Louisiana, who was appointed by Donald Trump, determined that the Republican state attorneys general of

The US has now destroyed all of its chemical weapons

President Joe Biden announced Friday that the United States has completely destroyed its decades-old stockpiles of chemical weapons, fulfilling a commitment under the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. "Today, I am proud to announce that the United States has safely destroyed the final munition in that stockpile -- bringing us

The US has given another $800 million in arms and equipment to Ukraine, including cluster ammunitions banned by 100 other countries.

In a recent development, the United States has announced its intention to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, which are banned by over 100 countries, as part of an $800 million security package. Ukraine has expressed that this move will have an "extraordinary psycho-emotional impact" on Russian forces. The

Elon Musk has sued the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to recover the $90 million it received from Twitter after the $44 billion takeover, accusing the firm of breaching its fiduciary duty and seeking restitution for a $90 million payment

Twitter has taken legal action against the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which it had engaged to facilitate Elon Musk's acquisition of the company. The social media giant claims that Wachtell inappropriately received a $90 million payout as the deal approached its closing stage. According to

Ukraine’s foreign currency reserves are at a record high of $38.99 billion

Ukraine's foreign exchange reserves have reached a historic milestone, exceeding $39 billion, primarily due to financial assistance from Western partners. This record high represents the highest level of reserves the country has achieved in over 30 years since gaining independence from the Soviet Union. Andriy Pyshnyi, the Governor

A Canadian judge has ruled that the “thumbs-up” emoji is just as valid as a signature, arguing that courts need to adapt to the “new reality” of how people communicate as he ordered a farmer to pay C$82,000 for an unfulfilled contract

In a recent case in Saskatchewan, Canada, a judge ruled that the "thumbs-up" emoji holds the same validity as a traditional signature, emphasizing the need for courts to adapt to the modern methods of communication. The ruling came as a farmer was ordered to pay C$82,000

The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate is 7.22%

Mortgage rates have surged, with the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage reaching 7.22%, the highest since early November. This increase is partly due to the rise in the yield on the 10-year Treasury, driven by a robust employment report from ADP. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell'

Lenders in Canada are now seeing 60-, 70-, even 90-year mortgages as Canadians struggle with rocketing interest rates

Some homeowners are facing extremely long amortization periods due to high interest rates. While the standard time to pay off a mortgage is 25 years, existing homeowners with 'fixed-payment' variable-rate mortgages are seeing their amortization periods extend to as much as 90 years. This happens because these mortgages

President Biden is reportedly providing banned cluster munitions to Ukraine, despite the Cluster Munitions Treaty signed by over 100 countries

Per Excellent reporting of NYT President Biden and his team have been grappling with a challenging dilemma concerning the conflict in Ukraine for over six months. They have been deliberating whether to allow Ukrainian forces to deplete their desperately needed artillery ammunition in their fight against Russia or to provide

BlackRock, $BLK, CEO Larry Fink has said that bitcoin is an "international asset."

Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, has said that I do believe the role of crypto is...it is digitizing gold in many ways."......."Let's be clear: bitcoin is an international asset" For reference, BlackRock has filed for a bitcoin ETF. BlackRock is making a move

US 2 year/10 year yield curve are currently at their deepest inversion in 42 years

On Monday, a significant part of the U.S. Treasury yield curve experienced its most pronounced inversion since the time of high inflation under Fed Chairman Paul Volcker. This inversion reflects concerns in the financial markets that the prolonged cycle of interest rate hikes by the Federal Reserve will push

Kyiv says the Russians have placed explosives today on top of reactors three and four of Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, whereas Russia Telegram channels report an imminent “Ukrainian attack"

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has alerted Emmanuel Macron to the presence of "dangerous Russian provocations" at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The Ukrainian president took to Twitter to inform his French counterpart that occupation troops are preparing such provocations at the mentioned facility. Zelenskyy emphasized the need for maximum control

Secret Service investigating suspected cocaine found in White House

A substance discovered in the White House complex caused a temporary shutdown of the facility on Sunday evening. According to two law enforcement officials and a recording of a radio dispatch, the substance tested positive for cocaine soon after its discovery. It was found in a common area of the

BREAKING: A judge has limited the Biden administration from contacting social media sites regarding misinformation

On Tuesday, a federal court in Louisiana issued a ruling that restricts parts of the Biden administration from engaging with social media platforms regarding a wide range of online content. This decision has the potential to hinder efforts to combat false and misleading narratives related to the coronavirus pandemic and

Airbnb's bubble collapse

According to a real-estate expert, declining revenues per listing on Airbnb, the popular platform that allows property owners to rent out their spaces to travelers, could potentially lead to a housing market crash in certain cities, comparable to the subprime crisis of 2008. However, there are some doubts about the

Big US banks would lose $541 billion in doomsday scenario, predicts the Fed

According to the Federal Reserve's annual stress tests, the largest banks in the United States would suffer a combined loss of $541 billion in an extreme economic scenario. However, the tests concluded that these banks still possess sufficient capital to absorb such losses, reinforcing assertions made by Wall

Goldman Sachs, $GS, is considering exiting its partnership with Apple, $AAPL, and is in talks to offload those businesses and its credit-card partnership to Amex.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs is considering ending its partnership with Apple as part of its strategy to withdraw from the consumer-lending business. The bank is currently engaged in talks with American Express regarding the potential takeover of the Apple credit card and related initiatives. Goldman Sachs

National Geographic has cut all its staff writers, and will end monthly newsstand sales

Starting next year, the iconic yellow-bordered cover of the monthly National Geographic magazine will no longer be available for purchase on newsstands, as the company shifts its focus to its digital product. Special editions will still be offered in physical stores, while subscribers will continue to receive a printed copy

Universal basic income of nearly $2,000 a month to be trialed in England for the first time

Autonomy, an independent think tank, is planning a trial in the UK where approximately thirty individuals may receive a monthly sum of £1,600 ($1,983). The success of this endeavor relies on securing adequate funding. The estimated cost for the basic income payments over the two-year duration of the

The Supreme Court has agreed to consider the legality of the SEC’s use of in-house tribunals, setting up a decision next term that could alter how U.S. securities laws are enforced

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that involves President Joe Biden's administration defending specific Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in-house enforcement proceedings. This case has the potential to significantly undermine the authority of federal agencies. The administration is appealing a lower court'