SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY

Search headlines

Find the stories shaping the conversation.

Search mode
Refine results
Active filters Keyword All time

Results for " drop " 2,653 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle

Max Miller, Republican Accused of Abuse, Won’t Drop Out, Spokeswoman Says

Mr. Miller, who has faced pressure from fellow Republicans to end his campaign and avoid endangering a solidly red seat in Ohio, will stay in the race, his spokeswoman said.

nytimes.com logo
Aug 8 • 6:30 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Seedless and WatermelonDS Drop Their Latest Updates at Once

The world of Nintendo DS emulation has always been a bit of a strange thing. You're either in the camp where the emulation is fine, or the one where it's just better to do it on an original console. Recently though, those lines have been blurred with dual screen releases like the Anbernic RG DS,

retrohandhelds.gg logo
Aug 8 • 3:06 PM EDT • Technology • retrohandhelds.gg
Misdemeanor gun charges against James Harden dropped
sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 7 • 8:22 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Washington Capitals Offseason Recap

In this series, Heavy Sports is looking at what every NHL team has done over the offseason. Next up is the Washington Capitals. Washington had a disappointing season this past year as they dropped out of the postseason, posting a 43-30-9 record. The team has been busy loading up over the offseason in the hopes […] The post Washington Capitals Offseason Recap appeared first on HEAVY.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 7 • 6:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Watch the OpenAI Hugging Face presentation that has jaws dropping

OpenAI revealed that, ahead of the Hugging Face breach, agents repeatedly created their own message boards to communicate with one another.

businessinsider.com logo
Aug 7 • 1:25 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Michigan Health officials say people can eat lettuce, salad greens amid drop in cyclospora
cbsnews.com logo
Aug 7 • 12:43 PM EDT • Health • cbsnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Tesla Rolls Out Rare Software Update to Mobile Connectors

In an unexpected hardware drop, Tesla has started pushing a firmware update for its portable Mobile Connector charging units

notateslaapp.com logo
Aug 7 • 12:27 PM EDT • Technology • notateslaapp.com
Leslie Jones reveals the ‘SNL’ host the entire cast thought would bomb

Leslie Jones is name-dropping the ‘SNL’ host who was ‘f---ing up so bad’ during rehearsals that the entire cast thought it’d be ‘one of the worst shows ever.’

ew.com logo
Aug 7 • 11:59 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
'Don't Try This at Home Day' will bring explosive science experiments to the Franklin Institute

The Aug. 15 event features a 500-ball liquid nitrogen blast, hydrogen balloon explosion, watermelon gravity drops and other live demonstrations.

phillyvoice.com logo
Aug 7 • 9:06 AM EDT • Science • phillyvoice.com
Hackers Stalked Me by Hijacking a Smartwatch for Kids

Security researchers tracked and eavesdropped on a WIRED reporter using vulnerabilities in a pink plastic smartwatch. It’s just one piece of a deeply insecure supply chain of GPS-enabled gadgets.

wired.com logo
Aug 6 • 5:30 PM EDT • Technology • wired.com
Orlando Magic Receive Shockingly Low Power Rankings Placement

Despite internal championship aspirations and a fresh coaching perspective, analysts remain skeptical of Orlando’s roster depth, dropping the young core further down the league’s latest hierarchy.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 6 • 5:10 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
GOP Rep. Max Miller resists pressure to drop reelection bid as party anxiety grows over abuse claims

Miller is facing a congressional ethics investigation related to domestic abuse allegations leveled against him by his ex-wife but is insisting he won't withdraw.

pbs.org logo
Aug 6 • 2:23 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Sony’s new PS5 Pro beta update automatically enables PSSR 2.0 for every game

Sony’s latest PS5 system software beta enables PSSR 2.0 by default across all PS5 Pro games, promising sharper visuals and fewer frame-rate drops without requiring manual setup.

notebookcheck.net logo
Aug 6 • 10:55 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net
GOP’s Edwards drops bid for reelection, Miller stays in

Allegations have emerged that Miller abused his ex-wife and daughter

theweek.com logo
Aug 6 • 10:44 AM EDT • Politics • theweek.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (19%)
wow
54%
love
46%
The Sports Report: Dodgers drop their sixth in a row

After learning catcher Dalton Rushing will be sidelined by a torn UCL, the Dodgers fall to the Cubs for their sixth straight loss.

latimes.com logo
Aug 6 • 7:25 AM EDT • Sports • latimes.com
Nintendo's Switch 2 Console Sales Just Dropped Significantly

Nintendo's Switch 2 sales fell ahead of an expected price hike next month.

engadget.com logo
Aug 6 • 6:13 AM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
Xbox hardware update drops feature gamers have wanted for years

Microsoft drops a huge Xbox console update

gamingbible.com logo
Aug 6 • 6:00 AM EDT • Technology • gamingbible.com
Seeds Rybakina, Pegula and Gauff advance at WTA Toronto event

Second seed Elena Rybakina, third seed Jessica Pegula and fourth-seeded Coco Gauff advanced to the third round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Toronto on Wednesday.Rybakina hit back-to-back double faults to drop the second set and three double faults while serving for the match before advancing to next face 28th-seeded American Ann Li, who eliminated Canadian wildcard Kayla Cross 7-6 (7/2), 6-3.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 5 • 7:18 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Scandal Leaves North Carolina G.O.P. With No Candidate and Little Time

Representative Chuck Edwards’s decision to drop his re-election bid amid sexual harassment charges came as a Democratic farmer, Jamie Ager, was already making inroads.

nytimes.com logo
Aug 5 • 5:26 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Trump-endorsed candidate loses to Michigan man who dropped out of race

Thomas J. Smith suspended his campaign for Michigan’s 8th District. Yet he is projected to beat Amir Hassan, a rival backed by the president.

washingtonpost.com logo
Aug 5 • 12:38 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Uber stock drops as bookings guidance disappoints; CEO bets on robotaxi push to grow overall business

Uber reported second-quarter results on Wednesday that beat on bookings and profit, but shares fell as the ride-hailing giant's bookings guidance missed analyst projections. Uber says its robotaxi push is still well underway, with investments set to grow.

finance.yahoo.com logo
Aug 5 • 11:07 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
Republicans move to oust embattled Florida GOP lawmaker in bitter primary fight

Reps. Cory Mills, Chuck Edwards and Max Miller face misconduct allegations that now threaten GOP control of Congress heading into midterms. Edwards has dropped his campaign.

foxnews.com logo
Aug 5 • 11:03 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Speaker Johnson says Ethics Committee should carry out Max Miller investigation

The Ohio Republican congressman has faced calls to drop his reelection bid over domestic abuse allegations.

washingtonpost.com logo
Aug 5 • 11:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
GOP Rep Chuck Edwards drops re-election bid after House ethics report recommends censure

Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina dropped his re-election bid in the wake of the release of a House Ethics Committee report.

foxnews.com logo
Aug 5 • 8:45 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Rep. Chuck Edwards drops reelection bid after censure recommendation for sexual harassment claims

The House Ethics Committee said there is "substantial reason to believe" Rep. Chuck Edwards violated House rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces. Edwards denied any wrongdoing.

cbsnews.com logo
Aug 5 • 8:36 AM EDT • Politics • cbsnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Rep. Chuck Edwards Drops Re-election Bid in North Carolina After Ethics Rebuke

Chuck Edwards made the announcement after the House Ethics Committee recommended he be censured for “persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct” toward two female staff members.

nytimes.com logo
Aug 5 • 7:07 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
More Medicaid coverage hasn’t curbed increased firearm suicides among most men

New study finds that expanded access to Medicaid was related to a drop in suicide rates among men in only one group: white adults ages 35-49.

northcarolinahealthnews.org logo
Aug 5 • 4:23 AM EDT • Health • northcarolinahealthnews.org
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (11%)
wow
63%
love
37%
A cafe with Latin flavor and doggie daycare call Jersey City home

New businesses opening in Jersey City are a cafe offering dishes of the Latin diaspora and the first New Jersey location for a canine daycare chain.

northjersey.com logo
Aug 5 • 4:05 AM EDT • Business • northjersey.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (14%)
wow
52%
ahah
24%
love
24%
White Sox get beat down in Beantown, 14-2

Davis Martin is tagged for nine runs as the South Siders drop the series opener

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 5 • 12:01 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
☹️ Negative (-8%)
Max Miller: US congressman refuses to drop re-election bid over ex-wife's abuse claims

Ohio Republican Max Miller's former father-in-law, a US senator, wants him removed from Congress.

bbc.com logo
Aug 4 • 8:05 PM EDT • Politics • bbc.com
GOP Leadership pushing Edwards to drop re-election bid over ethics report

The bipartisan House Ethics Committee on Monday released a 20-page report on the investigation, recommending that the chamber censure Edwards.

spectrumlocalnews.com logo
Aug 4 • 6:00 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
McDonald's says US sales slowed after value deal push fell short

CEO Chris Kempczinski says weak promotion of value deals and a pullback in digital deals led to a drop in visits from McDonald's loyal customers.

foxbusiness.com logo
Aug 4 • 5:20 PM EDT • Business • foxbusiness.com
Max Miller Shrugs Off Trump’s Warning and Pushes Ahead in Ohio

Republicans hoped a shove from President Trump would persuade the embattled congressman to drop his re-election bid in the face of abuse allegations. It hasn’t happened.

nytimes.com logo
Aug 4 • 2:39 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Behind closed doors, Trump and White House officials hope Rep. Max Miller drops reelection bid, sources say
cbsnews.com logo
Aug 4 • 12:11 PM EDT • Politics • cbsnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
MrBeast Sales Slow, Angel Stock Falls, MUBI and Neon Look for Hits, and Will an NBA Franchise Set a Sales Record?

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) You probably remember egg prices spiking a few years ago. This led to a lot of debate between the pro-market/pro-competition/antitrust/Neo-Brandesian crowd and the center/center-right/center-left/abundance/libertarian crowd over the cause, whether it was the avian flu outbreak or whether industry consolidation led to price fixing, using avian flu as a convenient cover. Basel Musharbash wrote a whole investigation at BIG looking at it. Well, two years later, we have our answer: it was price fixing. The Justice Department found proof, via emails, of price fixing. Indeed, just the threat of an investigation brought prices down two years ago: I bring this up because at least half a dozen of my favorite political writers and pundits, who were skeptical about price fixing at the time, haven’t written any mea culpas on this issue. It’s really dispiriting and makes it much, much harder to trust their work on other issues. If you take a hard stand on an issue, then you get it wrong, you need to explain how and why you got it wrong. Or update your priors. This is how epistemological bubbles are formed! All of which is to say, it’s time for another installment of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. Last issue, I mostly focused on the “wrong” side of the equation, so today’s is a bit more balanced, but with one big mea culpa (though I still stand by my original concerns). Let’s dive right in! Subscribe CORRECTION: UFC Didn’t Release Subscriber Data (But Seems to Have Bragged About It Internally) In my analysis of the viewership of UFC Freedom 250, I wrote... “Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers.” Well, that datecdote did not come from a PR rep, but from great reporting from James Faris at Business Insider. The actual quote was this: “Paramount’s flagship streaming service generated about a million new subscribers on the day of its first-ever UFC event, Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow told employees in a town hall on Tuesday morning, three staffers who attended the meeting told Business Insider.“ This wasn’t the biggest goof in the world; even Faris emphasized to me that this is more a “clarification” than a correction. Still, it sounds like, internally, the folks at Paramount were very happy about this result—and I’m guessing they were happy with this news getting out—even though the gains didn’t last through the quarter, dropping to 700K adds. RIGHT: MrBeast’s Struggles Continue... I’m very skeptical about MrBeast’s burgeoning media “empire” and, in particular, its $5 billion valuation, as I wrote earlier this year and last year. Sure enough, according to Business Insider, regarding its “booming” consumer products division_:_ “US sales volume grew 13% year-over-year in 2025, following a 33% leap the previous year, according to a presentation deck dated May 2026....A February 2025 investor deck viewed by Business Insider showed Feastables’ net revenue more than doubled in 2024 from 2023, to $215 million, and was forecast to grow 74% in 2025, to $375 million.” [Emphasis mine.] If you told investors that you projected 74% growth but delivered 13%,1 that’s not ideal. But it’s not just MrBeast. Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime had sales drop in half for their energy drinks. It’s one thing to build a successful entertainment company and an entirely different thing to succeed in the heavily-consolidated-but-also-very-competitive consumer packaged goods space! CPGs are dominated by a few firms with very wide moats compared to YouTube, which has few barriers to entry. These businesses require different skill sets and have completely different business environments. WRONG: Does the NBA Have an $8 Billion Bidder? Almost as soon as I published my article about the NBA’s finances, casting skepticism on NBA expansion, I saw this Front Office Sports headline: One group “claims to have already raised $8 billion” for the Vegas expansion team. I mean, wow. That’s just $2 billion less than what the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at when they were sold just last year. And they’re arguably the most popular team in the NBA. (Side note: the new owner is now under an investigation for fraud in how he went about financing the Lakers and the Dodgers purchases.) So much for the “dried up” language I used in that article. (This is why I usually stick to my “Entertainment Nuance Guy” tone in articles...) I went off old information—from April, when I read/heard about the NBA downplaying expansion efforts—instead of doing a quick double-check for new news. That said...if you read the article, the market for Seattle is “slow”, with just one reported bidder. So I wasn’t entirely off. This goof has annoyed me since I first published it, mainly because it undercut that article’s real point, which I stand by: NBA franchises are really overvalued right now. Now, I get why NBA teams are overvalued. When it comes to owning sports teams, it’s basically never wrong to assume that some rich person somewhere will care more about owning a team (or just being part of a group since they’re so expensive) than the actual financials. There are only so many teams to own, and opportunities to buy in preferred markets don’t come along very often. This explains why the teams sell for such high multiples (usually above a 10 to 12.5 revenue multiple, which is very high). You only need one person to overpay! Beyond the ultra-wealthy luxury good explanation, I worry NBA teams are becoming speculative assets. More and more private equity investors are buying into NBA teams. But the value, in owning a team, comes from selling it later, not any meaningful relationship to revenue or profit growth. In other words, the newer NBA owners are increasingly expecting someone later to buy their inflated asset. That’s not sound economics; that’s the “greater fool” theory at work.2 At some point, actually making money has to matter. Especially since revenue growth is now below the growth of the stock market. (And this matters because the NBA doesn’t have easy levers to pull to drastically lower their costs—half of their revenue has to go to players and then you actually have to run a team, including coaching, training, travel, media expenses, and more—or raise revenues aside from one-off expansions in America and overseas.) I just don’t see how investors make their money back buying NBA teams, except for selling at a higher price later on down the line. But if revenue/profit growth continues to slow, at some point, someone will be left holding the bag. RIGHT: Baseball and Basketball are about equally popular. Related to the above, I wanted to cite two quick pieces of evidence for one of my other theories: that the NBA and MLB are about as popular as each other, but the NBA gets much, much better media coverage. One YouGov survey has that fans prefer basketball to baseball by 52% to 48%, which I’m guessing is within the margin of error for that poll. That’s virtually even, meaning they’re about the same popularity. Over on NBC, a recent Red Sox-Yankees game averaged 4 million viewers, higher than Sunday Night Basketball’s average of 3.4 million on the same network. A Yankees-Dodgers game averaged 3.9 million two weeks ago. Not every game averages this much, but it shows you that baseball isn’t far off from basketball, depending on the matchup. Altogether, the NBA is just slightly more popular than baseball, but NBC is paying MLB a fraction of what they pay the NBA, a point I’ve made before. RIGHT: Angel, MUBI and Neon Updates... I’ve long been skeptical about many of Hollywood’s buzziest startups/smaller indie studios. It’s not that they don’t make great movies—films like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once are amazing—or that they’re not (rightfully) pushing the majors to make better films, but...they get a ton of hype, and that hype often doesn’t live up to the reality or difficulty in scaling up. Starting with MUBI, well, The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on MUBI’s struggles last April, best summarized by the subheader “After Sequoia valued Mubi at $1 billion, a left-wing revolt sent the indie film company into a tailspin”. MUBI lost $7.3 million on $200 million in revenue in Q4 2025, but reportedly hit a record 1.7 million subscribers at the end of Q1. As for Neon, Department M purchased a “significant stake” in the company earlier this year. How much is that “stake” worth? According to Deadline, “No financial figures for the Neon-Department M deal were disclosed.” So...that’s not great! If it was a big valuation, we’d hear about. Also, I found this curious: “Both Neon and Department M already have separate partnerships with Qatar. The Qatar Film Committee has a slate deal in place with the former, and a biopic production pact with the latter.” Color me skeptical about much Middle Eastern investment dollars. See: LIV Golf. Finally, as for Angel (formerly Angel Studios), their stock very, very slightly popped last month after Young Washington ($20 million budget) which made $45 million in the US, but their stock is still way down from its opening. Smaller Updates RIGHT: The WGA should focus on antitrust concerns! I’ve been on this for years. Post-WGA/AMTPT deal in 2023, I wrote an article for the Ankler calling on the WGA to focus and organize against industry consolidation. Sure enough, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Paramount-WBD merger, and people are organizing around this issue now. I wish this energy had coalesced earlier (specifically to lobby Washington much earlier), but better late than never! WRONG: Actually, the chip shortage might be due to market manipulation. In my last “Long Reads for the Long Summer” article, I shared an article about how LLMs are causing memory chip prices to spike, which will make all electronics more expensive. Well, turns out, three RAM manufacturers control 90% of the market, and now a private lawsuit accuses them of price-fixing. So yeah. WRONG/UPDATE: The Odyssey will hold! Two weeks ago, I wrote, “As of this moment, we haven’t had a super-blockbuster, though The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday could all cross the $500 million mark. (At this point, The Odyssey would need a very strong hold to get there.)” Well, it’s safe to say it’s going to have that hold! It only dropped 30% in weekend two and IMAX screenings are sold out all month. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also off to a great start. RIGHT: People are rushing to get shows out yearly. I’ve long been bullish on yearly, weekly-released shows, and Leslie Goldberg at The Ankler wrote about how many people in town are now listening. WRONG: Mark Carney reverses Canada’s stance on homegrown production. After writing about Canada installing domestic production quotas, Canada has backed off. WRONG: I don’t trust Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s online “views”. When I originally wrote about the latest Spider-Man film’s record-breaking trailer, I thought this was just YouTube views, but after watching this Corridor Crew video and doing more research, well, it’s all social views of the trailer globally. Really? That stat includes TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts views. Basically, I don’t trust it anymore. (This film will probably set record, but I trust the pre-sales data more.) RIGHT: Celebrity Production companies are still struggling. I’ve written about this for years, but the company that I didn’t track was Kevin Hart’s HartBeat, which was valued at $650 million but is struggling now and might just end soon, especially after Kevin Hart pulled his endorsement deals. And Bad Robot is moving to NYC. CORRECTION: SpongeBob is a “second run” title. In my 2025 recap article, I had _SpongeBob SquarePants_labelled as a “library” title, when it is still a “second run” show, with new episodes still coming out on Nickelodeon. CORRECTION: In my last “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong” update, I offered a correction from Doug Creutz and misspelled TD Cowen. Thanks, Grammarly! 1 Though he could have increased prices to make up for the gap, he couldn’t have increased them that much. 2 There’s a theory, which I think that Daryl Morey created and Bill Simmons popularized, that, to be successful building your team, you only need a handful of bad GMs in the league to take advantage of. To be clear, Daryl Morey’s theory was also for signing bad contracts, that you could always get out of bad contracts. Basically, there’s always someone who will make a bad trade. It’s not the same exact thing, but similar enough to the Greater Fool Theory that I really like it.

entertainment.substack.com logo
Aug 4 • 11:55 AM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
Harger: My primary ballot is sitting on my microwave. If a politics nerd is cramming, the August primary isn't working

We moved primaries from September to August in 2008 to give election officials more time to process mail-in ballots. That made logistical sense. For actually getting people to vote, it's a flop.

mynorthwest.com logo
Aug 4 • 9:51 AM EDT • Politics • mynorthwest.com
Washington primary election voting ends today. The race for its 3rd Congressional District is just getting started

Ballots should be turned in to official drop boxes by 8 p.m. on Aug. 4.

opb.org logo
Aug 4 • 9:00 AM EDT • Politics • opb.org
Vote to take place on Blanche nomination after GOP senators drop opposition

Trump’s former personal lawyer appears on track to become attorney general despite reservations over deal withdrawing ‘anti-weaponization fund’

theguardian.com logo
Aug 4 • 6:27 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Evans Terminal businesses cope with Spirit's departure

Retail traffic drops in the smaller of two terminals at Detroit Metro Airport after Spirit Airlines' collapse.

detroitnews.com logo
Aug 4 • 12:02 AM EDT • Business • detroitnews.com
Deep dive
☹️ Negative (-3%)
wow
40%
ahah
30%
sad
30%
Cubs Rout Wrobleski, Dodgers Drop Fourth Straight

The Los Angeles Dodgers have dropped their fourth straight game against the Chicago Cubs.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 3 • 11:49 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Tetris 99's New Crossover Event Celebrates Splatoon Raiders, Unlock A Special Theme

Drop in later this week

nintendolife.com logo
Aug 3 • 9:55 PM EDT • Technology • nintendolife.com
Ojai Raptor Center shares health setback for Jackie the Big Bear bald eagle

The veterinary team caring for Big Bear bald eagle Jackie after she was injured in a scrap with another eagle shared a health update Monday on her recovery. Bloodwork showed a drop in packed cell volume (PCV), indicating her anemia has worsened since the eagle’s last health update, according to the Ojai Raptor Center. Anemia is a serious medical condition…

nbclosangeles.com logo
Aug 3 • 4:56 PM EDT • Health • nbclosangeles.com
Why the Trump pool story matters even after Pirro dropped her case

We are very used to Donald Trump saying things that aren't true. This is something different.

businessinsider.com logo
Aug 3 • 4:17 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
You can now request absentee ballots for November election

To request an absentee ballot, voters can go online or contact their town or city clerk. According to the Maine Secretary of State’s Office, ballots will begin to be issued 30 days before the Nov. 3 election, which is Sept.4.

spectrumlocalnews.com logo
Aug 3 • 2:38 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Flag football continues ‘remarkable’ growth, leading California high school sports’ increase in participation

Girls sports keyed another record-setting year for high school athletics, while football participation saw a significant drop on the boys side

pressdemocrat.com logo
Aug 3 • 2:30 PM EDT • Sports • pressdemocrat.com
If Not AOC, Then Who?

What do we do if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decides not to run for president in 2028? It makes sense that many leftists are currently focused on calling on her to take the plunge. But the absence of a Plan B, or even much discussion about one, is worrisome. The US Left can’t afford to sit out the 2028 Democratic primary. Doing so in 2024 was a disaster: our abstention self-marginalized anti-billionaire politics from the national conversation and thereby gave space for Harris to pivot to the “center” (i.e. the policy preferences of corporate donors, establishment hacks, and AIPAC). Abstaining again in 2028 would be especially counterproductive since democratic socialists now have so much wind in our sails after our big electoral wins in NYC and across the country. It’s time to deepen our momentum, organization, and profile — not to retreat to the margins during America’s single most important political battle. Even more urgently, keeping Trump’s heir out of the White House may depend on whether leftists and the party’s unprecedentedly disenchanted base can force the Democrats in 2028 to take meaningful steps towards a very angry electorate and away from the corporate-consultant blob that has helped get us into this mess. If AOC (or Abdul El-Sayed) decides to run, we should enthusiastically go all in — DSA, fighting unions, progressive organizations, anybody who wants to see a better country and world. But, as far as I can tell from the outside, there’s a real chance that she doesn’t run. And we can’t just wait and see where she lands before discussing alternatives, since AOC’s decision might not come for quite a while, giving us little time to scramble at the last minute for an alternative. So we should start working now on getting a Plan B into motion, and recruiting a good candidate for the role. Here’s one idea. A Worker Candidate — Healthcare Not Warfare 2028 Run a union worker Leftists don’t need to always run experienced, well-known socialist politicians for high-profile contests. Lula, the current president of Brazil, began his political career as a metalworker militant who ran for governor of São Paulo in 1982. Especially in an era of institutional distrust, it’s possible to lean hard into making a virtue out of a working-class comrade’s distance from traditional politics. Experience abroad shows this clearly. Rachel Kéké — an immigrant hotel housekeeper — ran as the candidate of the leftist La France Insoumise for the National Assembly in 2022, defeating a former minister in the Macron government. The Belgian Workers’ Party in 2024 won its first Flemish seat in the European Parliament by running Rudi Kennes, a three-decade veteran of the Opel Antwerp auto factory. And the South Korean left in 2024 elected auto factory militant Yoon Jong-oh to the National Assembly. If a tiny French Trotskyist organization could make such a big splash in 2002 and 2007 by running a well-spoken postal worker cadre for office — the LCR’s Olivier Besancenot received about 1.5 million first-round votes — it’s not far-fetched to expect that a much larger organization like DSA, together with a broader coalition of the willing, could run this playbook to much greater effect. This is especially the case now that almost everything DSA does immediately becomes a national news story. We don’t need someone famous. We just need a charismatic, well-vetted comrade who works in a relatable working-class occupation — e.g. a nurse, or a worker in auto or construction, or at Amazon. Ideally, they have a compelling personal story or have been part of a significant strike or organizing campaign, but even those criteria don’t necessarily have to be deal-breakers. The main lesson of the Graham Platner fiasco isn’t that we should never run outsiders for office (the momentum he generated proves the exact opposite), but that they need proper vetting and roots in democratic membership organizations like DSA or a union. In any case, there are plenty of ways to signal working-class authenticity without resorting to Platner’s or Fetterman’s performative macho white dude affect. Better to have someone of any gender or race who is actually working class, with firm socialist politics, who can speak from experience about the day-to-day realities of trying to make it in America. There are surely at least a dozen such worker leaders in our movement nationwide; we just need to sit down and convince one that their personal sacrifice for the greater good (i.e. running for president) will be worth it. If we don’t have a frontrunner with a clear path to victory like AOC (or El-Sayed, were he to win Michigan), it’s better to embrace someone whose decision to run in itself tells an important story about US politics: workers have been iced out of our political system and are now fighting hard to break back in. The novelty factor, in itself, would generate press. And it would help democratic socialists signal to the American public that our movement’s defining characteristic is that we represent workers vs. bosses, not that we’re “the furthest left” force in American politics — a framework that suggests we’re extremists and that helps our opponents isolate us from non-college-educated voters by highlighting extremely minoritarian (and misguided) stances included in DSA’s platform like prison abolition. We don’t get many opportunities to speak to tens of millions of Americans; we need to use these opportunities to broaden our appeal beyond those already in our orbit. Run to polarize the 2028 primary and general election around “Medicare for All” and “End All Aid to Israel” Why should democratic socialists use our scarce time and volunteer energy to run in a race we’re unlikely to win? Running in the 2028 primary will not only recruit us scores of members (imagine having a DSA member intervening in eleven nationally televised primary debates!), but — more importantly — it has the potential to be a decisive leap forward towards an America that finally starts meeting the needs of working people instead of HMO and AIPAC billionaire donors. Polarizing litmus tests are good, actually — as long as they’re fought for around popular demands in a thoughtful and strategic way. Democratic socialists have an opportunity and responsibility to make the 2028 primary about two of the most widely and deeply felt issues of our moment: domestically, America’s unaffordable, family-breaking private healthcare system; internationally, America’s bankrolling of the genocidal Israeli government. A candidacy relentlessly demanding Medicare for All and No Aid to Israel would pose a sharp question to the American public, the Democratic Party, and other 2028 contenders: Why can’t working-class Americans afford their healthcare bills at the same time that our government is spending at least $3.8 billion yearly to fund an Israeli regime eager to keep dragging us and the world into more forever wars? Our candidate can agitate around a clear message: I’m running to give voice to all those working-class Americans who are struggling to get by. No matter what state you live in, who you voted for in 2024, or your background, it’s just plain common sense that we should make healthcare more affordable instead of spending billions to enable the Israeli government’s crimes against humanity. Every American who agrees with me when I say ‘Medicare for All — Not a Dime for Israel’ should make their voice heard through our campaign. Racking up a high number of votes for this agenda is a crucial way to show the Democratic Party and the country as a whole that we can’t keep supporting a life-destroying status quo in our healthcare system and in the Middle East. If we want to defeat Trump’s handpicked crony this coming November, we need to speak to ordinary people’s frustrations with the status quo — we can’t keep running the same tired establishment playbook and expecting a different result. For those highly engaged voters (or skeptical media pundits) who raise concerns about wasting votes, the candidate can take the time to explain why this isn’t the case: It's true I'm a long shot. But Zohran showed anything can happen — and voting for me is a pragmatic decision, not a wasted vote. In a heavily divided primary with a large number of candidates and a very discredited establishment, my campaign and the democratic socialist movement I’m part of are positioned to be the balance of power if we can get a large enough number of voters to loudly demand Healthcare Not Warfare. Since there’s a high chance no candidate will get to 50% in the 2028 primaries, the Democrats could very well be heading towards a brokered convention, where a disciplined, principled current committed to breaking from corporate donors can play an outsized role in making sure whoever ends up with the nomination raises the banner of single-payer healthcare and cutting aid to Israel. How exactly could running this sort of primary campaign be translated into actual leverage? The candidate replies: I’m aiming to win the nomination, but if I don’t achieve that goal, my delegates and I will pledge our support in the primary only for a candidate who agrees in the general election to call for ending US aid to Israel and establishing Medicare for All at home. These are both winning planks for November against the Republicans, and the only reason I can see that other candidates haven’t yet raised these is that they’re still more scared of the donor class than they are of the people. That needs to change. If Democratic leaders want young people, workers, and those sick of the status quo to show up in big numbers this November, they need to meet us halfway. In this way, whether or not we win the nomination, democratic socialists could still play a decisive role in 2028. The approach outlined here is similar to what radical left parties periodically do in parliamentary democracies like Denmark or Sweden when they find themselves as a junior partner electorally: they dictate to center-left allies what their terms would be for enabling, from the outside, the formation of a new government. Running a Healthcare Not Warfare candidate will make it significantly more likely that the 2028 Democratic candidate stands with ordinary people instead of donors on these two pivotal planks — a shift that will, in turn, make it easier to achieve the existentially important task of defeating MAGA’s heir in November. Look at how much popular traction the Uncommitted movement got with a similar strategy in 2024 with so little on-the-ground organization — surely we can go much further with a working-class candidate, a much bigger DSA, and a Democratic Party base that has turned against Israel, billionaires, and the hacks in the party who prop them up. Objections and Responses There are quite a few objections to this proposal, many of which are very reasonable. Let me briefly address each here. Socialists shouldn’t waste their scarce time and resources on a candidate unlikely to win. This is a good rule in general, but there are important exceptions, and presidential elections are the main one. There’s no other political contest that gets anything like this level of attention and engagement in the US, so if you want to be a serious force in nationwide politics, you basically can’t afford not to have a candidate. Far from being an overall drain on our resources, running a dynamic 2028 campaign would likely result in a major net increase in members and capacity. In that spirit, the very pragmatic Milwaukee sewer socialists — who mostly ran to win at home in Wisconsin — supported Eugene Debs’s propagandistic presidential campaigns, which they correctly saw as a crucial means of recruiting to the Socialist Party. And now that the (post-1972) Democratic Party gives more weight to voters than party operatives in determining its presidential nomination, it’s become feasible to run as a socialist in primaries without risking a split in the vote against the Republicans in November. We should just support Ro Khanna, who also supports M4A and ending aid to Israel. I like Ro Khanna and would enthusiastically vote and canvass for him for president were he to get the nomination. But there’s a real chance that Khanna’s bid for office doesn’t catch on; he lacks the grassroots organizational apparatus of DSA, and, because he’s not really of the Left or labor (despite his current very good positions), he’s unlikely to generate the type of buy-in and enthusiasm that a DSA candidate would. Moreover, Khanna would be running as an individual, not as someone emerging from and building an organized movement — his campaign would not likely focus on building sustained power from below, nor would it likely polarize the 2028 primary around M4A and Israel aid. Also, and not inconsequentially, the poor electoral results for Tom Steyer and Saikat Chakrabarti this spring suggest that there’s perhaps not much of a popular appetite in the Democrats’ base to support multi-millionaire class traitors. Much better, then, to run a democratic socialist worker. If by Super Tuesday it’s clear that our campaign has captured the main left lane in the primary, Khanna should drop out and endorse us; conversely, if he’s managed to capture this lane, DSA could at that point transform its Healthcare Not Warfare campaign into an independent campaign to elect Ro Khanna focused on winning (and holding him accountable to) those two critical planks. An openness to consolidating an anti-corporate candidate by Super Tuesday is a necessary component of the strategy I’m proposing, because otherwise we risk splitting the primary votes (per DNC rules, you need at least 15% to get any delegates to convention). We should convince Shawn Fain or Sara Nelson to run for president instead. I agree it’d be great if either ran for president, but my impression is that there’s basically no chance that will happen in 2028, because both are firmly focused on their union leadership duties (and, in the case of Fain, beating back a federal witch-hunt). This plan could have DSA end up endorsing a non-socialist, non-DSAer for president. That’s against our principles. It’s a myth, and bad politics, that socialists can’t ever support candidates who aren’t members of their organization and/or who don’t call themselves socialists. Bernie, after all, was not a DSAer. And socialists abroad regularly make tactical decisions about if and when supporting a non-socialist candidate makes sense from the standpoint of promoting working-class interests, defending democracy, and building a socialist current in the process. If your “principles” prevent you and DSA from helping achieve the momentous stride forward of having a Democratic candidate in 2028 run on Medicare for All and ending aid to Israel, those “principles” are not very good. In fact, they actively undermine the causes they’re aiming to support. We shouldn’t confuse principles (working-class independence) with tactics (the best way to advance this in a given context). In my recent article in Catalyst on Milwaukee sewer socialism (I’ve uploaded the full text here), I have a section showing how similarly rigid rules about endorsements had to be eventually discarded in the old Socialist Party nationwide after WWI because they tended to lead socialists towards a sectarian abstention from broader anti-corporate electoral insurgencies beyond their party’s control. For what it’s worth, Lenin’s current under Tsarism frequently backed bourgeois candidates in the second round of elections and Lenin himself advocated that British Communists support Labour Party candidates; for his part, Kautsky in 1912 defended the German Social Democracy’s electoral pact with the Progressives in the runoffs. If our predecessors could be that tactically flexible in an era before the limits of their underlying strategic assumptions about intransigent class politics in capitalist democracies were made clear, then there’s no need to insist on being more tactically rigid today, after a century’s worth of accumulated experience. As long as you maintain your own political profile and organization while engaging in broader coalitional efforts, there’s zero inherent contradiction with the principle of political independence. More specifically: DSA and allied organizations should enthusiastically back Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed if AOC declines to run and he throws his hat in the presidential ring. (I have no idea whether he’s even considering this path, but there’ll surely be chatter about it if he wins his Senate race this November.) Though he doesn’t call himself a socialist, El-Sayed is a principled Berniecrat, a consistent fighter for Palestine, and would have a clear path to victory. Using the “s” word is far less important than whether a campaign fights for the interests of working people at home and abroad — and whether actively participating in it can grow the organized working class and the Left. And the same holds true if a less anti-corporate candidate were, under pressure, to adopt our two Healthcare Not Warfare planks. Why focus only on M4A and ending US aid to Israel? There are so many other important issues to fight for! Obviously there are many pivotal issues beyond healthcare and Israel, and our candidate — and especially our organizations involved in the campaign — should be prepared to speak on all of these. But one of the crucial lessons of the Zohran campaign is that you have to relentlessly stay on message if you want to cut through the noise. CNN and Fox News will want to talk about DSA’s views on Venezuela and abolishing the police; we need to polarize the debate on the widely and deeply felt issues that are most favorable for growing the Left, isolating our opponents, and winning urgently needed changes. One recent poll found 63% of Americans support M4A, even after respondents were told it would raise taxes and eliminate most private insurance. Another found that 74% of Democrats opposed “providing additional economic and military support to Israel.” And focusing on two demands sets the campaign up to be able to leverage its mandate to make clear demands upon other candidates (which we can’t do if we run with a laundry list of demands). Talking about a Plan B is a distraction from the more urgent work of building a groundswell of calls on AOC to run. It’s good for DSAers, fightback unionists, and progressive organizations to try to convince AOC to run. This proposal is meant as an addendum to pushes to get AOC to run and to line DSA up for that eventuality, not as a substitute for those efforts. But I’m worried that, like in 2024, we might eventually find ourselves with no time to find a viable alternative unless we start now. DSA, with its abundant deliberative processes, moves slowly. The approach you’re suggesting seems risky. If a DSA candidate runs but doesn’t receive a lot of votes, it’ll undercut our current national momentum. This is a reasonable worry. All big initiatives always carry risks, and the path I’m advocating is certainly not free of these. That said, if a Healthcare Not Warfare campaign doesn’t catch on like we envisioned, it’s a pretty simple pivot in March 2028 to explain that in the future we really need our standard-bearers like AOC, or our growing bench of national electeds, to step up in presidential primaries. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the risk of my Plan B proposal is on the whole significantly less than the risk entailed by an AOC run. We should all back her if she runs, since she’d fire up the base, provide huge openings for organizing, have a real shot at defeating a Republican (especially given MAGA’s unpopularity), be a great standard-bearer for our issues, particularly M4A and ending aid to Israel, and be less willing than mainstream candidates to capitulate to any anti-democratic machinations from Trump and co. But it’s also true that AOC could lose, which would be a devastating setback to the country and the Left. Or she could win and find herself unable to pass much, if any, of her (and our) program, a demoralizing prospect. So if we’re willing to take these risks with AOC (and we should), it follows that we should be able to take lower-level risks if she doesn’t throw her hat in the ring. What’s Your Plan B? The US Left is facing its biggest opening for growth and influence since the 1930s. Initiatives that would have been impossible a few months ago are now potentially feasible. A President AOC is now easier to imagine, but if she ultimately assesses that the risks aren’t worth the potential reward in 2028, we can’t be left flat-footed. So even if you’re not convinced by the specifics of my Plan B, I hope you can at least agree that it’d be a disaster for us not to have one — and not to start getting a Plan B into motion. Hopefully other organizers and political currents will put forward their responses and alternative ideas ASAP. The stakes are too high to just wait and see. More As always, please share this article widely. This newsletter depends on all you lovely people to get the word out. Thank you! I uploaded the full text of my Catalyst article on Milwaukee sewer socialism here (it’s updated and 3x as long as the version published earlier on this substack). If you haven’t yet, please make sure to subscribe to Catalyst here; I read every issue front to back, highly recommend. 🌹🎵 Ivan Lins (arranged by Arthur Verocai) — “General da Banda” 🌹🎵

laborpolitics.com logo
Aug 3 • 12:50 PM EDT • Politics • laborpolitics.com
As computer science enrollments drop, artificial intelligence classes fill up

Hiring for entry-level software developers has slowed, and college enrollment in computer science is declining

latimes.com logo
Aug 3 • 9:50 AM EDT • Science • latimes.com
Bengals training camp Day 5 News and discussion

Can we talk about defensive linemen spending too much time being dropped into coverage with a little more nuance?

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 3 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Marinelli Brothers Circus returns to Victorville in August

Marinelli Brothers Circus returns to Victorville in August with jaw-dropping stunts, soaring aerialists, magic acts, and world-class performers.

vvdailypress.com logo
Aug 3 • 5:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • vvdailypress.com
Kennedy, Oz Contend Fraud Crackdown, Not Skyrocketing Prices, Led Millions To Leave Obamacare

Rising premiums forced many people in Affordable Care Act plans to give up their coverage. But the Trump administration claims a huge drop in enrollment is almost entirely due to its fraud crackdown.

kffhealthnews.org logo
Aug 3 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kffhealthnews.org
🚨 First European federation: Wales drops backing for Infantino 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has officially confirmed the withdrawal of its support for Gianni Infantino’s bid for re-election as president of FIFA. The move, formally communicated to Sky...

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 3 • 4:16 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Lions’ Jameson Williams drops ‘unstoppable’ prediction for Drew Petzing offense

Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams is predicting big things for the offense under new coordinator Drew Petzing

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 2 • 8:12 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
New York Yankees Get Giancarlo Stanton News During Cubs Series

On Sunday, the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs will conclude their three-game series at Wrigley Field. The Yankees won the first game by a score of 2-0. They then dropped Saturday’s game by a score of 5-2. Therefore, the winner on Sunday will take the series. New York Yankees Get Giancarlo Stanton News Ahead […] The post New York Yankees Get Giancarlo Stanton News During Cubs Series appeared first on HEAVY.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 2 • 3:34 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Ohio GOP Rep. Miller says 'I'm not dropping out,' defends himself against claims of domestic abuse

Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is pledging to remain in his race for reelection.

news4jax.com logo
Aug 2 • 11:44 AM EDT • Politics • news4jax.com
KTM making plans to drop Maverick Vinales with immediate effect

KTM is considering dispensing with Maverick Vinales as early as next weekend’s British Grand Prix, with Pol Espargaro on stand-by to replace him

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 2 • 6:01 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Bullpen Effort Falls Short as Angels Drop Fifth Straight

A strong performance from Brett Kerry and the Los Angeles Angels’ bullpen wasn’t enough to overcome the Milwaukee Brewers in a 3-1 defeat.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 2 • 12:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Trump criticizes Pirro after she refutes his claim about Reflecting Pool

Pirro's office has moved to drop criminal charges against a former Olympian, David Hearn, who had been accused of deliberately damaging the pool

spectrumlocalnews.com logo
Aug 1 • 10:55 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (4%)
wow
100%
Chicago Cubs Announce Seiya Suzuki Decision Before Yankees Game

The Chicago Cubs are currently taking on the New York Yankees in an interleague showdown between two of MLB’s most historic franchises. Chicago dropped the first game of its series with the Yankees, and on Saturday, David Peterson (6-7, 5.80 ERA, 77 SO) will get the nod against the Yankees’ starter Max Fried. In the […] The post Chicago Cubs Announce Seiya Suzuki Decision Before Yankees Game appeared first on HEAVY.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 1 • 7:57 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (0%)
wow
100%
Eagles’ 5-Year NFL Veteran Lineman Calls Out Retirement Rumors

When the Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason, national insiders hinted at a big change for the team, beyond the offensive coordinator and the eventual trade of AJ Brown. Some rumors suggested multiple Eagles players were considering retirement. Landon Dickerson was name-dropped in that conversation at the end of the 2025 NFL season. Eagles’ 5-Year NFL […] The post Eagles’ 5-Year NFL Veteran Lineman Calls Out Retirement Rumors appeared first on HEAVY.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 1 • 6:12 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Trump blasts Pirro after she refutes his claim that Reflecting Pool was damaged by vandals

Pirro’s office, in a court filing on Friday, moved to drop criminal charges against a former Olympian, David Hearn, who had been accused of deliberately damaging the pool after it went through a renovation.

pbs.org logo
Aug 1 • 2:34 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Bike Check: Wes Lukens' Custom Frameworks 26/24" Mullet

Built to handle the abuse of an 11-year-old phenom, Neko Mulally shares the engineering tricks, reverse-engineered shock curves, and adjustable dropouts behind Frameworks'...

pinkbike.com logo
Aug 1 • 1:26 PM EDT • Technology • pinkbike.com
Trump’s reflecting pool debacle takes a predictably scandalous turn

Nothing about what happened Friday, when the Justice Department dropped its case against a purported Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool vandal, was completely surprising.

cnn.com logo
Aug 1 • 11:30 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (4%)
ahah
63%
wow
37%
Sellers are using smart cameras to eavesdrop on homebuyers — but listening in comes with risks
nypost.com logo
Aug 1 • 11:00 AM EDT • Technology • nypost.com
Tom Brady Drops Honest Thoughts on San Francisco 49ers
sports.yahoo.com logo
Aug 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (22%)
ahah
40%
wow
40%
love
20%
Nearly 12 million bottles of Rohto eye drops over sterility concerns, FDA announces

Nearly 12 million bottles of Rohto Cooling Eye Drops face a Class II recall over lack of assurance of sterility, affecting eight product lines.

foxbusiness.com logo
Aug 1 • 4:21 AM EDT • Business • foxbusiness.com
A bombshell eligibility ruling just dropped on college sports

Massive news in the college sports world!

sports.yahoo.com logo
Jul 31 • 7:49 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Champion Aphrodite FNCS Cup Battle Royale in NA Central: Session 1

Drop into the Champion Aphrodite FNCS Cup! Duo up and compete for a chance to earn Aphrodite cosmetic rewards before they hit the shop. Good luck and have fun!

fortnitetracker.com logo
Jul 31 • 7:00 PM EDT • Technology • fortnitetracker.com
Prosecutors drop Reflecting Pool damage charge against former Olympian

Trump has claimed vandals deliberated damaged the pool, but prosecutors say internal documents show it was likely contractor error.

washingtonpost.com logo
Jul 31 • 6:46 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
EA FC 27 Drops Official Career Mode Deep Dive Trailer Featuring New Gameplay

The hype for EA FC 27 continues to build with EA Sports dropping a new deep dive trailer for career mode in this year's game.

bleacherreport.com logo
Jul 31 • 3:08 PM EDT • Technology • bleacherreport.com
The Streaming Bubble Keeps Popping

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) One of my rules is “never bet against PE [private equity]”. This isn’t to say that I agree with their methods or tactics or strategies or financial innovations (aka shenanigans). Just that in the long arc of financial history, they’ve tended to return very good returns to their shareholders. That said, their forays into entertainment have left me...skeptical. I’ve written before about PE’s production company/celebrity production company roll ups, and those haven’t really worked out. Some PE groups tried to “roll up” an industry that isn’t “roll-up-able” for lack of a better term—since the barrier to entry for starting a production company is very low—often paying top dollar for celebrity production companies at the height of streaming valuations. So yeah maybe we can bet against PE when they venture into filmed entertainment. I’ve also noted that studio lots seemed to be a bubble back in 2022. Sure enough… Yikes! That sure sounds like some private equity guys lost some money. The only caveat being that holding a lot of land in Los Angeles is always valuable. But that wasn’t the pitch and likely real estate investment companies overpaid for said land. I mean, Goldman Sachs had to repossess it after all. (Technically, I’m not sure these buyers were traditional private equity, but PE was buying LA studio lots earlier this decade.) All to say: I call out bubbles when I see them, and they often pop. Anywho, my most famous bubble call was the “streaming bubble”, specifically that the major streamers were making too many shows and films. And that it could all come crashing down. Notably, I made this call before the strikes of 2023, but those strikes potentially accelerated the popping. And now it has indeed popped. One of my most popular articles of last year made that exact case. A year later, it’s time to update that analysis. The bottom line is that the streaming contraction continues. Credit where credit is due, Luminate—an analytics company whose data I use weekly in my streaming ratings report—called this out in a recent report I saw highlighted in both Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter. But I’m adding my data to their look, including streaming films and kids TV shows. I’ll also provide some other data that all tells the same picture. Let’s dive in! Subscribe The Number of Streaming TV Shows, Films and Specials Is Declining AGAIN in 2026 Let’s get right to the data, starting with my dataset. Specifically, each week I track every “notable” title to come out on streaming. I try to grab every title on every major streamer, meaning if it’s a first run or original or exclusive, I track it. This helps me call out the “dogs not barking” and the misses/flops each week. So that will be our first series of charts, my weekly collection data. Let’s start with the raw TV show, film and special data, by week. Note: As the years have gone by, I have actually added more sources (going from just one source to five sources) to find new titles, meaning that this data collection is, likely, more accurate now than in the past. Which means my team and I are more likely to have undercounted titles in the past rather than today. I like to cut the data several different ways. Here’s that same look, by quarter, to more sharply show the trends: And here’s the data just looking at the first half of each year. That’s the same data, just cut three different ways with three different time periods. Note that films, TV shows, and specials are all down by 25%, 42% and 17%, respectively, from 2022. The good news is that the number of films and specials actually increased year-over-year from 2025 to 2026, but not enough to offset the 25% decline in TV shows. Now, I also look at kids shows, and here they are pulled out on their own: And here’s that by quarter: This really seems to be a notable area of pullback by the streamers. Kids shows are down 80% from 2022. This reflects some formerly Disney+ shows going to cable TV first, but also pullbacks from HBO Max, Prime Video and Netflix. I also categorize the TV shows by English language and non-English language, and that also reveals a lot of where the drop comes from: And here is by the half-year: In this look, the good news is the drop for English language shows seems to have stabilized in the last year. But the bad news is the long term decline from the 2022 peak. Other Data So I wasn’t the only person to notice this decline in the number of shows. I have a few other data sources for this, though most only go through the end of 2025. As I said, Luminate beat me to the punch, so let’s look at their data. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… What TV loss streaming didn’t make up for... How Netflix has changed their programming slate over time… Ten more images charting the decline of production... What type of films aren’t being made anymore... The good news (for movie theaters)… And more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.

entertainment.substack.com logo
Jul 31 • 2:43 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
New Intel Drop On New Orleans Pelicans' Bennedict Mathurin Pursuit

The New Orleans Pelicans' pursuit of Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin runs far deeper than just his offseason.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Jul 31 • 2:31 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
WATCH LIVE: Trump hosts Cabinet meeting at Camp David

President Donald Trump is taking Friday's Cabinet meeting on the road — to the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, a rustic backdrop for sessions that have come to be known for being overly long and consumed by administration officials' endless praise for their boss.

pbs.org logo
Jul 31 • 11:01 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
‘Measles is here’: Michigan health officials warn as vaccination rates fall dangerously low

Michigan health officials are warning of a significant measles resurgence as vaccination rates drop below herd immunity thresholds.

clickondetroit.com logo
Jul 31 • 10:26 AM EDT • Health • clickondetroit.com
😐 Neutral (24%)
wow
100%
California school dashboard adds science as a full metric

Short of dropping a dead weight copy of the state Education Code on your foot, a State Board of Education agenda item on the California School Dashboard normally wouldn’t evoke

smdailyjournal.com logo
Jul 31 • 8:15 AM EDT • Science • smdailyjournal.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (10%)
ahah
41%
wow
33%
love
26%
Sony Heard Backlash Over Dropping PlayStation Discs, Plans to Press Ahead

A month after the initial announcement, Sony says it plans to “cautiously move this forward.”

pcmag.com logo
Jul 31 • 7:45 AM EDT • Technology • pcmag.com
India's ITC profit drops as cigarette tax hike hits core business

Indian conglomerate ITC reported a 27% slump in quarterly profit on Friday as ​fresh cigarette tax hikes dragged down earnings ‌in its core cigarettes business.

reuters.com logo
Jul 31 • 7:12 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com
Sony Pictures Entertainment Sees Revenue Drop 13% In Latest Quarter; Big Gains In Music

Crunchyroll continues to grow paid subscriber numbers, but lower revenues from motion pictures was due to the studio only releasing one theatrical film in North America in the period. SPE’s TV unit saw Q1 revenue reach $571 million, down 32% from $841 million in the same period a year earlier.

tvnewscheck.com logo
Jul 31 • 6:11 AM EDT • Entertainment • tvnewscheck.com
😐 Neutral (9%)
wow
100%
Washington Nationals Drop Game One vs. Atlanta Braves

Luis Garcia Jr finished a single shy of the cycle, Daylen Lile belted a two home run game yet the Washington Nationals still fell short against the Atlanta Braves

sports.yahoo.com logo
Jul 31 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Deep dive
☹️ Negative (-6%)
wow
65%
ahah
35%
Forvia sales fall less than expected, but China business declines

French car parts supplier Forvia reported ‌a smaller-than-expected drop in its half-year sales on Friday, even as an unfavourable customer ​mix weighed on its China business.

reuters.com logo
Jul 31 • 1:27 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com
Yankees' Jazz Chisholm exits with apparent leg injury: Latest updates

While the Yankees dropped another late game against the White Sox, Jazz Chisholm exited with a leg injury.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Jul 30 • 6:21 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Mandela Barnes drops out of Democratic primary race for Wisconsin governor

The former lieutenant governor made the announcement in a video posted on his Facebook page as democratic socialist Francesca Hong has garnered strong support from the liberal wing of the party.

pbs.org logo
Jul 30 • 3:13 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Sen Darline Graham drops campaign video on heels of brother's funeral services amid tight primary timeline

Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, dropped a campaign video as she runs for U.S. Senate with President Donald Trump's endorsement.

foxnews.com logo
Jul 30 • 2:55 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Mandela Barnes drops out of Wisconsin governor’s race

Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes dropped his bid for governor on Thursday, scrambling the race to replace Gov. Tony Evers less than two weeks from the Democratic primary.

cnn.com logo
Jul 30 • 2:43 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Deep dive
😐 Neutral (9%)
wow
71%
ahah
29%
Democrat Mandela Barnes drops out of the Wisconsin governor’s race

Barnes, the former lieutenant governor and 2022 Senate nominee, had struggled to gain traction ahead of the Aug. 11 primary.

nbcnews.com logo
Jul 30 • 2:33 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Why did Florida drop in new business-friendly rankings?

In past years, the state’s political leaders touted the survey.

tampabay.com logo
Jul 30 • 9:00 AM EDT • Business • tampabay.com
Community Spotlight: Charm City Care Connection | Center for Mental Health and Addiction Policy

Charm City Care Connection built its East Baltimore drop-in center around health care, dignity, and belonging.

publichealth.jhu.edu logo
Jul 30 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • publichealth.jhu.edu
Xbox revenue plunges $1.7bn, with hardware dropping 29% YoY

Platform holder also faced losses during Q4, with content and services revenue falling 10% and hardware dropping 13%

gamesindustry.biz logo
Jul 30 • 4:21 AM EDT • Technology • gamesindustry.biz
Kyler Murray Drops Major Vikings Offense Update Amid QB Battle

The Minnesota Vikings‘ quarterback competition is underway and while many see Kyler Murray as the favorite to win, J.J. McCarthy does have one major advantage: He knows the offense.It’s Year 3 for McCarthy in the Vikings’ offense under head coach Kevin O’Connell, while Murray is only a handful of months into it. As a result, […] The post Kyler Murray Drops Major Vikings Offense Update Amid QB Battle appeared first on HEAVY.

sports.yahoo.com logo
Jul 30 • 3:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
FTSE 100 to fall from record high after Fed holds interest rates and Iran attacks; Rolls-Royce expects higher profits

Live, rolling coverage of business, economics and financial markets as global stock markets drop after US central bank keeps interest rates steady

theguardian.com logo
Jul 30 • 2:46 AM EDT • Business • theguardian.com
Banijay Entertainment revenue dips as All3Media merger takes shape

Banijay Entertainment posted a first-half revenue drop of 2.2 percent to €1.37 billion amid reduced production volume, before its All3Media merger results kick in.

northeasttimes.com logo
Jul 30 • 1:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • northeasttimes.com
In a sport obsessed by money, is Gianni Infantino’s indecent proposal really such a surprise?

Against the backdrop of the most lucrative World Cup ever, Infantino and FIFA think they may as well crack on - strike while the iron's hot

nytimes.com logo
Jul 30 • 12:13 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com
'Children of Blood and Bone' film drama continues with a new claim

After the 'Children of Blood and Bone' trailer dropped, author Tomi Adeyemi claimed a behind-the-scenes ordeal was so painful she can never see the movie.

latimes.com logo
Jul 29 • 10:46 PM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com
Meta stock drops 10% as free cash flow gets crushed—and Zuckerberg hints at launching cloud business with few details

Meta's quarterly results showcased the strength of its core social media business, as well as the gap in its business model in the AI arm's race.

fortune.com logo
Jul 29 • 8:40 PM EDT • Business • fortune.com
Tributes, and Politics Too, at Lindsey Graham’s Funeral in South Carolina

A gathering of South Carolina’s political elite paid tribute to the late senator’s career against a backdrop of a highly competitive race to replace him.

nytimes.com logo
Jul 29 • 7:34 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
I dropped out of university and built five beauty businesses. Here's what I learned

Marcia Kilgore, founder of Beauty Pie, shares her top tips on how to create a successful business.

bbc.com logo
Jul 29 • 7:02 PM EDT • Business • bbc.com
Dartmouth Health drops Taylor Farms products amid cyclospora outbreak

Nine people got sick at the Cheshire Medical Center in Keene after eating Taylor Farms lettuce from the hospital cafeteria.

wcax.com logo
Jul 29 • 5:14 PM EDT • Health • wcax.com
Microsoft Reports $1.7 Billion Drop In Xbox Revenue For The Year

Microsoft's gaming division had a very bad quarter

kotaku.com logo
Jul 29 • 5:01 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
Xbox revenue drops 10 percent as Microsoft’s cloud and AI business surges

Xbox’s woes continue.

theverge.com logo
Jul 29 • 4:26 PM EDT • Business • theverge.com
Xbox revenue drops 10 percent as Microsoft’s cloud and AI business surges

Xbox’s woes continue.

theverge.com logo
Jul 29 • 4:26 PM EDT • Technology • theverge.com
Gemini for Mac Adds System-Wide Voice Dictation and Screen-Aware Commands

Google today updated Gemini for Mac to add a new quick keyboard shortcut that activates voice mode. By long-pressing the Fn key, users can speak naturally to Gemini from any window on their desktop machine. Gemini supports intelligent dictation, so users can speak to the chatbot using natural language and Gemini will transcribe their words to text. Ums, ahs, and other filler words are removed during the process, and it can catch mid-sentence corrections, dropping formatted text at the cursor.

macrumors.com logo
Jul 29 • 12:46 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com