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Sitcom Legend, 95, Reveals Cause of Sudden Health Scare
Fans of the iconic actress had shared their concern online.
Microsoft (MSFT)’s Outlook and OpenAI’s ChatGPT Work Both Broke the Same Day
On August 31, 2026, CNBC reported that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) suffered a widespread Outlook and Exchange Online outage on August 31, with Downdetector reports peaking at 6,015 for Outlook and 2,044 for Microsoft 365. Microsoft said on its status page that “users may experience degraded functionality with various Exchange Online functionalities” while it reviewed service […]
How to Watch Notre Dame Football Without Cable
No cable, no problem. We have everything you need to know to watch every Notre Dame Irish football game live online in 2026.Your options will vary depending on what exactly you’re looking for, but we have a complete rundown of every single way you can stream any Notre Dame game this season:Note: Heavy may receive […] The post How to Watch Notre Dame Football Without Cable appeared first on HEAVY.
Trump appears to debut darker hair, sparking online buzz
New photos of President Trump stepping off Air Force One with what appeared to be a darker hairstyle have quickly fueled social media buzz.
Business Notes: Norfolk honored for financial reporting; 6 appointed to Hampton Roads GO Virginia council
View business milestones in Hampton Roads.
A canine adventure: Virginia Beach business takes dogs on hikes
In June, Jodi Moore Burns opened Hike Doggie, a mobile pet services franchise that provides professional dog hiking and outdoor adventure experiences.
Rumor: GTA 6 Online May Not Be Coming Soon
A new report suggests that GTA 6 Online may not be arriving any time soon.
Mark Twain Behavioral Health to offer presentation at two locations in Missouri Sept. 9 and 10-Keeping students safe online
Program takeaways include: Provide insight into the role of technology in exploiting vulnerabilities Identify this high demand business of sexual exploitation
Media must stop covering polls it knows are unreliable
Recent primary polling humiliations have handed American political journalism a chance to stop outsourcing its coverage of elections.
Everton vs Manchester United: Starting Lineups, TV and Live Streams, How to Watch Online
The Toffees are at home against the Red Devils
Turning Point lays groundwork to shape GOP presidential race in 2028
Turning Point Action mixed online-ready confrontations with on-the-ground organizing at the Iowa State Fair as it registers voters and recruits activists to influence Iowa’s 2028 Republican presidential contest.
Meet the founder: 23-year-old coffee shop owner puts it all online
Pertinacious Coffee founder translates relatability online into sales.
New Hampshire Sept. 8 primary: Full list of candidates on the Seacoast
New Hampshire's primary election will include contested battles for U.S. Senate and House, governor, executive council and state lawmakers.
Interconnected systems: Heart, kidney, metabolic health
When it comes to protecting your heart, supporting your kidney function and improving your metabolic health, you’ll find the advice for each one looks similar. That’s because your body’s systems
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
The parents of Caleb Vazquez are suing Park Mental Health Treatment of San Diego, claiming it did not act on FBI warnings about their son’s online activities relating to school shootings. The facility disputes responsibility for the teenager’s actions.
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack.
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack. The
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack.
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack.
Parents of San Diego mosque gunman say a mental health facility failed to heed FBI warning
Federal law enforcement warned the parents of Caleb Vazquez, one of two teenagers involved in a San Diego mosque shooting, about his concerning online comments days before the attack.
Santa Barbara County Health Launches Interactive Online Dashboards
Santa Barbara County Health launched three interactive public health dashboards tracking school immunizations, respiratory viruses, and communicable diseases.
Outside money fuels bitter attacks in NH’s CD1 Democratic race
As NH's 1st District Democratic primary nears, candidates use "red boxes" to guide outside PACs as spending tops a record $12 million.
August business changes, Smalls Sliders, Optimum make Lubbock headlines
Business Reporter Alana Edgin reviews recent Lubbock area businesses news and hints at upcoming articles in the Around the Hub column.
Young entrepreneur: Geneseo teen starts car detailing business
While most teens are soaking up the last bit of summer before returning for another long school year, one Geneseo student is making a name for himself.
Friday Night Football 2026 Highlights & Scores
The full 60-minute Friday Night Football show can be watched on-demand on our KFDX+ app for smart TV’s, or it can be streamed online here. Canyon Randall at Memorial Canyon Randall defeats Memorial 35-34 Groom at (3)Benjamin Benjamin defeats Groom 48-40 Quanah at Munday Munday defeats Quanah 46-21 Childress at Iowa Park Iowa Park defeats […]
LeaseAssured Introduces AI-Assisted Commercial Lease Platform With Solicitor Review
The new online service provides landlords and businesses in England and Wales with a guided way to create commercial lease documentation, combin...
Fast business funding: Big fees, few protections for merchant cash advances
A Colorado man says he lost $4,000 after applying for online business funding tied to Goldman Financial. Denver7 Investigates examines merchant cash advances, complaints, fees and industry oversight.
Stanford Health Care to lay off 95 employees
Stanford Health Care will lay off 95 employees this fall, the organization announced. Employees will remain on payroll until Nov. 2, when the layoffs will take effect.
Superheroes Health Fair helps El Paso families start the school year healthy
Texas Tech Physicians of El Paso event connects more than 300 children and families with healthcare, backpacks and community resources
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe online now seems to have an advantage for Nintendo Switch 1 players vs. Switch 2
It's been found that the new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe update has given Nintendo Switch 1 players an advantage online when playing Switch 2 users.
AI-generated ads have come to Oakland politics. Accessible solution
Slowly but surely, more campaigns are using videos and songs made with artificial intelligence. We asked local candidates and experts about the implications.
Video card RTX 4090 showed a higher frame rate with DLSS 5 than the RTX 5080
A detailed comparative benchmarking of the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5080 graphics accelerators with 16 GB of memory and GeForce has appeared online. RTX 4090 With...
‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer fired after airline laptop incident
Sony Pictures Television has fired Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton over an incident on a Los Angeles-bound flight involving his participation in an online chatroom, TMZ reported Friday. “Following a thorough investigation, Jim Thornton’s employment with Wheel of Fortune has been terminated, effective immediately,” a studio spokesperson told TMZ. The incident unfolded in May […]
White House arcade games spark criticism
The Trump administration launched a series of arcade-style games on the official White House website Thursday to tout its priorities — the latest turn in its aggressive online effort to troll Democrats that has at times surfaced racist and offensive images. CNN’s Kit Maher reports.
The Fierce Battle For Kids’ Eyeballs...Plus Two “Devils” Face Off
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) During the week of this report, Spider-Man: Brand New Day hit theaters and went on to become one of the biggest films of all time. So, you know what that means! It’s time for a poll! Recently, Project Hail Mary came to Prime Video and became a top five film for them, but didn’t smash streaming records, a feat I cautiously thought it could accomplish. Can Spider-Man 4 do better? To set the stakes, some of the biggest films of all time do just okay on streaming. Wicked, Top Gun: Maverick, and Barbie come to mind... But unlike those films, Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a Sony film which means it’s headed to Netflix, the world’s largest streamer. Now, per friend of the newsletter and my go-to Netflix expert, Kasey Moore of What’s on Netflix, Sony films usually appear on Netflix 120 days after they premiere, which means Spidey 4 would land on Netflix on, checks notes, 28-November, one of the two biggest streaming weekends of the year! But Sony occasionally delays its biggest hits for a bit longer, to give them more time to make money on PVOD, so Spider-Man: Brand New Day might not swing onto Netflix until late December or even February 2027. Loading... Okay, on to this week’s issue. Since The Super Mario Galaxy Movie made its way to Peacock, I’m looking at the true workhorse of streaming viewership: kids films. And the surprising film that bested most Netflix animated movies. All that, plus Hulu has a new show that might be a hit (for them…?), two “Devils” square off on streaming, Zendaya tries to find some streaming magic, Netflix’s I Will Find You continues to do well, House of the Dragon tries to break into the season three top ten, some big NBC sports and summer programs, what friendly neighborhood Spider-Man character actually generates the most viewership on streaming, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 27th to August 2nd, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - As The Super Mario Galaxy Movie Hits Peacock, How Have Kids Films Fared in 2026? Like Mario hopping on a Koopa, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie landed on Peacock on 30-July. (Yeah, I kinda forced that Mario reference.) How did it do? Great, just like the first film. It got 13.0 million hours on its opening, and that’s good enough to take second place among Peacock films on the Nielsen charts all time: As I mention all the time, Peacock just isn’t the world’s biggest streamer—in fact, nowhere close—so its films struggle to put up numbers like Netflix (or even Prime Video and Disney+). So this is a solid debut for that streamer. And as we saw last time, The Super Mario Bros. Movie had a HUGE second life on Netflix when it moved streamers. This chart doesn’t even show how long the first Mario lasted on Netflix: a whopping, KPop-esque 31 weeks. For NBCUniversal, though, the big win was the second Mario movie grossing $429 million in America and over $1 billion globally. But yeah, to add a very strong streaming performance only makes its success even greater. Illumination pretty clearly has another hit franchise on their hands. This is a good time, though, to check in on kids films so far in 2026. We’ve had a few big, big titles, a rare Netflix success, and some disappointments. Let’s start with the top animated films since November of 2025, over their first four weeks on the charts, along with a few of the “best all time” animated films: (As a reminder, if a film doesn’t make the Nielsen top ten lists, I don’t have data for it, so it gets a “zero” in terms of viewership. Now, it had some viewership, but I don’t know what it is, so it gets a zero.) I added a few titles to get an idea of what the best of the best looks like in terms of animation. And you can see, through four weeks, Zootopia 2 can now claim “one of the biggest streaming films of all time” titles. GOAT too did surprisingly well, besting Netflix’s biggest films (Swapped and In Your Dreams) through four weeks. When I’ve talked about how films can have varying performances on streaming compared to their box office, this is what I mean. Goat just managed to gross even $103 million at the box office—so it’s popular, but just barely—but did very well on streaming. Of course, what set Encanto and KPop Demon Hunters apart from the rest was their absolutely insane longevity. Here are the kids film charts through eight weeks to show that: And really KPop Demon Hunters just kept going, and no 2025 or 2026 kids films have had that sort of longevity. I can’t wait to see the sequel in theaters. Film - Two Devils and a Drama As I wrote last week, in the past, theatrical-first film flops weren’t eligible for “Miss of the Week” or “Miss of the Year” honors/dishonors, but since so many more films go to theaters first these days, I’ve made them eligible now! But it’s complicated. You see, this is a Streaming Ratings Report, emphasis on streaming, which makes analyzing this week’s two biggest streaming misses—The Drama on HBO Max (A24’s dramedy starring Zendaya and Robert Pattinson) and Prime Video’s The Devil Mouth (a killer shark movie starring young attractive people)—somewhat tricky. The Drama isn’t eligible for Luminate, but The Devil’s Mouth only had 1.5 million hours in its first week: The Devil’s Mouth notched 5.2 million hours according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, The Drama missed the charts entirely. Not great! But Prime Video is a much bigger streamer than HBO Max. That said, HBO Max titles are on Prime Video, but I think Prime Video prioritizes their original/exclusive titles, which helps boost their viewership. Complicating this further, The Drama made $48 million in the US—while A24 sells foreign distribution; the $57 million of overseas grosses helps A24 sell overseas rights for money in the future—off of a $28 million budget (which seems low for Zendaya and Pattinson, so they might have backend). The Devil’s Mouth, though, had zero dollars at the box office. The other stats for The Devil’s Mouth are bleak, and by “bleak”, I mean horrendous: a 4.7 on 15K reviews on IMDb (yikes) and a 46 on Metacritic (double yikes). The Drama, though buzzy online, only has a solid (but far from elite) 7.1 IMDb score on 121K reviews and a 59 on Metacritic (which is far, far lower than I’d have guessed). So which film is the “Miss of the Week”? I’m giving it to The Devil’s Mouth for one simple reason: it’s a horror film. And almost all horror films, even poorly reviewed horror films, should get a shot in theaters to at least try to recoup some of their budgets. The Drama made money at the box office and The Devil’s Mouth didn’t. It’s just like the situation last issue with Obsession and Masters of the Universe. Sure, Obsession didn’t pop on the streaming charts, but at least it already made it money at the box office. And as we’ve been seeing for years now and we’ll see all fall, theatrical films just do better on streaming. After all, the big “devil” winner this week was actually The Devil Wears Prada 2 with 14.8 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s right, The Devil Wears Prada 2—one of the box office success stories of May—came to streaming and parlayed its $220 million box office into 14.8 million Nielsen hours. Disney also put out a datecdote that it had 15.2 million “views” globally in five days, but again we don’t have a lot of great context for what that means. Here’s how it stacks up to other Hulu films, since I’m categorizing this mainly as a Hulu title (though it was also on Disney+): Share Quick Notes on Film 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… Whether Hulu has a new hit show on its hands... The top first and third seasons of all time and which shows are climbing those charts… What version of Spidey is the most popular... What sport and TV show are performing better on NBC than the NBA... All the flops, bombs and misses... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, wow, things stay so busy. One of streaming’s biggest shows of all time, Ted Lasso, returns along with new YA-ish shows from Hulu (The Shards, from Ryan Murphy) and Prime Video (Sterling Point). The Challenge moves to Paramount+, plus My Life with the Walter Boys returns to Netflix and Futurama returns to Hulu. And Netflix has a new horror film, The Last House. Lots to talk about! All month, things stay busy. We’re talking Reacher on Prime Video! Outer Banks and Tires on Netflix! Lanterns on HBO Max! UFC 330 on Paramount+ and the MLB Field of Dreams game on Netflix. And a ton of smaller films come to streaming. Long term, the VMAs are back on 27-Sep! I feel like I haven’t heard much about this show in past years, but I’m seeing more news coverage and buzz for this show than in past years. I’m curious to see how it does.
Watch Mornings with Fox Business Online
Watch Mornings with Fox Business online on Fox News. Follow hosts to follow the most current breaking news and to stay up-to-date on what is happening around you.
MediaDailyNews: Meta To SCOTUS: Review Washington Political Ad Disclosure Law
Washington State's disclosure mandates "are so burdensome that they have forced Meta, Google, and other online platforms to ban political advertising in Washington altogether," Meta says in papers filed this week with Justice Elena Kagan.
Ye brings out Big Sean in Chicago, marking reconciliation for pair
DETROIT — Ye brought out Big Sean to perform with him at his concert in Chicago on Thursday marking a public reconciliation of the pair after the rapper formerly known
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business—but who is responsible?
One Sunday morning, Juliet* woke up to a delivery driver with a large package that she had no recollection of ordering. She was quick to dismiss it as an e-commerce mistake before the card inside helped ...
Health warnings could reduce young people's social media use, study finds
Pop-up messages that warn of the harms of social media—such as mental health consequences—have the potential to reduce young people's social media use, a new Stanford Medicine study has found. The online ...
Bumbershoot 2026: Lineup, schedule, tickets and what else to know
SEATTLE — One of Seattle’s biggest festivals of the summer, Bumbershoot, is back this Labor Day weekend at Seattle Center. Hometown indie-rock heroes Death Cab for Cutie are headlining the
Investors flip Mount Joy medical office building for $6M
For the second time in two years, the building housing Lancaster Orthopedic Group’s Mount Joy offices has been sold for approximately $6 million.
Exchange Online outage causes email delays, 'Server busy' errors
Microsoft is working to resolve an ongoing Exchange Online outage that is delaying email sent to and received from external domains.
Lancaster County public sales: Sept. 4, 2026
Martin & Rutt Auctioneers LLC, of New Holland, conducted a public auction of real estate Aug. 25 for Kenneth L. and Linda H. Zimmerman at 1024 Green Hills Road, Birdsboro.
Shoppers buying online while drunk is big business
If online retailers can tell when someone is drunk, perhaps they shouldn’t simply take the cash.
Milwaukee adopting Baltimore's model for reducing infant mortality
In Baltimore, a 2009 initiative has reduced infant deaths by more than one-third and closed gaps between Black and White infant outcomes.
Fall movie season is here. Here\'s are five early Oscar predictions
Fall movie season also means Oscar season. It might be only just September, but the jockeying for next March’s Academy Awards is well underway. Movies first started revving up their
Ursinus to Launch First Graduate Program in College’s History
Ursinus College will launch its first graduate program, an online M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, beginning May 2027.
Ursinus to Launch First Graduate Program in College’s History
Ursinus College will launch its first graduate program, an online M.S. in Exercise and Sport Science, beginning May 2027.
It's Your Business has Christopher Koo, Abebe Abebe, Stephanie Suber
News about the latest hires, retirements and more in the Topeka area.
Meet Taniqua Pennix, the new writer covering dining, culture in Upstate
Meet Taniqua Pennix, Greenville News' new food and entertainment reporter. Follow along for the people, places, food, and fun shaping the Upstate.
Shakespeare, \'Ragtime,\' \'Glass Menagerie,\' more on Lancaster County stages in September
Fall is right around the corner, and with this new phase of the year comes a new season of plays and musicals opening on Lancaster County stages.
Fall porch decorating businesses capitalize on passion for pumpkins
As summertime gives up the ghost to longer shadows, cooler days and cobalt skies, many people lock on to pumpkin spice everything and dive headlong into their fall decor. While
Blizzard Launches New StarCraft ARG Teaser Amid IP Handover Rumors
Blizzard is teasing a new StarCraft game through an online ARG, despite rumors that a South Korean publisher would take over the IP.
Downtown Shop Closing Its Doors After 31 Years In Business
Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.
Official White House website launches arcade games where users arrest immigrants and build a border wall
The Trump administration launched a series of arcade-style games on the official White House website Thursday to tout its priorities — the latest turn in its aggressive online effort to troll Democrats that has at times surfaced racist and offensive images.
Think you know the NFL better than an AI?
Online NFL contests are common today, with many offered in the DFS and sportsbook realms, featuring eliminator pools and pick-em formats.
Olympia Kids Clothing Business Grows Online
Olympia kids clothing business Evergreen Kids Co. tops $70,000 as teacher Ali Daugherty sells budget-friendly kids clothes online.
Norah O'Donnell returns to 'CBS Mornings' as co-host
Norah O'Donnell is returning to "CBS Mornings" in what is expected to be the start of a significant revamp of the struggling program. CBS News told staffers Thursday that the
Compete Across Entrepreneurial Endeavors in the GTA Online Business Rivalries Event
Put your criminal enterprises to work all throughout September during the GTA Online Business Rivalries Event, steering the invisible hand of the free market in your favor with profitable bonuses for Executives, Bikers, Gunrunners, and Nightclub Owners.
Martin McDonagh’s \'Wild Horse Nine\' hits Venice Film Festival with a dark CIA tale
Martin McDonagh has crafted a new film, “Wild Horse Nine,” which debuts Thursday at the Venice Film Festival. The film, starring Sam Rockwell and John Malkovich, focuses on the CIA
Kennedy asked to remove Pennsylvania measles death from CDC tally, sources say
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked his new CDC director to remove a reference to two Pennsylvania deaths from the agency’s online measles tally after he questioned whether the disease contributed to the fatalities, three sources familiar with the situation said.
As sports betting surges, Virginia weighs how to curb gambling harms
As college football season gets into full swing over Labor Day weekend, sports betting companies, public health experts and Virginia lawmakers are confronting a question that has grown more pressing since wagering moved into smartphones: How can the industry keep gambling from becoming an addiction?Representatives from those groups gathered Wednesday at the Hilton Richmond Downtown for a Responsible Gaming Roundtable hosted by the Sports Betting Alliance, an advocacy organization representing bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel — five of the nation’s largest online sports betting operators.
South Carolina NCAA violations include sports betting by track student manager
South Carolina self reported two Level III violations, one included betting done by a track and field student manager.
Can Andy Burnham transform British politics?
The new British prime minister promises a more interventionist and decentralized state, but there are forces at play that could prevent a fundamental reset.
The reality entertainment audience is changing. What does that mean for festive advertisers?
As reality entertainment audiences become younger, more affluent and multi-screen, advertisers are using integrations, participation and cultural relevance to drive festive impact.
Sony and Microsoft say they’re not obligated to pass U.S. tariff refunds to consumers, echoing Nintendo
Back in July, Sony executives told investors that the company expected to receive $508 million in refunds from the U.S. government, after tariffs that the PlayStation-maker paid were ruled mostly in 2025 were found to be illegal. “Most” of the refund would by recouped by Sony’s gaming division, its chief financial officer said. This week, Sony’s lawyers are arguing that the company is not legally obligated to pass those proceeds on to consumers who paid for recently price-hiked PlayStation consoles. That’s in the face of a lawsuit from gamers calling on them to do exactly that. “Paying fair market price for voluntarily purchased consumer goods is not a legally cognizable injury in fact,” the lawyers wrote in a legal motion filed on Monday, as they asked a judge in California’s Northern District to dismiss a potential class action lawsuit over the tariff refunds. Microsoft made a similar argument two weeks ahead of Sony’s lawyers, in a similar lawsuit brought by a gamer in federal court in Washington State. As Microsoft’s legal team put it on August 21, in their request for a dismissal of that lawsuit: “There is nothing unjust about Plaintiff purchasing an Xbox at an advertised price and getting exactly what he paid for—regardless of whatever theory he devised months later about Microsoft’s cost structure.” Both legal fights are set to go on for some time. How things got to this point U.S. tariffs impacting a wide range of imported goods, including game consoles, had kicked off in early 2025. In May 2025, Microsoft raised the price of its Xbox consoles, citing “market conditions and the rising cost of development.” They raised them again that September. In August of that year, Sony raised the price of PlayStation 5 consoles, citing “a challenging economic environment.” Sony later told investors that its tariff fees for the fall quarter were nearly $200 million. in February of this year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the 2025 tariffs illegal, prompting impacted companies to begin to request refunds. In turn, consumers began suing the likes of Sony and Microsoft to get what they said was their share. The gamers in the Microsoft and Sony lawsuits argue that the 2025 price hikes of PlayStation and Xbox consoles, which added $50 or more to their sticker price, were due to illegal tariffs and should now be returned to consumers. The Sony suit started in May, when a group of gamers sued in federal court in California, saying Sony Interactive Entertainment (PlayStation) would be unjustly enriching itself if it did not pass tariff refunds to its PS5 buyers. “Sony is poised to be paid twice for the same unlawful tariff burden: once by its customers (through elevated prices) and once by the U.S. government (through tariff refunds),” the gamers’ lawyers wrote at the time. They called for Sony to partially reimburse anyone who bought a PlayStation in the U.S. since August 1, 2025. The Microsoft suit, filed by gamer Trevor Hastings against the Xbox giant in July, made similar claims. The console makers push back In late July, Nintendo’s lawyers, facing a similar suit accusing them of double-dipping on tariffs and refunds, replied with arguments that previewed Microsoft’s and Sony’s: “Nintendo or one of its retailers set a price for each product, and consumers decided whether that price was worth paying,” they wrote. Sony has buttressed that Nintendo-style argument this week by saying that the gamers have failed to prove that tariffs were the reason for its August 2025 PS5 price hike. They call thatclaim “speculative and illogical.” Other factors, including “inflation, currency fluctuations, component costs, logistics, competitive dynamics, or demand,” could have played a role. (No, the Sony lawyers do not break down the costs and factors that officially triggered the price increases). Microsoft has also argued that there’s no proof in these lawsuits that tariffs drove all or some of the price increase, as it seeks to dismiss the tariff refund suit it’s facing: “Plaintiff provides no specific allegations that would establish any pricing differential attributable to tariffs or suggest any possibility that Microsoft applied then or could recreate now any dollar-for-dollar calculation of tariff-related pricing—any more than it could any other market factor that affects pricing.” To further skewer the gamer side’s argument in its case, Sony’s lawyers have pointed to what might be a surprising defense: yet another PlayStation 5 price hike from this past spring, after the tariffs were ruled illegal. “If the original price increase were attributable to tariffs, SIE [Sony Interactive Entertainment, aka PlayStation] would have had no reason to raise prices again after the Supreme Court invalidated the IEEPA tariffs.” … “If tariffs were the cause of the price increases, one would expect SIE to lower prices once the tariffs were eliminated—not raise them again. Instead, the timeline confirms that the pricing of PlayStation consoles includes a diverse and dynamic set of input costs.” Judges have not yet ruled on the arguments made by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. Last week, Panic, the company behind the small, yellow Playdate handheld said it would be passing its tariff refunds on to consumers. It is the only gaming hardware maker to have made such a pledge. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my reporting, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: A reporter’s second Second Life Wagner James Au, who from 2003-2006 was paid by San Francisco-based tech company Linden Lab to be a full-time journalist embedded in their virtual world Second Life, is returning to the company. This time, he’ll be an editorial advisor and business development specialist, he tells Game File. The new role will involve trying to share the stories of people inhabiting Second Life’s ongoing online world with reporters and by extension the public. Au plans to continue to also chronicle some of that through his long-running blog New World Notes. I’ve known Au since the mid-2000s and featured him in a 2007 article for the Columbia Journalism Review about reporters like him opening up virtual news outlets within Second Life. As I wrote at the time: On April 22, 2003, writing as Hamlet Linden for the New World Notes blog on Second Life’s Web site, Au introduced himself. “For the next few months, Linden Lab has invited me to set aside my journalist cap, and instead, don the digital beanie of their in-house virtual correspondent.” He wasn’t paid to keep it positive. He wrote about builders and eccentrics, but then in August of that year, he reported on a tax revolt against Linden Lab (a complaint about the fees it charges users who build stuff) led by a resident whose avatar was a big cat. Second Life has always been less of a video game and more of a virtual world where people can live, hang out, make art, sell virtual items and flirt. Back in 2007, Au described touring it as “sort of like underwater lucid dreaming.” For the past two decades, Au has maintained New World Notes as an independent publication. But he said he’s been drawn back to Second Life and Linden Lab as a place to directly work. The virtual world has around 650,000 monthly active users, he said, “which is actually about what it was during the hype wave.” Au says he’s still finding rich stories in Second Life, the kind that keep him interested 20 years into the beat: “Over the last few months for instance, I wrote about an SL creator in Venezuela whose apartment was destroyed by the earthquakes, so the global SL community rallied to get him back on his feet,” he told me. “Then there’s the woman from a Middle Eastern country who explored her lesbian sexuality in SL, then earned enough from her virtual jewelry to escape her abusive family situation and country.” Au wants to beckon more reporters to give Second Life another look. He argues that it is often ahead of internet trends, noting, for example, an early backlash in the community against AI-made art. Now the platform is drawing curiosity from more of the user-generated content community who’ve grown up with the likes of Roblox, according to Au. “Second Life was too early during its hype wave in 2005-2010, but it now feels right for a new wave of interest,” he told me.
Entertainment
Ross Gallabrese Faire May brought the sound of folk music to the lounge area at this month’s Wednesdays in Wintersville. Wednesday’s edition brought the monthly street festival to a close. It carried a fall festival theme and featured a display of pumpkins f all sizes and shapes. several food trucks were part of the evening, […]
How to Evaluate Health Information Online in the Age of AI
Learn how to evaluate health information online, recognize misinformation, assess AI-generated answers, and identify sources you can trust.
Stan's Sports Center in Hoboken shutting doors after 8 decades as it shifts business online
Stan's Sports Center, a longtime local business in Hoboken is closing its storefront, marking the end of an era for the community.
Stan's Sports Center in Hoboken shutting doors after 8 decades as it shifts business online
Stan's Sports Center, a longtime local business in Hoboken is closing its storefront, marking the end of an era for the community.
USPS Is Building a Mail-In Ballot Screening System Despite Legal Battles Over Trump Order
Election officials warn that the creation of a new online portal for states to upload voter information is already fueling confusion and could ultimately disenfranchise voters.
US judge rejects bid to break up Google’s ad business
Justice Department had argued Google could not be trusted to run the online advertising exchange.
Most Lancaster County Republican candidates decline nonpartisan forum invitations
The League of Women Voters of Lancaster County has canceled all but one of its five scheduled candidate forums due to a lack of Republican participation.
A Bunch Of Old GTA 6 Leaks Turned Out To Be True
Turns out at least some early online leaks about Grand Theft Auto 6 weren't fake
Milwaukee residents invited to forum on food, health care access
Milwaukee residents can discuss food and healthcare access challenges at a free community forum on Sept. 26.
Why Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Stock Is Trading Up Today
What Happened? Shares of global online betting powerhouse Flutter Entertainment (NASDAQ:FLUT) jumped 4.1% in the afternoon session after Wolfe Research analy...
Meet the 2026 \'Dancing With the Stars\' cast
The new cast of "Dancing With the Stars" has been announced, featuring a mix of entertainers, reality stars and athletes. This season includes actor Julia Stiles, Olympian Amber Glenn and
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets a surprise Switch 2 update, bringing eight-player split-screen to the evergreen racing game
Nintendo sneakily updates a bunch of games. Mario Kart 8 gets a free Switch 2 update with 8-player split-screen, while Smash Bros Ultimate improves its online.
Google Won’t Be Forced To Sell Ad Tech Business Despite Monopoly, Judge Rules
The same judge previously ruled Google maintained a monopoly on online advertising in April 2025.
Ace Combat 8 reveals live service online multiplayer modes that include PvE, PvP, PvPvE battles, and a hangout space
Bandai Namco has revealed the full scope of its Ace Combat Online online modes, including PvP, PvE, and a social space for player avatars.
US judge rejects bid to break up Google's ad business
A US federal judge on Wednesday refused to force Google to sell a division of its digital advertising business, rejecting the government's push to break up part of the company's ad empire.The decision is the second time in recent years that a federal judge has declined to dismantle a piece of Google's business, after a judge last year refused to force the sale of its Chrome browser in a separate monopoly case over online search.
Google defeats US bid to force ad tech sale
Google defeated the U.S. Department of Justice's effort to force a sale of its online advertising exchange in Virginia, marking a key antitrust ruling.
Cow Plays EVE Online And I Don’t Know If She’s Winning Or Not
If a cow can play EVE Online, what’s stopping you?
Birding takes flight: Four-part library series explores Florida’s feathered friends
From the tiny Chipping Sparrow with its rust-red cap to the loud but beautiful Blue Jay foraging for a snack of unshelled peanuts — and many other feathered species —
NYU Courant inducts Indian American computer science scholars
Gautam Kamath, Pratyusha Sharma bring expertise from MIT, and IIT Delhi to advance reliable machine learning.
Move over, Cosmic Orange – iPhone 18 colours just leaked online
Apple goes in a different direction.
Stellar Entertainment founders complete management buyout succession
Stellar Entertainment founders complete management buyout succession
In center of Wisconsin's measles outbreak, tiny health team toils on
Wisconsin ranks second-to-last in the nation for state dollars allocated to public health funding. In places like Iowa County, it shows.
Nintendo adds three more NES games to Switch Online, bringing the total to 87 in the West
Ninja Gaiden 3, Ikari Warriors and RC Pro-Am 2 join the Nintendo Classics service…
Nintendo Expands Switch Online's NES Library With Three More Titles
The Nintendo Classics library grows
NES – Nintendo Classics adds Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, R.C. PRO-AM II, and Ikari Warriors
The Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics app has added Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, R.C. PRO-AM II, and Ikari Warriors, Nintendo announced. In Japan, Dragon Buster…
Anthropic doubles a science benchmark score with Fable 5.1 while OpenAI says its Astra model crosses critical cyber threshold
Anthropic’s Fable 5.1 doubles a science benchmark score, while OpenAI says Astra reaches critical cyber capability and finds zero-day flaws.
Sandia is automating Bayesian reasoning for science
Sandia's Agent Bayes project faces a nine-month test that asks whether AI can help scientists perform Bayesian reasoning.
Rockstar Games unveils its official GTA Online RP server, mere months before GTA 6
GTA 6's online is still an unknown, but Rockstar Games is putting a closed beta out for its GTA Online RP server called nopixel 5, and it's coming soon.
Online entertainment sites in the context of U.S.-Israel business and technology
How American market scale and Israeli expertise in cybersecurity, AI, fintech and software are shaping the technology behind digital entertainment.