was arrested in Miami on Thursday after being accused of threatening to kill three former business partners he’s known for “several years” ― including Shkreli
Shkreli was identified as one of the victims
The others were identified as Shkreli’s friend
and former Vyera Pharmaceuticals executive Akeel Mithani
Leer en español
a company founded by Shkreli as Turing Pharmaceuticals
The company came under fire in 2015 for raising the price of a life-saving medication by roughly 4,000% after obtaining exclusive rights to it
would later go to prison for securities fraud and conspiracy
In 2021, the Irish-born Mulleady was banned as part of a settlement from “working for
or controlling a pharmaceutical company” for seven years
the investigation into Mulleady began on March 27 after one of the victims reported to the FBI that Mulleady sent threats via social media platform X to him and the other victims
The report doesn’t specify which threats were sent directly to Shkreli
Mulleady sent a direct message to the victim stating the following: “I will kill you with my bare hands if I was legally permitted to do it
I think about ending your life bc you are a really bad person
Tell them Kevin Patrick Mulleady is going to kill you
Maybe the NYAG (New York attorney general) could help you with my threats on your life im coming for you
On Jan. 23, 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James mentioned Mulleady in a news release announcing what her office called “the latest win against Martin Shkreli.”
The arrest report states Mulleady later contacted the victim and said things including
Im going to make you meet Jesus” and “I will drive that last (nail) in your coffin
Authorities said he texted photos of guns to the two other victims and
Deputies said he also sent a threatening voicemail
They went to Mulleady’s apartment in the Infinity at Brickell building
on Thursday to serve a risk protection order and arrest him
The arrest report states that Mulleady surrendered a firearm
“equipped with an installed silencer,” “along with over 500 rounds of ammunition.”
Mulleady appeared in Miami-Dade bond court on Friday morning
where Judge Mindy Glazer ordered he be held on a $22,500 bond after finding probable cause to charge him with three counts of written threats to kill or do bodily injury
who claims to have ”founded or co-founded over 25 successful companies," is indigent and is being represented by the Miami-Dade Public Defender’s Office
“It’s easy for people to accuse you of s---
but it’s harder for them to really prove it at the trial.”
“Anybody can go on their phone and write something from somebody else
I can program a phone number to say it’s your name,” the attorney continued
he’ll be on Level 3 house arrest ― the least restrictive form
He was also ordered to stay away from Shkreli and the other two victims and not communicate with them online
Those records show he was being held in the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center as of Friday afternoon
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all thanks to watching Anthony Edwards outplay LeBron James and blow by Luka Doncic time and time again while leading the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Los Angeles Lakers in five games of the first-round playoff series
“Ant-Man, my bad, bro. I knew you was a dog, I didn’t know you was a dog dog. I didn’t think you was going to go at Bron like that," Pierce said in a public apology posted online Friday
Edwards has gone viral for a clip in which he says was motivated by all of Minnesota's naysayers
but especially by what Pierce said about him before the series against L.A
Paul Pierce," Edwards says in the clip
The Hall of Fame Boston Celtics legend questioned whether Edwards had the cojones to stand up to LeBron and Doncic the way he did to Kevin Durant during last year's first-round playoff series
"He admired KD but he ain't going to be doing all that woofing to [LeBron and Luka]
but LeBron is a different type of aura than KD
Kevin Garnett instantly disagreed with Pierce
"I'm talking about Anthony Edwards ain't scared of nobody in the league
"You just gave off scared energy."
"I think he's going to be a little more respectful," Pierce said
Paul Pierce says Anthony Edwards will be a lot more “respectful” to LeBron than he was Kevin Durant last year“He admire KD, but he’s not going to be doing all that whiffing to them.. KD is one type of Aura, but LeBron is a different Aura than KD”(Via @kg_certified) 🤔 pic.twitter.com/mQJqloJdBz
You ain't going to hear no s*** like that from me no more
In addition to his social media apology, Pierce offered an extended apology on a new episode of KG Certified that dropped Friday
He has the patter of a Rutgers frat bro and the laid-back charisma of a Miami club promoter
I looked up from my phone to see him standing in his doorway
so whenever he needs to do something off-camera
he plays a video and attends to his business quickly
but we can talk when I’m done,” he told me
“That was the one cohort they had to hold on to
am qualified to teach these kids why we need a functioning welfare state,’ ” Piker told me
“I just felt like no one else was really in these spaces trying to explain these things
Piker has almost three million Twitch followers
as with most guys who talk into microphones on the internet
At the peak of his Election Night stream in November
he had more than three hundred thousand viewers
and he doesn’t use visual pyrotechnics to hold his viewers’ attention
what you see on his stream is an overlay of three things: a fixed shot of Piker sitting at his desk; a screen share of whatever he’s looking at on his computer; and his chat
all surging in real time up the right side of the screen
that the “American empire” has been a destructive force
on the whole—would surely be off-putting to the median voter
But he is just one of many independent media creators with an anti-Trump message—in recent weeks
the political-podcast charts have included “The Bulwark,” “This Is Gavin Newsom,” and even a show called “Raging Moderates.” For a couple of weeks last month
a liberal show called “The MeidasTouch Podcast” beat out “The Joe Rogan Experience” for the No
has a both-sides perspective,” Ben Meiselas
“We do not mince words about the threat to workers
I pulled up a chair, just out of frame. Kaya ambled toward me, vetting my scent. Piker talked, almost without interruption, for four more hours, holding forth about recent internet drama, a documentary about the history of NATO
and the UnitedHealthcare C.E.O.’s assassin
Within reach of his rolling desk chair was a mini-fridge full of cold brew and Diet Mountain Dew
Some of his takes were too unpolished for prime time
critiquing a clip from a rival podcast on the right.) Then again
a live stream isn’t supposed to be a tight
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” After turning the camera off
Comments were still floating up one of his monitors—the thousands of fans in the chat had dwindled to a few hundred
to keep one another company after the feed had gone dark
and everything they say sounds fake as shit,” Piker said
but at least people get the sense that he’s authentically saying what he’s thinking.”
He put his feet up and reached for a fresh Zyn pouch
feel increasingly alienated,” he continued
and the reason your life sucks is because of immigrants
or because a trans kid played a sport.’ And all the Democrats are telling them is ‘No
be joyful.’ ” No one has ever accused Piker of being a moderate
but in this case he is trying to forge a compromise
But your undocumented neighbor is not the problem here
he explained (but did not yet excuse) why such voters were drawn to Trump: “I think that the sense of cultural alienation breeds a sense of mistrust.” The first Trump Administration didn’t deliver many material gains to the rural poor—deaths of despair continued to rise
and wages continued to stagnate—but at least Trump spoke to their anguish and seemed outraged on their behalf
the question may not be why so many non-urban non-élites became Trump Republicans but what took them so long
the economists Marianne Bertrand and Jessica Pan published a paper called “The Trouble with Boys.” In one survey
more than a quarter of men in their teens and twenties reported having no close friends
men were significantly more likely to die from it
Cartoon by Edward SteedCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copied
a social scientist and a fellow at the Brookings Institution
blasts Republicans for exploiting “male dislocation” and misogynist fury at the expense of women’s rights
But he also lambastes Democrats for “pathologizing masculinity.” He gives an example from his sons’ high school in Bethesda
where boys passed around a spreadsheet ranking their female classmates by attractiveness—behavior that Reeves describes as “immature,” even “harmful,” but not worthy of an international incident
He writes that “indiscriminately slapping the label of ‘toxic masculinity’ onto this kind of behavior is a mistake,” likely to propel young men “to the online manosphere where they will be reassured that they did nothing wrong
“Democrats got used to speaking about men as the problem
not as people with problems,” Reeves told me
and problems become grievances when you ignore them.” He knows a lot of well-connected Democrats in Washington
and for years he has urged them to campaign on men’s issues—“not in a zero-sum way
certainly not taking anything away from women
we see you.’ And the response I always got was ‘Now is not the time.’ ”
Rosin told me about a husband and wife she’d met in Alabama
an arrangement he experienced as deeply shameful
“She would put the check down on the kitchen table
and nobody would speak about it,” Rosin said
“But then ‘man-victim’ became a viable identity.” As Rosin stayed in touch with the man
he started exhibiting a more “mischievous” expression of men’s-rights sensibilities
My Rules.” This coincided with the rise of Trump
He didn’t offer detailed policy solutions to any of the underlying sociological problems
(“It is a very scary time for young men in America,” Trump said in 2018.)
Richard Reeves was a guest on a popular podcast hosted by Theo Von
a formerly apolitical comedian who recently went to Trump’s Inauguration
presents himself as a curious goofball with essentially no prior knowledge on any topic
but also without apparent malice—about the plight of the white man
“I’m not speaking against any other group,” he said
you can’t make white males feel like they don’t exist.” Von grew up poor in a small town in Louisiana
but if you grew up with nothing you didn’t fucking feel any privilege sometimes.”
If Von had made this observation at a Trump rally, or on X, he might have been led from just-asking-questions guilelessness to more overt white aggrievement. If he’d made the same point in a liberal-arts seminar, or on Bluesky
my own inner hall monitor was on high alert.) But Reeves
introducing some academic caveats without coming across as a scold
has a uniquely terrible history when it comes to slavery,” he said
But he also noted that low-income white men were at particularly high risk of suicide
The hallmark of social media is disinhibition born of anonymity. On the internet, no one knows whether you’re a dog, a Macedonian teen-ager, or the Pope wearing a puffer jacket. Podcasts, on the other hand, are built on parasociality: Michael Barbaro isn’t your friend
after making coffee with him in your ear a hundred times
And then there’s the world of always-on streaming
in which the temptations of parasociality are even more acute
The hosts respond to your comments in real time
You can remind yourself not to bond with the pixels on the screen
but you may fall for the illusion all the same
Piker treats fans in a way that can be confusingly intimate
giving them avuncular life advice one minute and thirst-trap photos the next
“abi” being Turkish for “big brother”; his fans are called “Hasanabi heads,” or “parasocialists.”
Even as most of his fellow-streamers have drifted to the right
His explanation for this is that he is from Turkey
where “the idea that American economic and military power runs the world—that was
duh.’ ” He was born in New Jersey and grew up mostly in Ankara and Istanbul
spending summers with relatives in the U.S
(He speaks English with an American accent.) His father
“The inequality is just so blatant,” she told me
but now we have the internet—everyone can see it.”
he moved to Los Angeles and got a job with his maternal uncle
who happened to be the founder and host of “The Young Turks,” one of the biggest left-populist talk shows on the internet
The show had a considerable footprint on YouTube
but Piker helped it adapt to punchier formats that were better suited to Facebook and Instagram
I remember when this was a pudgy kid and I was changing his diapers,” Uygur told me
he’s killing it in front of the camera.” Piker hosted a recurring video segment called “Agitprop,” and picked fights with the right-wing influencers of the day
such as Tomi Lahren and Representative Dan Crenshaw
He got himself in trouble—“America deserved 9/11” was not a particularly good take
even in context—but he also expanded his name recognition
Although he made some of the outlet’s most popular videos
you can still be alienated from the means of production.) So
and they formed a pandemic pod in a two-bedroom apartment
shouting about video games or sex advice or whatever,” she told me
and they would send me earplugs in the mail.” That year
he spent forty-two per cent of his time live on camera
(Not forty-two per cent of his waking hours—forty-two per cent of all the hours in the year.) In a call-in segment called “Chadvice,” Piker coached men through the small terrors and triumphs of daily life
One twenty-eight-year-old from Finland described himself as having an Asperger’s diagnosis and an “abject fear of rejection”; Piker
with solicitude and just enough amiable ribbing
spent half an hour talking him through the social mechanics of a first date
it was a niche platform where bored adolescents could watch other adolescents play video games
Amazon bought it for nearly a billion dollars—an eye-popping amount
at least back then—even as mainstream analysts knew almost nothing about it
“My demographic hem is showing,” the columnist David Carr admitted in the Times; still
“there is clear value in owning so much screen time of a hard-to-reach demographic of young men.” One article referred to Twitch as “talk radio for the extremely online.”
while covering a rally during Bernie Sanders’s Presidential campaign
Most of us travelling correspondents were youngish reporters from oldish outlets
wearing blue button-downs and carrying notebooks in the back pockets of our Bonobos
but he dressed as if he were from another planet
backpack,” a portable camera setup that streamers use (I learned) when they venture out into the world
Admirers in the crowd kept interrupting him and asking for photos
I still didn’t get why viewers would hang around on his stream all day when they could get an unimpeded view of Sanders’s speech on YouTube
You might as well ask why a fan would watch a football game at a bar when he could concentrate better alone
or read a summary of the game in tomorrow’s paper
Piker’s followers wanted to watch the rally through his eyes because they wanted to be his friend
In October, 2020, Piker spent a couple of hours playing the group video game Among Us with some special guests, including the congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
They occasionally mentioned the ostensible purpose of the event—getting out the vote—but mostly they made easygoing small talk
“I wouldn’t do it for this long if it wasn’t for you,” he told his viewers at the end of the night
an inclination that was left-coded until very recently.) In 2014
when Rogan was a fan of “The Young Turks,” Piker met him at the Hollywood Improv
the state of media and girls,” Piker wrote at the time
“Top ten coolest moments of my life.”) During the 2020 Democratic primary
Rogan interviewed three Presidential candidates—Tulsi Gabbard
and Bernie Sanders—and concluded that Sanders was his favorite
“He’s been insanely consistent his entire life.”
motherfucker,” Rogan told CNN’s chief medical correspondent
adding that the medication had been prescribed by his doctor
“thinking that it’s gonna come back under proper management,” picked “California Dreamin’.”
these shows reached tens of millions of potential voters
many of them the kind of American who is both the hardest and the most crucial for a campaign to reach: the kind who is not seeking out political news
Trump ended his parasocial-media tour by sitting in Joe Rogan’s studio
to go without gaffes—which was part of the point
While repeating his timeworn case that the 2020 election was rigged
Trump let out a shocking Freudian slip—“I lost by
.”—before quickly trying to recover: “I didn’t lose.” Rogan laughed in his face
the episode got more than fifty million views
and the reaction was overwhelmingly positive
“Unedited/uncensored interviews should be required of all candidates,” one of the top comments read
She appeared on a few big podcasts—“Club Shay Shay,” whose audience is primarily Black
and “Call Her Daddy,” whose audience is mostly female—but she never made inroads with the comedy bros
(The closest she got was an interview with Howard Stern
a former shock jock who now seems wholesome
like Little Richard in the era of Lil Baby.) Harris’s staffers tried to get her booked on “Hot Ones,” the YouTube show on which celebrities answer innocuous questions while eating sadistically spicy chicken wings
Her campaign staffers insisted that she wanted to do Rogan’s show
but that it fell through for scheduling reasons
Rogan claimed that he was eager to interview her
and that he was even willing to keep certain topics off-limits
I’m going to see the pattern of the way you think
whether you’re calculated or whether you’re just free.”
Imagine the set of a prototypical man-cave podcast
and “Flagrant,” co-founded by the comedian Andrew Schulz
wouldn’t be far off: four dudes lounging around
with a few plastic plants and a shelf of brown liquor behind them
and Schulz and the other hosts buttered him up
and you gotta make sure that you’re stiffed up,” Schulz said
“I think street photography has arrived in the territory.”Cartoon by Frank CothamCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copied
but Schulz suggested that his greater talent may be a kind of listening
“Democrats are tuned in to what people should feel,” he said
“Trump is tuned in to what people actually fucking feel.” Schulz noted that
this was also one of his own key skills: gauging micro-fluctuations in an audience’s reaction
When Trump appeared on “Flagrant,” he talked about being taken to a hospital in rural Pennsylvania after he was shot
and how impressed he was with the “country doctors” who’d treated him
’cause I just thought ‘country doctors’ was a funny phrase,” Schulz told me
and in the next sentence he immediately says it again
and he watches me to make sure I laugh again.”
“Flagrant” bills itself as “THE GREATEST HANG IN THE UNIVERSE!” I spent the rest of the day watching Schulz and his co-hosts tape an episode (and then an extra segment sponsored by an online betting platform
and then an extra extra segment for Patreon)
and I could imagine some places in the universe that would have been greater
One of the running gags in the episode was that the hosts kept pronouncing the word “prerecorded” as “pre-retarded.” At one point
a host volunteered how many times he’d masturbated in a single day
and his record was so formidable that the others looked worried for him
even a solid hang can’t be scintillating all the time
One function of a long-standing friendship
“When she’s being the working-class chick from the Bronx
“But when she starts going on MSNBC and doing ‘We have an orange rapist in the White House’—then you start to lose people.”
Schulz said that he’d invited Kamala Harris and Tim Walz to appear on the show “numerous times,” to no avail
(The Harris campaign says that Schulz never sent a formal invitation.) He couldn’t be sure why Walz had stayed away from podcasts like his
“If we’ve got on a guy who was in the military for twenty years
you know how guys really talk,’ ” Schulz said
“And then let’s say we start busting balls
he loses our people.” Walz was added to the Presidential ticket because he was able to talk like a regular person who could make the opposition seem “weird” by contrast
“the Democrats can’t let a guy like that loose.”
When Trump was on “Flagrant,” Akaash Singh
a co-host who refers to himself as a “moderate,” encouraged him to consider practicing self-restraint
“What we love about you as comedians is you shoot from the hip,” Singh said
would you be a little more mindful of how powerful your words are?”
“I don’t have an issue with them.”) By the left
he is more likely to be dismissed as a limousine socialist who lives in a $2.7-million house
If we’re still married to each other in ten years
let’s get divorced.”Cartoon by Jeremy NguyenCopy link to cartoonCopy link to cartoonLink copied
“This is the first day where there will be no Italiophobia on this broadcast.” Already
his chat was full of spaghetti emojis and “FREE LUIGI!” Piker walked a fine line—celebrating Mangione as “hotter than me” and speaking in generally exalted terms about “the propaganda of the deed,” but trying to stop short of overtly glorifying murder
which is against Twitch’s terms of service
he was suspended from Twitch for twenty-four hours after musing that someone may want to “kill Rick Scott,” the Florida senator.)
he reserved his condemnation for the finger-wagging from the “corporate media,” as exhibited everywhere from Fox News to CNN
they can’t let anybody have anything,” he said later
his chatters sent him links to new information as it emerged—Mangione’s Goodreads account
I would have been tempted to spend the day following the same bread crumbs
struggling to retrace Mangione’s path to radicalization
But it was easier to let Piker and the forty thousand internet sleuths in his chat make sense of it for me
Many of Piker’s viewers come to him with inchoate opinions
it still has to be relatable and entertaining.” One of his maxims is “Read the room.” In his case
this means posting many hours of content about nothing in particular
“He’s built up enough trust with his audience that
if he’s being boring and academic for forty minutes
they’ll stick with it until he starts doing something more interesting
playing a Japanese dating simulator or whatever.” Some days
he puts on a Trump hat and streams as Hank Pecker
a “Colbert Report”-style satirical character updated for the MAGA era
Piker records a weekly podcast with three buddies
an apolitical chat show on which one of the most heated topics of recent debate was proper manscaping technique
and another was whether one of them farted
was proud to tell me that the podcast’s audience is about sixty per cent male—“which sounds like a lot
but actually most shows in this space are eighty-twenty male
or eighty-five-fifteen.” One theory for this lopsidedness is that
women have better things to do with their time
such as holding down meaningful jobs and cultivating lasting relationships
while men are stuck playing video games with their imaginary friends
adapting “eight hours for what you will” to the current decadent moment
most people just wanna be comfortable,” he said
Piker has stopped using the word “retarded,” but he still uses the word “pussy,” even though it may sound misogynist
and “lame,” despite fans who consider the term ableist
then I guess I’m not for you.” When his commenters try to tone-police him
Piker will often single one of them out and say
you’ve won Woke of the Day.” It’s not a compliment
The day after Mangione’s arrest, Piker had back-to-back interviews with Lina Khan, then the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, whom Piker called “the LeBron James of regulators,” and with the writer Ta-Nehisi Coates
but I love this man.” Piker’s mother stopped by during the Coates interview
check your messages!” she shouted from the kitchen
read his mother’s message aloud: “I got his book for the content and fell in love with his writing.”
Piker’s father was sprawled on the couch watching “Love Actually.”
with a bag of dirty laundry and a calendar featuring photos of himself posing in the nude
While many of Halkias’s comedian friends have taken a reactionary turn
he has stuck to his progressive principles
(He got his start on a podcast called “Cum Town.”) “Ladies and gentlemen
“we’ve got the left’s Joe Rogan here in the building!” In the “Rogan of the left” discourse
both Piker and Halkias are frequently mentioned as top prospects
Even if they were secretly flattered by the designation
the least alpha thing they could do—the least Roganesque thing they could do—would be to thirst for it
As a model for the future of progressive media
Piker checks only some of the requisite boxes
he was a guest on “Flagrant”; when I asked one of the show’s staffers about Piker’s performance
but he sort of comes off like he thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room.” Piker sometimes succumbs to the socialist bro’s cardinal sin of pedantry
and he can seem like a jejune know-it-all trying to reduce any societal problem to a one-word culprit
usually “capitalism” or “imperialism.” Some segments of the Democratic coalition would find Piker to be edgy
if “Rogan of the left” is to mean anything
it would surely mean a higher tolerance for controversy
even at the risk of alienating parts of the base
On the scale of “whether you’re calculated or whether you’re just free,” Piker is freer than most Democratic surrogates
Ivy League overachievers who sound like chatbots trained on stacks of campaign brochures
But he is less free than the average MAGA bro
who is unconstrained by the need for any consistent ideology
“You can tell him I said that.” Halkias has his own podcast
On the normier part of the spectrum are liberal influencers like Dean Withers and Harry Sisson
bro” spirit of early YouTube to TikTok Live
which was decorated with some Yes We Can iconography and had glass-walled conference rooms with cheeky names such as “Sedition” and “Conspiracy.” When the company began
were treated as audacious upstarts challenging the media hierarchy
Now they are middle-aged bosses in Henleys and tapered jeans
We sat in “Legitimate Political Discourse.” A long table had been laid with LaCroix and PopCorners
“We have become the out-of-touch lib establishment,” Vietor said
Crooked now has more than a dozen podcasts
“Pod Save America.” Vietor recounted a time
when a friend invited him to appear on a show put out by Barstool Sports
“The ‘how dare you platform someone you disagree with’ era is over
Fuck that.” (He has since appeared on the show.) In 2018
Favreau was hosting a show called “The Wilderness,” about how the Democratic Party lost its way
and wanted to include a clip of Obama reaching out to the white working class
‘I’m not sure this plays well today,’ ” Favreau said
‘That’s part of the problem!’ ” After the 2024 election
Piker appeared on “Pod Save America.” Lovett got pushback from moderate fans
with a Democrat who wants restrictions on trans women in sports—but he shrugged it off
The “Rogan of the left” formulation isn’t entirely vacuous
Rogan-like figures can’t be engineered; they have to develop organically
Their value lies in their idiosyncrasies—their passionate insistence on talking about chimps and ancient pyramids
rather than the budget ceiling—and in their authenticity
which entails an aversion to memorizing talking points
Many Democrats assume that what they have is a messaging problem—that voters don’t have a clear enough sense of what the Democrats are really like
But it’s possible that the problem is the opposite: that many swing voters
got a sense of what the Democrats were like
but you get a sense of who he is as a human being,” Rogan said
alluding to a line from “Scarface”: “All I have in this world is my balls and my word.”
Reeves, the social scientist, told me, “There is a strong correlation between which Democratic lawmakers are in my inbox and which ones have the year 2028 circled on their calendar.” Senator Chris Murphy
read Reeves’s book in 2023 and praised it on X; many of Murphy’s constituents
writing a follow-up on Substack: “We should try to do two things at once—fight for the equality of women and gay people
while also trying hard to figure out why so many boys are struggling and why so many men are feeling shitty.” Sanders and Fetterman share what could be described as populist instincts
they may represent elements of a style that other politicians could crib from
I find the performance of masculinity to be totally boring,” Hanna Rosin told me
“But if that’s what fifty-one per cent of Americans need—someone who reads as some version of ‘gruff
manly dude,’ but whose heart is still in the right place—then I’m willing to go along with it.”
Twitch stars often appear on one another’s streams
a gym in Encino owned by a streamer and fitness influencer named Bradley Martyn
to do a “collab.” It would also feature Jason Nguyen
a twenty-year-old Twitch star from Texas who goes by JasonTheWeen
but mostly we just talk about gym-bro shit,” Piker told me
but his content isn’t really political at all.” (“I dont lean towards anyone,” Nguyen wrote when reached for comment
“I dont want anything to do with politics 😭.”)
performing for the camera by flirting with a woman on a weight bench
“Is Jason rizzing right now?” Piker asked Martyn
he was wearing a tank top with a Rambo-style cartoon of Trump and the words “LET’S GO BRANDON.” “I was coming into hostile territory
who is six feet three and two hundred and sixty pounds
looks vaguely like Bradley Cooper on steroids
(Martyn has taken testosterone supplements
which Piker once brought up in a jocular debate about trans rights: You do hormone-replacement therapy
so why can’t they?) Nguyen is much smaller
‘There’s three muscleheads in the gym right now,’ ” Nguyen joked
Piker roasted Nguyen with a fake comment from his own chat: “Jason looks like a twink.” They wandered from station to station—first bench-pressing
then deadlifting—as their cameramen followed
voice: “And also reach out to the young men out there who are lost—who feel anchorless
rudderless—by lifting some heavy weights.”
One flat-screen TV showed Joe Rogan interviewing Elon Musk
they let liquor stores and strip clubs open
all the wars—it’s not like I trust any politician
how can we get a different result?” Last fall
“How would you actually make an effective change there?” It wasn’t a specific question
“We’re changing that whole thing around,” he said
Martyn appeared on Piker’s stream to explain his support for Trump
“Why do you have so many Zyn containers behind you?” Martyn said
“I fucking slam those bad boys daily,” Piker said
“One side at least acknowledges that people are angry—the Republicans.” The Democrats’ proposed solutions were inadequate
“You’re gonna have to say sorry when he does what he says he’s gonna do.”
They ended the gym session by daring each other to take turns sitting in Martyn’s cold plunge
Piker resisted at first—“I didn’t bring a towel
I hope y’all are happy he took his shirt off,” Nguyen said
Then he checked his phone: the woman from the weight bench had already sent him a message
A long-ago crime, suddenly remembered
A limousine driver watches her passengers transform
The day Muhammad Ali punched me
What is it like to be keenly intelligent but deeply alienated from simple emotions? Temple Grandin knows
The harsh realm of “gentle parenting.”
Retirement the Margaritaville way
Fiction by F. Scott Fitzgerald: “Thank You for the Light.”
Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker.
Ali Paige Goldstein / Everett CollectionApril 16, 2025 ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:0012:06Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration
Last fall, the consumer-electronics company LG announced new branding for the artificial intelligence powering many of its home appliances
Out: the “smart home.” In: “Affectionate Intelligence.” This “empathetic and caring” AI
It might switch off your appliances and dim your lights at bedtime
select a soundtrack to soothe you to sleep
The technology awaits your summons and then
It will surround you with care—and ask for nothing in return
as consumers with human-level intelligence
The people building the future are not asking for our permission; they are expecting our gratitude
more as parody than as satire: Sharp as it is in its specific observations about tech culture
the show sometimes seems like a series of jokes in search of a punch line
when it casts its gaze on the gendered dynamics of tech—when it considers the consequential absurdities of tech’s arrogance
The show doesn’t spend much time directly tackling artificial intelligence as a moral problem—not until its final few episodes
as a consumer technology and as a future being foisted on us
That is because Silicon Valley is highly attuned to the way power is exchanged and distributed in the industry
and to tech bros’ hubristic inclination to cast the public in a stereotypically feminine role
Silicon Valley knows that there’s no greater claim to entitlement than an attempt to build the future
Read: The rise of techno-authoritarianism
The series focuses on the evolving fortunes of the fictional start-up Pied Piper, a company with an aggressively boring product—a data-compression algorithm—and an aggressively ambitious mission. The algorithm could lead, eventually, to the realization of a long-standing dream: a decentralized internet
its data stored not on corporately owned servers but on the individual devices of the network
Pied Piper’s founder and the primary author of that algorithm
is a coder by profession but an idealist by nature
he battles with billionaires who are driven by ego
But he is not Manichean; he does not hew to Manne’s sense of masculine entitlement
He is surrounded, however, by characters who do fit Manne’s definition, to different degrees. There’s Erlich Bachman, the funder who sold an app he built for a modest profit and who regularly confuses luck with merit; Bertram Gilfoyle, the coder who has turned irony poisoning into a personality; Dinesh Chugtai
the coder who craves women’s company as much as he fears it; Jared Dunn
the business manager whose competence is belied by his meekness
Even as the show pokes fun at the guys’ personal failings
Pied Piper is a tiny company trying to hold its own against the Googles of the world
can be giddily adolescent about its own bro-ness (many of its jokes refer to penises)
insightful about the absurdities that can arise when men are treated like gods
The show mocks the tech executive who brandishes his Buddhist prayer beads and engages in animal cruelty
It skewers Valley denizens’ conspicuous consumption
(Several B plots revolve around the introduction of the early Tesla roadsters.) Most of all
the show pokes fun at the myopia displayed by men who are
revered as “visionaries.” All they can see and care about are their own interests
the titans of tech are unabashedly masculine
Read: Elon Musk can’t stop talking about penises
and Silicon Valley spends its seasons writing whiplash into its story line
Richard and his growing team—fellow engineers
getting a big new round of funding or good publicity
they are brought low again: Defeats are snatched from the jaws of victory
The whiplash can make the show hard to watch
You get invested in the fate of this scrappy start-up
You feel a bit of preemptive catharsis until the next disappointment comes
Read: OpenAI goes MAGA
in many instances means to be betrayed by it
And AI makes that vulnerability ever more consequential
Siri and Alexa and their fellow feminized bots are flourishes of marketing
They perform meekness and cheer—and they are roughly as capable of becoming an “immortal dictator” as their male-coded counterparts
Pied Piper seems poised for an epic victory
The company has a deal with AT&T to run its algorithm over the larger company’s massive network
It is about to launch on millions of people’s phones
Pied Piper’s algorithm uses AI to maximize its own efficiency; through a fluke
Richard realizes that the algorithm works too well
It will make its own definitions of efficiency
Pied Piper has created a decentralized network in the name of “freedom”; it has created a machine
Now that network might mean humanity’s destruction
It could come for the apps installed in self-driving cars
It could come for bank accounts and refrigerators and satellites
we’re watching not just comedy but also an action-adventure drama
The guys will have to make hard choices on behalf of everyone else
And the show asks whether they will be wise enough to abandon their ambitions—to sacrifice the trappings of tech-bro success—in favor of more stereotypically feminine goals: protection
Coders will have to come to grips with what they’ve created
Do we want our machines to be affectionate
Or can we settle for ones that leave the work of trying to be good humans to the humans
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Scientists just recently decided to study female birds
like the two red-legged honeycreepers (Cyanerpes cyaneus) pictured above in Costa Rica
have less striking coloration than their male counterparts
which are bright blue in the case of the honeycreepers
This is one factor that likely contributes to unconscious bias against studying female birds. Photograph By Klein & Hubert
Nature Picture LibraryByJason BittelMarch 18
That might sound like a simple statement—an obvious statement—but just a little over a decade ago
most scientists viewed birdsong as trait that belonged nearly exclusively to male birds
This is just one of many ways scientists have historically short-changed female birds, researchers argue in a new study published in the International Journal of Avian Science
“People tend to have an unconscious bias towards male birds, and that’s often because they’re brighter and easier to identify,” says lead author Joanna Wu
an ornithologist and ecologist at the University of California
females and males are indistinguishable at a glance
making studying differences between the sexes even more difficult
These biases echo similar ones in human studies and could impact efforts to save species from threats like climate change and habitat destruction
“Without females, you’re really missing a large part of the population, and a pretty important part of the population for survival,” says Karan Odom
a behavior ecologist at the University of the Pacific
Overlooking female birds in research “can have real conservation consequences,” says Wu. As an example, she points to golden-winged warblers
The female birds inhabit lower-elevation habitats than males outside of the breeding season
Rather than simply being a quirk of warbler biology
this behavioral difference has real world impacts
because lower-elevation habitats are easier to log
While conservation efforts focused on the males’ habitat, one study found that
female golden-winged warblers lost twice as much non-breeding habitat as males
When scouring the scientific literature for their perspective piece, Wu and her colleagues—all members of a birdwatching group called The Galbatross Project, which communicates the importance of female birds—also found a number of other interesting and understudied patterns.
“I was surprised to find studies are consistently finding females disperse farther than males do,” says Wu.
And this finding may be linked with another.
“Study after study consistently finds that female birds have a lower survival rate,” says Wu.
Take a bird flying from the United States to Panama as part of its yearly migration. If female birds fly even slightly farther than males, that’s more time spent in the crosshairs of predators, more energy expended, and more risk of starvation.
Differences between the sexes may also make female birds more susceptible to landscape-scale changes, such as climate change. And all of these factors are likely to have knock-on effects for the population.
but also that it goes back the beginning of the birds’ family tree
I think it’s important to be recognizing that we might’ve missed some things,” says Odom
(Why do some female hummingbirds masquerade as males?)
[these things] are framed by those who are in positions of leadership and have the capacity and the resources to ask the questions
those areas were dominated by men,” says Comen
“And that legacy pervades all sorts of intellectual investigation
For example, in humans, females can suffer from different diseases than males
or a disease may present differently between the sexes
studying both is necessary to ensure the health of the population overall
but helps us understand how to improve the health of men,” says Comen
it’s how can we align together to improve the health of everybody in society.”
(We’re finally studying women’s bodies. Here’s what we’re learning.)
“One thing that most excites me about this paper is that there are solutions that we can pretty easily implement,” says Wu
“And the first and foremost is we just have to recognize that there are sex differences.”
In addition to increased awareness of the problem
other steps forward include training scientists and the public on how to better identify female birds
and DNA samples to sex species that are more difficult to parse
Studies and surveys can also better account for the way the sexes may use different habitats in both space and time—such as focusing on capturing birds during the migration season
when females may already be spending more time at a nest
Making an effort to investigate birds outside of North America and Europe
which is where most studies have historically taken place
This is because many tropical songbirds are socially monogamous
which tends to be an indicator of species with female singing
“My deepest hope for all of our health is that we are less divided and more united, and recognizing that everybody in society deserves just, fair, and ethical quality healthcare,” says Comen. “We cannot have that without examining that which is similar between us, but also that which is different.”
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have tuned in to the most popular podcasts in the manosphere to understand what men are getting from these spaces
Male podcasters offer more than just viral soundbites
political gaffes and the occasional offensive joke
the headlines are ablaze with Trump’s pre-election podcast blitz
the New York Times’ recent deep-dives into Theo Von’s emotional rollercoasters and Hasan Piker’s progressive flexing
but the real question is: why do these podcasts resonate so deeply with millions
What do they reveal about the state of masculinity in 2025
let’s resist the urge to flatten the “manosphere” into a single
some of these podcasts are magnets for controversy
and the kind of humor that makes HR departments sweat (or quit)
And you’ll hear something else: vulnerability
and a desperate search for meaning in a world that keeps shifting the goalposts for what it means to be a man
whose podcast ‘This Past Weekend’ has become a cultural phenomenon
regularly drawing millions of viewers and listeners
Von’s style is a paradox: one moment he’s riffing with Trump about addiction or admitting to Tony Robbins his struggles with pornography and self-worth
There’s a reason his show feels more like public access TV than a polished late-night set: it’s honest
has built his empire on a different but equally potent brand of authenticity
His podcast is a theater of masculine performance
and even the occasional conspiracy theory become tools for exploring what’s real and what’s bravado
Rogan’s genius isn’t in being right; it’s in being relatable
the appeal of these podcasts is the promise of transformation
almost mythic struggle: the battle against one’s own worst instincts
The podcasts become bildungsromans-spiritual coming-of-age stories-where the hosts and their guests wrestle with their flaws in public
Theo Von’s conversations with Tony Robbins are a case in point
reframes these admissions as acts of courage
The message: masculinity isn’t a static trait
but a quest- a journey from selfishness to selflessness
who conducted anthropological research in Papua New Guinea
has seen firsthand how the concept of the “big man” (bikpelaman) is less about dominance and more about being useful to one’s family and society
men who are bullies or insecure lose their coalitions and their influence.) The opposite-rabisman-means unaccomplished
The podcasts echo this ancient dichotomy: the true mark of manhood isn’t bravado
to become a bulwark against entropy for one’s community
you have to wade through a lot of posturing
the “ingroup” language that signals you’re part of the club
and the macho anger often reveals itself as a mask for deeper feelings of inadequacy and fear
This is where these podcasts diverge from traditional media
The hosts are often as lost as their listeners
The “manosphere” isn’t about certainty; it’s about permission to be confused
The products and services advertised on these shows aren’t so much stuck in the past as they are stuck at the surface: creatine gummies
fix your life.” But what the audience is actually craving isn’t just physical enhancement
But here’s the opportunity: even brands selling physical attainment can go deeper
The key is to connect the pursuit of physical health to broader themes of self-actualization
fitness brands can build campaigns around the idea that strength and endurance aren’t just about personal gain; they’re about having the energy and resilience to support your family
When a brand frames physical transformation as a step toward becoming more generous
it taps into the deeper emotional triggers that drive real loyalty and advocacy
Some brands have already shown how this works
like completing a fitness challenge or overcoming a personal hurdle
can be positioned not just as personal victories but as moments of connection
Storytelling is crucial: share customer journeys that highlight how physical change led to greater confidence
such as group challenges or charity tie-ins
reinforce the message that physical health is a foundation for positive social impact
the future of male-focused marketing isn’t in selling bigger biceps; it’s in supporting the journey from selfishness to selflessness
Brands that elevate their messaging from surface-level gains to stories of growth
and meaning will win the hearts and trust of this audience
what do these podcasts really reflect about masculinity today
They’re spaces where men can admit to feeling lost
or inadequate- and where they can hear others doing the same
but the real engine of their popularity is the search for meaning
and a new /old kind of manhood that’s still being invented/rediscovered episode by episode
the lesson is simple: stop selling to the stereotype and start listening to the struggle
The brands that help men become more generous
and more self-aware will be the ones that win in this new
Abigail bridges the worlds of anthropology, marketing, technology and creativity, first as a brand/communications strategist in the creative advertising space and later at Google, where she led strategy and creative teams for over a decade. Catch her on her podcast, Human Code, or connect on LinkedIn
Tom has led two anthropological lives. In the first, he studied an ethnic group in Papua New Guinea. The second has been spent analyzing the rituals, routines and beliefs that power American and International consumer culture. He is the author of many academic and business articles and books. You can continue the conversation on LinkedIn.
Sunday night, the Winnipeg Jets pulled off a miracle comeback in Game 7 of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs - and the fans went crazy.
The fans at a men’s league hockey game that is
the fans at Canadian Life Centre went crazy as well
You can’t witness your team erasing a two-goal deficit in less than two minutes and not go berserk.
Vladislav Namestnikov beat St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington with 1:56 left to go
Cole Perfetti’s tally with three seconds left sent everyone in the rink into a frenzy
The Jets would end up winning in double overtime
While this moment was unfolding in front of 15,000-plus packed in that hockey barn
members of a nearby men’s hockey league were watching the game on the rink’s jumbotron
When it became evident that the Jets had a legitimate shot of a comeback
That means that they saw Perfetti’s goal - and everyone
I can guarantee you that 95% of men’s daydreaming is dedicated to fantasizing about being in a moment like this
The rest is given to whether or not they and 99 buddies could take down a gorilla
That’s a men’s league game these dudes will remember for the rest of their lives
I would suspect that who won the men’s league game didn’t matter nearly as much as the Jets-Blues game
Winnipeg will take on the Dallas Stars in the second round starting at 9:30 p.m
These dudes will probably be among the most excited for the series to start
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On May 5, 2025, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, led by analyst Meyer Shields, issued an update on Brown & Brown (BRO, Financial)
maintaining their "Underperform" rating on the stock
However, the firm adjusted its price target for Brown & Brown (BRO, Financial)
This change reflects a reduction of -1.96% in their price target for the company
Brown & Brown (BRO, Financial) continues to be evaluated with an "Underperform" rating by Keefe
The company's performance and future outlook will remain under scrutiny by market analysts
Based on the consensus recommendation from 16 brokerage firms, Brown & Brown Inc's (BRO, Financial) average brokerage recommendation is currently 2.6
(Note: This interview contains some minor spoilers, particularly one moment shown in the trailer.)
Nerdist: It seems pretty obvious you love what you do, that you love to make movies. It’s also obvious lots of people want to work with you. So of all the films you could have picked to star in, why this one? What is it that appealed to you about The Surfer?
Nicolas Cage: I related to the character. I felt bad for the character. His situation is something we can all, in this human experience, relate to. Where we think, “This house/that childhood memory/this place is going to make everything all right.” Or, “If I just work a little harder I’ll be able to get it all back.” That kind of Sturm und Drang and pathos spoke to me.
Also that it was unusual storytelling. When I read this script, I thought, “Well, this is different. This is weird. This is the kind of story I aspire to write.” It was a non-linear narrative. I couldn’t believe the whole thing took place on a beach in a parking lot. That was new. And the more I do this, the more I want to find expressions in cinema that are unlike other things that we kind of become bored with. I wanted to find a new way of storytelling.
I always think one of the best perks of being a famous actor is getting to work for months at beautiful locales. Yet somehow you signed up to shoot exclusively along a gorgeous beach where you spend most of your time suffering in the hot sun without shoes. What is it that you find fun about putting yourself through such a grueling production?
Cage: The circumstances were so extraordinary. What a situation, that I felt like it would give me some latitude, some range, to maybe play with voice and line delivery in a way that I could explore film performance on all cylinders. Just, “Go man go.”
And there were a couple moments that reminded me of old movies like Sabrina with the olive, when (Humprey) Bogart puts the olive in his uncle’s mouth and says, “Eat it.” I had just seen that moment. I was cracking up so much. And I thought, “Well, this character could be like a punk rock version of that moment and use the rat and shove it in (the character) Pitbull’s mouth and say, Eat it.” I was working with people that were open and were willing to try things.
And Lorcan has a marvelous sense of humor, and I couldn’t work with a nicer group of guys. Julian [McMahon] and Nick [Cassim], these are great actors. They’re also good people to be around. So working with both the cast and the crew built an environment where I felt free that I could explore and express myself.
It’s funny you mentioned what I think might be the biggest explosion from your character, the rat scene, because while I think you have genuine moments of madness in what is essentially a terrifying folk horror story, I actually found your performance understated in many ways. How did you decide when to hold back versus kind of letting yourself really go?
The Surfer is described as a psychological thriller, and we see your character is unsure if he’s losing his mind as he struggles to separate reality from fantasy. You also get really dirty and suffer physically. You’ve started films where both of those things were also true. In what ways is The Surfer similar to some of your other movies that share the same kind of DNA and in what ways is it really different?
Cage: It’s similar in that in these other movies that you mentioned there’s a heartfelt emotional experience at the core of all of these characters I like to think people in the audience can relate to on some level. Or cringe, or feel, or have some sympathy for. Getting pathos with.
It is similar to something like Wild at Heart, in that Lorcan is not afraid to be a surrealist. He’s not afraid to take his time with the storytelling. He is not afraid to weave other elements in with cinema, with cinematography or backstory, in a kind of hopscotch manner of flashback and foretelling. It was certainly his style and signature that makes this movie both horrifying and hilarious.
The Surfer leaves a lot of room for interpretation over what has actually taken place, especially at the end. Do you know definitively what happens and what it all means? Or do you only have the same info that viewers are left to grapple with?
Cage: That’s very interesting, and I hesitate to answer your question because I want to leave room for the audience to form their own secret relationship with the story and the characters in the movie.
Julian would say that this whole thing is in the Surfer’s mind, that none of it is real. That even his character is a figment of his imagination, which is fascinating. I rewatched the movie, again, looking at it from Julian’s perspective, and I thought it did work on that level in some ways.
But I’m not that aware while filming what ultimately the finished product will be and what you will receive from it. Nor do I really ultimately want to be. I want to keep it enigmatic enough that you can buy into your own story with it, or how it relates to you. What do you remember in your history or your past that you can understand why….maybe not as extreme…but why this guy feels the way he does.
The Surfer arrives in theaters on May 2, 2025.
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How to Do It is Slate’s sex advice column. Have a question? Send it to Jessica and Rich here
My brother just came to me with an unexpected sex request that could ruin both my life and his
He wants to use my house for hook-ups with the woman he is having an affair with
don’t have kids and am out of the house at work all day
so Steve using my place wouldn’t be an issue for me in that regard
My sister-in-law is also a complete and utter bitch
Steve came to realize this about his wife too late—they have two kids now
Joanna’s family is quite well-off and if they divorced
my brother would be guaranteed to come out on the losing end of not only any divorce settlement
would it be such a bad thing to help him find a little enjoyment in life
I refuse to be distracted by the extraneous context you’re offering
Why should it matter that your sister-in-law would triumph financially in the event of divorce
Your mental calculus is like an artisanal take on karma
a small batch of universe-balancing you’re making in your bathtub
In the real world outside of your bathroom
your sister-in-law’s pedigree has nothing to do with your brother cheating on her
but she still doesn’t deserve to be cheated on
Even if she is objectively “a complete and utter bitch” (almost certainly not the case—this is just your particular perspective)
she still doesn’t deserve to be cheated on
If she had performed an equal or greater offense
maybe you could convince me that you have a point here
but that’s about as much as you’d get from me
even if it’s someone as close to you as your brother
He can rent himself a smush pad or get hotel rooms
If those things would somehow risk him getting found out
That’s what happens when you cheat: You risk getting caught
I understand that you feel loyalty to your brother
I get wanting to remain close to someone even when he’s behaving unethically because people are complicated and we’re not our worst behavior
Don’t bring this kind of drama into your life
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I didn’t think it was possible to find anyone who was more upset about the 2025 NFL Draft than Mel Kiper
Then I looked at my social media mentions and my email
I got this unsigned email from someone who didn’t like my annual “What the Steelers Didn’t Get in the Draft” column
“I knew what I would be reading was going to be negative because that’s who you are!!
I don’t think anything the Steelers do in any draft will ever satisfy you
While most people look at the glass half full
you are and always will be a half empty guy
You need Jesus Christ in your life to bring you some joy!”
This is an annual column that I write every year — regardless of how good or bad I think the draft weekend is — to talk about what other needs still haven’t been filled
and things they need to fix before the preseason is over
I specifically wrote that I liked almost all of the picks
and even defended the logic of taking the one perceived “luxury pick” of Jack Sawyer
I think it’s you who needs Jesus Christ in your life
Maybe he can bless you with some reading comprehension
This guy also wasn’t a fan of that column
or at least my specific criticism that Omar Khan was unable to recoup a Friday draft pick after trading a second-rounder for DK Metcalf in March
They parlayed their 2nd rnd pick into a stud WR in DK
they would have needed to use a draft pick on a WR
And they turned their 1st round pick in 2020 into perennial pro bowler Minkah
— You Know It’s Tru Tho (@know_tru) April 27, 2025
I’ll explain the Minkah part (again) reeeeeal slowwwwww since it’s taken you (and others) five years to grasp
You can’t say a guy from 2019 has been “added” to 2020 … after he played 14 games in ‘19
That’s not a complaint about the trade
It’s a complaint about how people try to spin it as two good moves in one
“At least Metcalf is a 2025 offseason acquisition to improve upon last year’s club.” I never said they shouldn’t have made the trade
I simply pointed out they failed in their attempts to create a way to get the pick back
“Who gives a (bleep) what Kiper thinks?”
probably the same people who give a (bleep) when they get “A” grades on picks
Or do the Kiper-types only know what they are talking about when they praise the Steelers’ draft class
and they are idiots when they are critical of it
I thought the Steelers did well with a limited pool of picks
But I’m not going to cherry-pick mentioning him only when he has good things to say about the Steelers
and ignore him when he is critical of them
This guy didn’t like my praise of the Steelers selecting running back Kaleb Johnson as their second selection in the draft
— Joel Andrews ???? (@JAMillie07) April 26, 2025
Not only do I think Johnson’s better
I think he is a better fit for the Steelers and will likely be more durable in the NFL
Steve is fed up with Penguins defenseman Erik Karlsson
“They can’t bring back Karlsson for next season
It would kind of make the decision to finally part with Sullivan pointless and hollow in my mind
They did the hard part and set the wheels in motion
so moving Karlsson from the team by hook or crook should be easier
I can’t take anything they do next season seriously if he’s still on the team
I doubt I’ll even check the scoreboard.”
you can be 99% sure that Karlsson is still on the team … and was on the ice
Figuring out how to shed themselves from Karlsson should be one of the top priorities of the front office this offseason — if not priority No
I don’t necessarily agree with the connection you make to Sully though
I’d go so far as to suggest that if they can’t move him
maybe getting another coach on the bench would help the problem
Sullivan’s pathological acquiescing to veteran status got in the way of him ever reaching Karlsson and making him a more responsible hockey player
Finally, Tom had a little beef with my column about how Art Rooney II should react to how Kyle Dubas fired Sullivan and how he should use the same reasoning toward Mike Tomlin
After four seasons on the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coaching staff, Mike Sullivan is no longer with the organization. https://t.co/8LvPfeKb7t
— Tribune-Review Sports (@TribSports) April 28, 2025
Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X
All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise
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One viral tweet request recently rose above the rest
and I have to agree that I'm on board with older Houseguests coming into this season
Big Brother is a game that favors the young, especially for those wanting to win BB through competitive dominance
being a "comp beast" is rarely as entertaining for fans
at least compared to other ways that Houseguests can dominate
look at how many people rallied behind this post highlighting an exchange between Season 26 Houseguests Matt Hardeman and Angela Murray:
💀💀💀 #bb27 needs to casts more people age 50+ they make good tv ngl #bb26 pic.twitter.com/DUm0eH2AaPMay 3, 2025
with the live feeds offering that much more to gawk at
and subscribe now to watch previous seasons as well
Opt for its Essential plan or go ad-free and get double the catalog with Showtime through the Premium plan from $12.99 a month
get 12 months for the price of 10 with its annual plan
Of course, Angela was a Houseguest with some TV experience
so her age may not have factored too strongly into her entertaining gameplay
I think there's something to be said about Big Brother bringing in older Houseguests
rather than loading every season with single twentysomethings who are just as invested in finding a showmance as they are in winning the game
I Normally Like Big Brother, But I Absolutely Love Season 26. Here's Why
I'd be interested to see if Big Brother would take influence from The Bachelor franchise's spinoff The Golden Bachelor
with a season in which every Houseguest was above a specific age
I'm honestly not sure how younger fans would respond to an entire cast loaded with olds
or if there are even enough applicants who would fit the bill and be able to drop everything in their lives to take part
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for some clues that point to more Houseguests of a certain age
I'll continue to expect the unexpected until something official is shared
but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek
He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television
He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well
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The Last Of Us Season 2 Episode 4 Live Blog Watchalong: I'm Reacting To Isaac's Brutal Introduction
Ellie And Dina's Revealing Seattle Trip And More
William Shatner Posted His Annual Star Wars Day Message
In the aftermath of Donald Trump’s 2024 victory
the Democratic Party finds itself at a crossroads
with tensions between establishment figures and progressive insurgents intensifying
One of the most notable primary challenges to emerge is Saikat Chakrabarti’s bid to unseat former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in California’s 11th congressional district
It is anybody’s guess whether this tech millionaire turned politico’s challenge is viable or merely symbolic
Chakrabarti is a technology entrepreneur and political operative who gained prominence in the political sphere after transitioning from Silicon Valley
Chakrabarti graduated from Harvard University with a degree in Computer Science
where he worked as an early software engineer
he helped build the payment processing platform that became one of Silicon Valley’s most valuable fintech companies
he had brief stints at Bridgewater Associates and worked on Wall Street
which demonstrated his early entrepreneurial ambitions
it showcased his interest in creating technology solutions
a political action committee aimed at recruiting candidates to run for Congress
This marked his transition from technology to politics
he also helped establish Justice Democrats
another political organization focused on supporting progressive candidates
he was the key architect behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning 2018 upset victory over Rep
several factors would need to align: Chakrabarti is banking on Democratic voters’ frustration following the 2024 losses to fuel an appetite for new leadership
as defeat often prompts soul-searching within political parties.
Chakrabarti represents a stark generational contrast
He explicitly references this in interviews
noting he was just one year old when Pelosi first took office in 1987.
I guess,” he told SFGATE in an interview
“But it’s really hard to know what that word means these days.”
The former Speaker’s deep roots in San Francisco politics
and proven electoral resilience make her extraordinarily difficult to defeat
San Francisco voters have recently shown willingness to reject incumbents
The city’s progressive voter base might be receptive to his message
Drawing from his experience with AOC’s campaign
Chakrabarti understands how to bypass traditional gatekeepers
He acknowledges he “can’t play on the establishment’s turf” and needs to connect directly with voters
His emphasis on transformative economic policy to address working and middle-class concerns could resonate if voters believe Democrats need a dramatic course correction
Winning 20 consecutive elections demonstrates Pelosi’s enduring popularity in her district
She typically wins by overwhelming margins
Pelosi’s fundraising network is unmatched
allowing her to outspend challengers significantly
While Chakrabarti likely has connections in tech circles
he cannot match Pelosi’s national donor base
including most elected officials and major organizations
providing her with crucial endorsements and volunteer infrastructure
Pelosi has successfully positioned herself as progressive enough for her San Francisco district throughout her career
Even Chakrabarti acknowledges many voters in San Francisco “respect Nancy Pelosi for her career
and the glass ceiling that she shattered.” This sentiment could make voters reluctant to end her career
primary challenges against powerful incumbents rarely succeed
While Chakrabarti brings credible progressive credentials and campaign experience to this race
his challenge to Pelosi remains a longshot
he would need to capitalize on post-2024 Democratic soul-searching and convince voters that Pelosi’s approach is fundamentally misaligned with the moment’s demands
voters’ personal respect for Pelosi’s historic career might lead them to reject ending it prematurely
What may be more telling is whether Chakrabarti’s campaign becomes a rallying point for progressive disillusionment with Democratic leadership more broadly
potentially sparking similar challenges elsewhere
His explicit call for others to “run with me” suggests he sees his campaign as part of a larger movement rather than an isolated contest
Chakrabarti’s challenge represents growing tensions within the Democratic coalition that will shape the party’s direction in the post-2024 landscape
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On a recent appearance on the Stacking the Box podcast
Jeanty said that he was the victim of a prank call after the Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the sixth overall pick in the draft
“Some dude called me and was like ‘We just traded with the Raiders, and you’re coming to the (Dallas) Cowboys,’” Jeanty said on the podcast. But the former Boise State running back didn’t fall for the joke
Jeanty was one of several prospects to receive a prank call during the 2025 Draft
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders was the victim of a prank call that the Sanders social media team captured on video
One of the culprits was later revealed to be Jax Ulbrich
the 21-year-old son of Atlanta Falcons defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich
Jax Ulbrich uncovered Sanders’ phone number on his father’s work iPad
The NFL fined Jeff Ulbrich $100,000 and the Falcons $250,000 for the information breach
“My actions — my actions — of not protecting confidential data were inexcusable,” Jeff Ulbrich said
“My son’s actions were absolutely inexcusable
The NFL has taken action and I fully respect the punishment
and we will not be appealing the fine in any way
Going forward I promise my son and I will work hard to demonstrate we are better than this.”
Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and Penn State’s Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren were also the victims of prank calls
The prank call was quickly brushed aside by Jeanty
who is a +230 favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in the latest odds from DraftKings
211-pound Jeanty led the country in carries (374)
yards (2,601) and touchdowns (29) during his record-breaking junior season for Boise State
He placed second in the Heisman Trophy voting and led the Broncos to a 12-2 record and the program’s first College Football Playoff appearance
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change
If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help
BOB LUNDEBERGBob Lundeberg is a reporter for Boise State Broncos On SI. An Oregon State graduate, Bob has lived in Idaho since 2019 and is an avid hiker and golfer.
The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only
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Backflipping Bro?Benson Boone has charmed his way to the top—and that really seems to bother some people
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: Kevin Mazur / Getty; Katie Flores / Billboard / Getty; Shutterstock.April 29, 2025 ShareSave Listen-1.0x+0:008:53Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration
Something in Boone’s face—a tightness around his saucer eyes
a droop in his beaming grin—suggested (and at first I thought I was projecting) nerves
the kind of act that makes you wonder if this whole medium has been worth it.” The next week
Boone addressed his critics in another TikTok
“If you hate me or my music at least have a good reason for it.”
Boone has been on a trajectory few musicians will ever experience. Last year, his single “Beautiful Things” was the most-streamed song in the world. He opened for Taylor Swift on the Eras tour, and at this year’s Grammys, he caused amazement by stripping off a tuxedo and somersaulting off a piano
whose cover features him baring his abs while draped in the star-spangled banner
suggests what he’s seeking to do: unite the country in admiration
But in these times of national confusion about masculinity
no happy-go-lucky dude with a mullet and a nice voice can exist for long without controversy
racking up millions of views before ever releasing an album
allowing the star’s personality to stand out against a familiar and comforting backdrop
the music showed a notable amount of ambition
blossoming from piano-ballad lows to operatic highs
“Beautiful Things” is simpering and sentimental
the song still surprises me—the gloomy intro simply does not prophesy the sharp screaming that comes later
Read: Coachella defeated my cynicism about music festivals
Boone is not so much diluting the spandex-and-sequins tradition as he is trying to square it with a deeply flavorless moment for popular rock
it encourages a familiar vision of masculinity: singing with gritty seriousness while wearing Carhartt
Boone is offering a version of this sound—“Beautiful Things” is the ultimate photo-montage song—while adding a touch more flamboyance and drama
utilitarian music with a dose of pizazz is helping make him into a name
But it also explains why portions of the audience read him as “off.” He’s slightly outside of settled identity categories and thus will be variously seen as trying too hard
Scroll through any hostile comments section—or read the infamous Pitchfork review—and you don’t see a lot of substantive critique of Boone
Boone’s TikTok addressed to his critics was desperate
“I just read a comment that said ‘[I don’t even know] why I hate Benson Boone but it feels right.’ Like WHAT!!
how am I supposed to improve after reading that?”
My feedback for him would be to write more interesting music—though presentationally, I hope he sticks with the glam and acrobatics, because guys these days could stand to learn from it. For example: Mark Zuckerberg celebrated his wife’s 40th birthday by imitating Boone’s Grammy performance
The stunt was widely mocked as a rich man’s cringeworthy outpouring of vanity
but I sensed a plaintive undercurrent in Zuckerberg’s eagerness to squeeze himself into turquoise tights
The Facebook founder has recently challenged other tech magnates to cage matches and complained about the alleged feminization of corporate America
He’s clearly searching for some model of masculinity that would validate the worth of laptop professionals like him
He’s not alone in that search: The sense that America’s boys are lost in transition, unsure about what male excellence really looks like, is leading the nation’s culture and politics down all sorts of strange corridors
We could do a lot worse than the Boone model—looking fine
without threatening anything other than good taste
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Coca‑Cola's “Share a Coke” packs land on shelves across Great Britain from today with a fresh wave of nicknames
LONDON: Forget "darling" and "sweetie"
new research of under 30-year-olds* has revealed that Gen Z are ditching outdated pet names for personalised nicknames that reflect who they are and their friendships
“Share a Coke” packs are in store from this week featuring a host of new nicknames
along with a chance for customers to create personalised cans with names of their choice to share the love with friends
Can customisation will be available from May 15th
According to the findings from Coca‑Cola
“snookums” (37%) and “chick” (35%) are off the cards as they are old fashioned and outdated
Almost a third (28%) of under 30s would never dream of using “muffin” or “bubba” (28%)
while a quarter (25%) dislike the term “duck”
It’s no surprise that three quarters (77%) of modern Brits think that the style of nicknames has changed over the years
When it comes to ‘modern terms of affection’
Gen Z are embracing a whole new vocabulary with “bro” (53%)
and “bestie” (35%) proving the most popular
One in four (24 %) love spending time with their “fam”
while one in five (17%) dote on their “queen”
Other modern pet names include “day one” (13%)
“sugarplum” (10%) and “family” (10%) which all make the top 20 list
The research reveals that nicknames play a crucial part of Gen Z friendships with 42 percent admitting that they feel happy and loved (38%) when they are called by their nickname
One in five (20%) say it makes them feel an important part of their friendship group
while one in ten (12%) admit that it makes them feel secure
With modern Brits having an average of three pet names
more than half (56%) admit they prefer being called by their nickname rather than their real name
Over a quarter (28%) got their pet name from an inside joke
21 percent say it is based on their personality and a further 12 percent were given it because of a particular character trait
And these names are not just for personal situations anymore – 15 percent have been called theirs in front of their boss
while 26 % have been called their pet name in front of colleagues
a whopping 93 percent of young Brits believe that nicknames are a way of showing affection
Nicknames: A Sign of Affection and Belonging
“Nicknames are more than just labels; they’re a shorthand for shared history
inside jokes and personal connections” says Charlotte Butt
Senior Marketing Manager from Coca‑Cola Trademark
“They reflect the unique relationships between individuals and the evolution of language within friendship groups
that’s why we made sure to include terms of affection in our “Share a Coke” range.”
Pet names are not the only way Brits care for their friends
buying gifts is also a keyway that modern Brits show support (37%)
alongside everything from spending quality time together (41%)
sharing daily pep talks (52%) or even a steady stream of hilarious memes (4%)
When it comes to the type of gifts – three quarters (74%) opt for personalised ones because it is more thoughtful (65%)
feels more authentic (39%) and is an easy way to show that you care (38%)
getting a gift with their name on it makes Brits feel valued (60%)
appreciative of the time spent choosing the gift (36%) and closer to their friends (24%) - almost 9 in 10 (89%) get excited to see something with their own name on it
With the popularity of this in mind and with nicknames and personalisation being a key part of Gen Z friendships
Coca‑Cola has bought back “Share a Coke” with the option for customers to create a can with any name of their choice be it a nickname
first name or surname - simply scan the QR code on pack or instore from May 15th
to create a truly unique Coca‑Cola pack
Alongside the much-loved name personalisation available
Brits will be able to choose from a range of other nicknames and phrases around friendship
“Share a Coke is about celebrating the ‘Real Magic’ of human connections
one personalised Coca‑Cola can at a time,” adds Charlotte Butt
“We're excited to bring back this campaign with new nicknames
allowing people to express their unique relationships and celebrate the people who matter most
We were inspired by how Gen Z uses nicknames to build stronger bonds
tangible way to express those connections.”
Look for personalised Coca‑Cola packs in store from May 1st and get ready to share the magic with your mates
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Walker, a 6'3", 227-pound tight end, spent the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Brown before playing for Rice in 2024. He compiled 1,465 yards and 15 touchdowns while playing wide receiver with the Bears before switching to a tight end role and recording 252 receiving yards last season with the Owls.
According to Clayton Trutor of Seven Days in Vermont
Walker also works out alongside Mahomes and other NFL players at APEC in Fort Worth
Mahomes and Walker grew up in different states
with Mahomes being raised in Texas by his father and mother
Graham will have to prove himself among other talented rookies while also proving that he belongs in a talented tight end room that features veteran star Travis Kelce
Walker will be surrounded by a sea of rookies hoping to leave a good impression on the Chiefs
but he at least has a slight edge over others since he comes from the same family as the quarterback who has delivered three Super Bowls to Kansas City
The Motley Fool is a financial services company dedicated to making the world smarter
The Motley Fool reaches millions of people every month through our premium investing solutions
free guidance and market analysis on Fool.com
The fast-growing coffee chain is better loved by consumers than you-know-what in the business
If you're not quite sure what to make of Dutch Bros (BROS -1.20%) stock here
The coffee drive-thru chain's continued growth pushed shares sharply higher in 2024 and into early 2025
this one was upended by tariff fears and has been drifting sideways ever since
Does that mean it's not the growth stock many investors thought it was after all
maybe it's exactly the growth stock it's been deemed to be
and the crowd just needs to be more patient
recognizing all the bigger-picture stuff it's doing right that will matter in the long run -- even it doesn't mean much in the short run
That's arguably the case right now in light of new data from consumer market research company Chatmeter
which ranks Dutch Bros as consumers' favorite coffee and premium beverage choice for a wide range of criteria
The coffee chain had a little less than 1,000 stores up and running at the end of last year
so it's certainly possible you've never heard of it
That's particularly true if you live in the eastern half of the United States
since Dutch Bros' roots are planted on the West Coast even as it is growing its way across the country
Don't let its relatively small size fool you, though. This little company offers a lot of growth potential
This uniqueness is relative to industry titan Starbucks (SBUX -3.65%)
So a comparison of the two companies is the best way to describe what Dutch Bros is
Whereas Starbucks has spent the last five decades perfecting a polished
universally uniform (even if somewhat cold) sit-down coffeehouse experience
Dutch Bros has gone in the exact other direction
and each locale is unique in the experience -- and vibe -- it offers
are more likely than not to engage in some sort of casual
personal conversation with customers that has nothing to do with coffee
further differentiating itself from competitors
it's this authenticity that consumers increasingly want
It's a premise that seemed sound enough to anyone was keeping their eye on the company
But there had been no serious empirical evidence to confirm the marketplace is headed to where Dutch Bros is waiting
Using artificial intelligence to analyze customer reviews of rivals Starbucks
and Dunkin' Donuts in addition to a recent survey of over 1,000 U.S
Chatmeter determined that Dutch Bros outperforms its two top competitors in a wide range of metrics
There's some significant separation between Dutch Bros and its nearest competitors for all these metrics
Its reviews specifically lauded the friendliness of the staff
underscoring the idea that its personal-engagement ethos helps draw a crowd
Image source: Chatmeter's Coffee Wars Analysis, published April 2025
As data from by digital commerce intelligence provider Nosto highlights
since (and perhaps because of) the pandemic
88% of consumers say authenticity plays a key part in their decision to do business with a particular company
authenticity is very important when it comes time to spend their hard-earned money
This shift in consumers' preferences also raises the question of how -- or even if -- Starbucks could shift cultural gears at its 17,122 U.S
locations that were built from the ground up to largely operate as the opposite of what Dutch Bros is
Don't read too much into the data -- Dutch Bros isn't perfect
Its customers also complained of lengthy wait times
This could be the result of its drive-thru structure
which limits the number of orders that can be taken and prepared at any given time
It also leads investors to wonder if its broistas are chatting with customers too long rather than proceeding to the next customer
Investors should also note that the company has been issuing stock to pay for its growth
The market also fears new tariffs could make it more expensive to source ingredients
too many customers and growth opportunities worth funding are certainly better than the alternative
But coffee drinkers are pretty committed to the habit and will likely absorb any extra cost if need be
More than anything, though, you might want to take Chatmeter's data at face value and come to the conclusion that Dutch Bros is connecting with consumers in a way that its top competitors just can't
This bodes particularly well for its expansion plans
which were recently raised from an end goal of around 4,000 stores to eventually more than 7,000 at a time when Starbucks as well as Dunkin' both appear vulnerable
While that's a long-term task that could take more than a decade to accomplish
the stock is likely to reward the profitable progress made along the way
Dutch Bros may be a bit more speculative than the average blue chip
Its long-term growth isn't even really in question
The only questions here are how much will it grow
It may be worth plugging into here and now
even if there's no clear answer to either question just yet
The analyst community seems to think so anyway
12 out of the 17 professionals covering Dutch Bros still consider it a strong buy despite its recent weakness
James Brumley has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Starbucks. The Motley Fool recommends Dutch Bros. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy
*Average returns of all recommendations since inception
Cost basis and return based on previous market day close
Market data powered by Xignite and Polygon.io
Coachella Valley residents are getting a new drive-thru spot to sate their coffee fixes
Dutch Bros Coffee, a popular and fast-growing coffee chain
is opening its first west valley location in Cathedral City
The company is known for its specialty coffees
but also a variety of other beverages like energy drinks
Its set-up is slightly different from a traditional drive-thru in that employees come up to your car window to take your order and have you pay directly with them before you pull forward to grab your items from a window
Forbes reported that Dutch Bros had about 950 locations as of late last year
having nearly doubled that number in just three years
You'll be able to find Dutch Bros at 34-051 Date Palm Drive
When will it open?While Dutch Bros did not announce a specific date for its Cathedral City opening
the company did say it's on track to open this summer
Ani Gasparyan covers the western Coachella Valley cities of Desert Hot Springs and Cathedral City
Metrics details
To investigate the etiology and clinical characteristics of Moraxella catarrhalis infections in the lower respiratory tract among pediatric patients in southwestern Shandong Province
This study aims to enhance early identification and diagnostic accuracy for laboratory physicians
while providing evidence to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment of Moraxella catarrhalis-related infections
This retrospective cohort study analyzed pediatric patients with Moraxella catarrhalis lower respiratory tract infections in southwestern Shandong Province
Clinical isolates were obtained through standardized sputum/bronchoalveolar lavage collection protocols and subjected to microbiological identification
and molecular characterization of β-lactamase production and bro gene variants
Epidemiological patterns and clinical profiles were systematically evaluated using electronic medical record data spanning January 2020 to December 2023
During the 4-year surveillance period (2018–2021)
Moraxella catarrhalis was isolated from 848 pediatric cases of lower respiratory tract infections
representing a 7.81% overall detection rate
Age-stratified analysis revealed the highest prevalence in infants aged 28 days to 1 year (9.69%)
with significant seasonal variation peaking in the fourth quarter (11.58%
Monomicrobial infections predominated (79.72%
172/848) predominantly co-occurred with Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae
All isolates were confirmed through parallel testing using automated biochemical analyzers and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
Antimicrobial susceptibility profiling demonstrated complete susceptibility to ceftazidime
with ≥ 95% susceptibility rates to ciprofloxacin (98.2%)
A concerning temporal escalation in erythromycin resistance was observed (69.73% in 2018 vs
while ampicillin and clindamycin resistance remained persistently high (> 93% across all years).β-lactamase production was detected in 96.58% (819/848) of isolates
with molecular characterization identifying bro-1 (94.51%
29/848) showed no significant epidemiological clustering
Our surveillance study demonstrates that Moraxella catarrhalis lower respiratory tract infections in southwestern Shandong Province predominantly affect infants aged 28 days to 1 year
with significantly elevated seasonal incidence during the fourth quarter
we observed a concerning temporal escalation in erythromycin resistance and persistently high resistance rates to ampicillinand clindamycin throughout the 2018–2021 surveillance period
β-lactamase hyperproduction particularly BRO-1 gene carriage emerged as the principal resistance mechanism against β-lactams
while maintained susceptibility to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins and carbapenems suggests preserved therapeutic options
These findings underscore the necessity for: Avoidance of macrolides and β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations in empirical therapy; Continuous monitoring of BRO gene evolution patterns; Age-specific antimicrobial stewardship programs targeting infant populations
This four-year retrospective study analyzed 848 MC isolates from pediatric LRTIs in southwestern Shandong Province
a region with documented high antibiotic consumption rates
We characterized: Age-stratified incidence patterns; Temporal antimicrobial resistance trends; Molecular epidemiology of β-lactamase gene variants
Our findings address critical knowledge gaps in China’s MC epidemiology while providing urgently needed evidence for updating pediatric antimicrobial stewardship programs in an era of escalating macrolide resistance
The characteristics of bacterial colonies on blood agar plates.
The 848 strains were identified as Moraxella catarrhalis using the NH cards provided with the fully automated microbial identification system, with 99% identification accuracy. Confirmation by VITEK-MS system also identified all strains as Moraxella catarrhalis, with an identification rate of 99.99%. The inter-method agreement reached 100%.
The characteristics of bacterial colonies on chocolate agar plates
the morphology of bacterial colonies observed under the microscope
Among the 848 strains of MC, 819 were positive for β-lactamase, accounting for 96.58%, while 29 were negative, accounting for 3.42%. Some of the results are shown in Fig. 4.
The electrophoretogram of the β-lactamase Bro gene from Moraxella catarrhalis after restriction enzyme digestion
demonstrating its previously underestimated virulence
infections in immunocompromised individuals
where it often progresses to lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) with atypical presentations
requiring prompt treatment in HIV/AIDS patients and transplant recipients
catarrhalis has achieved significant clinical importance as both a key pathogen in COPD exacerbations and pediatric otitis media
and as the third most common respiratory pathogen after Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae - a status that confirms its increasing epidemiological relevance
The Q4 surge observed in our study likely results from multiple interacting factors: cold
dry air impairs respiratory defenses; increased indoor crowding and PM 2.5 exposure enhance transmission; and concurrent viral epidemics further compromise mucosal immunity
these effects may be exacerbated by regional climate extremes and winter heating practices
These findings underscore the need for targeted interventions
including enhanced winter surveillance and environmental control measures
to effectively manage seasonal MC infection surges
immunosuppressive therapies) and invasive medical procedures (e.g.
mechanical ventilation).The clinical management of MC-associated polymicrobial infections presents substantial challenges due to complex presentations and elevated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) risks
exacerbated by antibiotic selection pressure from overuse of broad-spectrum agents
An effective multidisciplinary approach requires: (1) Precision diagnostics combining microbiological testing
and immune profiling; (2) Staged antimicrobial therapy initiating with β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations before transitioning to targeted regimens; (3) Rigorous antimicrobial stewardship including resistance surveillance and de-escalation protocols; (4) Comprehensive supportive care encompassing respiratory support
and immunomodulation; and (5) Systemic prevention through vaccination programs and infection control policies
This integrated framework addresses both individual patient outcomes and the broader AMR crisis through balanced diagnostic
MC exhibits colonial and cellular morphological characteristics that closely resemble those of phylogenetically related bacteria
posing significant challenges for accurate identification
our study utilized vancomycin-supplemented (50 mg/L) chocolate agar
which selectively inhibits Gram-positive bacteria while promoting MC growth
Suspected MC colonies were initially screened based on distinctive morphological features (dry surface
and collective mobility) and confirmed by Gram staining
Definitive identification was achieved through parallel testing using both the NH card system (fully automated microbial identification) and VITEK-MS mass spectrometry
demonstrating 100% concordance between methods
The VITEK-MS platform proved particularly advantageous
reliable identification that could be readily implemented in appropriately equipped clinical laboratories
MC employs multiple virulence mechanisms to establish infections in pediatric populations
extending beyond its well-documented antibiotic resistance
Key pathogenic factors include: (1) UspA1-mediated adhesion facilitating nasopharyngeal colonization; (2) robust biofilm formation that enhances persistence and reduces antimicrobial efficacy; and (3) sophisticated immune evasion strategies through lipooligosaccharide (LoS) modifications and complement inhibition
These virulence determinants enable MC to maintain prolonged colonization in children’s upper respiratory tracts and exploit viral-induced mucosal damage to cause secondary infections
The biofilm-forming capacity presents particular therapeutic challenges by creating physical and physiological barriers to antibiotic penetration
highlighting the need for combination approaches that simultaneously target resistance mechanisms and virulence factors
Future research should focus on molecular characterization of these virulence determinants to develop novel therapeutic strategies
especially for high-risk pediatric groups with recurrent infections or compromised immunity
MC has emerged as a clinically significant pathogen
presenting substantial diagnostic and therapeutic challenges
Current research continues to elucidate its pathogenicity
Clinicians should remain vigilant regarding MC’s potential risk factors
including host susceptibility and seasonal trends
while implementing long-term surveillance of infection rates and antimicrobial resistance patterns
antibiotic stewardship programs must emphasize pathogen-directed therapy
favoring β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combinations (e.g.
amoxicillin-clavulanate) or third-generation cephalosporins (e.g.
ceftriaxone) over ineffective options like macrolides or ampicillin
Infants and patients presenting during winter months—when MC prevalence peaks—require particular attention
with carbapenems or cefepime reserved for severe infections
play a crucial role in improving clinical outcomes
while phase I trials of MCV-101 are evaluating safety and IgG titers in healthy volunteers
persistent challenges including antigenic drift (UspA2 allele variability > 12%) and IgA protease-mediated mucosal immune evasion require resolution
Future development should prioritize hexavalent formulations targeting MC
aligned with WHO Expanded Program on Immunization schedules
its single-center retrospective design and dependence on laboratory registry data may introduce ascertainment bias
MC prevalence and resistance profiles may vary across climatic zones and antibiotic stewardship intensities
limited enrollment of school-aged children (6–14 years; n = 4) restricts age-stratified immunological analyses
pandemic-related specimen collection reductions in 2020 (23% below baseline) may confound temporal resistance pattern interpretations
Prospective multicenter surveillance incorporating whole-genome sequencing and defined daily dose monitoring is imperative to establish causal relationships between genotype-phenotype concordance and antibiotic consumption patterns
Lower respiratory tract infections caused by MC are predominantly observed in infants aged 28 days to 1 year
with significantly elevated incidence during the fourth quarter
Complete concordance was observed between automated biochemical identification systems and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
All isolates demonstrated complete susceptibility to ceftazidime
with sustained high susceptibility rates to ciprofloxacin
A significant temporal escalation in erythromycin resistance was documented
while ampicillin and clindamycin resistance remained persistently high
β-lactamase production was detected in 96.6% of clinical isolates
A total of 848 MC clinical isolates were obtained from pediatric patients with lower respiratory tract infections at our institution between January 2018 and December 2021
Isolates were cryopreserved at −80 °C in trypticase soy broth with 20% glycerol
(1) Clinically confirmed respiratory infection (cough
(2) Significant MC growth (semi-quantitative culture ≥++);
(3) Age stratification: neonates (≤ 28 days)
(4) Primary culture analysis without selective subculturing
Polymicrobial infections were defined by concurrent isolation of ≥ 2 pathogenic species meeting quantitative thresholds
2023-08-C020) was reviewed by the Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University
Legal guardians provided written informed consent prior to enrollment
All procedures adhered to the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (2013 revision)
and Chocolate agar plates (Zhengzhou Antu); Vitek-2 Compact automated bacterial identification system
and an automated rapid microbial mass spectrometry detection system (bioMérieux
and antibiotic susceptibility disks (Oxoid
UK); β-lactamase detection reagents (Chongqing Pongtong); Etest antibiotic susceptibility strips (Zhengzhou Antu); Taq polymerase (Nanjing Novozymes)
DNA extraction kits (Jiangsu Cowin Biotech)
The primers for the Bro gene were as follows:
the strains were isolated and cultured in accordance with the requirements of the “National Clinical Laboratory Procedures” (4 th Edition)
with an observation period lasting 2 to 5 days
Suspicious single colonies were selected for smear preparation and Gram staining
Bacterial identification was performed using the Vitek-2 Compact automated bacterial identification system (NH card)
and the results were confirmed with the automated rapid microbial mass spectrometry detection system (VITEK-MS)
The terminal filter paper of the β-lactamase test strip was moistened with cold condensate or clean water
A loop or a small wooden/bamboo stick was used to pick a suspicious colony to be tested and streak it on the filter paper
After incubation at 35 °C ± 2 °C for 1 min
the presence of a red color indicated a positive result
while no significant color change indicated a negative result
Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the Kirby-Bauer (K-B) method and the E-test to assess the in vitro susceptibility of MC to commonly used antibiotics
The interpretation of susceptibility results was based on the CLSI-M45-A2 2016 Edition guidelines and standards
using quality control strains of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29,213
Genomic DNA was extracted according to the kit instructions
The reaction mixture included 2 µl of DNA template
The amplification conditions were as follows: initial denaturation at 95 °C for 3 min
followed by 30 cycles consisting of 95 °C for 15 s
15 µl of the amplified product was mixed with 2 U of BcgI enzyme and incubated at 37 °C for 60 min
The digested products were analyzed by 1.5% agarose gel electrophoresis
and the results were interpreted using the Tanon-1600 gel imaging system
Medical records of patients with MC lower respiratory tract infections in the pediatric department of our hospital from 2018 to 2021 were reviewed for a retrospective analysis of their epidemiological characteristics
Informed consent for participation in this study has been obtained from all participants or their legal guardians
Statistical analysis of antibiotic susceptibility results was performed using the WHONET 5.6 software
The SPSS 22.0 statistical software was utilized for the analysis of the specific data obtained
All quantitative data were expressed as mean ± standard deviation
Comparisons of continuous variables were made using the t-test
while categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test
A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed to evaluate the independent effects of age
A P-value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request
Hou, H. et al. Establishment of a real-time fluorescence PCR assay for M. catarrhalis. Biotech 06, 693–698. https://doi.org/10.16519/j.cnki.1004-311x.2022.06.0109 (2022)
Hirai, J. et al. Clinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia due to Moraxella catarrhalis in adults: a retrospective single-centre study. BMC Infect. Dis. 20, 821. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12879-020-05564-9 (2020)
Enosi Tuipulotu, D. et al. Immunity against Moraxella catarrhalis requires guanylate-binding proteins and caspase-11-NLRP3 inflammasomes. EMBO J. 42, e112558. https://doi.org/10.15252/embj.2022112558 (2023)
Ishimaru, N. et al. Moraxella catarrhalis bacteremia in adult with cardiogenic pulmonary edema. Postgrad. Med. 137, 121–125. https://doi.org/10.1080/00325481.2025.2463877 (2025)
Anezaki, H., Terada, N., Kawamura, T. & Kurai, H. Moraxella catarrhalis bacteremic pneumonia. IDCases 19, e00712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idcr.2020.e00712 (2020)
Maierean, S. M., Marinescu, D. C., Croitoru, D. O. & Verma, A. A. Infectious endocarditis and vertebral osteomyelitis caused by Moraxella catarrhalis. BMJ Case Rep. 12, e228776. https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2018-228776 (2019)
Harb, H., Al-Obaidi, H., Irannejad, K. & Bagheri, F. A unique case of Moraxella catarrhalis meningitis following neurosurgical intervention. Cureus 16, e59689. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.59689 (2024)
Liang, Y., Qin, X., Hou, G., Zhang, X. & Zhang, W. Changes of Moraxella catarrhalis infection in children before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, Zhengzhou, China. J. Infect. 86, 154–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2022.11.029 (2023)
Perez, A. C. & Murphy, T. F. Potential impact of a Moraxella catarrhalis vaccine in COPD. Vaccine 37, 5551–5558. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2016.12.066 (2019)
Flamm, R. K., Sader, H. S., Farrell, D. J. & Jones, R. N. Macrolide and Tetracycline resistance among Moraxella catarrhalis isolates from 2009 to 2011. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis. 74, 198–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2012.06.007 (2012)
Sheikh, S. O., Fasih, N., Irfan, S. & Zafar, A. β-Lactamase production and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates: report from Pakistan. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Med. 7S1, 228–S231. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1995-7645(14)60237-6 (2014)
McGregor, K., Chang, B. J., Mee, B. J. & Riley, T. V. Moraxella catarrhalis: clinical significance, antimicrobial susceptibility and BRO beta-lactamases. Eur. J. Clin. Microbiol. Infect. Diseases: Official Publication Eur. Soc. Clin. Microbiol. 17, 219–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01699978 (1998)
Khan, M. A. et al. Bro {beta}-lactamase and antibiotic resistances in a global cross-sectional study of Moraxella catarrhalis from children and adults. J. Antimicrob. Chemother. 65, 91–97. https://doi.org/10.1093/jac/dkp401 (2010)
Shi, W. et al. β-Lactamase production and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Moraxella catarrhalis isolates collected from two County hospitals in China. BMC Microbiol. 18, 77. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-018-1217-5 (2018)
Perez, A. C. & Murphy, T. F. A Moraxella catarrhalis vaccine to protect against otitis media and exacerbations of COPD: an update on current progress and challenges. Hum. Vaccines Immunotherapeutics. 13, 2322–2331. https://doi.org/10.1080/21645515.2017.1356951 (2017)
Soltan, M. A. et al. In Silico prediction of a multitope vaccine against Moraxella catarrhalis: reverse vaccinology and immunoinformatics. Vaccines 9, 669. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9060669 (2021)
Ysebaert, C. et al. UspA2 is a cross-protective Moraxella catarrhalis vaccine antigen. Vaccine 39, 5641–5649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2021.08.002 (2021)
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This work was supported by Key Research and Development Program of Jining
China (2023YXNS191) and Nursery Project of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University
Yuhan Xiang and Jian Shi contributed equally
Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University
Yuhan Xiang and Jian Shi performed the study and composed this manuscript
while Liang Han are responsible for pictures and tables
Chengfan Yan were responsible for primary data generation and analysis
Shuhua Lu are responsible for the revision of the paper
we have a corresponding author in this manuscript
Shuhua Lu contributed to the study design and manuscript revisions
All the authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version
The authors declare no competing interests
The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University (2023-08-C020)
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The Chiefs are conducting a rookie minicamp this weekend
With 87 players participating — 60 on a tryout basis — it’s hard to stand out
As noted by ArrowheadPride.com, Rice tight end Graham Walker is taking part
He’s the half-brother of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
The son of Pat Mahomes Sr., Walker transferred to Rice last year
Walker had 44 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns
His best season statistically came as a freshman in 2021
when Walker caught 53 passes for 658 yards and six touchdowns
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PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Providence Police Department said that it made an arrest in connection with a shooting on East Drive on May 3.
24-year-old Eliezer Colon was charged with domestic felony assault and a firearms offense
Officers were sent to the area and discovered a 29-year-old with a gunshot wound
Police said that the victim was Colon’s brother
The department added that the victim was in “stable condition” as of Sunday afternoon and the incident was still under investigation
Jackson is not going to get a Kansas City Chiefs uniform
but at rookie minicamp this weekend in KC, Graham Walker is dressed out
Walker is Mahomes' half-brother and the son of father Patrick Sr.
Walker - who was a big receiver in college who will now try to play tight end - just signed a deal for minicamp to try to advance his way to earning a training camp invite
Walker played at Brown University from 2020-2023
Walker transferred to Rice and that's when he began his conversion from WR to TE
He had 24 catches for 252 yards with the Owls
Walker is 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds and of course still undersized for an NFL tight end
all the more reason he is the longest of long shots here as it be quite the story if somehow Walker even makes to the 90-man roster for preseason let alone truly contend for a 53-man roster spot
The Chiefs are chasing another trip to the Super Bowl, hoping to overcome their recent blowout defeat at the hands of the Eagles in February
And no, he's not exactly a threat to all-time superstar Travis Kelce, who is likely planning to retire after this season in order to fly off into the sunset with pop icon girlfriend Taylor Swift
But he's the son of a Major Leaguer and he's the brother of the best QB in the business
And it's a story - no doubt about that
Dutch Bros is welcoming customers to explore a fusion of flavors with the launch of Matcha
The world is yours at Dutch with these delicious new drinks – starting today
Keep it classic or try our featured layered matcha drinks including:
Continue your adventure with a special matcha lemonade:
“After hearing so many requests from our customers
we knew it was time to bring matcha to our menu and we couldn’t be more stoked to offer it,” said Tana Davila
“All of our new drinks deliver a unique flavor experience
giving customers the chance to make the world their own at Dutch Bros!”
Complete your journey by sending your tastebuds on an unforgettable trip with Dulce de Leche or Mochi Berry:
Customers can enjoy matcha and more starting May 1 at all 1,000+ Dutch Bros locations
News
Donatos Pizza continues its Texas takeover with the signing of three new franchise groups
further solidifying its commitment to the Lone Star State
The latest deals— two in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and one in Houston— bring Donatos Pizza’s total franchise groups in Texas to nine
with seven now actively developing in DFW and two […]
Potbelly is giving nurses and teachers their well-deserved (May) flowers as a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for all they do
In celebration of National Nurses Week and Teacher Appreciation Week
Potbelly is offering a complimentary cookie or regular-sized fountain drink with the purchase of any entrée to all teachers and nurses from Monday
the premium coffeehouse known for its signature handcrafted beverages and creating day-making experiences
the celebrated dessert company founded by two-time James Beard Award-winning chef Christina Tosi
to bring select Milk Bar signature treats to Caribou coffeehouses nationwide
This collaboration debuts as Caribou Coffee continues strategically expanding nationwide
the neighborhood dessert destination known for its handspun milkshakes and small batch
is opening its newest location in Panama City Beach on Saturday
in Breakfast Point Market Place near Publix the store will welcome guests with a Buy One
a fast-casual health-focused franchise known for its fresh chopped salads
made to order proteins and its Create-Your-Own salad option
available as a salad or wrap and exclusively for first-party orders
announces the hiring of Drew Martin as Chief Information Officer
Martin joins FAT Brands with over 35 years of IT experience
delivering impactful results for a wide range of companies—from Fortune 500 companies to high-growth start-ups
Martin will be focused on delivering scalable technological solutions to progress the growth […]
Bojangles is launching its inaugural National Bo-Berry Week – a five-day celebration of all things Bo-Berry
the iconic platform that’s grown from the chain’s original
the week-long initiative features the highly anticipated return of the Sausage Bo-Berry Biscuits and Bo-Berry Cookies
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers
a leading fast-casual restaurant concept known for its premium steakburgers and shoestring fries
has begun testing the cutting-edge RoboFry X4
a fully automated fry cooking system developed by Charter House Innovations
The pilot is currently underway in Freddy’s Training & Innovation Center and will move to select store locations in […]
Pinkbox Doughnuts has a variety of fun and flavorful doughnuts to show your love for Mom this upcoming Mother’s Day weekend
the Mother’s Day menu of doughnuts includes:
Jack Bech became an NFL player when the Las Vegas Raiders selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft
The younger Bech mourned his brother's loss and credited him for instilling belief the TCU product could become an NFL player in a letter posted to The Players' Tribune
"And I wish more than anything that I could be talking to you right now
as I tell you that this whole thing – getting drafted
beginning my journey as a professional football player – it’s all thanks to you
Bech went on to praise his brother for serving as a quality role model to him and "always having his back" during their youth
the elder Bech would talk up his younger brother at any opportunity
knowing he was on track to become an NFL player
"You were the first one to see greatness in me," Jack Bech explained
"To tell me that God gifted me with some things he doesn’t give to everybody and that there was no limit to what I could do in this life."
"That made me feel like I could do anything I put my mind to
And that confidence you instilled inside me – the confidence you put there – it’s something I’ll have for as long as I live
It’s a huge part of what got me to this place
and one of the biggest things I want to thank you for right now."
Bech made it clear he will continue to honor his brother while with the Raiders
He has a tattoo on his left shoulder that reads "7 to Heaven," an homage to his brother
7 jersey during his college career at Princeton
this whole thing is a two for one deal," Bech wrote
Bech also shared the final message he shared with Tiger as he laid in the trauma unit of the hospital with injuries that "had left him brain dead."
You were the best big brother in the entire world
I was so blessed to be your little brother
and you will always be with me wherever I go."
Hell Gate is owned & run by journalists covering NYC
Columbia graduate student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was kidnapped by ICE during the final stages of his citizenship interview, has been freed on a federal judge's order
"They're just shirts…?" a mayoral spokesperson insists
I've worried multiple times whether I've missed my chance to properly and thoroughly document the sartorial choices of the self-proclaimed swag mayor
the mayor's indictment era brought an all-time low for his swag levels.
How do you judge the clothes and accessories of a man who defenestrated his closest friends, who was abandoned by his last remaining allies, who was reduced to grovelling on live television
But as the weather has heated up, and his charges melted away like so much piss-colored snow
Eric Adams is emerging as the swaggiest he's been in years
And he has emerged with a vision for Spring/Summer 25: shirts.
It all started with a graphic tee. In early April, the mayor showed up at City Hall wearing a simple white t-shirt with "In God We Trust" and an American flag on it tucked into his slacks.
Whether there was some sort of oblique MAGA posturing going on
I would have thrown a nice casual blazer in a breathable fabric like linen over it
Perhaps the mayor got a little too relaxed
because he brought out a second version of the shirt a week later
Adams said it was to commemorate the clubgoers who were killed in a roof collapse in the Dominican Republic
"in Dio confidiamo," ("In God we trust") however
This past weekend, Adams wore an insane shirt while attending the Persian Day Parade and then the Annual Nancy Avis L'Dor V'Dor Awards at the Jewish Community Council of Staten Island.
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Former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has found himself in an unexpected place in recent days: the bro podcast circuit
two comedians known for their impolitic jokes and male-oriented humour
He calmly walked the hosts through the Democratic case against Donald Trump and his own party’s policies
with the two hosts nodding along in agreement
In one clip that went viral
Buttigieg made the case that public investments from the government are necessary for a successful economy
early government funding for what later became the internet
You can’t privatise the public park,” Schulz responded
It shouldn’t have been a revelation that Buttigieg is capable of talking to people across the political spectrum. It’s a skill he has demonstrated since he first ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020. During his campaign and later as Transport Secretary for the Biden administration, he became a regular on Fox News
forcefully making the case for his agenda on territory his party often avoids
Buttigieg’s communication skills are far better than those of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris
But is that enough for the former South Bend
Indiana mayor to mount another bid for the White House
It’s an open secret that Buttigieg remains politically ambitious
passing on contesting a Michigan Senate seat in favour of a potential run in 2028
His first tilt at the White House saw him outperform most of the crowded field — and with greater name recognition
he may be well placed for the next election
Yet the Democrat failed one key test during his first run for president that would foreshadow difficulties for a second
While he performed well among college-educated white voters in early primary and caucus states
he could not sustain momentum because he lacked deep support among minority communities — especially southern African Americans — who make up the backbone of Super Tuesday primary states
The biggest gulf in American politics today is around college education
with Democrats increasingly becoming the party of those with degrees and the Republicans becoming the party of those without them
Buttigieg could be easily painted as a McKinsey elitist
out of touch with the working-class voters drifting further away from the Democrats
And as the party continues to narrow its advantage among minority voters
it will probably take more than the charm of an intelligent communicator to get them back
There’s also the question of how Buttigieg will approach social and cultural issues. He was the butt of many Republican jokes about his purported wokeness during the early 2020s
What Buttigieg has to prove is that he can break out among working-class and minority voters
Doing that will mean more than regaling Fox News hosts or bro podcasters
It will require connecting with audiences at historically black churches and union halls
The great divide in America between people who are college-educated news addicts and those who are too busy working for a living to pay attention to the headlines will be difficult for any candidate to bridge
But in order to really prove that he can heal the problems that ail the Democrats
Buttigieg has to prove that he can reach the people who’ve tuned out of the news altogether
Zaid Jilani is a journalist who has worked for UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center
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Find yourself a sister who is half as loyal to you as Erica Brunson is to her NBA All-Star brother
Last night, the New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 116-113 to win their first-round playoff matchup in six games
Brunson hit a game-winning three that sent New York to the second round to face the Boston Celtics
Detroit was poking fun at Brunson’s tendency to flop when fouled
a billboard went up that narrowly avoided being vulgar while roasting him.
Brunson dropped 40 points on Detroit in a clinching game
After seeing her bro get the job done in phenomenal fashion
Erica made sure to call out the people who roasted him
We love seeing siblings have each other’s backs
The win must be extra satisfying for Erica
because Jalen was the scrutiny of far more taunts than just that billboard sign
Jalen Duren looked at Brunson while he was on the ground and called him a "flopping motherf---er."
Pistons fans showered Brunson with a "F–k you Brunson" chant as well as a "Flopper" one in Game 6
I’m getting pissed off for the sake of my sibling
Sending out that tweet must have felt great
Game one of the Knicks-Celtics series is set for Monday
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which means our favorite summer shows will soon be dusted off the shelf and put back into the primetime lineup
May is officially upon us and our favorite fall shows are signing off for the summer
Of course, for CBS fans
no summer is complete without a new season of Big Brother
The long-running reality TV hit remains a guilty pleasure for viewers every summer
Big Brother returns this summer for its twenty-seventh season on CBS
a season that is sure to find new ways to surprise fans all these years later
Fans have been eagerly waiting for the official Big Brother season 27 release date to drop and it seems our wait is almost over
Taking to Instagram
the Big Brother social media team had a little fun sharing a screen recording of a desktop filled with fun Big Brother Easter eggs for fans
Fans watched as a new BB27 folder was created
with a video labeled “BB Date Announcement” was then dragged to the folder
the words “Coming Soon” faded in as the video faded to black
teasing that an official release date for the season is coming our way and it seems we won’t have to wait long to know when exactly season 27 will begin
The expectation is that season 27 will premiere sometime in July
which is when many of the more recent seasons of the show have kicked off their run
The question is how late into the month we’ll have to wait until Big Brother officially begins
as we’ve seen some seasons start at the top of the month while others have begun later in July
the seasons kick off after the Fourth of July holiday and the new seasons also tend to premiere on Wednesday night
it’s looking likely that Big Brother season 27 will kick off on either Wednesday
This would put us in line with the premiere dates for recent seasons – sans season 25 which was held back until August to help CBS fill its schedule during the 2024 actors and writers strikes – and ensure the season runs through the early part of the fall timed to when CBS begins to turn its lineup over to its returning fall shows
we imagine CBS will be unveiling its 2025 summer lineup sometime the week of May 5
which means we’re likely less than a week away from knowing when Big Brother season 27 will begin
buckle up Big Brother fans because the countdown to the new season is about to begin
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Of course, for CBS fans
Taking to Instagram
A post shared by CBS Big Brother (@bigbrothercbs)
Big Brother season 27 will be here in no time
at least according to a new update from CBS
02-10-2025WORK LIFE
Mark Zuckerberg made a plea for companies to embrace more “masculine energy.” women across industries are pushing back
BY Lisa Rabasca Roepe
In an interview with Joe Rogan last month
Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg made a plea for companies to embrace more “masculine energy.” Zuckerberg went on to say
“A culture that celebrates the aggression a bit more has its own merits.”
Never mind that Meta (then Facebook) became one of the world’s more profitable companies when COO Sheryl Sandberg ran its day-to-day operations
Or that Sandberg urged women to “lean in” by actively pursuing leadership roles and embracing opportunities in the workplace
sparking a global community dedicated to helping foster leadership
advancement and inclusion for women in the workplace
“When a very powerful CEO who has platforms that nearly half of the world’s population use says something like that
regardless of what his intent and his definitions are and his meaning of it is
there’s a whole lens around individual bias and how it will be perceived,” says Samantha Katz
founder of business consultancy Actual Markets LLC in Manhattan
Even before Zuckerberg’s comments about male energy
women say they were noticing a resurgence of masculinity in the workplace
Senior male leaders are no longer hiding that they find it objectionable that they can’t discuss certain topics or say certain jokes in the workplace
“Zuckerberg’s comment was an attempt to crush anything qualitative,” Derricks says
and balance is seen as weak minded and it doesn’t have a place in the workplace.”
Here’s how women are pushing back against toxic male energy in the workplace
Lisa Rabasca Roepe writes about women in the workplace, technology and beer. Her articles appear in The Christian Science Monitor, OZY.com, Family Circle and October. More
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