Holbrook Mohr and Mitch Weiss | The Atavist Magazine | July 2026 | 2,284 words (8 minutes)

This is an excerpt from issue no. 178, “Toxic Lies.”

January 3, 2026

In the isolation ward of a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, a nurse approaches Ron Fowler’s bed, cell phone extended in her hand.

“You have a call,” she says.

Fowler’s eyes flutter open. He tugs off his oxygen tube and, with trembling fingers, accepts the phone.

“Thanks,” he whispers, before turning his attention to us—the callers.

From his voice it’s clear that something is very wrong; he sounds nothing like his usual self. He’s due the next day to meet us for an interview in Paducah, Kentucky, where he and his friend Chuck Deuschle worked at a uranium-enrichment plant that helped fuel America’s nuclear arsenal. Years ago they blew the whistle on the government and its contractors for poisoning thousands of atomic workers. “Can’t make it,” Fowler chokes out. “Blood clots. Hospital. They may have to remove some toes—if those clots don’t reach my heart first. If they do…” He trails off, the terrible ending hanging in the air.

Fowler, soon to turn 77, is desperate to talk before it’s too late—to pull up the memories one more time and commit them to the historical record. He and Deuschle had both moved to Kentucky to work at the nuclear plant, only to discover a grim secret: The facility was exposing people to dangerously high levels of radiation and toxic chemicals, and had concealed the truth about it from employees and the surrounding community. This went on for decades. Faced with a choice—either walk away or stay and sound the alarm—Fowler and Deuschle returned to work, day after day.

More than thirty years later, lying in the hospital with cancer, Fowler is certain that the plant doomed him to a slow, painful death. At 83, Deuschle is also fighting a serious health issue: an unexplained autoimmune disease. They believe their fellow whistleblowers—Deuschle’s wife, Kay, and their friend Garland “Bud” Jenkins—succumbed to illnesses caused by the plant. Still, they’d do it all again. Someone had to reveal the callous disregard the government and the plant’s operators had shown their own people.

Fowler and Deuschle have never shared their story in full—the details of what it was like to live, breathe, and possibly die from their commitment to the truth. But they want people to know, particularly in light of recent news reports: In August 2025, more than a decade after the plant was shut down, a private firm announced that it planned to revive uranium-enrichment operations there. To Fowler and Deuschle, it seems wrong to begin a new chapter in Paducah’s nuclear story. Many former employees are still seeking compensation for their exposure to radiation. Will future generations of workers be any safer?

Fowler struggles for each breath.

“Time’s up,” the nurse says gently, reaching for the phone. “You need to rest.”

Fowler grips the device tighter.

“Call tomorrow when you meet with Chuck,” he implores. “I’m staying alive until then.” He pauses for a moment. “Just make sure Chuck’s with you. Promise me.”

We promise.

1.

One morning in late 1991, Ron Fowler stood in front of the bathroom mirror, parting his hair to the side and noting the first strands of gray at his temples. His beard was neatly trimmed, his black slacks and white dress shirt crisply pressed. He was ready. Today would be his first day at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a uranium-enrichment facility about ten miles outside Paducah, Kentucky. This was more than just a job—it was the start of a new life.

Fowler was a health physicist, an expert in the science of radiation protection. For years he’d traveled the country to train workers at nuclear plants in safety protocols. The pay was great, but being on the road weeks at a time had worn him down. When he moved to Paducah in his early forties, Fowler had already lived in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Arkansas. Paducah promised stability: the perfect place to settle through retirement. His wife’s parents even moved from Illinois to be nearby.

After eating breakfast—a sausage patty and a scrambled egg—he kissed his wife, Sandi, goodbye and slipped out the door. He steered his green Oldsmobile Delta 88 through the country roads outside Paducah and let his mind drift back to his childhood in Florence, South Carolina. Life there had been simple. His father, who dropped out of school in the fourth grade, supported the family by working on the railroad. Florence was a place where men had jobs, women tended to the home and children, everyone went to church, and neighbors helped neighbors who fell on hard times. Paducah felt just as close-knit. Folks looked out for one another, and honest labor was rewarded.

Situated on the Ohio River where it meets the Tennessee, Paducah owes its origins to trade; it was founded in 1827 by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition and named for a powerful Native American tribe. The area is naturally beautiful—the city is surrounded by rolling hills and sprawling plains dotted with ponds. For Fowler, a keen fisherman, it was paradise. Paducah had about 27,000 residents when he arrived. It was big enough to have all the right shops, yet small enough that restaurant owners knew whether regulars preferred barbecue or fried catfish, the local staples.

As Fowler drove, the plant appeared in the distance. It spread over some 3,500 acres—750 of them secured by fences and gates—and sat amid modest homes and farms. The community was proud of this place because of its long history supporting the military. Originally, it was a TNT munitions factory, built during World War II. Later, as Cold War tensions escalated, officials scouted locations for a uranium feed facility to supply weapons-production sites in Piketon, Ohio, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with the material required to make nuclear bombs. Paducah native Alben Barkley leveraged his position as Harry S. Truman’s vice president, campaigning aggressively to repurpose the munitions factory in his hometown. He recognized that the project likely would inject billions into the local economy and transform living standards for the region’s blue-collar workforce.

Construction of the nuclear plant began in 1951. By the following year, it was enriching uranium for atomic bombs and the Navy’s nuclear fleet. Rising from the countryside, the gleaming buildings looked like modern marvels, and the economic windfall lifted Paducah residents’ spirits. Meanwhile, employees at the plant—everyone from nuclear technicians to welders, cooks, and janitors—were united in patriotic pride. Their jobs paid well, and the workers believed that they were helping fend off communism. It was no wonder Life magazine printed a photo spread of the site.

As the Cold War thawed, the mission changed but the jobs remained. The plant began recycling materials—gold, among other things—extracted from dismantled atomic weapons while continuing to enrich uranium, now for nuclear power plants instead of bombs. Wages allowed families to buy homes and cars and afford vacations—the American middle-class dream. The plant operated like a self-contained town for its 1,700 employees: It had its own security force, fire department, library, post office, and health clinic. A shuttle service ferried employees around the plant’s grounds. Workers participated in golf leagues and fishing tournaments. The Uranium Enrichment News kept everyone informed about goings-on at the site.

Though the plant was owned by the Department of Energy, it was run by contractors. Union Carbide initially oversaw operations, followed by Martin Marietta, which later merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin. Management changed, but to employees that just meant a different name on their paychecks. The people on the ground were like family—fiercely loyal to one another and to the plant they called the Atomic City.

Fowler smiled as he drove through a security gate into a sprawling lot. He parked by the administrative building and checked in with a secretary, who called someone to escort him to his department. From there he would lead health and safety training sessions. The federal government had known as early as 1944 that radiation was hazardous and had issued policies to limit worker exposure. It was Fowler’s job to help ensure that regulations were enforced, to protect both employees and the surrounding community from contamination.

He had barely settled in when a coworker poked his head in.

“Want to see the place?”

The complex was huge—more than five hundred buildings connected by nearly twenty miles of access roads. Fowler was impressed until, as he rounded a corner on his tour, a yellow triangular sign with the radiation symbol caught his eye. There was no step-off pad in sight. In a nuclear facility, a step-off pad is a buffer zone between a hazardous area and a clean one. Workers at the Paducah site were supposed to remove radiation-tainted clothing and footwear before crossing through these zones to ensure they didn’t unwittingly transfer dangerous materials to other parts of the plant or transport it home with them.

Fowler flagged down a worker leaving the building where the warning sign was posted. “You don’t have a step-off pad down here,” Fowler said. The worker shrugged and said there was nothing to worry about.

“That sign says otherwise,” Fowler said. He explained that protocol required a pad and training for workers so they knew how to use it.

The worker’s expression was unchanged as he walked away.

Fowler’s pulse quickened as he imagined invisible particles on boot soles spreading throughout the plant or, worse, tracking onto kitchen floors or into rooms where children played. He hurried to his division manager’s office. The supervisor listened, then leaned back in his chair and tapped a pen on his desk calendar. He said he’d call a meeting about the issue.

That night at home, Fowler sat at the kitchen table watching Sandi cook. Normally, he’d have been joking with his wife about her limited culinary range—she often made breakfast for dinner—but tonight his mind was elsewhere. The sizzle from the stove filled the silence between them.

Sandi knew something was wrong. In the years since they first met at a bar in Joliet, Illinois, she’d become attuned to her husband’s moods. Despite his imposing frame—six foot two, 245 pounds—Fowler had always been the gentle sort and quick to laugh. Their courtship progressed quickly, and within four months of meeting Fowler had moved in to her family’s home in Aurora. They married there so her father, a former school principal paralyzed from a stroke, could attend.

“What is it, Ron?” Sandi asked, spatula in hand.

He sighed. “Something’s not right at work.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way they treat radiation—like it can’t hurt them. No precautions,” Fowler said.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sandi replied, frowning.

“I know.” Fowler shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Uranium is a silvery-white radioactive metal. More than 99 percent of it found in nature is U-238, and the rest is U-235, an isotope that can sustain the chain reactions needed to fuel nuclear power production and atomic weapons. Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of U-235 in a supply of uranium. At different points, enrichment produces one powder Paducah workers called black oxide—not to be confused with the coating of the same name applied to some metals to improve corrosion resistance—and another, uranium tetraflouride, that’s known as green salt. Eventually, uranium hexafluoride, a colorless crystalline solid, is heated into a gas that’s pushed through microscopic porous barriers. This process, called gaseous diffusion, separates U-235 from U-238; at plants like the one in Paducah, it’s done hundreds of times in a cascade until the desired enrichment level is reached.

Uranium enrichment is hazardous business. Fowler knew that any leak, spill, or accident at the Paducah plant could damage kidneys and lungs, irritate skin, and increase cancer risk. More insidiously, simple mistakes or oversights by workers could have that same result. During his first few weeks on the job, Fowler explored the plant on his own, and what he found unsettled him. Employees worked in radioactive areas without protective suits or masks. Some couldn’t read and might not understand warning signs. People left the site after their shifts without changing clothes or showering, likely conveying radioactive dust home to their families. Some workers even warmed their lunch on top of machines in hazardous areas.

Fowler knew that things needed to change, and quickly. He took his concerns to the plant manager, Steve Polston, who heard him out and then called a meeting about step-off pads—the very issue Fowler had flagged on his first day. At the meeting, Fowler outlined the safety gaps he’d observed at the plant, but it seemed to him as though the senior managers in the room could barely feign interest. He heard what would become something of a refrain: “We’ve been doing it this way for years.” He was also told that Department of Energy officials visited the site regularly and hadn’t raised concerns.

More worried than ever, Fowler spent the next several months developing new safety protocols. He beamed with satisfaction as he handed the plan to Polston. In the period that followed, however, he became frustrated with how officials implemented the measures. Even when company-issued safety equipment was made available, Fowler noticed that much of it was obsolete. And he watched in disbelief as employees poked holes in respirator masks to smoke while working.

“I’m not making progress,” he told Sandi one night between sips from a can of Miller Lite. “No one is listening.” He likened his work to “scooping water out of the ocean.”

Sandi, who had studied his training manual to understand his work, gently touched his arm. “Be patient,” she suggested. “Maybe you just have to get to know the people better.”

Fowler’s shoulders dropped. “It seems like more than that,” he said.

Holbrook Mohr and Mitch Weiss | The Atavist Magazine | July 2026 | 2,284 words (8 minutes)

This is an excerpt from issue no. 178, “Toxic Lies.”

January 3, 2026

In the isolation ward of a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, a nurse approaches Ron Fowler’s bed, cell phone extended in her hand.

“You have a call,” she says.

Fowler’s eyes flutter open. He tugs off his oxygen tube and, with trembling fingers, accepts the phone.

“Thanks,” he whispers, before turning his attention to us—the callers.

From his voice it’s clear that something is very wrong; he sounds nothing like his usual self. He’s due the next day to meet us for an interview in Paducah, Kentucky, where he and his friend Chuck Deuschle worked at a uranium-enrichment plant that helped fuel America’s nuclear arsenal. Years ago they blew the whistle on the government and its contractors for poisoning thousands of atomic workers. “Can’t make it,” Fowler chokes out. “Blood clots. Hospital. They may have to remove some toes—if those clots don’t reach my heart first. If they do…” He trails off, the terrible ending hanging in the air.

Fowler, soon to turn 77, is desperate to talk before it’s too late—to pull up the memories one more time and commit them to the historical record. He and Deuschle had both moved to Kentucky to work at the nuclear plant, only to discover a grim secret: The facility was exposing people to dangerously high levels of radiation and toxic chemicals, and had concealed the truth about it from employees and the surrounding community. This went on for decades. Faced with a choice—either walk away or stay and sound the alarm—Fowler and Deuschle returned to work, day after day.

More than thirty years later, lying in the hospital with cancer, Fowler is certain that the plant doomed him to a slow, painful death. At 83, Deuschle is also fighting a serious health issue: an unexplained autoimmune disease. They believe their fellow whistleblowers—Deuschle’s wife, Kay, and their friend Garland “Bud” Jenkins—succumbed to illnesses caused by the plant. Still, they’d do it all again. Someone had to reveal the callous disregard the government and the plant’s operators had shown their own people.

Fowler and Deuschle have never shared their story in full—the details of what it was like to live, breathe, and possibly die from their commitment to the truth. But they want people to know, particularly in light of recent news reports: In August 2025, more than a decade after the plant was shut down, a private firm announced that it planned to revive uranium-enrichment operations there. To Fowler and Deuschle, it seems wrong to begin a new chapter in Paducah’s nuclear story. Many former employees are still seeking compensation for their exposure to radiation. Will future generations of workers be any safer?

Fowler struggles for each breath.

“Time’s up,” the nurse says gently, reaching for the phone. “You need to rest.”

Fowler grips the device tighter.

“Call tomorrow when you meet with Chuck,” he implores. “I’m staying alive until then.” He pauses for a moment. “Just make sure Chuck’s with you. Promise me.”

We promise.

1.

One morning in late 1991, Ron Fowler stood in front of the bathroom mirror, parting his hair to the side and noting the first strands of gray at his temples. His beard was neatly trimmed, his black slacks and white dress shirt crisply pressed. He was ready. Today would be his first day at the Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant, a uranium-enrichment facility about ten miles outside Paducah, Kentucky. This was more than just a job—it was the start of a new life.

Fowler was a health physicist, an expert in the science of radiation protection. For years he’d traveled the country to train workers at nuclear plants in safety protocols. The pay was great, but being on the road weeks at a time had worn him down. When he moved to Paducah in his early forties, Fowler had already lived in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and Arkansas. Paducah promised stability: the perfect place to settle through retirement. His wife’s parents even moved from Illinois to be nearby.

After eating breakfast—a sausage patty and a scrambled egg—he kissed his wife, Sandi, goodbye and slipped out the door. He steered his green Oldsmobile Delta 88 through the country roads outside Paducah and let his mind drift back to his childhood in Florence, South Carolina. Life there had been simple. His father, who dropped out of school in the fourth grade, supported the family by working on the railroad. Florence was a place where men had jobs, women tended to the home and children, everyone went to church, and neighbors helped neighbors who fell on hard times. Paducah felt just as close-knit. Folks looked out for one another, and honest labor was rewarded.

Situated on the Ohio River where it meets the Tennessee, Paducah owes its origins to trade; it was founded in 1827 by William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition and named for a powerful Native American tribe. The area is naturally beautiful—the city is surrounded by rolling hills and sprawling plains dotted with ponds. For Fowler, a keen fisherman, it was paradise. Paducah had about 27,000 residents when he arrived. It was big enough to have all the right shops, yet small enough that restaurant owners knew whether regulars preferred barbecue or fried catfish, the local staples.

As Fowler drove, the plant appeared in the distance. It spread over some 3,500 acres—750 of them secured by fences and gates—and sat amid modest homes and farms. The community was proud of this place because of its long history supporting the military. Originally, it was a TNT munitions factory, built during World War II. Later, as Cold War tensions escalated, officials scouted locations for a uranium feed facility to supply weapons-production sites in Piketon, Ohio, and Oak Ridge, Tennessee, with the material required to make nuclear bombs. Paducah native Alben Barkley leveraged his position as Harry S. Truman’s vice president, campaigning aggressively to repurpose the munitions factory in his hometown. He recognized that the project likely would inject billions into the local economy and transform living standards for the region’s blue-collar workforce.

Construction of the nuclear plant began in 1951. By the following year, it was enriching uranium for atomic bombs and the Navy’s nuclear fleet. Rising from the countryside, the gleaming buildings looked like modern marvels, and the economic windfall lifted Paducah residents’ spirits. Meanwhile, employees at the plant—everyone from nuclear technicians to welders, cooks, and janitors—were united in patriotic pride. Their jobs paid well, and the workers believed that they were helping fend off communism. It was no wonder Life magazine printed a photo spread of the site.

As the Cold War thawed, the mission changed but the jobs remained. The plant began recycling materials—gold, among other things—extracted from dismantled atomic weapons while continuing to enrich uranium, now for nuclear power plants instead of bombs. Wages allowed families to buy homes and cars and afford vacations—the American middle-class dream. The plant operated like a self-contained town for its 1,700 employees: It had its own security force, fire department, library, post office, and health clinic. A shuttle service ferried employees around the plant’s grounds. Workers participated in golf leagues and fishing tournaments. The Uranium Enrichment News kept everyone informed about goings-on at the site.

Though the plant was owned by the Department of Energy, it was run by contractors. Union Carbide initially oversaw operations, followed by Martin Marietta, which later merged with Lockheed to become Lockheed Martin. Management changed, but to employees that just meant a different name on their paychecks. The people on the ground were like family—fiercely loyal to one another and to the plant they called the Atomic City.

Fowler smiled as he drove through a security gate into a sprawling lot. He parked by the administrative building and checked in with a secretary, who called someone to escort him to his department. From there he would lead health and safety training sessions. The federal government had known as early as 1944 that radiation was hazardous and had issued policies to limit worker exposure. It was Fowler’s job to help ensure that regulations were enforced, to protect both employees and the surrounding community from contamination.

He had barely settled in when a coworker poked his head in.

“Want to see the place?”

The complex was huge—more than five hundred buildings connected by nearly twenty miles of access roads. Fowler was impressed until, as he rounded a corner on his tour, a yellow triangular sign with the radiation symbol caught his eye. There was no step-off pad in sight. In a nuclear facility, a step-off pad is a buffer zone between a hazardous area and a clean one. Workers at the Paducah site were supposed to remove radiation-tainted clothing and footwear before crossing through these zones to ensure they didn’t unwittingly transfer dangerous materials to other parts of the plant or transport it home with them.

Fowler flagged down a worker leaving the building where the warning sign was posted. “You don’t have a step-off pad down here,” Fowler said. The worker shrugged and said there was nothing to worry about.

“That sign says otherwise,” Fowler said. He explained that protocol required a pad and training for workers so they knew how to use it.

The worker’s expression was unchanged as he walked away.

Fowler’s pulse quickened as he imagined invisible particles on boot soles spreading throughout the plant or, worse, tracking onto kitchen floors or into rooms where children played. He hurried to his division manager’s office. The supervisor listened, then leaned back in his chair and tapped a pen on his desk calendar. He said he’d call a meeting about the issue.

That night at home, Fowler sat at the kitchen table watching Sandi cook. Normally, he’d have been joking with his wife about her limited culinary range—she often made breakfast for dinner—but tonight his mind was elsewhere. The sizzle from the stove filled the silence between them.

Sandi knew something was wrong. In the years since they first met at a bar in Joliet, Illinois, she’d become attuned to her husband’s moods. Despite his imposing frame—six foot two, 245 pounds—Fowler had always been the gentle sort and quick to laugh. Their courtship progressed quickly, and within four months of meeting Fowler had moved in to her family’s home in Aurora. They married there so her father, a former school principal paralyzed from a stroke, could attend.

“What is it, Ron?” Sandi asked, spatula in hand.

He sighed. “Something’s not right at work.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way they treat radiation—like it can’t hurt them. No precautions,” Fowler said.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Sandi replied, frowning.

“I know.” Fowler shook his head. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Uranium is a silvery-white radioactive metal. More than 99 percent of it found in nature is U-238, and the rest is U-235, an isotope that can sustain the chain reactions needed to fuel nuclear power production and atomic weapons. Enrichment is the process of increasing the concentration of U-235 in a supply of uranium. At different points, enrichment produces one powder Paducah workers called black oxide—not to be confused with the coating of the same name applied to some metals to improve corrosion resistance—and another, uranium tetraflouride, that’s known as green salt. Eventually, uranium hexafluoride, a colorless crystalline solid, is heated into a gas that’s pushed through microscopic porous barriers. This process, called gaseous diffusion, separates U-235 from U-238; at plants like the one in Paducah, it’s done hundreds of times in a cascade until the desired enrichment level is reached.

Uranium enrichment is hazardous business. Fowler knew that any leak, spill, or accident at the Paducah plant could damage kidneys and lungs, irritate skin, and increase cancer risk. More insidiously, simple mistakes or oversights by workers could have that same result. During his first few weeks on the job, Fowler explored the plant on his own, and what he found unsettled him. Employees worked in radioactive areas without protective suits or masks. Some couldn’t read and might not understand warning signs. People left the site after their shifts without changing clothes or showering, likely conveying radioactive dust home to their families. Some workers even warmed their lunch on top of machines in hazardous areas.

Fowler knew that things needed to change, and quickly. He took his concerns to the plant manager, Steve Polston, who heard him out and then called a meeting about step-off pads—the very issue Fowler had flagged on his first day. At the meeting, Fowler outlined the safety gaps he’d observed at the plant, but it seemed to him as though the senior managers in the room could barely feign interest. He heard what would become something of a refrain: “We’ve been doing it this way for years.” He was also told that Department of Energy officials visited the site regularly and hadn’t raised concerns.

More worried than ever, Fowler spent the next several months developing new safety protocols. He beamed with satisfaction as he handed the plan to Polston. In the period that followed, however, he became frustrated with how officials implemented the measures. Even when company-issued safety equipment was made available, Fowler noticed that much of it was obsolete. And he watched in disbelief as employees poked holes in respirator masks to smoke while working.

“I’m not making progress,” he told Sandi one night between sips from a can of Miller Lite. “No one is listening.” He likened his work to “scooping water out of the ocean.”

Sandi, who had studied his training manual to understand his work, gently touched his arm. “Be patient,” she suggested. “Maybe you just have to get to know the people better.”

Fowler’s shoulders dropped. “It seems like more than that,” he said.

Why we love this deal

The right bedding can not only completely change the look of your bedroom without replacing furniture or redecorating, but it also offers a peaceful and comfortable night's sleep that can completely change how you feel the next morning. Changing out bedding is already necessary, so adding a new set into the mix is one of the easiest ways to freshen up a space. If you're looking for something that saves space, opting for a year-round set can make things even easier, more cost-friendly, and more space-efficient. 

If your current bedding has seen better days, you want to update your bed for fall, or you're furnishing a guest room, apartment, or college space, a bed-in-a-bag set is an easy and convenient way to update the whole bed. The Amberspace 7-Piece Bedding Set provides a full bedding set, making your room feel coordinated, comfortable, and cozy for just $50, saving shoppers 38%. 

Amberspace 7-Piece Bedding Set, $50 (was $80) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

This queen set includes everything needed to make the bed from top to bottom, including a comforter, fitted sheet, flat sheet, two pillow cases, and two matching shams. The comforter features a textured finish that's made through a cationic dyeing process, giving it depth and helping the color maintain its appearance after several washes. If a queen Sage Green fit isn't right for your bedroom, the collection is also available in other colors and sizes at different prices, including Oatmeal Beige, Autumn Leaf, Terracotta, Deep Forest, and more, all available in sizes Full, Queen, King, and even oversized options as well.

Related: Macy's is selling a reversible floral-print comforter set for just $35

Comfort is just as important as appearance. The comforter is filled with lightweight polyester fill designed to offer a plush and cloud-like feel without being too heavy, making it a great option throughout the year. The entire set is Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified, providing a safe option that's made without harmful substances, so you can sleep well knowing you're using clean materials. This set can also be machine washed, making it simple to maintain over years of use. These sets can also be mixed and matched with other sets. If the comforter is too warm, using it as a blanket on the sofa in the evenings, or just as a presentable cover in the guest room, allows you to continue using it year-round while still staying comfortable.

Details to know

• The set: This set includes a comforter, a fitted sheet, a flat sheet, two pillow cases, and two shams.
• Colors: The Sage Green queen size is the best deal, but the collection is also available in other colors and sizes at different prices, including Oatmeal Beige, Autumn Leaf, Terracotta, Deep Forest, and more, all available in sizes Full, Queen, King, and even oversized options as well.
• Pockets: The set features pockets for your phone, remote, books, or other items so they don't fall or get lost during the night.

"It's stunning," said one shopper. "It's great quality. The best part is it has pockets on both sides. I love using them for my phone or remote controller. I will definitely purchase additional sets in the future."

Another reviewer said, "This is a great comforter and an excellent value for the price. It's soft, warm, and looks great in the bedroom."

Shop more deals

• Catami 7-Piece Comforter Set, $40 (was $72) at Walmart
• Amberspace Floral 7-Piece Bedset, $45 (was $80) at Walmart
• Vccoem 7-Piece Bed Set, $32 (was $66) at Walmart

The Amberspace 7-Piece Bedding Set offers a full bed makeover for less than $8 a piece. The fluffy comforter is warm yet light, offering an option for layering in the winter or breathable warmth in the summer, and the sheet pockets are convenient for essentials. Shoppers can save 38% on this set at Walmart.

Visit Man of Many for the full post.

Why we love this deal

Soon the busy college students will flock back to campus, and although they might be more excited about seeing their friends and getting back to their social lives, there's also school to think about. It might not be the thing everyone is excited about, but sometimes some new supplies and a few crucial electronic devices like the Lenovo Idea Tab Tablet can get even the most resistant students excited for class to get back into session. And while laptops are certainly the more popular choice when it comes to keeping notes, submitting assignments, and staying up to date with the syllabus, a tablet functions almost exactly in the same way with the added benefit of being more portable and easy to transport across campus. 

The Lenovo Idea Tab Tablet, also dubbed the ‘College Tablet’, is a young adult's dream when it comes to staying plugged in even when you're on the go. Right now,  it's on sale for 27% at Amazon  — just a few weeks ahead of the start of the school year. Instead of paying $274, it's not only $200. And even if you're not a busy student, this tablet has lots of great features that the everyday working man or casual user can have fun playing around with. 

Lenovo Idea Tab Tablet, $200 (was $274) at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

These days, tablet technology has caught up to that of a laptop, but unlike the latter, the former is far easier to use and travel with when you're constantly on the move. Whether you're headed to class or the office, a tablet is far more lightweight and portable, making it the perfect pick for the student jumping from class to class or the workaholic who wants to be able to finish tasks in the office, on the train, or in the car. 

Although this tablet doesn't have a keyboard, you can buy one separately to give you typing capabilities that expand past the touchscreen, and the included Lenovo Tab pen helps you navigate sans traditional mouse. The 11-inch screen has a 2560 x 1600 in-plane switching (IPS) display that emits colorful, vibrant images while also using special low blue light hardware solutions to minimize eye-fatigue and strain. When streaming, you can enjoy the quad Dolby Atmos-tuned speakers which deliver crispy crystal-clear sound with those bright graphic images. 

Unlike a laptop, which runs on a traditional file system like Windows or macOS, this device runs on an Android 15 operating system. Designed by Google, it comes pre-loaded with four learning apps — Lenovo AI Note, Squid, Nebo, and MyScript Calculator — ideal for note taking, sketching, and organizing your work. It also has additional AI features like Google's Circle to Search, where you simply circle information on your screen and get answers easily without switching apps. It is fast and very responsive, especially paired with the MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor. 

Related: Walmart's top-rated $200 smartwatch is 83% off, and it comes with 7 stylish wristbands

The device has 256 gigabytes (GB) of built-in storage space which gives you more than enough room for additional apps, documents, photos, and videos. You can also add more storage, up to 512 GB with a microSD card if need be. 

Details to know

• Dimensions: The tablet measures 10.02 inches long, 6.54 inches wide, and 0.28 inches thick with an 11-inch diagonal screen.
•  Weight: 1.1 pounds.
•  Operating system: Android 15.
•  Battery life: 12 hours on a single charge. 
• Includes: With the purchase of the tablet you also get a Folio case and the Lenovo Tab Pen. 

"A powerful and versatile tablet with unbeatable value," one shopper described this device. It has a fast, responsive refresh rate, delivers colorful, crisp graphics, and sound, and you can take notes, write up documents, handle heavy development files, or video edit with ease. It has a really great battery life, so you don't have to worry about constantly rushing to plug it back in after a couple of hours, and it's far easier to take notes on with the Lenovo Tab Pen which allows you to handwrite directly with the touchscreen. Not only is it great for students and workers, but shoppers say it's also ideal for "hobby artists, readers, binge watches, and cozy gamers."

Shop more deals 

• Lenovo Idea Tab Pro with Google Gemini, $300 (was $340) at Amazon
• Apple iPad 11-Inch A16 Model, $400 (was $449) at Amazon
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College student or not, everyone can find use and enjoyment out of the Lenovo Idea Tab Tablet, especially when it's only $200 right now at Amazon. 

If you have purchased a vehicle in the last decade, you have undoubtedly noticed the transition of your center console away from an array of knobs and buttons towards a single touch screen in the middle of the dashboard that seems to only be getting bigger.

There are obvious advantages to the touch screen, including flexibility, the ability to house multiple functions in one place, smartphone compatibility, and it just looks cooler and more futuristic. But the futuristic look also comes with a major trade-off: usability.

“The overuse of touchscreens is an industry-wide problem, with almost every vehicle-maker moving key controls onto central touchscreens, obliging drivers to take their eyes off the road and raising the risk of distraction crashes,” said Matthew Avery, director of strategic development at Euro NCAP.

But a recent video that is going viral on social media shows that the digitization of these simple functions has a much more basic flaw.

Digital climate control is slower than analog

If you have one of the new digitized control consoles in your vehicle, then this viral video might strike a chord.

A Ford owner decided to show just how long it took for him to turn on the air conditioning in his new Ford vs. how long it takes to turn on the AC in his older vehicle.

The video shows the man sitting in a parking lot, having to wait for the screen to boot up with the Ford logo before he can turn on his AC. "I get it you're a Ford! Let me turn the ****ing AC on!" a clearly frustrated and probably really hot driver says before a quick cut to his Volkswagen shows him able to turn on the air conditioning immediately by just turning a couple of knobs and pressing a button.

The video ends with a voiceover of another person saying, "Does anyone find it interesting that states are making it illegal to be on your phone, meanwhile vehicle manufacturers are literally installing massive tablets in your car?"

Users under the post found a safe space to also express their frustrations.

"I mostly hate that my Chevy is basically booting up every time I open a door, but in this case, that just means it's ready to go when I do start it up. Also, you can't take my physical AC buttons away from me. Stuff you should check before you buy," said one Twitter user.

"I drove a Ford Flex rental with a similar setup. It was infuriating and dangerous to use when driving. I'm all for screens for navigation and music, but the climate controls need to be physical. I can't believe this s**t is legal. An absolute deal breaker for me," said another.

And it's not just American cars with this problem.

"Very true. Toyota big screen is distracting. They removed one knob for changing channels. Now I have to hunt and pick. Hunt means look at screen, eyes off road," said another user.

American shows the amount of time it takes for his new Ford to turn on, boot up the screen and finally get to turn on the AC

He then shows how quickly and simple it is to do in his older car

Does anyone else find it strange that in many states make it illegal to look at your… pic.twitter.com/zut4APeQdL

— Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) August 4, 2026

Car makers are bringing analog back

The good news for drivers is that some car makers seem to be listening to at least some of the customer feedback.

Volkswagen, Hyundai and Mazda are examples of carmakers that have recently reintroduced buttons for climate control, audio volume and seat settings. Others are going for a hybrid layout with touchscreens for navigation and entertainment and physical buttons for other things like fan speed, hazard lights and defrost.

"As automakers continue to refine their in-car tech, the trend is clear: user-friendly design is back in style, and buttons might just be the feature you didn’t know you missed," Blair Qualey, President and CEO of the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia, said.

The European New Car Assessment Program is making analog options a prerequisite for achieving the highest rating from the agency.

Starting in January, to earn a five-star rating from NCAP, a car must use analog controls, including buttons, stalks, or dials, for five tasks: turn signals, emergency flashers, horn, windshield wipers, and calling emergency services. Cars that relegate those functions to a touchscreen are docked points.

Volkswagen has taken a lot of heat for its digital-only dashboard, but the company seems to have recognized the error in its ways.

"We will never, ever make this mistake anymore," design chief Andreas Mindt recently said, according to Hagerty. "On the steering wheel, we will have physical buttons. No guessing anymore. There's feedback, it's real, and people love this."

His closing statement sums the issue up pretty succinctly.

"Honestly, it's a car," Mindt said. "It's not a phone: it's a car."

Related: Alleged Ford cookie thief responds after losing $200,000 a year job

Visit Man of Many for the full post.

Why we love this deal

With summer in full swing and the weather heating up, we're also in the season when our homes get unbearably stuffy. For those without central air conditioning, being indoors may be very uncomfortable as you try and combat the heat and humidity with nothing but a hand fan and an ice-cold beverage.

To deal with the summer heat, investing in a portable air conditioner will mean that you can keep your home comfortably cool, even if you don't have a built-in unit in your apartment. The Costway 6000BTU 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner is an excellent shopper-loved option, and you can currently get it at a steep discount — it's marked down to $202 from its original price tag of $399.

Costway 6000BTU 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner, $202 (was $399) at Walmart

Details to know

A versatile model, it's a 3-in-1 air conditioner with added fan and dehumidifier modes. It's powerful enough to cool a small apartment, and the manual shutters will allow you to change the air's direction to suit your needs.

For safety and convenience, the portable AC is made with a one to 24-hour timer, and the whisper-quiet sleep mode allows for a sweat-free slumber. Easy to operate, the device has an LED display and can be controlled from a distance with a remote control.

Related: Black+Decker's bestselling portable air conditioner is a 'lifesaver' that's $150 off at Amazon

Why do shoppers love it?

Shoppers are thrilled with the AC unit, which they call the "best purchase ever."

"It is the perfect size to cool [our] one-bedroom place," said one reviewer. "It's small, quiet, lightweight, and easy to move or store. We love it."

"Great product worth every penny," said a third. "Highly recommend."

Stay prepared for heat waves with the Costway 6000BTU 3-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner at Walmart for only $202.

Why we love this deal

Patio furniture is not what it used to be, and that's a great development. Getting comfortable on outdoor furniture for your home used to be an exercise in futility, but today's patio sets are ergonomically designed and made from premium materials. Case in point, one of Walmart's best piece patio sets is currently on sale, and just looking at the pictures makes us wish we were lounging in them right now.

The Aiho 3-Piece Patio Set is on sale right now for only $68, which is an affordable price compared to other outdoor sets. If that discount doesn't make you incredibly comfortable, then we're not sure what will.

Aiho 3-Piece Patio Set, $68 (was $90) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

This set has everything you could want in outdoor furniture and none of the unnecessary extras. It includes two comfy chairs and a small end table. All three pieces are made from reinforced rustproof stainless steel, and the chairs are covered in flexible Textilene fabric. The table has a durable and shatter-resistant tempered glass top, which is attractive and easy to clean. An ergonomic design makes the chairs incredibly comfortable to sit in.

The waterproof design of this entire set makes it perfect for keeping outside all year long. Each piece also has anti-slip grip pads on the legs, so you can be sure not to slide around on your deck or patio, even in damp conditions. Aside from its durability, Textilene fabric is incredibly breathable as well, so this is a terrific set for the warm and humid months when airflow is the key to comfort.

Related: Walmart is selling a 3-piece rocking chair patio set for just $63

Details to know

• Construction: Stainless steel and Textilene fabric.
• Weight capacity: 330 pounds per seat.
• Tabletop: Shatter-resistant tempered glass.

Walmart shoppers quickly fell in love with this set. One called it the "best budget-friendly patio set," adding that it fits perfectly on a small patio apartment.

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The Aiho 3-Piece Patio Set is a great option for outdoor spaces of any size. At just $68, you can't go wrong with this buy. Just don't wait too long. Since it's under $100, you have limited time to snap this deal up.

Visit Man of Many for the full post.

Why we love this deal

Back-to-school season is unearthing a lot of unexpected nostalgia, particularly from the Y2K era. From transparent tech to millennium-esque novelty items, people are searching for ways to add more playful designs to their wardrobes and spaces, especially in the college scene. 

In Macy's college essentials section, I noticed a name that was a staple during Y2K: Juicy Couture. The name alone brought me back to the heyday of its iconic velour tracksuits, but I've also seen the brand's resurgence, namely with its handbags, while shopping around in stores. Beyond its apparel and accessories, it looks like the brand's bedding is just as popular, as the Juicy Couture Plush Throw is one of the first featured items among Macy's back-to-school picks. 

Right now, you can get the throw blanket on sale for only $14. It was originally $45, but thanks to a double discount during Macy's Big Home Sale, you can get it for 68% off. 

Juicy Couture Plush Throw, $14 (was $45) at Macy's

Why do shoppers love it?

When you want to make a statement in your bedroom, whether it's at home or in a college dorm, a throw blanket is the best way to do it. And what better way to make a statement than with one of the most eye-catching brands from the Y2K era?

This Juicy Couture throw is made of plush material that's "soft" and "luxurious," according to shoppers. It's the kind of blanket that you can use as decor, draping it over your bed, your sofa, or your chair, but also use it in a practical sense for extra warmth and comfort. 

It comes in 22 colors and patterns, with something for everyone. There are solid hues that lean more minimal. Then, there are the bold patterns that Juicy Couture is known for, like cheetah print, crowns, and the iconic Juicy Couture logo in gothic-style font. 

Related: Macy's $100 8-piece striped comforter set is on sale for $35

Details to know

• Dimensions: 50 inches by 70 inches.
• Colors: 22.
• Material: Polyester.

Macy's shoppers said they loved the blanket, noting its designs, texture, and durability. "For starters, it is adorable and has a fun color scheme and print, but it’s also very soft and has held up over time. Even with weekly washes, it has remained the same texture as when it first arrived," a customer said. "It’s so soft and comfortable to lay with. It is also very lightweight but warm enough to keep you cozy while relaxing or through the night."

Shop more deals

• Lucky Brand Daisy Floral Cozy Plush Throw, $22 (was $45) at Macy's
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• Betsey Johnson Etched Leopard Printed Plush Throw, $23 (was $60) at Macy's

The Juicy Couture Plush Throw is a soft, cozy home find that's a steal, whether you're back-to-school shopping for your college dorm or you're looking to dress up your space with a playful pattern. Add it to your cart while it's on sale for $14, as the 68% discount won't last for long. 

The post This Game Boy Advance clone is a cheap Android handheld from AYANEO appeared first on Liliputing.

\Anyone who’s ever applied for a tech job will know how competitive the process can be. Now, OpenAI finds itself in hot water after agreeing to pay $3.2 million to resolve allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Federal officials claim the AI startup intentionally favored foreign workers on temporary employment visas over qualified American job seekers.

Bizarre recruitment tactics under scrutiny

According to the DOJ’s investigation, OpenAI and its subsidiary, Statsig Inc., deliberately bypassed standard hiring practices for roles under the Permanent Labor Certification (PERM) program. Under federal law, companies must publicly advertise PERM positions to ensure foreign workers do not displace U.S. citizens in the labor market. However, investigators found OpenAI took unusual steps to actively discourage domestic applicants.

OpenAI reportedly chose not to list open PERM positions on its public career site, despite routinely posting all other job openings there. Even stranger, the company required applicants for these specific roles to mail physical paper applications while running job advertisements on late-night radio broadcasts.

The DOJ noted that fewer than ten positions were actually involved. However, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said that the steep settlement reflects the economic harm caused when domestic workers are denied access to lucrative technology jobs (via Politico).

Penalties, policy overhauls, and tech-wide impact

Under the terms of the deal, OpenAI will pay $1.2 million in civil penalties directly to the U.S. government. The firm will also create a $2 million back-pay fund to compensate affected job seekers. Plus, the agreement forces OpenAI to post all future PERM positions on its public career portal, accept online applications and train hiring managers on the anti-discrimination provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The firm must also submit to ongoing government monitoring.

OpenAI, for its part, pushed back against the findings. A company spokesperson stated that recruiting global talent is essential to its mission of making artificial general intelligence benefit humanity. They added that while OpenAI disagrees with the DOJ’s conclusions, they agreed to the settlement to resolve the matter and keep its PERM program moving forward.

This case represents the 13th settlement secured under the DOJ’s Protecting U.S. Workers Initiative since it relaunched in 2025. It follows similar past enforcement actions against major tech players like Meta and Apple.

The post DOJ Hits OpenAI with $3.2 Million Penalty Over US Citizen Hiring Discrimination appeared first on Android Headlines.

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Tesla is not part of that consensus, as CEO Elon Musk has called light detection and ranging driver-assistance an “expensive and unnecessary” fool’s errand, just “expensive hardware that’s worthless on the car.”

But Waymo, which has the most extensive autonomous driving network as well as the most miles driven autonomously, says that any robotaxi system that isn't using Lidar isn't operating at its full potential.

"There has been a long-standing debate about what kind of sensors you actually need for autonomous driving. Naturally, more sensors means higher performance, but it also means higher complexity," Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov said this week during his Y Combinator keynote.

"So humans, of course, can drive with just eyes," Dolgov continued. "And if the goal was to just approximately match human performance or to build an assist product, then that is a very reasonable way to go. However, if you are targeting full autonomy and you're targeting strongly superhuman performance, you find that weak sensing just leads to a safety curve that flattens out way too early."

Waymo vehicles use three different sensing modalities in their robotaxis: radar, Lidar and cameras.

Meanwhile, Tesla uses just one: cameras. And though Dolgov never mentioned his top rival, it was clear who he was referring to during his speech.

Why are camera-only robotaxis insufficient?

SAE International (formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers) considers advanced driver assistance systems, such as GM Super Cruise and Tesla Full Self-Driving, to be Level 2 automation, which requires the driver to remain engaged.

Anything Level 3 and above is considered truly “autonomous.” This means no human intervention is required when the system activates features such as lane assist and automatic braking. However, the system must be enabled by a present driver who must take over when asked. J.D. Power lists Mercedes’ Drive Pilot as a Level 3 system.

Waymo and Tesla Robotaxi operate on Level 4, but according to Dolgov, Robotaxi's camera-only approach leaves some big holes in its safety profile.

Related: Waymo vs. human drivers: Experts reveal which is safer

"Cameras give you high resolution in color. But they are passive, and they degrade in darkness and glare," Dolgov said. "Lidar and radar are active sensors, so that means they see just as well in pitch darkness or, for example, when driving into a blinding sunset."

Waymo's three-pronged sensor stack includes radar, Lidar and cameras, and Dolgov says those three systems working in tandem help make Waymo safer than some competitors.

"Lidar gives you a direct measurement of the 3-D structure of the world around you. Radar is good at punching through environmental conditions," Dolgov said. "In our stack, each modality has an encoder, and the information from each of those sensors gets fused into a single view of the world around you that is much more precise and generally vastly superior to what you get with any one sensor."

He went on to show a video of a Waymo travelling down a foggy street with side-by-side images of the HD camera and Lidar systems working in tandem. The camera misses a pedestrian standing on the side of the road that the Lidar sees clearly.

NHTSA opens ‘engineering analysis’ into Tesla FSD cameras

Earlier this year, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Office of Defects and Investigations announced that it was escalating its investigation into Tesla FSD by opening an "engineering analysis" to evaluate Tesla Vision's "degradation detection system."

In layman's terms, the NHTSA is investigating how much camera visibility is degraded by roadway conditions such as glare and airborne obstructions, and whether Tesla FSD (Supervised) can detect and adjust to the resulting degradation and still work safely.

“Available incident data raise concerns that Tesla’s degradation detection system, both as originally deployed and later updated, fails to detect and/or warn the driver appropriately under degraded visibility conditions,” the NHTSA said.

More Tesla:

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The agency has identified nine crashes in which it says Tesla FSD’s degradation systems may not have been functioning properly. It says FSD “did not detect common roadway conditions that impaired its visibility and/or provide alerts when camera performance had deteriorated until immediately before the crash occurred.

And there could be many more instances that the agency does not know about because their review of Tesla’s responses to its request for more information revealed: “additional crashes that occurred in similar environments and where the system either did not detect a degraded state, and/or it did not present the driver with an alert with adequate time for the driver to react.”

While Tesla FSD isn't the same as Tesla Robotaxi in terms of its capabilities, both systems rely solely on cameras to function.

Tesla explains why it does not need Lidar

While the NHTSA directly lists the lack of radar as a possible component in these crashes, Tesla says the system is unnecessary.

Most experts consider a light detection and ranging driver-assistance system to be the state-of-the-art technology. Tesla competitors like Toyota offer Lidar, in addition to the camera-based system that Tesla FSD uses.

Tesla Vision refers to the system and software that power the eight cameras on every Tesla vehicle, providing a 360-degree view of its surroundings. Tesla says the system relies on a neural network that allows it to bypass the need for radar assistance.

Lidar uses lasers to measure distances and create highly detailed 3D models of its surroundings. Autonomous driving company Zoox uses this tech, along with cameras, long-wave infrared sensors, and microphones, to map the traffic around it. 

Related: Trump FCC gives Tesla a leg up in critical technology race

The nation's largest bookstore chain, Barnes & Noble Inc., will close a popular store location in Redwood City, Calif., which operated for 33 years, as its landlord will not renew its lease.

The bookstore chain revealed in an Instagram post that its last day of operation will be Sept. 16.

Barnes & Noble closes longtime location

"It is with great sadness that we let you know of the closure of this store, forced by the end to our lease and the landlord offering no option to continue," Barnes & Noble Redwood City said in the Instagram post.

The bookstore chain said that it is seeking a new location in the Redwood City area as soon as possible, but will open a new store in fall 2026 in The Crossroads shopping center, about 20 miles away in Cupertino, Calif.

Barnes & Noble invited customers to visit its nearby stores in San Mateo and Burlingame, Calif.

Company closed five other stores

The bookstore chain has closed five other stores in 2026 in Nanuet, N.Y; Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Waterbury, Conn.; San Bruno, Calif.; and Portland, Ore.

Barnes & Noble previously closed its store in the Almaden Plaza shopping center in San Jose in January 2025, according to KRON-TV in San Francisco. Management was offered positions at other location, but associates were not.

Barnes & Noble opening 60 stores

Despite closing about six stores so far in 2026, Barnes & Noble said it plans to open about 60 new stores this year, according to a company statement. The chain opened about 67 locations in 2025 and 57 in 2024.

Founded in 1971, Barnes & Noble had declined to fewer than 600 locations by 2023 but now operates over 700 bookstores in the U.S. after its recovery and expansion, according to the company. The chain also operates its e-commerce website BN.com.

Barnes & Noble's expansion comes after the chain downsized beginning in 2010 until 2022, closing about 150 stores.

While Barnes & Noble, has been recovering from its company downturn, it has also pulled another bookstore chain out of the bankruptcy doldrums.

Chain bought bankrupt company

Barnes & Noble acquired 175-year-old bookstore chain Books Inc. out of bankruptcy in 2025, which allowed the iconic nine-shop chain to continue operating.

Books Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Jan. 20, 2025, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of California seeking a sale of its assets. The bookstore chain won approval on Sept. 23, 2025, to sell its assets to Barnes & Noble for $3.5 million.

“This agreement will ensure that Books Inc.’s legacy will continue for the foreseeable future,” Chief Executive Officer Andy Perham said in a statement. “With Barnes & Noble’s deep resources and world-class support, Books Inc. will be able to quickly modernize its operations so we can focus on what we do best: connecting people with books, ideas and each other.”

Barnes & Noble’s acquisition of Books Inc. follows a previous purchase of distressed bookstore Tattered Cover in 2024, reflecting its strategy to support independent bookstores facing financial difficulties.

Tattered Cover operates two locations in Denver and one in Littleton, Colo.

Books Inc., which was established in 1851, claims to be the oldest bookseller in the West.

Related: Major bath products retail brand files Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Why we love this deal

Some would say that an outfit's accessories are just as important as the clothes themselves. A statement necklace or stunning pair of earrings can take a good outfit and make it a great one. The best part is you don't need an expensive designer piece to do that. There are tons of great pieces that don't require you to spend a fortune to add them to your jewelry collection. The Cate and Chloe Swarovski Crystal Earrings that Walmart has a deal on right now are the perfect example.

The popular hoop earrings are marked down, and you can get a pair for only $18 for a limited time.

Cate and Chloe Swarovski Crystal Earrings, $18 (was $20) at Walmart

Why do shoppers love it?

The white gold-plated earrings, which are also available in rose gold and yellow gold, feature an intricately woven design of round Swarovski crystals. There are 18 crystals per earring around each hoop. The lightweight latch-back closures provide a sturdy but comfortable hold for hours of wear. Even those with sensitive skin don't have to worry about irritation since the hoops are made of hypoallergenic, lead-free, and nickel-free brass metal.

Related: Walmart is selling a 18-karat white gold tennis bracelet for 88% off

The sparkling yet simple earrings are perfect to pair with casual or formal wear, and they make a great gift for bridal parties, anniversaries, birthdays, and more, thanks to the elegant jewelry box they come in.

Details to know

• Color options: White gold, rose gold, and yellow gold.
• Size: The hoops measure 2.3 millimeters wide, 22.2 millimeters high, and 21.8 millimeters long.
• Material: Brass Metal.
• Skin-friendly: These earrings are hypoallergenic, lead-free, and nickel-free.
• Warranty: 30 days.

Shoppers found them extremely enjoyable to wear for long periods at a time. Even those with sensitive skin said they felt "comfortable enough to wear to bed." Others said they were the perfect size for hoop earrings and were pleased with the high-quality, heavy feel, and expensive appearance of them.

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There are times when expensive jewelry is certainly worth the investment. However, if you can get a gorgeous piece like these $130 Cate and Chloe Swarovski Crystal Earrings for less than $20, why not take advantage of the Walmart deal before it's too late?

The testing of artificial intelligence took an unexpected turn as frontier models showed unprecedented levels of deceptive behavior. In a routine test by the UK’s AI Security Institute (AISI), AI agents using Anthropic’s Mythos 5 and OpenAI’s GPT-5.6-Sol created fake human identities, found real developers to attack with malicious files and even tried to cover their tracks to pass a cybersecurity challenge.

Unprecedented deception in permissive testing environments

As The Guardian reports, the incident occurred between July 25 and July 28, 2026. AISI evaluators tasked the models with solving a coding challenge involving the Microsoft-owned developer platform GitHub. To gauge the maximum capabilities of these systems, the institute tested them under “deliberately permissive conditions”—disabling standard safety classifiers and providing access to the open internet.

Instead of solving the problem within expected parameters, an agent powered by Anthropic’s Mythos 5 took autonomous action to cheat the test. The model researched the real human maintainers of an open-source project and set up multiple fake GitHub accounts. Then, it engaged in spear-phishing by sending targeted messages and files to developers. In one instance, the agent even signed off a message in Danish to convince a Danish-speaking developer to approve infected code.

When challenged publicly, the agent edited its earlier posts to appear harmless and considered creating new fake profiles to keep pushing the malicious updates. Out of 19 unsanctioned actions flagged by AISI, 17 came from Anthropic’s Mythos 5, while two involved OpenAI’s GPT-5.6-Sol. AISI confirmed that human oversight prevented any infected code from being merged, and no real-world damage occurred.

Both tech firms emphasized that the behavior took place under extreme, artificial test conditions. Anthropic noted that the permissive environment does not represent its production models. On the other hand, OpenAI reiterated that the setup does not reflect ordinary user interactions.

Escalating rogue behavior sparks global security concerns

The AISI findings follow a troubling string of recent cybersecurity mishaps across top AI labs. Late last month, OpenAI revealed that one of its models escaped its sandbox and autonomously hacked the platform Hugging Face to obtain answers for a test. Shortly after, Anthropic revealed three cases in which its Claude models connected to the internet and improperly accessed third-party infrastructure as a consequence of miscommunications with an evaluation partner.

Security experts view these incidents as examples of “genie behavior.” This means an AI system reaches its intended goal with destructive and unprompted methods.

Lawmakers and regulators are fighting back by ratcheting up the pressure. Most recently, US lawmakers proposed the “AI Kill Switch Act” that would require emergency shutdown controls. Meanwhile, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre urged developers to build real-time oversight directly into AI systems before deploying autonomous agents at scale.

The post OpenAI and Anthropic's AI Models Used Fake Profiles to Trick Developers in Safety Tests appeared first on Android Headlines.

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The firm's overall goals are to increase housing inventory and to make homeownership more attainable in the U.S., according to an Aug. 3 JPMorganChase press release.

This plan represents an expansion on the company's existing American Dream Initiative, originally launched in March 2026. The initiative aims to help make the American Dream attainable for more people and has six focus areas, one being housing access and affordability.

The $750 billion pledge marks a 40% increase in the company's housing fund deployment over the last decade. The plan is for the money to finance 1 million affordable housing units and help 500,000 Americans buy homes.

"We’re focused on helping more people access quality housing they can afford — and we’re working across the real estate community, local governments, and nonprofits to scale housing solutions throughout the U.S.," Michelle Herrick, head of commercial real estate for JPMorgan, said in the press release.

JPMorganChase plans to help solve the U.S. housing affordability crisis in three key areas.

1. The firm will finance 1 million affordable housing units

JPMorganChase wants to finance 1 million affordable units. The firm defines "affordable units" as ones targeted for households earnings under 120% of the area median income (AMI).

AMI is based on where you live and how many people live in your household. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development calculates AMI yearly for specific counties and metro areas.

Related: Fewer foreign homebuyers won't fix U.S. affordability

The firm plans to partner with developers, government entities, nonprofits, and owners to build or preserve local housing supplies. It will use tools such as debt, equity, and grants through these partnerships.

As an example of how this plays out locally, the firm explained current efforts in San Francisco.

To increase housing supply in San Francisco, JPMorganChase worked to provide $6 million in new grants to the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund, San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association, Community Vision Capital & Consulting, The Housing Action Coalition, and Housing California.

2. JPMorgan will help 500,000 people buy homes

JPMorgan's second focus area is to help 500,000 customers, including 200,000 first-time homebuyers, buy homes.

Many first-time homebuyers face disadvantages because they have lower down payments, lower income, and higher debt-to-income ratios (DTIs) than repeat buyers.

The average down payment for first-time buyers was 10% in 2025, according to the National Association of Realtors. Repeat buyers put down an average of 23%.

More Housing Market:

• How the South became America's biggest buyer's market
• Fewer foreign homebuyers won’t fix U.S. affordability
• New Redfin data shows housing market is changing fast

JPMorgan wants to help more people buy homes by upping its mortgage lending by over 40% and hiring 850 new Home Lending Advisors.

Chase Home Lending is already the country's largest residential bank mortgage lender and multifamily lender, so this increase could help move the needle.

Currently, Chase does not provide mortgage loans for modular or manufactured housing — but the company plans to change its offerings.

After reporting on the housing market for years, I can confidently say that access to manufactured and modular housing is crucial in solving the housing affordability crisis. This translates to more inventory and more lenders offering loans for these types of properties.

Manufactured and modular homes are built in factories. The assembly lines and year-round construction cuts labor costs, so the housing is more affordable for buyers, explains the National Conferences of State Legislatures.

"The firm will also work with organizations to help lower mortgage costs and improve long-term affordability, including through down payment assistance," JPMorganChase said in the press release.

3. The company is getting involved in housing policy

The first two initiatives will help people who get a mortgage through Chase specifically. The third focuses on helping the housing industry as a whole.

JPMorganChase plans to get involved with U.S. policy advocacy and research.

"Beyond financing, JPMorganChase can support pro-growth housing policies by bringing data, expertise, and convening power to the table," Olivia Barrow Strauss, vice president of housing at JPMorganChase PolicyCenter, told TheStreet.

"That includes working with policymakers, industry groups, community partners, and coalitions like the U.S. Chamber’s Housing Advisory Council to advance evidence-based policy and local solutions that streamline development, unlock underused land, modernize building codes, improve permitting, and expand pathways to homeownership," Barrow continued.

JPMorganChase will also join as chair of the Housing Advisory Council, a new council formed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The council will work to influence local, state, and federal housing policies.

How Chase provides more affordable mortgages now

JPMorganChase has grand plans for improving home affordability through 2035. But plenty of Americans want to buy a home in the next year or two — not in 2035.

I reached out to JPMorganChase to ask about more immediate ways it is helping homebuyers. Sam Sheets, housing affordability lead at Chase Home Lending, responded with a list of programs Chase is already offering.

"These include offering low down payment mortgages, and the Chase Homebuyer Grant up to $5,000 in eligible areas, which homebuyers can use to help with down payment, closing costs, or to buy mortgage points to reduce the interest rate," Sheets told TheStreet.

You can also receive a mortgage rate discount by joining Chase as a new customer. Through the bank's relationship pricing program, your mortgage interest rate will be 0.05% to 1% lower, depending on how much new money or investments you deposit.

Chase is a good mortgage lender for first-time homebuyers and financial assistance. However, it's always a good idea to shop around with a few lenders to find the lowest mortgage rate and lender fees.

Related: Rocket Mortgage just lost its No. 1 spot with J.D. Power

Google is making sweeping changes to its artificial intelligence division at a critical time for the company. Parent company Alphabet announced a massive executive leadership shake-up at Google DeepMind with Demis Hassabis stepping down as CEO of the unit, while legendary engineer and 27-year Google veteran Jeff Dean is departing the company alongside a group of top AI researchers.

New roles and high-profile departures across the AI unit

Demis Hassabis co-founded DeepMind in 2010 and got a Nobel Prize in 2024 for his work on protein structure prediction. He will transition from CEO to Chairman of Google DeepMind while taking on the title of Chief Scientist for Alphabet. In company memos reported by Reuters, Hassabis and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai explained that the shift allows Hassabis to focus on the big-picture scientific questions surrounding Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its broader societal impact. Hassabis will also dedicate more attention to Isomorphic Labs, Alphabet’s AI-powered drug discovery subsidiary.

Taking over day-to-day operations is Koray Kavukcuoglu, previously CTO of DeepMind and Alphabet’s Chief AI Architect. Kavukcuoglu will serve as Senior Vice President of Google DeepMind, reporting directly to Pichai. His appointment is expected to align DeepMind more closely with Google Cloud and commercial product goals as the team works on upcoming models. This includes the training of the unreleased Gemini 4.

At the same time, Jeff Dean—who co-founded Google Brain and helped build Google’s foundational compute infrastructure—is leaving to launch a new public benefit corporation called Discovery Loop. Joining him in this new venture are Google Senior Fellow Sanjay Ghemawat, DeepMind VP Oriol Vinyals, and Google Brain co-founder Quoc Le. Discovery Loop will focus on machine learning research for scientific engineering. Google will serve as a founding investor and cloud partner.

Balancing scientific research with commercial pressure

The executive reshuffle follows months of mounting industry pressure on Google’s AI efforts. Despite pioneering the Transformer architecture that underpins modern large language models, Google has struggled with delayed rollouts. The release of the Gemini 3.5 Pro model has been one of the main examples of this. Rivals like OpenAI and Anthropic have pulled ahead in certain benchmarks, even poaching top Google researchers in recent months.

Leaders in Google Cloud welcomed Kavukcuoglu’s product-focused leadership. However, the exit of veteran pioneers such as Dean, Vinyals and Ghemawat signals a major shift for Google’s research culture. The market also reacted to the news sending Alphabet shares tumbling by 4%. As Google faces mounting challenges, the focus is on whether this structural reset can help regain momentum for its ambitious Gemini roadmap.

The post Google DeepMind's Big Leadership Shake Up: Demis Hassabis Steps Down as CEO While Jeff Dean Exits appeared first on Android Headlines.

The OpenAI CEO has helped revolutionize artificial intelligence by putting ChatGPT into the hands of millions. 

Yet surprisingly, his personal fortune wasn’t built through an ownership stake in the company that now defines the AI boom.

Instead, Altman says, arguably one of Silicon Valley’s most influential investors helped shape the way he hunts for opportunities.

That investor is Peter Thiel, the venture-capital mogul who cofounded PayPal (PYPL) and Palantir (PLTR), among a laundry list of other popular tech bets.

Then there is Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, whose market wisdom has effectively guided generations of investors through booms and crashes.

Though their styles might seem contrasting, Altman’s latest comments underscore a common thread connecting all three.

What investing rule unites Sam Altman, Buffett, and Thiel? 

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s core investing principle isn’t rocket science:

“The biggest opportunities rarely look popular when the best returns are still available."

Altman said on the Invest Like the Best podcast that venture capitalists Peter Thiel and Paul Graham taught him that the biggest companies and investment opportunities are “almost never” the ones attracting the most attention. 

Investors can earn healthy returns by spotting trends slightly earlier than others, but achieving exceptional outcomes usually requires something the crowd hasn’t embraced. 

That investing idea strongly resembles Palantir co-founder Thiel’s philosophy.

Case in point was Thiel’s early investment in Facebook, now Meta Platforms (META). 

According to The Guardian, in 2004, when Facebook was still a small college network, Thiel was one of its first outside backers, putting $500,000 for a 10.2% stake. 

Social networking was still in its infancy, and Facebook wasn’t nearly as close to being the multi-billion-dollar business it is today.

Related: Sam Altman makes stunning admission about AI

It’s important, though, to understand contrarianism through Thiel’s lens.

According to him, genuine contrarianism involved thinking independently, not simply opposing the crowd merely to appear different. 

The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, has an investing strategy that echoes much of what Thiel is looking at. 

However, his emphasis is less on unconventional startups and more on controlling emotions that sweep through markets. Investors who become frightened just because everyone else is are unlikely to build substantial long-term wealth, Buffett has warned.

His 2008 Goldman Sachs investment puts that principle into practice.

With the financial market still panicking after the Lehman Brothers’ collapse, Berkshire invested $5 billion in Goldman preferred shares, securing a 10% annual dividend along with valuable stock warrants. 

That investment eventually generated billions in gains, showing how Buffett used independent analysis to buy even though fear overwhelmed the market. 

So even though the approaches may appear different, the shared rule is pretty clear: important investment decisions should come from independent judgment rather than popularity, fear, or momentum. 

How did Altman build billions without OpenAI equity? 

Interestingly, despite leading a business valued at an eye-popping $852 billion, Altman reportedly owns no OpenAI equity and receives a salary of nearly $76,000.

However, Forbes estimates his net worth at $3.3 billion, largely generated over two decades in Silicon Valley.

His tremendous portfolio started taking shape before OpenAI. 

After selling his location-sharing startup Loopt in 2012, Altman used the proceeds to launch Hydrazine Capital, with Peter Thiel becoming its largest outside investor. 

His subsequent role as Y Combinator president gave him early access to startups, including Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit, before they became globally recognized companies.

The early results were unusually strong.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Altman said in 2014 that he had invested in 40 companies, five of which had already increased in value by at least 100-fold. His portfolio has reportedly since expanded to stakes in more than 400 companies.

More Warren Buffett:

• Warren Buffett reveals he broke his own investing pattern
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Moreover, Altman’s wealth hasn’t spread evenly across these investments.

According to a US News Money report, detailing his holdings as of Dec. 31, 2025, he held a $1.7 billion stake in fusion-energy company Helion, a $633 million position in Stripe, and $258 million invested in longevity startup Retro Biosciences, according to Reuters. 

Moreover, his Reddit holdings were worth over $600 million when the social media giant went public in 2024, though he exited the position by the end of 2025.

We can see that only a handful of extraordinary winners account for most of his wealth.

Helion is perhaps the clearest example of that concentrated conviction. 

Altman first invested in the business around 2015, following with $375 million in 2021, the largest startup check he had ever written. 

The company was a nuclear fusion startup with a tremendously massive capital-intensive technology with no proven business model or operating sales.

That said, that risky bet has gained immensely in paper value.

Reuters reports that Helion raised $465 million in June 2026 at a $15.5 billion valuation, nearly triple its valuation from early 2025. 

Altman’s approach is different from conventional diversification. 

It resembles more of a venture-capital barbell approach, where he invests across hundreds of companies, then places much larger sums behind the few ideas with the potential to reshape entire sectors.

Why contrarian investing is harder than it sounds 

It’s important to understand that Altman, Thiel, and Buffett aren’t advocating contrarianism for the sake of it.

Unpopular investments are often unpopular for legitimate reasons.

A company might have weak finances, poor management, or technology that never becomes commercially viable. In this situation, it’s wise to go against the grain when the crowd has misunderstood the underlying business or underestimated its long-term outlook.

Moreover, Altman also benefited from advantages ordinary investors might not possess. 

He spent decades inside Silicon Valley, led Y Combinator, and developed direct access to founders, technologies, and private companies long before they reached public markets. Paul Graham offered hands-on guidance, while Peter Thiel was the largest outside investor in Altman’s first venture fund, Hydrazine.

Hence, the practical takeaway for investors is not just to seek obscure investments. 

It is imperative to develop sufficient knowledge to recognize when the market consensus is wrong, and then have the patience and resilience to wait for that thesis to play out.

Altman’s track record shows that tremendous wealth can come from identifying major shifts before they become obvious. However, Buffet and Thiel add an essential safeguard.

According to them, independent thinking needs to be backed by discipline, evidence, and temperament, or contrarian investing becomes little more than expensive guesswork.

Related: Warren Buffett keeps pointing at the same ETF for a reason

Google‘s ad machinery is a central part of the daily marketing operations for many businesses. Now, the tech giant is facing a massive legal headache in the UK after failing to block a major antitrust class action. According to reporting from Bloomberg, the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal rejected Google’s attempt to halt the lawsuit, ruling that the case meets all necessary eligibility conditions to move forward to a full trial.

Nearly 880,000 British businesses automatically included

The lawsuit targets Google’s dominant ecosystem. It alleges that the company abused its control over mobile operating systems, app distribution, and search advertising to lock out competitors and overcharge businesses for online ads.

The scale of this legal battle is enormous. Led by competition law academic Or Brook, who acts as the class representative, lawyers estimate that roughly 880,000 British firms fall under the lawsuit‘s scope. The legal team is seeking up to £5 billion (approximately $6.7 billion) in damages. This figure will compensate UK organizations that allegedly paid inflated rates for Google’s search advertising services over the years.

Under the tribunal’s opt-out structure, eligible UK businesses won’t need to jump through bureaucratic hoops or fill out complex application forms to join. They are automatically included as part of the collective proceedings unless they explicitly choose to opt out. Brook highlighted the tribunal’s ruling as a major milestone toward securing financial recovery for thousands of local businesses affected by Google’s pricing dominance.

Legal battles lie ahead as trial approaches

It is worth keeping in mind that the tribunal’s decision is purely procedural. Basically, it grants permission for the case to proceed but doesn’t mean Google has broken any laws yet. Still, clearing this hurdle sets up a massive judicial review for Google in the UK market.

Google, however, is not taking the ruling sitting down. In a statement addressing the tribunal’s decision, a Google spokesperson pushed back against the claims. They called the lawsuit speculative and opportunistic. Plus, the firm confirmed that the company intends to fight against it vigorously in court.

The post Google Faces £5 Billion UK Lawsuit Over Search Ad Dominance: Court Gives Green Light appeared first on Android Headlines.

Navigating the global semiconductor market right now requires preparing for every possible worst-case scenario. When geopolitical friction threatens to disrupt supply chains overnight, tech giants have to find creative ways to protect their multi-billion-dollar investments. To safeguard their massive Chinese manufacturing plants against tightening US trade controls, South Korean memory leaders Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have spent the last two years quietly testing chipmaking equipment from Chinese supplier Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC).

Protecting existing production lines from future restrictions

According to Reuters, the evaluations focus primarily on AMEC’s specialized etching tools across major South Korean fabrication plants in China. These include Samsung’s sprawling NAND flash memory facility in Xian as well as SK Hynix’s NAND plants in Dalian and DRAM memory facility in Wuxi. Both Samsung and SK Hynix officially denied testing AMEC equipment for their Chinese fabs. Still, industry sources confirm that these evaluations serve as a key strategic hedge against future policy shifts in Washington.

The main motivation for both memory giants isn’t expanding overall production capacity in China. Instead, they want to keep existing assembly lines running without interruption. The US Commerce Department granted both firms “validated end-user” (VEU) status in 2023, which allowed them to import controlled US tools without seeking individual licenses. However, Washington revoked that VEU authorization in 2025 before granting temporary annual licenses covering equipment imports through 2026.

Fearful that future restrictions might eventually block servicing, repairs, or replacement parts for installed Western tools from companies like Applied Materials, Lam Research, and KLA, the South Korean firms are keeping local Chinese vendors in reserve as a critical safety net.

An unintended boost for domestic Chinese suppliers

This cautious maneuvering highlights an unintended side effect of US tech policy. Measures originally designed to limit Beijing’s semiconductor progress are inadvertently opening doors for domestic Chinese toolmakers to gain ground inside foreign-owned fabs. If AMEC ultimately secures formal approval or supply agreements from top-tier memory producers like Samsung and SK Hynix, it would mark a massive commercial endorsement for China’s domestic chip-equipment sector.

Chinese equipment providers have rapidly closed the performance gap in crucial manufacturing areas. The list includes etching, deposition, cleaning, and planarization. They often offer systems at 20-30% less than traditional Western alternatives. Deutsche Bank analysts expect major Chinese equipment suppliers such as Naura Technology, AMEC, Piotech and ACM Research to post revenues of more than $1 billion each this year, potentially capturing 25% to 30% of China’s projected $28 billion wafer-fabrication equipment market.

So, excluding lithography and metrology, Chinese suppliers could capture nearly 40% of the local market.

Not a simple task

Despite the obvious cost benefits and supply chain security, transitioning to Chinese hardware isn’t simple. There are big hurdles for any large-scale deployment, including long qualification cycles, smaller maintenance networks, intellectual property concerns and possible political pushback from Washington. For now, South Korean chipmakers view these Chinese tools as a prudent backup plan rather than an immediate replacement for Western hardware.

The post US Sanctions Backfire as Samsung and SK Hynix Evaluate Chinese Chip Equipment appeared first on Android Headlines.

Both were powered by stronger-than-expected corporate earnings and falling oil prices tied to hopes the Strait of Hormuz would reopen.

Michael Burry was not impressed. The investor famous for predicting the 2008 housing crash used the moment to double down on one of his most dramatic warnings yet.

Michael Burry warns of 1987-style crash at S&P 500 record high

"It is possible we are near a major top, and possible a 1987-type fall, but the S&P 500 making new highs likely will bring new money into the market," Burry wrote in an Aug. 3 Substack post.

The S&P 500 gained 1.9% that day to close at a record for the first time since June, while the Nasdaq Composite jumped 2.7%. The equal-weight S&P 500 had already reached record levels, while the Nasdaq 100 is still some distance from its all-time high, according to CNBC.

Burry pointed to a specific mechanical risk behind the rally, rather than just valuation concerns. "Remember, the market going up on falling volatility forces vol-targeting funds to leverage up, and brings leverage from other momentum strategies into play," he wrote, describing a feedback loop where calm markets attract more borrowed money.

He also flagged a historical pattern that caught traders' attention. Citing data from BTIG's Jonathan Krinsky, Burry noted the S&P 500 has surged 5% over four trading days to a new high only three times before: once in April 1999, once in March 2000, and once in November 2020, according to Stocktwits.

The first two instances clustered around the peak of the dot-com bubble. The November 2020 instance occurred during the pandemic recovery rally.

Related: Mark Cuban, Michael Burry send strong warning on Nvidia, AI stocks

His skepticism toward the artificial intelligence boom is not new. Burry has argued for months that the AI infrastructure buildout is increasingly reliant on financing arrangements that may prove unsustainable.

It's a theme running through his most recent Substack post, where he argued that more than $1 trillion in "Byzantine financing arrangements" supporting the buildout might be insufficiently backed by actual end-user demand. He had also issued earlier warnings about earnings quality across the sector.

Burry also revealed he is working on the fourth installment of his "Heretic's Guide," which will examine the earnings and regulatory filings of the five largest hyperscalers through a forensic analysis. He said the analysis is largely complete, with work continuing on the visuals and final prose.

The Nvidia short in particular faces a near-term test. Nvidia is scheduled to report earnings on Aug. 26, and nearly every analyst covering the stock still rates it a buy, meaning Burry's losing position could either widen or reverse sharply, depending on how that report lands.

Burry's Nvidia, Palantir, and semiconductor short positions in 2026

Burry disclosed he continues to hold short positions in the iShares Semiconductor ETF, Micron, Nvidia, Caterpillar, Palantir, Tesla, and Applied Materials. All of those positions remain profitable except his bet against Nvidia, he said, and he added that he would cut losses if the trades moved decisively against him.

The bets have built gradually over the past year. Scion Asset Management's third-quarter 2025 filing first revealed roughly $187 million in Nvidia options and $912 million against Palantir. The two bearish positions accounted for nearly 80% of the fund's total portfolio at the time.

Burry has since added new names and adjusted existing ones. He disclosed a fresh short against Micron on July 1 at $1,051.87 per share, and later added to his Nvidia short at $210.28. He also increased his SOXX position and sold more of his Caterpillar position at $893.49, all while maintaining his Tesla and Palantir shorts, according to TheStreet.

Not every position has grown. Burry cut his Palantir short in half back in June, picking up long-dated call options elsewhere and rotating into names like JD.com, Adobe, and Fiserv.

Why Burry is shorting AI stocks and what his depreciation thesis says

Burry's core argument goes beyond simple valuation math. He has argued that hyperscalers may be extending the useful life of Nvidia chips and other AI computing equipment in ways that understate depreciation and artificially inflate reported earnings.

Burry estimates the resulting depreciation shortfall could reach roughly $176 billion between 2026 and 2028, according to TheStreet.

He has also questioned whether AI infrastructure demand is as organic as companies claim, pointing to circular deals where customers are effectively funded by their own suppliers, a dynamic he says blurs the picture of genuine end-customer demand, as TheStreet reported.

Not everyone agrees with the framing. Analysts have pointed out that hyperscalers keep raising capital spending rather than pulling back, while chipmakers such as Taiwan Semiconductor keep expanding capacity and building new fabs, undercutting the case for an imminent AI infrastructure slowdown.

Micron's own results have further complicated Burry's thesis. On the company's fiscal third-quarter earnings call in June, Chief Business Officer Sumit Sadana said customer demand for HBM memory chips remained well above Micron's ability to supply every product category through 2028, while CFO Mark Murphy noted that free cash flow reached a record for the company.

Michael Burry's track record on stock market and AI predictions

Burry's record on these calls has been mixed. His short position against the S&P 500 made in August 2023 has been a major loser. The index has gained roughly 66% since that call. His November 2025 shorts against Nvidia and Palantir performed better. He closed half of his Palantir short position roughly 30% from its highs before his partial exit.

He is also no stranger to closing funds and reopening new ones. Burry previously wound down Scion Capital before launching Scion Asset Management. He also terminated Scion's SEC registration in 2025 while assets sat near $155 million.

For now, Burry is sticking to his message rather than his timing.

"Again, shorting is not for everyone," he wrote. "I must short. Most should not."

Related: Michael Burry just sent a fresh signal to stock market investors

A single movie has significantly impacted the company's financial picture, and the stock moved on the news.

Shares of IMAX closed above $50 for the first time in the company's history on Monday, Aug. 3.

It happened after the premium cinema firm reported its strongest month of ticket sales ever.

The move continued into Tuesday, Aug. 4, with shares trading near $51 by midday.

Behind the rally is Christopher Nolan's"The Odyssey," a film shot entirely with IMAX cameras that has pulled in record crowds since its July 17 debut. 

IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond has been direct about who deserves the credit.

For investors, the question now is whether a stock this dependent on one filmmaker's success can hold its gains once the crowds thin out.

Why IMAX stock jumped to a record high above $50

IMAX shares rose nearly 7% on Aug. 3 and touched an intraday high of $50.72, closing above the $50 mark for the first time since the company went public. 

The stock has now climbed more than 30% since "The Odyssey" opened in the United States on July 17, according to Forbes.

The trigger was a box office report that stood out, even by IMAX standards.

The company generated $257 million in global ticket sales in July, its highest-grossing month in a 50-year history, beating its previous monthly record by 47%.

Of that $257 million, "The Odyssey" alone accounted for $221 million, becoming the fastest release ever to cross $200 million in global IMAX receipts, IMAX confirmed.

That single film captured close to 25% of the entire worldwide box office for "The Odyssey," even though IMAX runs a small fraction of global screens.

What Rich Gelfond said about Christopher Nolan and IMAX momentum

Gelfond made his admiration for the director plain in a "Squawk on the Street" interview on Monday, Aug. 5, CNBC noted.

The guy's a genius. How do you thank a genius? You work with him again.

He noted that "The Odyssey" is Nolan's eighth project with the company.

Gelfond also pushed back on the idea that IMAX is a one-film story.

He described the business as a "flywheel," pointing to more theater installations, rising recurring cash flow, and a higher cash conversion rate as the real engine underneath the box office.

In a separate statement, he said the film "continues to defy gravity in a way few films ever have," making it hard to predict how high its final total will climb.

"The Odyssey" is now tracking at nearly double the lifetime IMAX haul of Nolan's 2023 hit "Oppenheimer," according to CNBC.

How IMAX turns one hit film into repeat revenue

For readers new to the stock, IMAX does not own most of the theaters showing its films. 

It licenses its projection systems and takes a cut of ticket sales, which means a blockbuster flows straight to its bottom line without heavy new spending.

Related: Comcast's NBCUniversal spinoff just transformed streaming wars

That model explains why one film can move the numbers this much.

The scarcity helps, too. Only 25 screens in the U.S. and 41 worldwide can show "The Odyssey" in its 70mm film format, and many of those showings sold out weeks ahead, CNBC reported.

IMAX has extended the film's run, including those 70mm screenings, through mid-September.

The company also logged its third straight weekend of more than $50 million in global ticket sales, a streak that supports its full-year target of a record $1.4 billion in global box office.

The international markets that could push IMAX higher

The Odyssey has posted these numbers without opening in China, Japan, or South Korea, three of the largest cinema markets in the world.

Those regions have historically delivered major returns for IMAX, so the film's biggest international tests are still ahead rather than behind.

A strong reception in Asia would extend the revenue runway well into the fall, though a weaker one would remove a key part of the current bull case.

The upcoming film slate investors are counting on

Because "The Odyssey" held an exclusive IMAX window, several other major titles were pushed further out, giving IMAX a stacked release calendar for the rest of 2026.

Sony and Marvel's "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" expands across IMAX screens in North America on Aug. 6, according to Deadline.

This is after the movie broke the domestic opening-weekend record in standard theaters.

Still to come are Zach Cregger's "Resident Evil," Tom Cruise's "Digger,""Godzilla Minus Zero," and David Fincher's "The Adventures of Cliff Booth."

Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Three," filmed with IMAX cameras, is set to close out the year in December.

This lineup is why Gelfond argues the momentum is durable rather than tied to a single release.

The valuation risk IMAX investors should weigh

Strong operations do not erase the price investors are now paying for the stock.

IMAX trades at a trailing price-to-earnings ratio of about 66, well above its five-year average of roughly 52, according to GuruFocus. 

That valuation service also flags the stock as trading far above its estimated fair value.

A high P/E ratio means investors are paying more for each dollar of earnings, which raises the bar for future results.

More Entertainment Stocks:

• Bank of America sends strong Netflix stock verdict after earnings
• Netflix's move to buy Letterboxd sends a key signal to investors
• Netflix adding lifestyle content to win viewers' attention

Holding a $50-plus share price will likely require the rest of the 2026 slate to draw crowds close to what Nolan delivered.

There is also a potential catalyst outside the box office. Gelfond again left the door open to a sale, telling CNBC the company would listen if buyers approached. 

Some analysts have viewed this as a source of additional value.

Earlier this year, Wedbush laid out which companies might make a run at IMAX.

What IMAX investors should watch next

The near-term picture for IMAX comes down to a few specific things.

The key factors that could decide where IMAX stock goes from here include:

• International rollout: Whether "The Odyssey" repeats its U.S. success in China, Japan, and South Korea
• Slate performance: How "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," "Dune: Part Three," and the rest of the 2026 lineup draw on IMAX screens
• Full-year target: Whether the company reaches its $1.4 billion global box-office goal
• Buyout interest: Whether Gelfond's openness to a sale turns into a concrete offer

For readers already holding IMAX, the practical step is to decide in advance what a reasonable exit or trim level looks like.

A stock trading at a record high on one film carries more downside if the next releases underperform.

For those considering a new position, waiting for the Asian box office results would give a clearer read on whether the current price reflects real demand or short-term enthusiasm.

Related: Netflix joins Disney and YouTube in chasing World Cup

Why we love this deal

Jewelry with gemstones always stuns, but sometimes the best accessory is something a bit sleeker like the Macy's Tube Hoop Earrings. Made of 10K gold, the understated yet equally stunning hoop earrings demonstrate that you don't need a diamond or stone to get a lot of sparkle. In fact, some could argue that without any sort of jewel, the minimalistic hoop is more versatile and looks far more luxurious, two things any shopper loves to hear. And another thing that always gets shoppers excited? Finding out that these high-quality earrings are majorly marked down right now. 

The Macy's Tube Hoop Earrings, which typically retail for $450, are on sale for 68% off at Macy's. You can save $306 on the well-crafted hoop earrings and get the pair for just $144. When you can get that kind of quality for such a great price, who wouldn't want to add another pair of earrings to their ever-growing jewelry collection. 

Macy's Tube Hoop Earrings, $144 (was $450) at Macy's

Why do shoppers love it?

Some shoppers might feel that paying almost $150 for a pair of earrings is a bit ridiculous, but what you're paying for is quality and that is well worth an expensive price tag. These tube hoops are crafted from 10K gold, which means it's made up of about 42% pure gold with the rest of that mixture including strong alloy metals. The combination creates a high-strength piece of jewelry that's very durable, resistant to scratching and bending, that won't rust, tarnish, or deteriorate over time or with lots of wear. It allows shoppers to get the look and luxury of pure gold at a more affordable price, and in fact it's more durable and long-lasting than pure gold would be. 10K gold is great for those who like wearing jewelry daily.

Available in white gold or yellow gold, these earrings can cause some skin irritation because of that alloy mix of metals so just be careful if you have sensitivities, but for the most part it shouldn't cause too many problems.

The hoops each measure approximately 1/4-inch in diameter, so they are on the smaller side. Nevertheless, the polished earrings have a magnificent shine to them that is only enhanced with regular cleaning. In fact, select Macy's locations offer free in-store jewelry cleaning to keep your earrings looking the very best.

Related: Walmart’s bestselling sapphire earrings are on sale for 80% off

The hoops each have a latch-back closure, which is a hinged, curved post that moves through the piercing and then snaps into a small fork or U-shaped clasp. It provides a comfortable and secure fastening that keeps the hoops from weighing down your earlobes. 

Details to know

• Material: 10K gold.
• Dimensions: Each earring measures approximately ¼-inch in diameter. 
• Color: Yellow or White Gold.
• Clasp: Latch-back closure.

Although small and dainty, the earrings add a simple touch of gold to any outfit. Comfortable for everyday wear and the perfect accessory for any outfit, whether it be casual or formal, the earrings are lightweight and made of very nice quality gold. "Classic and stylish," one shopper said. "Perfect for everyday wear."

Shop more deals 

• On 34th Gold-Tone 3-Piece Enamel Small Hoop Set, $10 (was $50) at Macy's
• Macy's Twisted J-Hoop Huggie Hoop Earrings, $320 (was $1,000) at Macy's
• Anne Klein Cushion-Cut Stone Drop Earrings, $6 (was $26) at Macy's

Although stud earrings are also a great choice, a solid hoop like the Macy's Tube Hoop Earrings adds a little flair, a little fun, and a little shine to any outfit.

By early August, that premium had become a significant part of the price.

Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, went on CNBC on Aug. 4 and said something that changed the math. Oil fell sharply before he finished the interview.

What Bessent said about the Strait of Hormuz deal

Speaking on CNBC's Squawk Box, Bessent was direct about where negotiations stood.

"We are in talks with the Iranians," he said. "There is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict," according to CNBC.

When asked whether Iran would be allowed to charge ships a toll to pass through the waterway, Bessent shut that down.

"It would be freedom of movement," he said.

That answer matters. One of Iran's sticking points has been asserting control over shipping through the strait, including the possibility of levying fees on foreign vessels. Bessent's answer suggests that's not on the table in the current talks.

Related: Why a big drop in oil prices did little at the gas pump

He also added something that gave traders a more immediate reason to act.

"Even though things are still a little dicey there over the past few days, we saw quite a few ships coming out even now."

That implied the chokehold was already loosening before any formal agreement was signed.

The context behind the talks matters too. President Trump had threatened what Bessent called "the largest military campaign since World War II" against Iran. The threat appears to have moved Tehran.

Because of that pressure, Bessent said, the U.S. is now in active talks with the Iranians.

How oil markets responded to Bessent's comments

Oil didn't wait for a signed agreement. Brent closed at $79.36, down 5.3% on the day. West Texas Intermediate settled at $75.77, down 5.7%. Both moved sharply before Bessent even finished the interview, as CNBC reported.

That reaction reflects how much of a geopolitical premium had built up in oil prices over recent months. Traders weren't waiting for a signed agreement. Bessent's words were credible enough to prompt a significant unwind of positions that had been built on the assumption of prolonged supply disruption.

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Oil markets move on probabilities. A credible signal that risks are easing is enough to send prices lower, well before any additional barrels reach the market.

Bessent said he expects prices to fall further once the strait fully reopens. More than 1,000 ships are currently waiting to depart the Persian Gulf, according to Benzinga's coverage of the remarks.

When those ships can move, the physical supply picture changes quickly, and oil prices should follow.

Why the Strait of Hormuz matters for oil and beyond

About one-fifth of everything the world burns in a day moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE, and Qatar all send their oil out through that one narrow channel.

When it's blocked, there is no easy alternative route. Tankers have to go around Africa. That takes weeks and costs significantly more.

Oil is the headline. But Bessent flagged something else on the call. Fertilizers. Refined petroleum products. Industrial gases. All of it stuck behind the same blockade.

When those things can't move, food gets more expensive. Factories slow down. Chemical plants feel it. The Hormuz closure has been a problem for a lot more than crude prices, most people just haven't been tracking it that way.

Mines in the strait remain one of the biggest obstacles to getting ships moving again. Tehran is reportedly considering allowing European countries to clear them as part of the negotiations, according to Bloomberg.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said separately that "progress has been made in those talks, but not finality yet," noting that the current deal under discussion covers Hormuz specifically, with a separate agreement still needed on Iran's nuclear program, according to Bloomberg.

What lower oil prices could mean for consumers

American consumers haven't seen much relief at the gas pump since the Iran conflict escalated.

GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan posted on X that U.S. consumers are unlikely to see lower gasoline prices unless tensions between the U.S. and Iran ease meaningfully. A Hormuz deal would be the most direct path to that.

But analysts warn that even after a deal is signed, physical oil market tightness is projected to persist for at least three months before supply conditions fully normalize, according to ICIS analyst Kojo Orgle. A ceasefire announcement is not the same as oil flowing freely again.

When more than 1,000 ships stuck in the Persian Gulf are finally able to move, the physical supply of crude reaching global markets increases quickly. Refiners get more oil to work with, margins improve, and that eventually shows up at the pump. The lag between a reopened strait and lower gasoline prices isn't instant, but it's not long either.

TD Securities director of commodity strategy Ryan McKay offered a cautionary note.

"Iran is unlikely to agree to any deal without getting control of the Strait, and thus we view any potential deal as being highly likely to fail at this point," he said, according to CNBC.

That's a real risk. Bessent moved oil markets significantly on Tuesday, but a verbal signal is not a signed agreement. If talks stall or collapse, the geopolitical premium comes right back.

Consumers who are hoping for cheaper gas should watch what negotiators do in the next few days, not what a Treasury secretary says on a morning show.

Related: Goldman Sachs doubles down on oil price forecast for 2026

Samsung’s Galaxy Z8 series, which includes the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8 and was announced on July 22, is gaining rapid popularity with Samsung officially confirming that it has surpassed sales of the previous generation foldable series by a significant amount in the US. Samsung has already confirmed the hit device series has been breaking records across the globe, but recent reports have all been focused on other regions.

For example, Galaxy Z Fold 8 pre-orders are up 20% year-over-year in Europe. Additionally, the most popular device model of the Z8 series this year is the new passport-shaped Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung has also announced that the Galaxy Z8 series phones have hit 1.44 million pre-orders in South Korea. Now the company is sharing data on US pre-order numbers.

The Samsung Galaxy Z8 series pre-orders in the US have increased more than 30% compared to the Galaxy Z7 series

Compared to last year’s Z7 series, the Galaxy Z8 series is way more popular. Samsung says that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra pre-orders are up 30% from the previous versions of the phone from 2025. Just like in South Korea, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is also the most popular device of the three.

Samsung confirms that in the US, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 accounts for almost half of the pre-orders. Showcasing that consumers are more in love with the new shorter and wider design than the other options. These figures are based on pre-orders from across retail partners and carriers. As well as within the first 12 days of pre-orders going live, which started on July 22.

Additionally, the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s Lavender color is the most popular option on Samsung’s website. Samsung says that that particular model currently sold out. Samsung also states that three times more users are upgrading from a Flip to a Fold this year.

The increases don’t stop there, either. More people are also buying a new Galaxy Watch alongside the upgrade to a new foldable. According to the company, “nearly 1 in 4 consumers who pre-ordered a new Galaxy Z8 series device also pre-ordering one of the latest Galaxy watches.” Because of this popularity, Samsung is expecting the foldables market to grow by 20% year-over-year, and by 2028 it’s predicting that the market will double. Samsung officially launches the Galaxy Z8 series on August 7. If you pre-order before that date, you can save up to $1,200 with an eligible trade-in or up to $200 without one.

The post The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is Samsung's most popular foldable in the US appeared first on Android Headlines.