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After House Republicans’ tax cuts for the rich and service cuts for everyone else, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) congratulated House Republicans on forfeiting their majority.
DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement:
House Republicans have doubled down on their broken promise to working Americans. Their vote to once again pass their Big, Ugly Bill — bigger and uglier than ever — is their latest and loudest declaration of the fact that they will always prioritize serving their billionaire campaign donors at the expense of the American children, families, and workers they’re supposed to represent.
Let’s be clear — vulnerable Republicans have admitted time and time again that even they know their bill would obliterate access to health care, raise costs, cut jobs, threaten rural hospitals, and lead to families going hungry, but they voted to pass it anyway.
This Big, Ugly Bill is a laundry list of Republicans’ betrayal to the American people. The DCCC will make sure every battleground voter knows how vulnerable House Republicans abandoned them by passing the most unpopular piece of legislation in modern American history, and we’re going to take back the House majority because of it.
The only way to potentially reverse these cuts is for Democrats to win at least a majority in the House in the midterm election. A Democratic victory next November puts an end to Trump’s Republican enablers who are allowing and rubber-stamping these policies.
A Democratic victory will also make Trump the lamest of lame ducks.
Democrats in the House and Senate showed more fight in battling this bill than they have at any point since Trump returned to the White House.
If Democrats want power, they need to show voters that they are willing to fight, and every battleground Republican will now be saddled with Trump’s disastrous bill.
What do you think about Democrats taking their message to the battlegrounds? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Apple to reveal earnings for Q3 in July. Image source: Apple
Apple is set to detail earnings for the third fiscal quarter of 2025 on July 31 in an investor call, though all eyes will be on how unstable tariff policies have impacted the company.
Apple’s Q3 tends to be quieter than the rest since holiday sales are long over and spring releases don’t always drive the market, but 2025 has something the others didn’t — Trump tariffs. Apple shared that it expected to take at least a $900 million hit to its bottom line if nothing changed from March.
Things did change, however, as the Trump administration agreed to back off its seemingly random “reciprocal” tariffs for 90 days as deals were worked out. However, the tariffs left in place were still magnitudes higher than what was in place before Trump took office in January.
The results and earnings call will be on July 31.
Apple will reveal exactly how much impact these tariffs have had since they were in effect, to some extent, from April through June. The company has used a lot of tactics to try and mitigate the impact of tariffs, and the “pause” also helps, so the overall hit to the bottom line will likely be less than $900 million.
In spite of the global trade issues caused by uncertain conditions in the United States, Apple still had a busy quarter that should benefit the results. iPhone 16e, iPad Air with M3, the M3 Ultra Mac Studio, and M4 MacBook Air have all been on sale for the entire quarter, so those categories will see a boost.
There were no new hardware products revealed in Q3.
Q2 will be hard to follow
The second quarter results revealed on May 1 were strong with growth across all categories and $95.4 billion in revenue. The focus of the earnings call was on tariffs, to Apple’s relief, as it drew the conversation away from delayed Apple Intelligence features.
With WWDC done and no new hardware to discuss, analysts are expected to continue to pester Apple for details about tariff impacts and risk. Apple will likely reiterate its plan to rely on India for imports to the United States and use China for the rest of the world.
There’s still a lot of uncertainty around tariffs going into Q4 and Apple’s forward-looking statements will likely reflect that. Since very few deals have been made during the 90-day pause, Trump is expected to announce a return to the sweeping, astronomical tariffs that affect every country, island nation, and penguin habitat on July 8.
In a shocking announcement, Neil Druckmann recently revealed through his various social media accounts that he will be stepping away from his creative duties on the HBO television adaptation of The Last of Us, based on the two video games he wrote and directed. This means that any commitments the game developer had for the already announced Season 3 of The Last of Us are no longer in effect. Given the track record of video game adaptations that lack involvement from the original creators, this news bodes poorly for the future of the series and its upcoming third season.
Ever since the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us was in development, whether in its early iterations as a feature film or as the Emmy-winning television series it is today, Druckmann has been involved with it every step of the way. Now that his vision for the world of The Last of Us will no longer be present, there is a chance that crucial changes to the source material could occur, potentially upending the work the team accomplished in the first two seasons of the series. The result could be a series with an inconsistent vision, leaving viewers wondering what could have been had Druckmann seen the series through to its conclusion.
Video Game Adaptations That Lack Involvement From the Original Creators Tend To Fail
The biggest concern stemming from this news is the possibility of even more drastic changes to the story of The Last of Us Part II, which has already been confirmed to continue being adapted in Season 3. Kaitlyn Dever is set to become the lead for the next batch of episodes, mirroring the double-album structure of the game, which had players controlling Ellie for the first half, followed by Abby in the second half, and finally playing an epilogue as Ellie. It was an ambitious narrative that challenged players’ empathy (or lack thereof). Now, the third season of the series will show Abby’s perspective during Ellie’s three days in Seattle.
‘The Last of Us’ creator Craig Mazin shares his thoughts on reactions to the show’s major death that everyone knew was coming.
Craig Mazin has already teased that Abby’s side of the story will be much more ambitious than the previous season, as well as the possibility of more episodes than in Season 2. The Last of Us Season 3 is arguably much more crucial to the overall story of The Last of Us Part II, as the audience’s shifting perception of Abby will depend entirely on the quality of the writing, direction, and acting. With Druckmann no longer involved with any facet of production in such a high-stakes season for the series, it’s hard not to have some level of concern about how it could turn out.
The creator of an IP leaving an adaptation is never a good sign — adaptations that don’t involve those who created the source material almost always end up not being good. One of the most prominent examples is another Naughty Dog property, Uncharted. Released in 2022 and directed by Ruben Fleischer, this adaptation didn’t involve series creator Amy Hennig or Uncharted 4 director Neil Druckmann in a creative capacity, resulting in a middling adaptation that mixes and matches stories from various games in the series. While a box office success, the film ultimately received negative reviews, a fate that could also befall the third (and possibly fourth) seasons of The Last of Us.
Neil Druckmann’s Departure From HBO’s ‘The Last of Us’ Was at the Worst Time
HBO
Druckmann cites his duties as Studio Head of Naughty Dog and his work as writer and director on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet as reasons for stepping away. Interestingly, Halley Gross is also no longer involved with the series creatively, which some see as a worrying sign for the show’s direction. Gross, who has previous writing credits with the HBO series Westworld, had co-written The Last of Us Part II with Druckmann, and she has no current responsibilities with Naughty Dog (besides starring in Intergalactic as a character in the game). All of this suggests that perhaps the mixed audience reactions and harsh social media attention also played a role in Druckmann’s (and possibly Gross’s) decision.
Now, Craig Mazin will serve as the sole writer of The Last of Us Season 3, a heavy responsibility he must now shoulder alone, without the game’s original creator. Druckmann is not only intimately familiar with the world and characters, but has also directed some of the best episodes of the series: the action-packed second episode of the first season titled “Infected,” and the intimate and heartwrenching Joel flashback episode in Season 2 titled “The Price,” making his departure from the show hit that much harder. The major changes introduced in Season 2 of The Last of Us have already created a scenario where Mazin and the team face an uphill battle in Season 3, and Druckmann’s absence could mean that it doesn’t end well.
Craig Mazin provided his brief thoughts and reaction to a scene from ‘The Last of Us’ season 2 that hasn’t had the best reception online.
Mazin’s interpretation of the world and characters has been hit or miss, with his controversial comments about Ellie’s competency compared to Abby drawing the ire of some fans. In other instances, such as the Emmy-winning episode “Long Long Time,” the writer/showrunner appears to have a profound understanding of the game’s world and the themes that make it so captivating to audiences. Humanizing and making Joel’s murderer someone viewers can empathize with is an incredibly tall task for anyone, and it’s hard to gauge how Mazin will handle the rest of the story without Druckmann to consult or have in the writers’ room.
The Enduring Legacy of HBO’s Adaptation of ‘The Last of Us’ Is in Jeopardy
HBO
HBO’s The Last of Us appears to have experienced a sort of sophomore slump following the universal acclaim it received upon its premiere in 2023. Changes in character interactions and the way Mazin, Druckmann, and Bella Ramsey brought Ellie’s quest for vengeance to life have elicited a mixed reaction, sharply dividing fans of both the game and the show. Still, the core themes of the second game remain intact for now, but it’s hard to say that they will stay that way, given the trajectory the show is headed towards, with the absence of key creative figures.
It will be interesting to see how the next season of The Last of Us unfolds, and whether Mazin and the rest of the team can continue to create a faithful adaptation without a key member of their team. With discussions of a fourth season still ongoing, the future of the HBO adaptation and its enduring legacy as one of the more successful video game adaptations suddenly feels like it is in jeopardy. Hopefully, the production team can find a path forward by building on the foundations that Mazin and Druckmann previously established, remaining faithful to the source material while making it engaging for television audiences. The Last of Us is streaming on HBO Max.
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
At long last, a new trailer for Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arcis here, and it looks amazing. After years of anticipation, it was recently confirmed that the film adaptation of the Reze arc would premiere this fall in Japan and other nations worldwide, finally giving fans a chance to return to the series after so many years of inactivity.
The new Chainsaw Man movie is going to be one of the biggest movies of the year, and it finally has a new trailer to prove it. A new trailer for the Chainsaw Man movie was released for Anime Expo 2025, and sure enough, the new trailer for Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc shows that the film will be a masterclass of art and animation.
The trailer, alone, is already putting season 1 to shame, and there’s no better sign that people are in for a good time with Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc.
This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
The BBC issued a formal apology after broadcasting a controversial performance from the rap-punk group Bob Vylan at England’s Glastonbury festival.
Bob Vylan — outspoken critics of Israel’s war on Gaza — led its crowd at last weekend’s festival in a chant of “Death to the IDF,” or Israel Defense Forces.
The BBC’s director- general Tim Davie wrote to staff in an internal memo on Thursday. “I deeply regret that such offensive and deplorable behavior appeared on the BBC and want to say sorry — to our audience and to all of you, but in particular to Jewish colleagues and the Jewish community,” Davie said. “We are unequivocal that there can be no place for antisemitism at the BBC.”
The broadcaster announced several policy changes for future festival broadcasts, including keeping “high risk” acts off live broadcasts and live streams.
Bob Vylan’s set led to some backlash within the music industry and beyond. The comments prompted local police to open a criminal investigation, and the band’s U.S. visas were revoked for its upcoming performances. The band’s agency, UTA, reportedly dropped them as well.
The band’s singer, who performs as Bobby Vylan, wrote on Instagram after the set that “teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place,” adding, “Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.”
The Northern Irish rap trio Kneecap, a fellow Glastonbury performer, has also come under scrutiny for its outspoken criticism of Israel’s war on Gaza. The band’s Glastonbury set was not broadcast live. The group’s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs as Mo Chara, had been charged with supporting a proscribed organization for allegedly waving a flag from the terror group Hezbollah at a London concert in 2024 (Chara denied the charge). U.K. prosecutors also recently dropped charges against Kneecap after a 2023 concert where Chara allegedly said, “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”
A juror in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is opening up about the decision-making process behind Wednesday’s verdict, when the disgraced rap mogul was convicted of illegal prostitution but acquitted of sex-trafficking and racketeering charges.
Speaking to ABC News on Thursday (July 3), the juror, who requested anonymity citing concerns of potential online abuse and cyber harassment, said they heard a legal pundit today suggest that Combs’ celebrity status may have influenced the jury’s decision, an idea that the juror slammed as “highly insulting and belittling to the jury and the deliberation process.”
“We spent over two days deliberating. Our decision was based solely on the evidence presented and how the law is stated,” the juror told the outlet. “We would have treated any defendant in the same manner regardless of who they are. I have nothing else to say.”
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian denied Combs’ request for bail and ruled that he will have to remain in jail, where he’s been since his arrest 10 months ago, until a sentencing hearing later this year. Judge Subramanian said his history of domestic violence still makes him a danger to society despite his acquittal on the more serious charges. The judge proposed a sentencing date of Oct. 3 but also set a remote hearing for Tuesday, July 8 to further discuss the sentence scheduling.
All American fans, rejoice! The critically acclaimed show has been renewed for its eighth and final season on The CW. But when will it come out? Here, we break down everything there is to know about All American Season 8.
Inspired by the life of NFL player Spencer Paysinger, All American follows football player Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) as he pursues his dreams of playing for the NFL. It is a show about identity, ambition, and staying true to one’s roots as Spencer tries to balance two worlds: Compton, where he grew up, and Beverly Hills, where he was recruited to play high school football. After Ezra stepped down from series regular in Season 6, Season 7 focused on his friends, Jordan (Michael Evans Behling), Layla (Greta Onieogou), and Coop (Bre-Z), and a new group of high schoolers searching for their dreams.
Since the first episode aired in 2018, the show has amassed a steady fanbase, becoming the network’s No. 1 entertainment series in total audience. It is also the last of the network’s scripted content after its recent shift towards unscripted shows.
All American‘s final season will “give fans a chance to say a meaningful goodby to these inspiring characters and this incredible world,” The CW Network President Brad Schwartz said in a statement when the show was renewed. “We cannot wait to see the emotion, heart, and magic that Nkechi Okoro Carroll and the entire cast and creative team deliver in giving this story the proper ending it deserves.”
When will All American Season 8 premiere?
Season 8 is currently slated to premiere in 2026 with 13 new episodes. An exact premiere date will be announced at a later time.
What will All American Season 8 be about?
In the new season, generations of Crenshaw and Beverly will be brought together in what the network describes as a “powerful collision.” The writers and crew are determined to give the show a memorable and meaningful end after eight years.
“It is so hard to say goodbye to the thing you love,” executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll said in a statement, “but we are so excited we get to do it in the way we envisioned with this final season.”
Who will be in All American Season 8?
There have yet to be any official casting announcements, but Season 8 plans to wrap up the storylines from Season 7. However, don’t rule out the possibilities of guest appearances. Last season, so many OG cast members made guest appearances, so maybe we’ll get to see some more familiar faces in this upcoming season?
Google’s AI Overviews feature has led to a significant increase in the frequency of “zero clicks” to search queries — drastically reducing traffic to news websites, according to a new report.
Since the Big Tech giant rolled out its artificial intelligence tool in May 2024, the percentage of web searches related to news that end without a click to a news site jumped to 69% in May 2025 from 56% for the same month last year, according to the latest figures from digital intelligence firm SimilarWeb.
The decrease in “click-through rates” has resulted in overall organic traffic to news sites — which typically comes through Google’s dominant search engine — sinking to under 1.7 billion visits in May 2025 from a peak of more than 2.3 billion in mid-2024, the SimilarWeb data shows.
Google’s AI Overviews feature is significantly reducing traffic to news websites thanks to the increase in the frequency of its “no click-throughs” on search results, according to a report. Koshiro K – stock.adobe.com
Earlier this week, SimilarWeb published data showing that 37 of the top 50 news domains suffered year-over-year traffic declines following the launch of AI Overviews.
When contacted about the latest SimilarWeb data, a Google spokesperson referred The Post to comments it provided about the plummeting web traffic of news sites.
“We’ve seen many inaccurate claims about traffic from Search, often based on speculative or incomplete information, questionable methodology, or data that predates AI Overviews,” the rep had said.
The spokesperson added that “new AI experiences in Search enable people to ask even more questions, which creates new opportunities for businesses and content to be discovered.”
OpenAI’s ChatGPT has boosted referral traffic to news sites, but not enough to compensate for the loss caused by Google’s AI Overviews. AP
Google faces the prospect of being broken up after a judge labeled the company a “monopolist” in ruling that it violated federal antitrust laws to build a dominant hold over the online search market. A verdict on the remedy is expected next month.
The surge in “zero clicks” highlights how users are increasingly consuming news directly through AI-generated summaries, bypassing traditional publishers entirely.
Landing high on Google’s search page results and using traditional SEO strategies are no longer delivering the same value for news publishers, the SimilarWeb report said.
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“Solutions to the news publishers’ crisis are few and far between,” the report said.
Even the rise of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which is becoming a more popular source of news content, has not compensated for the steep drop in traffic from Google, according to the SimilarWeb data.
From January through May 2024, ChatGPT referrals to news sites stood at just under 1 million. That number jumped to more than 25 million in 2025.
Topics like stocks, finance and sports account for the majority of ChatGPT’s news-related prompts, the Similarweb report found. However, interest in subjects like politics, the economy and weather is also growing.
The Similarweb report suggested this trend may indicate a user shift from seeking “reactive information” toward deeper, “issue-driven engagement” via AI tools.
SimilarWeb found that 37 of the top 50 news domains, including CNN, suffered year-over-year traffic declines following the launch of AI Overviews last May. Getty Images
According to SimilarWeb, usage of the ChatGPT app has more than doubled in the past six months.
In response to pressure from the publishing sector, Google recently introduced a tool called Offerwall for publishers using Google Ad Manager.
The service allows publishers to test monetization options beyond traditional ad-driven models, such as offering micropayments or prompting users to subscribe to newsletters to access content.
Google said Offerwall screens can also be customized by publishers.
Last year, News Corp, The Post’s parent company, struck a landmark content-sharing deal with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Christopher Sadowski
Many outlets have begun experimenting with different forms of monetization, including more aggressive paywalls.
Still, the media industry has been hard-hit by layoffs.
In a recent interview with The New York Times’ “Hard Fork” podcast, Altman acknowledged the growing economic pressure brought on by AI’s rapid adoption.
“I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away,” Altman said.
“And any job that goes away, even if it’s good for society and the economy as a whole, is very painful — extremely painful — in that moment … there is going to be real pain here in many cases.”
What a victory for sanity — and for truth and fairness.
This week, the University of Pennsylvania apologized to female swimmers on their 2021-2022 roster who had to endure a season of changing next to a biological male in the locker room and competing with the strapping 6 foot 1 athlete Lia, formerly Will, Thomas.
They also restored any school records broken by Thomas, who became the first transgender athlete to win a division 1 NCAA title.
As part of a resolution, the University of Pennsylvania is now scrapping Lia Thomas’ records. USA TODAY Sports
It’s poignant that this about face was forced by Thomas because he was the figure who took the debate of trans athletes in women’s sports from a niche issue to a full-on nuclear culture war battle.
Former UPenn swimmer Paula Scanlan said the school silenced her and other female swimmers who called out the injustice of having Thomas swim with the women. Courtesy of Paula Scanlan
The following year, another trans runner, Terry Miller also ran girl’s track, and the pair’s participation and wins sparked a debate — and a long legal battle — over the state policy that allowed trans athletes to compete in women’s sports.
But in 2021, when broad-shouldered Thomas jumped into the pool to compete as a member of the women’s team, the issue was rightfully pushed to the national forefront.
Thomas was a member of the men’s team at UPenn for three years, then took off a year to transition. He met the NCAA’s hormone therapy requirements at the time, but was clearly a man amongst girls.
His physical advantage was undeniable. And it was ridiculous.
While Lia Thomas’ teammates were silenced by the University, the trans swimmer was splashed across the media and celebrated. ABC News/YouTube
Not that many could vocalize it. At the time, athletes, including Thomas’ teammate Paula Scanlan, were told to shut up and put up. According to Scanlan, UPenn told its lady swimmers that his participation was a “non-negotiable,” and if they had any issues, they were provided with counseling services to “help” them “be OK with it.”
“The university wanted us to be quiet and they did it in a very effective way. They continued to tell us that our opinions were wrong and if we had an issue about it, we were the problem and it’s frightening and your future job is on the line,” she said.
After tying with Lia Thomas in the 200 free at the NCAA championship, Riley Gaines became a vocal advocate for fairness in women’s sports. USA TODAY Sports
Not only was it shameful to make them change in front of a male and have him crush other female swimmers in the pool, but an Ivy League institution squashing dissent from women in service of a confused man, was even more insane. It showed the school’s disconnect with their once prized liberal values.
But it wasn’t just UPenn. Thomas was celebrated across social media and in various outlets. In 2023, ESPN even included the trans athlete in their women’s history month segment.
In December of 2021, as Thomas was smashing records, a fed up Scanlan spoke to Outkick, but did so anonymously.
Lia Thomas towers over competitiors after winning hte 500 freestyle at hte NCAA tournament. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
“Pretty much everyone individually has spoken to our coaches about not liking this,” she said at the time.
“Female swimmers have not consented to this. In fact, many of them expressly said no. What response did they receive?
Be quiet. A new ideology ruled. “Transwomen are women” no exceptions; the girls’ concerns: “transphobic,” the piece noted.
At 6 foot 1 and having undergone male puberty, Lia Thomas possessed an obvious physical advantage NCAA Photos via Getty Images
Even on twitter — this was months before Elon Musk bought the platform — people were shut down and cancelled for “misgendering.” Common sense discourse was verboten and more and more dominant trans athletes emerged in various sports, including cycling and track and field.
And yet some courageous voices emerged — and thankfully never shut up. Riley Gaines swam for the University of Kentucky and tied with Thomas for fifth in the 200-yard freestyle at the NCAA tournament. She took up the cause at great personal risk.
In February, President Trump signed an executive order keeping biologial males out of women’s sports. Getty Images
Simply by calling for fairness in women’s sports, she was instantly branded a transphobe and a bigot. Scanlan soon unmasked herself and joined Gaines. (And organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom and Independent Women’s Forum provided wind at the movement’s back).
Now, close to 80% of Americans believe biological men shouldn’t play in women’s sports. But back then, to say such a thing was an act of courage and defiance.
They raised the red flags and started a tidal wave — and took loads of licks in the process.
In this episode, Richard and Yalda lift the curtain on what life is actually like in Iran, as Richard details how he managed to get into Tehran this week – and what he’s found out about a country still reeling from the ramifications of the war against the US and Israel.
After President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday night that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, we wait to see if Hamas accept the terms of the proposed agreement.
Yalda and Richard ask what’s next for the region, and whether Trump has in fact been successful in attempting to bring peace to the Middle East.
To get in touch or to share questions, email theworld@sky.uk
