Author: rb809rb

  • Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Movie Is Making Gen Z Listen to the Book (EXCLUSIVE)

    Christopher Nolan’s film adaptation of “The Odyssey” is a bona fide cultural phenomenon (sorry, trolls!), shattering box office projections with a $264.1 million worldwide gross its opening weekend, earning rave reviews from critics, unleashing a tidal wave of Oscar buzz and causing such a frenzy for Imax 70mm tickets that moviegoers have gone as far as embarking on cross-country trips and delaying pregnancies to see it.

    The enormous popularity of Nolan’s summer blockbuster, which stars Matt Damon as Odysseus, who crosses paths with goddesses, sirens, a cyclops, armored giants and a Scylla during his decade-long return to Ithaca — where his wife and son, played by Anne Hathaway and Tom Holland, have been fending off a hall of scheming suitors vying for her hand and his throne — following the events of the Trojan War, has also boosted sales of the book version of Homer’s nearly 3,000-year-old tale, as sales across all editions of “The Odyssey” are up 76% this year, according to data from Circana BookScan.

    And, as Variety can exclusively reveal, the Nolan bump has extended to Spotify streams of the audiobook format of “The Odyssey.” According to Spotify, “Across 91 audiobook editions in 10 languages, ‘The Odyssey’ has now been listened to on Spotify for the equivalent of more than 43 years of continuous playback.”

    There’s more: On July 17, the opening day of Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” listens to the audiobook of “The Odyssey” jumped more than 500% on Spotify; in June, weeks before the premiere, listens to ‘The Odyssey’ jumped increased more than 240%, while post-premiere listens are on pace to be up roughly 680%; and on Spotify, “The Odyssey” has been especially popular among younger listeners, with 36% of listeners being Gen Z, 45% Millennial, and male listeners, with 63% of all listenership being men.

    “It’s always exciting to see beloved classics find new audiences,” Lena Yang, Senior Editor for Audiobooks at Spotify, tells Variety. “Audiobooks offer a fresh way to experience timeless tales, and it’s especially rewarding to see listeners returning to ‘The Odyssey’ in such a meaningful way.”

  • Augustus Raises $180 Million to Build a Stablecoin-Ready ‘Global Dollar Bank’

    Augustus Raises $180 Million to Build a Stablecoin-Ready ‘Global Dollar Bank’

    In brief

    • Augustus raised $180 million at a $1 billion valuation, led by Tiger Global with backing from the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle, and Deel, plus figures like Balaji Srinivasan.
    • Rather than issue its own stablecoin, the firm is building a chartered “Global Dollar Bank” that moves money across both traditional rails.
    • The deal underscores how dollar-pegged stablecoins are becoming mainstream financial infrastructure, backed by Augustus’ conditional OCC national bank charter and framed partly as a counter to China’s digital yuan and Russia’s proposed BRICS Pay.

    Augustus, a startup building a federally chartered clearing bank designed around stablecoins and programmable money, said Tuesday it raised $180 million in a Series B round that values the company at $1 billion.

    The round was led by Tiger Global, with participation from Hummingbird, QED, and the founders of Nubank, Ramp, Circle, and Deel. A roster of fintech and crypto figures also backed the deal, including Circle co-founder Sean Neville, former Coinbase Chief Technology Officer Balaji Srinivasan, and Rain’s Farooq Malik. Augustus said it has raised $210 million to date.

    The company is targeting correspondent banking, the plumbing that lets money move between institutions across borders. Rather than issuing its own stablecoin, Augustus is building infrastructure that lets banks and fintechs transact across both traditional rails and blockchain networks.

    Its API-first platform supports operating and FBO accounts and settles via Swift, ACH, SEPA and stablecoins, running on a proprietary core banking system called Marble that the firm says enables faster settlement and 24/7 availability by deploying AI across the back office.

    Stablecoins are central to why the deal matters to financial markets. Stablecoins are tokens designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged one-to-one to U.S. dollars, which allow market participants to enter and exit trades without the need to access dollars directly.

    Dollar-pegged stablecoins have grown into a multibillion-dollar settlement layer, extending the reach of the U.S. dollar and pressuring the slow, weekday-bound correspondent system that still underpins cross-border payments. By wiring stablecoin rails directly into a chartered bank, Augustus is positioning that emerging crypto infrastructure as a plumbing upgrade for mainstream institutions, rather than a workaround.

    The financing follows Augustus’ conditional approval in May for a U.S. national bank charter from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which the company said made it the eighth bank to win conditional approval since 2010. The startup already counts crypto exchange Kraken among its customers.

    “We started Augustus with a simple thesis: the Dollar is the greatest product in the world but its distribution is fundamentally broken,” said Ferdinand Dabitz, CEO and co-founder. “This financing lets us execute on our mission to provide high-quality dollar access to international fintechs and banks. It’s time to dollarize the world.”

    Augustus framed the effort partly as a geopolitical bet, noting China’s digital yuan and Russia’s proposed BRICS Pay as challenges to Western currency dominance. It plans to use the capital to expand across Latin America, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa, where dollar access remains limited.

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  • Pump.fun launches BOOST mode to recycle dead liquidity through token burns

    Pump.fun launches BOOST mode to recycle dead liquidity through token burns

    Pump.fun has introduced BOOST mode, a new launch mechanism that automatically reinjects liquidity through token buybacks and burns after coins complete the platform’s bonding curve.

    Introducing BOOST mode – the new standard launch mechanism for EVERY new pump fun coin

    Over $100M in dead liquidity is lost every year when tokens migrate. Now, we’re reinjecting future liquidity into EVERY BONDED COIN.

    Learn more 👇 pic.twitter.com/FJEE0rSXiB

    — Pump.fun (@Pumpfun) July 21, 2026

    The Solana memecoin launchpad said more than $100 million in liquidity becomes permanently trapped each year when tokens migrate from their bonding curves. The platform refers to this capital as dead liquidity because it remains locked in liquidity pools even after traders sell their holdings.

    Under the previous migration structure, each token sacrificed roughly 20% of its liquidity, according to Pump.fun. BOOST mode redirects part of that capital into market purchases during the five minutes immediately following a migration.

    The mechanism reinjects 17.6 $SOL for $SOL trading pairs or $2,516 for USDC pairs. Purchases are executed gradually through a time weighted average price system, with the acquired tokens automatically burned after each transaction.

    Pump.fun said the feature does not require creators or traders to activate it. All eligible coins migrating after 10:23 a.m. Eastern Time on July 21 will automatically use the BOOST configuration.

    Tokens that migrated before the cutoff will not receive the feature. Coins launched through Pump.fun’s Mayhem system are also excluded.

    Pump.fun said the trading experience will remain unchanged, while the redirected liquidity is intended to create additional buying pressure and permanently reduce the circulating supply of migrated tokens.

    Pump.fun’s native PUMP token traded largely flat following the announcement, although it remained up more than 30% over the previous seven days.

  • Expedia Reveals 2026 ‘Island Hot List,’ With St. Lucia, Porto Santo and Cape Verde, Following Country’s Cinderella World Cup Run

    Expedia Reveals 2026 ‘Island Hot List,’ With St. Lucia, Porto Santo and Cape Verde, Following Country’s Cinderella World Cup Run

    If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

    St. Lucia, Porto Santo, Praslin and Syros are the among the top island escapes to travel to this year, according to Expedia‘s 2026 Island Hot List, an annual ranking of the most popular island destinations based on searches and bookings.

    Released July 21, this year’s Island Hot List highlights ten under-the-radar islands that offer an “alternative to traditional hotspots,” per Expedia, with the locations lauded for “combining natural beauty, cultural depth, and sometimes better value.”

    St. Lucia tops the list for 2026, with Expedia reporting searches for the Eastern Caribbean island up 125% over 2025. Travelers say the lush getaway in the Lesser Antilles is best for “romantic escapes,” citing its intimate vibe and host of luxury resorts. Of course there’s plenty for adventure seekers to do as well, with long stretches of beaches, tropical rainforests and dramatic volcanoes in the distance.

    Expedia

    WHERE TO STAY

    Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort

    St. Lucia pick

    Porto Santo Island, in the Portuguese archipelago of Madeira, ranked second on Expedia’s 2026 Island Hot List, with searches for the destination up 85% from this time last year. Expedia says the so-called “golden” island ranks best for “wellness and relaxation,” with travelers seeking out spa treatments and tranquil moments along stretches of sand that are said to hold calming “geotherapeutic” properties. Porto Santo also offers an airy and quieter sun-soaked getaway, compared to the busy resorts and mountainous landscapes of its sister island, Madeira.

    WHERE TO STAY

    Pestana Porto Santo Beach Resort & Spa

    Porto Santo pick

    Praslin, an island in the Seychelles, comes in third on this year’s list, as a destination for “nature lovers.” Located in the Indian Ocean, Praslin is home to the Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve (“May Valley”), a national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site that offers an expansive palm forest promising sightings of rare birds and plants (like the Coco de Mer palms). You can also hit the open water to snorkel for giant turtles and coral reefs, or swim along Anse Lazio beach, renowned for its white sand and dramatic granite boulders in the distance.

    WHERE TO STAY

    Coco de Mer Hotel and Black Parrot Suites

    Praslin pick

    This year’s Expedia roundup also includes Syros Greece, which the booking site says is best for foodies looking for both authentic and inventive Greek cuisine; Lofoten Islands in Norway for arctic adventures; Phu Quoc, Vietnam for “affordable luxury;” and Sanibel Island over in Florida, which Expedia says is “best for family escapes.” Other islands on the Hot List are Palawan, Philippines; Culebra, Puerto Rico; and Fiji, along with Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas, which was named Expedia’s “Best Private Island for Cruises.” Great Stirrup Cay is a private island that is exclusive to Norwegian Cruise Line guests.

    Of course, this year’s Island Hot Lists reflects what people are buzzing about and Expedia says searches for Cape Verde have shot up a whopping 805% on the heels of the country’s cinderella World Cup run. The travel site says the archipelagic country off the coast of West Africa saw interest boom after “a summer of soccer, where team Cape Verde melted soccer fans’ hearts and drove a new wave of travel demand.”

    Expedia

    WHERE TO STAY

    Morabeza Hotel

    Cabo Verde pick

    Cape Verde was ranked 67th in the FIFA rankings prior to the World Cup but finished second in Group H with three draws (including tying now-World Cup champions Spain). The team then went on to narrowly lose to Argentina in a Round of 32 knockout stage match, earning the respect of Lionel Messi and soccer fans from around the world. Expedia, meantime, calls it the “Best Ultimate Soccer-inspired Island.”

    “Islands don’t just satisfy the urge to get away; they can also be one of the smartest vacation values, thanks to all-inclusive resorts and bundle savings on Expedia,” says Melanie Fish, VP of Public Relations, Expedia Group Brands, who adds that “The list was finalized until two destinations generated so much buzz from cruise travelers and soccer fans that we had to give them awards of their own.”

    The 2026 Expedia Island Hot List was based on global flight searches made on all Expedia points of sale from September 22, 2025 to March 22, 2026, for travel any date in 2026. See the full list here.

  • XRP Jumps 4% as MiCA Approval and Bitcoin’s Rebound Fuel a Trendline Breakout

    XRP Jumps 4% as MiCA Approval and Bitcoin’s Rebound Fuel a Trendline Breakout

    $XRP is having a strong day. The Ripple-linked token climbed about 4% over the last 24 hours to trade near $1.13, and this time the move has real drivers behind it — a major regulatory win, widening institutional access, and a broader market lifted by a resurgent Bitcoin. The rally has also pushed $XRP above a descending trendline that has capped every attempt to recover since its $1.54 high.

    Let’s start with why it’s moving, then look at what the chart says.

    Why is $XRP Price up today?

    Three things are working in $XRP‘s favor at once.

    First, regulation. Ripple has secured full MiCA approval to operate across 30 European countries, which strengthens its appeal to banks and payment providers and removes a layer of uncertainty that had kept institutions cautious. Second, access is widening: investors can now buy 21Shares $XRP through most brokerages without needing to hold the coin in self-custody — a meaningful lowering of the barrier for traditional money. Third, momentum from the broader market: $XRP posted its fourth straight green daily close on Monday, with the move powered in large part by a rebounding Bitcoin dragging the majors higher.

    Put together, that’s a mix of structural and momentum drivers rather than a one-off spike.

    $XRP Price Analysis: Is $XRP UP?

    Now the technicals. From the $1.54 high, $XRP carved out a clean downtrend — a series of lower highs, each rejected right at the same descending line (the yellow arrows on the chart mark those failed attempts). Price bottomed near the $1 support zone, bounced, got rejected at the trendline again, and pulled back.

    Today breaks that pattern. The latest green candle has pushed through the descending line near $1.1361 instead of bouncing off it. That resistance has defined $XRP‘s price action for roughly two and a half months, so clearing it is the first genuine technical win the bulls have had in a while. Analysts note the move also lines up with a symmetrical-triangle breakout that traders had been watching, with $1.13 as the key trigger level.

    $XRP Prediction: Where does $XRP go from here?

    Breaking a trendline is a start, not a confirmation. On the daily chart, $XRP is still inside a larger descending channel, with the 100-day and 200-day moving averages sitting overhead around $1.12-$1.13 and again near $1.24. That makes the $1.24-$1.28 zone the real test — it lines up with both the channel’s upper boundary and the major moving averages. Clear it decisively, and analysts see $1.35 coming into focus.

    On the downside, support sits firmly around $1.02-$1.06, where buyers have repeatedly stepped in over recent weeks. A loss of that zone would undo the breakout and potentially expose the $0.88-$0.92 area.

    The takeaway: $XRP has fundamentals and momentum aligning with a technical breakout — but it needs to hold above $1.13 and eventually crack $1.24-$1.28 to turn today’s move from a breakout attempt into a real trend reversal.

  • Lebanon’s goal to end hostilities with Israel ‘forever’, says president

    Lebanon’s goal to end hostilities with Israel ‘forever’, says president

    NewsFeed

    Lebanese President Joseph Aoun has told US President Donald Trump that Lebanon’s “ultimate objective” is to end hostilities with Israel “forever”, following a US-backed framework agreement. Aoun is in Washington seeking US support for an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

  • White House pushes Senate Democrats to take ‘historic’ crypto Clarity Act ethics deal

    White House pushes Senate Democrats to take ‘historic’ crypto Clarity Act ethics deal

    “If Senate Democrats block this historic legislation after the administration has bent over backward to accommodate their concerns, stakeholders should make no mistake: It is the Democrats who are blocking this legislation because they were never serious about a legislative outcome,” the White House official said.

    Democratic negotiators such as Senators Kirsten Gillibrand, Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks reportedly haven’t received details of the agreement with Trump, who’d met personally with Republican senators last week. But many of the Democrats have drawn a line in the sand that the ethics provision — driven primarily by Trump’s own deep crypto connections — needs to be strong.

    The dispute was heightened recently by the president’s disclosures that he’d pocketed more than $1 billion last year from his crypto interests.

    The White House, Republicans and their crypto industry allies are already building their case against any Democrats who don’t accept the new answer to their ethics demands. It’s unclear when they’ll get to see it.

    The industry is expecting full circulation of the Clarity Act legislative language as soon as Tuesday night or Wednesday, though that expectation has been repeatedly delayed since last week.

    The Senate has fewer than three weeks to finish the bill, including the ethics piece, and get it through the political gauntlet of a floor vote before lawmakers leave town for their reelection campaigns. There’s technically enough time, but even without significant further debate, it would be tight.

  • Whitney Cummings’ Trump “Sex Traffic” Joke Cut From Netflix Telecast Of Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize Ceremony Honoring Bill Maher

    Whitney Cummings’ Trump “Sex Traffic” Joke Cut From Netflix Telecast Of Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize Ceremony Honoring Bill Maher

    UPDATED: When the Kennedy Center honored Bill Maher with its Mark Twain Prize at a ceremony last month, there were a number of jokes at the expense of the center’s chairman, Donald Trump, who was not present.

    One quip, though, did not make it into the stream of the ceremony that debuted on Tuesday: A joke that seemingly referenced Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.

    Honoring Maher, Whitney Cummings said at the ceremony, “I actually heard Trump may come tonight, but he couldn’t make it. He got caught in sex traffic.”

    In an audience that included some Trump administration figures, the biting joke got some oohs, and laughs.

    So what happened?

    Cummings posted on X on Tuesday that Netflix did not cut anything from her set. A Netflix spokesperson said, “While it’s our preference not to cut jokes from anyone’s set, The Kennedy Center has the contractual right to do so.”

    Netflix has had the rights to the ceremony under a rights deal with the center, which is controlled by Trump and a board dominated by his allies.

    A source close to the production said, “Edits to a show are always made in a collaborative way to produce the best product for broadcast.” The show is trimmed each year for time constraints, including last year, when Conan O’Brien was honored.

    But on her podcast earlier this month, Cummings talked about the situation, noting that the joke was “already out there” given press reporting on the ceremony. “But then they said, ‘We need to cut it from the broadcast.’ I’m like, well, it’s already out there. Who cares?’ They’re like, ‘He will sue you.’”

    Cummings said that while she wasn’t trying to be the “bratty” comedian saying, “I’m on the front lines.”

    “I don’t care. It’s like, ‘Great. Cut it.’ But this is the Mark Twain Prize. This is the only time that you shouldn’t get censored, because it’s about comedians using humor to criticize our elected officials. So I was in this jam where I was like … ‘I need to fight for this joke because it’s the Mark Twain Prize, and this is the time I feel like I have to. But also, I don’t want anyone losing their job. But if it’s just about him suing me, I was like, ‘Okay.’ I mean, I have to fly to DC, which is kind of annoying. But I would win.”

    Cummings posted on X, “I was super clear that Netflix did not cut anything from my Mark Twain prize set. Netflix always supports comedy and comics. Quit spreading rumors ya weirdos.”

    Throughout the ceremony, Maher was honored as a champion for free expression, with humor that skewered the right and the left. During her tribute, Cummings called Maher a “warrior for free speech.” Then she quipped, “He believes you should be able to say anything at anytime, especially when someone else is mid sentence.”

    Shortly after he returned to office, Trump ousted the center’s board members who were appointed by Joe Biden and Barack Obama, ensuring that he would be elected its chairman, a first for a sitting president.

  • The Best Back-to-School Deals on Desktops for Serious Study From Dell, HP, and More

    The Best Back-to-School Deals on Desktops for Serious Study From Dell, HP, and More

    Bringing a laptop to class is a no-brainer in the modern age of education, but some students need a little more PC power back at home or in their dorms. That’s where a desktop comes in. With better cooling, more potent components, and plenty of ports for external drives and other peripherals, a desktop tower is a more secure home base for big projects and important papers.

    If you’re setting a student (or yourself) up for success, don’t miss these exceptional desktop deals (and I’ll be adding more as I find them).

    HP OmniDesk Tower PC Deal

    HP OmniDesk Tower PC

    Intel Core Ultra 5 225 CPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD


    $629.99
    at Best Buy

    $999.99
    Save $370.00


    Get Deal

    The traditional desktop tower may seem like a dying breed, but we’re quite fond of HP’s OmniDesk, which combines modern components with a charming retro woodgrain front panel to create a PC that fits in all kinds of situations. This is a capable all-rounder of a machine with enough CPU power to handle epic research sessions and 512GB of storage space for that one paper that just won’t end. We had a preview of these models at CES, where we appreciated the subtle yet extensive front panel port placement, the small footprint, and the wide array of configurations, with plenty of space and easy access for upgrades. Snagging a 37% discount makes it even more appealing.

    Geekom A6 Mini PC Deal

    Geekom A6 Mini PC

    AMD Ryzen 7 6800H CPU, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD


    $549.00
    at Amazon

    $649.00
    Save $100.00


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    If space is at a premium in the dorm, a mini desktop might be the optimal solution. These potent PCs are smaller than your average textbook but pack plenty of juice, and we gave the Geekom A6 an Editors’ Choice award as the best budget option in the space. A $100 back-to-school discount at Amazon makes it even more appealing. In our full review, we said that this Windows machine performed well in our benchmarking tests, grinding through everyday productivity work with ease, and its wide port selection made it easy to hook up external drives and other peripherals.

    Dell 24 All-In-One Desktop Deal

    Dell 24 All-In-One Desktop

    23.8-inch FHD display, Intel Core 3 100U CPU, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD


    $728.00
    at Amazon

    $879.99
    Save $151.99


    Get Deal

    All-in-one desktops are another popular choice for student life, because they’re a lot easier to set up and more convenient to move around with all the components inside the monitor housing. For a top value, we recommend Dell’s 24-inch AIO. Although there is a newer one on the market, this discount on last year’s model is quite steep, and the loadout is more than enough for most schoolwork, with a reliable Intel Core 3 processor running the show. The large FHD screen is great for watching Netflix in the dorm, too. We have a full review of this desktop, and high points included the sharp and colorful webcam, tons of ports, and great connectivity with Wi-Fi 6E support.

    Recommended by Our Editors

    Even More Back-To-School Desktop Deals

    *Deals are selected by our commerce team

    Want to make the grade with deep discounts on top tech? Our deals page has it all.

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  • ‘Robocop’ TV Series From Blumhouse Officially a Go for Prime Video

    ‘Robocop’ TV Series From Blumhouse Officially a Go for Prime Video

    Amazon MGM Studios will buy that for a dollar!

    The company has finally greenlit its Robocop TV series for Prime Video from Blumhouse Atomic Monster.

    The new Robocop will be an eight-episode series from showrunner Peter Ocko (Lodge 49) and executive producers James Wan, Michael Clear and Rob Hackett. The project was first announced in development three years ago.

    The original 1987 RoboCop film* from director Paul Verhoeven told the story of a crime-ridden Detroit where a fatally injured police officer is rebuilt into a mechanical superhero. The film was acclaimed for its satirical take on corporate America. Ed Neumeier — co-creator and co-writer of the original — will also serve as an executive producer. 

    From the official series order description: “Since its debut in 1987, Robocop has endured as one of the most iconic and culturally significant franchises in science fiction. What began as a bold social satire — blending visceral action with a critique of corporate greed, privatization, and the nature of identity — has resonated across generations, spawning sequels, television series, video games and comic books. Its themes of humanity versus technology and the consequences of unchecked corporate power feel more relevant today than ever, making it the ideal property to reimagine for a new era of television.”

    “I’ve been a massive fan of RoboCop forever, so getting to help bring this world to television is a dream,” said Wan. “What Paul Verhoeven created in 1987 was decades ahead of its time, and its questions about technology, identity, and who corporations really serve have only grown more urgent. With Peter’s distinctive vision and bold approach to storytelling, and alongside Ed and our partners at Amazon MGM Studios, we’re working to honor what made the original iconic and highlight its relevancy in this modern, tech-driven world, while building something unmistakably new for a global audience.” 

    Robocop is a franchise that has meant something to audiences for nearly four decades — not just as an action spectacle, but as a sharp, provocative mirror of our relationship with technology and power,” said Peter Friedlander, Head of Global Television, Amazon MGM Studios. “Peter Ocko has crafted a vision that honors the soul of what made the original so enduring while building something entirely fresh and urgent for today. Paired with the cinematic sensibility of James Wan and the team at Blumhouse Atomic Monster, we believe this series will captivate a whole new generation of fans on Prime Video.”

    There have been many efforts to expand RoboCop into a franchise before. A 12-episode animated TV series was released by Marvel Productions in 1988. There were two modest sequel films, 1990’s RoboCop 2 and 1993’s RoboCop 3. In 1994, there was a short-lived RoboCop TV series, and in 2001 there was a live-action miniseries, RoboCop: Prime Directives. Perhaps the best-known reboot is 2014’s RoboCop film starring Joel Kinnaman.

    *The film uses an uppercase “c” for “cop,” while the new series uses a lowercase “c.”