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  • Andreas Dresen, Doris Dörrie Films to World Premiere at Zurich Film Festival

    The world premieres of two major German films, Andreas Dresen’s “Love, After All” and Doris Dörrie’s “How Can I Help?,” are among 10 titles to feature in the Gala Premieres section of Zurich Film Festival.

    The selection also includes Oscar contenders “I Play Rocky” and “Josephine,” and Switzerland’s most anticipated film, “111 – Echoes From Halifax.”

    Christian Jungen, CEO of the festival, said the section is “dedicated to auteur cinema for a broader audience.”

    “We are particularly delighted that two major figures of German auteur cinema, Andreas Dresen and Doris Dörrie, have entrusted us with the world premieres of their new films,” Jungen said. “Their films are grounded in everyday life and, with a little wink, reflect on the state of our society.”

    He added, “We present films that will play an important role later in the award season, such as ‘I Play Rocky.’” The film tells the story behind the making of the cult classic starring Sylvester Stallone, which won the Academy Award for best picture in 1977.

    Jungen explained that, from a Swiss perspective, “111 – Echoes From Halifax” deserves special mention. “From multiple perspectives, the film sheds light on a major event that shook our nation: the crash of a Swissair aircraft near Halifax,” he said.

    The full program of the 22nd Zurich Film Festival, which runs Sept. 24 to Oct. 4, will be revealed on Sept. 9.

    I PLAY ROCKY
    European Premiere
    Biography
    U.S., 2026
    Director: Peter Farrelly
    Cast: Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon, Stephan James, AnnaSophia Robb, PJ Byrne, Toby Kebbell, Tracy Letts, Jay Duplass
    Unknown actor Sylvester Stallone is writing a screenplay titled “Rocky” that a studio is desperate to acquire. But Stallone refuses to sell the rights – unless he gets to play the lead himself. Despite numerous setbacks and rejections, he remains determined to make his dream a reality: playing Rocky Balboa. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the legendary underdog film.

    JOSEPHINE
    Drama
    U.S., 2026
    Director: Beth de Araújo
    Cast: Channing Tatum, Gemma Chan, Mason Lily Reeves
    When 8-year-old Josephine witnesses a violent crime, her world is out of joint. She is trying to find a way to regain a sense of security. While her emphatic mother (Gemma Chan) wants to help her process what happened, her father (Channing Tatum) believes in preparing Josephine for the harsher realities of life but increasingly finds himself overwhelmed by the situation. With the suspense of a thriller, director Beth de Araújo tells a deeply empathetic family drama about fear and the limits of parental care. Channing Tatum gives one of his strongest performances in this year’s great Sundance Film Festival sensation.

    111 – ECHOES FROM HALIFAX
    European Premiere
    Drama
    Switzerland, Canada, 2026
    Director: Mauro Mueller
    Cast: Ursina Lardi, Kris Holden-Ried, Djebril Zonga, Fathia Youssouf, Natalie Brown
    On Sept. 2, 1998, the crash of Swissair Flight 111 off Halifax changes the lives of many people forever: relatives struggle for certainty about their loved ones, helpers try to offer comfort, and the residents of the Canadian coast are confronted with the traces of tragedy. As time passes and questions remain unanswered, the film shows how grief connects, relationships change, and new perspectives emerge. Mauro Mueller’s film is a quiet, poignant drama about loss, memory and the power of human closeness.

    COMPANY
    Mystery
    Canada, U.S., UAE, 2026
    Director: Casey Affleck
    Cast: Nick Nolte, Ben Mendelsohn, Adelaide Clemens, Scoot McNairy, Emily Alyn Lind, Caylee Cowan
    On a winter night in 1975, a mysterious woman named Evelyn arrives uninvited at a holiday gathering and tells the story of Tom, an aging hermit who rescues a stranded actress during a Colorado blizzard in 1953. To pass the night, the actress recounts an older tale of a farming couple who take in a troubled young drifter as a series of grisly murders spreads fear across the frontier. As the stories intertwine across generations, “Company” becomes a meditation on grief, vengeance, forgiveness and the quiet acts of compassion that can heal even the deepest wounds.

    POSSIBLE LOVE
    Drama
    South Korea, 2026
    Director: Lee Chang-dong
    Cast: Jeon Do-yeon, Sul Kyung-gu, Zo In-sung, Cho Yeo-jeong
    “Possible Love” follows the intertwined relationship of two married couples facing different paths and hidden desires. Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon) lives quietly with her laid-off husband Ho-seok (Sul Kyung-gu) and their young son Cheol until a funeral brings them into the orbit of Ye-ji (Cho Yeo-jeong), a documentary filmmaker chronicling laid-off workers, and her husband Sang-woo (Zo In-sung) – a couple whose affluent lifestyle stands in sharp contrast to their own. When Mi-ok agrees to be filmed, she grows close to Ye-ji, and finds herself uneasily drawn to the unreadable Sang-woo. As their worlds collide, fractures begin to appear in their daily existence. Marking his first release in eight years, highly acclaimed director Lee Chang-dong (“Burning,” “Poetry,” “Secret Sunshine”) brings his signature nuance to “Possible Love,” capturing shifting emotions, conflicts, and contrasting outlooks that shape these relationships.

    LOVE, AFTER ALL
    World Premiere
    Tragicomedy
    Germany, 2026
    Director: Andreas Dresen
    Cast: Dagmar Manzel, Joachim Król
    Lore (Dagmar Manzel) and Harry (Joachim Król) have been married for nearly 40 years and there is rarely a moment of silence between them. Old stories, missed chances and the uncertainties of retirement fuel heated discussions. Lore is afraid of growing old and bitter in the garden alongside Harry while he longs for stability and peace. There is only one thing they agree on: Their daughter Gloria has little luck in love. Now, she wants to get married for the third time – this time to a wealthy man who is almost the same age as Harry. A warm-hearted love story inspired by real life, drawing the audience in with its authentic characters and lots of humor.

    IT WILL HAPPEN TONIGHT
    Romance
    Italy, France, Spain, 2026
    Director: Nanni Moretti
    Cast: Louis Garrel, Jasmine Trinca, Hippolyte Girardot, Angela Finocchiaro, Melina Åkerman Kvie, Elena Lietti, Andrea Lattanzi, Antonio De Matteo, Nanni Moretti
    I’ll wait for you, for as long as you want me to. But will it ever happen?

    BURGUNDY
    Documentary
    France, 2026
    Director: Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw
    Cast: Enzo Ferraroli, Céleste Kalis, Eric Goettelmann, Patrick Maniere, Guillaume Baroin, Bertrand Devillard
    Burgundy is one of the world’s most famous wine regions. Through the eyes of novices in hospitality and viticulture, the film offers a fascinating glimpse into its unique wine culture, where time-honored traditions live on in rituals centered on luxury and indulgence. Blending documentary and fictional elements, directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw pay homage to the remarkable and charming people whose zest for life shapes and preserves this unique region and its centuries-old culture.

    HOW CAN I HELP?
    World Premiere
    Drama/Comedy
    Germany, 2026
    Director: Doris Dörrie
    Cast: Angela Winkler, Laura Tonke, Josef Ellers, Via Jikeli, Eugene Boateng, Zoë Baier
    Mrs. Winkler has a fall and becomes a nursing case. Her daughter, overwhelmed by her needs, hires a care robot. After some initial resistance, Mrs. Winkler grows quite fond of him. He takes perfect care of her and keeps her entertained – except that he is also supposed to kill her in case her condition deteriorates further…

    THE HAMMER
    World Premiere
    Documentary
    France, U.S., 2026
    Director: Simon Wallon
    Cast: Simon de Pury, Jeff Koons, Marina Abramović, Chloe Wise, Lou Zhenggang
    A documentary portrait of famed auctioneer Simon de Pury, whose career saw him leading auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Phillips, being the curator of major world collections, an artist, even a DJ, and always being an unavoidable personality “the Mick Jagger of auctions” takes us behind the curtain of the extravagant art market. Art fairs, collectors’ homes, artists’ studios, galas… The film is a welcoming and entertaining dive amongst the 1% and explores the complicated relationship between artists and commerce. Ultimately, it questions what it means to be an artist today. It was shot between New York, Tokyo, London, Cannes, Miami and Monaco.

  • SushiSwap-Backed Pools.fun Announces Protocol Token Launch with Buyback and Airdrop Plans

    SushiSwap-Backed Pools.fun Announces Protocol Token Launch with Buyback and Airdrop Plans

    Pools.fun, the token issuance platform developed jointly by decentralized exchange SushiSwap and automated trading agent Bankr, is preparing to launch its own protocol token. Bankr founder 0xDeployer revealed the plans on X, outlining a structure that includes token buybacks, burns, an airdrop, and a points program.

    Tokenomics and Fee Allocation

    According to 0xDeployer, 30% of protocol fees generated by Pools.fun will be allocated to token buybacks and burns. This mechanism is designed to reduce circulating supply over time, potentially benefiting long-term holders. The founder also confirmed that fees intended for buybacks are already being accumulated ahead of the token’s official launch.

    The announcement detailed a points program that rewards user activity. Trading volume on the platform and the trading volume of tokens issued by users will both factor into the points system. While the exact conversion rate between points and token allocations has not been disclosed, the program is expected to play a role in the upcoming airdrop.

    Context and Platform Background

    Pools.fun emerged from a collaboration between SushiSwap, one of the oldest decentralized exchanges in the DeFi space, and Bankr, an automated trading agent focused on on-chain strategies. The platform aims to simplify token issuance, allowing users to create and trade tokens with built-in liquidity mechanisms. Its positioning draws comparisons to other issuance platforms like pump.fun, but with a distinct emphasis on automated trading integration.

    The decision to launch a protocol token follows a broader trend in DeFi where platforms introduce native tokens to incentivize usage and align stakeholder interests. However, such launches also carry risks, including regulatory scrutiny and market volatility.

    Implications for Users and the DeFi Ecosystem

    For active users of Pools.fun, the points program and airdrop could provide tangible rewards for early participation. The buyback-and-burn mechanism may also create a deflationary pressure on the token’s supply, which some investors view positively. Yet, the success of such initiatives depends on sustained platform activity and market conditions.

    Industry observers note that token launches of this nature often generate short-term speculation. Long-term value will hinge on the platform’s ability to attract and retain users beyond initial incentives. The integration with Bankr’s automated trading tools could offer a unique utility, potentially distinguishing Pools.fun from competitors.

    Conclusion

    Pools.fun’s protocol token launch represents a significant step for the SushiSwap-Bankr collaboration. With a clear fee allocation strategy and user-centric incentives, the platform is positioning itself to reward early adopters. However, as with any emerging DeFi project, potential participants should conduct thorough research and remain mindful of market risks.

  • Ritchie Blackmore Performs With Deep Purple for First Time Since Acrimonious Split in Early ’90s, After Warning Fans: ‘I Have Not Played Rock Music in 25 Years’

    Most Deep Purple fans had long since given up any hope of seeing the band ever share a stage with founding guitarist Ritchie Blackmore again, due to a well-know, decades-long estrangement. But that’s exactly what took place near the end of the group’s show Wednesday night at Jones Beach in New York, as hatchets were buried and Blackmore rejoined his old mates for a rendition of the group’s most famous song, “Smoke on the Water.”

    “It’s gonna be interesting,” Blackmore said in a podcast appearance the night before the show, in which the 81-year-old guitar legend leaked news of his imminent appearance. “i have not played rock music in 25 years.”

    At the conclusion of “Smoke in the Water” Wednesday, singer Ian Gillan showered praise on his ex-bandmate before he left the stage. “A couple of days ago I got a message from a local lad… saying ‘I only live around the corner, do you mind if I come and jam with you?’ It was an absolute pleasure to have back on stage the founding member, the great legend,”the immortal Ritchie Blackmore. Thanks, Ritchie. i have to say, it was a great pleasure. I’ll see you in the bar.”

    Probably few in the audience were taken by complete surprise by Blackmore’s cameo, since the previous night, the guitarist had spilled some of the beans in a livestream conversation with his wife, singer Candice Night, the evening before the Jones Beach gig. Blackmore said on Tuesday’s live podcast that he was revealing the secret in advance because he wanted fans who had waited for this moment for decades to at least have a shot at making it to New York in time for Wednesday’s show.

    Blackmore, who co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, had a fallout with other members in 1993 that resulted in him leaving the lineup in 1993 for the second and last time. The fallout was bad enough that Blackmore did not show up at the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2016, after being told that the currently touring lineup — which still includes three original or near-original members in Gillan, drummer Ian Paice and bassist Roger Glover — would not reunite with him under any circumstances, even for a short, one-off performance at the ceremony.

    So hell seemed to have frozen over when Gillan recently sent a message gingerly asking if he could come up on stage for one number at a tour date… and the band proved surprisingly agreeable to that notion, after so much water under the bridge.

    “it is a secret and i don’t want anybody to know, but I’m probably going to go up and do an encore with the band, Deep Purple,” Blackmore blurted about eight minutes into the livestream with his wife, singer Candice Night. “But you can’t tell anybody, and I know this will be kept a secret. won’t it?” he joked, even as the web lit up with the news quickly being spread among hard rock buffs.

    Blackmore explained the genesis of this unexpected reunion: “I sent my AI pigeon to Ian Gillan in Portugal, where he lives at the moment, and I said, ‘How would you feel if I got up just for an encore on one of the songs. Don’t want to intrude.’ And I said, ‘No pressure, just kind of old times’ sake.’ You know, I’m 81 now. So (Gillan) seemed to li0e the idea, put it to the band, got a thumbs up, and it looks like we might be doing that.”

    The guitarist admitted he was hardly in practice for a performance with Deep Purple, given the drift in his musical focus since 1993, as he moved on to gentler brand of folk-rock with Blackmore’s Night, the band fronted by his wife.

    “I changed my strings on my Strat, which i haven’t done in over 25 years,” he revealed. “It’s kind of frightening. I haven’t played rock in 25 years. I’ve been playing acoustic guitar for 25 years. And at first i was very uncomfortable playing (acoustic guitar), but i got used to it, and now I’m more used to playing the acoustic, more so than the electric.”

    He said he needed some medical assistance in being able to withstand “Smoke on the Water.”

    “I did have my injection in my lumbar area yesterday,” he explained on the podcast, of needing a steroid shot. “it’s a special injection i have that enables me to stand in one spot, because if I’m playing a Strat, i have a hard time… I have four herniated discs, if anybody wants them. And I had my injection yesterday of a steroid which helps me get through standing on stage. But I have kind of a stool there, just in case I start toppling over or something.”

    Of his reasons for giving fans 24 hours’ notice, he said he “wanted to warn the people living in Romania, so they could fly over… Not really. I just thought it might be an idea to let a few people know because I think a lot of people would like to see that.”

    His announcement of sitting in with the group concluded with the thoughts: “I hope people enjoy it.” And: “it will be good to see the old guys again.”

    Fans from afar turned to the web to look for footage of the show. Perrin Wolfson and Jimmy Kay of the Metal Voice podcast livestreame through the latter part of Deep Purple’s set, waiting for confirmation that it had gone down, and putting up photos and video that were shared with them from inside the show. “History has been made,” Wolfson and Kay crowed as they first got word “Smoke in the Water” was in progress with Blackmore aboard. “I feel like we just walked on the moon.”

  • GSR raises Solana to 43.6%, cuts Bitcoin to 16.9%

    GSR raises Solana to 43.6%, cuts Bitcoin to 16.9%

    GSR shifted its Core3 model toward Solana on Aug. 12, raising $SOL to 43.6% of the portfolio and making it the model’s largest allocation.

    Ether fell to 39.5%, while Bitcoin dropped to 16.9%, the smallest weight among the three assets.The firm said the change reflected a move in its relative alpha signals toward Solana as $SOL showed stronger near term price momentum. GSR’s written commentary lists the Solana weight at 43.7%, while the accompanying allocation table shows 43.6%. This article uses the table figure.

    Solana allocation jumps 7.1 points in one week

    The latest allocation marks a sharp reversal from the prior week. On Aug. 5, GSR assigned 36.5% to Solana, 44.1% to Ether and 19.3% to Bitcoin. Solana therefore gained 7.1 percentage points in the model within seven days, while Ether lost 4.6 points and Bitcoin lost 2.4 points.

    As crypto.news previously reported, the prior weekly allocation tilted toward Bitcoin as trading activity weakened and volatility eased. The Aug. 12 update reversed part of that move. GSR said its latest positioning reflected proprietary relative signals rather than a simple ranking of recent returns.

    The distinction matters because Core3 is not presented as a live investment recommendation. GSR says the weekly publication is a model framework intended for professional investors and does not constitute advice or a recommendation to allocate to the three assets.

    Solana leads weekly returns while Ether leads the month

    Solana delivered the strongest seven day return in GSR’s latest table, gaining 2.98%. Bitcoin declined 1.02% over the same period, while Ether slipped 0.20%. Over 30 days, however, Ether remained ahead with a 7.88% gain, compared with 3.19% for Bitcoin and 2.44% for Solana.

    The Core3 model itself returned 0.85% over one week and 5.30% over one month, ahead of the equal weight basket at 0.59% and 4.68%, respectively. Longer periods remain weaker. Core3 was down 35.58% year to date and 70.28% over one year, compared with losses of 32.22% and 63.44% for the equal weight basket.

    Volatility also remained relatively subdued. GSR put 30 day volatility at 26.82% for Bitcoin, 39.75% for Ether and 35.26% for Solana. The firm said Solana trading volume had softened over both seven and 30 day periods, meaning its larger model weight did not coincide with stronger volume across those windows.

    U.S. Solana access expands as GSR favors $SOL

    The model shift comes as U.S. investors gain more exchange traded routes to Solana exposure. Morgan Stanley Investment Management announced on July 28 that it had launched the Morgan Stanley Solana Trust, MSOL, on NYSE Arca alongside an Ether product. The release said MSOL carries a 0.14% expense ratio and seeks to track $SOL while staking a portion of its holdings.

    Morgan Stanley expanded its crypto ETP lineup after launching a Bitcoin product earlier in 2026. An SEC prospectus says the Solana trust may stake up to 100% of its $SOL under normal market circumstances, subject to liquidity needs and legal or regulatory considerations. The filing also details risks tied to staking, custody and concentration in one digital asset.

    Competition among U.S. products has also increased. A 21Shares filing dated July 27 said the issuer would waive TSOL’s 0.21% sponsor fee for one year beginning July 28. The company said the product can capture staking rewards, while warning that rewards can fluctuate and staking creates operational and liquidity risks.

    Those product developments do not prove that U.S. investors share GSR’s preference for Solana. They do show that regulated U.S. exchange traded access to $SOL has broadened and become more competitive while the Core3 model has shifted exposure away from Bitcoin and Ether.

    What traders will watch next

    GSR publishes the Core3 model weekly, making the next allocation an immediate test of whether the Solana overweight persists or reverses. Recent updates show how quickly the weights can move. Bitcoin rose from 9.2% on July 15 to 19.3% on Aug. 5 before falling back to 16.9% in the Aug. 12 model.

    Volume, relative momentum and volatility will therefore remain useful measures to watch alongside the next model update. GSR has already cautioned that its opinions and estimates can change without notice as market conditions change.

    The firm also warns against treating Core3 results as returns available from a live strategy. Its published figures are hypothetical, gross of transaction and management fees and exclude staking rewards. GSR further states that it may trade the assets for its own account and may hold positions that differ from the views expressed in its commentary.

  • Karoline Leavitt To Leave Role As Trump’s White House Press Secretary

    Karoline Leavitt To Leave Role As Trump’s White House Press Secretary

    Karoline Leavitt plans to exit her role as White House press secretary at the end of the month, President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday.

    Leavitt is leaving to spend more time with her family, Trump said. She gave birth to a daughter in May, her second child.

    Trump posted on Truth Social, “Our wonderful White House Press Secretary, and one of my most trusted aides, Karoline Leavitt, will be departing her role at the end of the month so she can spend more time with her beautiful young children and family, a decision I totally understand and respect! Karoline will now be one of my top outside advisors, and an influential voice within the Republican Party, as we work to defy History, and conclusively win the Midterm Elections.

    He added, “Karoline has been a real leader in the White House, and has done a phenomenal job fighting for Justice, Liberty, and Freedom, since 2018, including our Historic Re-Election Campaign of 2024. Karoline has been one of the best White House Press Secretaries in the History of the Office. Thank you, Karoline, for a job well done!”

    Leavitt wrote in a post on X, “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House Press Secretary — and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.”

    Leavitt has served as press secretary since the start of Trump’s second term, typically holding weekly press briefings that have at times been confrontational with the press corps. She frequently criticized the media in her opening statements, while zealously defending the president and his record and attacking Democrats.

    That was evident in her message on X, in which she thanked Trump for “entrusting me with the distinct privilege of speaking on his behalf at the White House podium. I have spoken with great pride about the many historic accomplishments of this Administration, and I have relished holding the liberal media accountable and ensuring the American people hear the truth about President Trump’s successes.” She also warned that the country was “facing an existential threat from an increasingly extremist Democrat Party that seeks to destroy everything great about America.”

    No successor has been named. When she was on maternity leave, various administration figures including Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent led the briefings.

    Trump himself has answered questions from the media in Oval Office availabilities or on his way to Marine One, and has taken calls directly from reporters who have his personal cell phone number.

    Leavitt. 28, is the youngest person to serve as press secretary. She served as an assistant press secretary in the first term, made an unsuccessful bid for Congress and served as press secretary in the 2024 campaign.

    During her tenure, the White House seized control of the make up of the press pool from the White House Correspondents’ Association, a private group of journalists who had for years assigned reporters to the daily task. The administration also barred the Associated Press from the pool after the news service did not switch references after Trump changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. A federal judge ruled that the restrictions on the AP violated the First Amendment; an appellate decision is pending.

  • Metaplanet CEO shuts down Bitcoin sale speculation after $322M transfer

    Metaplanet CEO Simon Gerovich has shut down speculation that the Japanese Bitcoin treasury company was selling its holdings.

    “This was a routine custody operation. No bitcoin was sold, and our holdings remain 43,000 $BTC,” Gerovich said Thursday.

    The company transferred 5,014 $BTC ($322 million) over a 24-hour span starting Wednesday. Gerovich said the network fees to move the trove cost Metaplanet about $8.

    Metaplanet is the third-largest publicly traded Bitcoin treasury company and the largest in Asia. According to Arkham data, it is sitting on an unrealized loss of about $1.4 billion.

    Metaplanet has continued to expand its Bitcoin strategy beyond accumulation. In March, the company established Metaplanet Ventures, pledging 4 billion yen ($25 million) over two to three years to invest in Bitcoin and crypto infrastructure in Japan.

    The company is targeting holdings of 100,000 $BTC by the end of 2026 and 210,000 $BTC by the end of 2027.

  • Top House Judiciary Democrat Seeks Transcribed Interview With David Ellison Over Paramount-WBD Merger; Company Discussed Editorial Board For CNN

    Top House Judiciary Democrat Seeks Transcribed Interview With David Ellison Over Paramount-WBD Merger; Company Discussed Editorial Board For CNN

    UPDATED: The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee wants Paramount CEO to sit for a transcribed interview to answer questions on its proposed merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.

    The letter from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is just the latest that Democrats have sent to Ellison, as they amplify their criticisms and opposition to the transaction. In the letter, Raskin cited changes Ellison has made to CBS News and potential changes if Paramount gains control of CNN, accusing the CEO of “colluding with President Trump and his administration to curtail media independence.” The letter referred to a Wall Street Journal report from December, citing unnamed sources, that Ellison offered “assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he’d make sweeping changes to CNN.”

    Later on Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Paramount has discussed creating an editorial board for CNN when the merger closes. That move would be to try to alleviate concerns over the editorial independence of the network.

    Ellison last week published an op ed in The New York Times defending the proposed merger and claiming that the opposition is fueled by concerns over what will happen to CNN.

    In his op ed, Ellison wrote that news organizations require independence, while he said that CNN and CBS News, which Paramount already owns, “are here to tell it straight down the middle.”

    Responding to the report of a potential editorial board for CNN, a Paramount spokesperson said in a statement, “We always remain open to internal improvements to journalistic integrity. However, as we have maintained, using state powers to try to control speech would threaten the protections guaranteed by the First Amendment.”

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who is leading a dozen state attorneys general who are challenging the merger, has denied that CNN is the reason for the lawsuit and has said that a settlement would require structural remedies that would mitigate concerns over the merger’s impact on competition.

    An editorial board would be unique for a major television news network, and much would depend on the make up of its members. When Skydance sought regulatory approval to purchase Paramount last year, it committed to hiring an ombudsman to take complaints about the news division. The person hired in the role, Kenneth Weinstein, formerly led the conservative Hudson Institute.

    In his letter, Raskin also raised antitrust concerns, while noting the ongoing state AGs’ lawsuit.

    Raskin wrote in the letter, “Last week, in a New York Times op-ed, you pledged to tell your story and stay silent ‘no more.’ This is great news. Over the past 12 months, I have sent you four letters. You have responded to none of them. Now that you have vowed to break your long silence, I invite you to a transcribed interview to tell Congress and America your story and answer the Committee’s questions about your Donald Trump-enabled shopping spree to consolidate news organizations, movie studios, cable channels, and streaming services.”

    He gave Ellison until August 26 to schedule an interview.

    As the minority party, Democrats cannot compel Ellison to testify. But Raskin and others have suggested that Paramount and other mergers would be under scrutiny should the party regain control of one or more houses of Congress.

    At a Politico event on Tuesday, Paramount’s chief legal officer Makan Delrahim said, “You can allege all you want. There is no corruption here.” He said that they would be “happy to engage with” Raskin and “provide him, as we have, with information.”

    “We respect his role and his important role in oversight,” Delrahim said. “But just because he said so doesn’t mean that there’s any corruption.”

    CNN first reported on Raskin’s letter.

    The Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee held a hearing in February on Netflix’s plans to merge with WBD, with co-CEO Ted Sarandos appearing before lawmakers, weeks before the streamer dropped its bid amid Paramount’s counteroffer. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said that he invited Ellison to participate in that hearing, but he declined.

  • Donald Trump Sued By Media Groups Over Sale Of Faster Access To Truth Social Posts

    Donald Trump Sued By Media Groups Over Sale Of Faster Access To Truth Social Posts

    Two media groups filed suit against Donald Trump over a new offering in which subscribers can pay up to $100,000 a month for quicker access to his announcements on Truth Social.

    The lawsuit, filed in federal court on Wednesday, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Intercept Media claim that the “scheme is profoundly corrupt.”

    “The President stands to gain financially by giving ‘market-moving’ government information to those who are willing and able to pay his personal company,” the lawsuit stated.

    They also contend that the service violates the First Amendment, noting that it “guarantees equal access to the President’s public announcements, and even content-neutral burdens on that access must be narrowly tailored to serve a significant government interest. There is no legitimate interest, let alone a significant one, in permitting President Trump to profit from selling government information.”

    The lawsuit also claims violation of the Fifth Amendment, arguing that it prohibits “charging unreasonable sums that cannot be justified to offset the cost of the government benefit.”

    The service is called Trump API, billed as offering the fastest access to the highest-ranking accounts on Truth Social, potentially giving an advantage to traders for the market-moving information.It was pitched as a business-to-business offering for institutional customers.

    The Intercept argued that the service forces it to make an “unconstitutional choice: either subsidize and associate with the President’s private company, harming The Intercept’s finances, reputation, and legal security, or risk losing out on timely news to competing organizations, similarly harming its reputation and revenue.”

    The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt the posting of exclusive government information on Truth Social, as well as a declaration that it is unconstitutional.

    Also named as defendants in the lawsuit are two of the president’s top aides, Natalie Harp and Dan Scavino.

    A White House spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

    Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns Truth Social, has viewed Truth API as a long-term recurring revenue stream. TMTG this week reported a $238 million net loss in the most recent quarter, on revenue of $1.7 million.

    A TMTG spokesperson said, “Information from President Trump is disseminated by countless platforms and news outlets, many of which offer subscription APIs. One of those channels is Truth Social, which was founded as an uncancellable haven for free speech after the President was unjustly deplatformed. Now, left-wing activists are trying to wrongfully weaponize the courts to censor him again and harm our shareholders.”

    In an earnings call, TMTG Interim CEO Kevin McGurn told investors that they have signed more than 10 customer agreements to date, primarily to high-frequency trading firms at rates ranging from $60,000- $100,000 per month.

  • ‘SNL UK’ Sets Season 2 Return on Sky

    ‘SNL UK’ Sets Season 2 Return on Sky

    Saturday Night Live UK has set its return on Sky and NOW.

    After a well-performing inaugural season earlier this year, the live comedy sensation returns on Sept. 12 with six brand-new episodes, the trailer for which was released Wednesday. Additional episodes are planned for early 2027.

    Broadcast live each week, the U.K. spinoff of NBC’s hit sketch series will once again welcome a different celebrity host and musical guest for every episode, alongside topical sketches, live music performances and a British take on the iconic Weekend Update segment. Last season’s celebrity hosts included Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Riz Ahmed, Jack Whitehall, Nicola Coughlan, Aimee Lou Wood, Hannah Waddingham, and Ncuti Gatwa.

    Fey’s episode was watched on Sky by over 220,000 people in Britain — though episode ratings trailed off after that — as the cast made use of our over-performing rolodex of U.K. talent. U.S. viewers were able to watch the episodes on Peacock.

    Returning for the second season are all 11 members of the inaugural cast: Hammed Animashaun, Ayoade Bamgboye, Larry Dean, Celeste Dring, George Fouracres, Ania Magliano, Annabel Marlow, Al Nash, Jack Shep, Emma Sidi and Paddy Young.

    On the production side, Laura Claxton has been promoted to co-head Writer, joining existing head writer Jonno Johnson. Liz Clare returns as director. Heather MacVean joins as costume designer and Sinead Oldnall is heading up the U.K. talent team as director of onscreen Talent.

    Lorne Michaels serves as executive producer on the show and James Longman is lead producer.

    “I’m incredibly proud of our team and the show,” said Michaels when the show was renewed. “It keeps getting better every week. I’m grateful to Dana Strong and Sky for believing in and supporting SNL U.K. I’m excited for the season ahead.”

    Watch the trailer for the new season below.

  • ‘Demons’ Explores the Russia-Ukraine Relationship via Borscht, Blood and Graves (Exclusive Trailer)

    ‘Demons’ Explores the Russia-Ukraine Relationship via Borscht, Blood and Graves (Exclusive Trailer)

    A homeless drifter from Russia with a mysterious past arrives in a remote village in central Ukraine in writer-director Natalka Vorozhbyt’s (Bad Roads) metaphorical film Demons, which world-premieres at the 79th edition of the Locarno Film Festival on Friday, Aug. 13.

    The drifter’s name is Slavik, and he seems to be the embodiment of Russia. In the village, he meets Nina, who represents post-Soviet Ukraine and the country’s independence.

    What kind of adventure and drama can the protagonists and viewers expect? “Nina, a strong and independent woman much older than Slavik, takes the stranger into her home,” teases a synopsis. “At first, their strange companionship resembles an unlikely love story. But as their relationship unfolds, love turns into betrayal, and the village begins to reveal its hidden rules.” Those rules are summarized this way: “A place where witches may live next door, and the dead sometimes speak with the living.”

    Vorozhbyt says that Demons and the relationship at its core unfolds on several levels. One is socio-political, where the relationship “becomes a metaphor for the relationship between Russia and Ukraine,” she explains.

    The cast includes Ruslana Pysanka, Aleksey Mitin, Tatiana Stepanova, Ruslan Garmash and Mykola Ponomarenko. Demons features cinematography by Volodymyr Ivanov, with editing by Milenia Fiedler and Andriy Gulyanych. Celluloid Dreams is handling international sales.

    THR can now exclusively premiere the trailer for Demons. You may want to mentally prepare for borscht, a flying vehicle, violence against a TV set blood and graves – and much more.