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  • John Oliver Mocks Trump for Avoiding the Word “War” Amid U.S. Military Operation in Iran: “He Really Just Talks Like a 6-Year-Old”

    John Oliver Mocks Trump for Avoiding the Word “War” Amid U.S. Military Operation in Iran: “He Really Just Talks Like a 6-Year-Old”

    John Oliver kicked off Sunday’s Last Week Tonight by mocking President Trump for his justification of avoiding the use of the word “war” amid the United States’ military operation in Iran.

    “The Iran war entered its second month, though Trump tries not to use the word ‘war’ for reasons he probably shouldn’t be saying out loud,” Oliver said, setting up a clip of Trump explaining why he isn’t using the term.

    “I won’t use the word ‘war’ because they say if you use the word war, that’s maybe not a good thing to do,” Trump said. “They don’t like the word war because you’re supposed to get approval, so I’ll use the word ‘military operation,’ which is really what it is.”

    Responded Oliver: “What? He really just talks like a 6-year-old speaking stream-of-consciousness to a stranger: ‘And my mum says I’m not allowed to talk about my penis with other people, even though everybody has one, well, not her and not my sister, but my dad and I both have penises, but I can’t say that when there are too many people around, even though everyone knows ’cause they have their own penises unless they don’t, but I do.’” 

    Oliver then said that no matter what word is used to describe the conflict, “it has been chaos.” He recapped recent developments, including Trump threatening to attack Iran’s power grid if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, posting on social media that he’d be “starting with the biggest” power plant first. That “would be a war crime if this was a war, but luckily we now know it isn’t,” Oliver observed. 

    Oliver continued that Trump then said those strikes would be delayed after fruitful conversations with Iran, which the latter denied have even taken place. Trump then extended the deadline to April 6, though Iran has been bombing U.S. bases and allies. He noted that 2,000 Iranians and 13 U.S. service members have been killed so far, while Trump is reportedly mulling sending another 10,000 troops to the region.

    “It sure feels like we’re in an unnecessary war with no endgame, though the president’s supporters will insist that if you just look at things in the right way, it all makes sense,” he said, showing a clip of Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican, giving his take.

    “Here’s why we went into Iran: We had no choice,” Kennedy said. “The president didn’t start a war. He … was trying to stop a war.”

    Said Oliver: “Oh, I get it. Sometimes you have to start a war to stop a war. The same way you have to ‘spend money to make money’ or ‘fake it ’til you make it’ — you know, any of those things that people say when they’re in way over their heads.”

  • Alex Duong, Stand-Up Comedian and ‘Blue Bloods’ Actor, Dies at 42

    Alex Duong, Stand-Up Comedian and ‘Blue Bloods’ Actor, Dies at 42

    Alex Duong, a stand-up comedian and TV actor who appeared on the CBS drama “Blue Bloods,” died on Sunday in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 42.

    Duong’s death was announced via a GoFundMe page. The page was set up in February 2025 to help the actor pay for medical expenses as he fought alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer that affected his sight.

    “With the heaviest hearts, we share that our dear Alex passed away peacefully this morning, surrounded by love and dear friends,” read an update post from the GoFundMe page. “He was comfortable and thankfully out of pain. [His wife] Christina and [daughter] Everest were able to see him last night, and he was alert enough to say goodbye to his little girl, whom he has treasured every moment since the day she was born. We are devastated, but so grateful for the support, prayers, and generosity you have all shown during this unimaginable time. Your continued support now means everything as Christina and Everest navigate the days ahead and to arrange a beautiful celebration of his life.”

    Along with “Blue Bloods,” Duong’s other TV credits include “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Mad TV,” “Dexter,” “Interns Anonymous,” “Death Valley” and “The Young and the Restless.” On the film side, Duong appeared in “Formosa Betrayed,” “Ghetto Physics,” “The Beyond” and “Sideways for Attention.”

    Last August, the Largo in Los Angeles hosted “The Alex Duong Has Cancer In His Eye Comedy Benefit Show,” which featured comedians like Ronny Chieng, Andrea Jin and Atusko Okatsuka.

    “Comedians always have each other’s backs when times are shit,” Duong told the LA Times in a 2025 profile. “We know how hard it is to pine and struggle and scrape by in this lifestyle, just so we can do these jokes and keep improving. It’s a beautiful thing to see in this world; it really is.”

  • Court Allows Nvidia Class Action Over Hidden Crypto Revenue

    Court Allows Nvidia Class Action Over Hidden Crypto Revenue

    A U.S. district court has allowed a class action lawsuit against Nvidia and CEO Jensen Huang to proceed following investor claims that over $1 billion of the company’s crypto revenue was actually hidden in its gaming offering.

    The tech giant also failed to prove that its statements on crypto mining revenue did not affect the firm’s stock price.

    False Statements

    A Wednesday filing suggests that during the 2017-2018 crypto boom, Nvidia misled investors by having them believe they were buying its gaming GPUs. However, the sales were actually tied to the crypto market, and once prices began falling, the firm was left with a lot of unsold inventory that caused its stock price to plummet.

    Plaintiffs first sued the company in 2018, alleging that it had not disclosed around $1.3 billion of the total revenue made from these sales and that Huang had downplayed the actual demand. At the time, the CEO appeared in several interviews claiming that the firm’s crypto-related demand was “small.” He also insisted the gaming division was its core business and that crypto simply provided “an extra bit of juice.”

    Additionally, the company launched a special crypto SKU chip whose sales were reported under its mining revenue segment. Plaintiffs argue that this was done to convince investors that Nvidia’s gaming business was separate from its mining operations.

    According to the filings, the company’s defense was based on the argument that these statements were not made with the intention of influencing investors and, therefore, had no price impact. However, Judge Gilliam Jr. concluded that Nvidia failed to prove this, pointing to an internal email from one of the firm’s executives as evidence.

    “They expressed the view that its stock price remained high because of those earlier statements, and the court cannot conclude that there was no price impact in the face of such evidence.”

    As a result, the court ruled that the class action was allowed to proceed and scheduled a hearing for April 21.

    NVIDIA’s Stock Price Plummets

    Things took a turn in 2018 when the crypto market began to weaken. In August, Nvidia announced that it had lowered its revenue and admitted to miners buying its gaming GPUs. The company also shared that its inventory had grown by 36%.

    Reacting to the news, Nvidia’s stock price fell by 4.9%. The tech giant later issued another revenue cut announcement, citing a fall in crypto demand.

    During this period, Colette Kress, the firm’s CFO, admitted that gaming revenues had missed expectations because of unsold inventory. This resulted in the company’s stock price plummeting by 28.5% over the next two trading sessions.

    Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) previously issued the company a $5.5 million fine for failing to disclose how crypto mining affected its general revenue. Regulators said that it should have told investors that most of its GPU demand came from the miners.

  • Saylor Highlights STRC’s Ultra-Low Volatility, Positioning It Below All Major Asset Classes and Equities

    Saylor Highlights STRC’s Ultra-Low Volatility, Positioning It Below All Major Asset Classes and Equities

    Strategy’s STRC preferred stock shows unusually low volatility while offering a double-digit yield, drawing attention to engineered stability versus traditional market risk across bitcoin, equities, bonds, and commodities.

    STRC Volatility Claims Draw Attention Across Asset Classes

    Market volatility disparities across major asset classes came into focus after Strategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor shared comparative data on X on March 29. The figures positioned STRC, a preferred equity instrument, against bitcoin, exchange-traded funds, commodities, and bonds over a 30-day period.

    Saylor stated that over the past 30 days, STRC recorded lower volatility than every company in the S&P 500 and all major asset classes while delivering an 11.5% dividend yield. The dataset showed STRC at 2% volatility, compared with bitcoin at 50%; gold at 37%; QQQ, an ETF tracking the Nasdaq-100, at 19%; SPY, an S&P 500 ETF, and VNQ, a real estate ETF, both at 15%; and BND, a total bond market ETF, at 6%, with bitcoin ranking as the highest- volatility asset.

    STRC, or Short Duration High Yield Credit Stretch, is a perpetual preferred stock issued by Strategy Inc. and introduced in July 2025 as part of its bitcoin-focused treasury model. The Nasdaq-listed instrument pays an 11.50% annual dividend distributed monthly in cash, with its rate adjusted each month to encourage trading around its $100 par value and reduce price volatility.

    Dividend Mechanics and Risk Debate Intensify Scrutiny

    The design of the instrument centers on a variable dividend mechanism that increases payouts when the share price falls below $100 and reduces them when it rises above that level, creating incentives for price reversion. This monthly reset structure differentiates it from traditional preferred shares and is intended to suppress short-term volatility while maintaining consistent income.

    The structure within Strategy Inc.’s capital stack places STRC alongside multiple securities offering different risk exposures, including MSTR common stock, which absorbs bitcoin volatility, and preferred instruments such as STRF, the 10.00% Series A “Strife” Preferred; STRK, the 8.00% Series A “Strike” Preferred; and STRD, the 10.00% Series A “Stride” Preferred, each providing fixed or convertible yields with varying seniority. STRC is the only instrument in the lineup explicitly engineered to minimize volatility through active dividend adjustments.

    Criticism has centered on whether the reported stability reflects underlying market conditions or issuer-driven mechanisms, with analysts arguing the comparison spans fundamentally different asset types. Observers note STRC functions more like a short-duration credit instrument than a freely traded asset, with its stability tied to dividend incentives rather than organic price discovery, while additional concerns focus on dividend sustainability, funding sources, and issuer-specific risk, including exposure to a single corporate entity and tail risk not reflected in short-term volatility metrics.

    FAQ 🧭

    • Why is STRC showing lower volatility than other assets?
      Its variable dividend mechanism incentivizes price stability around a fixed par value.
    • What makes STRC different from bitcoin or ETFs?
      It behaves like a structured credit instrument rather than a freely traded market asset.
    • Is the 11.5% dividend yield sustainable?
      That depends on Strategy’s capital strategy and ability to maintain payouts over time.
    • What risks should investors consider with STRC?
      Exposure to a single issuer and reliance on engineered pricing mechanisms create unique risks.
  • Spanish Queer Drama ’Maspalomas’ Wins Top Prize at Sonoma Film Festival as Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’ Takes Audience Award

    Spanish Queer Drama ’Maspalomas’ Wins Top Prize at Sonoma Film Festival as Steven Soderbergh’s ‘The Christophers’ Takes Audience Award

    The 29th Sonoma Intl. Film Festival wrapped March 29 with Spanish film “Maspalomas” winning the Grand Jury Award for best narrative feature. In a statement, the jury noted that directors Aitor Arregi and Jose Mari Goenaga’s film was “an authentic and rare depiction of an elder man confronting personal and physical crisis at the onset of the COVID pandemic” in this “nuanced and moving queer drama.”

    Over five days, SIFF presented 104 films from 37 countries, mixed with filmmaker talks, panels (with guests including Barry Jenkins and Lulu Wang) and culinary pop-ups in the picturesque Northern California town. Filmmaker and artist Julian Schnabel was on hand to accept the Sonoma Intl. Film Festival Visionary Artist Award with a screening of his film “In the Hand of Dante,” with special guest Tom Waits.

    “This year’s record-breaking attendance and ticket sales underscore the extraordinary appetite for bold, international cinema and immersive cultural experiences here in Sonoma,” said SIFF artistic director Carl Spence. “With packed screenings, dynamic filmmaker engagement, and a festival atmosphere unlike any other, SIFF 2026 has truly been a landmark community celebration of film, food, wine, and fun.”

    Filmmaker and artist Julian Schnabel was on hand to accept the Sonoma Intl. Film Festival Visionary Artist Award with a screening of his film “In the Hand of Dante,” with special guest Tom Waits.

    Other festival winners include the Special Jury Prize in Directing to Marie-Elsa Sgualdo for “Silent Rebellion” (Switzerland). The jury cited the film’s “unflinching portrayal of a virtuous teen in WWII era Europe.”

    The Grand Jury Award for documentary feature prize went to “State of Firsts,” from U.S. helmer Chase Joynt.

    “This year, the jury wants to recognize a film that represents what authentic truth looks like among the squalor of our politics,” said the jury in a statement. “The award-winning film is a nuanced portrait of leadership and responsibility that also provides a clear and honest account of the challenges and apparent harms that come from seeking to change the world. The language of change is complex, and sometimes it’s as simple as using the right name. The jury is honored to platform a story that showcases the wholeness of a person in an industry and society so quick to tokenize”

    SIFF also screened 47 short films in its official selection, which competed for three awards.

    “A Very Normal Seeming Man,” directed by Al Pattanashetty (U.S.), won the Grand Jury Award: Live Action Short, while “Voices From the Abyss,” directed by Irving Serrano and Victor Rejon (Mexico) earned the Documentary Short honors. “Two Black Boys in Paradise,” directed by Baz Sells (U.K.) took the Animated Short prize.

    The festival opened with Maude Apatow’s Toronto Intl. Film Festival hit “Poetic License,” while the Centerpiece Film, Steven Soderbergh’s Ian McKellen-starrer “The Christophers,” won the Stolman Audience Award for Best Film. The A3 Audience Award for Best Documentary went to “Jane Elliott Against the World,” directed by Judd Ehrlich (U.S.).

    Other awards include:

    Special Mention for Cultural, Environmental and Community Impact: “Abalone Stories: Loss, Connection, Renewal,” from Cynthia Abbott (U.S.)

    Special Jury Mention for Directing: “Domingo Familiar,” directed by Gerardo del Razo (Mexico)

    The Christophers

    SIFF

  • Donald Glover ‘Campaigned’ to Voice Yoshi in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, Says Jack Black: ‘He Loves That Universe’

    Donald Glover ‘Campaigned’ to Voice Yoshi in ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’, Says Jack Black: ‘He Loves That Universe’

    Donald Glover, who stars in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” as Yoshi, “campaigned for the role,” according to his co-star Jack Black.

    Black, who reprises his voice role as Bowser in Universal Pictures’ animated sequel, told ExtraTV, “It’s kind of a cool thing. We got lucky that we got Brie [Larson], who crushes it and loves the Nintendo universe. And also Donald, who campaigned for the role. He told his agent, ‘Call [Illumination CEO] Chris Meledandri. Tell him I really want to be Yoshi, I’d love to be in the new “Super Mario Bros.”‘ Because he loves it, and he loves that universe.”

    Glover said he felt “a little timid” when first taking on the role, telling ExtraTV, “I was like, ‘OK, how am I gonna do this? These guys did such a great job on the first one.’” He added, “And that’s a hard thing to do. It’s a very iconic movie and character. I always believe in the idea of under-promising, over-delivering, and was like, ‘I’ll just study really hard, and hopefully I’ll be beloved like them.’”

    In addition to Glover and Black, the film’s star-studded cast includes Chris Pratt as Mario, Charlie Day as Luigi, Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach, Brie Larson as Princess Rosalina, Issa Rae as Honey Queen, Glen Powell as Fox McCloud, Benny Safdie as Bowser Jr., Keegan-Michael Key as Toad and Luis Guzmán as Wart.

    “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic, and will be released in theaters on April 1 from Universal, Illumination and Nintendo.

  • The Avatar fighting game will release on July 2 for PC and consoles

    The fighting game community is going to have their hands full this summer between the release of Marvel Tōkon: Fighting Souls and Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game. The studio behind the 2D fighting game based in the Avatar universe announced that a July 2 release date with a trailer that shows off new gameplay and a base price of $29.99.

    The game will launch with 12 characters, encompassing both the heroes and villains from Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The game’s developer, Gameplay Group International, said that there are more than 900 hand-drawn frames for each character, which makes the game look like it came directly out of the beloved TV series. Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game will feature both casual and ranked matches, using a rollback netcode to ensure smooth frame-by-frame action between players, along with crossplay across PS5, Xbox Series X and S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC.

    For those more interested in the lore, there will be a single-player story mode and a gallery mode with “never before seen art.” Avatar Legends: The Fighting Game is currently available for pre-order, starting at $29.99, but there’s a $59.99 deluxe edition that includes a digital art book, music soundtrack, unique HUDs and a Year 1 Pass, which adds five additional characters that will be released in the future. Those who pre-order will also get a Samurai skin for Appa, exclusive character colors and voting privilege for the Year 1 Pass characters.

  • Quantra and REI Network Forge Strategic PR Partnership to Scale RWA Infrastructure

    Quantra and REI Network Forge Strategic PR Partnership to Scale RWA Infrastructure

    The state of Real-World Assets (RWA) is transforming rapidly from tokenized assets to complex automated financial layers. In a major step towards helping facilitate this transformation, Quantra has announced a strategic PR partnership with REI Network. The intention of this partnership is to combine Quantra’s RWA infrastructure and REI’s high-performance blockchain capabilities to create a benchmark for how physical energy and computer assets can be integrated into the DeFi market.

    Strengthening the RWA Backbone

    Quantra is branding itself as a fundamental creator within the RWA (Real World Asset) space, as opposed to those projects that are mainly centered around just fractional ownership of real estate. They have chosen two sectors that are in high demand: those being the real-world computing power sector as well as the real-world energy asset sector. The basis for their infrastructure is a tripartite structure composed of the following three components, verification, on-chain mapping, and rule-based execution.

    Financializing these physical assets with Quantra results in the creation of an on-chain instrument that can be used as verification for resource production. The transparency provided by the audit and mapping of every digital token, which gives clear backing to each physical asset, will allow institutional use of the tokens to be more readily accepted. This is because institutions can rely on and trust that the underlying physical asset exists.

    REI Network – The Engine for Scalable Web3

    Quantra has partnered with REI Network to meet the high numbers of transactions necessary for the RWA verification and execution processes. REI is an EVM-compatible blockchain designed to tackle scalability issues and eliminate high gas fees.

    Rule-based execution, which refers to the automated execution of contracts based on data coming from reality, is important for many applications. A modular architecture and fast finality in REI’s blockchain will allow developers to create next-generation Web3 apps that use many microtransactions or large amounts of data. Zero fees will help make REI a good place to develop these types of applications.

    The Future of On-Chain Energy and Computing

    A convergence of “DePINs” (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks) and RWA are demonstrated in both Quantra and REI Network as well as in the increasing global needs for sustainability through energy and AI computation. The ability to trade, lease, or verify such assets using blockchain technology will represent billions of dollars in market opportunities.

    Reports by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) estimate that tokenizing the world’s illiquid assets will create a $16 trillion market by 2030. Partnerships like this help reduce (or eliminate) technical barriers such as interoperability and high transaction fees before a significant amount of institutional capital comes into play.

    Conclusion

    The partnership between Quantra and REI Network is not just about PR, but also about strategically integrating specialized physical infrastructure with scalable technologies. This initiative is largely driven by Quantra’s emphasis on the financialization of computing and energy, which stand as the key resources in today’s geopolitical landscape. The cooperation will allow REI Network to be a key provider of high-speed, low-cost rails for seamless integration through REI Network’s high-speed networks. The two organizations will work together to develop innovative solutions for the next generation of DeFi applications that will be based on RWAs.

  • Bethesda is shutting down The Elder Scrolls: Blades on June 30

    It’s a sad day for the dozens of players still grinding The Elder Scrolls: Blades. Bethesda announced that it’s permanently shutting down the servers for its free-to-play mobile spinoff on June 30. First spotted on Reddit, The Elder Scrolls: Blades has already been delisted from the App Store and Google Play store, and is currently unavailable on the Nintendo Store.

    In the meantime, players will receive a free bundle of Gems and Sigils, while all items in the in-game store are available for just one Gem or Sigil each. With a server shutdown imminent, The Elder Scrolls: Blades‘ will at least cross its six-year mark since its official release was in 2020 for Android, iOS and Nintendo Switch. The dungeon-crawling spinoff did see early success when more than one million iOS users downloaded the game during the first week of its early access period, but it never amounted to the commercial success of Bethesda’s mainline titles.

    In the end, The Elder Scrolls: Blades ended up with a “Generally Unfavorable” score on Metacritic, with critics calling it “repetitive” and filled with microtransactions. The shutdown doesn’t come as a total surprise, since Bethesda also killed off its other spinoff, The Elder Scrolls: Legends, by halting development in 2019 and ultimately taking the game’s servers offline in January 2025. For anyone who still wants to play a mobile spinoff of Bethesda’s fantasy world, there’s still The Elder Scrolls: Castles.

  • Aave Expands to X Layer, Boosting OKX DeFi Ecosystem

    Aave Expands to X Layer, Boosting OKX DeFi Ecosystem

    OKX, a fintech company known for its global crypto trading platform and its on-chain wallet and marketplace, is pleased to announce the launch of Aave on X Layer, OKX’s Ethereum-compatible Layer 2 network. Aave is a famous decentralized, non-custodial liquidity protocol where users can participate as suppliers or borrowers. The main purpose of the expansion of X Layer’s Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ecosystem is to make easy access to battle-tested, institutional-grade lending infrastructure directly on-chain.

    Aave has a successful track record across more than a dozen blockchain networks, along with perfection. Aave is famous due to its world’s biggest decentralized liquidity protocol by total value locked (TVL) and net deposits. Its arrival on X Layer brings permissionless lending, borrowing, and yield-earning for users without the need to be connected to complicated interfaces.

    Aave Growth Continues with Seamless OKX Wallet Integration

    Stani Kulechov, founder of Aave Labs, gave its expression on the integration of OKX and Aave. He said, “By expanding to X Layer, Aave connects its liquidity to a growing ecosystem of users and applications, making it easier to earn, borrow, and build applications on the network. Aave looks forward to continuing expansion across OKX’s products and extending access to its millions of users.”

    Through this integration, Aave can be approached on X Layer natively via OKX Wallet today, with no distinctive wallet setup requirement. This alliance provides USDT0, $USDG, $GHO, xBTC, xETH, xSOL, xBETH, and earns a competitive yield that works automatically. Moreover, this will also expand crypto holdings through the easy accessibility of stablecoins.

    Aave and OKX Integration Enhances Borrowing Power and DeFi Flexibility

    The combination of Aave and OKX is much more important than you think, because it also helps to borrow USDT0, $USDG, and $GHO, etc. X Layer has 6 affirmed eModes. Users can borrow up to 88% LTV for liquid staking pairs, or up to 78% LTV for crypto-to-stablecoin eModes vs. the 70% standard LTV.

    Moving forward, this partnership with the OKX ecosystem offers deposit and management of funds on Aave X Layer within OKX Wallet, independent of Aave’s interface. Trade tokenized Aave availability positions, a Tokens (aUSDC, aWETH, aUSDT) directly on OKX Decentralized Exchange (DEX) anytime and anywhere, without manually withdrawing from Aave first, with real-time market data and pricing.