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How Anthropic’s Mythos model is forcing the crypto industry to rethink everything about security

Mythos, the new AI model from Anthropic that has sparked fear and confusion in traditional tech and finance, is also driving a massive shift in how the crypto industry thinks about security.

For years, decentralized finance has focused its defenses on smart contracts. Code is audited, vulnerabilities are cataloged, and many common exploits are well understood. But Mythos, a model designed to identify and chain together weaknesses across systems, is pushing attention beyond code and into the infrastructure that supports it.

“The bigger risks sit in infrastructure,” said Paul Vijender, head of security at Gauntlet, a risk management firm. “When I think about AI-driven threats, I’m less concerned about smart contract exploits and more focused on AI-assisted attacks against the human and infrastructure layers.”

That includes key management systems, signing services, bridges, oracle networks, and the cryptographic layers that connect them. These components are less visible than smart contracts and are often outside traditional audit scope.

In fact, this month, web infrastructure provider Vercel, which many crypto companies use, disclosed a security breach that may have exposed customer API keys, prompting crypto projects to rotate credentials and review their code. Vercel traced the intrusion to a compromised Google Workspace connection via the third-party AI tool Context.ai, which an employee used.

Mythos belongs to a new class of AI systems built to simulate adversaries. Instead of scanning for known bugs, it explores how protocols interact, testing how small weaknesses can be combined into real-world exploits. That approach has drawn attention beyond crypto. Banks like JP Morgan are increasingly treating AI-driven cyber risk as systemic and are exploring tools like Mythos for stress testing. Earlier this month, Coinbase and Binance both reportedly approached Anthropic to test Mythos.

Early findings from models like Mythos have identified weaknesses in the behind-the-scenes systems that keep crypto platforms secure, including the technology that protects keys and handles communication between systems.

“I think there are two areas where AI models are especially valuable,” Vijender said. “First, multi-step exploit chains that historically only get discovered after money is lost. Second, infrastructure-layer vulnerabilities that traditional audits never touch.”

That shift matters in a system built on composability, where DeFi protocols can connect and build on each other’s services.

DeFi protocols are designed to interconnect. They share liquidity, rely on common oracles, and interact through layers of integrations that are difficult to map in full. That interconnectedness has driven growth, but it also creates pathways for risk to spread, as seen in recent bridge exploits like the Hyperbridge attack, in which an attacker minted $1 billion worth of bridged Polkadot tokens on Ethereum by exploiting a flaw in how cross-chain messages were verified.

“Composability is what makes DeFi capital efficient and innovative,” Vijender said. “But it also means a minor vulnerability in one protocol can become a critical exploit vector with contagion potential across the ecosystem.”

Without AI, those dependencies are hard to trace. With AI, they can be mapped and exploited at scale. The result is a shift from isolated exploits to systemic failures that cascade across protocols.

Evolution of AI attacks

Still, some industry leaders see Mythos as an acceleration rather than a turning point.

At Aave Labs, founder Stani Kulechov said AI reflects the dynamics already at play in DeFi’s adversarial environment.

“Web3 is no stranger to well-funded and motivated adversaries,” he told CoinDesk. “AI models represent an evolution in the tools used to achieve exploits.”

From that perspective, DeFi is already built for machine-speed attacks. Smart contracts execute automatically, and defenses such as liquidation mechanisms and risk parameters operate without human intervention.

“DeFi operates at compute speed, so AI doesn’t introduce a new dynamic,” Kulechov said. “It intensifies an environment that has always required constant vigilance.”

Even so, Aave is seeing AI surface new categories of vulnerabilities, including issues that human auditors may have previously deprioritized.

“The Mythos paper shows that AI can uncover old bugs that were previously deprioritized,” he said.

That breadth still matters in a system where even smaller vulnerabilities can undermine trust or be combined into larger exploits.

If attackers can move faster, the question becomes whether defenses can keep pace.

For both Gauntlet and Aave, the answer lies in changing the security model itself. Audits before deployment and monitoring after were designed for human-paced threats. AI compresses that timeline.

“To defend against offensive AI, we will need to take an AI-centric approach where speed and continuous adaptation are essential,” Vijender of Gauntlet said. That includes continuous auditing, real-time simulation, and systems built with the assumption that breaches will happen.

A ‘greater way’

Aave has already integrated AI into its workflows, using it for simulations and code review alongside human auditors. “We take an AI-first approach where it adds clear value,” Kulechov of Aave Labs said. “But it complements, rather than replaces, human-led auditing.”

In that sense, AI equips both attackers and defenders.

For builders, the long-term effect may be less disruption than divergence.

“We haven’t tested Mythos yet, but we’re genuinely interested in what it and tools like it can do for protocol security,” said Hayden Adams, founder and CEO of Uniswap Labs. “AI gives builders better ways to stress test and harden systems.”

Over time, Adams expects the gap between secure and insecure protocols to widen.

“Projects that prioritize security will have greater ability to test and harden systems before launching,” he said. “Projects that don’t will be most at risk.”

That may be the real shift. Security is no longer about eliminating vulnerabilities. It is about continuously adapting to a system in which those vulnerabilities are constantly rediscovered and recombined.

Read more: Move over bitcoin and quantum risks. Anthropic’s Mythos AI could have major implications for DeFi

April 25, 2026
US to allow Venezuelan government to cover Maduro’s lawyer fees

Defence lawyers had asked for case to be thrown out, claiming Maduro’s rights were violated following US abduction.

Published On 25 Apr 2026

The United States has agreed to ease certain sanctions on Venezuela in order to allow the country’s government to cover the legal fees for ex-president Nicolas Maduro, who is on federal trial in New York City for drug trafficking charges after being abducted by US forces in January.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, had asked the Manhattan-based US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to toss out the case in February, arguing that a prohibition on the government in Caracas paying the legal fees constituted a violation of Maduro’s legal right to the counsel of his choice.

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In a court filing, US Department of Justice lawyers agreed to modify US sanctions so that the Venezuelan government could pay Maduro’s defence lawyer. They said the change makes the defence’s motion to throw out the case “moot”.

The pivot is the latest update in a closely watched trial that has raised a series of legal questions based on Maduro’s status as a former head of state and how he was taken into US custody.

Critics have condemned the proceedings as fundamentally illegitimate, pointing to the extraordinary US military operation to abduct Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, from Venezuela. Legal experts have called the raid a blatant violation of international law.

The Trump administration has maintained that the abduction was a law enforcement operation supported by the military. It has argued that Washington does not recognise Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela following several contested elections.

Under the international law concept of “head of state immunity”, sitting world leaders are typically granted immunity from foreign national courts.

After being spirited to the US, Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty and remain jailed in Brooklyn, New York. Maduro has rejected the US charges as a false pretext for seizing control of the South American country’s natural resources.

US President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire for foreign companies to access Venezuela’s vast oil reserves.

During a hearing on March 26, Judge Hellerstein did not signal that he would throw out the trial, but did question whether the sanctions preventing the Venezuelan government from covering Maduro’s legal fees were a violation of constitutional rights.

All criminal defendants in the US have constitutional rights, regardless of whether or not they are US citizens.

Prosecutors, at the time, argued that the sanctions were based on national security interests and asserted that the executive branch, rather than the judiciary, oversees foreign policy.

They further argued that Maduro and Flores could use personal funds to pay for a lawyer of their choice.

“The defendant is here, Flores is here. They present no further national security threat,” said Hellerstein.

“The right that’s implicated, paramount over other rights, is the right to constitutional counsel.”

April 25, 2026
‘The Pitt’ Has No Romance On-Screen. Online, It’s a Different Story

R.I.P. Mohabbot.

Early this month, Variety broke the news that Supriya Ganesh, who plays Dr. Samira Mohan on HBO’s medical drama “The Pitt,” was departing the show after the second season. Per executives, Ganesh was written off for storyline purposes, leaving fans to mourn the beloved character. With her character arc ending abruptly, much of Mohan’s story remains unfinished, including potential future plotlines in which she might find her speciality post-residency, explain her family lore, make friends at the hospital and, perhaps most importantly (depending on the fan) explore her connection with night-shift attending physician Dr. Jack Abbot (Shawn Hatosy).

Despite only sharing a few scenes, Mohan and Abbot (or simply Mohabbot to fans) are one of the show’s most popular “ships,” which, if you’re new to fandom lingo, is how couples are referred to. Sparking after a Season 1 encounter in which Abbot championed Mohan’s medical skills, the ship joined the legion of other “Pitt” pairings yet to set sail.

Mohabbot is one ship among many. There’s also KingDon — Mel King (Taylor Dearden) and Frank Langdon (Patrick Ball), HuckleRobby (Noah Wyle’s Dr. Robby and Gerran Howell’s Dennis Whitaker) and McVay (Victoria Javadi, played by Shabana Azeez and Cassie McKay, played by Fiona Dourif), to name a few. Characters are not restricted to one ship; Robby and Abbot are another popular pair. Dr. Robby and Dr. Collins (Tracy Ifeachor) from Season 1 are one of the few ships that actually have a basis in the show’s storyline, in addition to Trinity Santos (Isa Briones) and Yolanda Garcia (Alexandra Metz). Getting overwhelmed? Us too.

Part of what makes the couplings of “The Pitt” unique is the plethora of pairings to choose from — and the fact that the show, which takes place in an understaffed and overfilled emergency room, barely features anything that might suggest romance is blossoming. Mohan and Abbott do little more than share one somewhat private conversation during a particularly tense shift (granted, he’s shirtless for it); the same can be said for KingDon, McVay and the rest (though all remain clothed, in those cases). The lack of source material hasn’t stopped fans of the show — rather, it’s made it all the more fun to analyze, speculate and imagine what might be going on outside of the singular 15-hour shift we get to see.

“It’s kind of a wish fulfillment, but it’s also a way to keep the narrative going,” explains Susan Murray, a professor of media, culture and communication at NYU. “There’s only so much narrative that you’re going to get from the show, because the season’s done. That’s it. That’s all that exists… But if you’re a fan on that level, you can continue a story by fantasizing, or projecting, or imagining.”

Shipping fictional characters is hardly a new phenomenon; it’s one of the oldest fan practices in the book, according to Paul Booth, a professor of  media and pop culture at DePaul University. As for why, “the general consensus is there is no general consensus,” he explains. Yes, the fact that it’s fun to picture attractive people in a relationship plays a role, though there’s an emotional element, too — if two characters complement one another, it makes sense that fans would root for them to get together.

Camille — who runs the Instagram account @thepittdetails, and asked to be identified by only her first name — says that shipping characters makes the show easier to converse about. “It’s watercooler talk. You gotta have something to talk about, especially on a show like ‘The Pitt,’” says the co-host of the “The Pitt Crew” podcast. “I don’t know what lung sliding is! The majority of the people who watch the show have no idea what the heck is going on. What you’re paying attention to is the personal conversations happening during these scenes.”

And while there’s no way to know what TV shows will be enlisted into shipping discourse, there are two elements that are typically present in media that tends to garner dedicated fans, explains Booth. “One is a set of three-dimensional characters, so people or characters within a narrative that feel like they’re real and that feel like they could exist outside of the narrative,” he said. “The second thing is a deep narrative… there has to be some grounding in the human experience.”

In the case of “The Pitt,” both are applicable, thanks especially to the series’ devotion to creating an ensemble medical drama that is much more capital R realistic than its forerunners. Compared to hospital-set hall-of-famers like “ER” and “Grey’s Anatomy,“ “The Pitt” keeps a focus on the medicine by portraying the authentic, entirely un-glamorous life of the ER staff without wasting precious time showing the employees sleeping with one another in on-call rooms, or placing their hands inside a patient’s chest to steady a bomb that could explode at any moment.

This, paired with the show’s real-time format (each season is simply one 15-hour shift in the ER), creates a near-perfect passion-attracting storm. “There’s a sense when you’re watching ‘The Pitt’ that you are almost looking through a window at a real day,” says Booth. “Which, of course, makes it really fun to watch.” (Jules Feliciani, who runs the Instagram account @weinthepitt, points out that the format allows fans to “get to know these characters, not super personally, but almost personally enough where you can connect with them.”)

The format has its limitations, though — the most obvious for fans with an inclination to ship is the sheer inability to develop romantic relationships over the course of a season. (X users often joke they’ll have to hold out until Season 50 to get the first “Pitt” kiss.) “It would be utterly awkward and not in the spirit of the show to try to develop a romance over the course of 15 hours,” says Suzanne Scott, an associate professor in the Department of Radio, TV and Film at U. of Texas Austin. “But it also means that, by the nature of the format, there’s so much time in between seasons, narrative time for these characters, that fans could sort of color in on their own.”

Booth refers to this as “filling in the gaps,” and in the case of “The Pitt,” there’s a lot left up to the viewer’s discretion: characters’ living situations, family relationships, building friendships, etc. It’s not until the Season 2 finale that audiences get a glimpse at Langdon, Mel, Santos and new attending Dr. Baran Al-Hashimi outside of scrubs. Mel and Santos’ post-credits karaoke scene is the first time we’ve seen any of the characters beyond the four walls of the hospital or its immediate surroundings. Conversations are often left unfinished, thanks to the “frenetic nature of the ER,” Murray says. “A lot of things just don’t get resolved,” she says. “There’s just a lot of opening of possibilities rather than closing off of possibilities.”

Season 2 has seen the plot lean into the show’s popular pairings (which some might call “fan service,” or material intentionally added to please the audience): Langdon taking care of Mel’s sister, Mohan tending to Abbot’s wounds, Robby asking Whitaker to house-sit for him. When discussing the Mohan and Abbot scene, creator and showrunner R. Scott Gemmill told TVLine that he “leaned into” the romantic subtext, calling it “a flower tossed to the crowd.” Though, at a certain point, it doesn’t matter what occurs onscreen, explains Scott; “Some of the enjoyment starts to become a little bit more divorced from what’s actually going on in the show, because the fun is in the speculation.”

Fans aren’t the only ones with an opinion on the show’s pairings. While Dearden and Ball have played coy about their onscreen connection, saying they view the relationship as platonic, Hatosy, for one, is all aboard the SS Mohabbot. In an interview conducted after news of Ganesh’s exit went public, Hatosy told The Hollywood Reporter that Abbot “definitely has feelings” for his co-worker and “will miss her,” stating “she could go to Jupiter, and he’ll find her” – the type of swoonworthy remark you’d expect to hear on a Shonda Rhimes show.

“There’s a real danger of doing that,” according to Booth, who feels that actors expressing their opinions on the show’s content could possibly alienate parts of their fanbase who don’t watch the show in that way.

There’s also the fact that said fanbase is hard to pin down, and huge: Season 2 is averaging 15.4 million viewers per episode, Variety reported. While other hit shows like “Heated Rivalry” or “Grey’s Anatomy” have audiences easier to broadly categorize, demographically, “The Pitt” doesn’t fall under that umbrella; young fans make up a portion of the show’s viewership, but the hit series appeals to viewers of all ages, some of whom are totally unaware of the wider world of fandom, shipping and vigorous discourse centered around the show.

Some observers are perplexed as to why a serious adult drama is attracting the level of fan scrutiny usually reserved for genre material. “Is this your first time watching a TV show?” is a common remark on X, fueled by pieces such as a SlashFilm article titled “Many ‘The Pitt’ Fans Are Proving That Yes, It’s Possible To Be Bad At Watching A TV Show.” The inter-fandom discourse goes beyond just shipping; cast members leaving, Wyle’s comments to the press and on-screen plotlines are all subject to heated debates.

“There’s often a sort of misconception that cult television fandom needs to be orbiting around [shows] like soaps or horror or sci-fi,” says Scott. “Part of the reason fans are getting as much coverage as they’re getting at this moment in time is, in general, a sort of perceived disconnect because of that realism — like we are meant to just consume this and not speculate about it is the implication.”

But to ask a fan to simply consume something is unrealistic. Fandom, whether people like to classify themselves as members or not, has existed as long as there’s been entertainment, and extends beyond whatever TV show happens to be the current hit; athletes, sports teams, musicians, books, superheroes and more all have their avid fanbases. “Fans have long-standing reading practices,” says Scott. “And it doesn’t matter what text they’re approaching; they’re going to approach a text with those reading practices kind of in their toolkit.”

“The Pitt,” clearly, is not the singular exception to this. And that’s got to be good news for HBO.

As Scott explains: “Fans are often the loyalest, most active promotional agents a television show can have, and those are two things you need in television — particularly at this moment in history.”

April 25, 2026
Hashrate Index: Brazil and Venezuela Show Potential to Grow Latam’s Bitcoin Mining Share
A new report on the state of bitcoin mining in Latam found that the region is lagging in bitcoin mining adoption, even as it holds vast energy resources. While Paraguay holds the fourth place in global hashrate, Hashrate Index picked Brazil and Venezuela as the nations to follow.

Key Takeaways:
- A 2026 Hashrate Index report highlights Latam’s mining growth, noting Paraguay holds 4.3% of global hashrate.
- Brazil grew its Bitcoin hashrate by 133% YoY as miners secure lower tariffs directly from energy generators.
- Future Venezuela operations can leverage its potential by capturing stranded energy via OFAC licenses.
Hashrate Index’s Latam Bitcoin Mining Report Highlights Brazil’s and Venezuela’s Potential

While the global share of bitcoin mining hashrate is dominated by nations like the U.S., China, and Russia, Latam might be on the verge of becoming a larger player in this market.

According to Hashrate Index’s “The State of Bitcoin Mining in Latin America (2026)” report, while Paraguay has the fourth place of countries hosting the most bitcoin hashrate with 43 EH/s and 4.3% of the global hashrate, Brazil and Venezuela have the potential to grow and turn Latam into a Bitcoin mining superpower.

Brazil, which has increased its hashrate share by 133% year-over-year, has opened new opportunities for miners, as they can now negotiate directly with companies in the energy generation market to lock up tariffs, bypassing distributor tariffs and other surcharges.

While the report stresses that energy generation outpaces transmission, the Sul region, with its low industrial power rates, can become a bitcoin mining haven for companies seeking to enter the bitcoin mining industry.

Venezuela, on the other hand, shows an untapped potential, as it registers 5 EH/s even under the current conditions. The report states:

“What Venezuela has, and what no other country in Latin America has at the same scale, is a combination of stranded energy and an OFAC licensing framework that is already opening up the country’s energy,”

Due to deficiencies in the power grid, a large portion of the power generated cannot be transmitted to the final consumer. Bitcoin mining operations deployed near generation sources could capture it before it gets lost in transmission.

“The template for private capital entering Venezuela’s energy sector with OFAC authorization already exists. Bitcoin miners can leverage the same legal structure,” the report concluded.
April 25, 2026
Bitcoin falls after Trump reportedly canceled Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s Iran-talks trip

Bitcoin edged lower late morning on the U.S. East Coast after U.S. President Donald Trump’s comments signaled a halt to planned diplomatic travel tied to Iran talks.

The largest cryptocurrency dropped about $100 to $77,351 just before noon ET, reversing a modest earlier gain. The move came minutes after a Fox reporter posted Trump’s remarks on X, where he said he had canceled a trip by envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump’s stepson, Jared Kushner.

“I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18 hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing’,” Trump said, according to the post.

Witkoff and Kushner had been expected to travel to Pakistan for a new round of talks involving Iran. The shift came only hours after Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, left Pakistan, a detail that had fueled disappointment over expectations for near-term discussions.

However, the decline in BTC was limited, suggesting markets viewed the development as a short-term risk signal rather than a shift in the broader outlook.

Market participants will likely watch for follow-up statements from U.S. officials and any response from Iran. Trump is expected to speak at a crypto conference in Palm Beach around noon Eastern time.

April 25, 2026
Box Office Stunner: ‘Michael’ Rocketing to Other-Worldly $95M-$100M U.S. Debut, $200M Globally

In a history-making moon walk, Antoine Fuqua’s Michael Jackson biopic is launching light-years ahead of expectations at the domestic box office with a projected $94 million-$100 domestic opening and a global launch $200 million.

It’s also a super-sized victory for Lionsgate and its biggest opening in years. The mini-major studio, is attempting to manage expectations by giving a wider domestic opening range of $90 million to $100 million. But rival studios have no reason to hold back, and are thrilled for Lionsgate.

Michael grossed a super-sized $38.5 million on Friday alone, its official opening day, as audience exit scores quickly went platinum and the film attracted virtually demo, led by Black and female moviegoers. (So much for all the chatter about generally bad reviews.)

Overseas, Jackson is an even bigger draw, where Michael is likewise off to a record start. Universal is handling the film internationally after being brought aboard by Lionsgate.

Heading into the weekend, Michael was tracking to open in the $65 million-$70 million range domestically, which would have already been enough to boast the biggest opening of all time for a music biopic, not adjusted for inflation. The current record-holder is Universal’s Straight Outta Compton ($60.1 million) followed by Fox’s Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody ($55 million).

Now, it’s also going to pass up Hail Project Mary — which is no small feat — to score the top opening in years for a non-franchise, non-tentpole. It’s also one of the biggest biopics of any genre.

An inkling of Michael‘s potential was revealed when the film earned $12.6 million in Wednesday and Thursday previews, on par with 2026 box office surprise hit hit Hail Project Mary, and ahead of such event pics including Dune: Part II and Oppenheimer, which both reported preview grosses in the $10 million range.

The big unknown was how front-loaded Michael would be. By Saturday, the movie’s stamina was kmoviegoers were over-the-moon for the film, which boasts a coveted 96 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

On Thursday, headlines focused on Michael‘s worrisome RT critics’ score, which bounced between 29 percent and 33 percent. By Thursday night, the critics’ score had risen to 40 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. While that’s far from ideal, strong audience exits are more than making up for it.ar from ideal. Posttrak is the coveted 90 percent-plus rage, with the definite recomend sitting at 85 percent, also a number you don’t see often. Nearly 40 percent of the film’s gross is coming from Imax and other premium large-format sreens

Many reviews were took issue with the fact that producer Graham King, along with Lionsgate, had decided to end the movie before Jackson became engulfed in allegations of child sexual abuse (the Jackson estate backed the project). The film’s initial budget of $155 million came in closer to $200 million after tens of millions were spent on additional photography to make that decision a reality.

The Jackson Five in Antoine Fugua’s Michael.

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

“Fuqua and screenwriter John Logan don’t exactly break the mold with Michael, nor do they stuff it with major revelations. But they tap into a vein of melancholy underlaying the stratospheric success that’s surprisingly affecting,” THR chief film critic David Rooney writes in its review. “The online mob will be sharpening their pitchforks given the movie’s failure to address the accusations of child sexual abuse that tarnished Michael Jackson’s legacy. But the filmmakers get around that by focusing on his early career, ending with the 1988 Bad World Tour concert in London, years before allegations first surfaced. The epilogue card reading ‘His story continues’ does some heavy lifting.”

When Michael first came on tracking three weeks ago, the domestic opening range was $55 million to $60 million. While still a great number, the subsequent spike signals that Michael may be benefiting from the nostalgia factor that is inspiring infrequent moviegoers to return to the multiplex in droves for the first time since the pandemic, or sparking interest among the most avid moviegoing demo, Gen Zers.

Jaafar Jackson, the real-life nephew of the late, King of Pop, plays as in the titular role.

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

“This record-breaking performance is a testament to the incredible filmmaking team of producer Graham King and director Antoine Fuqua, an amazing cast led by Jaafar Jackson’s singular performance, our world-class partners at Universal, the cooperation and support of the Michael Jackson Estate, and our tireless and exceptionally talented Lionsgate team,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson. “Above all, it reflects the tremendous outpouring of love and affection from moviegoers around the world, underscoring the strength and vitality of the theatrical box office. If you give audiences what they want, they will come.”Overseas, Michael is opening in 82 markets, excluding Japan. It unfurled in most key markets on Wednesday, earning $16.6 million for a running total of $18.5 million, including previews.

International Wednesday highlights included:

France ($2.6 milion): Biggest opening day ever for a biopic, coming in well above the Wednesday openings of both Oppenheimer and Bohemian Rhapsody.

U.K. & Ireland ($2.6 million): Biggest opening day for a musical biopic of all time, ahead of the Wednesday opening of Bohemian Rhapsody and well above the Friday openings of Elvis and Rocketman.

Italy ($1.3 million): Biggest opening day ever for a musical biopic, above Bohemian Rhapsody.

Australia ($1 million): Biggest opening day for a musical biopic ever, beating Elvis.

Brazil ($651,000): Michael added another $651,000 in previews for a running total of $2 million. The combined preview result represents the biggest ever for a non-superhero, non-franchise film in the market. It continues to rank No. 1, with a 68 percent market share.

April 25, 6:06 p.m.: Update with rised estimtates for Michael.

This story was originally published April 24 at at 1:58 a.m.

April 25, 2026
Why ‘White Lotus’ Picked France After an Encounter With a Cannes Waiter; Season 4 Set to Explore Fame and Art

France wasn’t originally in the mix for season 4 of Mike White‘s hit anthology series “The White Lotus,” but it won the shoot in the most “White Lotus” way imaginable, with a perfectly “stereotypical” French waiter encounter in Cannes.

“Something happened, actually here in Cannes,” producer David Bernad said during a session at Cannes Series Festival, which White attended in 2021. “We went to dinner and we had a really specific experience with a waiter and a maître d’, and it was the stereotype. It was a very funny moment. And I think that it suddenly unlocked what the show is and the dynamics of the show.”

The epiphany was immediate. “We literally canceled all the other places we were going. We were like, okay, we’re shooting here,” he said.

That moment also matched the idea that White already had for this season, which was “about the arts and what it is to be an artist” — themes the city that hosts the world’s most prestigious film festival amplifies.

Bernad revealed that he had experienced the festival first-hand in his late 20s when he presented a film he had produced. “I’ll never forget coming here. It was the first time as a producer I felt people respected me,” he said. “There’s nowhere grander than the film festival for artists, it’s the biggest dream on Earth.”

While the plot details remains tightly under wraps, Bernard teased that season 4 centers on the loneliness and pain of being an artist — and “how fame can be corrosive and can dictate your choices in life.”

“Who are the people that can grab the world’s attention, who are the plus-one in a relationship, who’s the person who has that power, what are the things that satisfy us as people? Is it the love of an intimate partner? Is it the love of strangers? Is it the attention of the world?”

It’s White’s “most personal season,” he added, “and it’s the funniest season as well.”

Season 4 has been filming with a French crew at the Chateau de la Messardière in Saint-Tropez for roughly two weeks, and will soon head to the Martinez Hotel in Cannes during the May film festival, as well as Monaco and Paris, where it will shoot interiors during the summer .

News broke Friday that Helena Bonham Carter had departed the production as her role was being recast. During the panel, Bernad didn’t address Carter’s exit but spoke about French cast members Vincent Cassel and Nadia Tereszkiewicz. “The most exciting part so far has been working with them. It’s funny because I don’t speak French, but I’m sitting on set and those scenes are in French. And they’re so expressive, and they’re such incredible artists,” he said. The French cast also includes Laura Smet, who attended the funeral of her late mother, the actor Nathalie Baye, Friday in Paris.

Season 4 also stars Steve Coogan, Caleb Jonte Edwards, Dylan Ennis, Corentin Fila, Ari Graynor, Marissa Long, Alexander Ludwig, Chris Messina, AJ Michalka, Kumail Nanjiani; Chloe Bennet, Sandra Bernhard, Heather Graham, Max Greenfield, Frida Gustavsson, Charlie Hall, Jarrad Paul, Rosie Perez and Ben Schnetzer.

April 25, 2026
A Simple Sugar in Ultra-Processed Foods May Drive Obesity, Metabolic Disease
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Research shows that fructose, especially in ultra-processed foods, may increase the risk of metabolic diseases. Image Credit: Ivan Solis/Stocksy
A recent study has shown that fructose plays a role in driving disease.

The research shows that the effects fructose can have on the body may be associated with metabolic syndrome.

Understanding the effects of fructose on the body may help develop new strategies to prevent and treat metabolic diseases.
Fructose is a simple sugar that is found both naturally, in honey and fruits, and in sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose (table sugar).

A recent review published in Nature Metabolism highlights the role fructose plays in driving disease. This is separate from its role as a source of calories.

Consumption of fructose has grown significantly over the past few centuries, driven by the increased use of sweeteners in the average diet.

Fructose can be problematic because it has twice the sweetness of glucose. This may lead to increased cravings for more fructose-containing foods and drinks.

“Fructose found in these processed forms is not handled the same way as regular blood sugar,” said Michelle Routhenstein, preventive cardiology dietitian at EntirelyNourished, who wasn’t involved in the study.

“When it is consumed, it goes to the liver, where it easily turns into fat, which can build up in the liver and around the organs and contribute to conditions like fatty liver and metabolic syndrome,” she told Healthline.
Unlike glucose, fructose has unique metabolic effects. These effects may help contribute to obesity and related conditions.

“The emerging body of research suggests that fructose is not metabolically identical to all other carbohydrates, especially when it is consumed in excess through sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods,” said Serena Poon, certified nutritionist & longevity wellness advisor. Poon wasn’t involved in the study.

“Excess calories still matter, but fructose may affect metabolism differently than other sugars, particularly in the liver … In my view, this supports a more nuanced conversation because it is not just about sugar in the abstract, but also about the form, dose, and dietary context in which fructose is consumed,” Poon told Healthline.

The review highlights how the metabolism of fructose bypasses key regulatory steps in the energy processing pathways. This can have various effects, including:
increased fat synthesis

depletion of cellular energy

production of compounds associated with metabolic syndrome
The review points out that fructose metabolism can contribute to more than metabolic syndrome.

It has associations with:

“High intakes of ultra-processed or concentrated fructose can also raise uric acid and increase oxidative stress,” said Routhenstein.

Poon echoed these remarks. “There is also emerging evidence that high fructose exposure may affect appetite regulation, satiety signaling, and gut barrier function, especially when intake is chronic and concentrated in liquid form,” she said.

“That said, the strongest concerns are generally tied to patterns of habitual excess intake rather than to modest amounts consumed in whole foods.”

Poon cautioned that people should “not turn this into a fear-based conversation about all fructose-containing foods. Whole fruit can absolutely fit into a healthy dietary pattern and is consistently viewed differently from added sugars in the research.”

Routhenstein agreed. “The study is really about large amounts of added fructose (like in sodas and ultra‑processed foods), which overload the liver and drive fat buildup and metabolic problems, not the smaller amounts naturally present in whole fruit,” she said.

“Whole fruits don’t contain excessive amounts of fructose, and they come packaged with fiber and beneficial plant compounds. These beneficial compounds found in fruit help slow sugar absorption, and help reduce inflammation around the liver and support cholesterol-lowering and metabolic functions,” Routhenstein continued.

To limit your intake of fructose, Poon recommended reading food and beverage nutrition labels.

“Fructose often appears through ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, fruit juice concentrate, and other added sweeteners,” she said.

Routhenstein suggested limiting or avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages and juices.

Choosing whole fruit and focusing on minimally processed foods can also help.

“Increasing dietary fiber, and building meals around protein, healthy fats, and high quality carbohydrates can help reduce excess fructose exposure without making the diet feel unnecessarily restrictive,” Poon said.

“For most people, the goal does not need to be eliminating fructose entirely, but rather reducing habitual overload from processed foods and beverages,” she said.
April 25, 2026
NASA’s initial takeaways from the Artemis II mission, and more science stories

Now that Artemis II is all wrapped up, NASA has begun its post-game performance analyses of all the systems that worked together to get four astronauts safely to the moon and back earlier this month. In addition to taking humans farther than ever before, Artemis II served as a crucial test flight for upcoming crewed missions that are planned for as soon as 2027 and 2028, the latter being NASA’s ambitious target for landing astronauts on the lunar surface. So far, the Orion spacecraft and the SLS rocket seem to have fared pretty well.

NASA says its initial assessments of the crew capsule show its heat shield “performed as expected, with no unusual conditions identified,” and it didn’t exhibit as much char loss as seen in the uncrewed Artemis I test. (Navy divers snapped some really cool pictures of the heat shield underwater after splashdown, as seen below). Splashdown went according to plan, with Orion landing 2.9 miles from its targeted landing site, according to NASA, and its entry interface velocity “was within one mile-per-hour of predictions.”

US Navy

NASA says the SLS rocket performed well, too. It still has tests to run, but, “At main engine cutoff, when the core stage’s RS-25 liquid engines shutdown, the spacecraft was traveling at over 18,000 miles per hour, achieving its insertion velocity for orbit, and executing a precise bullseye for its intended location,” the space agency noted in a blog post.

One thing that we know did cause some issues, though, was the toilet system. Shortly after launch, the astronauts reported problems with the urine vent line, which mission specialist Christina Koch was able to troubleshoot with help from the ground crew. But, everyone would like to avoid that on the next mission, so NASA now has teams checking out the hardware and data to identify what went wrong and how to prevent it.

Watch the Earthset

The Artemis II astronauts have continued to share glimpses into their journey around the moon, and this week, the mission’s commander, Reid Wiseman posted an incredible video of the Earth setting behind the moon, as seen from the Orion spacecraft. Humans haven’t seen that phenomenon firsthand in over 50 years, since the last Apollo mission. Read more about that here.

While ten days might not seem like that long of a time to be in space, it still does things to the body, and returning to Earth has been a bit of an adjustment for the crew. Astronaut Koch last week posted a video of herself struggling through a tandem walk exercise with her eyes closed, taken after her return to Earth. “When people live in microgravity, the systems in our body that have evolved to tell our brains how we’re moving, the vestibular organs, don’t work correctly,” she explained in the caption. “Our brains learn to ignore those signals and so when we first get back to gravity, we are heavily reliant on our eyes to orient ourselves visually.”

Before you go, be sure to check these stories out too:

April 25, 2026
Hyperliquid – Whales increase long exposure, but can HYPE’s price hit $50?
Hyperliquid [$HYPE] price has seen minimal price fluctuation over the last 24 hours. However, its short-term outlook over the next few weeks, if not months, appeared to be bullish at press time.

Large holders have been increasingly pouring capital into the Perp DEX platform. Will this end the price correction of $HYPE for a bullish continuation?

Hyperliquid’s long positions’ exposure surges

Whales have been increasing their long exposure since Bitcoin’s [BTC] price broke out. Over the last two months, their bullish conviction has expanded to other assets available on the Hyperliquid DEX.

This accumulation trend signals a strong bullish sentiment among whales trading on Perp DEXs.

For Hyperliquid, it meant capital inflows into the ecosystem, increasing trading volume which has historically been directly correlated to the price.

Source: Glassnode

While the signal was bullish, it is still unclear if the market may be about to expand or not. At the time of writing, the Funding Rates were negative, suggesting that there were still shorts paying longs to keep their positions open.

$HYPE’s price action eyes a rebound

On the price charts, $HYPE has been on an uptrend since mid-January, respecting a slanting trendline support. This indicated that $HYPE has been bullish for more than two months, aligning with the capital inflows from whales.

The sentiment of participants has also been improving. In fact, its reading rose from around the lows of 68% in late September 2025 to 81%.

Such sentiments indicated a rebound around $40 may be coming. The sellers’ strength during the correction from $45 to $40 was diminishing, as evidenced by the Bull Bear Power (BBP). However, the BBP remained in the negative territory, despite rising from -10 to -0.52.

Source: $HYPE/USDT on TradingView

In case the altcoin successfully rebounds on the charts, the next price target above the higher high at $45 would be $50. The extreme target would be in the $60-zone.

Conversely, if $HYPE dips and stays below the demand level at $40, the rebound may be delayed. If this is confirmed by a retest, the bullish outlook may be invalidated.

A look into revenue and sector performance

Notably, the daily revenue of Hyperliquid was the highest at $1.70 million among all Perp DEXs. It was followed by edgeX [EDGE] and Lighter [LIT] with $584K and $255K. At press time, $HYPE’s revenue was more than double both the other Perp DEXs combined.

Moreover, the Perp DEX sector has been the most bullish over the past month, aligning with $HYPE’s sentiment. The sector reported gains of 41.2%, almost double that of second-placed privacy coins with 26%.

Source: Artemis Analytics

Taken together, these signals appeared to point towards a bullish continuation for Hyperliquid. Even so, a price action confirmation is needed. Worth noting, however, that the signal may not be mature just yet as funding rates were negative.

Final Summary
- Whales have consistently increased their long exposure on Hyperliquid DEX, indicating massive capital inflows.
- $HYPE’s price action might be eyeing $50, but only if $40 holds strong for a rebound.
April 25, 2026