When “The Devil Wears Prada 2” hits theaters on May 1, audiences will notice a few famous faces — though there’s a couple of notable absences.
The sequel, which premiered Monday night in New York, is loaded with cameos from the fashion and entertainment worlds. Lady Gaga makes an appearance, and also recorded a Doechii-assisted track, “Runway,” for the film’s soundtrack. Donatella Versace, who stepped down as creative director of her family’s brand, filmed a scene in Milan for a cameo. Supermodel Naomi Campbell also appears, having been seated next to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly at the Dolce & Gabbana spring 2026 show, which was shot live during Milan Fashion Week.
But not everyone who showed up on set made it onto the screen.
Sydney Sweeney‘s cameo was cut from the film, Entertainment Weekly first reported.The “Euphoria” star filmed a roughly three-minute scene near the top of the movie in which she played herself, being dressed for an event by Emily Blunt’s character, Emily Charlton — now running Dior’s U.S. operations. According to a source, the scene did not work structurally with the rest of the sequence, and the team found the decision to remove it a difficult one.Sweeney, for her part, has hardly been hurting for screen time lately: She recently returned to the project that launched her to superstardom, appearing in the long-awaited third season of “Euphoria” on HBO.
Also trimmed from the finished film is “How to Get Away With Murder” actor Conrad Ricamora, who had been cast as Andy’s roommate. Sources say the character didn’t survive test screenings (audiences kept questioning why Andy needed a roommate at all). The final film instead leans into her spending time at Tracie Thoms’ character’s place, a dynamic that sources say plays more realistic to the 2006 original.
When speaking with Variety’s Marc Malkin at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in March about a possible cameo, Anna Wintour remained quiet telling him, “That’s for you to find out.”
Consider it found out. The Condé Nast global content chief visited the sequel’s Milan set, where director David Frankel captured her in what he called a “gag take” that will appear as a bonus feature on streaming — though Wintour got ahead of her cue, leaving the shot partially out of focus. “I can’t ask Anna to do take two,” Frankel told the “Back Row” podcast. Her contribution behind the camera proved more consequential anyway: While watching a scene roll in the fictional Dior offices, Wintour zeroed in on the flowers in frame, declared there were too many and they were too pink and informed the crew that Dior would only ever have white flowers. The blooms were promptly swapped out.
Cash App, the banking and payments app run by Block, has added support for parent-managed kids accounts. The new accounts include key benefits from the service’s normal account, with an eye towards teaching financial literacy to younger users ages 6 to 12. Cash App first allowed teenage users on its platform in 2021.
As part of the “expanded Cash App Families experience,” eligible legal guardians and parents can create managed accounts that offer “a dedicated place on the platform to send allowances, set aside savings, and track spending for their child, kickstarting their path to financial independence,” Cash App says. Adults managing these accounts will be able to set up recurring transfers, see how their child is spending and do things like lock their child’s account to prevent transactions. Kids will get a custom debit card and the ability to receive payments from up to five trusted accounts, though notably they won’t be able to access Cash App itself.
Cash App says managed accounts are designed for kids 6 through 12. Once those kids turn 13, Cash App says parents will be able to choose to convert their account to a “sponsored account” to unlock more features, like the ability to send and receive payments, invest in stocks or trade crypto. Those sponsored accounts are technically still monitored and controlled by a parent or legal guardian, but they do give 13-year-olds more control over how they use their money.
A parent-managed account for kids is not a new idea in the fintech space, though Cash App is trying to reach a younger audience than some of its competitors. Venmo rolled out access to its payment platform to teens between the ages of 13 to 17 in 2023. Separately, both Apple and Google also offer their own kids accounts in Google Wallet and Apple Cash Family.
Trust and oversight are now central to crypto investing in Italy, according to the latest Crypto Compass from Boerse Stuttgart Digital. The study shows that Italians increasingly want security, transparency and service before they commit capital.
Regulation and service lead the decision process
About 80% of Italians say regulation and transparency matter when choosing a platform. Meanwhile, 77% look for reliable customer service, and over 70% prioritize secure custody solutions for their assets.
That pattern points to a market that values safeguards as much as access. Moreover, the findings suggest that crypto users are becoming more selective as the italian crypto market matures.
Banks still carry the most trust
The report also highlights the role of traditional institutions. 36% of respondents identify their main bank as the most trustworthy entity for crypto investments, ahead of independent consultants at almost 19% and specialized platforms at almost 15%.
However, the growing preference for established names does not mean investors are rejecting digital assets. Instead, the data shows that confidence now depends on clear standards, visible controls and strong service.
Why regulated platforms matter
In this environment, fully regulated operators that comply with European standards are seen as key to building confidence. They can help banks and financial firms offer customers safe, transparent and reliable access to digital assets.
Boerse Stuttgart Digital frames the trend as a sign of a more aware market. That said, the message is simple: trust, compliance and custody are becoming the decisive filters for crypto investing in Italy.
Strategy and other financial brands may benefit as the market rewards credibility, while regulated access keeps shaping how Italians approach digital assets.
Finance is shifting fast, and crypto neobanks are moving into the center of that change. However, the line between trading apps, banks and wallets is fading as crypto services spread into everyday payments and investing.
From trading venue to financial hub
The new model is broader than speculation. Crypto-friendly neobanks now target mainstream use cases, not only crypto-native traders, while crypto cards adoption is helping drive everyday usage.
Moreover, monthly card volume has risen 223.5% year over year. That growth suggests users are treating these products as practical spending tools, not niche add-ons.
At the same time, tokenized stocks boom has accelerated sharply, climbing from US$38 million to US$1 billion in a single year. That is a 26x increase, and it highlights how fast digital wrappers are entering mainstream portfolios.
Institutional money is pushing the shift
TradFi institutions and fintech platforms are also racing to add crypto services. In effect, they are trying to build the next super app finance model, where payments, trading and savings sit inside one interface.
That said, the market is not moving in a straight line. Average weekend trading volume rose by approximately 300% from January to March 2026, and it reached an equivalent of 38% of weekday volume over the trailing four-week period.
The trend shows that activity is no longer confined to office hours. Instead, users are engaging across the full week, which makes always-on financial products more valuable.
CeDeFi and cross-chain rails are becoming essential
CeDeFi is emerging as the bridge between centralized platforms and decentralized protocols. Moreover, institutions increasingly prefer vault-based lending with configurable parameters, and cdefi lending growth is reflected in the rise of vault share in DeFi borrowing to 22.8% in 2026.
Cross chain infrastructure is also turning into a core requirement. The ratio of cross-chain transfer volume to DEX volume rose from 3.4% to about 15% between early 2025 and April 2026.
These numbers point to a market that needs interoperability as much as liquidity. In practice, the best products will connect chains, protocols and payment rails without forcing users to think about the plumbing.
The labels may keep changing, but the direction is clear. Neo-Finance, Super App and CeDeFi are converging into one integrated system, and crypto neobanks are positioning themselves at the middle of it.
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Dressing a star client for awards season or a film’s media tour requires careful planning. But dressing a star for the Cannes Film Festival is a next-level challenge — especially if that star is a juror who must navigate every day of the world’s most prestigious cinema showcase.
Just ask Maryam Malakpour. She signed on to be Halle Berry’s stylist just before the 2025 festival, which meant she had to hit the ground running. As a juror, Berry appeared at multiple events throughout the fest, from the first day’s jury photocall and the opening ceremony — each required separate looks — all the way through to the closing ceremony 12 days later.
Gala affairs in between included high-wattage premieres of Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning and The Phoenician Scheme and splashy dinners hosted by Chopard and L’Oreal Paris and the Kering Women in Motion Awards. Malakpour’s final designer roster for Berry included day and evening looks by Chanel, Dior, Jacquemus, Elie Saab, Alexandre Vauthier and Gucci.
Throw in a couple of curveballs, such as last-minute switches because of Cannes’ late-game rule banning voluminous gowns with trains on the Croisette, and Malakpour’s inventive curation of Berry’s looks was nothing less than impressive. That’s why The Hollywood Reporter knew the star stylist was perfect to not only ask about her memories of that round-the-clock assignment but also to suggest style and packing advice for anyone planning to make the trek to the South of France for this year’s event.
How much time do you need to plan for Cannes, especially when dressing someone who’s on the jury?
It is hard to say how much time in general you need to plan for Cannes. I only started the prep less than a month from the scheduled travel date to Nice, which felt pretty full on. As soon as I received the call, I started. Even though the final schedule was not in place, we had to set ourselves up and be ready for anything. None of us really knew how big and rigorous the schedule would become. On the final schedule, we had approximately 10 major gown or event looks and about the same amount of daytime and photo-call looks.
From left: Halle Berry in Chanel during the jury photocall at Cannes on May 13, 2025; in a striped gown by Jacquemus for the opening ceremony that evening; and in a lace-embroidered column gown by Dior Haute Couture for the May 24 closing ceremony.
From left: Samir Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images; Stephane Cardinale/Corbis via Getty Images; Daniele Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images
Aside from the multiday aspect of the festival, how does Cannes differ from a style perspective compared with, for example, planning for awards season?
There is something about traveling and being in a foreign country, adapting to the environment and culture, that makes a big difference.
How does the location play into your planning?
Location plays a major role — it influences not just aesthetics, but attitude and mood. From the moment we started the prep, the conversation and our goal was clear: We are going to embrace everything we love that is French, especially from the South of France. We referenced some of the most memorable style icons, i.e., Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot. We even had a French playlist throughout our fittings to set the mood. Our single goal was to reinvent and compose the ultimate effortless style with great confidence and poise, a total look, from the French bob haircut to the most chic and unpredictable looks.
Halle Berry attended the ‘Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning’ red carpet wearing a high-low gown from Celia Kritharioti’s spring 2025 haute couture collection.
Stephane Cardinale/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Does South-of-France glamour differ from Hollywood glamour, and if so, how?
South-of-France glamour and Hollywood glamour are different, mainly because they come from very different cultural roots. For the South of France, the vibe is effortless, sunlit, colors are more neutral, breezy, [with] oversized sunglasses, slightly undone hair, soft glam and glowing skin. There is a nostalgic mood of “Je ne sais quoi,” sophistication and confidence. It’s the kind of glamour where looking slightly imperfect actually adds to the appeal.
Stylist Maryam Malakpour at Cannes in 2025.
courtesy Maryam Malakpour
A great example is the opening look of Halle Berry in a black and cream striped sleeveless gown by Jacquemus. Hollywood feels more dramatic: bold colors, sculpted silhouettes, statement gowns and full glam makeup and perfect hair.
Looks for the day photo-calls are of course radically different from the evening carpets on the Croisette — how did you approach this dual strategy with Halle’s looks?
We approached the festival with a clear strategy: researching each venue and event in advance so we fully understood the setting, the light and the tone. Every look was then developed in direct response to that context. What works on the steps during the Cannes Film Festival is very different from what reads well at a private dinner along La Croisette.
During the edit, we were constantly thinking ahead and strategizing around the key moments: the opening and closing ceremonies as well as the film premieres — all under full daylight. Unlike the controlled lighting of Hollywood carpets, the full sun demands precision and simplicity. Everything had to be exact yet never feel over-styled.
Did you have a conversation with Halle in advance about what you both were thinking style-wise and how to navigate the many events between day and evening?
The goal was always to keep the looks light, breathable and unforced. For example, one of the daytime events was a luncheon held at the gardens of the Musée de la Castre. The setting called for something polished but relaxed, in tune with the ease of La Croisette. We chose a mint green jacquard midi dress by Gucci, tailored at the waist and finished with a self-fabric skinny belt. The look stayed true to that effortless daytime elegance: nude slingback pumps to elongate the silhouette, balanced with a burgundy shoulder bag for a subtle pop of color, finished with a silk foulard tied at the strap for movement and softness. And, of course, oversized sunglasses — essential, not just as an accessory, but as part of the attitude.
Linda Farrow Macy Vista Temple Sunglasses in black, $695; at lindafarrow.com.
Courtesy Linda Farrow
Which of her looks from last year’s festival were particular favorites of yours?
My favorite look was the Chanel Spring 2025 Haute Couture pantsuit embroidered with beaded and organza flowers for the premiere of The Phoenician Scheme. I loved this look because it felt unconventional and unexpected. It challenged the hardcore red-carpet critics who are used to and expect the same thing. They were confused by it and said it was just like a breath of fresh Riviera air, and it’s not doing enough. They expected that someone like Halle Berry should arrive in a sparkly, overtly sexy gown, which we deliberately stayed away from.
Wearing a Chanel Spring 2025 Haute Couture embroidered pantsuit, Halle Berry attended ‘The Phoenician Scheme’ red carpet at Cannes on May 18, 2025.
Daniele Venturelli/WireImage
What is your style advice for anyone planning on attending the festival this year?
My advice is simple: chic elegance with an artistic point of view. It is what keeps it from feeling predictable, always with a subtle twist.
Loro Piana Linen Guia Jacket in Quartz Blue, $4,335; at us.loropiana.com.
country Loro Piana
Are there any trends we’ve seen from the most recent runways that you believe will play a role in the festival this year?
This is nothing new, but we did see a lot of sheer fabrics — chiffon, lace, organza — in delicate nudes and pastel colors; mint green, dusty rose everywhere across the Spring/Summer 2026 collections.
Which recent collections or looks from recent collections feel particularly Cannes-friendly to you?
MM: My favorites are: Haider Ackermann’s Tom Ford Resort 2026. It’s chic and elegant, with precise tailoring. Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel 2026 Haute Couture, with airy layers, dreamlike proportions and colors and a kind of quiet storytelling. And Celia Kritharioti’s 2026 Haute Couture, who has been on my radar since last year. I love her clean, elongated, sculpted gowns.
What advice do you have for smart packing, for both clothing and accessories, so someone doesn’t go overboard and then wear only a small percentage of what they’ve brought?
I’ve found that it is definitely best to use lightweight hard cases. I always use Away luggage, as they are minimal weight and very spacious. I love the trunk specifically for accessories. I also think it’s important to pack entire outfits together, so it’s extremely obvious what goes together to avoid any confusion and accidental repeat wear.
Away’s The Trunk in Coast Blue and Sea Green; $435 each at awaytravel.com.
Courtesy Away
Are there any “must-haves” in fashion or accessories that you’d recommend to guarantee style success in Cannes?
The perfect edit is full of versatility that easily transitions from daytime to evening — apart from the red carpet, of course. Think tailored linen or silk suits, a crisp white shirt with high-waisted trousers, or minimal but perfect dresses, i.e., the slip dress. The go-to labels: The Row for ultimate understated power; Loro Piana, luxe and full of texture; and Jacquemus, for a Riviera artistic twist.
Jacquemus’ The Plumetis knitted maxi dress in navy, $1,190; at netaporter.com.
Courtesy JACQUEMUS
A variety of sunglasses would be a real must-have item, like oversized black frames, a sharp cat -eye or minimal gold-rimmed aviators. My top picks are from Saint Laurent, Celine and Linda Farrow. Another must-have, and most importantly, shoes that you can actually walk in. Elegant but stable mid-height or platform heels, chic flats and sandals for daytime transitions. Lastly, the chic nonchalant piece that you must have is a silk scarf tied loosely in your hair, paired with an oversized blazer thrown over a gown with a vintage clutch. Adding a good vintage piece is always great.
Celine 90cm square scarf in silk twill, $590; at celine.com.
Courtesy Celine
Gucci Women’s slide sandal with interlocking G, $770; at gucci.com.
Finally, did you pack anything for yourself last year that you would recommend as a terrific option for someone attending for the first time? Or is there a favorite item you always include in your own suitcase, regardless of where you’re headed?
Bella Freud Ivory Satin Saint James Jacket; $1,245; at bellafreud.com.
Courtesy Bella Freud
I love and highly recommend my vintage black slip dress, mid-length with lace around the decolletage, from Sabbia Rosa in Paris. It’s great for daytime with sandals or flats and easily transitions to evening with a pair of heels and an ivory satin blazer from Bella Freud in London. Also, something that is just very European: I always pack a lightweight trench coat to play it safe in the unpredictable weather.
A Pair of Posh New Hotels Open Their Doors
Ahead of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, two new high-end hotels have opened on France’s sunny Mediterranean shores to tempt guests with sophisticated accommodations and picturesque views. For anyone looking to decompress post-Cannes, consider either of these elegant boltholes.
Como Le Beauvallon Gulf of Saint-Tropez, France
A two-bedroom suite terrace acccomodation at COMO Le Beauvallon hotel in the south of France.
Courtesy COMO Le Beauvallon
Originally debuting in 1914, Como Le Beauvallon was one of the original Belle Epoque palaces on the French Riviera, surrounded by private gardens and overlooking the azure waters of the Gulf of Saint-Tropez. The hotel closed in 2008 and was briefly reinvented as a private estate available for rentals and events, but following a meticulous restoration, it’s back as a 100-room resort set to open April 24.
Two undisputed French creative stars have imbued Como Le Beauvallon with their respective passions: Chef and restaurateur Yannick Alléno, whose Beauvallon Sur Mer offers an Asian-meets-Mediterranean menu amid pristine beach views, and interior designer Dorothée Delaye, who has restored much of the original resort’s refined elegance.
Zannier Île de Bendor Bandol, France
The Cloitre Building at Zannier Ile de Bendor.
Courtesy Zannier Hotels
Opening May 1, this latest resort in the Zannier hotels family is located on Île de Bendor, a luxury private island near Bandol on the Provençal coastline. To reach Cannes from Bandol will take a little less than two hours by car, but it’s only 45 minutes via one of the area’s many private helicopter services that can ferry guests from the film festival to points beyond.
Originally conceived in the 1950s as Riviera hotspot for stars and artists, the 93-room resort underwent a five-year restoration and has been reimagined as a rustic-meets-elevated haven of wellness, sustainability and Provencal charm.
If you were ever wondering what Big Mistakesand Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy’s life would sound like, it’s Peaches.
“Peaches has been the soundtrack to the majority of my life,” he told The Hollywood Reporter while discussing the release of his new Netflix series. “From a very young age in my 20s when I was going and seeing her in Toronto at small clubs, she’s been on most of the playlists I’ve put together for a lot of the things I’ve written.”
Levy could have chosen to keep the prolific queer electroclash artist, who he describes as having a lawless sound, a massive but largely unspoken source of inspiration. Instead, he turned to her to score Big Mistakes.
“She was the only person I wanted from the beginning, before we even cast it. She was in the early playlist of just simply writing the show,” he explains. “I was finding myself going back to her music, going back to some of the playlists that she put together and really responding to the sonic world that she lives in. She has a sense of humor. She’s self-aware, all of the qualities that I wanted this show to feel like.”
Levy would reach out to the Canadian musician and producer, whose three-decade-long career has seen her collaborate with everyone from M.I.A. to John Malkovich, after cutting the show’s first episode. It was accompanied by a “lovely little note begging” — and she said yes.
“I’ve never done scoring before or anything like it. But Dan’s been a longtime fan and really felt like the spirit of my music and what I do would fit this show,” Peaches told THR in an interview before the series released.
This is the first time the boundary-pushing artist scored a series, working alongside co-composer Nora Kroll Rosenbaum, but she and her music are no stranger to film or TV soundtracks. Peaches’ music has been featured everywhere from The L Word, Mean Girls and Lost in Translation to South Park, The Handmaid’s Tale and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
But this was different. Peaches was asked to create her signature sound of which her voice is a distinguishable, essential element — without uttering a word. It was a new opportunity to discover how to infuse her identity through the music.
“I’ve had to find a way to express without my voice, which is challenging and great, and also a little out of my comfort zone. But the point of the actual Big Mistakes is about being out of your comfort zone. I think we all felt that way. We felt, ‘Let’s get out of our comfort zone and go,’” says the artist, who released her first album in 10 years, No Lube So Rude, in February. “Dan always says, ‘Your voice is there. There’s a scream in every episode because of the theme music.’”
Taylor Ortega as Morgan with Dan Levy as Nicky in Big Mistakes.
Courtesy of Netflix
The process paired Peaches and Rosenbaum, neither of whom had ever worked together before. “I wish I knew her my whole life. She’s so amazing and it was so great working with her. It was kind of like a blind date. That’s how it felt coming into the show because I know Dan’s work and nothing had felt quite like this.”
“The two of them brought out the best in each other. I think the score is one of the crucial elements that sets this show apart from the rest,” Levy says. “What makes Peaches so fantastic is there is a lawlessness to the way she operates in entertainment. She doesn’t give a fuck what anyone thinks or believes. She is like, ‘Take it or leave it. This is who I am.’ Not just from a musical standpoint, but almost the entire package and visual show.”
According to Peaches, that’s what Levy asked her to translate into the show’s sound. “He wanted me as a disruptor. The music is a disruptor. It’s the motivator for their bad decisions, their big mistakes. It’s pushing them into these areas and saying, ‘Yeah, go for it. Do this. Let’s go.’ Like the id and the ego,” she explains.
“Dan made it very specific that he didn’t want things to fade out. He wanted them to be just cut — when you’ll have maybe 10 seconds of music, but it won’t fade out. Insatead, it’s about finding this point where it wakes you up and out of it. That was the assignment. Also, don’t be traditional, giving in to the emotions with a violin or to echo the sentiment. It’s keeping up the thrill ride.”
That thrill ride, Peaches notes, was defined by three emotional auras. “The big keyword for Nora and I was “thrill” because it’s like a thrill ride. Are you on the upside of the thrill ride or down? It’s the constant thrill. Sometimes it’s more heightened, either from a moment of revelation thrill or a moment of getting out of your comfort zone, or it’s complete terror.”
Levy and Ortega in Big Mistakes.
Spencer Pazer/Netflix
Alongside the rollercoaster effect shaping the show’s musical journey, Peaches is famous for her genderbending, queer musical vision, which she also embraced within the series’ score.
“Queerness always has an authenticity to it. I think about every seminal moment in history, be it music, be it architecturally, it all goes back to queerness and then gets watered down and shifted and becomes very mainstream,” she says. “In my case, you don’t have to call it electroclash or indie sleeze or whatever — but the rough, very queer sound that turned into EDM. I’m very conscious not to make it that kind of sound that would telegraph to me not having the personality it needs and the power of queerness.”
The process of composing for the entire series was an “all gut” experience she tells THR, and one that allowed her and Levy to take a big leap. “I feel so proud of the work that she’s done, if I can even express pride,” Levy tells THR. “But she should be really, really thrilled because she’s just crushed it.”
See the entire tracklist from the Big Mistakes score below; season one is now streaming on Netflix.
The state of New York filed a pair of high-stakes lawsuits Tuesday against Coinbase and Gemini, arguing the crypto companies violated state gambling laws by offering prediction markets.
The suits, filed Tuesday in a Manhattan state court, target not only sports-related wagers on Coinbase and Gemini, but also the firms’ prediction markets related to entertainment and politics.
New York Attorney General Letitia James also took issue in the lawsuits with the fact that both Coinbase and Gemini allow New Yorkers as young as 18 to place wagers on prediction markets, when the legal age to gamble in the state is 21.
“Gambling by another name is still gambling, and it is not exempt from regulation under our state laws and constitution,” James said in a statement. “Gemini and Coinbase’s so-called prediction markets are just illegal gambling operations, exposing young people to addictive platforms that lack the necessary guardrails.”
New York is seeking a minimum of $2.2 billion in damages from Coinbase, and at least $1.2 billion in damages from Gemini.
New York is not the first state to sue prediction market platforms over alleged violation of state gambling laws. Numerous other states havealreadydoneso—even as prediction market platforms, backed by the Trump administration, argue the wagers they offer do not fall under state law. The platforms contend they instead offer event contracts, regulated at the federal level by the CFTC.
About the NY lawsuit news – prediction markets are federally regulated national exchanges, registered with the CFTC. This issue is proceeding in New York federal court as we speak. Coinbase will continue to fight for the federal oversight of these markets that Congress intended.
But given its stature in the world of financial regulation, and its formidable resources, New York’s entrance to the fray today is of particular note. It is also significant given the unique heft of New York disgorgement laws, which allow the state to collect company revenue ultimately deemed ill-gotten not just within New York, but nationwide.
After New York filed its lawsuits against Coinbase and Gemini on Tuesday, Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal said the company “will continue to fight for the federal oversight of [prediction] markets that Congress intended.” When reached for comment, Coinbase referred Decrypt to Grewal’s X post.
New York’s attorney general is currently locked in a legal brawl with Kalshi, the country’s largest prediction market platform. In the fall, the company preemptively asked a federal court in New York to intervene and prevent New York from suing Kalshi for violations of state gambling laws. The motion has not yet been decided. Should it fail, New York will likely sue Kalshi as well, given that it issued the company a cease-and-desist order in October.
Experts widely anticipate that the jurisdictional battle over the regulation of prediction markets will ultimately be decided by the U.S. Supreme Court.
A Gemini representative did not immediately respond to Decrypt’s requests for comment. A spokesperson for the New York Attorney General’s office referred Decrypt to James’ statement and the lawsuitfilings.
Editor’s note: This story was updated after publication with additional details and the response from Coinbase.
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US president says attacks will be held off until Iranian leaders ‘come up with a unified proposal’ to end war.
Published On 21 Apr 202621 Apr 2026
United States President Donald Trump has announced an extension to the ceasefire with Iran, saying that the US military will hold off its planned attack to allow more time for Tehran to put forward a proposal to end the war.
Trump said the move on Tuesday comes at the request of Pakistani mediators. The truce was set to expire on Wednesday.
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“I have therefore directed our Military to continue the Blockade and, in all other respects, remain ready and able, and will therefore extend the Ceasefire until such time as their proposal is submitted, and discussions are concluded, one way or the other,” the US president said in a social media post.
Iran did not issue an immediate response to Trump’s statement. The semi-official Tasnim news agency said Tehran’s position “officially announced later”.
Hours before his social media post, Trump had said that he opposes extending the truce, warning Iran that time is running out.
The about-face came as Iranian officials condemned the US naval blockade on the country’s ports, putting their participation in the talks scheduled for Wednesday in Pakistan in doubt.
With the naval siege persisting, it is unclear whether the extension of the truce will be enough to bring Iran to the negotiating table in Islamabad.
Earlier on Tuesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called blockading Iranian ports an “act of war” and a violation of the ceasefire.
“Iran knows how to neutralize restrictions, how to defend its interests, and how to resist bullying,” Araghchi wrote on X.
Although the Iranian position, as expressed by several officials, has been to reject US threats and the naval siege, Trump suggested that disagreements within the leadership in Tehran is slowing down diplomatic efforts.
“Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country of Iran until such time as their leaders and representatives can come up with a unified proposal,” the US president wrote.
After six brutal years of struggling to stay afloat, movie theater owners and operators arrived in Las Vegas for CinemaCon finally liking their odds of survival. It helped that the box office, which has been stuck in a rut since COVID, was up more than 23%, thanks to recent blockbusters like “Project Hail Mary” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
Despite the high spirits, the annual exhibition industry conference also exposed anxieties that many in Hollywood are feeling. David Ellison, the Silicon Valley scion who would like to be a mogul right now, please, dominated conversations, with cinema executives openly worrying that his deal to merge Warner Bros. and Paramount would give him too much power. There were also fierce debates about everything from the glut of preshow commercials to an overreliance on franchise fare. Here are five takeaways from a CinemaCon that didn’t lack drama.
The Revolution That Wasn’t
When CinemaCon kicked off last week, the opposition toward Paramount’s deal to buy Warner Bros. seemed to be gathering steam. On Monday, 2,000 A-listers, ranging from Joaquin Phoenix to Javier Bardem to Kristen Stewart, signed a petition to stop the merger. Hours later, exhibitors joined the fight, with Cinema United chief Michael O’Leary using his opening remarks to slam the deal as anti-competitive and declaring that it would lead to fewer movies, jobs and theaters. The tide soon shifted, however. On Wednesday, producers Emma Thomas and Jerry Bruckheimer were asked during a CinemaCon presentation why they didn’t add their names to the opposition and made it clear they felt Paramount’s purchase of Warners was a fait accompli, with Bruckheimer bluntly declaring, “The train has left the station.” Then on the last day of the conference, AMC Theatres chief Adam Aron came out in support of the merger, giving Ellison’s team the endorsement of the world’s largest cinema chain. In doing so, Aron undercut O’Leary, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed in Vegas or among the other members of Cinema United, which convened an emergency meeting after AMC gave its blessing to the pact. So why did Aron go rogue? Was he angling to get better terms from Ellison’s two studios? It’s worth noting that Aron also gave downplayed the threat of Disney’s 2019 purchase of Fox, a pact that led to one less studio and a lot less big-budget movies on his screens.
David Ellison’s Charm Offensive
Everyone may not have been on board with Ellison’s plans to roll up two of Hollywood’s most storied brands, but the Paramount and (future?) Warner Bros. owner generated goodwill with his pitch to exhibitors. Not only did he pledge to make a “minimum” of 30 films a year, keeping the combined studios’ output the same as when they operated independently, but he also committed to a 45-day exclusive theatrical window and a 90-day period before his films hit streaming. As a flex, he shared an elaborate introductory video that was directed by Jon M. Chu, narrated by Tom Cruise and featured cameos from James Cameron, Timothée Chalamet and Will Smith. The promotional piece ended with Cruise lounging on the studio’s water tower and declaring, “The future is Paramount. And the future looks pretty great from here.” Clearly, there’s no limit to Ellison’s ambitions. It’s worth noting, however, that the hard work will really start once he takes the keys to Warner Bros. and has to figure out how to pay off $80 billion in debt.
Tom Rothman Kicks a Hornet’s Nest
When he took the stage at CinemaCon to present Sony Pictures’ upcoming slate, the studio chief had some blunt advice for theater owners: “Get off the ad crack.” By that, Rothman meant, stop with the 30 minutes of commercials and trailers before movies even start. Oh, and lower your ticket prices … there’s a recession going on. He may be right that too many ads are causing people to stay away from theaters or skip the pre-show entirely, but what Rothman didn’t offer was suggestions for how cinemas would make up the lost revenue. Movie theaters have thin margins, and chains make millions by running promos. Moreover, they keep hiking prices to make up for declining attendance. “It would have been nice if Tom offered to help us pay for it,” one exhibitor groused. “But thanks for the feedback.”
It’s Super Mario’s World Now
From “Street Fighter” to “Call of Duty,” Hollywood is betting its future on video games. With comic book films fading in popularity, movie studios are picking up their consoles in search of the next great treasure trove of IP. These range from global phenoms like “The Legend of Zelda” to artsier offerings such as “Bloodborne,” a Japanese horror game that Sony will turn into an R-rated animated film. Where once movie stars flocked to Comic-Con to gush about how their childhood dream was to play Batman or the Flash or Hawkeye on-screen, now they’ll probably head to CES to wax poetic about their first “Tetris” experience. What else would you expect when “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” is on pace to gross $1 billion globally?
Steven Spielberg’s Urgent Warning
Films like “Jaws,” “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” set the template for summer blockbusters, delighting audiences with their big-screen escapism and spawning lucrative franchises. So it’s easy to forget that when these movies hit theaters, they were original properties. Spielberg, who came to CinemaCon to drum up excitement for his alien adventure “Disclosure Day,” reminded studios and exhibitors that if they want to keep their auditoriums filled, they need to embrace original stories. Moviegoers can’t exist on a diet of sequels, spinoffs and reboots alone, he said. “If all we make is known, branded IP, we’re going to run out of gas,” Spielberg warned. If he wants his message to stick, “Disclosure Day,” which marks Spielberg’s first big summer movie in a decade, needs to be a box office smash. Executives who have seen the film say it’s surprisingly emotional and not as action-packed as you might think. Is that what audiences are looking for?
When online platforms violate their own privacy policies to sell your photos, have no fear: They just might have to pay an undisclosed settlement fee 12 years later. (Who says justice is dead?) According to Reuters, AI company Clarifai says it has deleted 3 million profile photos taken from dating site OkCupid in 2014. It follows a settlement reached last month between the FTC and Match Group, OkCupid’s owner.
The Delaware-based Clarifai reportedly certified the data deletion to the FTC on April 7. The company also confirmed to US Representative Lori Trahan (D-MA) that it deleted any models that trained on the data. Clarifai told the representative’s office that it hadn’t shared the data with third parties.
The FTC opened the investigation in 2019, after The New York Timesreported that Clarifai had built a training database using OkCupid dating profile photos. The behavior was a direct violation of OkCupid’s privacy policy. Court documents reviewed by Reuters reveal that Clarifai asked OkCupid executives for the data in 2014. Apparently, they obliged.
Clarifai uses this creepy facial profiling example to sell its services.
(Clarifai)
“We’re collecting data now and just realized that OkCupid must have a HUGE amount of awesome data for this,” Clarifai founder Matthew Zeiler wrote in an email to OkCupid co-founder Maxwell Krohn. The AI startup used the dating site’s images to build a facial recognition service that can identify a person’s age, gender and race. (Another brilliant and totally ethical idea from Clarifai, tapping into unsecured city surveillance cameras without authorization, was reportedly shuttered.)
Zeiller suggested to The New York Times in 2019 that people needed to, well, get over it. “There has to be some level of trust with tech companies like Clarifai to put powerful technology to good use, and get comfortable with that,” the AI founder declared. Some of OkCupid’s founders were reportedly investors in Clarifai.
As part of the settlement, the FTC “permanently prohibited” OkCupid from misrepresenting its data collection and privacy controls. TechCrunchnotes how strange it is to use that as a penalty, given that FTC rules already bar that behavior.
