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  • Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden Revenues Climb 11% to $390 Million Thanks to ‘Harry Potter’ Tour, Increased Production (EXCLUSIVE)

    Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden Revenues Climb 11% to $390 Million Thanks to ‘Harry Potter’ Tour, Increased Production (EXCLUSIVE)

    Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, the studio’s flagship U.K. production hub, saw revenues climb 11% year-on-year, according to its latest financial accounts.

    The studios, located just outside London, brought in £292 million ($390 million) in the year ending 2025, up from £264 million the previous year. Gross profits jumped 10% (from £182 million to £200 million) although post-tax profits were down 15%, partly due to the tax on profit more than doubling, from £14 million in 2024 to £29 million last year.

    As well as being used for a variety of Warner Bros. productions, ranging from “House of the Dragon” to “The Batman,” Leavesden is home to the “Harry Potter” studio tour, which gives attendees the opportunity to see sets, costumes and props from the original films.

    According to the financial report, the tour accounts for 63% of the company’s revenues, this year totalling £185 million, up from £177 million last year. The report puts this down to higher visitor numbers and increased spending on the tour, which includes stores, cafes and add-on experiences such as photo packages.

    Studio facilities, equipment and services also jumped from £87.0 million to £107 million year-on-year, which the report attributed to higher occupancy resulting from the ongoing expansion of the studios.

    WBD spent £263 million last year on development of the studios and “assets relating to the tour,” according to the report. The expansion will create an additional 400,000 square feet of production space and facilities, including 10 new sound stages, increasing the studio’s production capacity by over 50%. It is on track to complete in Q2 next year.

    Among other high-profile projects, HBO’s upcoming “Harry Potter” series, due to launch this Christmas, is currently in production at Leavesden as is Robert Pattinson-led “The Batman 2” (although last week the film was paused after director Matt Reeves had to step away for a “family matter.”)

    As is customary in the U.K., the Leavesden financial report sets out the accounts for the previous year. This year’s accounts, which are dated Sept. 30, 2026 and were made available at U.K. business registrar Companies House this week, were complicated by the fact that parent company Warner Bros. Discovery was still in the process of being acquired by Skydance as the accounts were being prepared, as recorded in the financial report.

    “Because the transaction has not yet completed, including any future refinancing, the company’s directors are not able to fully assess the transaction’s effect on the future financial and operational framework of the company,” the independent auditors note.

    The £111 billion deal eventually closed on Oct. 6.

  • Bitcoin Tests $81,000 as Rate Hike Fears Linger After Hot Inflation Data

    Bitcoin Tests $81,000 as Rate Hike Fears Linger After Hot Inflation Data

    In brief

    • Bitcoin dipped to an intraday low under $81,000, extending losses after hotter-than-expected U.S. inflation data revived bets on a Fed rate hike.
    • HashKey’s Tim Sun said slowing demand from spot ETFs and corporate Bitcoin treasuries explains the stalled rally more than macro factors alone.
    • Algoz’s Stephen Wundke expects Bitcoin to trade between $76,000 and $83,000 for the rest of October unless a clear catalyst emerges.

    Bitcoin dipped below $81,000 on Thursday, extending its slide a day after U.S. consumer prices rose faster than expected and revived bets on another Federal Reserve rate hike.

    The leading cryptocurrency is currently trading at $81,002, per CoinGecko data, down 2.7% over the past 24 hours and 2.5% over the past week, after slipping to an intraday low of $80,444.

    Consumer prices rose 3.7% in the year to September, Decrypt reported on Wednesday. Prices rose 0.6% over the month, the largest monthly increase in five months, driven mainly by energy costs tied to the war with Iran, The New York Times reported.

    BitcoinBTC · USD

    $82,362+1.04%

    Oct 8Oct 10Oct 12Oct 14Oct 15

    $84.2k$82.9k$81.5k$80.2k

    24h HighHigh$82,455

    24h LowLow$79,806

    VolVol$1.8B

    Market projectionsOdds by Myriad

    →

    Traders’ odds of a Fed rate hike this month jumped to 43% from 24% after the report, the Times said, though federal funds futures still point to December for the next increase. The Fed raised rates to a range of 3.75% to 4% in September.

    CME FedWatch put the odds of an October hike at 29.3% on Thursday, up from 17.7% a week earlier, while traders on prediction markets Myriad and Polymarket priced it at 28%. Polymarket traders put the chance of a December hike at 79%. (Disclosure: Myriad is a prediction market operated by Decrypt‘s parent company, Dastan.)

    Stephen Wundke, strategy and revenue director at quantitative investment firm Algoz, argued that those probabilities feed directly into Bitcoin’s price. “On the bullish side as long as BTC stays above $79,500 we can keep the dream alive,” Wundke told Decrypt.

    Inflation has now run above the Fed’s 2% target for 66 straight monthly readings, the longest streak this century, according to a CNBC analysis. “They’re starting to accept high inflation as just a fact of life,” Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack wrote in a LinkedIn post last week.

    Myriad: What's the Fed's next move? Click to make your prediction.
    Myriad: What’s the Fed’s next move? Click to make your prediction.

    Those pressures are only part of the picture, Tim Sun of HashKey Group told Decrypt. Rising rate hike expectations, a stronger dollar and a pullback in AI tech stocks have weighed on Bitcoin on the surface, he said, “however, the deeper reason lies in the changing structure of incremental capital.”

    “Over the last two years, the key marginal buyers of Bitcoin primarily came from spot ETFs and corporate Bitcoin treasuries,” Sun said. As borrowing costs rise, narrowing valuation premiums at some corporate treasuries have made it less attractive to raise money to keep buying Bitcoin, he added.

    “Nevertheless, Bitcoin has not experienced a sustained deep sell-off as a result,” Sun said, pointing to growing involvement from major traditional banks that has added long-term capital to the market.

    Bitcoin’s trading range

    Sun expects Bitcoin to stay range-bound in the short term. A breakout depends on whether ETF flows return to sustained net inflows and whether corporate treasuries can improve their ability to raise money and buy, he said.

    Wundke also expects a range. “Without a clear catalyst to move things higher I fear we are range bound with BTC between $76,000 and $83,000 for the rest of October,” he said, adding that peace with Iran “would change that dynamic instantly.”

    “In the short term Bitcoin trades as a liquidity asset, and higher for longer means tighter liquidity, so this drop is the market repricing rates, not a change in Bitcoin’s story,” Abdul Rafay Gadit, co-founder of ZIG Finance, told Decrypt.

    “The next few weeks are about the Fed, not crypto,” Gadit said. “If it signals it can look through sticky inflation, risk appetite returns quickly; if not, expect choppy trading.”

    The Fed will announce its next rate decision on October 28.

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  • Multiliquid raises $8 million to expand liquidity in $40 billion tokenized asset market

    Multiliquid raises $8 million to expand liquidity in $40 billion tokenized asset market

    Multiliquid targets liquidity challenges in tokenized markets

    Multiliquid provides an institutional liquidity layer that enables holders to convert tokenized real world assets into stablecoins through a single blockchain transaction.

    The protocol supports tokenized funds from asset managers including Wellington Management, VanEck, Janus Henderson and Fasanara, alongside stablecoins such as Circle’s USDC.

    The system aims to give institutions continuous access to liquidity without waiting for traditional fund redemption windows, allowing capital to move between investment products and payment assets.

    “Tokenization only matters if the assets are actually liquid,” said Will Beeson, founder and CEO of Multiliquid.

    Beeson said traditional financial markets rely on repurchase agreements and overnight lending to maintain liquidity, while tokenized markets need similar infrastructure to support institutional adoption.

    The platform also addresses a growing distinction between yield bearing tokenized investments and payment stablecoins.

    Under the GENIUS Act, payment stablecoin issuers are prohibited from paying yield directly to holders. As a result, institutions seeking returns on idle capital may need to move funds between stablecoins and separate tokenized investment products.

    Tokenized real world assets approach $40 billion

    The funding comes as the market for tokenized real world assets continues expanding, with financial institutions increasingly bringing traditional investment products onto blockchain networks.

    According to RWA.xyz data, the distributed value of tokenized real world assets reached approximately $39 billion in October, up from about $25.5 billion at the beginning of 2026. The figures exclude stablecoins.

    Tokenized US Treasuries account for roughly $14.9 billion, followed by private credit at about $8 billion and commodities at more than $5 billion. Meanwhile, tokenized stocks have expanded to approximately $3.3 billion in distributed value.

    Major financial institutions and asset managers have also expanded their presence in the sector, bringing products such as government bond funds, money market instruments and equities onto blockchain networks.

    However, while issuance continues growing, secondary market liquidity remains a challenge. Many tokenized investment products still depend on traditional redemption mechanisms, limiting the ability to move capital instantly between assets.

    Multiliquid is seeking to address that gap by connecting tokenized funds and stablecoins through continuous settlement infrastructure.

    The company, founded by former Standard Chartered and UniCredit professionals, aims to support institutional capital movement as tokenized assets become a larger part of global financial markets.

  • Will This Altcoin Split from Ethereum? Critical Vote Begins, Price Rises

    Will This Altcoin Split from Ethereum? Critical Vote Begins, Price Rises

    In contrast, it is argued that Starknet’s hash-based STARK proofs and computational structure provide an advantage in post-quantum security research. The standalone network option aims to bring more of this research directly under Starknet’s control.

    The community announcement stated that regardless of which path is chosen, the existing token will remain $STRK and no new tokens will be issued. It was also stated that the bridges from Ethereum to Starknet will remain open.

    A “yes” vote won’t mean the network will immediately separate from Ethereum. First, research will begin, followed by detailed proposals and new votes. A “no” vote would mean that post-quantum security work will continue within the existing Layer 2 structure.

    The chart shows the recent increase in $STRK price.

    *This is not investment advice.

  • Binance.US seeks up to $100 million in funding at $1 billion valuation amid US expansion push

    Binance.US seeks up to $100 million in funding at $1 billion valuation amid US expansion push

    The fundraising remains under discussion, meaning its size, valuation and investor participation could change.

    Binance.US seeks to regain market share after regulatory setbacks

    The proposed $1 billion valuation represents a sharp decline from the company’s previous funding round in 2022, when it raised more than $200 million at a $4.5 billion valuation before the new capital.

    Binance.US, launched in 2019, operates separately from Binance’s international exchange, although both companies share common ownership through Binance co founder Changpeng Zhao.

    The US platform lost significant market share following regulatory action against Binance in 2023, when the global exchange reached a multibillion dollar settlement with US authorities over violations of financial regulations.

    The regulatory pressure also affected Binance.US, which faced banking disruptions and reduced access to dollar payment services.

    Under CEO Stephen Gregory, appointed in March, the exchange has been working to restore trading activity and expand its product offerings.

    As part of those efforts, Binance.US has discussed accessing external trading liquidity, potentially including Binance’s international platform, although no decision has been reached.

    The company is also seeking to restore money transmitter licenses in additional US states to expand its customer reach.

    Beyond spot trading, Binance.US has explored entering prediction markets. In July, Gregory outlined plans to pursue a Commodity Futures Trading Commission license that could allow the platform to offer event contracts and other derivatives.

    Trump linked World Liberty maintains ties to Binance

    The fundraising discussions also come amid existing business connections between World Liberty Financial and Binance’s international exchange.

    World Liberty issues $USD1, a dollar backed stablecoin that has gained traction through its relationship with Binance.

    According to blockchain analytics firm Arkham, Binance holds a substantial portion of the stablecoin’s circulating supply.

    Additionally, $USD1 was used in a $2 billion investment in Binance by MGX, an Abu Dhabi investment firm, further connecting the two businesses.

    Bloomberg previously reported that World Liberty’s stablecoin operations have benefited from Binance’s support, although the companies remain separate entities.

    The relationship has also drawn attention following Trump’s October 2025 pardon of Zhao, who served four months in prison after pleading guilty to failing to maintain adequate anti money laundering controls at Binance.

  • Kenya confirms 2nd case of Ebola in relative of patient who died earlier this month

    Kenya confirms 2nd case of Ebola in relative of patient who died earlier this month

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    Kenya’s Health Ministry confirmed the country’s second Ebola case Wednesday, saying a relative of the man who died two days after arriving from Congo had tested positive while in quarantine.

    The ministry said the 39-year-old man had been identified as a close relative of Kenya’s first Ebola case and developed symptoms Tuesday.

    The first patient, a 40-year-old Kenyan, had been living in Congo, where he fell ill and was treated at two health facilities. He travelled through three Ebola-affected provinces before leaving the country and arriving in neighbouring Uganda on Oct. 1. He flew to Kenya, where a relative picked him up at the airport and drove him to a hospital. He began receiving treatment and tested positive for Ebola on Oct. 5. He died that day.

    Health officials identified about 128 contacts linked to the first case, and placed 108 of them in quarantine. Five of the contacts are outside Kenya, and authorities in those countries have been notified, according to Kenya’s Ministry of Health.

    The second patient was among those quarantined. The Health Ministry said early detection of the infection “improves his chances of recovery.”

    The ministry said the two cases were linked and there was “no evidence of spread in the community.”

    Kenya has tightened screening at border crossings and airports since detecting its first Ebola case and urged the public to take precautions and report suspected infections through an emergency hotline.

  • Another Good Reason to Block Online Ads: They Can Deliver Spyware

    Another Good Reason to Block Online Ads: They Can Deliver Spyware

    In a disturbing discovery, security researchers have found evidence that online ads on websites and mobile apps were widely exploited to deliver spyware to devices without users’ knowledge. 

    The spyware appears to have originated with the Israeli company Candiru, and was discovered infecting devices at Al Jazeera, according to researchers at the Toronto-based Citizen Lab.

    Another Israeli firm, Discover-Tech, has been acting as the key facilitator by allegedly selling access to its online ads to spyware developers. “Discover-Tech operates a platform called Controlium that enables its mercenary partners to de-anonymize, fingerprint, and automatically infect devices the moment an advertisement is rendered—a form of zero-click attack,” Citizen Lab writes in its report. 

    Zero-click refers to spyware that can automatically infect a device without any user interaction. In this case, the computer code that runs the online ad on the user’s device becomes the attack vector. The ad’s computer code can collect user data and send it back to Discover-Tech’s server. That server can then select which users are targeted with the spyware. To do so, Discover-Tech will connect the displayed ad to an “infection server” from the spyware provider, which can fetch JavaScript code to deliver the malicious payload.

    Citizen Lab

    Example of the ads. (Credit: Citizen Lab)

    Citizen Lab’s report doesn’t appear to address the spyware’s capabilities or whether it exploited any software vulnerabilities to infect the devices. But the investigation led Al Jazeera to isolate “a Windows DLL file from one of the compromised devices” that has been flagged as malware and is designed to communicate with a Candiru attack server.  

    Citizen Lab found evidence that spyware was delivered to “at least 45 devices within Al Jazeera” in 2024 and 2025 after examining the media outlet’s network logs. The lab calls the attack “AdFection” and alleges that Discover-Tech’s primary purpose has been to secretly sell ads to multiple mercenary spyware providers rather than to legitimate customers. 

    How the attack works.

    How the attack works. (Credit: Citizen Lab)

    Citizen Lab was also able to examine the ad-bidding records from Discover-Tech, which were accidentally exposed on the company’s website. “We found that Discover-Tech ads were displayed in over 70,000 mobile apps, and over 120,000 websites between March and June 2026,” the report says. The Israeli company has also served ads through Google, Russian search engine Yandex, and Comcast’s ad tech platform Beeswax.

    Citizen Lab says the finding is “the first-ever public confirmation of zero-click mercenary spyware delivered via targeted ads,” three years after the newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli firms had been using online ads to deliver spyware.

    Another alarming discovery is that the malicious ads from Discover-Tech “were shown on devices in national-security-sensitive networks around the world. These include the networks of various ministries of defense, armed forces, national cyber agencies, intergovernmental organizations and multilateral security organizations including NATO, and networks associated with critical infrastructure,” Citizen Lab says. 

    The research also shows how online ads and ad targeting can be abused to enable mass surveillance, despite regulations. It’s long been known that online targeted ads work by collecting internet activity and device information to discern the user’s interests, geographic location, and also tag their device with an advertising ID, creating a way to “fingerprint” people, without their consent. 

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    “Sure, the targeting was designed to follow you around with shoe ads, but all Discover-Tech had to do was piggyback on this system to follow you around with spyware,” Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton tweeted. “They are surely not alone. Just the first to get caught.”

    Citizen Lab is calling on regulators “to investigate whether Discover-Tech and Candiru/Integrity Labs violated applicable laws, and make recommendations to lawmakers.”

    Discover-Tech didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In the meantime, Citizen Lab notes that Google, the ad association IAB Europe, Beeswax, Vungle, and Eskimi all “took action to disconnect Discover-Tech’s access to the digital advertising ecosystem.”

    Researchers at the lab also say users can protect themselves by blocking online ads. Google also says: “Following a joint investigation with Citizen Lab and Confiant, Google blocked Discover Tech from our ad platforms for systematically violating our policies. We also set up Safe Browsing warnings to help protect people if they navigate to websites linked to this group.”

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  • How to Watch the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians ALCS Game 3 (Even for Free)

    How to Watch the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians ALCS Game 3 (Even for Free)

    As summer comes to a close and the air turns crisp, you know what’s coming: the MLB Playoffs. The NFL season is already underway, and if you’re also a baseball lover, this next month is essential viewing. The MLB has been through a number of changes in recent years. From the universal DH and the pitch clock to video replay and an automated strike zone, baseball may look very different if you haven’t been paying attention.

    Today, the Guardians will face the Rays, and the Dodgers will go head-to-head against the Brewers in the best-of-seven Championship series. Which teams will come out on top? Here’s how you can watch live.

    What Time Is the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians Game?

    Today’s game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cleveland Guardians will take place on Thursday, October 15 at 1 p.m. ET. The game was moved from 6 p.m. to 1 p.m. due to expected rain this evening.

    How to Watch the Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Guardians?

    Tonight’s Rays vs. Guardians game will air on TBS and HBO Max. This year, the American League Division Series games will be broadcast on TBS, while the National League games will be on Fox and FS1. You can also watch them with a live TV or sports streaming subscription from DirecTV, Fox One, Fubo, HBO Max, Hulu, Sling, Sportsnet+ (if you’re in Canada), or YouTube TV.

    How to Watch the Rays vs. the Guardians for Free

    If you don’t want to subscribe to any of the above platforms, you may be able to sign up for a few free trials to gain access to this weekend’s games. Fox One and Hulu offer three-day trials, DirecTV and Fubo offer five days, and YouTube TV gives you 10 days for free.

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    2026 MLB Playoffs Game Schedule

    MLB’s expanded postseason means more teams on the playoff schedule. Things started off with the best-of-three Wild Card Series, where the Braves, Padres, White Sox, and Yankees advanced. The best-of-five Division Series put them up against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Guardians, and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively. All of whom managed to advance

    Now, the Rays and Guardians and Dodgers and Brewers meet in the best-of-seven Championship Series to determine the best team in each league. The winner from each league will then advance to a best-of-seven World Series to begin on October 23. Who will make it all the way?

    Los Angeles Dodgers vs. Milwaukee Brewers – MIL lead 3-0

    • Game 4 on October 15 @ 9 p.m. ET – Fox/FS1

    • Game 5 on October 16 @ 9 p.m. ET – Fox/FS1*

    • Game 6 on October 18 @ 8 p.m. ET – Fox/FS1*

    • Game 7 on October 19 @ 8 p.m. ET – Fox/FS1*

    Cleveland Guardians vs. Tampa Bay Rays – CLE leads 1-1

    • Game 3 on October 15 @ 1 p.m. ET – TBS/HBO Max

    • Game 4 on October 16 @ 6 p.m. ET – TBS/HBO Max

    • Game 5 on October 17 @ 8 p.m. ET – TBS/HBO Max*

    • Game 6 on October 19 @ 5 p.m. ET – TBS/HBO Max*

    • Game 7 on October 20 @ 8 p.m. ET – TBS/HBO Max*

    *if necessary

    2026 mlb playoff bracket

    (Credit: MLB)

    How to Stream the 2026 MLB Playoffs

    This year’s MLB postseason is stretched across multiple networks and streaming services. All Wild Card Series games for the American League and National League were broadcast on NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock. Additional rounds will be on other networks. ALDS and ALCS games are on TBS/TruTV and HBO Max, while NLDS and NLCS games are on Fox/FS1. For the World Series, all games will be broadcast on Fox and the Fox One streaming service.

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    • DirecTV: DirecTV’s MySports base pack costs $45 per month for the first six months to see every game on Fox, FS1, NBC, and TBS/TruTV.

    • Fox One: Fox’s own streaming app lets you watch the NLDS, NLCS, and World Series on Fox and FS1 for $20 per month.

    • Fubo: Fubo’s Sports plan costs $45.99 for the first month to watch the Wild Card Series, NLDS, NLCS, and World Series on Fox, FS1, and NBC/NBCSN.

    • HBO Max: If you pay for the $18.49-per-month HBO Max Standard, you’ll be able to watch the ALDS and ALCS games on TBS/TruTV.

    • Hulu: For $90 per month, you can watch every game on Fox, FS1, NBC, TBS, and TruTV.

    • Peacock: Instead of a live TV service, you’d need to pay $10.99 per month for Peacock Premium to see the Wild Card Series games.

    • Sling: The $60.99-per-month Sling Orange & Blue bundle will let you watch the ALDS and ALCS on TBS/TruTV and the NLDS and NLCS on FS1. Day Passes are also available for Sling Orange, allowing you to watch games on TBS for up to seven days.

    • Sportsnet+ (Canada only): The $30-per-month Standard tier lets you watch every postseason game.

    • YouTube TV: Though the standard plan for YouTube TV costs $83 per month, you can actually now pay for the cheaper $65 Sports package to see all games on Fox, FS1, NBC/NBCSN, and TBS/TruTV.

    Can I Watch Postseason Games on MLB.TV?

    Are you already an MLB.TV subscriber? You can watch the Division Series, Championship Series, and World Series games through MLB’s own streaming service—but there’s a catch. To watch on MLB.TV, you’ll first need to authenticate through a participating pay TV provider. It’s such a sticking point that it makes the entire question moot. If you already have a TV provider, then you wouldn’t need to use a streaming service. If you don’t already have an MLB.TV subscription, don’t pay for one now.

    How can I listen to the 2026 postseason?

    You can also listen to the games via ESPN Radio.

    Which Teams Are In the Playoffs?

    Since MLB expanded its postseason picture in 2022, a total of 12 teams make the playoffs each year. That includes six teams per league, including the three division winners and three Wild Card teams.

    • American League Division Winners: Tampa Bay Rays (1), Cleveland Guardians (2), Houston Astros (3)

    • American League Wild Card: New York Yankees (4), Boston Red Sox (5), Chicago White Sox (6)

    • National League Division Winners: Milwaukee Brewers (1), Los Angeles Dodgers (2), Atlanta Braves (3)

    • National League Wild Card: Chicago Cubs (4), Philadelphia Phillies (5), San Diego Padres (6)

    Upgrade Your Streaming Experience

    If you decide to watch the MLB postseason, there’s still time to get a big-screen television for viewing this beautiful game. Pro tip: Turn on your TV’s motion-smoothing option for the best picture while watching sports. Just remember to turn it off before watching other TV shows and movies to avoid the awful “soap opera” effect.

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  • White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia’s law career faces scrutiny

    White House spokesperson Katie Zacharia’s law career faces scrutiny

    Katie Zacharia, the new White House press secretary under United States President Donald Trump, has drawn increasing criticism over claims about her professional background.

    On Wednesday, a public accountability nonprofit filed a complaint with the State Bar of California over Zacharia’s repeated claims that she was a lawyer.

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    If made falsely, such a claim is a crime in the state. According to Zacharia’s LinkedIn profile, she received a degree from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2011, but critics have questioned whether she received a licence to practise law, as she has suggested.

    “Ms. Zacharia has represented herself as a lawyer repeatedly to buttress her reputation and credibility as a television legal commentator and now as the White House spokesperson,” Michelle Kuppersmith, the head of the Washington, DC-based Campaign for Accountability, said in a statement. “Yet it seems it was all a lie.”

    Her organisation filed the complaint with California’s bar office, a regulatory agency that oversees the licensing of lawyers.

    “In California, calling yourself a lawyer without a license isn’t puffery; it’s a crime,” Kuppersmith said.

    “The State Bar should investigate whether Ms. Zacharia has misled the public about her credentials and hold her accountable if she has.”

    Zacharia, a commentator who has appeared frequently on Fox News and Newsmax, began her term as White House press secretary on Tuesday.

    In a news briefing that day, she seemed to falter and speak haltingly, sometimes having to repeat herself.

    Her appearance was brief, lasting under 15 minutes. She spent much of her time at the podium thanking Trump for the opportunity and reading from a prepared statement.

    “I have wanted to work for him for a very long time,” Zacharia said.

    Later, she joined Trump outside the White House to speak further with reporters. When asked where she had passed the bar exam, Zacharia replied, “When I moved to China.”

    The response was an apparent reference to a three-year stint in which she claims she worked at a law firm in Beijing.

    A biography on the website for the pro-Trump women’s organisation Trumpettes USA Inc says she “served as outside counsel” for the World Bank and International Finance Corporation while in Beijing.

    Her LinkedIn profile, meanwhile, indicates Zacharia served as an associate at the Zhong Lun Law Firm in Beijing from 2011 to 2013. More recently, from 2024 to 2025, it lists her as general counsel for Fix California, a voter rights group started by a Trump administration official.

    On her Instagram profile, Zacharia describes herself as a “Wife, Mom, & Lawyer”.

    But Zacharia’s assertion that she passed the bar in China has fuelled media scrutiny. China’s equivalent of the bar exam, the notoriously difficult National Unified Legal Professional Qualification Examination, can only be taken by Chinese citizens.

    China has, on rare occasion, allowed foreigners to practise law in the country if they have several years of experience in their home countries first.

    But that does not appear to be the case for Zacharia. According to media reports, Zacharia has not been found to be licensed as a lawyer in any state in the US.

    In a statement to The Associated Press, Zacharia responded to the scrutiny by saying, “I practice international transaction law, with all the appropriate credentials.”

    Since Trump’s return to office for a second term, Zacharia has spent several months as a communications adviser at the Department of Homeland Security.

    Since June, she has also worked as the senior communications adviser at the Trump Media and Technology Group, which owns the Truth Social platform.

  • OpenAI bugging suspect allegedly booked one-way trip to Saudi Arabia

    OpenAI bugging suspect allegedly booked one-way trip to Saudi Arabia

    Saudi national Abdulrahman Alfozan was due to fly to Saudi Arabia on October 12, US prosecutors say in a court filing.

    Published On 15 Oct 2026

    The Saudi national accused of bugging OpenAI’s headquarters booked a one-way flight to Saudi Arabia before his arrest, US prosecutors have alleged.

    Abdulrahman Alfozan, a former OpenAI engineer, had been scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia with his wife and another family member on October 12, prosecutors said in a court filing unsealed on Wednesday.

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    The FBI arrested Alfozan, who worked at OpenAI for about 15 months until his termination last week, on October 9, after OpenAI personnel reported the discovery of a hidden listening device in a conference room at the company’s San Francisco headquarters.

    Alfozan, 35, has been charged with “using or endeavoring to use an electronic, mechanical, or other device to intercept oral communications”.

    The offence carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

    Prosecutors disclosed the alleged flight booking to a judge on October 8 in a motion seeking to seal the criminal complaint against Alfozan, arguing he had the “means – and will have an incentive – to flee” the United States.

    William Pernik, Alfozan’s lawyer, said he and his client planned to contest the criminal allegations and his client’s ongoing detention in court.

    “We trust that the American justice system will treat our client fairly, despite the narrative painted in the media at this time,” Pernik told Al Jazeera.

    “Our client is a well regarded professional with long standing ties to the community,” Pernik added.

    “He is presumed innocent and is entitled to fair treatment and due process of law. The emphasis on his national origin and therefore suggestions of lack of trustworthiness or flight risk harken back to dark chapters of our nation’s history that we intend to fight fully.”

    Alfozan’s arrest has shone a spotlight on concerns that frontier tech firms are a target for spying and industrial espionage amid the global race to gain an upper hand in AI.

    Before joining OpenAI in July last year, Alfozan worked as a systems engineer at Meta and interned at Microsoft, according to a LinkedIn profile in his name.

    Alfozan is also listed as a venture partner at Raed Ventures, a Riyadh-based venture capital firm whose other partners include Prince Khalid bin Bader al Saud, a member of the Saudi royal family.

    In a statement announcing Alfozan’s appointment in February 2025, Raed Ventures described the engineer as “a seasoned professional with extensive experience in tech startups” and said his role would involve “identifying promising investment opportunities and supporting startups on their journey toward growth and success”.