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  • Storage Savings: Early Labor Day SSD Deals From Samsung, SanDisk, and More

    Storage Savings: Early Labor Day SSD Deals From Samsung, SanDisk, and More

    Ever notice that the storage space that comes with your computer or laptop just isn’t enough? Thankfully, there are plenty of SSDs that’ll give you extra space for all your pictures and projects. With Labor Day coming up, we’ve gathered some of the best SSD deals from brands like Lexar, Samsung, and SanDisk. The good news is that there’s quite a bit to go around. We’ll keep adding to this list as we get closer to Labor Day, so check back often!

    Samsung Early Labor Day SSD Deals

    990 Pro SSD


    Samsung 990 Pro SSD

    Samsung 990 Pro SSD

    2TB storage, 7450MB per second read speed, 6900MB per second write speed

    $389.99
    at Amazon

    $639.99
    Save $250.00


    Get Deal

    The Samsung 990 Pro internal SSD is more than 55% faster in random performance than its predecessor, the 980 Pro. With speeds up to 7,450 read and 6,900 write, you’ll be powering through work day. This results in fewer performance issues, and is a great fit for standard desktops and laptops, particularly in the fields of video editing and data analysis. It also performs well when it comes to gaming (but don’t let your boss know you’re playing them!).

    Our expert Tony Hoffman awarded it an “Excellent” rating. In our in-depth review, he said, “Samsung’s SSD 990 Pro is a zippy PCI Express 4.0 internal drive that’s a step up from its predecessor, offering excellent performance for creative tasks, if not necessarily for gaming.”

    870 EVO Internal SSD SATA


    Samsung 870 EVO Internal SSD SATA

    Samsung 870 EVO Internal SSD SATA

    2TB storage, 560MB/s read speed, 1200TB SSD endurance

    $499.99
    at Best Buy

    $879.99
    Save $380.00


    Get Deal

    This Samsung 870 EVO SATA III SSD gives you 2TB of storage, which can house plenty of your work projects. It also maximizes the SATA interface limit with 560MB/s and 530MB/s read and write speeds for high performance. This SSD is designed for intensive games as well as heavy workloads that come with high-end PCs and NAS workstations. It can handle up to 8K video computing up to 2,400 TW and comes with a five-year limited warranty so you can rest assured you’re being taken care of. With Samsung Magician software, you’ll also be able to manage the drive’s health and download updates to keep it in peak condition.

    PCMag’s senior security analyst Chris Stobing awarded it an “Outstanding” rating. In our in-depth review, he said, “The Samsung SSD 870 EVO offers the peak of Serial ATA SSD performance, and moves so fast in 4K random read and write operations you’d almost be forgiven for confusing it with PCI Express 3.0.”

    Verbatim Early Labor Day SSD Deals

    Pocket External SSD


    Verbatim Pocket 1TB External SSD

    Verbatim Pocket 1TB External SSD

    1TB storage, 1000MB/s read and write speeds, 2.5-inch form factor

    $139.99
    at Amazon

    $179.99
    Save $40.00


    Get Deal

    Despite being a pocket-sized SSD, it has enough power to satisfy creators and gamers. This Verbatim SSD offers read and write speeds of up to 1,000 MB/s, allowing you to transfer files and back up content quickly and efficiently. It’s also compatible with a wide range of devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, and gaming consoles, thanks to its USB-C port, so you never have to compromise on connectivity. The SSD is lightweight too, and as the name suggests, you can just slip it into your pocket for easy portability. Plus, it comes with a keyring and cable holder to attach it to your bag. Windows users will also get the Nero Backup Software, which helps protect internal files.

    SanDisk Early Labor Day SSD Deals

    Extreme Portable SSD


    Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD

    Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD

    2TB storage, 1050MB per second read speed, 1000MB per second write speed

    $329.99
    at Best Buy

    $423.99
    Save $94.00


    Get Deal

    If you’re looking for a rugged SSD to take with you outside the office building for some outdoor projects, the SanDisk Extreme Pro Portable SSD is ideal. It offers up to 1,050 MB/s read and 1,000MB/s write speeds for powerful performance, plus 2TB of storage, so you’ll feel like you have endless room for all your files. It’s rated IP65, so it’s both water- and dust-resistant, making it suitable for outdoor use. It’s just as durable on the inside as on the outside, thanks to its 256-bit AES hardware encryption, which protects your data. The built-in carabiner loop also lets you hook it to bags, making it easy to carry. There’s also a five-year warranty, so you can feel confident that the manufacturer has your back.

    Our expert Gabe Carey awarded it a “Good” rating. In his in-depth review, he said, “Resistant to water, dust, and shock, the SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is a rough-and-ready USB external drive with on-the-mark speed. It’s ideal for outdoorsy types such as hikers and field photographers.”

    Desk Drive USB Type-C External SSD


    SanDisk Desk Drive USB Type-C External SSD

    SanDisk Desk Drive USB Type-C External SSD

    8TB storage, 1000MB/s read speed, 3-year warranty

    $899.00
    at Best Buy

    $1,919.99
    Save $1,020.99


    Get Deal

    This SanDisk Desk Drive provides a staggering 8TB of storage, which is should prove plenty of space for all of your work projects. It has read speeds of up to 1,000MB/s, letting you transfer your files faster, which is a big boon when you’re trying to finish other tasks throughout the day. It’s also incredibly easy to use as you only need to plug in an USB type-C cable to your device to get started with it. With automatic backup functionality, you can be assured that your work will stay safe in case something happens. There’s nothing worse than knowing that all your hard work is gone! It also comes with a three-year warranty for extra peace of mind.

    Our expert awarded a similar model a “Good” rating. In our in-depth review, he said, “It’s pricey per gigabyte and requires its own power source, but SanDisk’s puck-shaped Desk Drive delivers loads of fast external solid-state storage to desktop and laptop users.”

    Lexar Early Labor Day SSD Deals

    SL300 Portable SSD


    Lexar SL300 Portable SSD

    Lexar SL300 Portable SSD

    2TB storage, 1050MB per second read speed, 1000MB per second write speed

    $279.99
    at Best Buy

    $349.99
    Save $70.00


    Get Deal

    This portable SSD has read and write speeds of up to 1,050MB/1,000MB per second, respectively, and claims to have almost ten times the speed of most hard disk drives. It can also handle heavy workloads as it has internal thermal dissipation technology to keep it cool during workload transfers. This way, you won’t have to worry about whether it’s working while you’re doing so too. The SSD can withstand drops of up to two meters and the internals won’t be damaged. And for external cyber threats, it has Lexar’s DataShield, which is a 256-bit AES encryption that helps protect your files. And with Lexar Recovery Tool3, you can restore files you accidentally delete so you don’t get your bosses angry!

    Our expert awarded a similar model an “Excellent” rating. In our in-depth review, he said, “The Lexar SL500 is a slim, attractive, and highly portable external SSD with AES encryption, up to 4TB of storage, and blazing speed—the last, if you have the right port to support it.”

    WD Deals

    Black SN770M SSD Deal


    WD Black SN770M SSD

    WD Black SN770M SSD

    2TB storage, 5150MB/s read speed, 4850MB/s write speed

    $399.99
    at Best Buy

    $531.99
    Save $132.00


    Get Deal

    If you’re lucky enough to be in a city where you can commute to work via public transit, it might be a good idea to carry a gaming handheld device such as the Steam Deck and ROG Ally to keep yourself entertained on the way there. This is the perfect SSD to put into them, as you can install games quickly in its 2TB storage. Its compact form factor has deceptively fast speeds of up to 5,150MB per second, so you can get back to gaming as soon as possible! You don’t need to put it in handhelds either! If you’re working with a thin PC, it can be placed in their as well, and is compatible with Windows 10, 11, and 8.1 operating systems. This SSD comes with a five-year warranty too, so you can rest assured knowing that you’re covered.

    Recommended by Our Editors

    Our expert awarded the NVMe version an “Excellent” rating. In our in-depth review, he said, “The WD Black SN770 is a nice-priced PCIe 4.0 NVMe internal SSD that aced many of our benchmarks, especially for program loading and file copy. Our only quibbles? Hardware-based encryption and a snap-on heat spreader would complete this package.”

    PNY Deals

    CS900 Internal SSD SATA


    PNY CS900 Internal SSD SATA

    PNY CS900 Internal SSD SATA

    250GB storage, 535MB/s read speed, 500MB/s write speed

    $54.99
    at Best Buy

    $77.99
    Save $23.00


    Get Deal

    If you’re looking for an SSD while on a budget, then this PNY CS900 SATA one is right for you. Given its low price, it only comes with 250GB of storage, but that should be enough for smaller work projects. It sports reliable performance with 535MB and 500MB per second read and write speeds, respectively. Additionally, data transfer rates go up to 600MB per second, allowing you update files faster and get back to what you were doing before quicker. This SSD also supports Native Command Queuing, meaning that it optimizes the order of tasks to complete instead of doing them in sequential order. This way, it works more efficiently and reduces delays.

    Check out our reviews of other PNY SSDs, including the RP60 Portable and the XLR8 CS3150.

    Kingston Deals

    NV3 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD


    Kingston NV3 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD

    Kingston NV3 M.2 2280 NVMe SSD

    1TB storage, 6000MB/s read speed, 4000MB/s write speed

    $156.99
    at Amazon

    $215.99
    Save $59.00


    Get Deal

    This internal SSD is a great fit for both consoles and PCs, offering blazing speeds of up to 6,000MB per second read and 4,000MB per second write speeds. And with its Gen 4×4 NVMe PCIe performance, you can be sure that whichever device you decide to place it in will be able to handle all of your different work tasks with ease. Plus, it comes with Acronis cloning software, which makes an exact digital copy of your hard drive, letting you keep a backup just in case. The manufacturer is also offering a five-year limited warranty, so you need to know they’re confident in this SSD!

    Check out our other Kingston SSD reviews, including the XS1000 External and the Fury Renegade.

    More SSD Deals

    *Deals are selected by our commerce team

    Be sure to check out our other early Labor Day deals including at other retailers like Walmart and Amazon.

    About Our Expert

  • What to know about EPA approving pesticide trifludimoxazin

    What to know about EPA approving pesticide trifludimoxazin

    Claim:

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency approved the use of the pesticide trifludimoxazin, a known carcinogen and a PFAS “forever chemical.”

    Rating:

    Mostly True

    What’s Undetermined

    The EPA classified trifludimoxazin as having “suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential,” which essentially means that while there is evidence the chemical could potentially be one that causes cancer, there isn’t enough data to say for sure. Additionally, the EPA does not consider trifludimoxazin a PFAS, though the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development does.

    In late summer 2026, some people on social media claimed that U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration approved the use of a potentially carcinogenic pesticide that’s a “forever chemical,” also known as PFAS. PFAS, an abbreviation for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are long-lasting chemicals that persistently remain in the environment, capable of accumulating in things like rivers, plants, animals and people’s bodies, that often have harmful health effects on people, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

    For example, one Facebook post (archived) claimed that the EPA “just approved a carcinogenic herbicide called trifludimoxazin,” to be used on crops including corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, peanuts, citrus fruits (including oranges), apples and tree nuts such as almonds. According to the post, environmental groups consider trifludimoxazin a PFAS pesticide and “forever chemical.” The post began:

    The U.S. EPA just approved a carcinogenic herbicide called trifludimoxazin for agricultural use on a wide range of crops, including corn, wheat, oats, soybeans, peanuts, citrus fruits (including oranges), apples, and tree nuts such as almonds.

    Trifludimoxazin is also considered by many environmental groups to be a PFAS pesticide because it contains highly fluorinated chemical structures and can break down into persistent fluorinated compounds – i.e. nature can’t break it down properly as it’s synthetic. Environmental organizations have described it as a “forever chemical” and have filed lawsuits challenging the EPA’s approval.

    Environmental groups have also pointed out that the company’s own studies showed evidence suggesting cancer concerns and that the EPA downplayed those findings whe not was approved. The EPA claims the product is safe and that people shouldn’t be concerned. Not a good look for MAHA.

     

    Similar Facebook (archived) posts (archived) shared the same claims, which were also spread on X (archived) and Reddit (archived). Snopes readers searched the site and sent us emails asking if the rumor is true.

    The Trump administration’s EPA proposed approving trifludimoxazin in June 2025 and went through with the approval in June 2026. Researchers have found some evidence suggesting the chemical may be carcinogenic, but it’s not a “known carcinogen” like some posts claim. Trifludimoxazin is a PFAS as defined by the intergovernmental Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, although not as defined by the more narrow EPA definition. 

    Therefore, we’ve rated the claim mostly true.

    Trifludimoxazin is a pesticide, specifically an herbicide, that kills certain broad-leafed plants and grass weed species at agricultural sites farming “row crops (e.g., cereal grains, legumes, soybean) and tree orchards and groves (citrus, pome fruits, and tree nuts),” according to the EPA (PDF Page 6). 

    This wasn’t the first time the EPA has tried to approve trifludimoxazin. In 2021, while Joe Biden was president, the EPA approved pesticide products containing trifludimoxazin, however; this approval was halted by lawsuits filed by environmental groups. The EPA then changed rules to require further EPA assessments before approving a new pesticide, and, ultimately, the makers of trifludimoxazin dropped their request for approval at the time.

    The same environmental groups are attempting to halt the new approval for trifludimoxazin through lawsuits, as they did previously.

    Potential carcinogen

    The EPA did find evidence suggesting trifludimoxazin could possibly be carcinogenic, although it did not do enough research to confirm with certainty whether the chemical is carcinogenic.

    In one study of rat carcinogenicity through chronic dietary exposure (PDF Page 8), the EPA found “suggestive evidence of carcinogenic potential.” According to the EPA, such a classification means that the data raises a concern that the chemical has “potential carcinogenic effects in humans,” but the EPA has determined the data is “not sufficient for a stronger conclusion.”

    Trifludimoxazin’s entry on the pesticides properties database maintained by the U.K.-based University of Hertfordshire says that the chemical is “known not to cause a problem” as a carcinogen. The entry does report that trifludimoxazin is a potential liver toxicant, though. The database also notes “no serious health implications have been identified” with trifludimoxazin.

    So while trifludimoxazin could potentially be a carcinogen, there currently isn’t enough evidence to say with certainty that the chemical causes cancer.

    Forever chemical

    There are at least three definitions of PFAS, according to a 2022 paper in the peer-reviewed journal Digital Discovery: a broader definition from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that is widely used internationally, a narrower definition used by the EPA and a definition that is a compromise between the two other definitions. 

    Trifludimoxazin meets the OECD’s broader definition, according to the chemical’s listing on PubChem. Trifludimoxazin does not meet the EPA’s 2023 definition of PFAS.

    The University of Hertfordshire’s database also classifies trifludimoxazin as a PFAS.

    Where else has it been approved?

    According to the University of Hertfordshire’s database, trifludimoxazin has not been approved for use in the United Kingdom or the European Union as a whole. However, each individual state within the European Union has approved the pesticide for use in their individual countries. It has also been approved for use in Canada.

    For further reading, Snopes has previously fact-checked claims about potentially toxic chemicals, including a claim about the use of paraquat by the parent company of the pomegranate juice brand Pom Wonderful.

  • Microsoft Is Forcing Memory Integrity Changes That Could Harm Your FPS

    Microsoft Is Forcing Memory Integrity Changes That Could Harm Your FPS

    In its October patch release, Microsoft is set to enable Memory Integrity in Windows 11 by default, Windows Latest reports. If it’s not enabled, this might harm your gaming frames per second, but the security boost is almost certainly worth the trade-off.

    Memory Integrity is a core isolation feature that uses a virtualized environment to verify kernel-mode drivers before they execute, ensuring they’re safe. It prevents malware from exploiting an older, vulnerable driver to reach the system kernel, where it can do whatever it wants.

    In the early days of Windows 11, turning this off or never enabling it was one method to boost gaming FPS, as software calls on older hardware for this feature could cause performance dips. But from Intel’s 7th generation and AMD’s Ryzen 2000 generation onwards, hardware-level acceleration means there’s almost no performance difference with this feature enabled.

    Memory integrity feature in Windows 11.

    (Credit: Jon Martindale)

    That’s especially relevant for this new patch, because it’s going to turn Memory Integrity on for a range of platforms, but only those that meet the minimum system requirements. And those are all modern enough to have the hardware acceleration to avoid FPS drops. Memory Integrity requirements include:

    • Intel 8th-generation processor or newer

    • AMD Zen 2 processor or newer

    • Qualcomm Snapdragon 8180 SoC or newer

    • At least 8GB of RAM on x64 systems

    • At least 64GB of SSD storage space

    • A BIOS with virtualization enabled.

    That pretty much describes any PC purchased in the past five or six years, and even some that are older than that. So if you aren’t already running Windows 11 with memory integrity enabled, you can certainly do so, and the patch update will likely enable it if it isn’t already.

    Recommended by Our Editors

    The only instance in which this won’t happen is if you have already explicitly disabled Memory Integrity via the registry or a Windows Group Policy change. If you use older drivers for legacy devices, you may still want to do that since there’s a chance Memory Integrity can break older drivers that need to interact with memory in insecure ways. Just be aware of the security trade-off you’re making before doing so.

    How to Check if Memory Integrity Is Enabled

    There’s a good chance you already have memory integrity enabled, in which case you won’t notice this rollout. To confirm your status, navigate to Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation details. There, you’ll see a heading titled “Memory integrity.” If it’s set to On, it’s enabled. If it’s off, you can either turn it on manually now or wait for the patch. If you really don’t want it enabled, you can always return here and disable it after the update.

    About Our Expert

  • I Reviewed the Original Apple Watch 11 Years Ago. Here’s What I Got Dead Wrong

    I Reviewed the Original Apple Watch 11 Years Ago. Here’s What I Got Dead Wrong

    Editors’ Note: Welcome to an ongoing series called An Apple a Day, where we’ll share pieces of Apple content from our archives daily from now through late September. In addition to PCMag, this series will include pieces from our sibling sites CNET, Lifehacker, Mashable, and Popular Science.

    When the original Apple Watch came out in April 2015, it was far from the first smartwatch to hit the market, but it was still early enough in the category’s history that I was the first writer at PCMag with the word “wearables” in their job description.

    Getting an Apple Watch wasn’t easy back then—they weren’t available at every Apple store, and you had to schedule an appointment to try one on. So I remember feeling pretty cool sitting at a bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the day after it was released, with multiple strangers stopping by to admire the device on my wrist and ask how I had gotten one so soon. 

    Apple Watch first review

    I gave the original Apple Watch four out of five stars (Credit: PCMag)

    “You must be a tech writer,” a friend of a friend surmised. “I work at Bloomberg, and the only other Apple Watch I’ve seen belongs to our technology reviewer.” Bingo!

    By that point, we had already seen early Pebble models, Android Wear watches from LG and Samsung, and a sea of forgettable start-ups. Smartwatches were clearly the next big thing, but none had proven themselves essential—or, in some cases, even remotely useful.

    This is the exact arena where Apple tends to excel. The original iPhone wasn’t the first smartphone, for instance, but it redefined the category by pairing pocket-friendly internet access with a revolutionary touch screen. It gave us a clear, undeniable reason to buy a smartphone, even if it meant switching carriers for AT&T exclusivity.

    Picture of people sitting around a table at a bar

    Wearing the original Apple Watch (I’m second from the left) the day after it was released (Credit: Alex Colon)

    I expected Apple to work that same magic on my wrist. Here’s how I opened my 2015 review: “Do you really need a smartwatch? Up until seven months ago, that’s a question I was fully expecting Apple to answer. After all, the company is best at coming into a fairly nascent category and showing users exactly why they need to have something.”

    Looking back on that review 11 years later, it’s clear the original device didn’t quite deliver on that grand promise—even though I still gave it an “excellent” four-star rating. “While I was expecting Apple to deliver the world’s first must-have smartwatch, the truth is, you don’t need the Apple Watch,” I noted at the time. “Yes, you’ll still probably want to have it, and you’ll likely be happy if you buy it. For a first-generation device from one of the largest companies in the world, that’s a good start.”

    Recommended by Our Editors

    Apple Watch Series 1

    (Credit: Paul Maljak)

    And it was a good start. After all, Apple did eventually figure out why we needed a smartwatch—it just wasn’t through wrist-based apps or the ability to send your heartbeat to friends, features that were highly touted on the original model. Instead, it turned out to be the health, safety, and seamless fitness-tracking features introduced in later models, eventually cemented by life-saving capabilities such as heart-rate alerts, ECG monitoring, fall detection, and sleep apnea tracking.

    The original 2015 Apple Watch was a stylish status symbol in search of a core purpose; today’s model is an essential health monitor that also happens to tell time. It took a few iterations for Apple to pivot from high-fashion accessory to practical life-saver, but my initial hunch wasn’t wrong. Apple just needed a little more time to pull off the magic—and I needed a decade of hindsight to see the bigger picture.

    Now, as we near the announcement of the new Apple Watch, the question is: What’s the next big pivot? If its first decade was defined by transforming a wrist accessory into a vital lifesaver, the next era is likely about predictive, proactive intelligence, shifting from reactive alerts to early preventive health tracking, seamlessly incorporating on-device AI coaching, and finally delivering multi-day battery life to make continuous health monitoring truly effortless. I look forward to seeing how things unfold over the next 10-plus years.

    About Our Expert

  • ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Reveals Full Season 35 Cast, Including Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr. and More

    ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Reveals Full Season 35 Cast, Including Julia Stiles, Harry Shum Jr. and More

    Dancing With the Stars has announced the official slate of celebrities hitting the ballroom for season 35, plus the professional dancers they’ve been partnered with.

    Ahead of Wednesday morning’s Good Morning America reveal, Ciara Miller, Maura Higgins, Jackson Olson and Guillermo Rodriguez were already announced as part of the cast. They are joined by 12 additional stars, meaning 16 couples will take on the competition this season.

    Notably on the pro dancer side, Witney Carson is returning while pregnant, Sharna Burgess is making her comeback after five years away from the ballroom and former troupe dancer Hailey Bills has been upped to pro; with season 35, Bills becomes a part of the third-ever same-sex celebrity and pro pairing on DWTS. Gleb Savchenko, who has been a pro consecutively from season 23-34, was left off the cast list.

    Season 35 will get started with a double premiere on Sept. 15 and 16 on ABC and Disney+, streaming the next day on Hulu. Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough are returning to co-host, while Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are also coming back as judges.

    Also announced on Wednesday was the first-ever DWTS After Party, which will be hosted by season 34 winner Robert Irwin. After Party will air live on Sept. 16 at 10:00 p.m., the second premiere night, “checking in with eliminated contestants and breaking down the best moments with DWTS alumni with never-before-seen footage and special teases.”

    From Olympians to an Emmy Award-winning actress to reality stars aplenty, see the full Dancing With the Stars season 35 cast list below and who each celebrity is partnered with.

  • Netflix Unveils Tense Trailer for ‘East of Eden’ Series Adaptation Starring Florence Pugh

    Netflix Unveils Tense Trailer for ‘East of Eden’ Series Adaptation Starring Florence Pugh

    Netflix has released the official trailer for its take on John Steinbeck‘s classic East of Eden.

    In Zoe Kazan’s adaptation of Steinbeck’s literary masterpiece, Florence Pugh stars as Cathy Ames, whose life is intertwined with with the Trask family, Adam (Christopher Abbott) and Charles (Mike Faist), as they settle in California’s Salinas Valley. 

    Over the years, their paths intersect with the Hamilton family including “Samuel Hamilton (Ciarán Hinds), an Irishman who made his way to California where he raised a family and got to know the land, and Lee (Hoon Lee), a Chinese American whose intellect is surpassed only by his ability to give care to those who need it most, and Faye (Martha Plimpton), a brothel owner whose open heart might lead to her downfall.“

    In the trailer, tensions are notable with Faist‘s Charles warning Abbott‘s Adam, “A girl like that doesn‘t just fall out of the sky.“

    “You need to get rid of her and throw her out. She‘s going to tear you to pieces and I don‘t want to watch it,” Faist‘s Adam later warns.

    “Evil is not always apparent at first glance. It can come cloaked in goodness or beauty or love. The heart of our oldest stories,“ Pugh is overheard saying in the trailer.

    The seven-episode limited series, written and executive produced by Kazan, “offers a compelling perspective on the ways in which a family’s history impacts an individual’s present reality.“

    Jeb Stuart is also a co-showrunner. Fifth Season and Anonymous Content are producing.

    The novel was originally adapted for the 1955 film based starring James Dean, Raymond Massey, Richard Davalo, Jo Van Fleet and Julie Harris. Kazan‘s grandfather, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Elia Kazan, directed the film adaptation.

    “In the process of bringing this family saga to life, the resonance of my own familial connection to the material has not been lost on me,” Kazan said in a statement when the series was announced. “But it is Steinbeck’s writing — personal, shocking, profound and free — that has kept me enthralled to East of Eden since I first read the book as a young teen. Working on this has been the greatest joy, and I am thrilled by the cast and crew we are assembling — and deeply grateful to Netflix, Fifth Season and Anonymous Content for their support.”

    East of Eden premieres on Netflix on Oct. 1. Watch the trailer below.

  • Apple TV Inks Deal With Yahoo Sports for Free Alt-Casts of MLS Matches and MLB Games (but Only the First Two Innings)

    Apple has forged a new pact with Yahoo Sports aimed at reminding everyone that Apple TV carries a bevy of live sports.

    Over the next two months, Yahoo Sports will stream alternate broadcasts of four Apple TV games: two MLB “Friday Night Baseball” games and two Major League Soccer matches. The alt-casts will stream for free across the Yahoo Sports website and app and feature unique camera angles provided by Apple TV.

    However, only the first two innings of the baseball games will be streamed by Yahoo Sports. As Apple noted in announcing the deal, one of the goals for the Yahoo Sports alt-casts will be “to help educate fans on how to watch Apple TV’s ‘Friday Night Baseball’ and MLS broadcasts.” Each Yahoo Sports alt-cast livestream will feature a direct link to the Apple TV app, where fans can subscribe to watch the main broadcast of the featured matchups — along with the platform’s full slate of games.

    The two MLB games on Yahoo Sports will be the Detroit Tigers at Cleveland Guardians (Sept. 4) and Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets (Sept. 18). The first two innings of those games will be called by Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, hosts of Yahoo Sports’ “Baseball Bar-B-Cast” podcast. The Yahoo Sports senior MLB writers will also host pregame shows for each matchup.

    Yahoo Sports will stream alt-casts of two full MLS matches, including pregame coverage: the 2026 Michelob Ultra Campeones Cup, featuring reigning MLS Cup champion Inter Miami CF pitted against defending Liga MX champion Cruz Azul (Sept. 16); and Inter Miami CF vs. FC Cincinnati (Oct. 28). Those matches will be called by the co-hosts of Yahoo Sports podcast “The Cooligans,” Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco.

    “We’re thrilled to pair our expert voices with Apple TV’s live coverage to give fans on Yahoo a fun new way to watch ‘Friday Night Baseball’ and MLS action,” Jarrod Schwarz, GM of Yahoo Sports, said in a statement. “These broadcasts will feature the insight, personality, and chemistry that make Baseball Bar-B-Cast and The Cooligans so popular, and we can’t wait to see that energy show up during some of the season’s biggest games.”

    Yahoo Sports will promote Apple TV’s exclusive “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasts and global coverage of MLS through on-site advertising, email marketing, social promotion, “how to watch” articles, “Daily Draw” games and more.

    Pictured above: Catcher Dillon Dingler of the Detroit Tigers tags out Travis Bazzana of the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 13, 2026, in Cleveland

  • George Clooney Tells Venice Studios Are Making Movies That “Need a Launchpad of a Film Festival Less and Less”

    George Clooney Tells Venice Studios Are Making Movies That “Need a Launchpad of a Film Festival Less and Less”

    Naturally, the Venice Film Festival was swiftly fawning over George Clooney on Wednesday, as the Oscar-winning star arrived (via boat, of course) to pick up his Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement Award.

    Ahead of the glitzy, Jay Kelly-esque honorary ceremony, Clooney sat for a press conference with journalists on the Lido who immediately quizzed him on the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, the allegations of antisemitism faced by Hollywood peer Mark Ruffalo, and his love of Venice, having gotten married in the Italian city in 2014.

    Clooney was also asked about the studio no-show at this year’s film festivals, as well as his directing aspirations.

    The famed U.S. actor admitted that he hasn’t noticed the studio sit-out at Cannes, Berlin and Venice, which have concentrated their lineups on the best of international cinema. “In fairness, you could make the argument — and this has been going on for 25 or 30 years, this is some of the work that [Steven] Soderbergh and I were doing when we started doing [the 1998 film] Out of Sight and films like that — that studios are doing films that need a launchpad of a film festival less and less,” said Clooney, speaking amid an industry heavily reliant on IP, reboots and franchise projects.

    “That’s just the nature of the beast,” he continued. “The films that studios are making are hugely expensive, so I think [this situation is] just the fallout from the films they are making, but that’s been going on, literally probably since Jaws, when everything changed… The studios used to make Bonnie and Clyde and All the President’s Men,” said Clooney. “They don’t really make many films like that [anymore], and so they don’t really need this launchpad as much. I think that would be my only answer to that. I didn’t know that they weren’t really sending that many films over.”

    Clooney, famed for roles in Ocean’s Eleven, Gravity and Michael Clayton, is also a filmmaker, and even brought his 2005 Good Night, and Good Luck to the festival in 2005. “I’ve had great experiences,” replied the star when probed on whether he’ll be returning to the director’s chair any time soon. “I’ve been nominated for an Oscar, and I’ve also had really bad experiences, and that’s okay,” he laughed. “That’s part of telling stories. I’ve done films that people hated when they came out, and now they like them, and I’ve done films that people liked that [and] now they look at and they think don’t work anymore.”

    The only reason he is not directing, “is because I have two nine-year-old kids,” said Clooney, who shares twins with Amal. “In order for me to spend time with them, I can’t [direct]. If I act in a movie, it’s three months, and I can go and come and go and come back. When [you] direct a movie, it’s a year, wherever you are, and there’s no traveling back and forth. So I can’t do that anymore. The last thing I did was this play last year on Broadway [the stage adaptation of Good Night, and Good Luck] and that took us all away for a period of time. And I can’t really pull the kids out of school anymore.” It’s made him “enjoy” being an actor again. “I’m a character actor now.”

    It was a wide-ranging presser — Clooney, a long-standing advocate for human rights, political activism and climate change awareness — managed to say a few words on how “most of the [world’s] powers that decided climate change is a hoax and science is not real.” He remains an optimist: “That won’t last forever,” though he lamented Europe’s summer battles with wildfires. “We were in Como this summer, and there were fires in Como. It’s been an extraordinarily dry and hot summer, and it’s dangerous.”

    Clooney confessed that he laughs in response to those who argue climate change is a fad. “Let’s say that everybody who says climate change is bullshit is right,” he began. “The worst thing that could happen by cleaning up the environment is that you create millions more new green jobs, you make the air better to breathe. I mean, there’s no argument against it. That’s the stupidest part of all this. But you know, we’re going to be in it for a while, and then sooner or later we’ll get some governments in there that actually pay more attention to it.”

    The Venice festival runs Sep. 2-12.

  • Studio71 Alum Joseph Marchese Joins Bent Pixels as Head of Creator Strategy and Business

    Studio71 Alum Joseph Marchese Joins Bent Pixels as Head of Creator Strategy and Business

    Joseph Marchese has joined creator network Bent Pixels as executive VP of creator strategy and business as the firm revs up its portfolio of support services offered to attention-economy clients.

    Marchese spent the past 12 years as a senior executive at Studio71, another creator media firm that handled distribution and advertising sales representation for a range of digital-native stars. Los Angeles-based Bent Pixels is a pioneering digital media firm that has been active in the sector since its launch in 2009.

    “Creator media has become one of the most powerful ways for brands to reach consumers because it puts their message inside programming that audiences are already choosing to watch,” said Mike Pusateri, Bent Pixels’ founder and CEO. “The opportunity is not simply about putting an ad in front of millions of people; it’s about connecting brands with the right audiences through creators and content that are strategically aligned with their message. Joe understands that ecosystem from the inside out. We’re excited to have him not only build on our already strong portfolio of creators, but also expand the business opportunities we can bring to those creators and our brand partners.”

    Marchese hire reflects the company’s push to beef up its creator business. In March, Bent Pixels acquired Sunny State Agency, a creator services firm that brought a valuable scaled short-form distribution platform. The enlarged Bent Pixels now represents more than 850 creators who have cross-platform reach across YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram. The company reports 50.2 million monthly unique visitors across its social footprint and 1.2 billion minutes of content viewed on connected TV free streaming platforms.

    “I’m thrilled to join Bent Pixels at a pivotal moment for the creator economy,” Marchese said. “I have tremendous respect for Michael and what he has built, as well as his continued commitment to innovation. Bent Pixels has established an impressive foundation, and I see a significant opportunity to build on its reputation, capabilities, and vision to shape what’s next for creators, agencies, and brands. I’m excited to help forge partnerships that create lasting value, strengthen trust, and move the entire creator ecosystem forward.”

    Marchese joined Studio71 in 2014 and rose through the ranks in partner relations and talent posts to executive VP. Studio71 was recently acquired by rival digital media firm Fixated.

  • Ethereum slips toward $2,400: key ETH levels to watch if support breaks

    Ethereum has fallen 2.3% over the past 24 hours to roughly $2,414, putting the $2,400 level under pressure as geopolitical tensions, higher Treasury yields and large whale transfers weigh on $ETH.

    CoinGecko puts $ETH at $2,414 at the time of writing, after the token fell from the $2,480 area and briefly traded below $2,400 during the past 24 hours.

    Ethereum is also down 2.1% over the past seven days, although it remains up 26.6% over 14 days and 29.6% over the past month.

    The latest decline has come as renewed fighting between the United States and Iran pushed investors away from risk assets.

    Brent crude moved above $95 per barrel as the conflict raised concerns that higher energy costs could keep inflation elevated.

    Bitcoin has fallen below $77,000 during the same risk-off move, while Solana, XRP and several other major cryptocurrencies have also traded lower.

    $ETH‘s decline therefore comes as part of a crypto market sell-off instead of an Ethereum-specific move.

    Pressure from the bond and currency markets has added to the decline. The US 10-year Treasury yield climbed to roughly 4.81%, its highest level since November 2023, while the dollar index reached its highest point since Aug. 17.

    According to Reuters, traders are pricing a roughly 68% probability of a Federal Reserve rate increase in September as policymakers assess the inflation risk from higher energy prices.

    Rising Treasury yields increase the return available from government debt, while a stronger dollar can reduce demand for risk assets including cryptocurrencies.

    Ethereum also faces a large potential source of supply after a whale holding 167,855 $ETH, worth roughly $408 million, began moving tokens to exchanges.

    The address transferred 70,739 $ETH worth $174 million to several exchanges over two days and still held roughly 97,115 $ETH.

    Transfers to exchanges do not confirm that the entire amount will be sold. However, the size of the deposits has put the position in focus while $ETH trades close to $2,400.

    Institutional demand has also eased from levels recorded during Ethereum’s late-August price rise.

    Daily US spot Ethereum ETF inflows reached $234.5 million on Aug. 27 before falling to $102.2 million and then roughly $87.7 million on Aug. 31.

    Trading volume across the products also fell towards the end of the month.

    Ethereum’s Coinbase Premium Index has meanwhile moved into negative territory at roughly -0.014.

    The reading means $ETH has been trading at a discount on Coinbase relative to other venues, compared with the positive premium seen during stronger US investor demand.

    $ETH had already struggled to hold its late-August gains before the latest sell-off.

    The token reached roughly $2,558 on Aug. 27 but failed to stay above $2,500, leaving the $2,480-$2,520 region as the main overhead resistance area.

    $ETH price analysis

    $ETH is trading near $2,411 on the daily chart after falling from the late-August high above $2,550. See below.

    $ETH/$USDT 1-day price chart. Source: TradingView.

    Price has returned almost exactly to the session VWAP at $2,407, leaving $2,400 as the first level that buyers need to defend.

    The daily volume profile shows relatively little established trading volume between the current price and the much heavier volume area around $2,000-$2,100.

    $ETH quickly broke through this region during its August surge, so a sustained move below the current consolidation could leave fewer high-volume areas to slow a sell-off before lower support comes into play.

    The 4-hour Keltner Channel puts its middle band at roughly $2,446, with $ETH now trading below it.

    $ETH/$USDT 4-hour price chart. Source: TradingView.

    The lower band sits near $2,380, while the upper boundary is around $2,511.

    A move back above $2,446 would put $2,480 in reach, followed by the $2,500-$2,511 area.

    A close above $2,511 would open a retest of the Aug. 27 high around $2,558.

    Williams %R on the 4-hour chart has fallen to roughly -74. The oscillator is approaching its oversold region below -80 but has not entered it yet, leaving room for sellers to push $ETH lower before momentum reaches an extreme reading.

    A drop below -80 alongside a test of $2,380 would make that level important for signs of a short-term rebound.

    The 24-hour liquidation heatmap adds another level just below the Keltner support.

    $ETH 24-hour liquidation heatmap. Source: Coinglass.

    The largest nearby concentration of leveraged positions sits around $2,370-$2,375, putting a sizeable liquidity pool below the current market price.

    A break below $2,400 could therefore pull $ETH towards the $2,380 Keltner boundary and the $2,370-$2,375 liquidation cluster.

    If that area fails to hold, $2,340-$2,350 is the next visible liquidity zone, close to the $2,340 support level from the recent price structure.

    On the upside, $ETH first needs to recover the Keltner midpoint around $2,446.

    Liquidation liquidity is concentrated from roughly $2,435 through $2,470, with another substantial band between $2,480 and $2,510.

    A move through those levels would bring $2,558, the Aug. 27 high, back into view.