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  • ‘How to Change the World,’ Exec Produced by Mark Cuban, Puts Spotlight on Social Entrepreneurs (Exclusive)

    ‘How to Change the World,’ Exec Produced by Mark Cuban, Puts Spotlight on Social Entrepreneurs (Exclusive)

    Have you ever felt the urge to help change the world – as an entrepreneur? If so, a new 10-episode documentary series following social entrepreneurs who are tackling “today’s most pressing challenges” may be for you.

    How to Change the World, a production of World Within Studios, in partnership with Religion of Sports, that is executive produced by Mark Cuban, Geralyn Dreyfous and Gotham Chopra, will premiere on YouTube on Sept. 10.

    It explores entrepreneurs’ work and their “innovation, determination and community-driven solutions. “Each episode follows the emotional arc of a real founder, from a small brick-and-mortar beverage startup to a Lakota-founded green energy company,” the creators say. “The scale of growth varies by story – but not the measure of success. Community impact is the measuring stick throughout every narrative.”

    Business voices featured in the show include Cuban, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, NYU Stern professor and podcast host Scott Galloway, Acumen founder Jacqueline Novogratz and Our Place co-founder Shiza Shahid. Other faces sharing their insight in the series include Free Solo climber and Alex Honnold, Humans of New York author Brandon Stanton, former White House chef Sam Kass and former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

    World Within founder and CEO Rostam Zafari and co-founder Dylan Mulick, who co-created the series, are also among the executive producers, along with Victor Buhler, executive vp of unscripted at Religion of Sports.

    World Within Studios team members, courtesy of Kelly Balch

    Courtesy of Kelly Balch

    “There’s a mythology about entrepreneurship: grow fast, sell for as much as possible and walk away without looking back,” a synopsis for the show says. “How to Change the World follows a different kind of founder, one whose success is measured by what a business gives back rather than what its founder takes home. The series sheds light inside the lives of entrepreneurs finding new ways to expand clean energy, strengthen local economies, improve food systems and create opportunities for the communities they serve. Through cinematic storytelling and firsthand access, the series highlights the people behind the ideas and the perseverance required to turn those ideas into lasting, global impact.”

    Individual episodes are directed by Mulick, Oliver Riley-Smith and Nicholas Mihm. The series is produced by Jason Bowers and Jacob Mosler, World Within’s COO, with Radhika Womack co-producing. World Within is a nonprofit working at what it calls “the intersection of impact investing and storytelling.” Among the projects the firm has been involved with are Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World, which won the best documentary short award at the Tribeca Film Festival and The Voice of Hind Rajab.

    “The traditional entrepreneur story rewards scale and personal payout, often without asking what the true cost is on people and communities,” Zafari said. “How To Change The World follows founders who measure success differently: by what their businesses give back to the communities they are built in, not by what they can walk away with. This is the version of business worth telling stories about.”

    And Mulick emphasized: “We are following individuals who are sacrificing personal gain to solve huge problems, some of which may never be solved, against extraordinary headwinds. By blending investigative journalism with a premium, stylized cinematic aesthetic, we are presenting these narratives not as passive interest pieces, but as dynamic blueprints for systemic change.”

    Buhler highlighted that “we typically tell stories of athletes who have overcome incredible odds to become great. On this series, we’re proud to work with the World Within team to profile social entrepreneurs who have overcome incredible odds also. These entrepreneurs all have a clear mission: to create sustainable companies that provide real solutions to today’s most pressing issues.”

    Cuban shared why he just had to support the series: “I don’t back a project unless the people behind it are doing the work, not just talking about it. Rostam and Dylan built something different: a series that skips the crash-and-burn stories and instead follows entrepreneurs who are actually solving problems and building something that lasts in their communities. World Within isn’t just filming that work. They’re funding it. That’s the kind of entrepreneurship I want more people to see.”

    Watch a trailer for How to Change the World right here.

  • Peacock Reveals Another Price Hike After NBCU Streamer’s First Profitable Quarter

    Peacock Reveals Another Price Hike After NBCU Streamer’s First Profitable Quarter

    Peacock subscribers are getting another price hike after the NBCUniversal service launched in 2020 and just had its first profitable quarter.

    From today, and depending on billing dates, the studio said the ad-supported Peacock Premium service will be $12.99 per month, up from $10.99, while the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus offering will go up by $3 to $19.99 per month and the Peacock Select tier will go up by $1 to $8.99 per month.

    The latest price hikes follow the NBCUniversal streaming service recently reporting its first-ever profitable quarter after a long road of trimming start-up losses. The move also follows NBCUniversal separating from Versant and, while under Comcast, keeping NBC, Bravo, Peacock and the studios. Versant retains Comcast’s cable leftovers and the digital assets.

    While releasing its most recent second quarter financial results, NBCUniversal execs warned that profitability or losses for Peacock will vary quarter by quarter owing to the timing of sports schedules and other content on the schedule for the streaming platform.

    Peacock had 48 million subscribers during the recent second quarter, up from 46 million customers in the previous first quarter and 41 million subscribers in the year-ago second quarter period.

    Peacock still has major investments to make to keep subscribers on board with sports and live events, including Sunday Night Football, the NBA, WNBA, Premier League, college football and basketball. The Peacock movie lineup includes The Super Mario Galaxy Movie and Obsession, alongside scripted shows like The Five Star Weekend and reality series like The Traitors and Love Island USA.

  • Chainalysis Sues US Government Over $94.6M ICE Contract Handed to Rival TRM Labs

    Chainalysis Sues US Government Over $94.6M ICE Contract Handed to Rival TRM Labs

    In brief

    • Chainalysis Government Solutions filed a bid protest on July 27 challenging ICE’s roughly $94.6 million sole-source contract awarded to rival TRM Labs.
    • TRM Labs intervened on July 28 to defend the award alongside the government; Chainalysis’s core complaint remains under seal to protect trade secrets.
    • ICE justified the award by saying a roughly six-day market-research window found none of the eight responding companies could match TRM’s capabilities.

    Chainalysis has taken the U.S. government to court over a nearly $95 million Immigration and Customs Enforcement contract awarded to competitor TRM Labs without an open bidding process, pitting the two biggest names in blockchain forensics against each other.

    The company’s government arm, Chainalysis Government Solutions, filed the bid protest on July 27 in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. The dispute centers on a one-year deal worth about $94.6 million, running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, that covers blockchain forensic software and support services for Homeland Security Task Force investigations, including work on scams, cybercrime, and sextortion cases.

    Myriad: Will the Clarity Act be signed into law in 2026? Click to make your prediction.
    Myriad: Will the Clarity Act be signed into law in 2026? Click to make your prediction.

    Chainalysis argues ICE’s decision to route the award to TRM on a sole-source basis was arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable, saying it had submitted a capability statement after the agency signaled its intent to buy the services from a single provider.

    The heart of its legal argument stays hidden for now: the court granted Chainalysis permission on July 31 to keep its complaint under seal because it contains confidential business information and trade secrets.

    TRM Labs entered the case on July 28 as a defendant-intervenor, lining up alongside the government to defend the award. Judge Stephen Schwartz has set oral arguments for September 2 under an expedited schedule, with the government requesting a decision by September 10.

    At issue is how ICE reached its conclusion. According to the agency’s justification, it ran a market-research window of roughly six days before determining that only TRM could meet its requirements. Eight companies responded, four of them small businesses, and ICE found all of them lacked the necessary capabilities.

    The fight underscores how lucrative federal work has become for blockchain-intelligence firms. Chainalysis built much of its business selling tracing tools to agencies including the IRS and the U.S. Air Force, and the Joe Biden administration moved to expand crypto-tracking capabilities to combat ransomware. TRM has since grown its own government footprint, previously landing smaller sole-source awards from ICE.

    A bid protest challenges a procurement decision and is not an accusation of wrongdoing by the winning vendor.

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  • ‘Ice Princess’ Director Remembers Stars Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg as an ‘Amazing Pair’: ‘Two Shining Talents, Gone Far Too Soon’

    ‘Ice Princess’ Director Remembers Stars Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg as an ‘Amazing Pair’: ‘Two Shining Talents, Gone Far Too Soon’

    “Ice Princess” director Tim Fywell has penned a sweet tribute to the two stars of his beloved 2005 ice skating movie, Hayden Panettiere and Michelle Trachtenberg, following Panettiere’s death on Sunday at the age of 36. Trachtenberg also passed away in February of last year, at 39 years old.

    After the news of Panettiere’s death, “Ice Princess” started trending on social media as those who grew up with the Disney movie realized that its two young stars are both now gone. The film follows Casey Carlyle (Trachtenberg), a teenager who decides to give up a Harvard scholarship to pursue her dream of becoming a professional figure skater. Along the way, Casey meets skater Gen (Panettiere), and helps her to improve using algorithms generated on her computer. “Ice Princess” also starred Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall as Casey and Gen’s mothers, respectively.

    “It was really upsetting to hear yesterday of the death of Hayden Panettiere at the age of 36,” Fywell said in a statement to Variety. “I remember a brave, sparky, dedicated young actress who lit up the set in rehearsals and then the screen with her vibrant talent. Michelle Trachtenberg, Hayden’s co-star in the movie, and she were an amazing pair.”

    The British director remembers the two as having “very different personalities.” Trachtenberg was “kooky, fun, with an infectious laugh and her brilliant sad-funny comic timing,” while Panettiere was “plucky and determined and perfectionist, spending hours practicing her skating and utterly focused on getting every acting take spot-on and truthful. Which she did.”

    Fywell continued: “In what was often a tough and technically complicated shoot, and my first Hollywood movie, they were delightful to work with and great to have around. I remember them both with huge affection, how they were 20 odd years ago, at that relatively uncomplicated time of their lives, two shining talents, gone far too soon.”

    Others have also remembered Panettiere and Trachtenberg together, including “Spy Kids” star Alexa PenaVega, who wrote on social media that her “heart is heavy” because Panettiere’s death marks the passing of another fellow child star. Vega also mentioned Daveigh Chase, who died at 35 in June.

    “Hayden, Michelle, Daveigh… my heart is heavy today,” PenaVega wrote. “These aren’t just names from my childhood. They’re girls I grew up alongside, sharing a world that was exciting and also incredibly hard. We were kids navigating something so big, and not everyone had the foundation or support they deserved.”

    She added, “Today, I’m grieving and holding their families close in my prayers and thinking of everyone still fighting battles we can’t see. Hug your people close today.”

    Corbin Bolies contributed to this report.

  • Peacock Raises Prices Across All Plans, NBCU’s Fourth Increase in Four Years

    Peacock Raises Prices Across All Plans, NBCU’s Fourth Increase in Four Years

    NBCUniversal‘s Peacock just turned profitable for the first time. And now the company is raising prices for all customers, marking the streamer’s fourth fee increase in four years.

    Starting Aug. 18, Peacock will increase its prices for new and returning customers, and on or after Sept. 17 for current customers (depending on their next billing date).

    The new pricing is as follows: Peacock Premium (which includes ads) will be $12.99/month, up from $10.99; Peacock Premium Plus will be $19.99/month, a $3 increase from $16.99; and the Peacock Select tier (which includes current and past seasons of NBC and Bravo shows but excludes movies, live sports and Peacock originals) will increase from $7.99 to $8.99/month.

    Peacock most recently raised prices in July 2025, after price increases the two previous years as well. Note that it has company: Virtually every other streaming service has hiked prices in the last two years, including Netflix, HBO Max, Apple TV, Paramount+ and YouTube Premium.

    Launched in July 2020, the Peacock streaming service turned its first-ever quarterly profit for Q2 2026. Peacock paid subscribers totaled 48 million as of the end of June, with 2 million net additions during the period.

    Peacock Premium and Premium Plus subscribers have access to large bucket of sports and live events, including NFL Sunday Night Football, the NBA, WNBA, Premier League, college football and basketball, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and NBC’s 100th anniversary special on Dec. 10.

    Movies currently on the service include “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” and “Obsession.” Peacock originals include “The Five-Star Weekend,” and its unscripted hits include “The Traitors” and “Love Island USA.” The service also stocks thousands of hours of NBC and Bravo series, including “Saturday Night Live,” “Law & Order,” “One Chicago,” “The Real Housewives” and “Below Deck.”

  • ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC

    ABC Files First Amendment Lawsuit Against FCC

    Disney’s ABC filed a First Amendment lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday, raising the pitch of the company’s efforts to countermand unusual pressure from the federal government to force the company’s stations to submit licenses for early renewal proceedings.

    ABC has found itself at cross purposes with the FCC at several moments in recent months, with the Trump administration taking issue with monologues from late-night host Jimmy Kimmel and commentary on the daytime roundtable program “The View.”

    In its filing with U.S. District Court, ABC’s lawyers said the company was being punished for editorial decisions and news coverage and had “no alternative means to eliminate these ongoing and immediate threats other than total capitulation to the Administration’s demands. “The company also said the Trump administration had “attacked ABC’s speech” on multiple occasions, including “the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air.  Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech.”

    Disney has for the past several weeks grappled with unorthodox pressure from the Trump administration. The Federal Communications Commission, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, ordered Disney to file for renewals for eight of its stations years ahead of schedule. In filings, Disney has said its applications were made “under protest in response to an unlawful, arbitrary, and unconstitutional order.” “The View,” which has thrived in recent years with discussion of politics, has also found itself in the administration’s cross-hairs. The FCC has probed whether the program has violated so-called “equal-time” election laws following the appearance of political figures, launching its investigation after James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate from Texas, appeared on the show in February. The FCC issued new guidance in January that late-night and daytime hosts needed to give equal time to political candidates from various parties, claiming the programs might be working along partisan lines.

    More to come…

  • Spot Ethereum ETFs Post $5M Net Inflows as Fidelity and Bitwise Lead

    Spot Ethereum ETFs Post $5M Net Inflows as Fidelity and Bitwise Lead

    U.S. spot Ethereum exchange-traded funds recorded approximately $5 million in net inflows on Aug. 17, according to data from Farside Investors. The tally excludes BlackRock’s ETHA and the staking-focused ETHB, which were not included in the reported figures.

    Fund-Level Breakdown

    Among the funds that reported flows, Fidelity’s FETH led with $4.3 million in net inflows, followed by Bitwise’s ETHW with $700,000. The data underscores a modest but positive day for Ethereum investment products, even as broader market sentiment remains cautious.

    Context and Implications

    The inflows come amid a period of mixed activity for digital asset ETFs. While Bitcoin ETFs have seen more volatile flows, Ethereum products have attracted steady, albeit smaller, interest from institutional investors. The exclusion of BlackRock’s products from the tally is notable, as ETHA has been one of the largest Ethereum ETFs by assets under management since its launch. The omission may reflect reporting discrepancies or a deliberate choice by Farside to focus on funds with clearer flow data.

    Why It Matters

    For investors tracking the adoption of Ethereum-based financial products, these flows provide a snapshot of demand. Even modest inflows can signal growing confidence in Ethereum as an asset class, particularly as staking features and regulatory clarity evolve. However, the overall scale remains small compared to the broader crypto market, and daily flows can be volatile.

    Conclusion

    While the $5 million figure is not transformative, it represents a continuation of steady interest in spot Ethereum ETFs. As the market matures, daily flow data will remain a key metric for gauging institutional participation and sentiment.

    FAQs

    Q1: What are spot Ethereum ETFs?
    Spot Ethereum ETFs are exchange-traded funds that directly hold Ethereum ($ETH), allowing investors to gain exposure to the cryptocurrency without owning it directly. They trade on traditional stock exchanges.

    Q2: Why were BlackRock’s ETHA and ETHB excluded from the inflow data?
    Farside Investors, the data provider, did not include these funds in the reported tally. The reason may be due to data availability or a specific methodology choice, but it is not uncommon for providers to exclude certain products for clarity.

    Q3: How significant is $5 million in net inflows for Ethereum ETFs?
    While the amount is modest, it indicates continued interest from investors. Larger inflows are often seen during periods of market optimism or regulatory milestones, but steady, small inflows can also reflect growing institutional comfort with the asset class.

    Related Reading

    • Bitcoin at Risk: $1.265B in Long Liquidations If BTC Drops Below $60,941
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    • Fundstrat Warns Bitcoin Could Swing 30% in Either Direction as Volatility Hits Record Lows
    • Peter Schiff Says Bitcoin Rebound Is a Selling Chance, Flags $65K Resistance
    • Altcoin Season Index Slips to 44 as Bitcoin Continues to Outperform

  • Why is XRP falling below $1 even as Ripple expands its banking footprint?

    Ripple ($XRP) remains under pressure on Tuesday as uncertainty across the broader cryptocurrency market and weak technical momentum weigh on the altcoin.

    $XRP has slipped below the key $1.00 level. Mixed derivatives and on-chain indicators point to cautious sentiment, leaving $XRP at risk of additional losses.

    Derivatives traders maintain bearish bias

    CoinGlass data shows that the long-to-short ratio for $XRP stands at 0.92, near its lowest levels in a month.

    A reading below one means short positions outnumber long positions, indicating that more traders are betting on prices falling than rising.

    The ratios therefore reflect a bearish tilt across the derivatives markets of $XRP. The funding rates also support the current bearish narrative.

    $XRP’s funding rate turned negative on Tuesday and currently reads -0.0021%, after hitting 0.0055% on Monday.

    A negative funding rate means traders holding short positions are paying those with long exposure, signalling a bearish positioning bias despite some potential for a short squeeze.

    CryptoQuant’s indicators suggest cautious optimism for $XRP but a weaker outlook for XLM.

    $XRP’s futures market has recorded large whale orders, while most other indicators remain neutral.

    This could support a recovery if larger investors continue building positions and market conditions improve.

    $XRP’s bearish performance over the past 24 hours comes despite South Korea’s Jeonbuk Bank announcing a partnership with blockchain payments company Ripple to deploy its cross-border payment system for business customers.

    As part of the agreement, the Ripple Payments platform would let the bank’s customers settle overseas transfers in seconds to minutes, with operations around the clock.

    The service targets businesses including import-export companies, technology startups and online content creators.

    $XRP price outlook: Token loses key $1 support

    $XRP is down by roughly 1% in the last 24 hours and trades around $0.99 on Tuesday, maintaining a bearish short-term outlook after slipping below the psychological $1.00 level and its descending trendline.

    The token also remains below its major daily Exponential Moving Averages.

    The 50-day EMA stands at $1.07, the 100-day EMA at $1.15, and the 200-day EMA at $1.34. These indicators now form several layers of overhead resistance.

    Momentum indicators reinforce the downside risk. The Relative Strength Index is near 43, reflecting weak buying momentum without yet reaching oversold territory.

    The Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator is also slightly negative, pointing to lingering bearish pressure rather than an established reversal.

    For a recovery, $XRP must first reclaim and hold above $1.00. A successful move could bring the 50-day EMA at $1.07 into focus, followed by the 100-day EMA at $1.15 and horizontal resistance at $1.30.

    The 200-day EMA at $1.34 and the higher resistance level at $1.90 represent more distant upside targets.

    No clear support level is defined immediately below $XRP’s current price, leaving the token vulnerable to further price discovery if demand does not return around the $1.00 region.

  • Even dying couldn’t get supermarket customer out of £35 parking fine

    Even dying couldn’t get supermarket customer out of £35 parking fine

    Google Maps grab of New World supermarket in Orewa, Auckland, New Zealand.
    The 54-year-old fell ill in the car park of the New World supermarket in Orewa, Auckland, New Zealand, on July 26 (Picture: Google Maps)

    A customer cheated death after collapsing outside a supermarket – but not the fine imposed for leaving her car there while she was brought back to life.

    The 54-year-old fell ill in the car park of the New World supermarket in Orewa, Auckland, New Zealand, on July 26.

    Other shoppers weny to try and help, including a ‘truly remarkable’ witness who performed chest compressions when they could no longer find a pulse.

    The woman’s father said paramedics later told them her heart had stopped and ‘momentarily, she was technically dead’.

    Within days of getting a second chance at life, the woman received an $80 (£35) fine for leaving her car outside the supermarket.

    Customers are allowed to stay for up to an hour and a half, but her car was not moved for nearly six hours after she was taken to North Shore Hospital.

    The penalty charge from Smart Compliance Management stated: ‘Customers are entitled to 90 minutes of parking. Your vehicle was parked for 341 minutes.’

    She appealed the fine – quite understandably, you might think – but the company declined to withdraw it, instead reducing it to $30 (£13) given the ‘circumstances’.

    Speaking to Stuff, the woman’s father said the family was outraged by the ‘offensive’ penalty.

    Staff at New World later paid the money into the woman’s account to cover it.

    Owner-operator Steve McClean told the outlet: ‘This was a deeply distressing situation for the customer and their family, and I’m sorry this caused them additional stress and inconvenience.’

    A spokesperson for Smart Compliance apologised for the ‘additional stress caused to this individual following their medical emergency’.

    They added their initial response did not ‘appropriately take into account the circumstances of the case’.

    Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

    For more stories like this, check our news page.

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  • Can XLM hold $0.14 as bearish traders tighten their grip on Stellar?

    Stellar ($XLM) remains under pressure on Tuesday as uncertainty across the broader cryptocurrency market and weak technical momentum weigh on Stellar.

    $XLM is down by more than 2% in the last 24 hours, extending its corrective decline beneath $0.155.

    Mixed derivatives and on-chain indicators point to cautious sentiment, leaving $XLM at risk of additional losses.

    $XLM maintains bearish bias despite Bitcoin’s rally

    $XLM is underperforming despite Bitcoin hitting the $64,000 level on Monday. The bearish performance comes as derivatives data indicates that traders are reducing their positions in the market.

    CoinGlass data shows that the long-to-short ratio for $XLM stands at 0.90. A reading below one means short positions outnumber long positions, indicating that more traders are betting on prices falling than rising.

    The funding rate also supports the current bearish price action. $XLM’s funding rate turned negative on Tuesday and now reads -0.0215%.

    A negative funding rate indicates that traders holding short positions are paying those with long positions, suggesting that the bears are in control of the market.

    Similar to XRP, $XLM’s CryptoQuant indicators suggest a bearish outlook. The indicator shows sell-side dominance across its markets alongside large whale orders.

    These conflicting signals suggest that major participants remain active, but selling pressure continues to control the near-term trend.

    The derivative data has supported the bearish price action in recent weeks.

    While Bitcoin has been consolidating between $62,000 and $64,000 in recent weeks, $XLM has lost 17% of its value in the last one month and could record further losses in the near term.

    $XLM price outlook: Stellar approaches oversold conditions

    The $XLM/USD 4-hour chart is bearish and efficient as Stellar trades at approximately $0.154 on Tuesday, extending its decline below all major daily EMAs.

    The 50-day EMA at $0.173, the 100-day EMA at $0.178 and the 200-day EMA at $0.190 form a significant resistance cluster.

    As long as $XLM remains below these levels, the broader technical outlook will remain bearish.

    The RSI is near 36, placing $XLM close to oversold territory. Meanwhile, the MACD has turned marginally positive around its zero line, suggesting that selling momentum may be weakening.

    However, neither indicator confirms a sustainable recovery while the price remains below the major moving averages.

    The first meaningful resistance sits around $0.173, where the 50-day EMA aligns with the 78.6% Fibonacci retracement. The next barriers are located at $0.177 and the 100-day EMA at $0.178.

    A stronger recovery could target the 200-day EMA at $0.190, followed by Fibonacci resistance at $0.200, $0.218, $0.237 and $0.260. The cycle high near $0.298 remains a distant target.

    On the downside, $XLM could test the support zone between $0.142 and $0.139. A decisive daily close below this range would strengthen the bearish outlook and could trigger a deeper decline.