Culture

More than three years after prediction-market startup Polymarket was blocked in the U.S. as part of a settlement with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for failing to register as a derivatives trading platform, the company announced it had found a path back into the country. “Polymarket has acquired QCEX, a …

WNBA All-Star players got straight to the point on the court ahead of their All-Star game on Saturday: “Pay Us What You Owe Us” their T-shirts read as they warmed up. The players union and league management have been in ongoing collective bargaining agreement negotiations. On Thursday, more than 40 …

There was a lot that filmmaker Dani Sloane was drawn to when she first read Matt Sullivan’s 2022 Rolling Stone feature “Before the Dentist Knows You’re Dead,” about the death of Bianca Rudolph, allegedly at the hands of her husband, Larry. “It was before any verdict was issued,” she remembers. …

I n the spring of 2024, while Andre Shariff Smith was leading the Ramadan community prayer, asking for forgiveness with his forehead planted in the prison mosque’s carpeted floor, Netflix was releasing the first episode of its new series Homicide: New York, “Carnegie Deli Massacre.” It was about the crime …

Former NFL player and media personality Shannon Sharpe has settled a lawsuit with a former partner who had accused him of rape. On Thursday, the woman’s lawyer shared on social media that they had reached an agreement and the lawsuit would be dismissed. “Both sides acknowledge a long-term consensual and …

“This is a low-attractiveness presentation, based on weak bone structure, muted features, and absence of form or presence,” reads a ChatGPT message shared in screenshots on Reddit. “You look like someone who has faded into the background of their own life.” The harsh assessment of the user’s appearance, based on …

In July 2024, die-hard Dodgers fans and groups of teens and young adults wearing colorful shirts, emblazoned with names like Mori Calliope and Gawr Gura, poured into Dodger Stadium. While some had come to watch America’s favorite pastime, others waited with bated breath, eyes on the digital screens set up …

On June 30, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert held a press conference announcing the league would expand into three more cities in the next five years — bringing the WNBA team count to a league record of 18. “This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league’s extraordinary momentum, the …

It’s once again time to shout, “Mortaaal Kombat!” Today, Warner Bros. released the first full trailer for the next entry in the live-action Mortal Kombat film series, adapted from the gory fighting game franchise. The sequel to 2021’s reboot of the movies, Mortal Kombat II, out Oct. 24, promises to …

When Iva and Ron Bradley boarded a weeklong cruise in Puerto Rico with their daughter Amy and son Brad in March 1998, they expected to spend a relaxing time on the water surrounded by good food, drinks, and opportunities to spend quality time together. But before the Royal Caribbean cruise …