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Beckham called out the online troll beneath his latest Instagram cooking tutorial.

Legendary actor Tim Curry has died at age 80.

They fudged up big time.

SoftBank Credit Risk Rises As Firm Mulls $20 Billion Bond Sale For OpenAI Stake

SoftBank Group's 8.5% notes due 2036 fell as much as 2.5 cents to about 98 cents on the dollar after Bloomberg reported that Masayoshi Son's conglomerate is considering a $10 billion to $20 billion bond offering, prompting traders to price in additional leverage and supply risk as the investment firm plans to refinance the massive bridge loan backing its OpenAI investment.

Sources familiar with SoftBank's plans said the potential bond offering could be denominated in dollars and euros, though they stressed that its size and timing could change. Proceeds would be used partly to repay a $40 billion bridge loan secured earlier this year to fund SoftBank's OpenAI investment and partly to finance additional artificial intelligence investments.

Masayoshi Son's junk-rated conglomerate plans to invest more than $65 billion in OpenAI by October, funding one of the largest private AI bets in history partly with borrowed money.

"We are considering various options to refinance the bridge loan, but nothing has been decided, including the amount for each," a SoftBank spokesperson told the outlet. 

The report noted:

Unlike most of its international offerings, SoftBank is exploring a 144A format for the first time in more than a decade, which would allow the notes to be sold to institutional investors in the US, the people said. That would help the company tap a larger pool of capital and potentially boost demand for the sale, they added.

US hyperscalers are expected to pour trillions of dollars into data centers and other AI infrastructure over the coming years. These firms have already borrowed more than $410 billion so far this year, putting pressure on debt markets. There are also $3.1 trillion in hyperscaler off-balance-sheet commitments that have come into question, as we noted in our latest report here.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/26/2026 - 11:10

Bill Gates is warning that artificial intelligence could unleash mass unemployment, enable bioterrorism and even slip beyond human control.

Derek Mason and Middle Tennessee State can turn things around in 2026.

Billy Ray, who was close with Parton from touring together in the '90s, turned 65 on the same day she died.

Billy Ray, who was close with Parton from touring together in the '90s, turned 65 on the same day she died.

Three U.S. Secret Service officials were placed on administrative leave on Tuesday pending an internal investigation into potential misconduct.

A TikTokker announced her own death in a heart-wrenching, beyond-the-grave video after a brave battle with breast cancer.

Trump Admin Pauses All Visa Appointments Worldwide

Authored by Kimberly Hayek via The Epoch Times,

The Trump administration has paused visa appointments for applicants worldwide as the State Department launches a global training initiative at all U.S. embassies and consulates, according to a department spokesperson. Appointments for visa services will be rescheduled to accommodate the training.

The State Department offered no specific details on the training or its timeline. Officials said the initiative aims to help consular officers screen out applicants deemed likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits. It is also intended to ensure evaluation of visa applicants comprehensively and consistently.

"A more prosperous America means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under U.S. law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need," a State Department spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times.

Immigrant visa applicants with scheduled interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates have been contacted about any changes to their appointments, the spokesperson said.

The State Department has not indicated how long the adjustments will last.

The step comes during an ongoing enforcement of federal immigration laws in President Donald Trump's second term. That effort has included revocations of visas and green cards, with applications rejected for reasons ranging from political opinions to participation in pro-Palestinian protests against U.S. ally Israel's war in Gaza.

A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said certain behaviors and statements "may raise serious concerns for USCIS personnel reviewing an applicant's file, including espousing terrorist ideologies, expressing hatred for American values, advocating for the violent overthrow of the United States government, or providing material support to terrorist organizations," adding that such actions "warrant closer scrutiny."

Trump campaigned in 2024 on stopping illegal immigration. His administration has also made legal immigration more difficult. One example involves new and expensive fees for certain work visa applicants.

The measures have faced legal setbacks. A U.S. judge on Aug. 21 struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries. The judge ruled the policy exceeded Secretary of State Marco Rubio's statutory authority.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan called the policy - issued by the State Department in January - "patently unlawful" and said it did not comply with federal immigration law.

"Consular officers were ordered to refuse immigrant visas to nationals of the 75 designated countries, regardless of whether the consular officer had, following an individualized assessment, determined that the applicant was not likely to become a public charge and that the applicant was otherwise eligible for a visa," Vargas wrote in her ruling.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/26/2026 - 10:50

The girl's family has been left in a scramble, racing to replace the Supreme Leader of North Korea ensemble before her school's Book Week parade takes place on Friday.

What terrors await Bret and his friends this week? (Spoiler: It's Homecoming!)

WTI Rises After Big Product Draws, Tiny Crude Build, SPR Nears 'Tank Bottoms'

Oil prices extended their declines for a third straight day after the US plan to ramp up economic pressure on Iran spared the country’s trading partners from harsher measures for now, while mediators said they were continuing efforts to end the conflict.

“There was a lot of buildup around the announcement but what we got was more a warning about where policy is heading than an immediate shock to physical supply,” said Haris Khurshid, chief investment officer at Chicago-based Karobaar Capital LP. “Until secondary sanctions start changing who can buy, ship or even finance Iranian crude, I don’t think traders have much reason to add another geopolitical premium.”

Oman and Iran said the countries' foreign ministers discussed an agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under a temporary framework.

Negotiations between the two countries will continue "with a view to agreeing on a permanent navigational corridor and future administration of the strait," the joint statement said.

While positive, an agreement between Oman and Iran wouldn't result in oil flows through the strait returning to prewar levels, ING analysts Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey said.

"We would likely need to see the U.S. lift its blockade on Iranian ports and ease sanctions on Iran before we see any move towards normalization."

All eyes on domestic supply (and demand) for the next tactical leg...

API

• Crude +4.2mm

• Cushing +1.0mm

• Gasoline -3.2mm

• Distillates -459k

DOE

• Crude +95k (+500k exp)

• Cushing +1.18mm

• Gasoline -2.54mm

• Distillates -2.23mm

Crude stocks rose for the 4th straight week (but it was a tiny 95k increase) while Cushing saw a modest build off tank bottoms. Product inventories saw large drawdowns..

The Trump admin drained another 3.6mm barrels from the SPR to 289.7 million barrels (1983 lows), approaching the minimum operational level for storage facilities, which ranges between 250 and 300 million barrels.

The combination of a tiny commercial crude build and sizable SPR drain created the biggest net crude drawdown in over a month...

Cushing stocks remain very near 'tank bottoms'

Distillates stocks fell back near 25 year lows...

...and the lowest seasonally on record...

US crude imports from Saudi Arabia picked up recently (but remain well below peak war levels). Crude exports fell below 4 million barrels a day, a threshold closely watched by the market to gauge demand. 

US Crude production remains near record highs and while the rig count dipped last week, it is still trending higher overall...

Refining utilization rates are at the highest seasonal level since 1998. That is, in part, due to a shrinking US refining fleet in recent years. But it’s also evidence of how hard fuel-makers are running their plants right now to capture wide margins. They plan to keep that up into the fall, with some companies even deferring maintenance.

US gasoline demand remains 'normal' for this time of year...

WTI was hovering around $81.50 (off the overnight lows) ahead of the official data (down from almost $88 last week)...

Crude is still up about 50% this year as the war - now in its sixth month - continues to disrupt the shipping of crude and refined fuels out of the Middle East.

The impact has been particularly acute in fuel markets, which have also faced a hit from Ukrainian attacks on Russian refiners. That’s helped push premiums over crude to stratospheric levels (but the crack spread is starting to decline)...

At the same time, large volumes of crude supplies continue to transit Hormuz with their satellite signals turned off.

Those volumes are in millions of barrels a day and have helped generally keep a lid on prices that had been expected to soar at the outset of the conflict.

Tyler Durden Wed, 08/26/2026 - 10:40

Cesar on Hudson street allegedly served employees a tasting menu of state labor law violations, according to a class action lawsuit filed last month.

Tiger Woods made a rare appearance since his DUI charge and arrest in March.

So many toe beans, so little time.

Kalshi promo code NYPMAX unlocks an exclusive trade $25, get $25 bonus offer for Week 0.

The bizarre confrontation happened last week on Mohawk Street and was caught on a resident’s home security camera.

Jennifer Lawrence is a fan of the shoes, too.