Richard Lawler

Scott Carney and Taylor Lorenz posted on Substack about downward subscriber trends they’re seeing. Carney pins it on subscription fatigue and feeling like “The only way to grow is to pillage the paid subscribers from other creators.” Lorenz questions Substack’s direction, saying “more and more like this app is becoming another social media feed.” When we recently wrote about writers who are leaving Substack, they mentioned control, pricing, and the social feature creep among their reasons for choosing competitors like Ghost and Behiiv. [Link: Writers are fleeing the Substack Tax

Christopher Nolan’s three-hour movie has had additional 70mm IMAX showtimes added, which are now scheduled to run through September 16th. After experiencing the movie in both standard widescreen and IMAX, our reviewer Charles Pulliam-Moore wrote that “By shooting The Odyssey completely in 70mm, Nolan crafted a film whose size and visual detail could make it feel immersive in ways that most modern features aren’t.” Might be worth getting a ticket, even if AI bots aren’t much help. [Media: https://www.youtube/watch?v=YVmrW9JtN44]

A show almost canceled as a tax write-off before it ever aired is now canceled, according to Variety, despite Variety’s report that it was renewed in March. Our S1 review mentioned that “by the end of the season, you get the sense that Simon and Slattery could go on to become one of Marvel’s more novel riffs on a superhero team,” and a source in today’s report says the show’s characters could pop up elsewhere in the currently-under-renovation-MCU. [Link: ‘Wonder Man’ Not Returning for Season 2 at Disney+

A defamation lawsuit by Keith Bass over SpyTalk writer Jeff Stein’s report that Bass had been “effectively fired” from his post leading the CIA’s Office of Medical Services in 2021 has been dismissed with prejudice. Axios reports it’s the second victory since the Defender program launched, “but the first major federal suit,” while noting that other platforms are adding access to legal resources as well. [Link: How I Beat a Trump Official's Nasty Lawsuit

As Android Authority points out, a couple of leaks for the next repairable Fairphone have popped up, with NewMobile’s giving us a look at the device in blue, with matching accessories just like the Fairphone 6 has, and 12GB of RAM specs to go with the 256GB storage. Meanwhile, this Dealabs post indicates it will have a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 chip and come in Black, Blue, and Green for €649 in France, compared to the 6’s current €549 price. [Image: https://platform.theverge/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/fairphone-6-plus-newmobile.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]

NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has come out in support of The Delivery Protection Act, a union-backed proposal that would force companies like Amazon, FedEx, and others to hire the workers who deliver packages wearing their logos. As it is, those workers are often contractors, which the backers of Intro 518 say serves as a smokescreen allowing the big companies to avoid responsibility and minimum pay regulations. [Media: https://www.youtube/watch?v=91DoiansHqk]

Nearly two years after the YouTuber’s first video accusing PayPal’s Honey browser extension of ripping off customers, affiliated creators, and even retailers, he’s back. This time, there are updates about how others like Rakuten have (belatedly) ended relationships with Honey, and the current state of the legal proceedings, while Austin Evans’ recent video examines how this scandal has both shaped and changed YouTuber sponsorships. [Media: https://www.youtube/watch?v=EXDemfGNGz0]

The FIA has recognized the Hydromax’s Speed Week runs at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, measuring 400.623 mph and 412.135 mph for an average of 406.320 mph, as the new record for a hydrogen internal combustion-powered vehicle. JCB makes heavy equipment and shoved two “production-based” hydrogen digger engines into a slim frame to set the record, with British driver and outright land speed record holder Andy Green behind the wheel. [Media: https://www.youtube/watch?v=yxgSa7V62FU]

ESPN and other outlets report that Josh Kushner, the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and founder of Thrive Capital, and former Disney boss Bob Iger made a deal for $12.5 billion, a record-breaking price. The pair had interest in a possible Las Vegas expansion team, but according to ESPN, “pivoted to make an aggressive offer to buy the Lakers from Mark Walter,” who became the team’s majority owner one year ago and is under federal investigation for alleged tax fraud. [Link: Sources: Josh Kushner, Bob Iger to buy Lakers for $12.5B

Today there will be a total solar eclipse viewable from “parts of Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic Ocean, Spain, and a small corner of Portugal,” as well as a partial eclipse across much of the US and most of Canada, Europe, and northwestern Africa. NASA has a livestream covering the event, and if you’re tempted to look for yourself, make sure you’re properly equipped. [Media: https://www.youtube/watch?v=rSvCuSQhC3w]