In yet another series of antisemitic attacks in Toronto, masked vandals <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/window-broken-gunshot-fired-at-kivas-jewish-owned-bakery-in-toronto-police-say/article_6f3bfe35-832f-4f3b-9a85-056393b6e869.html?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=user-share">shot up and smashed</a> the windows of two Jewish-owned bakeries on Saturday, the latest gut-punch in a relentless run of anti-Jewish violence terrorizing Canada&#8217;s largest city.
Cops confirmed evidence of gunfire at the beloved bakery Kiva’s Yonge and St. Clair outpost, while a second location near Bathurst and Steeles also had its window busted out — though without shots fired there. Miraculously, nobody was hurt in either attack.
The kosher-style bagel shop, a Jewish community fixture since 1979, has three GTA locations and is currently run by brothers Ben, Elan and Steve Rafael. Police say they&#8217;re probing whether the two hits are connected.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Window broken, gunshot fired at Kiva&#39;s Jewish-owned bakery in Toronto, police say <a href="https://t.co/VFOEjwAQ6t">https://t.co/VFOEjwAQ6t</a> via <a href="https://x.com/TorontoStar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@torontostar</a> Kiva’s bakery is kosher-style and known for its popular bagels and baked goods. It has long been a hub for the Jewish community.  The original bakery opened…
&mdash; Israel Heritage Foundation (@IHF_Heritage) <a href="https://x.com/IHF_Heritage/status/2081429686408630491?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Mayor Olivia Chow stated,  “We in Toronto will double our efforts. Toronto police through Project Resolute have been guarding synagogues and Jewish community centers and places 24/7, and we’ll see what else we could do.”
The bakery attack is only the newest scar in a years-long surge that&#8217;s turned Toronto into ground zero for antisemitic hate crime in Canada. Despite making up under 4% of the population, Jews have been the top target of hate crimes citywide since well before the pandemic — and things have only gotten uglier.
The real inflection point came after Hamas&#8217;s October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, when antisemitic incidents in Toronto <a href="https://www.cija.ca/antisemitism_in_toronto_is_escalating_and_the_numbers_prove_it#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20report%2C%20hate%20crime%20has,7%20terrorist%20attack%20by%20Hamas%20on%20Israel.%E2%80%9D">exploded 80%</a> almost overnight. By 2024, police logged a record 443 hate crimes citywide, with Jews the victims in a jaw-dropping 40% of them and 81% of all religiously-motivated attacks.
That violence has since escalated into a terrifying pattern of gunfire at Jewish institutions. A Jewish girls elementary school in North York was <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/bais-chaya-mushka-gunshots-toronto-1.7416067">shot at three times</a> in 2024. n March 2025, a suspect was charged for targeting five Toronto synagogues. Vandalism hit Kehillat Shaarei Torah in November. March 2026 brought shootings at three synagogues, prompting a $10M security fund. In May, congregants were literally being shot at with gel-blaster guns leaving Shabbat services, with watchdog group B&#8217;nai Brith warning 2026 is shaping up to be the bloodiest year for Canadian Jews in memory.
With no arrests made in most of the recent attacks, Jewish leaders say fear is becoming the defining feature of daily life in Toronto.

Toronto City Hall Sign

Bagels And Bullets: Antisemitic Terror Wave Hits Jewish Bakery Chain

antisemitism

Business

Jewish

Toronto

Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery have agreed to delay closing their proposed $110 billion merger until at least June 2027 as they battle a multistate antitrust lawsuit, extending uncertainty over a deal that could reshape the American media landscape.
The agreement allows both sides to avoid a court fight over a preliminary injunction while the case proceeds toward trial.
A coalition of 12 Democratic state attorneys general, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to block the transaction. The lawsuit claims the merger would &#8220;extinguish competition&#8221; in the media and entertainment industries.
If approved, the merger would unite major media brands, including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, the Paramount+ and HBO Max streaming platforms, CBS News, and CNN under one corporate umbrella.
Rather than continue fighting emergency motions, the companies agreed not to close the transaction until June 2027 or until the court reaches a final decision.
Bonta celebrated the agreement as a major victory for the states challenging the merger.
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Today’s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy.
We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure… <a href="https://t.co/m4LFxiA5tP">pic.twitter.com/m4LFxiA5tP</a>
— Rob Bonta (@AGRobBonta) <a href="https://x.com/AGRobBonta/status/2080754504388259849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Today&#8217;s agreement is great news for audiences, movie theaters, and the many people who write, build, and create the art, news, and entertainment so many of us enjoy,&#8221; Bonta said. &#8220;We are eager to continue to make our case in court and celebrate another tremendous win in our effort to ensure this unlawful merger never sees the light of day.&#8221;
New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James also praised the decision, <a href="https://x.com/NewYorkStateAG/status/2080742874610626683">calling</a> it &#8220;a critical victory in our efforts to uphold the law and protect the film and television industries.&#8221;
Paramount defended the merger and said the delay would allow the company to make its case in court.
&#8220;This is the fastest and clearest way to prove that this transaction is good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators, a conclusion dozens of competition authorities around the world have already reached,&#8221; a Paramount spokesperson <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/paramount-skydance-agrees-halt-warner-bros-merger-june-2027-rcna589137">told</a> NBC News. &#8220;We look forward to proving our case at trial.&#8221;
The merger has attracted attention beyond Hollywood because Paramount is now controlled by Skydance founder and CEO David Ellison, 43, whose acquisition of Paramount was backed by his father, Oracle founder Larry Ellison, a longtime ally and supporter of President Donald Trump. Since Skydance took control of Paramount earlier this year, Ellison has overseen significant changes at CBS News, including bringing in journalist Bari Weiss to overhaul the network&#8217;s news division.
Ellison has drawn praise from President Trump, who has expressed optimism that new ownership could restore credibility to CBS News after years of criticism from conservatives and Republicans.
If this merger happens, one company will control CBS and CNN under ownership that conservatives believe is moving in a different editorial direction.

In this photo illustration, the Paramount logo is seen

One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Deals Just Hit A Wall

CBS News

David Ellison

Donald Trump

Entertainment

HBO Max

Hollywood

Letitia James

Media

Paramount

Rob Bonta

Warner Bros

Warner Brothers

A new company says it has found an alternative to selling America&#8217;s retiring small businesses to private equity firms.
Traditionally, owners pass businesses to family, sell them, or close them. <a href="https://www.americanoperator.com/">American Operator</a> is pitching a fourth option: helping employees or industry veterans buy them instead.
According to founder William Fry, small businesses employ roughly 62 million Americans, account for about 43% of U.S. GDP, and create <a href="https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Small-Business-Job-Creation-Fact-Sheet-Apr2022.pdf">two out of three jobs</a>. With more than <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/657362/small-business-owners-lack-succession-plan.aspx?utm_source=chatgpt.com">half</a> of U.S. small business owners nearing retirement and fewer children <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283212990_Coming_Home_or_Breaking_Free_A_Closer_Look_at_the_Succession_Intentions_of_Next-generation_Family_Business_Members">interested</a> in taking over family businesses, Fry says the country is approaching a massive small-business ownership transition.
Fry launched American Operator late last year to give sellers an alternative option. The firm helps operators, who are sometimes current employees or veterans of the industry, co-purchase a retiring owner&#8217;s business. It starts with 10% equity and a planned path to 70% majority ownership. 
American Operator is distinguishing itself from private equity by keeping businesses small and avoiding reselling other PE operations, which often are not well-versed in the specific industry. It does so using an Operate-To-Own model.
&#8220;You need to know how an industry works and then we handle the acquisition,&#8221; Fry said of the process. The retiring owners often join American Operator&#8217;s advisory council after the sale, meaning they keep a hand in the continued success of the business they built.
“We view our mission as a fight to preserve the American Dream, populist capitalism, and a local ownership. We do not want a world where everything is a big box retailer or a Private Equity-owned outpost,” Fry told The Daily Wire.
Fry pointed to the veterinary industry as a negative example of what private-equity consolidation can do. A Bank of America <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/soaring-vet-prices-are-forcing-pet-owners-to-skip-visits-11914589">study</a> has tied PE-backed consolidators to sharp increases in veterinary prices since 2020, alongside a decline in visits as pet owners priced out of care. 
Fry acknowledged that his company is no match for PE capital-wise, but said those retirees are choosing to entrust their business to an individual who will keep it running in a similar way to how it was before. 
One completed American Operator deal involves Anne the Plumber, a residential plumbing company that has served Rhode Island since 2014, as <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/03/13/business/american-operator-gives-small-business-owners-retirement-options/">reported</a> by The New York Post. Rather than sell to an outside buyer, founder Anne-Marie Rosario Flores transferred control to Wilson Molina, an operator she had mentored, with backing from American Operator&#8217;s capital. Molina now serves as CEO with a path to majority ownership. Flores is still involved with the business.
The company has completed 95 deals totaling roughly $300 million to date. Fry said he eventually hopes to combine the businesses into a publicly traded holding company that would allow everyday investors to buy into a portfolio of Main Street businesses. 
“Our mission statement is to revive the American Dream,” Fry said. “Whether that&#8217;s ensuring a small business owner receives fair value for their life&#8217;s work or a new entrepreneur gets a chance to become a millionaire, our model is focused on advancing wealth on Main Street and making sure the broader public knows that hard work still matters in this country.”

Main street

Who Will Own Main Street When Mom And Pop Retire?

American Dream

Equity

Retirement

Small Businesses

Tennessee has extended an invitation to Paramount Skydance to move its corporate headquarters to the Volunteer State amid the company&#8217;s escalating standoff with California, where the attorney general is now suing to block its planned merger with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Tennessee Deputy Governor Stuart McWhorter, a Republican, wrote a letter to Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison, urging him to consider moving the entertainment company&#8217;s headquarters from California to Tennessee, The Hollywood Reporter <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tennessee-paramount-1236648159/">learned</a>.
California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta and 11 other attorneys general <a href="https://x.com/RobBonta/status/2076723321354469515?s=20">sued</a> to stop the merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. The lawsuit could delay the merger and cost Paramount hundreds of millions of dollars.
“For generations, Tennessee has been one of America’s most business-friendly states,” McWhorter <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/1062064139/Paramount-Skydance-Letter-ecd#download&amp;from_embed">wrote</a>. “Our success is rooted in fiscal discipline, low taxes, predictable governance, and a steadfast belief that government should be a partner in private-sector growth. Companies that choose Tennessee find more than a favorable business climate — they find a state committed to helping them succeed.”
McWhorter also boasted about Tennessee being “the convergence of creativity, technology, and innovation,” having “one of the nation’s strongest workforce development systems,” and maintaining the conservative values of “service, community, and the importance of family.” 
“As Paramount Skydance writes its next chapter, Tennessee offers a compelling proposition: a state where creativity and technology converge, where talent is developed intentionally, and where innovation is embraced,” McWhorter wrote. “We would welcome the opportunity to share our vision for how Tennessee could help shape the future of Paramount Skydance and its talented team.”
Tennessee Republican Governor Bill Lee has expressed similar sentiments online, <a href="https://x.com/GovBillLee/status/2077228598147129475?s=20">stating</a> in an X post, “Paramount has played an important role in shaping American culture, &amp; we’d welcome the opportunity to see the next chapter of that story unfold in the Volunteer State.”
The Daily Wire recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/even-a-media-giant-may-be-ready-to-leave-democrat-run-state?row=0&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;rowType=Web+Search+Overlay">reported that</a> friends and advisers close to Ellison told him to “consider shifting his business out of” California and to move the company’s $30 billion in planned spending elsewhere, according to a recent Semafor <a href="https://www.semafor.com/article/07/12/2026/paramount-weighs-leaving-california-over-warner-bros-rift">report</a>.
Paramount currently owns CBS, Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, BET, and Paramount Pictures. By acquiring Warner Bros., the company would gain rights to brands including DC Studios, Warner Bros. Animation, HBO, Discovery Channel, Cartoon Network, CNN, Food Network, and Oprah Winfrey Network. Ellison hopes the move can make Paramount a suitable competitor to rivals like Netflix and Amazon.
The states allege the merger would give the combined company control of nearly one-third of theatrical motion pictures and nearly one-third of basic cable programming. Paramount responded to the lawsuit in a statement, calling it &#8220;wrong on both the facts and the law.&#8221;
FedEx, Tesla, Oracle, Chevron, and AutoZone are all major companies that have left California in recent years in favor of red states like Tennessee and Texas.

Screenshot 2026-07-15 at 1.44.58 PM

Red State Courts Paramount As Media Giant Considers Fleeing California

California

Tennessee

Meta dismantled its latest artificial intelligence image-generation feature last Friday, only three days after releasing it. 
Muse Image, a feature that allowed users to create images using public Instagram photos from adult accounts without consent, sustained overwhelming backlash immediately after it went public. Many users were automatically opted in and were unaware that their public accounts were subject to the new feature, and they scrambled to figure out how to turn it off. 
Meta released a statement, saying it received feedback that &#8220;this feature missed the mark,&#8221; and removed it, according to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/11/meta-ditches-muse-image-ai-feature-instagram-privacy">The Guardian</a>.
“Our intent was to provide a useful creative tool and to give people control ⁠over whether their public content could be referenced in this way,” Meta said.
Meta unveiled Muse Image on Tuesday, <a href="https://about.fb.com/news/2026/07/introducing-muse-image-meta-ai/">describing</a> it as the “first image generation model from Meta Superintelligence Labs.” The feature allowed users to generate customized images by tagging an Instagram username, allowing Meta AI to draw from that account&#8217;s public photos.
The feature was available through the Meta AI app, web browser, WhatsApp, and Instagram Stories for users in the United States.
“Whether you want to design a custom event invitation, mock up a collaborative creative concept, or generate a personalized graphic, tagging a username lets Meta AI use public photos to build a visual that’s ready to post,” Meta said.
Adult users with public Instagram accounts were automatically opted in, allowing Meta AI to use their public photos to generate new images unless they opted out. 
In an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9lee19y1yo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with the BBC</a>, Donald Campbell, advocacy director at tech justice non-profit Foxglove, said Meta’s move was an “obvious recipe for disaster,” pointing out that there have already been &#8220;a catalogue of harms from non-consensual AI-altered images on social platforms just in the past year.&#8221;
“It is hard to see why Mark Zuckerberg thinks facilitating yet more of this creepy image manipulation is a good idea,” Campbell said.
Many users complained they had not been asked for permission before being enrolled and said the opt-out option was difficult to find.
“Went to opt out but there was only one toggle for reels for me (which I already had switched off) and not one for posts, hopefully they’re just rolling it out gradually and it’ll be there when I check back later,” one Instagram user wrote.
Another user said, “Would be fab if our [government] were keeping an eye on stuff like this.”

Photo Illustrations  Meta Launches Muse Image

Meta Removes Concerning Instagram AI Feature After Severe Backlash

Instagram

Mark Zuckerberg

Technology

Pepsi riled up some especially sensitive social media followers with a post they somehow interpreted as making light of sexual consent.  
The beverage company apologized for the post and deleted it after getting slammed in the comments.
The original post, immortalized in screenshots, was shared on July 6. It said: &#8220;Pepsi Wild Cherry is what happens when regular cherry stops asking permission.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Pepsi has apologized for this post.
I’m sorry, I’m just not going to buy that Pepsi was posting out rape culture jokes, as some have implied.
The “wild” alongside “stops asking permission” clearly implies that their intention was about celebrating rebellion not about… <a href="https://t.co/WlrQriMUHx">pic.twitter.com/WlrQriMUHx</a>
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2074593326620119168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
The critics claim this phrasing made light of consent. &#8220;Pepsi, what the hell? Promoting r*pe culture? This is shameful,&#8221; one comment said. 
&#8220;Hey @Pepsi this is sickening and disturbing. &#8216;Stops asking permission&#8217; isn&#8217;t a clever marketing line to me — it&#8217;s making light of consent,” another agreed.
This led to critics calling out previous posts from the beverage company, which were now being interpreted in a new light. These included one that said, “You’re being left on read. I’m in their hand. We are not the same,” and another that read, “Crack me. Sip me. Tease me. Taste me. But please don’t shake me.” 
Plenty of people came to the soda maker&#8217;s defense, arguing the outrage mob was overreacting to something silly.
“I’m sorry, I’m just not going to buy that Pepsi was posting out rape culture jokes, as some have implied,” one response <a href="https://x.com/yashar/status/2074593326620119168?s=43">said.</a> “The ‘wild’ alongside ‘stops asking permission’ clearly implies that their intention was about celebrating rebellion not about encouraging people to not be concerned with consent.”
Pepsi issued a follow-up apology post.
“Our recent Wild Cherry post landed in a way we never intended. We hear you, we’re sorry, and the post has been deleted,” a Threads post from July 7 said.
The controversy comes at a time when people are having strong reactions to brand social marketing campaigns, with efforts at jokes or edgy sentiments often leading to outsized reactions from followers. For example, in 2021, Burger King posted, then removed, a call for more female chefs by writing, “Women belong in the kitchen.” It didn’t help matters that it was shared on International Women’s Day.
Social media followers <a href="https://www.dailymail.com/lifestyle/food-drink/article-9341553/Burger-King-UKs-call-female-chefs-backfired-tweet-women-belong-kitchen.html">called the sentiment</a> “misogynistic” and “sexist” despite it all just being a joke.

Wild Cherry Pepsi

Pepsi Caves, Apologizes For Controversial Social Media Post

Pepsi Caves, Apologizes For Social Post That Allegedly Promoted 'Rape Culture'

Social Media

Ford is recalling more than 110,000 Mustang and Mustang Mach-E vehicles over two separate defects that could increase the risk of a crash, federal regulators announced on Tuesday.
The recalls affect 110,626 Mustang, Mustang GTD, and Mustang Mach-E vehicles. 
The larger recall covers 67,842 Mustang and Mustang GTD vehicles because the windshield wipers may malfunction in cold weather. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said that under certain conditions, the windshield wiper would operate only at its fastest setting, with the washer system not working at all. Both can reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. 
The second recall affects 42,784 Mustang Mach-E models because the rear differential pinion shift may fracture. This could cause a loss in “drive power” or “unintended vehicle movement” if the vehicle is parked but the parking brake is not applied.
Ford said dealers will repair the affected vehicles free of charge. 
The recalls come one week after Ford recalled more than 741,000 SUVs and pickup trucks due to a transmission defect that could allow vehicles to roll away. 
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GettyImages-2241195252

One Of America’s Biggest Automakers Recalls More Than 110,000 Vehicles

Ford Motor Co.

Recall

Safety

Toyota announced Monday that it would invest $3.6 billion to expand production of its Tacoma pickup truck in Texas, moving most of the model&#8217;s manufacturing from Mexico to the United States over the next four years. 
Toyota said the investment will expand its San Antonio plant and shift most Tacoma production from its Tijuana, Mexico, facility.
The expansion will increase annual production capacity by 150,000 vehicles. The company will add a second assembly line to support the Tacoma truck. 
President Donald Trump celebrated the company&#8217;s plans in a post on Truth Social Tuesday morning.
Production will shift over four years, with the Tijuana plant continuing to manufacture Tacomas during the transition before Texas becomes the main production site. The San Antonio plant currently produces Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs.
The investment follows Toyota&#8217;s <a href="https://global.toyota/en/newsroom/corporate/43553969.html">announcement</a> in November 2025 that it planned to invest up to $10 billion in additional U.S. investment over five years.
“Toyota’s continued investment in North America is a testament to our confidence in the region’s workforce, innovation and long-term growth potential,” said Ted Ogawa, President and CEO of Toyota Motor North America, on Monday.
Toyota joins other automakers shifting production to the United States in response to tariffs on imported vehicles and auto parts.
The nearly $4 billion expansion is estimated to create nearly 2,000 more on-site jobs in Texas.
“By expanding our San Antonio plant, we are deepening our commitment to American manufacturing, creating meaningful and sustainable jobs, while advancing our mission to deliver high-quality vehicles that meet the changing needs of customers today and into the future,” Ogawa said.

GettyImages-1173365374

World’s Largest Automaker Is Making A Major Manufacturing Shift To America

Auto Companies

Automobiles

Economy

Tariffs

Jet fuel prices have fallen 40% since peaking in April, but airlines say strong demand and limited supply are keeping fares elevated despite lower fuel costs.
Fuel is one of an airline&#8217;s largest expenses, and carriers often cite rising fuel prices as a reason for increasing fares. But airline executives say strong demand has kept the fares high even as fuel costs have declined, boosting profit margins.
“I’m actually very bullish that the industry will retain a much higher percentage of the fare increases than would be typical historically,” Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said in May. 
Delta CEO Ed Bastian echoed that sentiment, saying the airline expects to keep fares high. 
“Fuel recapture is going to be important no matter what we do, and the degree to which we can retain any of the pricing strength that we talked about from industry rationalization, that will certainly help us boost our margins this year and clearly into next year as well.” 
Bastian <a href="https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2026/06/02/delta-dal-q1-2026-earnings-call-transcript">said</a> Delta&#8217;s higher fares are projected to recapture only 40-50% of the roughly $2 billion headwind the airline faced in the second quarter. He argued fares are unlikely to fall until airlines can add more capacity. 
&#8220;Prices will come down when we can fly more, when there’s more supply, it’s a supply and demand. Right now we’re kind of logjammed,” Bastian said.
He attributed part of that bottleneck to congestion in the nation&#8217;s air traffic control system.
“As you open up the skies, and you bring more flow, that&#8217;s going to help bring pricing down and enable us to bring more people to more places.”
The current pricing environment resembles the pattern following the 2022 spike in oil prices, when West Texas Intermediate crude, the U.S. benchmark for oil, traded near $120 per barrel.
After fuel prices began falling in early 2023, Delta President Glen Hauenstein <a href="https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-transcripts/2023/01/13/delta-air-lines-dal-q4-2022-earnings-call-transcri/">told</a> investors the company intended to maintain the fare increases for as long as possible. 
“As we think about how we do fuel recapture on the way up… we are going to keep as much of it as we can.” 
Southwest executives struck a similar tone. During its January 2023 earnings call, Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Green said, &#8220;It&#8217;s a strong fare environment now, and, you know, I expect that to continue.” 
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have shifted more of their discretionary spending toward the &#8220;experience economy,” which has helped keep demand for travel strong.

Southwest

Jet Fuel Is 40% Cheaper. So Why Aren’t Flights?

Air and Space

Air Travel

Airlines

Inflation

Travel

The Denmark-based toy company LEGO has come under fire for promoting Pride parades and other LGBT themes despite having a young customer base.
It’s true that plenty of adults enjoy building LEGO sets, and some of the company’s offerings are explicitly made for ages 18+. But that doesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of LEGO sets are marketed to children. Those kids are also following the brand on social media.
“Pride moments built, brick by brick,” the Pride-themed Instagram caption says. “Swipe to see more of our LEGO colleagues&#8217; stories.”
The attached slideshow includes video clips of LEGO minifig characters discussing their “coming out” stories, including one attending a Pride parade and another male character proposing to his boyfriend. 
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Many parents were furious and called for a boycott. 
“LEGO is now openly pushing Pride parades, gay marriage, and rainbow ideology straight at children,” one X commenter <a href="https://x.com/UnluckyIrishman/status/2072706657055089009">wrote</a>. “This isn’t ‘inclusion.’ It’s sexualizing childhood and grooming the next generation with adult themes.”
“Parents are waking up. Boycott time. Companies that target kids with this stuff deserve to lose customers… keep this garbage away from our children,” the post continued. 
“So it is the 250th year of [the] United States and THIS is what a beloved American toy, a favorite pastime for millions and millions of kids produced! THIS is what you push to kids and young people,” another person <a href="https://x.com/Littleeagle09/status/2072661078576648251">agreed</a>.
This isn’t the first time LEGO has promoted Pride. In 2021, the company released a set called “Everyone Is Awesome” that showcased 11 figurines with different hairstyles and faceless heads, each in a color of the Progress Pride flag. The set included a purple-colored drag queen.
LEGO labeled the product as being intended for an 18+ audience, though set designer Matthew Ashton said in a statement that it was designed with children in mind. Ashton recalled his experience coming out as a gay man in his teens and said that if he had received this set from a loved one, he would have felt more supported.
“Children are our role models and they welcome everyone, no matter their background. Something we should all be aspiring to,” Ashton said. “If I had been given this set by somebody at that point in my life, it would have been such a relief to know that somebody had my back. To know that I had somebody there to say ‘I love you, I believe in you. I’ll always be here for you.’ So, in a way, this set is not just for the LGBTQIA+ community. It’s for all of the allies — parents, siblings, friends, schoolmates, colleagues, etc. — out there as well.”
This year, on June 1, the company again promoted an “<a href="https://ideas.lego.com/activities/710a1994-c0cf-4ec3-b28d-5ce9dd161b65" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Everyone is Awesome</a>” activity on its official website. “It&#8217;s time to paint the town red, orange, yellow, green… basically a whole rainbow of color! That’s right, it’s Pride Month, and we’re celebrating the best way we know how: with LEGO® bricks!” the description says. 
“This year, we want you to celebrate what makes you — and everyone you love — quite frankly, AWESOME. Embrace the power of those words and what they mean to you.”
“Remember, the more color, the better! After all, what would a Pride-themed build be without bright, beaming splashes of color? We want to see Technicolor creations that celebrates everything Pride Month stands for. So, gather your bricks and unleash your creativity!”

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Three of America’s largest egg producers agreed to settle allegations that they conspired to manipulate wholesale egg prices between 2022 and 2025. 
The companies, Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman&#8217;s Egg Ranch, had been investigated by the Department of Justice and New York Democratic Attorney General Letitia James for more than a year. 
“When powerful corporations collude behind the scenes to raise prices, working families suffer the costs,” James <a href="https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2026/attorney-general-james-secures-more-50-million-eggs-and-33-million-after">said</a> on Monday.
The investigation found the companies “secretly communicated” through emails dating back to December 2022. Hickman’s CEO emailed executives at Cal-Maine and Versova, encouraging them to submit aggressive bids for eggs on a wholesale market exchange.
Their coordinated bidding raised price measures, influencing benchmark prices published by Urner Barry, now known as Expana. Higher benchmark prices can raise the prices paid by wholesalers, grocery stores, and ultimately consumers, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/inside-the-egg-price-fixing-scandal-that-spiked-american-grocery-bills-4a919c51?st=pbbC1G&amp;reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink">reported.</a> According to the complaint, the companies placed buy or sell orders intended to move prices, then canceled them before they were filled.  
“As a group we need to bid like they vote in Chicago, early and often,” said one alleged accomplice, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/atr/media/1450281/dl?inline">according</a> to a federal court complaint.
The executives&#8217; plan was executed when carton prices were at record highs and eggs were scarce, The Journal reported. 
In 2022, a widespread bird flu outbreak caused egg prices to skyrocket to $5.36 per dozen in the Midwest. In December 2022, the CEO of Hickman’s sent an Urner Barry report on the Midwest’s egg prices to fellow executives, according to the complaint. “Great job in the northwest today!” he said. 
In December 2024, egg prices increased again after another outbreak of the bird flu. “Let it rip,” said Cal-Maine’s former CEO in a text to the Hickman CEO. After this, their companies began casting aggressive bids to the Egg Clearinghouse, but the orders went unfilled.
The Department of Justice and attorneys general from 17 states <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-requires-egg-producers-end-coordinated-benchmark-manipulation">announced</a> a proposed settlement on June 30 calling for the three companies to end unlawful egg price manipulation, implement compliance measures, and cooperate fully with state oversight, <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/07/01/business/big-egg-producers-artificially-inflated-prices-as-americans-struggled-to-buy-groceries-must-now-pay-3-3m-doj/">according</a> to The New York Post.
Cal-Maine Foods, Versova, and Hickman&#8217;s Egg Ranch agreed to the settlement, which also included donating more than 50 million eggs to food banks and paying $3.3 million to the DOJ and 17 states involved in the investigation. 
“Under the settlement, all three companies must end their illegal coordination to manipulate prices, adopt compliance measures to prevent future violations, and fully cooperate with oversight by the states,” James said.

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Egg Magnates Accused Of Price-Fixing Scandal That Jacked Up Your Grocery Bill

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The Ford Motor Company has been hiring humans again after finding that artificial intelligence (AI) could not match the expertise of experienced technicians.  
Over the past three years, the second-largest U.S.-based automaker <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o">reportedly</a> said it rehired more than 300 &#8220;veteran&#8221; quality inspectors, including former Ford employees and engineers from other automotive suppliers, after automated systems fell short. 
“Over prior years, we didn’t pay as much attention as we should have to the experience of our most knowledgeable engineers that have been with us through many product cycles,” Ford Vice President of Vehicle Hardware Engineering Charles Poon said to reporters.
Ford&#8217;s renewed emphasis on experienced engineers coincided with improved vehicle quality. It <a href="https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-tops-jd-power-initial-quality-study">ranked</a> first among mainstream brands in the 2026 JD Power U.S. Initial Quality Study after placing 15th in 2023, a turnaround Ford has attributed to its renewed focus on experienced engineers.
The human employees were tasked with conducting mandatory weekly design reviews, identifying potential failure points in blueprints, and serving as internal auditors.
Ford had previously embraced AI across its operations. CEO Jim Farley predicted the technology would “leave a lot of white collar people behind,” while Chief Operating Officer Kumar Galhorta said AI would be used “across the entire industrial system.”
Ford&#8217;s plans included installing 900 AI-powered cameras in manufacturing plants and expanding AI-assisted engineering tools meant to tackle &#8220;quality issues&#8221; in the production process. But Poon said those systems fell short. 
“Mistakenly, we thought that by just introducing artificial intelligence and ingesting the design requirements that we had, that would produce a high-quality product,” Poon said.
Poon said AI remains &#8220;a fantastic tool,&#8221; but emphasized the technology is &#8220;only as good as the information you use to train it.&#8221;

In this photo illustration, the American multinational

Iconic American Company Re-Hires Humans After AI Wasn’t Up To Their Jobs

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