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S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite Close at New Highs as Airline Stocks Soar After Strong Delta Earnings Report; Bitcoin Surges to Record

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Jensen Huang is Almost as Rich as Warren Buffett

19 minutes ago

Jensen Huang’s wealth could soon overtake famed investor Warren Buffett’s, as Nvidia’s rising stock has made the AI chipmaker the most valuable company in history. 

Nvidia (NVDA) on Wednesday became the first company to hit a market capitalization of $4 trillion, though it finished the day just below that level. The shares added another 0.8% Thursday to close just above $164, putting the market cap back above $4 trillion. The stock is 21% higher for 2025 and up roughly 1,400% over the past 5 years.

Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, owns about 3.5% of the AI boom’s poster child. He’s seen his net worth climb to an estimated $142 billion as of Wednesday, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, rising $2.47 billion yesterday alone, and swelling over $27 billion since the start of the year.

Huang speaking at the VivaTech trade show in Paris last month.

Chesnot / Getty Images


 This week’s gains have made Huang the 10th richest person in the world in Bloomberg’s ranking, just behind Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.ABRK.B) CEO and “Oracle of Omaha” Warren Buffett at an estimated $144 billion.

At that level, it wouldn’t take much for Huang’s wealth to overtake Buffett’s. Wall Street’s analysts are largely bullish on Nvidia’s potential for more gains, with a mean target near $175 compiled by Visible Alpha.

A Nvidia spokesperson declined to comment on the stock’s gains and Huang’s net worth.

Kara Greenberg

Estée Lauder Pops as BofA Issues ‘Buy’ Rating

1 hr 22 min ago

Shares of Estée Lauder Cos. (EL) surged Thursday after Bank of America reinstated coverage of the stock with a “buy” rating and a bullish price target, citing optimism about the cosmetics giant’s recovery efforts.

BofA Securities analysts gave the stock a price objective of $110. Estée Lauder shares were among the top S&P 500 gainers today, rising 6% to around $92.

BofA analysts wrote that Estée Lauder is the “#2 player in attractive market, where cyclical upside exists,” adding that the firm’s “Beauty Reimagined” turnaround plan would “drive efficiency & rebuild volumes.”

Last month, Deutsche Bank upgraded the stock to “buy” from “hold” and lifted its price target to $95 from $71, with analysts writing that Estée Lauder was “in a far better position to at least keep pace (if not surpass) market growth rates.”

With today’s sharp gains, Estée Lauder shares have added nearly a quarter of their value this year.

Aaron Rennie

Autodesk Sinks on Report It’s Looking to Buy Rival PTC

2 hr 24 min ago

Autodesk (ADSK) was among the worst-performing stocks in the S&P 500 Thursday, a day after a report that the engineering-software company was mulling an acquisition of rival PTC (PTC).

Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg  reported Wednesday that Autodesk “has been working with advisers to evaluate a cash-and-stock deal for Boston-based PTC.” The news site added that “no final decision has been made and Autodesk could opt against pursuing a deal for PTC.”

Autodesk has a market capitalization of about $60 billion, while PTC has a market value of roughly $23 billion.

Neither Autodesk nor PTC immediately returned an Investopedia request for comment.

Autodesk shares were down nearly 7% in recent trading to move into negative territory for the year. PTC shares were also down about 7% but remain up 6% for 2025.

Aaron Rennie

Why Wall Street Might be Underestimating Palantir

2 hr 49 min ago

Palantir’s (PLTR) stock has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the AI boom this year, with one longtime bull expecting it still has room to rise, amid some worries on Wall Street the stock could be overvalued.

Wedbush analysts led by Dan Ives raised their price target to $160 from $140 on Thursday, implying roughly 12% upside from Wednesday’s close, anticipating Palantir could be a “core winner in the trillions of AI spend over the next few years.”

However, Wedbush’s bullish stance stands out on Wall Street, with most of the 11 analysts surveyed by Visible Alpha divided between neutral and “sell” ratings. Their targets lean decidedly more bearish than bullish, with a mean of $97, amid some concerns the stock may have already climbed too high, too fast.

Palantir is the biggest gainer in the Nasdaq 100 so far in 2025.

TradingView


Palantir shares have added almost 90% in 2025 so far and are worth roughly five times today what they were a year ago as demand for Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform has surged. 

“We believe the Street is underestimating the $1 billion+ revenue stream that [Palantir’s Artificial Intelligence Platform] US commercial business can evolve into over the next few years and the technology competitive moat that (CEO Alex) Karp & Co. have built,” Wedbush told clients Thursday.

Wedbush added Palantir could be in a “sweet spot” to benefit from federal spending in North America and Europe, with the Trump administration’s focus on AI initiatives presenting another tailwind for the stock.

Last month, Palantir said it was partnering with professional services firm Accenture (ACN) to “deploy commercial-grade, AI-powered solutions to address federal agencies’ highest priority operational challenges.” The federal government has reportedly integrated Palantir’s software into multiple agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the Health and Human Services Department.

Palantir shares were down slightly at around $142 in late trading Thursday.

Andrew Kessel

AMD Jumps as HSBC Upgrades Stock on AI Chip Strength

4 hr 9 min ago

The performance of Advanced Micro Devices’ (AMD) latest AI chips is on par with those from Silicon Valley rival Nvidia’s (NVDA), HSBC analysts said.

In a note Thursday, HSBC analysts upgraded their rating on AMD to a “buy” from a “hold” and doubled their price target to $200, noting that AMD’s latest series of chips can compete with Nvidia’s Blackwell GPUs. AMD launched its Instinct MI350 Series GPUs last month, claiming the chips offered four times more computing power than its previous generation.

AMD shares were up more than 4% in recent trading, pacing Nasdaq 100 gainers.

“With the recent launch of the MI350 series, we were pleasantly surprised with the performance upgrades which imply that the MI350 series can compete with Nvidia latest-gen HGX B200 AI GPU,” HSBC analysts wrote. “Owing to the performance enhancements, the pricing premium is much higher than expected earlier which could help drive upside to earnings in 2025 and 2026.”

AMD CEO Lisa Su and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrive at a Senate hearing in May.

Nathan Howard / Bloomberg / Getty Images


The analysts, led by Frank Lee, also wrote that there was further upside possible for AMD shares when the chipmaker launches its MI400 series next year, which could compete with Nvidia’s next-generation Vera Rubin platform—scheduled for the second half of 2026. AMD unveiled the MI400 last month in an event hosted by CEO Lisa Su and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which has signed on as a customer for the next-gen chips.

Nisha Gopalan

Bitcoin Price Levels to Watch After Latest Record High

5 hr 16 min ago

Bitcoin (BTCUSD) hit an all-time high on Thursday after powering past $112,000 yesterday for its first new high since late May.

In recent months, the cryptocurrency has received a boost from more companies adding it to their corporate treasuries and lawmakers working towards passing pro-crypto legislation.

Bitcoin’s price nudged above the top trendline of a descending channel on Wednesday, paving the way for a continuation move higher. Moreover, the relative strength index confirms bullish momentum and remains below overbought levels, providing ample room for the digital asset to move into price discovery mode.

Source: TradingView.com.

However, it’s worth pointing out that trading volume continues to dwindle on Coinbase (COIN), the largest U.S.-based crypto exchange, suggesting that larger market participants, such as institutional investors, may be accumulating the asset through spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than exchanges.

The measuring principle projects an upside target if $146,400. Investors should also watch major support levels on bitcoin’s chart around $107,000 and $100,000.

Bitcoin was trading at $112,900 recently.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

Timothy Smith

Kellogg Pops as Ferrero Buys Cereal Giant for $3.1 Billion

5 hr 59 min ago

Shares of WK Kellogg (KLG) surged 30% Thursday as the maker of Froot Loops and Frosted Flakes announced it had reached a deal to be acquired by Italian sweets company The Ferrero Group for $23 per share in cash, or about $3.1 billion.

WK Kellogg stock had soared overnight on a report from The Wall Street Journal that the companies could finalize a deal “as soon as this week.” Shares were recently trading for $22.85—a level they hadn’t hit in more than a year as shifting attitudes towards diet and price increases in the category ate into cereal sales. The stock had entered Thursday trading slightly negative for 2025.

Lindsey Nicholson / UCG / Universal Images Group / Getty Images


“We believe this proposed transaction maximizes value for our shareowners and enables WK Kellogg Co to write the next chapter of our company’s storied legacy,” CEO Gary Pilnick said, adding that joining Ferrero would provide the firm “with greater resources and more flexibility to grow our iconic brands in this competitive and dynamic market.”

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025. The New York Stock Exchange-listed cereal giant said once it does, it would become a privately held subsidiary of Ferrero, which has more than 14,000 employees in North America, where its portfolio includes Nutella, Tic Tac, and Butterfinger.

“Over recent years, Ferrero has expanded its presence in North America, bringing together our well-known brands from around the world with local jewels rooted in the U.S.,” Ferrero Group Executive Chairman Giovanni Ferrero said. “Today’s news is a key milestone in that journey, giving us confidence in the opportunities ahead.”

WK Kellogg emerged in 2023 when Kellogg split up its cereal lines and snack business, which became Kellanova (K).

Sarina Trangle

Robotaxi Expansion, Grok Chatbot in Teslas Coming Soon

6 hr 31 min ago

Tesla (TSLA) will likely expand its robotaxi service in the coming weeks and months, and will also soon have Grok, the chatbot made by another Elon Musk-owned company, added to its vehicles likely by next week.

Musk made the statements in a pair of posts on X, the social media platform he owns, Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, responding to users discussing whether Grok would come to Tesla vehicles, and about Tesla’s robotaxi service that launched last month.

Musk said the area around Austin where its robotaxis can operate will get bigger this weekend, and said the EV maker is awaiting regulatory approval to expand to California’s Bay Area, which Musk said will likely happen in the next two months. The robotaxi launch has been relatively smooth, with some reported issues like vehicles stopping in the middle of an intersection and briefly driving on the wrong side of the road.

The looming addition of Grok to Tesla vehicles comes at a tense point for the chatbot, as earlier this week it was the center of its latest controversy surrounding dozens of antisemitic posts where the large language model referred to itself as “MechaHitler” and praised the German dictator.

The company removed the posts, and briefly took Grok offline for the public. In the days since, X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced her departure, with reports suggesting tensions were rising between her and Musk, and xAI also unveiled the newest version of the chatbot, Grok 4, on Wednesday night.

Former X CEO Linda Yaccarino speaking at the CES consumer electronics trade show in January.

Artur Widak / NurPhoto / Getty Images


Also on Wednesday, Tesla said in a regulatory filing that it will hold its annual shareholder meeting on Nov. 6. The filing came after pressure from shareholders and elected officials as it remains uncertain whether Tesla’s meeting taking place in November violates a Texas law requiring annual meetings to take place within 13 months of the previous meeting, as Tesla’s was held last July.

Tesla shares were up nearly 3% in recent trading. They have lost a quarter of their value since the start of this year, with some analysts calling for Tesla’s board to act to curb Musk’s involvement in politics.

Aaron McDade

MP Materials Stock Soars on Rare Earths DOD Deal

7 hr 59 min ago

Shares of MP Materials (MP) surged more than 50% in early trading Thursday after the rare earths miner announced a multibillion-dollar agreement with the Department of Defense.

The DoD is set to become MP Materials’ largest shareholder at 15% following an initial $400 million purchase of a new class of “preferred stock convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock, and a warrant permitting DoD to purchase additional shares of the Company’s common stock.”

MP Materials will use the government investment, along with a $1 billion funding line from JPMorgan Chase (JPM) and Goldman Sachs (GS) to fund the construction of its second domestic magnet manufacturing facility at a yet-to-be-decided location.

The company also agreed to a 10-year deal with the DoD establishing the government as a long-term customer of MP’s rare earths with a price floor of $110 per kilogram.

The Trump administration has stated that becoming less dependent on other nations like China for rare earths—metals used in production of a variety of commercial and military products—is a top priority and national security concern. Shares of MP and USA Rare Earth (USAR) have been boosted this year by that commitment.

MP Materials shares were up 56% recently, trading at their highest level in more than three years. USA Rare Earth shares were up about 15% this morning.

Aaron McDade

Delta Leads Airline Stocks Higher After Strong Earnings Report

8 hr 18 min ago

Delta Air Lines (DAL) was the top-performing stock in the S&P 500 early Thursday after the carrier reported better second-quarter results than analysts had expected and reinstated its full-year outlook.

Delta posted adjusted earnings per share of $2.10 on revenue that was roughly flat year-over-year at $16.65 billion. Analysts polled by Visible Alpha had projected $2.08 and $16.41 billion, respectively. Last quarter, Delta said it expected revenue to be down 2% to up 2%, with adjusted EPS within a range of $1.70 to $2.30.

For the third quarter, the airline sees revenue between flat and up 4%, with adjusted EPS between $1.25 and $1.75. Analysts expect revenue roughly flat at $15.69 billion, with adjusted EPS of $1.36.

Delta also reintroduced its full-year projections, saying it expects adjusted EPS of $5.25 to $6.25, with the midpoint well above analysts’ consensus of $5.31. Last quarter, it said it would provide an update to its outlook once the “current uncertainty” passed.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian speaking at an event in May.

Samuel Corum / Bloomberg / Getty Images


“As we look to the second half of our centennial year, we remain focused on executing our strategic priorities and managing the levers within our control to deliver strong earnings and cash flow,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said, adding that restoring its full-year guidance reflects “our confidence in the business.”

Delta shares were up roughly 13% recently, but they remain down about 6% since the start of the year. Shares of rivals United Airlines (UAL) and American Airlines (AAL) were also up sharply this morning.

Aaron McDade

Microsoft Levels to Watch as Stock Above $500 for 1st Time

8 hr 56 min ago

Microsoft (MSFT) shares hit another record high on Wednesday as the tech giant’s market capitalization moves closer to $4 trillion. 

The stock closed at around $503 yesterday, putting its market cap at $3.74 trillion, trailing only Nvidia (NVDA), which briefly surpassed the $4 trillion level on Wednesday.

Investment bank Oppenheimer believes Microsoft has room for further upside, placing a $600 price target on the stock yesterday, in part due to the company’s AI revenue growth prospects. Meanwhile, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told clients in a note Wednesday that he anticipates Microsoft to reach the $4 trillion mark this summer.

The stock has risen 46% from its early-April low and is nearly 20% higher year-to-date as of Wednesday’s close.

Source: TradingView.com.

After bottoming near the 200-week moving average in early April, Microsoft shares have remained in a strong uptrend, gaining in 12 of the past 14 weeks.

While the relative strength index confirms bullish price momentum, it has recently crossed into overbought territory, an area on the indicator that has previously coincided with consolidation phases in the stock.

It’s worth noting that the volume has trended downward during the stock’s move higher in recent months, indicating that some larger institutional investors may be waiting for the tech giant’s next earnings report before deploying more capital.

Investors should watch crucial support levels on Microsoft’s chart near $468 and $425.

Read the full technical analysis piece here.

Timothy Smith

Major Index Futures Holding Steady

9 hr 43 min ago

Futures tied to the Dow Jones Industrial Average were down 0.1%.

TradingView


S&P 500 futures fell fractionally.

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Nasdaq 100 futures were up less than 0.1%.

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Meet the Real Meg Stalter, Star of Lena Dunham’s New Show ‘Too Much’

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M
eg Stalter was fighting in a hot tub. She had come to a water park in Wisconsin to relax between stops on her comedy tour, which was styled as a series of fake rallies for a rich, famous, and clueless person running for president. (I know this is a difficult political scenario to imagine, but please stay with me.) While Stalter soaked, she became enraged by a group of hot-tub dwellers who were not embodying what she considered to be the spirit of the aquatic center, and she began screaming back and forth with them. “Wow, you seem like a lot of fun,” Stalter yelled, informing them that there were three other sections of the park they could move to if they had a problem with this particular one. Then she stood up, said, “You know what? I’m going to show you that if you don’t like to be around someone, you get up and leave,” turned, and banged her head on the wall.

This is probably tracking for those who know Stalter from her live performances, or Hacks, on which she plays the indefatigably clueless nepo-agent Kayla, or Stalter’s Instagram, which showcases her myriad well-­meaning, clueless characters, such as the personification of a business attempting to project allyship to the LQBTQIA+ community. (“Hi, gay! Happy Pride Month. We are sashaying away with deals.”) These talents are deployed to great effect on Too Much (July 10), the new Netflix series from married co-creators Lena Dunham and Luis Felber, in which Stalter plays a fictionalized version of Dunham, a voice of a clueless generation.

But Meg Stalter is not so much clueless as compassionately guileless. See, she was at the water park with her girlfriend, and there was a tiny child swimming alone in the hot tub. Some adults started sticking their arms out and pushing the boy away so he couldn’t enter “their area” because he was allegedly “scratching and splashing.” (At an all-ages water park, this seems like a barrier of entry.) When Stalter told them they could not touch another person’s kid but could feel free to steep elsewhere in the massive facility, the man in the group started cursing at her. And then she was so upset, actually shaking with anger as she went to go find the little boy’s parents, that she clonked her skull in front of those assholes. “It was so embarrassing,” Stalter says. “It was, like, out of a movie.”

Stalter’s protective instincts for the innocent extend to her own inner child, who is close enough to the surface as to be visible; her grooming tends toward pigtails and the kind of glittery makeup job one applies after receiving a fully stocked Caboodles makeup kit from Santa. Today, sitting in the empty audience of her favorite Los Angeles performance spot, Largo, before it opens, Stalter is wearing Hello Kitty Crocs and a one-shoulder dress in Lisa Frank-lite pastels. When we greet each other, she gives me tangerines she’d picked the day before on a trip to a farm with her girlfriend. The produce bag is sweetly tied with a sextuple-looped yellow ribbon.

Outfit by Reformation. Scarf by Mads Allen. Jewelry by Loren Stewart

In person, with her comedic cutie-brat persona tucked away, Stalter is earnest and vulnerable, frequently invoking the importance of her faith. “I’m very, like, a God girl,” she says. “So I believe that God has a plan for me, and if something happens, then he’ll have another plan.” Stalter is also, against all evidence, quite soft-spoken. “If I was in a store and someone shushed me in a scary way, that would affect me,” Stalter says. “If someone was mean to me, I could feel like the little girl. ‘Why would they be mean to her?’ ”

During Stalter’s childhood in Ohio, they were mean to her. After graduating from Catholic elementary school, she attended civilian middle school and struggled to understand why everyone wasn’t friends. The popular girls “tortured” her, she says. In an effort to facilitate the missing camaraderie, Stalter invited everyone to a Hawaiian-themed party at her house. She discovered invitations she’d lovingly handed out tossed in the trash at school. Two people wound up attending.

Stalter’s mom was (perhaps unsurprisingly) an early ally. She found Stalter funny for the things she still perceives to be true about herself: being “embarrassing or nervous and confident at the same time.” Stalter would do interpretive dances on the sidewalk; the joke was that her mom was the only one who knew she wasn’t crazy.

That tension of not everyone getting it is Stalter’s comedic modus operandi. She recalls a show at the Laugh Factory in Chicago, before she was famous, where the audience was full of drunk tourists — and a lone friend of Stal­ter’s. She had a bit where she would take the stage with blood pouring out of her mouth and open by saying, “Sorry if my mouth bleeds tonight. My mouth bleeds when I get nervous, but I think I’m OK tonight.” The only person who laughed at that show, and hysterically, was her buddy. It was a great night.

“It’s fun if it’s even just one person,” she says of connecting with an audience. “And sometimes that could be me.”

When she performs, Stalter says, “It’s something that comes over me like a trance. One of my best friends, [Saturday Night Live star] Sarah Sherman, told me that when she does stand-up, it feels like meditation. And I was like, ‘Oh, my God. It feels like that.’ ” Stalter says when she’s performed with a headache, she stops feeling it until she leaves the stage. “I think that’s when [I know] I’m meant to do that,” Stalter says. Any pain goes away while she enacts God’s purpose for her. 

In Too Much, Stalter’s Jessica is a celebration of the show’s title. The character is caught between a manic id fueled equally by a painful breakup and the lust of new love, and the debilitating superego induced by the same life events. Jess records a series of videos she doesn’t intend to release, directly addressing the woman her ex is now engaged to (played by the comically hot Emily Ratajkowski), and whips herself into self-­sabotage by questioning her new relationship with Felix (Will Sharpe of The White Lotus Season Two fame), who is loosely based on Felber. Any time you fear things are getting unsustainably tumultuous, you need only remind yourself that every episode is a play on the title of a famous rom-com (e.g., “Notting Kill”) and that its creators are now happily married enough to want to work together.

“When I’m performing, something comes over me like a trance. That’s when I know I’m meant to do it.”

The show gives Stalter her first major leading role. She is perhaps the only person besides Dunham who could have played it, which is why Dunham wrote it for her. 

Andrew Scott, who also appears in Too Much, introduced Dunham to Stalter’s work. Dunham says he’d shown her Meg’s videos “in the heart of Covid and said, ‘Do you know this girl? She’s your sister.’ ” (Dunham does play Stalter’s onscreen sister, hilariously despondent after her husband decides to explore bisexuality and polyamory while she languishes in a series of increasingly sedentary supine positions.) “I became totally transfixed,” Dunham says. “Someone whose characters operate on the edge of delusional, on the edge of cringe, but is always ultimately in on the joke — that, to me, is my comedy DNA.” Dunham cites the characters David Brent on the U.K. Office, Patsy and Edina on Absolutely Fabulous, and Valerie Cherish of The Comeback as Stalter’s fictional ancestors.

Around 2022, Dunham DM’d Stalter on Instagram and said she had a project in mind. Stalter was a mega Girls fan and had felt a kinship with Dunham through the screen. “I’d connect to this person,” she’d thought about a hypothetical but unlikely future meeting while watching Dunham play Hannah Horvath, the series’ divisive protagonist. 

When Stalter and Dunham got on Zoom, Stalter’s instinct was confirmed. Dunham had made a deck of the show — kind of a mood board/game plan for a television series — and there were photos of Stalter on it as the main character. Then Dunham told Stalter, “Girls was about sex, and this is about love.” It was kismet; Stalter had met her now-partner only four months earlier and refers to her this way: “No one’s perfect except for my girlfriend.”

“We’re very different, just like Lena and Luis,” Stalter says. “When me and Lena first talked, we were bonding over that. I feel like I’m the Lena, and I’m the one bringing home a thing.

Stalter is referring to the chaos of her life, but sometimes the “thing” is literal. Imagining a conversation between Felber and Dunham, Stalter riffs, “She could be like, ‘Honey, I bought a pig today.’ And then he’s like [affectionately], ‘Oh, Lena.’ ” Working with the couple proved the premise of the show. “It just feels like Luis fully lets Lena, and Lena lets Luis, be exactly who they are,” Stalter says. “I think sometimes you could be with someone who likes all the differences.”

Top and Shoes by Reformation. Bra by Norma Kamali. Scarf by Mads Allen. Jewelry by Loren Stewart.

In her own menagerie, Stalter currently has two cats — one rather more aloof, and one hairless snuggler named Suki — and a dog called Bunny, who manages an anxiety disorder with medication and as much physical contact with Stalter as possible. On Too Much, Jess, like Dunham, has a bald dog, procured after giving up a rescue (in this case named Cutesie) because of behavioral issues. 

In 2017, Dunham went through several heinous press cycles, including one around the saga of her and then-partner Jack Antonoff’s real-life dog, Lamby, whom they surrendered to a canine rehabilitation center after multiple instances of aggression. In Too Much, Jess’ boyfriend forces her to “get rid” of their dog after it nearly bites someone. It’s one of many moments that invite a close read, especially in the context of Dunham’s autobiographical pieces of writing about her wrenching breakup with Antonoff and her subsequent move to London — the city where Stalter’s character decamps after the end of a relationship with a Jewish ex-boyfriend.

“People love when they see something and they’re like, ‘Is that from that person’s real life?’ ” Stalter says. “Even if it’s not all factual or it’s not literally a biography, someone so open about sharing their real experiences or at least putting them into certain characters, it’s really beautiful, because we get to learn about her. That’s why when I saw Girls, even though [Lena is] not Hannah, there’s parts of her in her stuff. That’s the most beautiful thing to see, someone who’s putting their heart and energy into something and you get to learn about them — but then you’re not taking everything that happened as truth.”

At the precipice of her highest-profile role yet, Stalter is contemplating what the project might mean for nonconsensual probing into her own life. People watching her videos is fine, because she has complete control over them, and people are seeing them in their homes. When audiences come to her stand-up shows, well, that’s what she’s always wanted, and the work is begetting fans who want to see more work. “It feels contained or something,” Stalter says. “And then with Hacks, it’s been so huge and life-changing. But in my mind, I could be safe because I’m not the lead in it.

“Lena is someone I’ve been such a huge fan of, so it was really crazy to wrap my mind around being in the show,” Stalter says slowly. “But then when I got to know her, she felt like a sister and a friend. So now the show feels like a play that we did for each other, and that this really contains a special thing.”

“Getting to know Lena, she felt like a sister and a friend. So now the show feels like a play that we did for each other.”

Sharpe remembers filming an episode — one of the best of the series — that takes place over one night, in Stalter’s character’s apartment. The couple has had sex too many times, and Sharpe’s character has hit his refractory limit. Sharpe’s line after aborting the encounter was supposed to be something like, “I’m in my thirties, queen. I’m all out.” After an exhausting day of filming, it came out, in a posh accent, as, “That’s me done for the evening, I’m afraid.” Stalter named this imaginary interloping gentleman “the Midnight Man,” and pointed out every time Sharpe strayed into Midnight Man territory during production. Then she made him a shirt with the moniker on it. “Because of the energy of Lena — and Meg, in particular — it put you in quite a positive, hopeful, loving mindset,” Sharpe says of shooting the series. “Just seeing the best in everything and in everyone.”

The setting allowed Stalter the confidence and space to play a role that both exercises her obvious comedic virtuosity and shows previously untapped dramatic ability, from dealing with insecurity (not a state expressed by a typical Stalter character) to a breakdown during a breakup. “Some of the stuff that’s in the show I feel is like, Oh! Nobody would ever see me do this if it wasn’t on TV,” Stalter says. “When you’re crying in your room alone, people don’t see that unless it’s on TV. I’m really crying.”

Embodying what Dunham describes as Stalter’s “incredible mix of warm/fuzzy and boundaried strength,” Stalter explains how she approached fictional sex with the advice of intimacy coordinator Miriam Lucia: “During kissing scenes or during vulnerable stuff, it’s not actually you, and you don’t have to do it the way you do, because you can save that part for yourself.” As for Stalter’s corporeal being — beautifully showcased on a series in which her character is implicitly contrasted with one played by an actual supermodel — she says, “I’m very about taking care of my body and being healthy, but I have not wanted to be skinny or lose weight for cosmetic reasons since high school.” A beacon for us all.

To make public the kind of deeply personal moments fostered by Dunham’s writing is, by definition, exposing. “It just feels really vulnerable,” Stalter says. “It’s hard or strange to think of it being on such a huge platform. It’s exciting … but also, just, Netflix is so big.”

Stalter points to her career-long luck of collaborating with people like Dunham and the Hacks team. “I’ve not worked with evil people,” she says. “I don’t know how.” But she also considers the world this project is opening her up to. “I think there is power in Hollywood that is gross,” she says. “There’s a lot of darkness in the industry, and things that can corrupt you, like money and power.” 

Stalter isn’t particularly concerned. “I feel so connected to God and grounded that I feel like I would not get swept up by anything in Hollywood,” she says.

Stalter sees herself representing — in her life, in a movie she’s developing called Church Girls, and in the “evil, crazy, weird villain” version of herself she plays onstage — people like her, who grew up with God in places like the Midwest, and who maybe didn’t finish college either. “Their lives are just as big as ours,” she says, finally daring to group herself in with her famous peers.

“I’m always going to be sensitive,” Stalter says. “I am still that little girl in middle school being like, ‘Why don’t they want to come to the Hawaiian party?’ But it’s like, there’ve been so many other parties.”

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Produced by PATRICIA BILOTTI at PBNY PRODUCTIONS. Styled by KAT TYPALDOS. Hair by ERICKA VERRETT at A-FRAME using ROZ. Makeup by MELISSA HERNANDEZ at A-FRAME using HAUS LABS. Photo assistants: SCOTT TURNER and SANDRA RIVERA. Styling assistant: LYDIA GINGRICH. Photographed at DUST STUDIOS



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Feds offer $50,000 reward in apparent firing of gun at agents after clash with protesters

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LOS ANGELES — The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward in the search for someone who appeared to fire a pistol at federal immigration agents during protests Thursday near Los Angeles, the U.S. attorney for the region said.

U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor for the Central District of California based in Los Angeles, announced the reward Thursday night, hours after what appeared to be tear gas was used against protesters near Camarillo in Ventura County.

He shared on X helicopter news footage from ABC affiliate KABC of Los Angeles that showed a man in a black T-shirt point what appeared to be a handgun during the protest and tear gassing. He and U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the incident happened around 2:26 p.m.

There were no reports of anyone being struck by gunfire during the incident.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott said Thursday night that the farm was a marijuana grow, and that 10 juveniles who are in the country without authorization were found there.

“It’s now under investigation for child labor violations,” Scott said.

Glass House Brands, a cannabis company, said that officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement visited its farm Thursday.

“The company fully complied with agent search warrants and will provide further updates if necessary,” the company said. Cannabis is legal in California under state law approved by voters.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, on social media shared video showing tear gas being used and children running. Newsom said in reply to another comment on X that he condemns any assault on law enforcement.

Recent federal immigration operations in the Los Angeles area have infuriated some local officials, including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, a Democrat, who said they are motivated by a political agenda “of provoking fear and terror.”

U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley, a Democrat whose district includes Camarillo, said Thursday that there has been a lack of transparency from ICE and the federal government and that she will demand answers.

“These militarized raids are not routine immigration enforcement. They are part of a deliberate, disruptive, and ongoing campaign of cruelty that is an unacceptable assault on our way of life,” she said in a statement. “ICE should be focused on individuals who pose real threats to public safety, not carrying out broad sweeps that destabilize entire communities.”

The U.S. attorney, Essayli, was appointed by President Donald Trump and was sworn in on April 2.

He has said that Los Angeles’ “sanctuary city” policies are “deliberately obstructing the enforcement of federal immigration law.” The Department of Justice on June 30 filed a lawsuit against the city over those policies.

Camarillo is a city of around 70,000 in Ventura County, around 50 miles west of downtown Los Angeles. The region is known for its agriculture.



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Justin Bieber Surprise-Releases New Album Swag: Listen

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Justin Bieber has surprise-released a new album called Swag. The album features Dijon, Lil B, Sexyy Red, the comedian Druski, Gunna, Cash Cobain, 2 Chainz, and others. Production comes from Dijon, Mk.gee, Knox Fortune, Daniel Caesar, and more, and a key songwriter across the album is Tobias Jesso Jr. Listen to the album below.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Bieber had been hosting “jam sessions” at his Los Angeles home in recent months. The publication also reported that the singer decamped to Iceland to jam, “vibe out,” and finish his album.

One of the new album’s collaborators, Mk.gee, had previously spoken about his work with Bieber for a New York Times feature. “He’s searching,” the guitarist told The Times’ Joe Coscarelli last year. “Anything that comes out of his mouth: That’s pop music,” he continued. “You can really do pretty wild stuff behind that, just because it represents something.”

Swag is Bieber’s seventh studio album and first since 2021’s Justice. He began his Justice World Tour the next year, but he had to cancel it early due to health issues. The tour cancellation apparently led to financial issues with his then-manager Scooter Braun, who allegedly helped Bieber cover the more than $20 million that the singer owed to the tour’s promoter, AEG Presents. Bieber and Braun recently settled their dispute, according to The Hollywood Reporter and TMZ.

In 2023, Bieber sold his catalog to Recognition Music Group (then known as Hipgnosis) for a reported $200 million. It marked the company’s largest catalog acquisition at the time.

Bieber has limited his musical output in the time since Justice. He teamed up with SZA on “Snooze (Acoustic),” Kehlani on “Up at Night,” and Omah Lay on “Attention,” to name a few of his collaborative efforts. He also shared the songs “Honest,” “I Feel Funny,” and “Beautiful Love (Free Fire).”

Justin Bieber soundtracked one of his promotional posts for Swag with Florida rapper Bossman Dlow’s Mr Beat the Road standout “Talk My Shit.” Read more about the pop superstar’s fascination with regional hip-hop in Alphonse Pierre’s column “What the Hell Is Justin Bieber Doing on Rob49’s ‘WTHelly?’





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