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<h3>What to expect</h3>

<p>Sony has kept the content under wraps, but the timing hints at major reveals. The February State of Play included a remaster of Days Gone, a Borderlands 4 release date, and Soros, a new title from Returnal developer Housemarque. April&rsquo;s stream was fully dedicated to Borderlands 4, showcasing multiplayer features and gameplay.</p>

<p>Given that track record, today&rsquo;s show could offer a mix of world premieres, updates on announced titles, and possibly a few surprise launches. With major competitors like Xbox and Nintendo preparing their own announcements later this week, Sony seems ready to make an early impact.</p>

<p>Whether you&rsquo;re hoping for sequels, fresh IPs, or gameplay deep dives, today&rsquo;s State of Play could set the tone for what the rest of 2025 holds for PlayStation gamers.</p>


Don’t Miss Sony’s June 4 State of Play. Watch it live!

State of Play Returns With Global PS5 Game Reveals

<h3>Say goodbye to sharing your phone number</h3>

<p>Until now, using WhatsApp meant handing over your personal number, which many users have found uncomfortable, especially when chatting in large groups, doing business, or meeting new people online. The upcoming username system solves this by allowing you to share a unique ID instead.</p>

<h3>Here&rsquo;s how it will work</h3>

<p>According to WABetaInfo&rsquo;s findings, usernames on WhatsApp will need to follow a few rules:</p>

<ul>
	<li>They must include at least one letter</li>
	<li>They can&rsquo;t start with &ldquo;www.&rdquo;</li>
	<li>They can use lowercase letters (a&ndash;z), numbers (0&ndash;9), periods, and underscores</li>
	<li>They must be between 3 and 30 characters</li>
</ul>

<p>This helps prevent spam and impersonation attempts while also giving users room to personalize their handles.</p>

<p>Once you&rsquo;ve selected a valid username, WhatsApp will confirm it with a cheerful confetti animation. From that point, it becomes tied to your account. Any username changes will trigger an automatic message in your chats, just like when you update your profile photo or phone number.</p>

<h3>Why this feature matters now</h3>

<p>This move is more than just a quality-of-life update. It addresses growing concerns around digital privacy and scams.</p>

<p>For years, users, particularly women and younger users, have hesitated to share their WhatsApp numbers due to the risk of spam, harassment, or phishing attempts. In some cases, just one exchange can lead to a barrage of unwanted messages, calls, or worse.</p>

<p>With usernames, WhatsApp can give users more control over how they share their identity online, without limiting how they use the platform.</p>


WhatsApp Is Finally Ditching Phone Numbers for Usernames

WhatsApp to Let You Chat Without Sharing Your Number

<p>Elsa is essentially an AI assistant explicitly built for FDA workers. It's meant to handle time-consuming tasks like reading clinical trials, summarizing adverse event reports, comparing product labels, and writing codes to organize nonclinical data. Instead of having scientists spend days manually reviewing documents, Elsa can now assist in minutes.</p>

<h3>How does this actually help you?</h3>

<p>If you've ever waited months for a new medication to get approved&mdash;or if you're a patient relying on a new medical device&mdash;you&rsquo;ve felt the effects of how long the review process can take. Elsa is designed to help speed up that process.</p>

<p>By helping FDA staff work faster, Elsa could lead to:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Quicker approvals of life-saving drugs and devices</li>
	<li>Faster investigations into products that may be causing harm</li>
	<li>More efficient recalls or safety updates when something goes wrong</li>
	<li>Better use of resources, especially as the agency operates under tight staffing</li>
</ul>

<h3>What Elsa can do&mdash;and what it can't</h3>

<p>Elsa was built inside a highly secure system (GovCloud), and the FDA says it doesn&rsquo;t train on any sensitive industry data, meaning it's not snooping through drug company submissions or learning from confidential medical studies. It also doesn&rsquo;t connect to the public internet, so while it&rsquo;s safe, it limits its capabilities.</p>

<p>Some of the tasks Elsa can already do include:</p>

<ul>
	<li>Summarizing reports of drug side effects</li>
	<li>Helping scientists compare drug or device labels</li>
	<li>Assisting with reviewing safety profiles of new treatments</li>
	<li>Generating code to build better internal databases</li>
</ul>

<p>Sources within the agency say that although Elsa is promising, it&rsquo;s still struggling with some basic tasks. According to two FDA staffers familiar with the rollout, Elsa sometimes gives incorrect or incomplete summaries, even for public information like approved product lists.</p>

<p>A related tool called CDRH-GPT, which was designed for the FDA&rsquo;s Center for Devices and Radiological Health (the team that oversees pacemakers, insulin pumps, X-rays, and more), is reportedly even further behind. According to the same sources, it's still in beta testing and &ldquo;doesn&rsquo;t yet connect to the FDA&rsquo;s internal systems and has issues when it comes to uploading documents or allowing users to submit questions.&rdquo;</p>

<p>Critics say the FDA may be rushing the technology out too quickly. &ldquo;I worry that they may be moving toward AI too quickly out of desperation, before it&rsquo;s ready to perform,&rdquo; said Arthur Caplan, head of the medical ethics division at NYU Langone Medical Center. &ldquo;It still needs human supplementation. AI is really just not intelligent enough yet to really probe the applicant or challenge or interact.&rdquo;</p>

<p>There are also concerns about trust and ethics. Richard Painter, a law professor at the University of Minnesota and former government ethics lawyer, warned, &ldquo;We need to make sure that the people involved in these decisions do not have a financial interest in the artificial intelligence companies that would get the contracts. A conflict of interest can greatly compromise the integrity and the reputation of a federal agency.&rdquo;</p>

<p>These growing pains have sparked concern among staff, some of whom feel that the agency is pushing AI too quickly before it&rsquo;s fully ready. With recent layoffs across the Department of Health and Human Services, including support roles at the FDA, there&rsquo;s anxiety that AI may be seen as a replacement rather than a supplement to human expertise.</p>

<p>Despite its growing pains, Elsa represents a significant shift in how the FDA operates&mdash;and by extension, how quickly the public might benefit from new therapies, food safety updates, or medical technologies.</p>

<p>If Elsa continues to improve and is deployed responsibly, it could help the FDA keep pace with modern health challenges, serve the public faster, and make critical safety decisions more efficiently. That&rsquo;s a future worth working toward.</p>


FDA’s New Elsa AI Tool Launches Under a Cloud of Doubt

Can AI Speed Up the FDA? Elsa Hopes to Do Just That

<p>Rare-earth magnets are integral to various automotive systems, such as anti-lock braking systems, power steering, and advanced driver-assistance systems. These magnets are predominantly sourced from China, which controls over 90% of the global processing capacity for these materials.</p>

<p>In April, China imposed new export restrictions on rare-earth magnets, requiring exporters to obtain licenses from Beijing. This move has led to a significant decrease in exports, with shipments halving in April compared to previous months. The licensing process has been described as opaque and time-consuming, causing delays and uncertainty among global manufacturers.</p>

<p>The Alliance for Automotive Innovation and the Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) have jointly raised concerns to the U.S. government, highlighting the potential for production halts if the supply of rare-earth magnets is not stabilized. Companies like Bosch have already reported challenges in obtaining necessary components due to the new restrictions.</p>

<p>The situation is further complicated by escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China. While U.S. officials have engaged in discussions with their Chinese counterparts to resolve the issue, progress has been slow. President Trump has accused China of violating trade agreements, while Chinese officials blame U.S. export controls for the current predicament.</p>

<p>If the shortage persists, automakers may be forced to reduce production volumes or even halt assembly lines, leading to significant economic repercussions. The dependency on a single source for critical components has exposed vulnerabilities in the global supply chain, prompting calls for diversification and increased domestic production capabilities.</p>

<p>The rare-earth magnet shortage underscores the fragility of global supply chains and the need for strategic planning to mitigate such risks. As the automotive industry navigates this challenge, collaboration between governments and manufacturers will be crucial to ensure stability and continuity in vehicle production.</p>


Rare-Earth Magnet Shortage Threatens Global Auto Production

<h3>The jobs gamble</h3>

<p>Proponents frame the credit as a lifeline for California&rsquo;s middle-class crew members&mdash;grips, electricians, and caterers&mdash;who have borne the brunt of runaway production. The California Film Commission estimates the $750 million cap could create 4,400&ndash;5,500 direct jobs, although that is just a fraction of the 40,000 lost since 2022. Critics, however, argue the subsidies disproportionately benefit studios without guaranteeing long-term growth.</p>

<p>&ldquo;This isn&rsquo;t a panacea,&rdquo; admits Assemblyman Rick Chavez Zbur, a key backer. &ldquo;But it will stem the steep slide.&rdquo; The Milken Institute projects a ripple effect of 14,886 total jobs, while the Legislative Analyst&rsquo;s Office warns such credits may merely &ldquo;crowd out&rdquo; other economic activity.</p>

<h3>Trump&rsquo;s tariffs and the global backlash</h3>

<p>The California push comes weeks after Trump&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/trump-announces-100-tariff-movies-produced-outside-us-2025-05-04/" target="_blank">tariff announcement</a>, which targeted foreign productions as a &ldquo;national security threat.&rdquo; The move sent shockwaves through Hollywood, where blockbusters like <em>Wicked</em> (filmed in the UK) and <em>Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes</em> (Australia) rely on overseas incentives.</p>

<p>Newsom countered by proposing a $7.5 billion federal tax credit, but Trump dismissed the idea, calling the governor &ldquo;grossly incompetent.&rdquo; Meanwhile, the UK, Australia, and Canada vowed to defend their film industries, with Bectu, a British union, warning tariffs could deliver a &ldquo;knock-out blow&rdquo; to their post-pandemic recovery.</p>

<h3>The race to the bottom</h3>

<p>California&rsquo;s bid mirrors incentives elsewhere:</p>

<ul>
	<li><a href="https://esd.ny.gov/new-york-state-film-tax-credit-program-production#objective" target="_blank">New York</a> boosted its annual credit to $700 million, adding perks for upstate shoots and musical scoring</li>
	<li>Georgia reinstated post-production credits and streamlined audits to retain projects like <em>Tulsa King</em>&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Texas and New Mexico are expanding programs, while the UK and Australia offer 30&ndash;40% rebates</li>
</ul>

<p>Yet even with higher credits, California&rsquo;s costs remain a hurdle. The state pays $30,000 per job created&mdash;half New York&rsquo;s rate&mdash;and excludes &ldquo;above-the-line&rdquo; star salaries from qualifying expenses.</p>

<h3>The view from the ground</h3>

<p>For below-the-line workers, the stakes are existential. &ldquo;LA is at risk of becoming Detroit,&rdquo; warns filmmaker Sarah Adina Smith, referencing the hollowed-out auto industry. Crew members like Greg Bartlett argue the $750 million credit is &ldquo;too little, too late&rdquo; but concede &ldquo;anything helps&rdquo;.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, global audiences face collateral damage. Tariffs could spike ticket prices for foreign films like Parasite or anime hits, while US studios might slash budgets to absorb domestic production costs.</p>

<p>California&rsquo;s gamble reflects a stark reality: Hollywood&rsquo;s golden age as an unchecked global leader is over. Whether tax credits can revive it&mdash;or merely slow its decline&mdash;remains uncertain. As FilmLA&rsquo;s Philip Sokoloski notes, &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve maintained leadership for a century. Now, it&rsquo;s ours to lose&rdquo;.</p>


California Doubles Film Tax Credits in Bid to Revive Hollywood Amid Global Competition

<h2 id="strategic-shift-amid-industry-challenges">Strategic Shift Amid Industry Challenges</h2>

<p>The layoffs, which took effect on Monday, June 2, 2025, reflect Disney's response to the ongoing decline in traditional television viewership and the increasing dominance of streaming platforms. As audiences continue to migrate from cable TV to digital streaming services, Disney is restructuring its operations to better align with these evolving consumer preferences.</p>

<p>A company spokesperson emphasized that the decision to eliminate jobs was made after careful consideration, aiming to operate more efficiently while maintaining the creativity and innovation that Disney is known for.</p>

<p>This round of layoffs marks the fourth significant workforce reduction in the past year. Earlier in 2025, Disney cut nearly 6% of its staff in the ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks, affecting approximately 200 employees. These previous cuts were part of a broader strategy to reduce costs amid shrinking TV ratings and revenue.</p>

<h2 id="impacted-divisions---global-reach">Impacted Divisions & Global Reach</h2>

<p>The recent layoffs have affected employees primarily in the United States, with many based in Los Angeles. However, the impact is global, extending to Disney's international operations. The affected departments include:</p>

<ul>
	<li><strong>Film and television marketing:</strong> Staff responsible for promoting Disney's film and television content</li>
	<li><strong>TV publicity:</strong> Teams handling public relations and media outreach for television programming</li>
	<li><strong>Casting and development:</strong> Personnel involved in selecting talent and developing new projects</li>
	<li><strong>Corporate finance:</strong> Employees managing financial operations and strategy</li>
</ul>

<p>Despite the significant number of layoffs, Disney has stated that no entire teams have been eliminated. The company described the cuts as "surgical," aiming to minimize the number of impacted employees while achieving operational efficiency.</p>

<h2 id="broader-restructuring---cost-cutting-initiatives">Broader Restructuring & Cost-Cutting Initiatives</h2>

<p>The recent layoffs are part of a broader restructuring effort initiated by Disney CEO Bob Iger, who returned to the company in late 2022. In early 2023, Iger announced plans to reduce the company's workforce by 7,000 employees and implement a cost-cutting program aimed at saving $5.5 billion. This initiative included consolidating operations, streamlining departments, and reducing the volume of content produced for traditional television.</p>

<p>As part of this strategy, Disney has also made significant changes to its programming approach. In March 2025, the company announced that all television series in production and development at Walt Disney Animation Studios had been shelved. The studio is pivoting away from long-form content for streaming platforms and focusing on theatrical feature films.</p>

<h2 id="financial-performance---future-outlook">Financial Performance & Future Outlook</h2>

<p>Despite the ongoing restructuring efforts, Disney reported better-than-expected earnings for the second quarter of 2025. The company's streaming service, Disney+, achieved profitability for the first time, and its theme parks and experiences division contributed positively to the overall financial performance.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Looking ahead, Disney is exploring new growth opportunities, including the development of a new theme park in Abu Dhabi. The company announced plans to partner with Miral Group to build Disneyland Abu Dhabi, its first new resort in a generation. This venture reflects Disney's commitment to expanding its global presence and diversifying its revenue streams.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The challenges faced by traditional media companies in adapting to the digital age have reached giants such as Disney. As audiences continue to shift toward streaming platforms, Disney is making difficult but necessary decisions to ensure its long-term viability. While these changes are impactful for the affected employees, they reflect the company's broader strategy to streamline operations and position itself for future success in an increasingly competitive media landscape.</p>


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Don’t Miss Sony’s June 4 State of Play. Watch it live!

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