Anthropic has asked a US court for permission to intervene in the remedy phase of an antitrust case against Google, arguing that the US governments call for a ban on Google investing in AI developers could hurt it.Analysts suggest the AI startups fears are founded, and that it risks losing customers if the governments proposal is adopted.Its enterprise clients might face uncertainties regarding the continuity of services and support, potentially affecting their operations, said Charlie Dai, principal analyst at Forrester.The governments proposed remedies including the ban on AI investments after the US District Court for the District of Columbia found the search giant guilty of maintaining a monopoly in online search and text advertising markets in August 2024.The proposed investment ban is aimed at stopping Google from gaining control over products that deal with or control consumer search information, and in addition to preventing further investment in any AI startup would also force it to sell stakes it currently holds, including the $3 billion one in Anthropic.On Friday, Anthropic filed a request to participate in the remedy phase of the trial as an amicus curi or friend of the court.A forced, expedited sale of Googles stake in Anthropic could depress Anthropics market value and hinder Anthropics ability to raise the capital needed to fund its operations in the future, seriously impacting Anthropics ability to develop new products and remain competitive in the tight race at the AI frontier, the AI startup said in a court filing justifying the request.It said it had contacted representatives for the plaintiffs in the case the US government and several US states seeking to influence the proposal.Remedy wouldnt just affect GoogleWhile Anthropics primary concern is that the proposed investment ban could hurt the value of the company, it is also worried that it could put it on the back foot against rivals.This would provide an unjustified windfall to Anthropics much larger competitors in the AI space including OpenAI, Meta, and ironically Google itself, which (through its DeepMind subsidiary) markets an AI language model, Gemini, that directly competes with Anthropics Claude line of products, the company said in the filing.Abhivyakti Sengar, senior analyst at Everest Group also shares Anthropics view on the effect of the proposed ban.Forcing Google to sell its stake in Anthropic throws a wrench into one of the AI industrys most significant partnerships, Sengar said, adding that while it might not cause an immediate loss of customers, any disruption to the performance or reliability of Anthropics models or its innovation speed could drive business towards its rivals.The AI startup, additionally, tried to differentiate itself with rivals, such as OpenAI, by pointing out that unlike its competitors it is not owned or dominated by a single technology giant.While both Amazon and Google have invested in Anthropic, neither company exercises control over Anthropic. Google, in particular, owns a minority of the company and it has no voting rights, board seats, or even board observer rights, it said in the filing.Further, it said that Google doesnt have any exclusive rights to any of its products despite investing nearly $3 billion since 2022 in two forms, direct equity purchase and purchases of debt instruments that can be converted into equity.AI was never part of the caseAmong the arguments that Anthropic makes against the proposed remedy, it notes that neither it nor Googles other AI investments were ever a part of the case.Neither complaint alleged any anticompetitive conduct related to AI, and neither mentioned Anthropic. The only mention of AI in either complaint was a passing reference in the US Plaintiffs complaint to AI voice assistants as one of several access points through which mobile-device users could access Googles search services, it said in the filing.In addition, it claimed that forcing Google to sell its stake could diminish Anthropics ability to fund its operations and potentially depress its market value as alternative investors deal in millions and not the billions Google invested.Forcing Google to sell its entire existing stake in Anthropic within a short period of time would flood the market, sating investors who would otherwise fund Anthropic in the future, it said in the filing.Analysts too warned that the future of Anthropics operations and its ability to retain customers will depend on the startups ability to secure investment if the proposal is adopted.That, said Everests Sengar, will determine whether it will be a setback or an opportunity for greater independence in the AI race.Forresters Dai agreed, adding that if Anthropic can quickly reassure its customers and demonstrate a clear plan for continuity and innovation, it may retain their trust and loyalty.

The latest in a series of leaks about the physical chassis design of the iPhone 17 range says that it will be a significant departure from previous models.A render of the front of the iPhone 17, which isn't expected to change so dramaticallyWith Apple rumors, there is quite often smoke without any fire, but a new leak backs up sporadic previous claims about the design of the iPhone 17 range. Previous rumors have said, for instance, that at least the iPhone 17 Pro will feature a new camera bar layout.Now according to leaker "Digital Chat Station" on Chinese social media site Weibo, the design changes will be significant. Depending on which machine translation is used, the poster describes the change as varying from greatly, to significant, and even dramatic. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work throughArchitizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.At some point in the last decade, the idea of a cultural pilgrimage has shifted from tours of cathedrals in Europe and exploring ancient ruins in Asia to snapping a selfie outside that particular brownstone in New York or running full speed up a certain set of museum steps in Philadelphia.Every day, sites around the world are flooded with visitors who, thanks to their portrayal in TV shows and movies, are more interested in a landmarks on-screen role than the true history of the architecture. The medieval streets of Dubrovnik have been recast as Kings Landing, Matamata in New Zealand has been known as Hobbiton since the early 2000s, and in Albuquerque, the owners of a perfectly ordinary family home have had to install a fence, not for security but to deter Breaking Bad fans from lobbing pizzas onto their roof.Its a phenomenon that is changing urban landscapes and, in some cases, requiring quite extensive intervention.Unlike traditional tourism, which at its core is cultural appreciation, film-induced travel, otherwise known as set-jetting, is obsessively specific. It doesnt focus on a certain city or a period of history with broad geographical bearings. A single storyline, character or shot is what is important to fans. They want to stand in the exact spot where their favourite character was triumphantly victorious or mercilessly executed. In the process, theyve arrived in droves and altered the significance of these singular places, creating shrines of pop culture.Highclere Castle, United Kingdom | Photo by leefenn-tripp via Pixabay.For some locations, its a financial lifeline, pouring fresh revenue into a building that might otherwise be in disrepair. For others, it becomes more of a burden than a blessing. For better or worse, film-induced tourism has become a global sensation. As streaming services flood our screens with expansive universes, fans increasingly want to walk in the footsteps of their favourite fiction.Yet it isnt merely the novelty of fans running around in cloaks or brandishing plastic swords that makes fan pilgrimages great. On a deeper level, these pilgrimages are changing the way in which entire communities and their architecture survive.For some buildings, cinematic fame provides a second life by injecting huge amounts of revenue. If Highclere Castle, the grand 19th-century estate immortalized as Downton Abbey, had relied solely on heritage grants and private funding, it might have suffered the same fate as countless stately homes across Great Britain. Partial closure, dwindling maintenance or an ignoble transformation into a corporate events venue is a story told year in and year out.Instead, since the shows debut, the estate has welcomed over 120,000 visitors a year, pouring revenue into much-needed roof repairs and historically accurate conservation work that might otherwise have been impossible. In the decade since Downton Abbey first aired, ticketed tours and spin-off events have funded repairs on over 50 rooms, helping the estate maintain its integrity without compromising its history. A similar story unfolded with the Hatley Castle in Canada, a popular film location for over 80 years. See X-Men and Deadpool as recent examples.Dubrovnik, Croatia | Photo by Ioannis Ioannidis via Pixabay.However, for locations with genuine architectural or historical significance, film tourism can be a double-edged sword. The streets of Dubrovnik, now synonymous with Game of Thrones, have seen an explosion in foot traffic, with over 4 million overnight stays recorded in 2019 double the numbers from 2012, when the series first aired. The historic limestone streets, some over 700 years old, have suffered serious erosion under the weight of tourists, leading UNESCO to recommend stricter visitor management strategies.In cases like this, preservation authorities struggle with a fundamental question: should a site continue to be protected for its actual history, or should it evolve to accommodate the identity given to it by popular culture? The latter isnt as absurd as it sounds. After all, heritage is often shaped by perception as much as fact. The difference is that in traditional historic preservation, the narrative is that of real events. With film tourism, it is dictated by a storyline that has no direct connection to the site itself.Skellig Michael, County Kerry, Ireland | Photo by NakNakNak via PixabayIn truth, some places simply werent designed to handle their newfound popularity. Skellig Michael, a 6th-century monastic settlement off the Irish coast, saw visitor numbers surge from 11,000 to 17,000 annually after its role in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. While its dry-stone beehive huts have withstood centuries of Atlantic storms, they are far more vulnerable to human impact. The narrow stairways, never intended for large crowds, face accelerated erosion, prompting conservation authorities to also introduce strict visitor caps and controlled access points.The architectural imprint of film tourism doesnt just affect existing buildings either. It influences future development. In cities eager to capitalize on cinematic fame, new projects have been seen to take design cues from fictional worlds, ultimately reshaping the architectural vernacular of a place.Tribune Tower Conversion by SCB, Chicago, IllinoisFor instance, Chicagos postmodern skyline has played the role of Gotham City many times, with Christopher Nolans Dark Knight trilogy using the citys real streets and skyscrapers to depict Batmans cinematic world. In the years following, multiple new high-rise developments have adopted darker glass faades and angular silhouettes, mimicking the aesthetics of Gothams on-screen identity. Whether deliberate or not, film-driven perception feeds back into the real world, influencing design choices in profound ways.Hotel Marcel by Becker + Becker, New Haven, ConnecticutLikewise, on a broader scale, the revival of Brutalism in contemporary architecture can, in part, be attributed to shifting cultural feelings about the style that everyone once hated. Once regarded as ugly relics, the worst of mid-century design, the stark, imposing concrete structures have become essential backdrops for dystopian productions. Andor, The Last of Us and even Blad Runner 2049 all adopt a brutalist aesthetic, making it popular once more. This renewed visibility has fuelled a growing appreciation for Brutalist icons, recognizing them as sought-after cinematic settings.In most cases of popularity as a result of set-jetting, the challenge lies in finding a balance between welcoming the cultural and economic benefits without sacrificing architectural integrity. For some, this means enforcing crowd management strategies for protection. In others, it might involve leaning into a sites newfound cinematic legacy and using it as a means of reinvention. The most sustainable approach is one that acknowledges that a building can be both historically significant and culturally redefined and that architecture can exist in a state of continuous reinterpretation without losing its core identity.Architects: Want to have your project featured? Showcase your work throughArchitizerand sign up for ourinspirational newsletters.Top image: Hobbiton in New Zealand by hunt-er via PixabayThe post Set-Jetting: How Film Tourism is Changing Real-World Landmarks appeared first on Journal.

Monster Hunter Wilds is nearly upon us, launching in a little over two weeks for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. The hype is palpable, especially given all the improvements, changes, and new features, and thankfully, theres no shortage of new details. Check out 15 new things you should know about Monster Hunter Wildsbefore pre-ordering.Newly Revealed MonstersFollowing the latest showcase, the developer revealed another new monster Hirabami, a Leviathan who floats around and deals Ice damage. Its found in Iceshard Cliffs, the fourth confirmed region thus far, and seemingly travels in packs of three, acting as much more of an annoyance for Hunters.Confirmed Returning MonstersOf course, even more classic monsters return, including Nerscylla from (last seen in Generations Ultimate) and Gore Magala (who last rampaged through Sunbreak). The former is a Temnoceran who can web its prey and deal Poison damage. The latter fights chaotically and serves as the amateur form of Shagaru Magala, an Elder Dragon.Power ClashAs youve probably seen throughout multiple trailers by now, a new mechanic called Power Clash can trigger while fighting. It sees the player and monster locked in a struggle to gain leverage as you desperately mash the attack button. While its not much more than a cool-looking sequence, you can create a small opening after winning out.Strength Levels for MonstersOpening the regional map in Wilds will display all the different monsters present at the time. If you hover over a specific target, you can see their Strength Level, which is surprise, surprise an estimate of their power. So, if youre venturing through the Windward Plains and see an Alpha Doshaguma with a 4-star Strength Level, maybe exercise some caution before diving in.Dialogue ChoicesMonster Hunter isnt full of branching choices and alternate endings like some other RPGs. However, Wilds is dabbling in dialogue choices inspired by The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt collaboration quest from Monster Hunter World. Interestingly, the developer told IGN that they looked at the latter as a test for how players would react to dialogue options in a Monster Hunter title. Whether these choices offer more than just additional information on the setting and characters remains to be seen.HUD ChangeAnother new feature inspired by a collaboration quest in World with Final Fantasy 14 is the names of attacks appearing in the heads-up display. Though meant to emulate the raid-like atmosphere of the MMO, it can offer some more context on the moves performed in Wilds. Besides, players like seeing the names of their attacks while performing them.Radial Menu ImprovementsWhile Monster Hunter Wilds provides a whopping eight radial menus to customize, up from four, it also offers a new dynamic menu. This contains options that change on the fly, like selecting the best healing item for a situation. If youre slightly injured, the option for a Potion appears. Close to death? A Max Potion option will become available to consume. Its a great way to cut down even more on cycling through menus and receive the proper healing.Creating Wounds While MountedWounds are new in Wilds and serve as little weak spots you can target with Focus Strikes for more damage. While theyll appear naturally during fights as you damage a specific area, you can also wound a monster while mounting them. Even better is that you can then destroy the wound while mounted, dealing massive damage and toppling the monster.Sharpening AnimationsRemember the good old days when taking damage could reset your weapon sharpening process if the animation wasnt completed? In Monster Hunter Wilds, each motion now individually contributes to the sharpness meter of a weapon. This means you can at least restore some sharpness, even if the process is interrupted for whatever reason.Return of DecorationsGood or terrible news based on your struggles to min-max Decorations are returning, doled out completely at random. Present throughout the series, Decorations offer additional skills of varying levels. The developer confirmed to IGN that theyll function similarly to World, alongside the option to create single-skill decorations through other activities.Online Single-Player ModeRevealed during the recent showcase, online single-player mode will start you out in lobbies that dont have other players. However, while exploring, you can choose the SOS Flare, and it will immediately transition to online play to call on flesh-and-blood Hunters to help out. Offline play is still very much an option, though, so dont worry.Layered ArmorWhile Layered Armor is available as bonuses for pre-ordering or picking up the Deluxe Edition, you can also unlock the same when crafting High Rank equipment. This is essentially Transmog and only changes the look of your armor without affecting its stats.Updated PC RequirementsAs promised, the development team has slightly lowered the requirements for playing on PC while also outlining the hardware necessary for other settings. At the lowest preset, you need a Core i5-10400, a Core i3-12100 or a Ryzen 5 3600 with 16 GB RAM and a GTX 1660 or Radeon RX 5500 XT. This will ensure 1080 (upscaled from 720p) and 30 FPS at the lowest quality. Meanwhile, playing at 1440p/60 FPS (with Frame Generation enabled) requires the same level of Intel CPUs, an RTX 460 Ti or Radeon RX 6700 XT, and 16 GB of RAM.If you want 4K/60 FPS and Ultra settings, you better have a Core i5-11600K or a Ryzen 7 5800X with an RTX 4070 Ti or Radeon RX 7800 XT with 16 GB of RAM. Also, regardless of everything else, a solid state drive with 75 GB of free space is required. Those running the game at 4K settings can also download a high-resolution texture pack, though this bumps the installation space up to 150 GB and requires a GPU with 16 GB VRAM.PC Benchmark ToolIf youre curious how your PC will cope with Wilds, a new benchmark tool is available, allowing the testing of various settings for cutscenes and gameplay. Based on how well your hardware performs, it will receive a score advising you on whether its playable or whether some settings require changing. Granted, its not a one-to-one guarantee for the full games performance, but should provide a decent outline.PS5 Pro FeaturesMonster Hunter Wilds will also launch with PS5 Pro support, with the developer confirming Prioritize Resolution and Prioritize Framerate modes. The former will focus more on the resolution and image quality while offering ray-traced reflections, while the latter runs at 60 frames per second and seemingly uses PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution for upscaling. The update will be available on day one for the console.

Bethesda has taken to social media platform X to announce that Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be getting a major update next week. Aptly titled Update 3, the patch will bring with it a host of fixes and improvements, as well as support for Nvidias new DLSS 4 technology.As part of the update, the PC version of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will start supporting Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction features. While a comprehensive list of changes coming in the update havent yet been revealed, Bethesda has said that it will release the patch notes some time next week.Update 3 for #IndianaJones and the Great Circle is arriving next week, announced Bethesda on X. It will bring fixes, improvements, as well as support for Nvidia DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction. Keep an eye out for full patch notes and details next week.The announcement comes two months after update 2 of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle was released. The update brought with it a host of fixes, especially revolving around glitches for save files and general gameplay. The first update, released back in December, had brought ray tracing to the PC release of the game.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle has been an immense success for developer MachineGames, as well as Bethesda and Xbox. Back in January, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella announced that the game had been played by more than 4 million players. This would include players that bought the game, as well as those playing through Game Pass.The game wasnt too far behind in terms of sales either, becoming the second-best selling game in the United States shortly after release. The game also saw quite a bit of critical acclaim, which was then celebrated by MachineGames with a trailer showcasing all of its accolades.While the future of the game is uncertain, rumours have indicated that the success of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle might have sparked a decision to work on more games based on the Indiana Jones franchise.Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is available on PC and Xbox Series X/S. A PS5 release is also planned for release in Spring 2025. Check out our review for more details.Update 3 for #IndianaJones and the Great Circle is arriving next week! It will bring fixes, improvements, as well as support for NVIDIA DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction. Keep an eye out for full patch notes and details next week. pic.twitter.com/NUx0pGoaqx Bethesda (@bethesda) February 13, 2025

Shu Yoshida left Sony on January 15. He spent 38 years at Sony, including 31 years at PlayStation, and managed many of its big hits.Read More

AGBO, the artist-led independent studio started by the Russo brothers of Avengers fame, has appointed Pete Wanat to a tech position.Read More

Violent metaphors abound for whats happening in Washington: Elon Musk and his allies have taken a slash-and-burn approach to the government and a sledgehammer to government institutions, doing away with supposed waste and excess while leaving the fundamental structure intact. All of this is being done with the stated goal of ridding the federal workforce of the scourge of wokeness and DEI diversity, equity, and inclusion, a term that has become a catchall for anything Musk and other MAGA insiders dont like. USAID is DEI. The National Institutes of Health is DEI. The National Endowment for the Arts? Obviously DEI. We can probably all agree that the woke word cloud at the FBI Academy in Quantico is DEI. Major broadcasters are pushing DEI on their viewers; public school teachers are using it to indoctrinate impressionable young students. The only solution to this is, of course, to defund and dismantle everything.The war on DEI is a smoke screen; its an opportunity to unite various conservative factions under a single rallying cry, giving them a common enemy on which to blame their myriad concerns. It unites recent converts to the cause, like Musk, with more mainstream conservatives whose criticisms of federal overspending look quaint in hindsight. Musks success is part tactics, part branding. His Department of Government Efficiency has indeed been efficient, tearing through the federal workforce in a manner critics say is clearly illegal. Under normal circumstances, dissolving the US Agency for International Development would require an act of Congress. Instead of doing that, Musk ordered his army of cracked zoomer coders to block funding, while the White House alleged that the agency was using taxpayer money to push a woke agenda overseas. Musk benefits from the nebulousness of DEI, a term that has come to encompass everything from corporate diversity trainings and hollow brand PR statements to teaching children about the horrors of slavery.The publics negative polarization against DEI in recent years is no accident; its the product of a yearslong campaign led by a coalition of right-wing think tanksThe publics negative polarization against DEI in recent years is no accident; its the product of a yearslong campaign led by a coalition of right-wing think tanks, which in turn were funded by deep-pocketed conservative donors. It began with academia: organizations like the Manhattan Institute and the Claremont Institute accused universities and grade schools of pushing woke ideology onto children in the form of critical race theory and, more recently, DEI. While critical race theory failed to take off perhaps because of its academic connotations DEI conjured images of overbearing HR departments, Raytheon Pride swag, and elite prep schools touting their commitments to diversity and inclusion, making it an ideal target for populist ire. Worse still, they say, the problem extended far beyond bland, consultant-crafted DEI statements, infecting every level of the federal bureaucracy. Rather than being used to help Americans, we were told, our tax dollars were being wasted on woke. In the weeks leading up to Trumps inauguration, right-wing media stirred up excitement for DOGEs government takeover by drawing attention to obscure research projects that had received federal funding: $600,000 to study why chimps throw feces, $240,000 to study the effect cocaine has on honeybees, $1.3 million to put shrimp on tiny treadmills. It didnt matter that some of these projects were decades old, or that they had actual scientific merit (the shrimp study was actually measuring how shrimp react to changes in water quality), nor did it matter that the five to seven figures researchers received from the government amounts to a rounding error in terms of the overall federal budget.Given the speed of Musks government takeover, its easy to forget that, in practice, ending DEI means advancing longstanding Republican priorities like gutting the Department of Education and, yes, slashing funding for USAID. At the same time, the war on DEI allows more pernicious ideologies that were once relegated to the conservative fringes like racism and eugenics to seep into the mainstream, as figures who have explicitly advocated for doing away with protections enshrined in the Civil Rights Act and similar legislation are elevated to positions of power within the movement.Other conservatives have picked up on the fact that deriding policies they oppose as products of DEI could encourage the White House to go after them next. Writing in City Journal, the in-house publication of the conservative Manhattan Institute, Daniel Di Martino encouraged the Trump administration to end DEI in immigration by scrapping both the diversity visa lottery and ending family-based migration. Neither of these policies is related to recent DEI efforts: Congress created the diversity visa lottery in 1990, and family reunification has been the cornerstone of legal migration since the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which overturned the national origins-based system that had been in place since the 1920s. Anti-immigrant groups like the Federation for American Immigration Reform have sought to end both the diversity visa lottery and abolish the 1965 Immigration Act for decades; while they havent succeeded yet, they have gotten other items on their wishlists, including a halt in refugee resettlement. At the same time, the Trump administration has pledged to take in white Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination in South Africa. Other conservatives have baselessly invoked the specter of DEI pilots to explain the spate of recent plane crashesSome of the most ardent opponents of DEI see it as not only financially wasteful but politically and materially dangerous. Christopher Rufo, the Manhattan Institute fellow who led the campaign to oust Harvard president Claudine Gay, has also pushed the narrative that DEI policies at Boeing are to blame for the companys recent safety failures. Last year, he published a Q&A with a Boeing insider who called DEI policies anti-excellence and implied that the companys DEI initiatives prevented it from hiring on merit. Other conservatives have baselessly invoked the specter of DEI pilots to explain the spate of recent plane crashes, a claim Trump echoed after the fatal aircraft collision in Washington, DC. The fact that theres no evidence for any of this is irrelevant; more reasonable explanations, like Boeings cost-cutting measures, are politically inconvenient for a group of people who are committed to deregulation above all else. Blaming DEI pilots, on the other hand, stirs up the base.These comments reveal far more sinister motivations for the war on DEI. Rufo has repeatedly stated his opposition to policies that promote equal outcomes, which he has said should be replaced with a system that promotes equal opportunity. That anodyne language obscures the fact that many prominent critics of DEI Rufo included have hinted at or outright stated that equal outcomes are impossible under a meritocratic system. This worldview stems from their belief that people are not created equal. Rufo has encouraged his Substack followers to subscribe to Aporia, a sociobiology magazine that regularly publishes articles on the links between race and IQ, a phenomenon widely disputed by reputable scientists. Richard Hanania, another prominent anti-woke activist, previously described himself as a race realist in blog posts published under the pseudonym Richard Hoste. Hanania apologized for the posts, claiming to no longer hold those views. Hananias views on race are slightly more complex than those of popular racists like David Duke, but theyre still generally in keeping with those of scientific racists who believe that race and IQ are inextricably linked. As an advocate for elite human capital, Hanania was on the (relatively) pro-immigration side of the tech-rights civil war over H-1Bs. At the same time, he has called for explicitly racist policies like more policing, incarceration, and surveillance of black people as a means for reducing crime.Hananias 2023 book The Origins of Woke reveals the endgame of the war on DEI. In it, Hanania argues that wokeness originated with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a provocative argument that is not exactly novel on the right. Former Weekly Standard editor and current Claremont fellow Christopher Caldwell put forth a similar thesis in his 2020 book The Age of Entitlement, in which he wrote that the Civil Rights Act gave progressive groups and the people they represented an iron grip on the levers of state power that allowed them to discriminate against white men in the name of reversing historical wrongs. Writing for the Claremont Review of Books, right-wing political theorist Angelo Codevilla described the Civil Rights Act as the little law that ate the Constitution. Rufo, for his part, has accused DEI activists of hijacking the landmark civil rights legislation to justify active discrimination against supposed oppressor groups.Far from harmless, the crusade against DEI has been a way of laundering racist policies into the mainstream. The anti-woke rights public focus on hollow cultural signifiers obscures their actual goal: undoing the gains made by the Civil Rights Movement. In this worldview, DEI goes beyond woke indoctrination, serving as a mechanism to elevate biologically inferior people to positions of power at the expense of the true elites. More than a racist project, its a racialist project one whose leaders believe that traits like intelligence are racially determined. Hanania is one of the few activists willing to admit this publicly, but hes far from the only one that believes it. For activists like Rufo and Hanania, ending DEI policies is an ideological project that goes beyond austerity. No wonder, then, that Musks DOGE is staffed with people who pal around with white supremacists online and have expressed support for eugenic immigration policies. Musk tried to explain away the posts as old jokes. Others said his views shouldnt matter as long as hes good at his job. But those are one in the same, arent they? The work of slashing and burning the social safety net furthers the racialist rights agenda.See More:

Presidents' Day marks one of the first big sale events of the year, and if you've been looking to save on video games there's been a fantastic variety on sale to look through. One of our favorite video game deals at the moment is on Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon for PS5, which is down to just $20 at Amazon and Best Buy.This marks a 67% price drop from its $59.99 list price and a return to its lowest price yet, according to price tracker camelcamelcamel. If you've been hoping to dive into its masterful world of mechs, now's your chance to do it and save some cash in the process.Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon for $20BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon - PlayStation 5If you're still on the fence about adding this game to your collection, it's worth noting that we had a lot of praise for it in our review. IGN's Mitchell Saltzman said, "Armored Core 6 doesnt look to reinvent the bipedal legs of the mech action genre, but it does update, refine, and polish them to an aggressive shine." He also mentions that it's "a welcome return of a classic mecha series."If you're looking for even more game deals available during this sale event, have a look through our roundup of the best video game deals to shop during Presidents' Day sales. Right now some of the best offerings can be found at Best Buy, including discounts on big releases like Metaphor: ReFantazio, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, and more.To see even more gaming deals, make sure to check out our individual roundups of the best PlayStation deals, the best Xbox deals, and the best Nintendo Switch deals to see the latest and greatest discounts for each platform. For an overall look at the highlights for each console, have a look at our breakdown of the best video game deals.Hannah Hoolihan is a freelancer who writes with the guides and commerce teams here at IGN.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2s success is showing no sign of slowing down its now sold 2 million copies in less than two weeks.Confirmation comes from a tweet by developer Warhorse Studios, which hailed Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2s success as a triumph, as it had done when the game sold 1 million just a day after going on sale.It's an incredible result for developer Warhorse Studios' medieval Europe action role-playing game sequel, which launched on February 4 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X and S.Last week, Warhorse Studios parent company Embracer said Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 had done particularly well on Steam, where it saw over 250,000 peak concurrent players. For context, the first Kingdom Come: Deliverance hit a peak Steam concurrent player count of 96,069 seven years ago.Its worth noting that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2s actual peak concurrent player count will be bigger, given the game launched on console as well as PC. However, neither Sony nor Microsoft make player numbers public.Embracer, which owns Warhorse Studios via its subsidiary, Plaion, said Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been initially successful, not only in terms of player and critic reception, but also in terms of performance.This reflects the dedication and hard work of our development studio, Warhorse Studios, and our publisher, Deep Silver, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors said.It is our strong belief that the game will continue to generate substantial revenues over the coming years, highlighting the exceptional quality, immersion and appeal of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2. Warhorse Studios has a robust roadmap, including updates and new content over the next 12 months, ensuring an engaging and continuously evolving experience for the community.We are immensely proud of the teams involved in the successful release of Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, which has significantly outperformed our expectations so far, Wingefors added.Kingdom Come Deliverance 2's post-launch roadmap includes three expansions to be released in 2025. In spring, expect free updates that range from a Barbers feature with additional customization options to Hardcore Mode and Horse Racing. Summer will then follow with what appears to be the first paid content drop, Brushes with Death, which Warhorse said follows protagonist Henry as he aids an enigmatic artist with a shadowy past.The autumn season brings the Legacy of the Forge expansion, add-on content that looks into Henrys past by exploring his adoptive father Martins history. Finally, winter sees the release of Mysteria Ecclesia, which sees Henry embark on a covert mission to navigate the complex dynamics of the Sedlec Monastery.Getting started in Kingdom Come Deliverance 2? Check out our advice on Things to Do First and How to Make Money Fast Early to get you started, or head to our Walkthrough hub for a step-by-step guide to the main quest. Weve also got guides for the myriad Activities and Tasks, Side Quests, and even Cheat Codes and Console Commands.Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.