Trump's new crypto business is a religion
You could hardly expect President Donald Trump to hear about something called an 'infinite money glitch' and not want to try it.
Eric Trump announced at a crypto conference in Las Vegas this week that the family business is raising $2.5 billion from investors for its latest crypto project: a 'bitcoin treasury.' (Company executives had denied the plan just days earlier, when they called the Financial Times reporters who broke the story 'dumb writers listening to even dumber sources.')
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New York Times
32 minutes ago
- New York Times
USWNT match-worn jerseys to be auctioned off while they're being worn
In April, Trinity Rodman struck early for the U.S. Women's National Team against Brazil, with her first goal for the team since the 2024 Olympics. She received the ball from forward Alyssa Thompson and finished with a shot into the lower right corner of the net. It was her 11th goal for the national team. Advertisement While the crowd's cheers filled SoFi Stadium, they did not see what happened in the locker room at halftime. Rodman's sweat-soaked, mud-streaked jersey was carefully collected by the team's equipment manager and placed in a sealed container bound for a warehouse in Amsterdam with eight other jerseys. These belonged to her teammates: Lindsey Heaps, Catarina Macario, Tara McKeown, Emily Fox, Allyson Sentnor, Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Crystal Dunn and Sam Coffey. Almost three months later, on Saturday, the jersey was sold for $1,833 on an online marketplace that auctions signed match-worn shirts from around the world. The Dutch company collaborates with over 300 soccer clubs and federations across 35 countries, and it has just signed a deal with both U.S. national teams. During the USWNT's friendly against China in Minnesota on Saturday, the platform will launch its first live auction tied to a match. Every jersey worn will be up for grabs. The deal with U.S. Soccer and the USWNT Players Association also covers player-worn kits from all international tournaments moving forward, including the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and the 2027 Women's World Cup in Brazil. The idea of selling worn jerseys came to brothers and co-founders Bob and Tijmen Zonderwijk in 2016 while they were searching for a special gift for their father, a die-hard Ajax supporter, who was moving across the country for work. They wanted to get him a match-worn, signed jersey from one of his favorite players to hang in his new office. At the time, the only option was the annual club auction. After a year trying to convince Dutch clubs of their new idea, one finally gave in: FC Twente, where Dutch captain Jill Roord recently signed. 'We pitched the idea there, and the guy was quiet for the entire hour. After that, he said, 'Hey, it sounds like a win-win. When can we start?' So we were like, 's***, this is happening!'' Bob Zonderwijk told The Athletic. Advertisement In addition to a handful of USWNT and USMNT jerseys, the company's warehouse in Amsterdam is home to about 9,000 match-worn jerseys. Historically, the locker room and those sweat-soaked jerseys are sacred for players. Most keep them. Some toss them to fans. Others trade them with opponents. Either way, they're prized. The Zonderwijk brothers, lifelong soccer fans, knew better than to mess with that. 'We don't want to interfere with those traditions,' Tijmen Zonderwijk said. So they found a workaround: they collect only first-half jerseys. 'Players are free to do whatever they want with the second-half kits — keep them, swap them, toss them into the stands,' he explains. Which means the Rodman jersey that just sold is certified and guaranteed to be the very shirt she scored in. Operationally, every club is structured differently but MatchWornShirt's co-founders realized that to streamline their operations, they had to work with the most important person in the room: the kit managers. Last year, they hosted the first European conference of kit managers in Amsterdam, inviting 180 club representatives and 90 kit managers from partner clubs. 'The good thing about kitmen is that they are structured and reliable. They have their own protocols and once we become part of that protocol, we are all good,' Tijmen explained. This is especially crucial when it comes to getting the jerseys cleaned. Or rather, not cleaned. Instead of soap and water, the jerseys are treated with UVC light, a method that breaks down any lingering DNA to protect the player's health data but preserves the emotion: the grass stains, the wear and tear, even a trace of the smell. 'Eighty percent of the smell is reduced, but the smell is always there. It's also what makes it authentic,' Tijmen said. 'If it smelled like flowers, then people might also question the authenticity.' Advertisement Once the jerseys are cleaned, the process of authentication starts: using match footage, they check how patches are printed to match them to the player wearing them. Then they chip the shirts with NFC (Near Field Communication) chips that carry a unique ID to certify their authenticity. NFC, commonly used for non-contact payments, uses close-range wireless technology to communicate between devises. So far, the highest price paid for a women's match-worn shirt belongs to Sophia Smith's (now Wilson) No. 9 jersey that she wore while scoring in Portland Thorns' 2-0 NWSLchampionship win over Kansas City Current in 2022. It sold for $9,507 (£7,062). On the men's side, the most expensive jersey auctioned on the site was worn by Lionel Messi from his final season playing for Paris Saint-Germain. The winning bid was $58,000. MatchWornShirt did not share how the money gets split between them and the clubs, as the company doesn't disclose specific contract terms. But each partnership is tailored to reflect the commercial and charitable priorities of the teams and organizations involved. In the case of the U.S. Soccer, the deal includes both the federation and the respective players' associations. That means the proceeds are shared, and players get a cut. According to USWNT Players Association's agreement with the players, the PA receives payment from licenses like MatchWornShirt and players receive royalties. According to their financial statements from 2023, the organization paid its members $1,059,963 in royalties which amounts to 34.7 percent of the total revenue. The U.S. Women's National Team Players Association's (USWNTPA) Department of Labor report from 2024 shows that in 2023 former U.S. forward Alex Morgan took home the most in overall royalties ($167,593). Wilson ($74,232) and Rodman ($41,643) weren't far behind. 'With so many newcomers earning their first caps for the USWNT, these jerseys carry deep significance,' Annie Mitchell-Reid, the director of strategic partnerships and business at USWNTPA, told The Athletic. 'Think of sisters Alyssa and Gisele Thompson making their debuts side by side, and others who will wear the stars and stripes for the first time or even the last time. There are so many amazing moments to come that fans can have a tangible piece of.' But what happens if a jersey doesn't sell at one of MatchWorn's auctions? The Zonderwijks are not worried. 'We've never not sold a jersey,' Tijmen said with a grin.
Associated Press
32 minutes ago
- Associated Press
The Black hair industry relies on Chinese imports. With Trump's tariffs, Black stylists are worried
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day.
Chicago Tribune
44 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Iran has amassed even more near weapons-grade uranium, UN watchdog says
VIENNA — Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Saturday. In a separate report, the agency called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with its years-long probe. The report comes at a sensitive time, as the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to reach a deal with Tehran to limit its nuclear program. The two sides have held several rounds of talks, so far without agreement. The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency — which was seen by The Associated Press — says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%. That's an increase of 133.8 kilograms (294.9 pounds) — or almost 50% — since the IAEA's last report in February. The 60% enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. A report in February put this stockpile level at 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds). There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the new IAEA report. The IAEA report raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is now 'the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material' — something the agency said was of 'serious concern.' Approximately 42 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched further to 90%, according to the watchdog. The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran's overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms (20,387.4 pounds). That's an increase of 953.2 kilograms (2,101.4 pounds) since February's report. Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but the IAEA chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, has warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make 'several' nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb. U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has 'undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.' Israel said Saturday's report was a clear warning sign that 'Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,' according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. It said IAEA's report 'strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran's nuclear program is not peaceful.' It also added that Iran's level of enrichment 'has no civilian justification whatsoever' and appealed on the international community to 'act now to stop Iran.' It is rare for Netanyahu to make statements on Saturday, the Jewish day of rest, underlying the urgency with which he sees the matter. Grossi said Saturday that he 'reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to cooperate fully and effectively' with the IAEA's years long investigation into uranium traces discovered at several sites in Iran. The IAEA also circulated to member states on Saturday a second, 22-page confidential report, also seen by the AP, that Grossi was asked to produce following a resolution passed by the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors last November. In this so-called 'comprehensive report,' the IAEA said that Iran's cooperation with the agency has 'been less than satisfactory' when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites. Western officials suspect that the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence that Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003. One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant. Iran denied this but in 2019 IAEA inspectors detected the presence of manmade uranium particles there. After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples in 2020 from two other locations where they also detected the presence of manmade uranium particles. The three locations became known as Turquzabad, Varamin, and Marivan. A fourth undeclared location named as Lavisan-Shian is also part of the IAEA probe but IAEA inspectors never visited the site because it was razed and demolished by Iran after 2003. In Saturday's comprehensive report, the IAEA says that the 'lack of answers and clarifications provided by Iran' to questions the watchdog had regarding Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Marivan 'has led the agency to conclude that these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and that some activities used undeclared nuclear material.' Saturday's comprehensive report could be a basis for possible further steps by European nations, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West. European countries could move to trigger snap-back sanctions against Iran that were lifted under the original 2015 nuclear deal ahead of October, when the deal formally expires. On Thursday, senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country's nuclear program to continue. The comments came a day after Trump said he has told Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the U.S. administration more time to push for a new deal with Tehran. Trump said on Friday that he still thinks a deal could be completed in the 'not too distant future.' 'They don't want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal,' Trump said of Iran. He added, 'That would be a great thing that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East.'
