Trump's ‘Golden Dome' Riles Nuclear-Armed Foes
Trump wants a Golden Dome shield in place by the end of his term, which would combine ground-based interceptors with satellites to guard U.S. territory against high-tech threats, including hypersonic missiles.
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Laverne Cox Defends Past Relationship With ‘MAGA Republican' Cop After Intense Backlash
Laverne Cox is sharing more details about her former 'MAGA Republican voter' boyfriend just days after news of the relationship drew backlash from fans. The Emmy-winning actor, who is transgender, made the eyebrow-raising comment about her ex while promoting her forthcoming live show, 'Gurrl, How Did I Get Here?' set to take place in New York next week. Though Cox didn't identify the man by name, she described him in a short Instagram video as 'blond-haired, blue-eyed MAGA Republican voter who is a New York City police officer,' later boasting he was 21 years her junior and 'hot.' 'We were madly in love,' she said in the clip, posted Monday. 'I did not develop any of his politics. I still have my own.' Cox appears to have previously alluded to the relationship in interviews where she spoke about a breakup with a former partner who wasn't 'aligned with my values.' Still, it wasn't long before the 'Orange Is the New Black' and 'Inventing Anna' actor's Instagram post was flooded with negative responses from followers who called her out for being hypocritical. 'You are able to look past the fact that someone voted against your community and basically everything you represent…?' one person wrote. 'I don't get the punch line… nor does this entice me to want to go to a show to figure out how you justify this.' Added another, 'Sooooo the morals are dismissed when he's hot. Got it.' Cox attempted to clarify her comments in a followup video posted to Instagram Tuesday, noting she hadn't anticipated the criticism. 'I never adapted any of my ex's politics,' she explained in the roughly 50-minute clip. 'I always challenged him with love and empathy and tried to listen to his perspectives, often corrected him with facts, and I wanted to see if it possible to have a relationship with someone with different political beliefs in theory.' Though she warned against 'dehumanizing' those with different views, she went on to note, 'I think, with this current administration, lines certainly have to be drawn, because we're fighting for our lives in a different way than we were five years ago.' 'Everything Trump is doing, I'm against,' she said. Though Cox publicly backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, her latest comments about her ex coincide with a new interview in which she offered a less-than-complimentary take on Harris' campaign. 'The way you win an election is turning out the base,' she told Ts Madison on her 'Outlaws' podcast last week. 'Trump turned out his base. The white supremacists who hadn't voted for years, they got up and they got out and the voted. She needed to turn out the base, but she needed to do it with a message that resonated with people that made them feel like she understood what working people are going through.' Related... Laverne Cox Shares The Reason She Doesn't Drive And It Comes With An Emotional Twist Joslyn DeFreece Recalls Her Early Days 'Nerding Out' With Laverne Cox In New Film 'Baby Reindeer' Actor Offers A Different Take On The Smash Netflix Series
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UgenticAI Raises $4M to Scale Portfolio of Agentic AI Companies Aimed at Transforming Small Business Operations
ROCKVILLE, MD, July 23, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- UgenticAI, an AI holding company, has closed $4 million in funding to expand its growing portfolio of agentic AI companies, businesses that use AI to autonomously execute complex business functions such as sales, content creation, and customer support. With four acquisitions already completed and multiple additional deals in progress, UgenticAI is focused on building an AI ecosystem designed for real business impact, not just automation for its own company's mission is distinct: identify or develop agentic AI companies, not just tools, and bring them under one umbrella to scale. Agentic AI refers to systems that can act independently, make decisions, and complete workflows with minimal human oversight. This differs from traditional AI applications, which often require user prompting and manual oversight to function effectively. Filling a Critical Gap in AI Adoption While artificial intelligence continues to dominate headlines, a significant portion of the market remains underserved. According to UgenticAI's analysis of data from Gartner and McKinsey, there are over 450 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) worldwide, and 76% of them still haven't meaningfully adopted AI tools. That's even though global SMB software spend has surpassed $1.6 trillion and continues to grow. 'Most AI startups are not solving full business problems; they're building features. We believe the real opportunity lies in building or acquiring agentic AI companies that serve entire business functions,' said Anik Singal, CEO of UgenticAI. The reality is stark: nearly 90% of AI startups fail, often because they lack distribution, a viable business model, or don't go beyond single-use capabilities. UgenticAI's strategy is to change that narrative by acquiring companies with established traction or building new ones from scratch, always with a focus on delivering tangible results to businesses. A Holding Company Model for the Agentic AI Era UgenticAI operates as a holding company, meaning it doesn't just invest in AI; it owns and operates a portfolio of AI-driven businesses. This structure enables centralized resources, shared infrastructure, and unified strategic direction, while allowing each subsidiary to grow independently. The company currently has four companies under its umbrella, with two more software launches in development. Each entity focuses on a specific function, such as automating outreach for sales teams or deploying autonomous chat solutions for customer support. These are not experimental concepts but operational businesses with growing customer bases and measurable impact. By integrating these companies, UgenticAI aims to offer SMBs a full-stack suite of agentic AI services that can operate cohesively saving time, reducing labor costs, and enabling scalability. Investment Through Diversification Rather than backing a single AI idea, UgenticAI offers accredited investors access to a broader portfolio, effectively spreading risk across multiple ventures. This approach mirrors traditional investment models in real estate or venture capital, but with a focused theme: operational AI companies. The $4 million raised to date has enabled acquisitions, team expansion, and infrastructure development. The company reports that three additional deals are in negotiation, signaling further portfolio expansion in 2025. An IPO target of $350 million within 2.5 years is in motion, with a longer-term vision of building a $3 billion-plus AI conglomerate. Educating the Market on Agentic AI A key part of UgenticAI's mission is to shift how businesses, particularly SMBs, understand and adopt AI. While many AI tools on the market serve as assistants or single-task enhancers, agentic AI solutions go further. They are built to replace full-time roles with autonomous software agents that learn, adapt, and act without constant oversight. This form of AI, while still emerging, is quickly gaining traction as businesses face rising labor costs, scaling challenges, and increasing pressure to do more with less. 'Agentic AI isn't about eliminating jobs for the sake of it,' Singal emphasized. 'It's about enabling businesses to do things they simply couldn't afford or scale before.' By focusing on usability, accessibility, and direct business value, UgenticAI's portfolio companies are designed specifically for the needs of SMBs, a demographic often left behind in major tech shifts. Further details about UgenticAI and its development roadmap are available at About UgenticAI UgenticAI is a Maryland-based holding company focused on acquiring and launching agentic AI companies. Its portfolio-driven approach enables small and medium-sized businesses to access scalable AI solutions that replace core business functions, not just assist with tasks. Backed by $4M in funding, the company is actively building toward a $350M IPO, offering accredited investors diversified exposure to operational AI Contact Company Name: UgenticAI Contact Person: Anik Singal Email: anik@ Phone: 240-200-4222 Country: United States Website: CONTACT: Media Contact Company Name: UgenticAI Contact Person: Anik Singal Email: anik@ Phone: 240-200-4222 Country: United States Website: while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
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3 minutes ago
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The DORKs are popular this week. Here's the new class of meme stocks retail traders are pumping to the moon.
A surge in Opendoor stock in the last week has triggered a fresh meme stock rally. Retail traders are bidding up stocks with high levels of short interest and shaky financials. Opendoor, Kohl's, and others are seeing massive trading volumes. The DORKs are popular this week. With stocks at record highs, there's a new class of meme stocks that's grabbed the attention of retail traders. Absent are the OG meme names GameStop and AMC. Those early favorites have been replaced by another group. The DORKs—an acronym being thrown around by bullish traders to refer to the ticker symbols of Krispy Kreme, Opendoor, Rocket Lab, and Kohl's—are spiking in the last few days, with the burst of enthusiasm sparked by a stunning rally in Opendoor stock that's mostly cooled off even as the rest of the group surges. It's looking similar to 2021, when everything from crypto to pandemic-era blank check firms to highly-shorted companies with weak financials were getting pushed to dizzying heights. And with recent legislation proposing to loosen day trading restrictions by lowering the minimum margin account threshold, there's never been a more retail-friendly time in the markets. But there are differences, too, between today's rally and the pandemic-era frenzy. "Today's surge is powered by advances in trading technology, wider use of leverage, and the rapid expansion of the options market. Confidence among retail traders is notably higher, fueled in part by recent gains in crypto markets," Mark Hackett, chief market strategist at Nationwide, said. "While this activity reflects rising risk appetite, it remains isolated and has yet to challenge the broader market's calm and steady tone." Taking a page from Warren Buffett's book, investors are getting greedy, which also means extra caution may be warranted. Tony DeSpirito, head of US fundamental equities at BlackRock, is sensing some pockets of froth in the market as sentiment continues to rise and meme stocks surge. In particular, stocks with high multiples but low growth are concerning to DeSpirit. "Meme stocks are the epitome of greed," DeSpirito told Business Insider. "If I'm advising an individual, I'd tell them to stay away from the meme stocks and get the stocks that actually have good cash flow, good earnings, etc." Here's what's been moving in the meme stock world. Opendoor Technologies Prior to last week, Opendoor was an unloved penny stock on the verge of delisting from the Nasdaq. After hedge fund manager Eric Jackson shouted out the stock on X and gave it a hefty $82 price target, enthusiasm for Opendoor surged, activating the retail trader cohort who quickly went all-in. The stock has rallied over 440% in the last month alone, going from under a dollar to $2.88, even hitting $4.71 briefly at one point on Monday. The rally has stalled in recent days, with the shares down as much as 28% on Wednesday. The stock is still up 310% in the last month. Kohl's Corporation Kohl's stock jumped 38% on Tuesday, not on the heels of corporate news or earnings, but rather r/WallStreetBets chatter. Retail traders identified a short interest of nearly half of the company's float, making the stock a perfect candidate for a short squeeze. The frenzy caused trading in Kohl's shares to be temporarily paused during Tuesday's session. Krispy Kreme The doughnut chain Krispy Kreme surged 28% on Tuesday. The stock started 2025 trading at nearly $10 and proceeded to slide downwards in the following months after the company reported disappointing earnings—until this week. The stock soared again on Wednesday, up as much as 39%before paring gains. Krispy Kreme also has a significant short interest level of 33%, making it another target for Reddit short squeezers. Rocket Lab Rocket Lab stock has surged amid increased retail interest in space technology. The company provides end-to-end space services and is a rival to Elon Musk's SpaceX. The stock has been a Wall Street Bets favorite for many months now. Rocket Lab has surged nearly 50% in the last month and is up nearly 100% year-to-date, bolstered by news of recent government contracts and scheduled launches. The company's short interest comprises 13% of its float. GoPro Digital camera producer GoPro was also swept up in the meme-stock craze. In its heyday back in 2015, the stock traded at $67. A big influx of retail volume has propelled the stock from under a dollar to above $2 immediately upon Wednesday's open. The stock was up as much as 72% on Wednesday before paring the gain to around 40%. Nearly 10% of GoPro's float is shorted. Read the original article on Business Insider
