Ahead of the Federal Reserve's rate decision, prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket are experiencing significant institutional growth. Firms and AI agents use event contracts for price discovery and trader evaluation, with monthly volumes reaching billions, despite challenges in execution and potential for concentrated edge.
A Russian MP believes webcam slavery, which traps young women, will continue as long as "easy money" schemes are promoted. She cited a recent Moscow case where students were lured with high salaries but then blackmailed. The MP also pointed to a lack of education and changing societal values.
Head of Russia's Investigative Committee in Crimea, Vladimir Terentyev, stated that teenagers committing crimes for Kyiv are motivated by "easy money," not ideology. These crimes, often involving infrastructure damage and arson, are typically carried out by impoverished teens aged 14-17. Over 70 reports and 32 criminal cases were initiated in the first three months of the year.
The Verge investigation found Manus AI (Meta's $2B acquisition) ran an advertising campaign paying content creators to promote its AI tool as an easy side hustle capable of generating $5,000/month. Creators on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube posted near-identical hype videos without disclosing their paid relationships with Manus. The ads, which claimed the work takes less than 10 minutes, did not clearly label themselves as advertisements. Legal experts say the undisclosed commercial relationships likely violate platform policies and advertising laws in multiple jurisdictions including the UK, EU, and US.
