Finance

Mortgage Lenders Can Now Use VantageScore: Will This Help Uristocrats Looking to Buy Homes?

The FHFA has cleared Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to accept VantageScore 4.0 — ending decades of FICO's monopoly on mortgage credit scoring and potentially opening doors for millions of underserved buyers.

Culture

Tuesday Notes

11,500 television and film writers walked off the job for the first time in 15 years, halting productions across Hollywood over pay and streaming residuals.

Personal Finance

Wednesday Notes: Buy Now, Pay Later, Music x AI, NBA Playoffs, Afro-pop and more

Buy Now Pay Later comes to the grocery store, UMG removes an AI-generated Drake and Weeknd track, and Rema makes the Billboard Hot 100.

Culture

Thursday Notes: The Shade Room, "Sweetwater", NBA Play-in Tournameent

The Shade Room and No Jumper, built to serve Black audiences, have become platforms for right-wing disinformation — the latest sign that cultural reach and editorial responsibility are increasingly at odds.