Former first son Hunter Biden lashed out online after his $LAPTOP meme coin collapsed, blaming a “f–k up” that left four out of five investors with losses, while one mystery trader came away with nearly $1 million.

Biden chose the name $LAPTOP in a nod to the laptop controversy that became the subject of political controversy surrounding him and his father, former President Joe Biden. The hard drive from the laptop dropped off at a Delaware repair shop in 2019 contained thousands of emails documenting Hunter Biden’s international business dealings, as well as intimate photographs and videos revealing his cocaine and alcohol addiction, prompting scrutiny by Republican lawmakers into the father and son.

Hunter Biden has said the symbol used to target him is now a symbol of “resilience, redemption and recovery.”

Biden claimed the issue began shortly after trading started on Wednesday because the project’s market maker supplied significantly less liquidity than needed to handle the initial demand.

HUNTER BIDEN LAUNCHING A LAPTOP-THEMED CRYPTOCURRENCY

“There was a f–k up. The f–k-up occurred in the first 30 seconds of launching the coin, in which the market maker, for some unknown goddamn reason, only put in $5,000 of liquidity. And the demand was through the roof,” Biden said on Friday in a video posted on X.

The project’s thin liquidity pool helped drive the token’s quoted price from $2.39 to an eye-popping $316 before it crashed.

Biden said his coin’s value was briefly “larger than the market cap of f–kin’ goddamn BlackRock,” adding that the price chart “looked like Mount Everest.”

BlackRock’s market cap is upwards of $175 billion.

The mystery trader turned a roughly $250,000 bet into $1.18 million within just minutes, earning about $930,000 before transaction costs, according to a blockchain analysis by Datavault AI.

But other traders were less fortunate, as about 80% of traders who bought $LAPTOP on launch day lost money, according to blockchain analytics firm Bubblemaps, which estimated that more than 15,000 wallets ended up in the red.

A buyer who invested roughly $200,000 when $LAPTOP was near its brief peak was left holding tokens worth about $2,000 after the collapse, according to Datavault AI.

“This is my f–king token,” he said in the video. “I’ve been working on this thing for six months straight.”

“I was intimately involved in every single discussion, every single step of the way in creating the tokenomics, in creating the way in which the coin would be presented,” he continued. “At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility, and there was a f–k-up.”

Biden said the situation had stabilized, but acknowledged that investors had already been hurt.

“They got it under control, but not before the damage was done,” he said.

Biden said he plans to stick with the project and repair the damage, although he did not elaborate on whether this means compensating investors.

WHAT ARE MEME COINS? THE HIGH-RISK CRYPTO ASSETS EXPLAINED

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“I am in this to the end 100%, and I promise you that we’re gonna make it right,” he said.

He said the project was working to increase liquidity and trading volume.

“This isn’t some bulls–t f–king celebrity token where I get on Twitter and say, ‘Oh, I didn’t know about this, and, you know, I’m really sorry,’” Biden said.

“Biden also said he and his partners had “not made a single dollar” from the project, previously disclosing that they were in a six-month lockup period that prevented them from selling their token holdings.

This article was written by

Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Seeking Alpha’s Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.

Apple Inc. lost an early round in a discrimination lawsuit brought in the U.S. by a female engineer from India who says her two managers — one from her country, the other from Pakistan — treated her as they would in their own countries: as a subservient.

The woman’s case in California state court is the latest to allege workplace bias in Silicon Valley that focuses on cultural prejudices of some tech workers from South Asia. Cisco Systems Inc. is fighting a suit brought by California’s civil rights agency alleging bias against a member of India’s so-called lower castes, known as Dalits.

Anita Nariani Schulze is part of the Sindhi minority — she is Hindu, with ancestry in the Sindh region of what is now Pakistan. Her complaint alleges that her senior and direct managers, both male, consistently excluded her from meetings while inviting her male counterparts, criticized her, micromanaged her work, and deprived her of bonuses, despite positive performance evaluations and significant team contributions.

Schulze claims the managers’ animus reflects sexism, racism, religious bias and discrimination on the basis of national origin. The Sindhi Hindu nationality is “known for its technical acumen” and its gender equality, she says, which “exacerbated the managers’ discriminatory treatment.”

In a tentative ruling on Wednesday, Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Sunil R. Kulkarni rejected Apple’s request to toss out the suit. While not ruling on the merits of the case, Kulkarni said Schulze had adequately supported her legal claims. Apple had argued her claims weren’t specific enough and were based on stereotypes.

But the judge rejected Schulze’s request to represent a class of female Apple employees who suffered job discrimination over the last four years. He agreed with Apple that she didn’t show a pattern of discrimination that could be applied to a broader group.

It wasn’t clear from the court’s docket whether the judge will hold a hearing Thursday before issuing a final ruling.

Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

In the Cisco case, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing alleged that two Indian employees at the San Jose-based company discriminated against a Dalit co-worker on the basis of caste.

Cisco has denied the claims, insisting it has “zero tolerance for discrimination.” It also said the lawsuit should be tossed out because caste isn’t a protected category under U.S. civil rights law.

Roller blinds rank among the most popular window treatments in British homes, and it’s easy to see why—they’re neat, practical, and available in a near-endless range of fabrics. But the fabric you choose for a bedroom window shouldn’t be the same one you pick for a living room.

Each space has different needs for light, privacy, and how the room is actually used throughout the day. Most people focus on color and price, then realize months later that the blind lets in too much light, fades badly in direct sun, or doesn’t offer the privacy they expected. Knowing how to choose the right roller blind fabric for bedrooms versus living areas means thinking about function first—then aesthetics. Get the balance right, and your blinds will work hard for years. Get it wrong, and you’ll be replacing them far sooner than you’d planned.

What Bedroom Roller Blind Fabrics Need to Deliver

Another factor to consider is the type of fabric and whether it suits the requirements of the space. For projects where fire performance is part of the specification, Direct Fabrics’ flame-retardant roller blinds are one example of blinds made with fabrics intended to meet relevant fire-safety requirements. This can be particularly important in commercial, hospitality, education, and other settings where window coverings may need to satisfy both practical and safety standards. Other suppliers, including Hillarys, Blinds2go, and Swift Direct Blinds, also offer roller blinds in a range of fabrics, finishes, and levels of light control. Considering how the fabric will perform over time, including cleaning, durability, and resistance to fading, can also help narrow down the right option for the space.

Blackout vs. Dim-Out: Understanding the Difference

Blackout and dim-out are the two fabric categories most relevant to bedroom roller blinds, but they don’t perform identically. A true blackout fabric contains an opaque coating, usually applied to the reverse of the blind, that stops virtually all light from passing through the weave itself. Dim-out fabrics reduce light significantly but allow some to filter through, which suits people who’d rather wake naturally with the light than sleep in complete darkness. Here’s the thing: the label “blackout” isn’t consistent across suppliers, so it’s worth asking for a fabric specification that confirms the light-reduction percentage rather than taking the category name at face value. Side channels and pelmets make a real difference too; even a genuine blackout fabric will leak light around the edges of a standard roller blind unless the window recess is fitted with channels that create a proper seal. If total darkness is the goal, that system matters as much as the fabric itself.

What Living Room Roller Blind Fabrics Need to Deliver

Living areas run on a completely different set of priorities. What you’re after is daylight control rather than daylight elimination: the ability to soften harsh afternoon sun, cut glare on screens, and maintain some privacy from the street without shutting the room off entirely. Most people spend time in a living room during daylight hours, so the blind needs to work well in its partially drawn or fully raised position as much as it does when it’s all the way down. Durability against UV exposure becomes more pressing here; south-facing living rooms take intense direct sunlight for extended periods, and fabrics with poor UV resistance will fade. Some coatings crack or discolor over time, too. Texture and pattern also carry more visual weight in a living room than in a bedroom, since the blind forms part of the room’s decorative scheme rather than sitting quietly in the background.

Screen and Solar Fabrics for Living Room Use

Screen fabrics, sometimes called solar fabrics, are a popular choice for living rooms because they manage glare without eliminating the view. They’re woven with small apertures, and the openness factor describes how much of the fabric’s surface is open weave. A 1% openness factor gives good privacy and strong solar control but cuts the view significantly. A 10% factor preserves the view and feels lighter but offers less protection from heat and UV. For most living rooms, somewhere between 3% and 5% openness strikes the right balance. Screen fabrics also help regulate temperature by reflecting solar heat before it enters the room, which can trim cooling costs during warm months; the trade-off is that they offer limited privacy at night when internal lights are on. So pairing them with an extra layer or a room-darkening roller blind on a double bracket solves that headache without compromising the daytime look.

Conclusion

Choosing the right roller blind fabric comes down to matching the room’s use to what the fabric is actually built to do. Bedrooms call for high light reduction, solid privacy, and easy maintenance. Blackout or dim-out fabrics with wipe-clean finishes are usually the right starting point. Living areas need more nuance: a fabric that manages solar gain and glare without cutting off natural light and one that holds its appearance through years of direct sun exposure. It’s also worth thinking about how to choose the right roller blind fabric for bedrooms versus living areas across a whole property rather than room by room, since consistent fabric quality and finish create a coherent look from the street outside. Test fabric samples in the actual room before you commit. What looks right in a showroom or on a screen can look very different against your walls and in your specific light conditions.

Caitlin Clark’s influence on women’s basketball drew another high-profile comparison this week, as sports media personality Colin Cowherd argued the Indiana Fever guard carries traits of three of the NBA’s most iconic figures — Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry and Larry Bird — rolled into one player.

Cowherd made the comparison during a conversation with Phoenix Mercury forward Sophie Cunningham on his podcast, framing Clark’s impact less around individual statistics and more around the scale of her effect on the sport.

“Well, I mean, let’s just say this was the NBA and Caitlin Clark came into the league, and I’ve compared her to Michael Jordan, where she literally changed the direction of the league,” Cowherd said. “You would think it would make sense to talk about Michael Jordan then or Caitlin Clark now. You play with the league superstar.”

He went on to break down the comparison piece by piece, tying each NBA legend to a specific aspect of Clark’s game and persona.

“You know what? I’ve said she has a Jordan quality where she literally changes the ratings,” Cowherd said. “She has a Steph Curry quality in that she shoots like we’ve never seen in her sport. She also has a Larry Bird quality, which is she kind of gets pissy, and she’s physical, and she’s pissy, and there’s a Midwest toughness to her. And I think it can rub people, including WNBA rivals, the wrong way.”

Cowherd summarized the comparison directly before turning the question over to Cunningham. “I look at her and I think she’s got Jordan’s ascension, Curry’s game, and Larry Bird’s personality. Am I wrong?”

Cunningham backs the comparison, with a caveat

Cunningham, who has played alongside and against Clark since her rookie season, largely agreed with the framing, though she offered a small correction on the Bird comparison.

“No, I don’t think you are,” Cunningham said. “I think that Larry Bird, honestly, might have a little bit more sass. Caitlin is just her own — her own personality, like, especially off the court. Like, she is strictly basketball. She loves to sit on the couch. She loves to watch TV. She’s very simple.”

Cunningham then pivoted to Clark’s broader effect on the league, crediting her with elevating the visibility of a sport that Cunningham said already had significant talent before Clark’s arrival.

“It’s been a blessing that she has been in our league,” Cunningham said. “I think the talent has always been there in our league, but just, like, the eyes and the platform and how she’s transforming our game. We can be thankful for the people who came before us, but you can also witness greatness and say that she is great and she has done so much for our sport right now.”

Cunningham also pushed back on hesitancy she has observed around fully crediting Clark for her role in the league’s growth.

“And I don’t know why people are so reluctant to give her her flowers,” Cunningham said. “And maybe it is that Midwest mentality that people don’t like, but shit, I love it. I’m from Missouri, so I’m like, ‘Hey, bring it on, sister.’ So I’m a big fan.”

Breaking down the three-way comparison

Each piece of Cowherd’s comparison points to a different facet of Clark’s game and career trajectory. The Jordan comparison centers on trajectory rather than playing style, reflecting Clark’s role as the central figure behind the WNBA’s recent surge in television audiences, attendance and mainstream attention since she entered the league.

The Curry comparison is more literal, pointing to Clark’s shooting range well beyond the three-point arc and her ability to warp opposing defenses simply by drawing attention from distance, a hallmark of Curry’s game with the Golden State Warriors.

The Bird comparison, according to Cunningham, is the least precise of the three. Bird built his reputation in part on confidence, trash talk and an outspoken personality on the court, while Cunningham described Clark as more reserved away from basketball, someone who prefers simple routines over a larger public persona.

Part of a broader pattern of attention

The comparison arrives amid continued scrutiny of Clark’s impact on the WNBA, a topic that has generated near-constant discussion across sports media since her rookie season. Clark has become one of the league’s most closely watched players both for her on-court production and for the ratings and revenue increases that have accompanied her rise.

Cunningham’s willingness to embrace the comparison, rather than push back on it, reflects how some of Clark’s peers view her role in the league’s recent growth. Rather than treating the comparison as an overstatement, Cunningham used the moment to argue that the broader women’s basketball community should be more comfortable acknowledging Clark’s significance without diminishing the contributions of players who built the league before her arrival.

Whether Cowherd’s specific pairing of Jordan, Curry and Bird holds up under closer scrutiny may be beside the point. The larger takeaway, reinforced by Cunningham’s response, is the extent to which Clark’s presence continues to reshape conversations about the WNBA’s direction, visibility and commercial trajectory nearly two years into her professional career.

Hyderabad: Riding on its success in the recent Legislative Assembly polls, the ruling Congress in Telangana is banking on the implementation of its poll ‘guarantees’ to score big in the Lok Sabha elections, being held on May 13. An Assembly bypoll will also be held on that day in this southern state.

The morale of Congress cadre is high following the 2023 win.

The BJP, riding high on its growing voter base in Telangana, is now aiming to win over 12 out of the total 17 seats and 35 per cent vote share, in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The party doubled its vote share to nearly 14 per cent resulting in eight seats in the assembly elections held on November 30, last year. BRS, which ruled the state for about a decade since its emergence, is low on morale following the defeat, even as its founder and former Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao‘s daughter K Kavitha was arrested on the eve of poll dates announcement, adding insult to the injury.

A SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of political parties in Telangana.

CONGRESS STRENGTHS: -Congress is in power following its victory in the Assembly polls and momentum is on its side. -The implementation of the ‘guarantees’ announced before the Assembly elections by the Revanth Reddy government has generated goodwill for the party. -The popularity of CM Reddy. -Since it is in power, it has more access to resources to fight the polls. -Regarded as a secular party and minorities are believed to have voted for the party in the Assembly elections. -The BRS which was in power for 10 years is demoralised following its rout in the Assembly polls. The contest is mainly seen to be between Congress and BJP in the parliament elections. -Strong cadre at the grassroots level. -The party has already announced candidates for some seats.

WEAKNESSES: -The construction of Lord Ram temple at Ayodhya may swing devout Hindutva voters in favour of BJP. -The popularity of PM Narendra Modi would help the BJP and Congress may not be able to address this fully. OPPORTUNITIES: -Decline of BRS, and BJP lacking organisational strength in some constituencies. – CM Revanth Reddy, who is also PCC president, is regarded as an intelligent strategist. – Key issues like Ram temple and CAA may help the party get votes of minorities.

THREATS: -BJP’s aggressive campaign -Though BRS is down, it has announced that it will have an alliance with BSP for the Lok Sabha polls. In view of this, Congress needs to ensure that it gets the votes of Dalits and other backward sections in bulk.

BJP STRENGTHS: -Consecration of Ram temple at Ayodhya created a spiritual ambience among certain sections which can be transformed into electoral benefits. -Party’s clean image with respect to corruption -Strong leadership at the centre and their political shrewdness -Support from Sangh Pariwar, RSS affiliates like Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal -Ability to polarise votes on a “communal” basis.

WEAKNESSES: -The party had to pitch turncoats at some segments -For every decision, the local leadership will have to look up to the central leadership. -There is a strong feeling among people that the BJP and BRS have a tacit understanding. -The removal of Bandi Sanjay as state president is still seen as a weakness of the party.

OPPORTUNITIES: -The party can claim some of the achievements, such as the Women Reservation Bill and the September 17 official celebration of Hyderabad Liberation Day, to its credit. -BJP may focus on negative aspects of Congress government’s “Six guarantees”.

THREATS: -After the Assembly polls, Congress formed the government in Telangana very recently and emerged as an alternative to BRS. So the positive feeling towards Congress still remains -Congress’ campaign may centre around the BJP and BRS’s alleged understanding. The BJP needs to counter it effectively. Congress may use it as one of the major poll issues. -Barring a few, there are hardly any crowd-pullers in the party locally.

Foreign investors returned to Asian equities in August, ending a nine-month selling streak, with net purchases of US$4.72 billion across Taiwan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. A further US$1.52 billion entered the region in the first part of September, driven by strong technology earnings and renewed enthusiasm for AI-related stocks, although Thailand and the Philippines remained among the markets experiencing outflows.

Key figures / indicators: August Asian inflows US$4.72bn; September inflows so far US$1.52bn; MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan +3.01% in August; Asian corporate profits +44.7% y/y, with technology profits +88.3%.

Why it matters: The return of foreign capital is a constructive signal for ASEAN markets, but the distribution shows investors still favour North Asian AI and semiconductor exposure over Thailand. Bangkok’s challenge is to translate its data-centre, EV and digital-investment pipeline into listed companies and supply-chain opportunities capable of attracting a larger share of regional technology capital.

Ahmedabad: The charisma of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the key factors most likely to influence voters in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections in Gujarat, according to political observers.

Lok Sabha polls in Gujarat will be held in a single phase on May 7. Counting of votes will be held on June 4. Anti-incumbency, unemployment, inflation, education and healthcare facilities are some of the other important issues in the election, where the ruling BJP in Gujarat will attempt to retain all the 26 Lok Sabha seats it won in 2019.

Gujarat is among the states which will play a crucial role in deciding the outcome of the elections to the Lower House of Parliament. In the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party won all the 26 seats in the state.

Here are some issues that will play a decisive role in the elections in Gujarat:

PM Narendra Modi’s charisma: The ruling BJP has a trump card in the form of the prime minister, who hails from Gujarat and was its chief minister from 2001 to 2014 before occupying the top post of the country. His sway over the followers in his home state is still intact.

Anti-incumbency: Observers feel that the opposition will try to take advantage of any anti-incumbency sentiment during the last 10 years of BJP rule at the Centre. They feel that “floating voters” who do not vote on the basis of ideology can be swayed by the opposition if they offer proper alternatives.

Inflation: Low and middle-income households are the worst-affected in terms of the effects of inflation. So this will be a decisive factor considering how the price rise has impacted the lives of people in the last 10 years. The opposition has been constantly targeting the Modi government over this issue.

Unemployment: This is another point that the opposition parties have been using to hit out at the Centre. Since this issue directly affects the lives of common people, this will be high on the mind of voters when they exercise their franchise. Lack of basic education and health facilities in remote areas: If school classrooms are constructed in remote rural areas, there is a dearth of teachers. The lack of primary health centres and doctors also adversely affects health services in rural pockets. Farmers’ issues: Issues like lack of adequate compensation for crop loss due to excess rains, non-availability of fertilisers and land acquisition for project development will also play a major role in affecting voter sentiment, the observers said.