Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos faced scrutiny at a Senate antitrust hearing on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, regarding residual payments for union workers, while the entertainment industry grappled with various challenges, according to multiple news sources. Sarandos declined to give a definitive "yes or no" answer when questioned by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, about committing to full residuals, as reported by Variety. The hearing was convened to address Netflix's proposed merger with Warner Bros.
The entertainment landscape is currently experiencing a mix of current trends and nostalgic revisitations, as noted by Variety. This includes casting changes in "The Last of Us" and developments in gaming and VR.
Meanwhile, in Wales, First Minister Eluned Morgan urged the public to support struggling hospitality businesses by visiting pubs and restaurants instead of relying on services like Netflix, according to BBC Business. This came after criticism of her government's business rate policies and the announcement of a one-year discount for such venues. Opposition leaders accused Morgan of deflecting blame for the sector's challenges, pointing out that similar support in England is more extensive.
Beyond the entertainment industry, global events continue to unfold. Multiple news sources, including Vox, highlighted a new trade deal between the U.S. and India, alongside concerns about AI ethics and Gen Z's growing disillusionment with President Trump's foreign policy. Russia's attacks on Ukraine, upcoming U.S.-Iran nuclear talks, and the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics also remain prominent news items, according to Variety.
Domestically, a judge blocked the revocation of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians, Fortune reported. Concerns surrounding Moltbook, a social media platform for AI agents, were largely dismissed, with fears of AI self-organization and escape from human control deemed misplaced. Fortune noted that the platform's activity may be driven by human prompting or mimicry of language from training data, echoing similar overblown reactions to a 2017 Facebook chatbot experiment.
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