Ratings

Youngest White House press secretary in history says she wants more time to ‘be the best mom’. Plus are we losing the battle against AI slop in the music charts?Good morning. A familiar face in Donald Trump’s administration is departing, as the US president announced that Karoline Leavitt was stepping down to spend more time with her family. The president said Leavitt, who became the youngest person to serve as White House press secretary on his return to office in January 2025, “will now be one of my top outside advisers” in a post on his Truth Social platform.Trump’s most prominent spokesperson is departing while his approval rating is at a historic low, as voters express discontent over rising prices and a war in Iran that has no end in sight.Why did Leavitt say she was stepping away? Leavitt wrote: “The truth is since returning to the White House after the birth of my daughter, I have felt in my heart that I cannot be the best mom my two young children deserve while devoting the constant time, energy, and attention required of the White House press secretary – and that is why I have ultimately made the bittersweet decision to depart the White House and embark on a new chapter in my life.”How will Leavitt’s time in the role be remembered? At 27 when she was appointed, Leavitt was the youngest White House press secretary in history. And when she announced she was pregnant in December last year, she became the first ever expectant press secretary. She has faced criticism for saying that “Gen Z and those younger than me have been raised with just silver spoons in their mouths” and for attacking reporters trying to hold the White House to account.What are conditions said to be like on board? In April, there was a flurry of public criticism about dire conditions onboard the carrier. Photos emerged of poor-quality and rationed food, and there were reports of water shortages, moldy showers and broken laundry machines. Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, dismissed the accounts as “more fake news”.How long has the ship been at sea? The warship left San Diego on 21 November and was originally intended for the Pacific but was redirected to the Middle East once the US-Israel war with Iran began. Since then the 5,000-plus crew has had only two days on land. The deployment was scheduled to end in May but has been extended a couple of times amid Trump’s ongoing war. Continue reading...

• KBRA has affirmed the credit ratings for Old Second Bancorp, an Illinois-based lender, while upgrading its outlook to positive. • The rating action is driven by the company's improved earnings performance and strengthening capital trends. • This shift reflects a boost in the bank's overall financial profile, signaling increased stability and growth potential.

• NBC and Fox News reported a significant surge in viewership for their Fourth of July specials during the U.S. 250th anniversary celebrations. • NBC's fireworks broadcast achieved its highest ratings in eight years, while Fox News recorded its most successful July 4 performance to date. • The ratings boom highlights a strong public interest in national holiday programming and patriotic events.

• SBS drama "Manager Kim," starring So Ji-sub, has achieved rapid success both in South Korea and globally. • The series surpassed the 20% viewership mark within four episodes, reaching national ratings of 21.6% and a peak instantaneous rating of 25.1%. • Internationally, the show ranked number one in 20 countries as of July 4, according to FlixPatrol data, maintaining top-two positions across major Asian markets including Japan and Vietnam.

• The United States defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina 2-0 in a World Cup match, drawing a massive television audience. • The game averaged 24.43 million viewers on Fox, setting a new record as the largest English-language soccer broadcast in U.S. history. • This surge in viewership highlights the rapidly growing popularity and commercial appeal of soccer within the American market.

• U.S. News & World Report has released its 2026-2027 "Best Companies to Work For" ratings, highlighting top employers across 14 different industries. • The rankings evaluate both public and private organizations based on their ability to support the needs of full-time employees and interns. • These ratings serve as a critical benchmark for job seekers and companies aiming to improve workplace culture and employee retention.

• U.S. News & World Report has released its 2026-2027 Best Companies to Work For ratings to help job seekers and employers identify top-performing organizations. • The rankings evaluate companies based on critical factors including pay and benefits, work-life balance, job stability, professional development, and psychological comfort. • According to VP of Careers Carly Chase, these ratings serve as a vital resource for diverse groups, from AI-era graduates to HR leaders researching organizational trends.

• Agent Kim Reactivated, a revenge thriller starring So Ji Sub, has broken a 5-year ratings record in Korea with a 15.7 percent nationwide rating. • The drama, streaming on Netflix, achieved this milestone just two episodes into its run, making it the fastest to cross the 15 percent mark since The Penthouse 3. • This surpasses previous records, with the show's early success indicating a strong start to its run on SBS and Netflix.

• The USMNT utilized a rotated starting XI for their final World Cup group-stage match against Türkiye. • Weston McKennie was highlighted as an influential presence in the midfield, while Sebastian Lletget earned a high rating for providing two critical goals or assists. • Performance varied across the squad, with some players struggling in the first half due to early yellow cards before stabilizing in the second half.

• The 2026 Men's World Cup has already broken U.S. viewership records during the group stage, with the USMNT leading match audiences on Fox. • High-profile matchups including Brazil-Morocco and Mexico-South Korea also set new U.S. audience benchmarks. • Specific match data shows Iraq-Norway drew 5.9 million viewers with a 7.4 million peak, while Qatar-Switzerland tallied 5.4 million viewers and peaked at 6.6 million.

• Netflix's canceled series 'The Boroughs' climbed to the No. 1 spot in Nielsen's streaming ratings for the week of May 25-31, 2026. • HBO's 'Euphoria' also saw a significant surge in viewership during the same period, reaching a ranking high just before its series finale. • These trends highlight a common pattern where canceled or concluding shows experience a spike in popularity as audiences rush to watch them before they disappear.

Earnings from mining the fossil fuel set to increase to $6.9bn over financial year, up from $4.8bn, with budget deficit to reach $6.17bnFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastQueensland’s treasurer says he’s “not giving up” on halting a ratings downgrade for the state’s finances after handing down a budget full of red ink, amid predictions state borrowing will top $200bn in three years.David Janetzki promised a budget surplus in 2029-30, the year after the state’s next election – but only after years of billion-dollar deficits.Government revenue will increase 5.1% over the forward estimates, driven by increases in government duties, payroll tax and royalties.Spending will grow, rising from $100.8bn in 2025-26 to $111.6bn in 2029-30.The government says it is committed to returning the budget to a “fiscally sustainable position through strong expenditure management”, with expense growth dropping from 4.9% in 2026-27 to an average of 2.6% over the four years to 2029-30.Half a billion dollars will be saved through better coordinating procurement, reducing the cap on senior executive positions and reduced spending on contractors and consultants.$119.2bn for new roads, bus projects and rail in the next four years, and other infrastructure.The state’s 50 cent fare scheme will remain and be legislated. Continue reading...

• Fox and Telemundo are reporting record-breaking TV ratings for the 2026 World Cup, with viewer counts more than doubling compared to the tournament four years ago. • Key highlights include 4.7 million viewers watching Iran's 2-2 tie with New Zealand on Fox Sports 1 and a high 9% local rating in Kansas City for the USMNT match. • In a standout performance at Arrowhead Stadium, Lionel Messi set a tournament record by scoring three goals in Argentina's 3-0 win over Algeria.

• The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest has confirmed a significant decline in viewership, losing 35 million viewers compared to the previous year. • The ratings drop follows a competition mired in controversy, which led to widespread boycotts of the event. • This decline highlights a growing tension between the contest's traditional appeal and the political or social disputes surrounding its recent iterations.

• The Eurovision Song Contest 2026 maintained its status as a global television phenomenon, drawing millions of viewers across Europe and international markets. • Viewing patterns were highly polarized, with some nations achieving record-breaking ratings while others saw significant declines and historic lows. • These fluctuations in viewership were primarily driven by the strength of local contestants' results and varying levels of domestic interest.

• FOX Business Network (FBN) surpassed CNBC in viewership across business day, market hours, and total day programming during April 2026, according to Nielsen Media Research data released April 29. • FBN's flagship shows "Varney & Co." and "Kudlow" maintained their positions as the top two business programs on television, achieving their 50th and 55th consecutive months of outperforming CNBC counterparts respectively. • The ratings victory underscores FOX Business's competitive dominance in the financial news market during a period of significant Federal Reserve policy announcements and market volatility.

• Gas prices have surged above $4 per gallon and flights skyrocketed as the Strait of Hormuz blockade impacts energy markets amid the US-Israel war with Iran, eroding Trump's key political advantage. • More than three-quarters of registered voters—including over half of Republicans and 82% of independents—now blame Trump for the cost-of-living crisis affecting fuel, groceries, housing, and healthcare. • Trump's second-term approval ratings have fallen far faster than previous presidents after a government shutdown, tariffs, and the joint US-Israel attack on Iran, with Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warning the war is fueling inflation.

Regulator says tool, which creates reports for humans to review, has helped classify entire UK catalogue of HBO MaxTV shows including Game of Thrones and Euphoria have received age ratings for the first time in the UK, after the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) deployed an AI tool to help assess content.The BBFC has developed a tool to identify content that triggers compliance issues, such as violence, nudity and bad language. The flagged scenes are then passed over to BBFC staff for human review. Continue reading...

National leader Christopher Luxon drops in preferred PM stakes with rise in people saying country heading in wrong directionThe personal ratings of New Zealand’s prime minister, Christopher Luxon, have dipped, polling shows, as his government’s handling of the economy fails to impress voters ahead of the November election.The RNZ-Reid Research poll, released on Monday, also found a growing number of people felt that New Zealand was heading in the wrong direction. Continue reading...

Hopes that Sinners and One Battle After Another would bring in a big audience dashed as viewers fell to 17.9m, a 9% drop on last year’s 19.7mHopes had been high that the popularity of big hitters Sinners and One Battle After Another would translate into a bigger audience for the Oscars ceremony telecast. Yet numbers hit a four-year-low in the US, where the show reached 17.9 million viewers on ABC and Hulu, down about 9% from last year’s 19.7 million.Many had presumed the five-year high that 2025 represented was the product of interest in cinema bouncing back post-Covid – all the more cheering given that the movie that dominated, Sean Baker’s Anora, had not been a major box office player. Continue reading...