Today’s Big Story

The Subtitle Boom

Why many young adults turn on TV or movie subtitles, according to a new poll

I’m all for reading more, but this isn’t exactly what I was thinking. However, it seems that everyone (young people, especially) are reading more—on screen. A recent poll finds that about four in 10 adults under 45 use subtitles at least ‘often’ when watching TV or movies, compared with about three in 10 adults older than 45. Those 60 and older are especially likely to say they ‘never’ use subtitles.

As the Associated Press points out, closed captions or subtitles can be an acquired taste. Some people find them distracting, and even family members in the same household can be in disagreement, resulting in tussles for the remote. The poll suggests many young adults use subtitles because they are watching in noisy environments, whereas older adults choose them to better hear or understand what is being said. And many of us are used to reading while we watch from our phones while in transit or at work (thanks TikTok!).

Another survey found that captions help watchers keep up with murmuring dialogue, distinguish thick accents and get a head start on a scene. What’s more, over the past two decades, the dialogue has gotten even more accurate, and text to describe sounds has become more specific.

Experts say there are lots of reasons why dialogue can be hard to hear, including the type of screen you’re using. Speakers are often on the back of a flat-screen TV and project toward the wall. “So you’re not listening on a stellar sound system to start with,” David Barber, a sound editor and mixer and president of the Motion Picture Sound Editors, tells the AP.

Another factor is performance-based. Actors have “a more internal and close” style of emoting than they did decades ago, says sound designer Karol Urban, and sometimes that makes it difficult to discern dialogue. And as a recent convert to Japanese anime, having subtitles is crucial. Remember when the South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon Ho took the stage at the Golden Globes to accept the Best Foreign Language Film award for Parasite? He made a heartfelt speech urging us all to watch more stuff with subtitles. “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” he said, “you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

The Last Shutdown Off-Ramp

The White House and Democrats in Congress are at an impasse over how to pass new federal funding laws

Congress is barreling toward a federal government shutdown, it seems. The Senate will hold a vote today on a House-passed stopgap funding bill—which is effectively the final off-ramp to avoid a shutdown that will start at midnight tonight.

In addition to the seven-week GOP-led spending punt, Democrats will also force a vote on their own stopgap that would link government funding to their own health care priorities as well as limits on Trump’s ability to reverse congressionally approved funding. Both measures already failed earlier this month on largely partisan votes. Politico says that since the House is out of town, the only way to avoid a government shutdown is for the Senate to pass the same bill that already cleared the other chamber. Senators widely expect both bills to fail again after congressional leaders and Trump emerged from a White House meeting Monday without a clear path forward.

This shutdown, if it happens, could be different from other recent shutdowns: The White House budget office has told agencies to consider broad layoffs if the government closes. And Vice President JD Vance blamed Democrats, saying they are “no better than hostage takers holding a metaphorical gun to the American public.” Whether voters see it that way will determine the price Democrats pay for withholding the votes Republicans need to keep the government open. With a shutdown deadline just hours away, congressional Democrats projected rare unity in their willingness to shoulder that political risk.

Netanyahu Agrees to Trump Plan for Gaza Deal

The president says a ceasefire is closer than ever, but the reality is more complicated

President Donald Trump emerged from talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday declaring an end to the war in Gaza was closer than ever after Netanyahu agreed to a 20-point plan laying out the parameters of a ceasefire. The proposal, which Trump unveiled publicly for the first time, still requires sign-off from Hamas. However, there are a number of provisions contained in the plan which the terror group has previously rejected.

The Washington Post reports that Israeli sign-off was a significant moment in the twisting conflict, which has been marked by deals and diplomatic initiatives that have quickly fallen apart. The plan calls for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas—both alive and dead—within 72 hours of Israel publicly accepting the agreement, meaning the clock is already ticking for the group to agree. Both Trump and Netanyahu warned of sharp consequences if Hamas turns down the proposal.

The president said Israel would have his “full backing” to continue going after Hamas if the group rejects the deal. Full humanitarian aid would resume, administered by the United Nations and its organizations, the Red Crescent and other groups. According to the plan, Gaza would be redeveloped “for the benefit of the people of Gaza.”

YouTube Settles Trump Lawsuit

The platform will pay Trump $24 million to settle lawsuit over Jan. 6 suspension

YouTube will pay $24.5 million to President Donald Trump to resolve a 2021 lawsuit that claimed he was the victim of censorship when the site suspended his account following the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump's supporters, according to federal court papers filed on Monday.

This makes Alphabet-owned YouTube the last of the three Big Tech social media companies sued by Trump—which included Meta and then Twitter, now called X—to settle over his removal from their platforms. YouTube’s parent company Google will dedicate $22 million of the settlement toward the construction of a $200 million Mar-a-Lago-style ballroom in the White House, according to the settlement documents, which state that a nonprofit called the Trust for the National Mall is being tapped to finance the renovations.

BBC reports that the settlements come as Silicon Valley has generally taken a more conciliatory tone towards the president. Free speech experts have said the trio of suits brought by Trump did not raise credible legal claims, since First Amendment protections typically apply to government officials, not private companies, censoring speech. But the CEOs of Alphabet, Meta and X all sat in the front row for his inauguration, signaling a shift in relations between the Republican Party and the tech sector. The social media giants have also taken measures to loosen content moderation on their platforms which Republicans had claimed amounted to a violation of free speech.

Save Your Suede

Restore the worn out leather before it’s too late

Why fight it.