People had a pretty universal response to Apple’s new iPad ad: Read the room.

The tech giant introduced its new iPad Pro this week with a commercial titled “Crush!” that features a hydraulic press crushing creative objects like a trumpet, paint cans, an old-school arcade game, and cameras to form its new $1k tablet. The ad has been viewed on CEO Tim Cook’s X account more than 53 million times in two days, and everyone from tech writers to Hugh Grant is roasting the company for becoming the soulless Big Brother it vehemently railed against decades ago. The company was forced to issue a rare apology and said the ad wouldn’t air on TV as planned.

Apple’s legendary marketing is integral to its success. If consumers can’t romanticize Steve Jobs “going against the grain,” they might as well buy a Lenovo.

• The destructive imagery of Apple’s commercial comes as artists are already on edge about Big Tech’s massive investments into AI and concerns (and lawsuits) about the technology is stealing their work and will eventually replace them.
• Apple is also being sued by the Justice Department for its alleged illegal monopoly over the smartphone market.

In addition to the souring of Apple’s image…this is not a promising start for the device’s pivotal release next week. iPad sales were down 25% last year compared with the year prior, mainly because Apple didn’t release new iPad hardware in 2023 for the first time since 2010.

Bottom line: Instead of wooing creatives with the iPad Pro’s powerful new specs, like its M4 neural engine, and the fact that it’s the thinnest device the company has ever created, the ad seemingly worsened the reputation of a gadget that is perhaps known best as a tool for toddlers to drool on in a restaurant.—MM

And we aren’t surprised. Credit card perks like these have a tendency to attract admirers, and this card’s got plenty of both.

The pros at CardCritics have shared their verdict: This card’s benefits are worth more than a passing glance. Cardholders enjoy:

• a $200 bonus after spending $500
• unlimited cash rewards on purchases
• a looooong intro APR on purchases and balance transfers

Can’t take the suspense any longer? Find out which card CardCritics is pumped about, and learn more about applying for your own.

Thousands protest Israel’s participation in Eurovision. The semifinals of the annual song competition were overshadowed Thursday by scores of pro-Palestine protesters who took to the streets of Malmö, Sweden, to object to the inclusion of 20-year-old Israeli singer Eden Golan in the contest. Activists have for months called on Eurovision to ban Israel over the war in Gaza, but event organizers have refused, arguing the contest is meant to celebrate music and be apolitical. Golan has reportedly received death threats and was booed by the audience during her performance. The contest, which is watched by more than 150 million people each year, banned Russia from participating after its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Deadly storms are battering the South. Four people have died, dozens more have been injured, and thousands of homes and businesses are without power as severe thunderstorms and tornadoes torment a large part of the US, from North Carolina to Texas. The region has experienced 300 tornadoes since April 25, the most since 2011 and the second-most ever recorded. In total, 39 states and 98 million Americans were under some kind of severe weather risk this week, the Associated Press reported.

Sony is reportedly considering selling CBS if it buys Paramount Global. According to the New York Times, Sony and private equity firm Apollo Global Management intend to break up Paramount if they succeed in their attempt to buy the troubled entertainment company for $26 billion. Their plan, per the NYT, is to auction off the flagship CBS network, alongside cable channels like MTV. They would combine Paramount Pictures with Sony’s existing movie studio and keep the rights to famous Paramount characters like SpongeBob SquarePants. For decades, Paramount has been controlled by the Redstone family, who reportedly prefers that the company is not partitioned.

High school parking lots are going to look a lot different in 10 years. This week, GM announced it’s retiring the Chevy Malibu, the company’s last sedan model, to focus on EV production.

The demise of the Malibu finishes what GM started at Chevy last year when it eliminated the Camaro, leaving it with a lineup of only SUVs, trucks, and the two-door Corvette. And GM isn’t the only carmaker to step away from smaller cars as they lose popularity among drivers:

• Ford (mostly) quit sedans in 2019, though it still makes the Mustang.
• Stellantis is focused on SUVs and trucks but plans to bring back an electric version of the Dodge Challenger in 2025.
• Foreign automakers like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Subaru have also scaled back their sedan production.

Driving the change: Younger car owners are looking for something roomier that can fit both their REI camping equipment and their goldendoodle. Since SUVs and crossovers are more profitable than sedans, carmakers have been happy to adjust to the trend. Cars (hatchbacks, sedans, coupes, etc.) accounted for less than 23% of auto sales in the US in 2021, according to JD Power.

Looking electric…despite consumers’ tepid interest in EVs, GM is investing $390 million to refit the Malibu factory to produce the new Bolt.—CC

Are your points in peril? Proposed legislation could cut your hard-earned credit card cash-back and travel rewards programs. The worst part? The bill could also put your personal security at risk when shopping. Protect your points today.

The most-coveted NBA free agent in 2025 might be a man in his 60s known more for his opinions on churros than anything he did on the court.

Inside the NBA stalwart Charles Barkley could command a contract worth as much as $20 million per year on the open market, per FOS, if TNT’s broadcast partnership with the NBA is not renewed after next season. That would put the man with the worst golf swing on TV in the same lucrative company as fellow athletes-turned-broadcasters Tony Romo (10 years, $180 million from CBS) and Tom Brady (10 years, $375 million from Fox).

TNT isn’t benched yet. Amazon and Disney have frameworks in place for partial broadcast rights, with NBC the front-runner to be the third and final partner, bringing the total value of the 11-year deal to ~$76 billion, according to Sports Business Journal. Normally, TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery would be able to match NBC’s offer, but NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is requiring a higher bid from WBD, since NBC can offer more prime-time broadcast windows and boasts regional sports networks that WBD can’t equal.—DL

Stat: Heavy rains have caused the worst flooding in Brazil in at least 80 years. The Guaiba River in the southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul rose to over 17 feet this week, higher than during the country’s infamous 1941 flood. About 1.5 million Brazilians are affected, as waters flow in from lakes and rivers in the north, engulfing the entire state. More than 100 people have died and 130 others are still reported missing, according to most recent estimates. Some observers are calling it a “Katrina moment” for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who signed a decree that exempts $9.9 billion in emergency relief from Brazil’s budget.

Quote: “I’m not your mum...I only care about results.”

How’s this for a result? Baidu public relations executive Qu Jing is reportedly out at the Chinese search giant after she posted a series of videos on social media endorsing cutthroat workplace practices. She said employees should keep their phones on 24 hours a day and be willing to travel 50 straight days for business. And in perhaps the biggest self-own of all time, Qu bragged that she worked so much that she forgot what grade her son is in. She also apparently forgot that PR execs are supposed to put out fires, not start them.

Read: The untold story of the Sherpa who raced to deliver the news that Mount Everest had been summited for the first time. (Outside)

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