🎮 Is Palworld ripping off Pokémon?

It’s Friday, January 26 — people are talking about Mitch McConnell’s Ukraine-border deal, Pokémon’s investigation of potential copycat Palworld, and more.

As always, we’ve summarized and organized the different shades of perspective, so you can see the big picture quickly. Here at Shades we believe that seeing multiple points of view is the best way to stay informed.

If someone forwarded you this email, click here to subscribe.

- Jeff (co-founder of Shades)

🤝 McConnell’s Ukraine-border deal

Trump publicly opposed McConnell's Ukraine-border deal, leaving the GOP in a tug-of-war over priorities.

🤝 WaPo: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is facing headwinds in securing a combo Ukraine-border deal, thanks to Trump's public opposition.

🤝 New Republic slammed McConnell for the drama: His fear of Trump kills hopes for a humane solution to the crisis at the border.

🤝 RedState also slammed McConnell, but for a different reason: Trump was right to oppose his Ukraine-border deal! The deal's a betrayal of GOP values.

🤝 However, NY Mag says the real villain here is Trump: McConnell's Ukraine-border flopped because of Trump's self-interest and GOP disarray.

🎮 Is Palworld ripping off Pokémon?

Palworld is stirring up controversy with its Pokémon-esque vibe, sparking a legal debate among fans and experts.

🎮 Palworld, a survival game that sold 8m copies in less than six days, is under scrutiny by The Pokémon Company for potential IP infringement, says IGN.

🎮 Hollywood Reporter says the copyright case is close, but Pokémon would probably lose. The games aren’t similar, but the characters are.

🎮 But maybe Pokémon does have a case? @CeciliaFae on X compared the monster designs, and found a lot of similarities.

🎮 But A PC Games op thinks Palworld is no Pokémon 2.0: The indie game offers experiences that Pokémon games have been missing for years.

🎮 The Gamer had a different take: Fans need to take it down a notch. The Pokémon vs. Palworld legal drama is no sports match.

Quick hits

⚫ Condemned inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith was put to death using nitrogen hypoxia, marking the first time that form of execution has been used in the U.S. (CBS News)

🏈 The Atlanta Falcons are hiring Raheem Morris as their next head coach, passing on former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. (USA Today)

🏛️ The International Court of Justice ordered Israel to limit its harm against Palestinian people during its campaign in Gaza. (Financial Times)

🎾 Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic in their Australian Open semi-final match. He'll face Daniil Medvedev for his first shot at a Grand Slam trophy. (WaPo)

Thanks for reading. If you have any feedback or want to share your thoughts or ideas, please email me at [email protected].