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On July 15, Hugging Face’s security team noticed something strange happening inside its infrastructure. An agent was moving through its systems, accessing datasets, pulling credentials, and doing things that looked deliberate and methodical. More than 17,000 individual actions were logged during the intrusion. The team contained it. What they couldn’t figure out was who, or what, had done it.Seven days later, OpenAI answered that question. In a blog post published on July 22, the company confirmed that two of its own AI models were responsible. The admission has rattled researchers and security professionals across the industry in a way that few disclosures have.What OpenAI admitted about the Hugging Face security incident”After investigating, we now know that this particular incident was driven by a combination of OpenAI models,” the company wrote on its website. The models involved were GPT-5.6 Sol, which OpenAI described as its strongest cybersecurity model yet when it launched in June, and an unreleased model described as “even more capable.”The models were being tested on ExploitGym, a benchmark designed to measure whether AI agents can identify and exploit real security vulnerabilities. To get the most accurate read on their capabilities, OpenAI had reduced the safety guardrails that would normally stop them from pursuing hacking-related tasks. That decision turned out to matter a lot.Related: Palantir CEO has a blunt verdict on OpenAI and AnthropicOpenAI called the event “an unprecedented cyber incident, involving state-of-the-art cyber capabilities.” It says the models were narrowly focused on obtaining a solution to the benchmark rather than causing broader damage. The line between those two things, though, is not as reassuring as it might sound.How OpenAI’s AI models escaped the sandbox and reached Hugging FaceThe models were running in a heavily isolated environment. Network access was supposed to be limited to installing packages through an internally hosted proxy. The models found a way around that.They identified and exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in the third-party software OpenAI was using as that proxy and cache. From there, they escalated privileges, moved through OpenAI’s research infrastructure, and eventually reached a machine with real internet access. Once they had that, they used it to get to Hugging Face’s production database and pull test solutions directly.The whole thing, according to CNBC, was “driven, end to end, by an autonomous AI agent system.” Hugging Face’s security systems detected and contained the activity. Its forensic investigation reconstructed more than 17,000 individual actions the agent had performed during the intrusion.Why the AI cyber capability race made this incident more likelyTo understand how this happened, you have to understand what the major AI labs have been doing since April. Anthropic released Claude Mythos Preview and described it as a powerful cyber-capable model. Wall Street noticed. The U.S. government noticed. OpenAI noticed, too.OpenAI launched its own cyber-focused model in May. Then GPT-5.6 Sol came out in June, and OpenAI called it the strongest cybersecurity model yet. The UK AI Safety Institute ran evaluations and confirmed the model can carry out complex, multi-step cyber operations over long periods of time without losing track of what it’s doing.So that’s the context. The labs are in a race, and cyber capability is part of what’s being measured. Running these benchmarks without full guardrails is how you find out what the models can actually do at their ceiling. What OpenAI found out is that the ceiling is higher than the containment was designed for.Hugging Face CEO Clément Delangue was measured about it. “We suspected last week’s cyberattack might have come from a frontier lab, given the sophistication of the agent. Turns out it did! We’ve spent the past 24 hours working closely with the OpenAI team, and we strongly believe there was no malicious intent on their part,” he wrote on X (the former Twitter).”It’s quite mind-blowing that all of this happened autonomously.”

OpenAI said it expects incidents like this to “become more commonplace with the proliferation of increasingly cyber-capable models.”Kanok/Getty Images

What OpenAI and Hugging Face are doing after the incidentOpenAI has patched the known vulnerabilities, rotated credentials, and rebuilt compromised systems. It disclosed the zero-day flaw to the third-party software vendor. It’s also tightening controls around its research infrastructure, even if that slows research progress, and has added Hugging Face to its trusted access cybersecurity program, giving Hugging Face access to a version of GPT-5.6 Sol with fewer guardrails to help defend against similar attacks in the future.Hugging Face has hired outside cybersecurity forensic specialists and is reviewing its security policies and procedures. The two companies are still conducting a joint investigation into what exactly happened and what else may have been accessed.OpenAI said it expects incidents like this to “become more commonplace with the proliferation of increasingly cyber-capable models.” That’s a striking thing to put in writing. It’s not framing the Hugging Face breach as a one-off failure. It’s treating it as a preview.What OpenAI’s cyber admission means for AI safety and the broader industryThe question this raises isn’t just about OpenAI. Every major AI lab running capability evaluations has to ask whether its containment is sufficient when the models being tested are getting better at finding ways around it. The better the model, the more useful the benchmark. The more useful the benchmark, the more dangerous it is to run without airtight isolation.For enterprise buyers, this is the kind of story that makes CISOs slow down. AI agents are being marketed for coding, automation, and increasingly autonomous task completion. An incident where an AI system escaped containment, exploited a zero-day, and breached a third company’s production database doesn’t fit neatly into any existing risk framework most organizations have.OpenAI’s disclosure is unusual in that it’s genuinely transparent about what happened rather than burying it. That matters. But the transparency also makes the capability gap between what these models can do and what current safety controls can contain very visible. That gap is what the AI industry now has to explain to everyone paying close attention.Related: Your wallet is being put in danger by OpenAI

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.DIY projects seem to be more common in the summertime. That’s probably because we put them off throughout the cold winter months, creating a backlog that needs to be addressed at the beginning of each summer. Once you’re done with your annual spring cleaning regimen, the next logical step is to get started on all those pesky home repairs you’ve been avoiding since New Years. If you want those jobs to be quick and easy, then you’d better shop for a good complete tool kit ASAP. The best ones contain all the standard hand tools along with a cordless drill.Whether you plan to keep your tools set on hand for any home repair issues that may arise, or you’re looking for something to keep in the trunk of your car, Amazon and Walmart are two of the best places to start. With traditional brick and mortar hardware stores closing up shop, online shopping is becoming ever more important. The two retail giants have a plethora of tool kit options available at any given time, and many of them can be found at a big discount. In fact, the set that I currently own and use is on sale and it’s worth every red cent.Workpro Home Tool Set with Drill

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Check price at AmazonThe Workpro Home Tool Set with Drill manages to straddle the line between extensive and compact beautifully. Not only does it include just about everything you could possibly want from a tool kit full of hand tools, but it includes an extra bonus that you don’t often get with comparable tool kits. The standard tools included are a hammer, pliers, crescent wrench, screwdriver set, level, utility knife, hex wrench set, utility scissors, a tape measure, and a convenient and sturdy canvas tool box. You also get spare utility blades and a few other minor extras. However, what really sells this set is the bonus cordless drill.The drill comes with a removable battery and wall charger. There are many home repair tool kits available at Amazon, but most don’t come with their very own power drill. This is an upgrade that’s pretty shocking, considering the kit’s low price. I have owned this very set for over a year, and I usually use it at least once a week. I never knew how many odds and ends need constant maintenance in the house until I actually had the tools on hand to deal with them. I can’t imagine my daily life without this tool set any more, and if you buy one for yourself, I guarantee you’ll feel the same.Why you need a home tool kit with a drillI’ve found that there are a few main reasons why having a home tool kit with a drill is a good idea. The primary benefits are versatility, speed, and savings. If you have a kit that includes both hand tools and at least one power tool, you can adapt to your DIY needs on the spot. Personally, there have been multiple instances when I have attempted to unscrew something, just to realize the screw was virtually immovable. I quickly grabbed the cordless drill and was able to remove the screw instantly thanks to the added power afforded to me by the drill.Along the same lines, just about any job that involves driving multiple screws can be done quicker with a power drill. I tend to use the screwdrivers in the set to guide my screws in at the beginning of the project, then finish the job with the drill. This is especially true if I’m hanging a number of frames on a single wall. It’s far quicker to have the drill on hand for quick mounting, as opposed to using only a handheld screwdriver. Finally, having a full home tool set that includes a cordless drill can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars every year. Home repairs are expensive, and they’re not getting cheaper any time soon. That’s why any time you can do your own handy work without hiring someone else, you’ll come out on top. This specific tool kit has saved me multiple calls to our local handyman, which has surely saved me hundreds of dollars over the past year.More tool kitsYou may not think that the Workpro Home Tool Set with Drill is for you. That’s ok, because Amazon and Walmart have plenty of other tool kits available. Below is a list of some of our favorites at the moment. No matter what your personal DIY needs may be, these retailers are sure to have something for you.Dekopro Home Toolbox with Power Drill

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Check price at AmazonBlack+Decker 12V Max Home Drill and Tool Kit

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Check price at AmazonShinylink 21V Tool Set and Drill

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Check price at WalmartTlgreen Cordless Drill Tool Set

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Check price at WalmartTheStreet Shopping is your guide for shopping insights and advice. We look beyond the price tag to find the best value in home, tech, and wellness gear based on product features and real-world use. Read more about our Editorial Standards and How We Choose Our Shopping Deals.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealLaptops are an essential more than a luxury these days, which means even if you don’t want to spend the money to purchase one, you usually still have to. Whether you’re a student, professional, or stay-at-home parent, laptops provide convenience and make tackling projects, assignments, and daily to-dos easier than ever — and sometimes they’re actually the only way to get certain things, like paying bills, done. It can be difficult though justifying the exorbitant prices attached to many of these necessary devices which is why timing your purchase just right is key in helping you save money. By taking advantage of sales throughout the year, you can ensure that even when you have to spend the money for something like a Rnruo 14-Inch Laptop, you can secure some savings for a more budget-friendly experience.With Walmart’s latest Flash deal on the Rnruo 14-Inch Laptop, you can score up to $323 in savings. The $529 laptop is on sale for 61%, meaning you can get it for only $206 if you act fast. With school on the horizon, there’s no better time for students to purchase the bestselling device, and for others, well, who wouldn’t want to take advantage of such a great sale?Rnruo 14-Inch Laptop, $206 (was $529) at Walmart

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Shop at WalmartWhy do shoppers love it?With an 8 gigabyte random-access memory (GB RAM) and a 256 GB solid state drive (SSD), this device combines storage space with speed. Your computer’s short-term memory — the RAM — is key for running apps in real time, and with 8 GB you can web browse, stream media, check emails easily, jumping between programs and windows with no buffering and lagging. Your SSD is the permanent storage space where your program data, files, documents, and photos live longterm, and with 256 GB, you can store roughly about 214,000 standard-sized photos, 83,000 songs, and four to six modern video games at once. With an Intel Pentium Gold 6500Y process and a 14-inch 1920×1080 full high definition (FHD) in-plane switching (IPS) screen with a liquid crystal display (LCD), this laptop provides fast processing and operating speeds in conjunction with that 8 GB RAM, all of which deliver you crystal-clear, vibrant screen images with high-resolution and lots of color. The laptop runs on a Windows 11 operating system, which gives you access to a highly-secure network that’s great for both work and play. You have built-in access to Microsoft Teams, access to the AI assistant Microsoft Copilot, and can download other apps via the Microsoft Store. There’s also additional productivity tools, enhancing gaming capabilities, and personalization options due to the Windows 11 system.Like most laptops these days, this device has an HD webcam with a built-in privacy shutter for added security. It’s equipped with HDMI and Type-C ports for dual 4K display connectivity with Bluetooth 5.0. The 5,000 milliampere-hour (mAh) offers up to eight hours of battery life on a full charge and can charge up to 80% in just 30 minutes. Related: Walmart has a 2-in-1 laptop and tablet for only $107The laptop is lightweight and made for portability. It’s perfect for students or professionals who want to take the device with them on the go and work wherever. What to expect from a $206 laptop: Pros and consProsWarranty included: You get a one-year warranty on the device with your purchase. Windows 11 operating system: With the pre-installed Windows 11 operating system, you get access to Microsoft Teams, Copilot, and other apps on the Microsoft store. Lightweight: The device is made for portability and perfect for on-the-go use by students and professionals. Battery life: The device can run up to eight hours on a full charge and can charge up to 80% in just 30 minutes. ConsScreen size: The 14-inch screen size is smaller than average. Limited colors: It’s available in one color.Shoppers appreciate that this is a great deal for the money. It’s perfect if you’re searching for a basic laptop with no fancy bells and whistles that still works really well. It’s sleek and lightweight, perfect for traveling with, and it’s “excellent” for everyday use and “perfect for movies and games.”Shop more deals Asus Chromebook CX15 Laptop, $199 (was $235) at WalmartHP Omen 16-Inch Slim Gaming Laptop, $949 (was $1,399) at WalmartHP 15-inch HD Windows Laptop, $229 (was $379) at WalmartIn our opinion the best time to purchase a laptop is when it’s on sale, and the Rnruo 14-Inch Laptop is the natural choice with its 61% discount right now.

TheStreet aims to feature only the best products and services. If you buy something via one of our links, we may earn a commission.Why we love this dealWhen a heatwave moves in, the last thing you want to be dealing with is a lack of airflow. The outdoors is one thing but when conditions inside feel sticky and sweaty, it’s easy to get overwhelmed, frustrated, and of course, overheated. We love a hot sunny day when we’re planning to hit the beach or the pool, but a 24/7 stream of consistent heat gets in the way of everyday errands and activities — and don’t even get us started about how it affects your sleep. Built-in air conditioning systems can easily create a cooler environment by dropping the temperature down a few degrees, but not everyone has access to that technology, or others simply don’t want to deal with the extra monetary costs of doing so. Thankfully, the alternative of investing in standalone devices like the Patiosunny Portable Air Conditioner or a window unit can deliver all the cooling benefits of central air for a much more affordable cost.Not only can a standalone air conditioner save you money since it’s cheaper than running central AC, but the Patiosunny model can save you even more money thanks to Walmart’s latest Flash deal. The $410 is now on sale for 47% off for a limited time — saving you almost $200. Even better? It doesn’t just function as an air conditioner. The 4-in-1 device has a few extra features that make it well worth your money. Patiosunny Portable Air Conditioner, $217 (was $410) at Walmart

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Shop at WalmartWhy do shoppers love it?Although its specific measurements aren’t listed, this air conditioner has a slim, compact designed to enhance its portability. Don’t let its smaller size fool you because with its 10,000 British Thermal Unit (BTU) cooling power, it has amazing capabilities. Air conditioners typically require 20 BTUs per square foot of space you want them to cover and cool. With a 10,000 cooling power, this unit can cool down mid-sized rooms like home offices, living rooms, family rooms, as well as larger bedrooms, ranging anywhere between 350 to 450 square feet. This model also comes in 8,000, 12,000, and 14,000 BTU.The 4-in-1 design combines cooling, dehumidifying, and fan features along with a sleep mode so that you can stay cool and dry 24/7. With an adjustable temperature range between 61 degrees Fahrenheit and 90 degrees Fahrenheit, you can customize the device to suit your comforts and needs. It can cool the air when it’s hot, suck extra moisture out of the air when it’s humid, and circulate air when it feels stagnant and still.The air conditioner runs at less than 52 decibels for quiet use day and night. There’s an LED control panel as well as a remote control that gives you access to timers, temperature adjustment, speed adjustment, and more. You can use the remote from up to 26.5 feet away to temperature lock, switch modes, set times, and power on and off. You’re able to set customizable fan speeds and even a 24-hour timer should you so desire. Related: Walmart’s massive summer sale includes window AC units starting at $139Thanks to the unit’s 360-degree universal wheels and built-in handle, you can easily move the air conditioner from room to room, bringing it to wherever you need it most. Details to knowDimensions: Unlisted. Coverage area: 450 square feet. Features: This 4-in-1 device combines cooling, dehumidifying, fan, and sleep modes.  You can customize fan speeds, set timers, adjust temperatures and temperature lock, and do so much more. Temperature range: 61 degrees Fahrenheit to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Shoppers really like this model and find it to be a great portable AC unit. It works very well and they are impressed with its power. It comes with a window installation kit for easy DIY setup, but you don’t need to install or set up anything if you plan to use it as a standalone portable device. Shop more deals DuraComfort 3-in-1 AC Unit, $175 (was $310) at WalmartCostway Wifi Enabled Mini Split Air Conditioner and Heater, $865 (was $1,519) at WalmartKtaxon Energy Star Inverter Window Air Conditioner, $285 (was $494) at WalmartAs much as we love the summer heat, we prefer it to stay outdoors. Thanks to Walmart’s great deal on the Patiosunny Portable Air Conditioner, you can rest easy knowing that day or night, you’ll keep cool no matter how much the temperature cranks up outside.

Tailored Brands, the owner of Men’s Wearhouse, is preparing to return to public markets six years after bankruptcy, but its pitch to investors goes beyond a simple stock listing.The menswear retailer is also making an aggressive bet on physical stores.Tailored Brands, which also owns Jos. A. Bank, Moores, and K&G Fashion Superstore, sees room for hundreds of new physical stores over the next decade as it makes its latest pitch to investors.This is a striking reversal for a company that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy during the pandemic and ultimately shuttered more than 400 stores.The expansion comes as retailers across the U.S. continue to rethink their physical footprints and traditional department stores lose ground.And in Tailored Brands’ view, it creates an opening for specialty retailers like them to offer services difficult to replicate online.Men’s Wearhouse owner files for IPOTailored Brands publicly filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an initial public offering and plans to list its shares on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol “MENW.”The company has not yet determined how many shares it will offer or the expected price range.Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and Jefferies are serving as lead bookrunning managers for the proposed offering, according to the company.More Retail:Coca-Cola quietly hints at reinventing previously failed flavorBath & Body Works quietly gains a competitive advantageDollar General brings back old pricesTailored Brands plans to use proceeds from the offering in part to repay debt, with the remainder available for general corporate purposes, including working capital, operating expenses, and capital expenditures.Silver Point Capital, which acquired a significant stake following Tailored Brands’ bankruptcy, is expected to remain the company’s controlling shareholder after the IPO.But the planned listing also marks a dramatic change from where the retailer stood in 2020.As the COVID-19 pandemic hit, many offices closed, disrupting weddings and other events.Consequently, demand for suits and formalwear collapsed.At the time, Tailored Brands warned it could close as many as 500 stores before finally filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in August 2020. The company ultimately shuttered more than 400 locations during that period.Now, after its relatively quick exit from bankruptcy in December 2020, Tailored Brands operates more than 1,000 stores across North America and is also preparing to expand again.

Men’s Wearhouse owner to file for IPO.Brett_Hondow / Getty Images

Tailored Brands plans more than 500 additional storesTailored Brands expects to open about 20 stores in fiscal 2026 and more than 35 in fiscal 2027, before ramping up to more than 50 openings annually in the near term, according to its IPO filing.Over the longer term, the retailer says it sees potential for more than 500 additional locations across 100-plus markets.That plan stands out in a retail environment, where closures still exceed openings overall, even though the pace of closures is improving and openings are risingCNBC reported that Coresight Research expects U.S. retailers to:Close about 7,900 stores in 2026, down 4.5% year over year.Open about 5,500 stores, up 4.4%.This makes the projected store closures the lowest in three years.More importantly, Tailored Brands believes some of that disruption could work in its favor.In its IPO filing, the retailer pointed specifically to the retreat of department stores, which historically held a major position in suits, dress clothing, and other apparel categories.The company, citing U.S. Census Bureau data, said the number of department stores fell by more than 40% between 2018 and 2023.Tailored Brands argues that as department stores disappear, spending is shifting toward specialty retailers.“We believe our focus on menswear, our high-touch service and our offering with unparalleled expert advice and fit solutions position us favorably to continue capturing share from department stores and competing effectively against e-commerce and off-price retailers,” reads the SEC filing.Its own stores are also largely insulated from the struggles of enclosed malls.More than 90% of Tailored Brands’ locations were outside malls at the end of fiscal 2025, and the company said its entire store fleet was profitable on a four-wall basis.Now, the company is using customer data, trade-area demographics, results from its existing stores, and competitor information to identify markets for expansion.Weddings and rentals remain keyTailored Brands is also betting that stores still matter for purchases that require more service than a typical apparel transaction.Suits and formalwear often require measurements, alterations, and styling, while weddings can bring entire groups of customers into stores for fittings and rentals.That rental business gives Tailored Brands a particularly strong position.The company said in its SEC filing that it is the leader in the U.S. men’s apparel rental market, capturing roughly half of the market annually since 2018 and nearly 60% more recently.Rentals are also a high-margin part of the business. Tailored Brands reported rental selling margins of 85.5% in fiscal 2025.But Tailored Brands is no longer relying solely on traditional suits.Since its restructuring, the company has modernized its assortment, expanded its casual and flexible clothing offerings, and increased its reliance on products sold under its own brands.Private brands accounted for roughly 88% of its assortment by the end of fiscal 2025.Those changes are important as workplace dress codes have become more casual, and fewer consumers need traditional business suits every day.Instead, Tailored Brands increasingly depends on a mix of weddings, celebrations, job interviews, professional events, and other occasions to bring shoppers into its stores.That creates another challenge revealed in its IPO filing: getting those customers to come back.Nearly 70% of Tailored Brands’ customers are classified as new or reactivated shoppers, and the company attracted roughly 6 million new and reactivated customers in fiscal 2025.Customers averaged only 1.6 visits per year.Tailored Brands sees converting even part of that large group into repeat shoppers as a major growth opportunity.Tailored Brands posts higher sales ahead of IPOThe retailer is returning to Wall Street with a significantly different financial profile than when it entered bankruptcy.Tailored Brands generated about $2.5 billion in net sales and $217 million in net income in fiscal 2025.Its gross margin reached 48.2%, and the company said its menswear market share increased by about 70 basis points between fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2025.The latest quarter showed continued sales growth.Revenue increased 5.8% to $681.8 million for the three months ended May 2, compared with $644.4 million a year earlier.Net income, however, declined to $44.9 million from $50.7 million during the same period a year earlier.The planned IPO will therefore serve more than one purpose.It gives Tailored Brands access to public equity markets as it prepares for a major expansion, while also allowing the company to direct some proceeds toward debt reduction.Retail IPO market remains difficultTailored Brands is also trying to return to Wall Street during an unusual period for consumer companies.The broader U.S. IPO market has surged in 2026, but retail has largely been left behind.Only five U.S. consumer and retail IPOs had priced so far this year as of July 22, the lowest year-to-date number in a decade, according to LSEG data cited by Reuters.That could soon change.Jersey Mike’s and fashion retailer Reformation have both moved forward with IPO plans and together are seeking to raise more than all U.S. consumer and retail IPOs completed so far this year.Reuters identified Tailored Brands as one of the retailers waiting in the IPO pipeline that could benefit if those offerings perform well.For Tailored Brands, however, the bigger test goes beyond whether investors are ready for another retail stock.Six years ago, the company was closing hundreds of stores as demand collapsed.Now it is asking investors to back the opposite strategy.A return to public markets, hundreds of additional stores, and a bet that the decline of traditional department stores has left room for a specialty menswear retailer to grow.Related: 75-year-old giant auto parts company files Chapter 15 protection

Finding a real estate property below market value has grown harder as more buyers chase the same shrinking pool of listings, which has pushed a growing share of investors and everyday homebuyers to look for deals well before they ever reach a public site.For investors, that search often ends at a wholesaler, an operator who ties up a property under contract and then sells the right to buy it for a fee. The appeal is a faster route than the open market, though it can arrive with similarly inflated asking prices, figures that don’t pencil, and the same address landing in hundreds of competing inboxes at once.On Wednesday’s episode of the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, a listener wrote in stuck on that decision, unsure whether to keep leaning on wholesalers or start hunting deals on his own.”When I look at a deal from a wholesaler, I pretend anything they say isn’t there,” said Henry Washington, an active flipper who’s done hundreds of deals and co-hosts the BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast.Why a bad real estate deal is usually on the buyerWashington’s starting point is that wholesalers are a legitimate way to source property, not a category to avoid. Bad operators work in the business, but bad agents and bad contractors do too, and investors keep hiring from both groups without fairly assigning responsibility for deals gone wrong. To Washington, the distinction that matters is less about whether a wholesaler can be trusted and more about how much weight their claims deserve.His framing puts the responsibility for a poor purchase squarely back on the buyer, which is a reality check for those who have disproportionately removed their share of ownership from the process. “If you bought a bad deal from a wholesaler, chances are that’s your fault and not their fault,” Washington said.This logic rests on where the risk actually sits in this type of real estate transaction. A wholesaler’s sheet usually leads with an estimated after-repair value and a repair budget, the two figures that decide whether a purchase pencils. Taking either one on faith is how a buyer ends up overpaying, since both come from the seller’s side and tend to be tuned to make the property look ready to sell.”The only thing that matters on a wholesaler sheet when they send me a property is the address so I can do my own due diligence,” Washington said.More homebuying and housing market:Zillow sees change in housing market, home valuesNew home-selling strategy poses threat to buyersGoldman Sachs issues major prediction for U.S. housing marketEverything after the address becomes the buyer’s job. Pull the comparable sales, build a repair estimate from the ground up, and settle on a price that’s irrespective of the number printed at the top of the flyer. While this conversation was for investors, the core principles apply to everyday homebuyers as well. Wholesale deals are not the only ones where an appropriate level of due diligence is necessary. Even in more straightforward real estate transactions, the seller’s side can paint a much prettier picture than what a buyer is actually inheriting.As for Washington, his habit in wholesale deals is to land on a number and send that offer no matter how far under the asking figure it falls. A wholesaler is free to pass, and many will, but a buyer never absorbs a loss on a price they set themselves. 

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The questions to ask in wholesale dealsThe second risk in wholesale deals is tougher because it has nothing to do with underwriting. Laying out some of the logistics and complexities of these deals, Washington talked through a process where a wholesaler is supposed to control a property, holding it under contract before selling anyone the right to buy it. However, this is not always how it plays out. As a hypothetical, a wholesaler could take a property already under contract at $100,000, walk it to a buyer at $105,000, and keep the $5,000 gap as a middleman with no real stake in the outcome.Washington’s protection against this is a short list of questions asked before any money changes hands.“I would always make sure you ask the question of the wholesaler, ‘Hey, are you in direct contract with the seller?’” Washington said.He also tells buyers to test a claimed record instead of accepting it, asking how many deals the operator has closed and which title company handled them, then calling that company directly to confirm the sales were real and closed without trouble. Then, a final safeguard lives in the paperwork.”Never sign an assignment contract without seeing the original contract,” Washington added.Again, these are wholesale-specific safeguards, but the same buyer behavior can benefit anyone looking to purchase real estate. Being willing to ask questions, and walk away if the answers aren’t right, is the type of discipline that can save anyone from getting burned when buying property.Key takeaways for investors and homebuyers vetting dealsTreat the wholesaler’s sheet as an address and little else: Washington said the only line worth trusting is the property address, and every value and repair figure should come from the buyer’s own comps and budget, with an offer set independently even when it lands well under the asking price.A deal that goes bad is usually the buyer’s own doing: Washington said accepting a wholesaler’s stated after-repair value or repair costs without checking them, rather than underwriting from scratch, is what turns an off-market purchase into a loss. This same principle applies to all real estate deals.Confirm the wholesaler actually controls the property: Washington said buyers should confirm the wholesaler is contracted directly with the seller, a guard against deals that get marketed but were never locked down.Demand the original contract before signing an assignment: Washington added that a buyer should never sign an assignment without first seeing the original agreement.Being willing to walk away is critical: Homebuyers who can sense when a lack of transparency or consistency on the sellers’ side spells trouble can save a bad deal by walking away.Related: Homeowners face selling decision after housing market shift

I have covered each of the following four stocks separately over the past few weeks:Micron’s historic earnings. Intel’s painful turnaround. AMD’s server CPU advantage heading into August 4. Applied Materials’ wafer equipment supercycle. On July 21, Jim Cramer put them all in the same basket with a single post on X (formerly Twitter).OK, if you have to, let’s go with Micron, AMAT and Intel/AMD for the ones I like the best….for this part of the food chain.The phrase “this part of the food chain” is also a key framing. Cramer is not picking the companies spending the money but picking the ones getting paid. Big Tech hyperscalers, including Alphabet, Meta, and Microsoft, are on track to invest a combined $725 billion in AI infrastructure in 2026 alone, according to Forbes reporting. Every dollar of that spending flows downstream to hardware suppliers, chip manufacturers, and the equipment companies that enable chip production. That is the food chain Cramer is referencing, and he is betting on the suppliers.As of midday July 22, according to Yahoo Finance: Micron traded near $974, Applied Materials near $558, Intel near $104, and AMD near $556.Also Read: Jim Cramer’s Recent StoriesMicron — the memory shortage that will not resolve for yearsYahoo Finance reports that Micron (MU) is up 241.46% year-to-date and ranks third on the S&P 500’s year-to-date performance table, according to Slickcharts. I sat through Cramer’s June 30 interview with CEO Sanjay Mehrotra and came away with one phrase that stuck: “tightness continues beyond 2027.”The supply shortage is structural, not cyclical. AI data centers are projected to consume 70% of all memory chip production in 2026, according to The Motley Fool data, leaving smartphones, laptops, and cars competing for the remaining 30%. More Jim Cramer:Jim Cramer’s cryptic comments on key AI supplier turn headsJim Cramer says investors are getting the Mag 7 all wrongJim Cramer recommends buying these 5 stocksHBM3E and HBM4 are 100% sold out through calendar year 2027, with order books extending into 2028. Hyperscalers have committed $22 billion in advance cash deposits to secure supply, according to TheStreet.DRAM prices rose by a percentage in the mid-60s sequentially in Micron’s fiscal Q2 alone. NAND prices jumped 70% in the same period as Micron’s first Idaho fab delivers wafers by mid-2027, with production ramping in 2028. Micron is also investing more than $250 billion through 2035 in U.S. manufacturing capacity.Applied Materials — the equipment company behind every advanced chipApplied Materials (AMAT) ranks 10th on the S&P 500 year-to-date table at 117%, according to Slickcharts. The company does not make chips. It makes the machines that make chips, which means every dollar of new fab capacity built by Micron, Intel, TSMC, or Samsung requires AMAT equipment.I covered Citi’s wafer fabrication equipment market estimates in a prior report. The bull case numbers are striking: $145 billion in WFE spending in 2026, growing to $200 billion in 2027 and $250 billion in 2028. Related: Why Citi is still backing Applied Materials after the rallyFor AMAT specifically, Citi modeled 30% revenue growth in calendar 2027 and 22% in 2028, including 35% and 25% growth from its Silicon segment.The semiconductor industry as a whole is reporting 131% year-over-year earnings growth and 75% revenue growth in Q2 2026, according to FactSet’s July 17 earnings insight. If semiconductors were excluded from the Information Technology sector, the sector’s blended earnings growth rate would fall from 63.4% to 25.7%. AMAT captures the equipment spend, behind that entire growth story.

If semiconductors were excluded from the Q2 2026 Information Technology sector, the sector’s blended earnings growth rate would fall from 63.4% to 25.7%.Qilai Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Intel — the geopolitical play and the 18A turnaroundIntel (INTC) ranks 6th year-to-date at over 180%, according to Slickcharts. I covered the latest layoff announcement on July 21, framing it as painful but necessary medicine. Q2 earnings arrive July 23.Cramer’s Intel thesis rests on the foundry business and the geopolitical urgency of domestic chip manufacturing. Intel is the largest beneficiary of the U.S. CHIPS Act with $8.5 billion in direct subsidies. Related: Intel makes another painful move in one of its key businessesIntel Foundry revenues grew 16% to $5.42 billion in the most recent quarter, according to Intel’s Q1F26. Intel invests billions annually in R&D to perfect the 18A process node.CEO Lip-Bu Tan confirmed in May that 18A yields are improving at approximately 7% per month, the best-practice benchmark, according to his Mad Money interview. Foundry customer commitments are expected to become “more concrete” in the second half of 2026, per CFO David Zinsner’s prior commentary.AMD — the server CPU advantage Goldman is betting onAMD (AMD) ranks 7th year-to-date at 159%, according to Slickcharts. I covered Goldman Sachs’ earnings preview on July 9 in detail, and the thesis is specific: the server CPU story is what wins August 4, not the GPU headline.AMD guided 70% year-over-year growth in server CPU revenues for Q2. Goldman’s 2027 EPS estimate sits 13% above Street consensus, driven by a structural view that agentic AI is expanding CPU demand in ways the market has not yet fully priced, according to the same report.Related: Goldman Sachs sees AMD entering earnings with 1 powerful advantageThe follow-on Verano 2nm CPU platform arrives in 2027 with a focus on AI performance per dollar per watt. AMD increased its server CPU total addressable market estimate to $120 billion by 2030, according to Lisa Su’s Q1 earnings call commentary, which I highlighted in my previous report.Bitget reports that UBS projects HBM demand to reach 33.1 billion gigabits globally in 2026, a 90% year-over-year increase, jumping another 77% in 2027. The supply gap means available production will meet only about 60% of total market demand, according to analyst estimates. That imbalance benefits every company in Cramer’s food chain simultaneously — the memory makers, the equipment suppliers, and the chip designers.His four picks are actually not a coincidence. They are the companies positioned directly in the path of the most powerful capital expenditure cycle in semiconductor history. Take notes.Related: Jim Cramer shares strong verdict on IBM stock for investors

GE Vernova (GEV) raised its 2026 revenue and free-cash-flow forecasts on July 22, but a widening loss in its Wind business sent shares lower.The stock fell about 6.3% to $1,011 in midday trading July 22 after dropping as low as $964.16 earlier in the session. Its second-quarter revenue rose 22% to $11.1 billion, according to a company press release, and orders climbed 88% organically to $24.2 billion. Power and Electrification led the growth as utilities and data-center developers sought more gas turbines, transformers, switchgear, and grid equipment.Wind orders fell about 40% from a year earlier, Reuters reported, while the segment’s adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization loss widened to $275 million from $165 million.Data-center-related orders have exceeded $5 billion this year, more than double GE Vernova’s total for 2025. Those orders are filling the Power and Electrification backlog, while the larger Wind loss is limiting companywide margin improvement.Data-center demand is filling GE Vernova’s backlogAI data centers require a steady supply of electricity for servers, cooling systems, and networking equipment. Connecting those facilities to the grid may also require new substations, transformers, switchgear, and transmission equipment.More Oil & Gas:Drivers face an unpleasant surprise at the gas pumpU.S. blocks Strait of Hormuz: Here’s what’s next for oil pricesA big shift in the U.S. energy market is about to happenGE Vernova supplies equipment across the system. Its Power segment supplies gas turbines and related services, while Electrification provides grid hardware and software for moving and managing electricity.Power orders rose 135% during the second quarter, driven by demand for gas equipment and services, Reuters confirmed. Electrification revenue also increased by 68% as customers invested in grid capacity.The company’s backlog of gas-powered equipment and slot-reservation agreements grew from 100 gigawatts at the end of the first quarter to 116 gigawatts, the press release stated. Management now expects to have at least 125 gigawatts of gas equipment under contract by the end of 2026.We remain on track to deliver 20 GW of annual gas turbine output in the third quarter of 2026.GE Vernova plans to further increase annual gas-turbine production capacity to 24 gigawatts in 2028 and 30 gigawatts in 2030.Its total backlog reached $176 billion after rising by $13 billion during the quarter, the company indicated. Much of that work will be delivered over several years, giving the company a large base of contracted future business. It also requires GE Vernova to expand manufacturing capacity and deliver equipment on schedule.Wind losses spoiled the earnings reactionGE Vernova’s Wind orders fell about 40% from a year earlier as demand for onshore equipment weakened and costs tied to offshore projects increased.The segment’s EBITDA loss widened by $110 million to $275 million, according to Reuters. The deterioration reduced part of the earnings growth generated by Power and Electrification.Related: GE Vernova CEO sends rattling message on data centersCompanywide adjusted EBITDA rose to about $1.25 billion but fell short of analysts’ roughly $1.28 billion estimate, according to Reuters, citing LSEG.The company also left its 2026 adjusted EBITDA margin forecast unchanged at 12% to 14%, even as it raised its revenue and free-cash-flow forecasts.William Blair analyst Jed Dorsheimer told Reuters that investors may have expected another quarter in which GE Vernova exceeded EBITDA estimates and raised its margin forecast.The unchanged margin range and larger Wind loss could explain why the stock fell, despite order growth and a higher revenue outlook.Key numbers from GE Vernova’s quarter$24.2 billion: Second-quarter orders88%: Organic order growth$176 billion: Total backlogMore than $5 billion: Data-center-related orders year to date$45.5 billion to $46.5 billion: New 2026 revenue forecast$11.5 billion to $12.5 billion: New 2026 free-cash-flow forecast12% to 14%: Unchanged adjusted EBITDA margin forecast40%: Year-over-year decline in Wind orders$275 million: Wind segment EBITDA loss

GE Vernova’s adjusted EBITDA rose to about $1.25 billion but fell short of analysts’ roughly $1.28 billion estimate.fokkebok / Getty Images

GE Vernova must turn its backlog into margin gainsGE Vernova increased its 2026 revenue forecast to between $45.5 billion and $46.5 billion, up from $44.5 billion to $45.5 billion.It also raised its free-cash-flow outlook to $11.5 billion to $12.5 billion, up from $6.5 billion to $7.5 billion.The company generated $5.1 billion in free cash flow in the second quarter, more than it produced during all of 2025. The higher cash-flow outlook gives GE Vernova greater capacity to fund production expansion and execute its $176 billion backlog.Margin improvement will also require the company to prevent Wind losses from offsetting earnings growth in Power and Electrification.Investors will be watching three developments over the next several quarters: continued growth in data-center orders, progress converting the gas-equipment backlog into revenue, and a narrower Wind loss.GE Vernova’s margin expansion now depends on efficiently delivering that backlog while reducing the earnings drag from Wind.Related: 3M finds a surprising role in the AI data-center boom

A report out of South Korea on Tuesday, July 21, claimed SK Hynix was in talks to buy Intel’s unfinished Ohio semiconductor campus, according to Stocktwits.The claim traced back to Korea JoongAng Daily and described a deal that would give SK Hynix front-end memory production in the United States, years ahead of its own internal timeline.Now SK Hynix is dismissing it. In a filing with the Korea Exchange, the company said it “has not pursued or decided to acquire Intel’s Ohio site and Fab as reported in the article,” TipRanks reported.A company spokesperson went further, telling Benzinga simply that SK Hynix has no plans for an acquisition.Intel did not confirm or deny the talks directly. An Intel spokesperson told Benzinga the company does not comment on deal speculation but remains committed to Ohio and to speeding up the site’s readiness.The SK Hynix denial didn’t erase Intel’s rallyIntel (INTC) closed July 21 at $105.45, up 8.64% on the day.That gain held even as the acquisition story it was riding fell apart hours later. This matters because markets usually give back speculative pops once the trigger disappears.SK Hynix followed a similar pattern in Seoul. Shares opened up more than 9% on the original report, then trimmed to a 6.7% gain once the denial filing landed, TradingKey confirmed.A stock that gives back a third of its gain on a denial but still finishes up nearly 7% is not a stock that stopped believing the story.The one exception was SK Hynix’s own US-listed shares (SKHY), which slipped about 1.4% in the overnight session after the denial.That gap between how Seoul traded the news and how New York traded it says something about who was pricing in a real deal and who was just reacting to a headline.

SK Hynix denied plans to acquire Intel’s Ohio chip campus, but Intel and SK Hynix shares held onto sharp gains anyway.Bloomberg / Getty Images

Intel’s foundry losses made the rumor easy to believeThe reason the story had legs is Intel’s balance sheet. Intel Foundry has been bleeding cash, posting a $7 billion operating loss in 2023 and another $2.4 billion in the first quarter, according to TipRanks.A struggling foundry business sitting on a mostly idle 1,000 acre campus is exactly the kind of asset investors expect a cash-strapped company to consider selling.Related: SK Hynix makes jaw-dropping gains in wild Nasdaq trading debutIntel has pushed the Ohio site’s production timeline back to 2030 or 2031, citing challenging market conditions and the need to strictly manage its capital, Construction Dive reported.A campus that will not run chips for another four or five years is easier to imagine changing hands than one already generating revenue.SK Hynix doesn’t need this deal to keep growing in the U.S.SK Hynix is already building a $3.87 billion HBM packaging plant in Indiana, and the market knows it has an appetite for more.SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won recently confirmed the company is aggressively scouting additional U.S. and Korean sites for future wafer fabs, as long as the right power, water, and workforce conditions are met, Bloomberg indicated.More SK Hynix:Jim Cramer’s cryptic comments on key AI supplier turn headsMajor AI chip stock plunges after blockbuster $26.5 billion Nasdaq debutSK Hynix is testing the limits of Wall Street’s ETF boomThe appetite for U.S. capacity is genuine. This particular target just was not it.Moor Insights and Strategy CEO Patrick Moorhead called the Intel talks unlikely, noting that Ohio remains central to Intel’s plan to win outside foundry customers, StockTwits reported.Selling the campus SK Hynix supposedly wanted would undercut the exact turnaround story Intel is trying to sell investors ahead of its Thursday, July 23, earnings report.A denial is not the same as a closed doorWhat happened this week is less about one campus in New Albany and more about how thin the line has gotten between memory chip supply and desperation.AI demand has made HBM capacity scarce enough that investors will bid up two stocks on a deal neither company confirms, then barely blink when it gets denied.Intel reports earnings on Thursday, and direct questions about the Ohio site’s future will be asked.Until then, the market has already told investors what it thinks a deal between these two companies would be worth, whether or not one ever gets signed.Related: SK Hynix is testing the limits of Wall Street’s ETF boom

Every lease starts as a bet between strangers.The landlord bets that the person on the other side of the application is who they claim to be and earns what they claim to earn. The renter bets that the apartment in the photos exists and that whoever is collecting the deposit actually owns the place.For most of the last century, that bet got settled face to face. You met the landlord, you walked the unit, and somebody looked you in the eye and made a judgment call.Then the process moved online, and the eye contact went away. Applications became uploads. Tours became video walkthroughs.Approvals became a decision made by someone three time zones away who has never stood in the building.Renters have been trained to worry about one half of that arrangement. The copied listing. The deal that is too good. The wire transfer that vanishes.Far fewer are watching the other half, where a bigger and costlier fraud fight is under way, and where honest applicants are quietly picking up the tab.What renters already know about rental listing scamsThe visible version of this problem is bad enough on its own. Since 2020, people have filed nearly 65,000 rental scam reports totaling about $65 million in losses, according to the Federal Trade Commission.The playbook rarely changes. Scammers copy a real listing, swap in their own contact details, repost it elsewhere and push the renter to send money before anyone walks the property.More Real Estate:Kevin O’Leary spots a real estate play hiding in plain sightThe U.S. housing affordability crisis just got a major responseWhy mortgage rates are spiking again and what to doFacebook was the most reported starting point, accounting for roughly half of reports in the 12 months through June 2025, with Craigslist next at 16%. The median reported loss was $1,000.Young renters bear the brunt of it. People ages 18 to 29 were three times more likely than other adults to report losing money this way.The defense is familiar. Search the address, check whether the same unit appears elsewhere at a different price, and never hand over a Social Security number before you have agreed to rent, guidance from Zillow explains.That is the fraud renters can see coming. It is not the one reshaping what they pay.

Rental scams cost renters $65 million, while AI application fraud raises deposits for honest applicants.ABRAHAM GONZALEZ FERNANDEZ / Getty Images

How AI rent fraud slips past landlord screeningLos Angeles landlord Michael Renkow approved a tenant in September 2025 for two units renting at $5,300 a month each. The bank statements, employment records, and ID all cleared.Two days later, his bank flagged the cashier’s checks as fraudulent, and someone was already living in the apartment and refusing to leave, reported Bisnow. The seven-month eviction that followed cost $90,000.What changed is the price of a convincing lie. Forging a pay stub used to take skill or a trip to the dark web. Generative tools cut that down to a prompt and a small fee.Related: Real estate giant updates mortgage rate, home price predictionsMRI Real Estate Software bought 200 artificial intelligence-generated fake IDs, some for as little as $5, and ran them against the optical card readers most leasing offices depend on. The readers flagged 26% of them.Roughly three in four walked through the front door.Documents are the entry level. Some fraudsters now register real limited liability companies and issue real-looking pay stubs from those businesses to people who do not exist, Findigs CEO Steve Carroll explained in an interview with TheStreet.That is a synthetic identity, and it beats document review by design. The document is not forged. The company is.The identity layer is moving the same way. Deepfakes now account for one in five biometric fraud attempts, and deepfaked selfies rose 58% in 2025, according to Entrust.Why honest renters absorb the cost of rental fraudHere is the part nobody prints in a leasing brochure. Fraud losses do not stay with the landlord. They get priced into the next lease.When I lined the industry surveys up against the federal data, the gap was the story. Renters report losses one at a time in four-figure increments. Operators absorb theirs in seven figures and rebuild their screening rules around it.The numbers behind that gap:Nearly all rental housing providers surveyed, 93.3%, reported experiencing fraud in the prior 12 months, according to the National Multifamily Housing Council.The average respondent wrote off close to $4.2 million in bad debt over that period, with about a quarter of it tied to nonpayment on fraudulent applications, the same NMHC survey confirmed.On average, 23.8% of eviction filings traced back to fraudulent applications and the missed rent that followed, NMHC found.More than 70% of property managers said most fraud surfaces only after move-in, according to Snappt.Real estate fraud drew 12,368 complaints and $275.1 million in reported losses last year, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center noted.Each application fraud case runs about $15,000 to clean up, said Kevin Donnelly of the Real Estate Technology and Transformation Center, who told Bisnow the cost “ultimately gets borne by the community.”In a renter’s terms, that is a larger deposit, a higher income multiple, a co-signer requirement that did not exist three years ago and an approval that takes days instead of hours.Not everyone accepts the framing. Much of the data comes from the industry itself, and expanded screening carries its own fees and its own risk of shutting out qualified renters, argued National Consumer Law Center senior attorney Ariel Nelson in the same report.That tension is why rental screening is becoming a policy fight rather than a technology one. What a clean rental application looks like nowThe uncomfortable finding in my analysis is that the honest applicant now competes against a fraudster with better paperwork.A fabricated pay stub can be built to hit the income multiple exactly. A real one from a small employer or a gig platform often looks messier than the fake.So the advantage has shifted toward verifiability: documents a screener can trace to a source, payroll data that can be confirmed directly, an identity that survives more than an optical glance.”A renter can’t out-negotiate a manual review process that takes days and depends on whoever happens to be looking at the file that week,” said Carroll in the interview. “What they can ask for is a process that decides the same way every time, fast, on evidence instead of a gut check.”Findigs says it renders automatic decisions across a network of more than 400,000 units, with fraud signals shared across that network.Whether automation helps renters depends on what it is tuned to do. Pointed at risk, it becomes one more reason to say no. Pointed at evidence, it is the closest thing a renter has to a fair hearing.The arms race will not slow down, because both sides are buying the same tools. What renters can control is how fast they can prove they are real, and that is worth more at the leasing office right now than another month of deposit money.Related: When to buy a home instead of continuing to rent, according to Scott Galloway