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In an era where digital transformation is not just an option but a necessity, PayPal is making significant strides towards reshaping ecommerce through its collaboration with NVIDIA’s open AI models. This partnership aims to bolster the capabilities of PayPal’s services, making them even more beneficial for small businesses looking to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. PayPal has announced the integration of NVIDIA’s Nemotron open models into its commerce services. This initiative not only highlights the company’s commitment to innovative solutions but also underscores the growing importance of AI in the ecommerce landscape. For small business owners, understanding how these advancements play out can translate directly to improved business performance. The introduction of open AI models allows companies like PayPal to tailor AI systems specifically to their needs, providing a higher degree of control over how these systems are applied in real-world situations. With this enhanced flexibility, PayPal aims to deliver faster, more intelligent commerce experiences while ensuring the security and trust that have become synonymous with the brand. Small businesses are likely to notice the benefits right away. Early benchmarks from PayPal’s integration process show impressive results, including a 50% increase in operational speed and a five-fold acceleration in developer productivity. This improvement is made possible by two main factors: a streamlined, intuitive open architecture for development and the ability to directly fine-tune models. These advancements promise to undercut the traditionally lengthy and inefficient prompt engineering processes, allowing for quicker deployments of new features or tools. The development of agentic commerce services means that small business owners could enjoy more personalized and responsive ecommerce solutions. With enhanced decision-making capabilities powered by AI, businesses can manage inventories more efficiently, tailor marketing strategies, and provide improved customer support. This is significant for small enterprises competing against larger counterparts with extensive resources. As PayPal positions itself at the forefront of open commerce technologies, small businesses are also urged to consider the implications of such advancements. There remains a need to evaluate the underlying costs and technical support that open models demand. However, the strategic shift to control one’s AI stack—from model selection to deployment—promises a more democratic approach to implementing AI technologies, a factor that small enterprises might find particularly appealing. Quotes from PayPal reinforce the vision shared between the two technology giants. A spokesperson elaborated, “The future of commerce is intelligent, intuitive, and open,” acknowledging their ambition to support community-driven innovation. Such sentiments reflect an ethos that could resonate with small business owners ready to adopt innovative practices. While there’s a clear upside to embracing these open models, the integration process may also present potential challenges. Small businesses might face initial barriers such as the technical know-how required to implement these solutions effectively. The shift from proprietary models to open ones necessitates an adjustment period for owners who may not yet be familiar with AI technologies. Despite these hurdles, the benefits of improved speed and customizability can be significant. Moreover, the collaborative nature of open models invites contributions from the broader developer community, which could lead to enhanced resources and support networks for small businesses navigating this transformative landscape. In the rapidly evolving world of ecommerce, the developments at PayPal signal a promising direction for small business innovation. By adopting open models powered by AI, small enterprises stand to gain not only in operational efficiency but also in the ability to create a more engaging and responsive customer experience. The future beckons, and with it comes an opportunity to redefine the way commerce is conducted. For more information on this initiative, visit the original press release at PayPal’s newsroom: Building the Future of Commerce with Open Models. Image via Envanto This article, "PayPal Partners with NVIDIA to Transform Commerce with Open AI Models" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

In an era where digital transformation is not just an option but a necessity, PayPal is making significant strides towards reshaping ecommerce through its collaboration with NVIDIA’s open AI models. This partnership aims to bolster the capabilities of PayPal’s services, making them even more beneficial for small businesses looking to streamline operations and enhance customer experiences. PayPal has announced the integration of NVIDIA’s Nemotron open models into its commerce services. This initiative not only highlights the company’s commitment to innovative solutions but also underscores the growing importance of AI in the ecommerce landscape. For small business owners, understanding how these advancements play out can translate directly to improved business performance. The introduction of open AI models allows companies like PayPal to tailor AI systems specifically to their needs, providing a higher degree of control over how these systems are applied in real-world situations. With this enhanced flexibility, PayPal aims to deliver faster, more intelligent commerce experiences while ensuring the security and trust that have become synonymous with the brand. Small businesses are likely to notice the benefits right away. Early benchmarks from PayPal’s integration process show impressive results, including a 50% increase in operational speed and a five-fold acceleration in developer productivity. This improvement is made possible by two main factors: a streamlined, intuitive open architecture for development and the ability to directly fine-tune models. These advancements promise to undercut the traditionally lengthy and inefficient prompt engineering processes, allowing for quicker deployments of new features or tools. The development of agentic commerce services means that small business owners could enjoy more personalized and responsive ecommerce solutions. With enhanced decision-making capabilities powered by AI, businesses can manage inventories more efficiently, tailor marketing strategies, and provide improved customer support. This is significant for small enterprises competing against larger counterparts with extensive resources. As PayPal positions itself at the forefront of open commerce technologies, small businesses are also urged to consider the implications of such advancements. There remains a need to evaluate the underlying costs and technical support that open models demand. However, the strategic shift to control one’s AI stack—from model selection to deployment—promises a more democratic approach to implementing AI technologies, a factor that small enterprises might find particularly appealing. Quotes from PayPal reinforce the vision shared between the two technology giants. A spokesperson elaborated, “The future of commerce is intelligent, intuitive, and open,” acknowledging their ambition to support community-driven innovation. Such sentiments reflect an ethos that could resonate with small business owners ready to adopt innovative practices. While there’s a clear upside to embracing these open models, the integration process may also present potential challenges. Small businesses might face initial barriers such as the technical know-how required to implement these solutions effectively. The shift from proprietary models to open ones necessitates an adjustment period for owners who may not yet be familiar with AI technologies. Despite these hurdles, the benefits of improved speed and customizability can be significant. Moreover, the collaborative nature of open models invites contributions from the broader developer community, which could lead to enhanced resources and support networks for small businesses navigating this transformative landscape. In the rapidly evolving world of ecommerce, the developments at PayPal signal a promising direction for small business innovation. By adopting open models powered by AI, small enterprises stand to gain not only in operational efficiency but also in the ability to create a more engaging and responsive customer experience. The future beckons, and with it comes an opportunity to redefine the way commerce is conducted. For more information on this initiative, visit the original press release at PayPal’s newsroom: Building the Future of Commerce with Open Models. Image via Envanto This article, "PayPal Partners with NVIDIA to Transform Commerce with Open AI Models" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Public servants manage a geographically distributed group of people across dozens of public and private organizations daily. Cybersecurity officials work with state and federal counterparts, and homelessness coordinators work with public health departments and nonprofits. State veterans affairs departments sit at the intersection of educational and health benefits along with housing and job assistance. From my conversations with public servants across the country, it’s clear that most critical government functions cannot happen without collaboration. This makes it paramount to have a deep understanding of who does what across dozens of organizations for government to function effectively. ENTER THE CRM The dominant modern tool for tracking relationships and managing contacts is customer relationship management software, simply referred to as a CRM. While CRMs arose to help sales teams manage their networks, they’re widely used today as contact managers. And yet the focus on closing sales dominates CRM product design. One CRM company aims to help its users “attract more prospects, close more deals, and strengthen customer relationships.” Another says the goal of its CRM “is simple: Improve relationships to grow your business.” A third CRM aims to be “the sales assistant your team never had.” But government employees don’t sell. They need a network map of people to identify the individuals, organizations, and skill sets to achieve different purposes. These purposes depend on the initiative, like what policy they’re implementing, what guidance they’re finalizing, or what community initiative they’re managing. So public servants have two ill-fitting options for managing relationships. One approach is tracking contacts manually, constantly referring back to their inbox and past emails, or copy-pasting from lists in spreadsheets that quickly go out of date. The other option is to force CRMs—which are designed for sales—to serve as coordination tools, a mismatch between purpose and function. GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AREN’T TRACKING SALES FUNNELS The mismatch causes problems when CRMs are deployed for government initiatives. CRMs are built to support a linear sales process—a deal is won, lost, or in progress. So CRMs categorize prospects by their progression through the “sales funnel,” quantify sales rep performance, and generate insights about pipeline size and time to close deals. But government agencies don’t have a sales funnel. Their work hinges on knowing who’s who across public, private, and nonprofit organizations because their work is embedded in overlapping networks. Imagine a state employee named Jess. Jess spearheads an initiative to reduce homelessness, leads coordination efforts with the state’s public health agency, and is the point of contact for homeless shelters. By virtue of this work, Jess also participates in a working group of state, county, and local agencies addressing homelessness. She also serves on the board of an organization that convenes state agencies addressing homelessness in the same region. A typical CRM would try to locate Jess in a nonexistent sales funnel. A CRM built for government would capture Jess’s different roles across many groups and operations. And it would let its users leverage this information at the right time for the right action or communication. PUBLIC SERVANTS NEED ONGOING RELATIONSHIP CONTEXT The reality of overlapping networks in government operations leads to the second misalignment: data enrichment over time. In a CRM, data enrichment refers to the attributes that can be identified and recorded about a person or entity. For private companies, data enrichment isn’t thatvital—they want to move prospects through the sales funnel toward a deal. Their customer segments are generally well-defined, so they need to know basic information about prospects, like name, title, and organization. Depth of knowledge is secondary. And while some information may change, that hardly matters once the deal is closed, meaning data enrichment has diminishing returns over time in traditional CRMs. But for government agencies, ongoing data enrichment is a critical CRM capability. Public servants must activate geographically and organizationally distributed groups of people for countless initiatives occurring in parallel. The richer the context, the better. This is the difference between simply knowing that Jess participates in a working group and capturing every role she plays in all her different capacities—and having that information autonomously updated. The people and organizations public servants need to coordinate with are always changing, too. Government agencies’ network maps, organized in a CRM, are multi-layered, always in flux, and a mission critical resource. PUBLIC SERVANTS DESERVE PURPOSE-BUILT TECHNOLOGY The only way to effectively manage ever-changing groups of people and organizations and align them with government operations is to have a CRM that prioritizes data enrichment over time. Government, unlike sales, doesn’t have a defined end. A new class of government-centric CRMs should treat contacts as members of overlapping networks. They should capture attributes relevant to government work and update continuously, managing contact attributes as they change in real time, so public servants can spend their time collaborating with those contacts to do their job. This should be table stakes for a government CRM. Public servants also work as teams and need easier ways to operationalize their network, like with more reliable mass email sending. We are at an inflection point where governments across the country are being asked to do more with less. Technology should enable, not be an obstacle. CRMs, despite their centrality to government operations, remain an obstacle because they are not built for government work. So what are public servants to do? Their best, which means trying to make a tool work and fighting against it, because it wasn’t designed to address their needs and maximize their capabilities. In my conversations with public servants, a recurring theme is the need to track the people and organizations that matter to the mission. Our driving conviction at Civic Roundtable is that government employees deserve better. They deserve software designed, built, and deployed specifically for government operations. The CRM deserves a rethink in service of public servants. Madeleine Smith is cofounder and CEO of Civic Roundtable. View the full article

Deposition with Black Cube co-founder details how firm profits from placing stories and prompting regulatory investigationsView the full article

If you've signed up for an Amazon Prime subscription in the last few years, you may have some cash coming your way. Amazon recently settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over deceptive enrollment and cancellation practices, including enrolling customers in Prime without their consent and making it difficult to cancel. The company is now set to pay out $1.5 billion in refunds to affected consumers. Here's who qualifies, and how to make sure you get your money. Am I eligible for an Amazon Prime refund? Refunds will be paid out to select Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S. In order to qualify, you must also meet the following criteria: You signed up for your Prime account between June 23, 2019 and June 23, 2025. You signed up through a "challenged enrollment flow" (the universal Prime decision page, shipping selection page, single page checkout, or Prime Video enrollment flow) OR you tried cancel your Prime subscription between the dates listed above and were unsuccessful. You used no more than three Amazon Prime benefits in any 12-month period after enrolling. If you signed up for Amazon Prime before or after this time frame, or via another enrollment flow, you aren't covered by the settlement. How to get your Amazon Prime refundIn most cases, you won't need to take any action. If you are eligible, Amazon will automatically refund your Amazon Prime subscription fees by December 25, 2025—up to a maximum of $51. Some Amazon Prime customers who don't qualify for automatic refunds may still be able to claim some cash from the settlement. If you signed up through a challenged enrollment flow and used up to 10 Prime benefits in any 12-month period, you may receive a claims form from Amazon via email sometime in early 2026. You'll need to complete your claim within 180 days to get a refund. As Mashable notes, payouts could trickle down to other Amazon Prime customers if the full settlement isn't exhausted in the first two phases—though these refunds are likely to come later. View the full article

Novo and Metsera deny Pfizer’s argumentsView the full article

The $500 million Los Angeles Dodgers’ thrilling World Series win over the Toronto Blue Jays attracted record international attention for Major League Baseball, affirmed LA’s status as the sport’s best team and drew more attention to baseball’s payroll disparity heading into what is likely to be contentious labor negotiations. Los Angeles’ 5-4, 11-inning win over Toronto in Game 7 on Saturday night capped a postseason with seven winner-take-all games, two more than any previous year. Shohei Ohtani is building a case as the sport’s best player ever with his unprecedented two-way performances, captivating audiences outside the U.S. unlike any previous player. “It just absolutely been the greatest benefit to the game that you can imagine throughout the year,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred. Toronto’s success this year sparked interest throughout Canada, which gave the Blue Jays nationwide support. Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Paul Skenes and Cal Raleigh already have committed to play for the United States in next year’s World Baseball Classic, which is gaining increased interest with each addition. And MLB is negotiating to send big league players to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics during an extended All-Star break. “Players are interested in playing, whether it’s for the Team USA or any number of other teams around the world,” union head Tony Clark said. The Dodgers are already talking about a three-peat Minutes after the Dodgers became the first repeat champion since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees, Dodgers star Freddie Freeman said matching that pinstriped power was the next goal. “The Yankees are three-time back-to-back,” he said, “so we get to use that same narrative next year.” Those Yankees are among just four instances of teams winning three or more consecutive championships alongside five by the 1949-53 Yankees, four by the 1936-39 Yankees and three by the 1972-74 Oakland Athletics. Big market spending sparks talk of salary-cap proposal Dodgers manager Dave Roberts attracted attention after the National League Championship Series sweep of Milwaukee when he yelled to Los Angeles fans: “They said the Dodgers are ruining baseball. Let’s get four more wins and really ruin baseball!” Los Angeles entered the World Series having spent $509.5 million in major league payroll and projected luxury tax, plus another $6.5 million for pitcher Roki Sasaki’s minor league signing bonus. Including Sasaki’s bonus, the Dodgers spending for its two World Series title teams totaled at least $890 million. The New York Mets, who failed to reach the playoffs this year after getting knocked out in last year’s NLCS, have spent about $860 million in 2024 and ’25. In a sign of how much payroll disparity has increased, the Athletics spent less than $150 million over the same period. Manfred repeatedly has said owners haven’t settled on their labor proposals, but the players’ association is bracing to resist a push for a salary cap. Demand for a cap from owners is what led to a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 and the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years. The labor contract expires on Dec. 2, 2026, and bargaining is likely to start this winter or spring. More Japanese players likely headed to MLB Following the success of Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, more Japanese players may sign with MLB teams. Munetaka Murakami, a third baseman and first baseman who turns 26 in February, is expected to be posted by the Yakult Swallows. He hit .273 with 22 homers and 47 RBIs this year, limited to 56 games by an oblique injury. A two-time Central League MVP, in 2022 he hit 56 homers to break Sadaharu Oh’s record for a Japanese-born player while becoming the youngest player to earn Japan’s Triple Crown. Kazuma Okamoto, a 29-year-old third baseman and first baseman. will be posted by the Yomiuri Giants. He has 248 homers in 11 Central League seasons, hitting 30 or more from 2018-23. Tatsuya Imai, a 27-year-old right-hander, could be posted by the Seibu Lions. He struck out 17 against Yokohama on June 17, breaking Daisuke Matsuzaka’s prior team record of 16 from 2004. Here come the robots Game 7 of the World Series was MLB’s last with human umpires making all ball/strike calls. Starting next season, the Automated Ball/Strike System will be installed in all big league ballparks and batters, catchers and pitchers will be able to appeal decisions to a high-tech system of cameras tracking each pitch and judging whether it crossed home plate within the strike zone. Each team has the ability to challenge two calls per game and a team retains its challenge if successful, similar to the regulations for video review, which has been in place for many calls since 2014. Teams that exhaust their challenges get one additional challenge in each extra inning AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb —Ronald Blum, AP Baseball Writer View the full article

Defamation case pits LVMH wine and spirits division against professed whistleblowerView the full article

The world is focused on America’s lead but Beijing has the means, motive and opportunity to pull aheadView the full article

Microsoft said Monday it will be shipping Nvidia‘s most advanced artificial intelligence chips to the United Arab Emirates as part of a deal approved by the U.S. Commerce Department. The Redmond, Washington software giant said licenses approved in September under “stringent” safeguards enable it to ship more than 60,000 Nvidia chips, including the California chipmaker’s advanced GB300 Grace Blackwell chips, for use in data centers in the Middle Eastern country. The agreement appeared to contradict President Donald The President’s remarks in a “60 Minutes” interview aired Sunday that such chips would not be exported outside the U.S. Asked by CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell if he will allow Nvidia to sell its most advanced chips to China, The President said he wouldn’t. “We will let them deal with Nvidia but not in terms of the most advanced,” The President said. “The most advanced, we will not let anybody have them other than the United States.” The UAE’s ability to access chips is tied to its pledge to invest $1.4 trillion in U.S. energy and AI-related projects, an outsized sum given its annual GDP is roughly $540 billion. The UAE ambassador to the U.S., Yousef Al Otaiba, said in a statement earlier this year that the arrangement was “setting a new ‘Gold Standard’ for securing AI models, chips, data and access.” Microsoft’s announcement Monday was part of the company’s planned $15.2 billion investment in technology in the UAE, which it says has some of the highest per-capita usage of AI. Microsoft had already accumulated in the UAE more than 21,000 of Nvidia’s graphics processor chips, known as GPUs, through licenses approved under then-President Joe Biden. “We’re using these GPUs to provide access to advanced AI models from OpenAI, Anthropic, open-source providers, and Microsoft itself,” said a company statement. View the full article

It’s been a tough few weeks for the consumer health company Kenvue, after President The President publicly spread unproven claims about Tylenol, one of its core subsidiary brands. Today, though, it seems like there might finally be some good news for Kenvue. This morning, Kimberly-Clark, the personal care corporation behind brands like Kleenex, Huggies, and Cottonelle, announced that it’s struck an agreement to acquire Kenvue (which, alongside Tylenol, also owns brands like Band-Aid, Zyrtec, and Listerine). The deal, which is expected to close in the second half of 2026, will proceed through a cash and stock transaction that’s set to value Kenvue at around $48.7 billion. Kenvue stock was up as much as 19% in premarket trading. As of this writing, Kenvue stock is up more than 17%, while Kimberly-Clark stock is down about 12%. The proposed acquisition news comes nearly a month after President The President spread a widely debunked claim that suggested a link between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism, causing a temporary dip in Kenvue stock and posing a more serious reputational risk to the company. Now, it seems like investors are feeling hopeful about the company’s latest move. What to know about Kenvue ahead of Kimberly-Clark acquisition Kenvue shares have been on a bit of a roller coaster over the past several weeks. On the morning of September 22, shares of the company dropped around 7.5% as shareholders caught wind of President The President’s plans to publicly claim that Tylenol consumption could be linked to autism. Later that afternoon, The President did just that at a White House conference where he instructed pregnant women, around a dozen times, “Don’t take Tylenol.” The claim that Tylenol use is connected to autism has been widely debunked by experts and is not backed by medical science. In response to The President’s comments, Kenvue disputed any link between Tylenol and autism, and warned that if pregnant mothers don’t use the drug when in need, they could face a dangerous choice between suffering fevers or using riskier alternatives. The company’s stock jumped back up around 6% on September 23. The recent tumult surrounding Kenvue follows several years of stock price decline for the company, which first broke off from Johnson & Johnson back in 2023. Since then, Kenvue’s share prices have slumped by almost 35% from their initial public offering price. Year-over-year, the company’s stock is down almost 27%. In a press release published today, Mike Hsu, CEO of Kimberly-Clark, explained that acquiring Kenvue was part of a larger plan to “pivot our portfolio to higher-growth, higher-margin businesses.” Kirk Perry, Kenvue’s CEO, added, “Our combination with Kimberly-Clark unites two highly complementary portfolios filled with iconic, beloved brands and everyday essentials that people trust and count on throughout their lives.” If the acquisition proceeds as planned, it will create a personal care giant that encompasses 10 different billion-dollar brands under one corporate umbrella. View the full article

Move by FTSE’s biggest company gains support of 99% of shareholders who voted in blow to London marketView the full article

It's been four days since Disney's channels disappeared from YouTube TV, and some subscribers are receiving a surprise hidden away in their account settings: Over on Reddit, there are reports that some users are able to claim $10 credits on their next six monthly bills, though it's not entirely clear if this is intended as a make-good for the streamer's Disney troubles. The credit doesn't seem to be showing up for everyone, but has been redeemed by YouTube TV subscribers at Tom's Guide. Google has yet to make any announcements about the credit, and that based on a post to the YouTube X account, it appears to be entirely separate from the $20 credit the company previously promised subscribers if Disney channels remain off YouTube TV for an extended period. (That particular credit is apparently still pending, with YouTube telling subscribers to expect "an email with more details in the coming days.") It's possible that the $10 credit is entirely unrelated to the Disney debacle, although the timing is suspect, and this isn't the first time a mysterious credit has popped up for YouTube TV subscribers after a public controversy—9to5Google writer Ben Schoon wrote about claiming a similar credit back in June, after YouTube TV raised its prices. Regardless of the reasons behind it, here's how to check if you're eligible for the new $10 YouTube TV credit on your own account, and how to claim it on your next six bills (a total savings of $60). How to claim YouTube TV's new $10 creditAccording to the Reddit users as well as Schoon's reporting from the last time this happened, you can only claim the credit through a web browser on a desktop or laptop computer, which might explain why some users aren't seeing it. Using said desktop browser, log into your YouTube TV account, click on your profile picture in the top-right corner, and click on Settings. Click on Membership, and finally Manage. If you're eligible for the discount, you'll see it here. Click Redeem to claim it. Note, again, that even when you follow these steps, you may not see the discount, at least judging by reports from the Reddit community. Currently, it's unclear how it's being distributed. I've reached out to Google for more details and will update this post when I hear back. When will I get my YouTube TV credit?If you don't see an offer to claim the new $10 credit on your YouTube TV account, you're not totally out of luck: Per YouTube's post to its X account, a $20 credit is currently being planned if Disney's channels don't return to the service soon. The company said it will send out emails with more details shortly, so keep an eye on your inbox for info on how to claim it. It's possible those emails may also have more clarification about this $10 credit, which could help those who aren't seeing it redeem it as well. View the full article

How do you say yes when you have no idea how to deliver? My cofounders and I built Moment Factory by saying yes to projects most people thought were impossible. Long before the technology existed, we designed interactive concerts, illuminated night walks through forests, and towering LED installations in airports. Every project started with the same challenge: Finding the path to make the impossible possible. The unknown isn’t unique to our industry. Every creative team faces it—startups launch apps no one knew they needed, architects design spaces no one had imagined, chefs invent dishes no one had tasted. At the beginning of every project, you don’t know the outcome or what discoveries lie ahead. But uncertainty is where creativity begins. After 25 years and more than 600 creations, we developed a framework to help teams navigate uncertainty. We call it The Journey Into the Unknown, structured around four tools: The Map, The Crew, The Ship, and The Compass of Amazing. It builds a shared language, aligns teams, fosters trust, and keeps everyone moving forward together. Next time a project feels impossible, let this framework guide your journey into the unknown. THE MAP No explorer started with a complete map of undiscovered territory. At first, your map will be messy, incomplete, and full of gaps. The key is to start with the fragments of information you have and let them guide you in an initial direction: the context, the brief, the timeline, the budget, the objectives, the audiences, and your initial assumptions and ideas. Each small step uncovers something new. Every decision and experiment adds layers of detail, gradually revealing the direction and shape of the map. Progress is not linear, but each step should bring a clearer sense of the path ahead, and that’s the Map in action: by trusting this process, we could zigzag through decisions and discover our breakthrough moment. THE CREW Your team is your Crew. Once you have your Map, you need to cast your Crew carefully. A strong team is a multidisciplinary mix of great talents—chosen with intention and purpose. The right individuals, with the right expertise and the right mix, kept as lean as possible, supporting one another and sharing knowledge across disciplines, are what makes the work come alive. Picture the classic standoff: Creatives could spend years conceptualizing ideas and exploring every possibility, while production teams push for specifics—timelines, budgets, roadmaps. The creative says, “It needs to feel more magical.” The producer responds, “What’s that going to cost?” This tension isn’t a flaw—it’s the balance that keeps the Ship upright. You need both the dreamers and the builders, and when they align, when they understand each other’s reality, breakthrough work becomes possible. THE SHIP The Ship carries the Crew and the tools for the journey. Each project requires a different ship to carry your Crew and their tools from concept to execution. For some missions, a mothership with support vessels is essential; for others, a small, fast, agile craft is enough. The right ship will have the fuel, speed, and capacity suited to the journey, carrying just the right team to get the project across the finish line. THE COMPASS OF AMAZING The Compass of Amazing is your instinct. Everyone has a creative instinct shaped by past experiences. It’s a guide, like one you’d bring on a trip, helping you decide your next move. Every journey into the unknown is made of thousands of small decisions—and its success depends on the accumulation of good ones, never just one. Following your Compass often means making choices that aren’t obvious and trusting a hunch, even when it feels risky. Take John Lennon during the recording of Strawberry Fields Forever: He had two very different takes—one with a Mellotron, the other with brass and strings. Rather than choosing one, he trusted his instinct that combining them could create something extraordinary. It was a technical challenge, but that intuition produced a groundbreaking result that changed how records were produced. Using your Compass is about recognizing intuitive moments just like Lennon did. When you pitch an idea and the whole room leans forward, that’s your Compass pointing true north. If that feeling disappears, stop, feel, and realign to chart a new course from there. SAY YES TO THE UNKNOWN Every impossible project will be a rollercoaster of excitement, fear, doubt, and hope. Embrace it. These feelings aren’t obstacles; they’re part of the creative process. When a project lands in front of you, ask yourself: “Does it feel exciting?” and “Does it align with my values?” If the answer is yes, be courageous and boldly step forward. Your Map will gradually reveal itself, your Crew will rise to the challenge, your Ship will take shape, and your Compass of Amazing will guide your decisions. Fear will inevitably surface along the way. When it does, remember past moments of uncertainty and how they ultimately unfolded. The journey into the unknown is always a dance between chaos and order. A certain amount of chaos is essential—it sparks discovery and creativity—but too much becomes dysfunction and stifles imagination. The creative process flows from uncertainty to clarity, and it is in that delicate balance that ideas ignite, projects take shape, and something truly remarkable emerges. Sakchin Bessette is the cofounder and executive creative director of Moment Factory. View the full article

Prosperity will come from attracting global AI innovatorsView the full article

One year after Donald The President retook the White House and set into motion a dramatic expansion of executive power, the Republican president figures prominently in state and local elections being held Tuesday. The results of those contests — the first general election of The President’s second term — will be heralded by the victors as either a major repudiation or resounding stamp of approval of his second-term agenda. That’s especially true in high-profile races for Virginia and New Jersey governor, New York City mayor and a California proposition to redraw its congressional district boundaries. More than half of the states will hold contests on Tuesday. Here’s a look at some of the major statewide and local races on the ballot: Governors: New Jersey and Virginia In New Jersey, Democrat Mikie Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli are the nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy. Sherrill is a four-term U.S. representative and former Navy helicopter pilot. Ciattarelli is a former state Assemblyman backed by The President. In 2021, Ciattarelli came within about 3 percentage points of toppling Murphy. In Virginia, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger look to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. While Spanberger has made some efforts to focus on topics other than The President in stump speeches, the president remained a major topic of conversation throughout the campaign, from comments Earle-Sears made about him in 2022 to some of his more polarizing policies, such as the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill tax and spending cut measure and the widespread dismissal of federal workers, many of whom live in northern Virginia. The President was scheduled to participate in telephone rallies for the candidates on Monday night. As the only gubernatorial races held in the year following a presidential election, the contests have long served as the first major test of voter sentiment toward the party holding the White House. In every race for governor since 1973, one or both states have elected a governor from a party different than that of the sitting president. New York City Mayor The race to lead the nation’s largest city features Democratic state legislator Zohran Mamdani, independent candidate and former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Mamdani’s comfortable victory over Cuomo in the June primary generated excitement from the party’s more progressive wing and apprehension among the party establishment. Party leaders like Gov. Kathy Hochul and U.S. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries eventually endorsed the self-described democratic socialist months after he won the nomination. The winner will replace outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who initially sought renomination as a Democrat. After losing the primary Adams opted to run as an independent, but dropped out of the race in September and eventually endorsed Cuomo. In February, the The President Justice Department asked a court to drop corruption charges against Adams because the case impeded The President’s “immigration objectives.” The President later said he’d like to see both Adams and Sliwa drop out of the race in an effort to defeat Mamdani. California Proposition 50 California voters will decide a statewide ballot measure that would enact a new congressional map that could flip as many as five Republican-held U.S. House seats to Democratic control. Proposition 50, championed by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, is in response to a new Texas map that state Republicans enacted in August as part of The President’s efforts to keep the U.S. House under Republican control in the 2026 midterms. The Texas plan, which could help Republicans flip five Democratic-held U.S. House seats, has sparked an escalating gerrymandering arms race among states to pass new maps outside of the regular once-a-decade schedule. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Control of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will be at stake when voters cast Yes or No votes on whether to retain three justices from the high court’s 5-2 Democratic majority. Partisan control of the court could have major implications for the 2028 presidential race, since justices might be asked to rule on election disputes, as they did in 2020. Spending on Tuesday’s contests is on track to exceed $15 million as Republicans have campaigned to end the majority and Democrats have responded. If all three justices are ousted, a deadlock in the confirmation process to replace them could result in a court tied at 2-2. An election to fill any vacant seats for full 10-year terms would be held in 2027. Other notable contests VIRGINIA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Republican incumbent Jason Miyares seeks a second term against Democrat Jay Jones. Much of the fall campaign has focused on text messages suggesting violence against political rivals that Jones sent in 2022. TEXAS-18: Sixteen candidates hope to fill a vacant congressional seat previously held by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvester Turner. STATE LEGISLATURES: Control of the Minnesota Senate and Virginia House of Delegates is at stake, while New Jersey Democrats defend their 52-28 General Assembly majority. BALLOT MEASURES: Maine voters will decide statewide questions on voting and a “red flag” law aimed at preventing gun violence. Texas’ 17 ballot measures include constitutional amendments on parental rights and limiting voting to U.S. citizens. Colorado and Washington also have statewide measures on the ballot. MAYORS: Detroit, Pittsburgh, Jersey City and Buffalo will elect new mayors, while incumbents in Atlanta, Minneapolis and Cincinnati seek another term. Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2025 election at https://apnews.com/projects/election-results-2025/. —Robert Yoon, Associated Press View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Back in October, I wrote about how I wanted to get a mini label printer during Amazon Prime Day so I could beef up my resale game. I am a woman of my word, and the printer arrived two short days later, immediately allowing me to print out the shipping labels I need for all the packages I sell on Poshmark. This isn't a necessary upgrade for any reseller, especially not someone who is casually just flipping their own clothes and goods online, as most resale platforms—Poshmark included—provide the option for you to simply show the USPS worker a QR code on your phone, which triggers the label to print at the post office. But having access to my own printer has sped up and made my process so much more efficient. Yes, I could continue printing my labels at the post office, but it was slower and more confusing that way, particularly when mailing multiple packages at once. Here are three reasons having my own printer has been better. My label printer saves me timeWhen I wrote about the deals in October, I was considering getting a fancy, name-brand printer, but ended up going with the Vretti, a cheaper option at around $70, instead. I reasoned that this way, I could see if it actually benefitted my little side business before investing more money. If it didn't work, I could resell it and recoup my minimal spend. If it did work, I could resell it, then use the earnings to upgrade to the heavier-hitting one. Amazingly, the Vretti started proving its worth immediately. The first thing I noticed was how much time I saved. In the past, I would gather up the items that had been sold on a given day, put them all in a bag, take them to the post office, and then pack them—right there in public—into their mailing envelopes, which I had to procure at the post office itself. Then, I'd get into the line with my giant bunch of packages, wait who-knows-how-long, and finally, show the agent the QR code assigned to each package, so they could scan them, print out the label, affix it to the package, scan that, then put it in a bin ready to be shipped out. This took me 30 minutes on a good day. With my label maker, I do most of that myself, since I also went ahead and bought some mailers. When an order comes in, I pack everything into a mailer, print my own envelope, walk over to the post office, and don't need to wait in line at all. I just set the labeled package into a special window and walk away. The part that takes the longest is the four-minute walk to the post office, but even that can be avoided if I set up a package pickup by my mailperson the night before. I'm militant about keeping my average shipping time low, so if an order comes through in the daytime, I try to get it out same-day, which means I rarely have the chance to schedule a next-day pickup from my own home. If I cared less about that, I could easily set all my labeled packages for at-home pickup and never walk to the post office at all, meaning each sale would take me nothing more than seconds to fix up. My label printer keeps me organizedSince I got this thing three weeks ago, I've made 26 sales. But because I typically sell bundles—or more than one thing at a time, offering a discount for bulk purchases—I've actually sold about 63 things within those 26 packages. Remember how I said that before I got my printer, I'd put everything in a bag and bring it to the post office, then pack it there? On days I had multiple bundles to ship out, that was tricky. I'd get confused about which item belonged in which mailer, have to write the contents on the mailer itself so I could remember which package corresponded with which QR code, and carefully coordinate with the attendant to make sure nothing got mixed up. Fortunately, I never mailed anyone the wrong order or made a major mistake—but it was time-consuming, annoying, and stressful. My label printer makes that a problem of the past. When an order comes in, I build it out immediately, pulling the right items from the shelf, putting them in a mailer, and labeling them instantly. Then, even if I wait to go to the post office until I have a few more packages to send out, there's no confusing what is what. My label printer makes me a more appealing sellerThis whole thing is very transactional and straightforward. I list my old clothes that don't fit anymore. Someone buys them. I get money. They get clothes. That doesn't mean there's no customer service involved here, although you can certainly be an impersonal, brusque seller if you want to be. I do prefer to send out cute packages that make the transaction feel a little more personal, though, and the printer helps me there, too. Because I can pack them in my own home and take my time with them, my packages are looking better and more bespoke than ever. I can write little messages on the label, take care to wrap goods in tissue paper, or otherwise spruce up my colorful mailers, all without someone in line behind me at the post office willing me to hurry up. View the full article

The risk now is that well-intentioned landlords — the majority — find themselves caught in the crossfireView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. When it comes to buying the best headphones at the best price, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra is at the top of the list for active noise-canceling (ANC), while also excelling in other important categories. Right now, the Bose QuietComfort Ultras are $329 (originally $429), matching the lowest price they've ever been, according to price-tracking tools. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Wireless Headphones with Spatial Audio, Over Ear Noise Cancelling Headphones with Mic, Up To 24 Hour $329.00 at Amazon $429.00 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $329.00 at Amazon $429.00 Save $100.00 Few other brands can compete with Bose's QuietComfort Ultra lineup when it comes to ANC. Apart from the headphone model, they also make some of the best ANC earbuds, both using the same tech. PCMag's "outstanding" review goes into detail on how the headphones do the best job at dialing back low-frequency rumbles, as well as lows and mids. Despite those plaudits, they're not perfect: Some high-frequency sounds still make it through the ANC technology (that's the case for all ANC headphones, though). But these headphones performed better at ANC than their other two main competitors, Apple AirPods Max and the Sony WH-1000XM5. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones launched in the fall of 2023 with many reviewers praising their overall quality, but earning complaints for their pricing, at almost half a grand. At their current discounted price, there is no better value for your money if you value top-tier ANC. Another great feature of the headphones is their transparency mode, meant to be used to allow you to better hear your surroundings (cars, bikes, or people around you) while wearing them. You can expect about 24 hours of juice with a full charge, or about 18 hours if you're using ANC. The accompanying app has a well-designed, customizable EQ. Our Best Editor-Vetted Early Black Friday Deals Right Now Apple AirPods Pro 2 Noise Cancelling Wireless Earbuds — $169.99 (List Price $249.00) Apple iPad 11" 128GB A16 WiFi Tablet (Blue, 2025) — $299.00 (List Price $349.00) Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Plus — $29.99 (List Price $49.99) Ring Pan-Tilt Indoor Cam, White with Ring Indoor Cam (2nd Gen), White — $59.99 (List Price $99.99) Blink Video Doorbell Wireless (Newest Model) + Sync Module Core — $29.99 (List Price $69.99) Blink Mini 2 1080p Indoor Security Camera (2-Pack, White) — $27.99 (List Price $69.99) Ring Video Doorbell Pro 2 with Ring Chime Pro — $149.99 (List Price $259.99) Introducing Amazon Fire TV 55" Omni Mini-LED Series, QLED 4K UHD smart TV, Dolby Vision IQ, 144hz gaming mode, Ambient Experience, hands-free with Alexa, 2024 release — $699.99 (List Price $819.99) Blink Outdoor 4 1080p 2-Camera Kit With Sync Module Core — $51.99 (List Price $129.99) Deals are selected by our commerce team View the full article

In addition to voting in the highly anticipated mayoral race this November, New Yorkers will make another consequential decision this election day. They’ll also decide whether the city will begin holding elections only on even-numbered calendar years. While it may sound irrelevant, it’s an important yay or nay. The measure, as written in Ballot Proposal 6, would mean that off-year primary and general elections would begin taking place in the same year as the presidential elections. If New Yorkers voted for the proposal, it would be in line with what New York state has already been moving toward. Earlier this month, the Court of Appeals unanimously voted to uphold a law that moved many town and county elections to even-numbered years. Now, those in NYC will have to decide whether to follow suit. Why does this matter for New Yorkers? Proponents of the proposal say that it will increase voter turnout, given it streamlines elections. In New York, historically, odd-year elections bring about extraordinarily low turnout, which seems to be getting worse. In the last mayoral election, which took place in an odd-year (2021), only 23% made it to the polls. Even this year, with a high-profile mayoral election and turnout trending upward, some predictions say that only between 30 to 40% of New Yorkers will vote. And, according to a 2022 Citizens United report, the six largest U.S. cities that hold local elections in odd-numbered years see turnout between 10% to 38% for mayoral races. Meanwhile, the six largest cities that have their elections in even-numbered years see numbers between 50% and 75%. And 60% of New Yorkers voted in the presidential election. In addition to the potential for higher voter turnout, streamlining elections could also mean improving elections, as election officials can use the off-years for other essential tasks and save money. According to a 2024 report from the city’s Independent Budget Office, “if the City held on-cycle local elections, there would be fiscal year savings of approximately $42 million every other year.” The flipside While most New Yorkers are in favor of the proposal, some worry that shifting elections to even-numbered years could mean that during presidential election years, local issues don’t get as much attention. Likewise, ballots will have to cover more ground, meaning they could become much longer, and thus more confusing for voters. It could also mean that some voters only vote for the most consequential or high-profile races, a trend which has shown up in certain localities that have already begun to streamline elections. Still, according to Citizens United, “the evidence from the cities that consolidated elections and from New York City does not suggest that ballot drop-off is a significant issue.” View the full article

Flight delays continued at U.S. airports Sunday amid air traffic controller shortages as the government shutdown entered its second month, with Newark airport in New Jersey experiencing delays of two to three hours. New York City’s Emergency Management office said on X that Newark delays often ripple out to the region’s other airports. Travelers flying to, from or through New York “should expect schedule changes, gate holds, and missed connections. Anyone flying today should check flight status before heading to the airport and expect longer waits,” the social media post added. George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and Chicago O’Hare were also seeing dozens of delays and one or two cancellations, along with major airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver and Miami, according to FlightAware. As of Sunday evening, FlightAware said there were 4,295 delays and 557 cancelations of flights within, into or out of the U.S., not all related to controller shortages. In July, before the shutdown, about 69% of flights were on time and 2.5% were canceled. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been warning that travelers will start to see more flight disruptions the longer controllers go without a paycheck. “We work overtime to make sure the system is safe. And we will slow traffic down, you’ll see delays, we’ll have flights canceled to make sure the system is safe,” Duffy said Sunday on CBS’S “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.” He also said he does not plan to fire air traffic controllers who don’t show up for work. “Again when they’re making decisions to feed their families, I’m not going to fire air traffic controllers,” Duffy said. “They need support, they need money, they need a paycheck. They don’t need to be fired.” Earlier in October, Duffy had warned air traffic controllers who had called in sick instead of working without a paycheck during the shutdown risked being fired. Even a small number of controllers not showing up for work is causing problems because the FAA has a critical shortage of them. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday on X that nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks. Staffing shortages can occur both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, flight data showed strong on-time performance at most major U.S. airports for the month of October despite isolated staffing problems throughout the month. Before the shutdown, the FAA was already dealing with a long-standing shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers. —Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press View the full article

A predicted flight caused by democratic socialist mayoral candidate’s likely victory on Tuesday has yet to materialiseView the full article

Much to the chagrin of mundane numbers like 35 and 192, 6-7 has taken over American culture. I assume that young people love 6-7 so much because 67 is the 19th prime number and the atomic weight of holmium, which is essential to samarium-cobalt magnets, but I can't say for sure. I can say 6-7 is everywhere—on TikTok, in memes, and now in the dictionary. And that's only one of the many confusing trends I'm explaining this week. I'll also tell you about Soulja Boy selling smart glasses, the sunglasses on your waist trend, and "Beez in the Trap" (Be-Beez in the trap...) Dictionary.com names "6-7" word of the yearThe Gen-Alpha brainrot slang word 6-7 has been named 2025's Word of the Year by Dictionary.com. "We're all still trying to figure out exactly what it means," Dictionary.com says on its website, adding, "perhaps the most defining feature of 6-7 is that it’s impossible to define. It’s meaningless, ubiquitous, and nonsensical." The dictionary site points out that 6-7 is generally annoying to adults while it bestows in-group status among children who use it; hitting a "six-seveeen" at exactly the right time marks you as a specific kind of person to other members of Generation A. The real question about 6-7 is how long can it keep going: Now that everyone, including the dictionary and HBO, is using your secret word, can it continue to be cool? Dictionary.com's runners-up for word of the year include "aura farming" a word that refers to a person who does something performatively cool; "clanker," a slur aimed at robots and AI agents pretending to be human; and "tradwife," a woman who believes in and practices traditional gender roles within marriage. (If you want to know the definitions of a whole slew of current slang that haven't made it to dictionary.com yet, check out Lifehacker's glossary of Gen Z and Gen Alpha Slang You Might Need Help Decoding.) Sam Altman just renames ChatGPT 6 to ChatGPT 6-7In a post on X on Friday, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman said that GPT-6 will be renamed GPT-6-7. See? This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed. Altman offered no other details, and it's probably just a joke in response to dictionary.com's word of the year choice. But it really makes me think 6-7 is over. How can so many extremely uncool people can keep using your buzzword before you have to get a new buzzword? Soulja Boy is selling AI smart glassesRapper Soulja Boy is 35 years-old, so he's more like Soulja Middle-Aged-Man, but the spirit of Soulja Boy is eternally youthful, especially when he does things like sell his own brand of "AI smart glasses." On a recent post on his Instagram account, Souljah invited everyone to "step into the future" and to "See the world in style" with smart glasses that promise "innovation meets drip." While other people are paying $800 for the latest Meta glasses, Soulja Boy's smart glasses can be yours for only $64.50. You won't get a display or a wrist-control for that kind of money. Instead, Soulja Boy glasses offer "hands-free music control, live performance enhancements, and seamless social media connectivity." I don't know what any of that means. Other awesome Soulja Boy merch you can buy: a $42 handheld game console and $20 Soulja Boy earbuds. Character.ai shuts down teen chatsIn a move that feels a lot like a response to recent lawsuits, leading AI chatbot platform Character.ai announced it will no longer allow anyone under 18 to have open-ended conversations with its chatbots. The platform boasts over 20 million users; officially, about 53% of them are between 18 and 24, and only 10% are under 18. But that's all self-reported ages with no verification, so it's impossible to know how many users are secretly children. My guess it's that it's a lot more than 10%—the platform's thing is letting people interact with user-created "characters" that are powered by AI models, and a quick look at the site suggests cartoon characters, memes, and rappers you've never heard of are very popular "characters" on the site. Plus, it's hard to see how something like this would hold the interest of anyone over a certain age. Either way, if you want to check out the kinds of troubling conversations children are having with chatbots, this report released in September from online safety advocates Parents Together Action highlights interactions like Rey from Star Wars giving a 13-year-old advice on how to hide not taking her prescribed anti-depressants from her parents, and a Patrick Mahomes bot offering a 15-year-old a cannabis edible. Troubling TikTok trend of the week: Sunglasses on waistTikTok seems like it's playing a perpetual game of whack-a-mole with unhealthy dieting content. Seemingly innocent hashtags like "what I eat in a day" are populated by videos of people who clearly don't eat enough, and TikTok fully banned the #skinnytok hashtag a few months ago. The latest trend is the "sunglasses on waist challenge," and it involves seeing if your sunglasses can fit around your waist. (Mine don't, but only because my head isn't gigantic.) There's nothing specifically harmful about it, I guess, but there's an implied congratulations if you can mange it, because it means you're extremely skinny. It's the kind of ban-evasion technique that highlights the difficulty of trying to ban ideas, even harmful ideas. They have a way of slipping out anyway. (Though for what it's worth, a number of "Sunglasses on waist" TikToks that show up on Google appear to have been removed, though it's unclear if the social media app banned them or the account owners took them down.) Viral video trend of the week: Beez in the TrapNicki Minaj's 2012 bop "Beez in the Trap" and 4 Non-Blonde's 1993 hit "What's Going on?" are both certified bangers in their own ways, but who could have guessed that they'd fit together well enough to inspire tens of thousands of meme videos on TikTok? But let me start with an explainer of "Beez in the trap." In this context, "beez" means "I am always," and "trap" used to mean a place where drugs are sold, but now means anywhere where money is made, like an office, so "I beez in the trap" means something like, "I'm always hustling to make money." Onto the meme videos: they works like this: Two people stand back to back. Person one passioantely lip-syncs the chorus of 4 Non Blonde's song, the camera rotates to person two, who chimes in with Minaj's less existentially angsty contribution to the mash up. It's one of those things that just works in a way that defies explanation. Look: Anyway, the trend caught on and famous people started doing it too, like The Kardashians: And Jimmy Fallon: I guess it isn't surprising that professionals at being like "look at me!" would glom onto an attention-getting trend, but I much prefer videos of normal people. View the full article

President Donald The President’s administration faces deadlines on Monday to tell two federal judges whether it will comply with court orders that it continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. The U.S. Department of Agriculture planned to freeze payments to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program starting Nov. 1 because it said it could no longer keep funding it due to the shutdown. The program serves about 1 in 8 Americans and is a major piece of the nation’s social safety net — and it costs about $8 billion per month nationally. The situation leaves millions with uncertainty about how they will feed themselves. Benefits will be delayed in November regardless of the outcome of the court cases because many beneficiaries have their cards recharged early in the month and the process of loading cards can take a week or more in many states. Democratic state attorneys general or governors from 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia, challenged the plan to pause the program, contending that the administration has a legal obligation to keep it running in their jurisdictions. Cities and nonprofits also filed a lawsuit. On Friday, judges in Rhode Island and Massachusetts ruled separately that the administration must continue to pay for SNAP. They both gave the administration leeway on whether to fund the program partially or in full for November. The USDA has a $5 billion contingency fund for the program, but the The President administration reversed an earlier agency plan to use that money to keep SNAP running. Democratic officials argue that the administration could also use a separate fund of about $23 billion. U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, said SNAP must be funded using at least contingency funds, and he asked for an update on progress by Monday. He said all previous work requirement waivers must continue to be honored. During the shutdown, the USDA has terminated existing waivers that exempted work requirements for older adults, veterans and others. In Boston, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled the suspension was unlawful and said USDA has to pay for SNAP. Talwani ordered the federal government to advise by Monday whether they will use emergency reserve funds to provide reduced SNAP benefits for November or fully fund the program using both contingency funds and additional available funds. Advocates and beneficiaries say halting the food aid would force people to choose between buying groceries and paying other bills. The majority of states have announced more or expedited funding for food banks or novel ways to load at least some benefits onto the SNAP debit cards. To qualify for SNAP in 2025, a family of four’s net income after certain expenses can’t exceed the federal poverty line, which is about $32,000 per year. Last year, SNAP assisted nearly 42 million people, about two-thirds of whom were families with children. —Associated Press View the full article

Wall Street dealers expect Bessent to signal as soon as Wednesday, when his department releases a quarterly statement on debt sales, that issuance in the $30 trillion Treasury market will keep shifting in that direction. View the full article