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Average weekly earnings rise 5.9%View the full article

Kai Cenat is launching a “streaming university.” Cenat announced his plans during a February 13 stream, explaining how he wants to help streamers both big and small learn from his success. “I’m going to rent out a university over a course of a weekend. It will be streaming university. Okay? I’m going to rent it out,” Cenat said during his Twitch stream. “I’m going to put out enrolls and applications of people to enroll into the university, no matter if you’re big, no matter if you’re a small streamer, you can stream the entire weekend.” Cenat will install himself as school principal. Just like a real university, there will be dorms; unlike a real university, there are plans for major influencers to act as instructors. Cenat said during his February 13 stream that wants the likes of MrBeast and Mark Rober involved. “In terms of the classes and sh*t, for example, I would love to do some sh*t where, science, Mark Rober is the professor for that day, and he’s doing crazy experiments for everybody’s stream,” he said. “Say there is a financial class, MrBeast in that motherf**ker.” While anyone is welcome to apply, that doesn’t mean admission is guaranteed. But those denied the first time round are welcome to re-enroll for next semester, Cenat said. While some online commenters were excited for the chance to learn from one of the most-followed Twitch streamers, others were dubious. “Two-day crash course on how to break the internet and your sleep schedule.. . . . ” one person posted on X. “So just a more expensive clown college?” wrote another. Over the last few years, Cenat has become renowned for his record-breaking streams on Twitch and YouTube that reach millions of viewers. Cenat The 23-year-old ranked No. 24 on Forbes’s list of the top-earning creators in 2024, with estimated earnings of $8.5 million. The live-streaming space has been seeing significant growth in recent years, both in the format itself and the number of people tuning in. In the last quarter of 2024, live-streaming viewership reached 8.5 billion hours watched, a 12% year-over-year increase, as reported by marketing firm Stream Hatchet. Who needs four years of college and tens of thousands of dollars worth of debt? View the full article

This post was written by Alison Green and published on Ask a Manager. It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go… 1. What if hiring a spouse is truly the best choice? I know that having a manager supervising their partner is fraught with peril — I have read enough AAM to have some great examples! But if the partner is truly the best candidate, are there guardrails you recommend? This is in a church context, and the minister’s partner is supremely qualified to be our music director. They are both being totally up-front about it, looking at alternate supervisory roles (could have a board member be the partner’s supervisor?), checking with the denomination for policy recommendations, etc. I am on the board and the hiring committee and looking for guidance. There has also a suggestion that the partner be supervised by our volunteer HR committee. This seems awful. Even if these volunteers are completely qualified as supervisors, there will be disagreements and possibly unclear chain of authority. I keep thinking of cartoons about things designed by committee. You shouldn’t hire the partner at all. Even if they’re the best candidate, hiring the minister’s partner is way too fraught! What if the person needs to be fired? Can everyone involved be 100% sure the situation won’t be dragged out in painful ways while everyone tries to avoid firing the minister’s partner? Can everyone involved be 100% sure that firing the partner won’t cause issues between the board and the minister? To say nothing of all the other issues that can come up with you hire a top person’s partner to work in the same organization? There are other candidates who don’t come with those issues. The partner is not the only music director in the world. But if you go forward with it anyway, definitely don’t have them managed by committee; that’s a recipe for ensuring they’ll receive either inadequate feedback or no feedback, issues are unlikely to be addressed in a timely manner, and they won’t have a single point person for guidance and support, and it would be unfair to them as an employee. It’ll also highlight the special nature of their situation to other employees, compounding the discomfort that’s likely to already be there. This is a bad idea all around. 2. My new coworker told me to “slow down” I recently received some feedback that I don’t know how to interpret. My coworker told me I needed to “slow down” and that “I didn’t need to prove myself because I was already on the team.” I feel like I did something wrong, but I’m not sure what. I’m getting mixed messages here because my boss told me she wanted me trained on all practice areas by April, so I’ve been busting my butt trying to learn everything. I don’t think I’ve been making any mistakes in my work, I’ve been asking good questions, and trying to take initiative on some projects. I’m not sure if this has anything to do with it, but I transitioned into this role in local government after several months of being unemployed and coming off of 8+ years in corporate roles. I’m scared to lose this job because I really enjoy it and my teammates, but “slowing down” is not really something I’m used to. Well, it’s possible that your coworker told you to slow down because you’re moving at a speed that’s out of sync with their culture and are at risk of making mistakes, overlooking important context, or alienating team members … but it’s also possible they told you that because they’re threatened by you and/or worry about being outshined. I don’t know which of those it is, but your boss will probably know and this is a good conversation to have with her. At a minimum you should sit down with her and ask for her sense of how things are going … and ideally as part of that you would share the feedback you heard and ask if she agrees with it (and maybe whether it points to any context on the team that you should be taking into account). 3. Applicant lied on resume; should I tell her boss? I am a director and recently received a resume from an employee at a partner organization. Our industry is small, and it’s common for employees to move between organizations. However, after reviewing her resume, I am certain she is misrepresenting her job duties. I am friends with the director of her current organization and recently spoke with her about this employee. She has caused significant disruption within her current organization, including issues with a program we collaborate on. The duties she listed on her resume are not ones she was responsible for. I know this because we worked with different employees on these projects. Additionally, she included several responsibilities that, according to her director, were not part of her role and even led to disciplinary action. Normally, I would not disclose to another organization that their employee is job searching. However, I also feel a sense of responsibility to inform my colleague that this employee is falsifying job duties under their name. If the situation were reversed, I would want to know. Should I tell her? No. The appropriate consequence for lying on her resume is for you not to interview or hire her; it’s not to have her job search outed to her current employer. 4. Should I tell companies I’m interviewing with that I might be suing the government? I was just fired by DOGE. I was not a probationary employee, and there is reason to believe the firing was due to political considerations and therefore illegal. I’ve been told that I may be a strong lead plaintiff for one of the class-action lawsuits that are being teed up. I am considering participating in one, for the sake of helping my fellow feds and preventing DOGE from destroying the government. In the meantime, I also need to find another job outside government. Do I disclose to potential employers that if they hire me I could end up suing the government while working for them? It could impact them in three ways: (1) I would need to take time off at various points to spend on the lawsuit; (2) I could end up in the news, and my current employer would probably be mentioned in news reports, which would be viewed as a negative by some people reading those reports; (3) if the company does work for the government, a lawsuit by one of their employees could prevent them from winning new contracts. Does the answer change if the company I’m applying to work for prefers to fly under the radar and generally tries to avoid press coverage? My instinct is that, to protect my own interests, either I shouldn’t mention it at all until I’m hired, or I shouldn’t mention it until after I have an offer in hand. But this feels icky. For people who don’t know what’s going on: Probationary employees in the federal government are being fired and are having it documented as being for “performance reasons” even when they’ve had glowing performance reviews and even when their managers oppose the firing. A slew of letters doing this to people went out on Saturday night (of all times). This is not only profoundly shitty from a human standpoint — being told you’re being fired for performance when your work has been good — but it will have practical ramifications too, since if they apply for another federal job in the future, this will come up during the background check. Anyway, you definitely shouldn’t disclose the lawsuit/potential lawsuit until you have an offer, at the earliest — at which point you could maybe frame it as, “I want to let you know about this in case it’s something that you foresee causing issues.” But I’m not even convinced you should disclose it at that point; I see a stronger argument for not disclosing it at all, until and unless something specifically related to it comes up. 5. How to treat a coworker who’s struggling at work and has been moved into a different job One of my coworkers who has been on my team has been transferred to a different role in the organization as a final Hail Mary before being fired if she doesn’t shape up. It’s going to be awkward going forward because not only are we hiring for her old position, I am moving into her old desk. I will still see her daily and I’m wondering if it’s better to just pretend there’s nothing wrong and say nothing except pleasantries when I see her, or if congratulate her on her “new role” as if I don’t know why it’s happened (even though I have known for weeks and have been part of the decision-making around moving her). She has directly been told this is her last stop at our organization. Hoping for some professional guidance! Treat her the way you would treat anyone who had just made an internal move that hadn’t been forced on them. You don’t need to congratulate her on the new job if you think that would be awkward, but otherwise try to mentally frame her in your head the exact same way you would anyone else who had simply changed roles. (Which means that you don’t need to feel weird or apologetic about having her old desk either.) View the full article

Vast estimated deposits of lithium, titanium and rare earths such as gallium have yet to be significantly developedView the full article

Donald Trump’s concessions to Vladimir Putin have alarmed European and Ukrainian officialsView the full article

The iPhone maker wants to diversify its supply chain beyond China. Can the world’s largest democracy deliver?View the full article

The UK expansion of the quintessential New York firm is a long-term bet on the importance of English commercial lawView the full article

UK tax authority rows back on changes to whether limited liability partners can be seen as employeesView the full article

Ministers will be told to look at whether some watchdogs can be scrappedView the full article

Start-up in talks over ways to allow its non-profit board to maintain control after conversion to a for-profit businessView the full article

Decades of under-investment in military has left region isolated in US-Russia negotiations, says Rheinmetall chiefView the full article

Despite a fragmented landscape, industry momentum has been rising since Russia invaded UkraineView the full article

Guy Hands’ Annington, Just Eat Takeaway and Tennet among borrowers under pressure from investors over asset salesView the full article

YouTube has announced the integration of Google DeepMind’s latest video generation model, Veo 2, into its Shorts platform, enhancing AI-powered creative tools for users. The update expands Dream Screen, YouTube’s AI-driven background generator, and introduces the ability to create standalone AI-generated video clips that can be added to Shorts. With the launch of Veo 2, users can now generate video clips from simple text prompts, filling gaps in their content or creating entirely new scenes. This new capability allows creators to add AI-generated elements directly into Shorts without needing original footage. “Need a specific scene but don’t have the right footage? Want to turn your imagination into reality and tell a unique story?” wrote Dina Berrada, Director of Product, Generative AI Creation at YouTube. “Simply use a text prompt to generate a video clip that fits perfectly into your narrative, or create a whole new world of content.” The integration of Veo 2 enhances Dream Screen, making AI-generated videos more detailed, realistic, and faster to produce. The upgraded model improves real-world physics and human movement, while also allowing users to apply specific styles, lens effects, and cinematic filters to their AI-generated content. How to Use Veo 2 in YouTube Shorts Creators can access the new features in two ways: To generate AI video backgrounds: Open the Shorts camera, select Green Screen, then choose Dream Screen and enter a text prompt to create a custom background. To create AI-generated video clips: Open the Shorts camera, tap Add to open the media picker, then select Create at the top. After entering a text prompt, select an image, tap Create video, and choose the desired length. YouTube has implemented SynthID watermarks and clear labels to distinguish AI-generated content. These features are now available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with plans for further expansion. This article, "YouTube Integrates Veo 2 AI Video Generation Into Shorts, Expands Creative Tools" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

YouTube has announced the integration of Google DeepMind’s latest video generation model, Veo 2, into its Shorts platform, enhancing AI-powered creative tools for users. The update expands Dream Screen, YouTube’s AI-driven background generator, and introduces the ability to create standalone AI-generated video clips that can be added to Shorts. With the launch of Veo 2, users can now generate video clips from simple text prompts, filling gaps in their content or creating entirely new scenes. This new capability allows creators to add AI-generated elements directly into Shorts without needing original footage. “Need a specific scene but don’t have the right footage? Want to turn your imagination into reality and tell a unique story?” wrote Dina Berrada, Director of Product, Generative AI Creation at YouTube. “Simply use a text prompt to generate a video clip that fits perfectly into your narrative, or create a whole new world of content.” The integration of Veo 2 enhances Dream Screen, making AI-generated videos more detailed, realistic, and faster to produce. The upgraded model improves real-world physics and human movement, while also allowing users to apply specific styles, lens effects, and cinematic filters to their AI-generated content. How to Use Veo 2 in YouTube Shorts Creators can access the new features in two ways: To generate AI video backgrounds: Open the Shorts camera, select Green Screen, then choose Dream Screen and enter a text prompt to create a custom background. To create AI-generated video clips: Open the Shorts camera, tap Add to open the media picker, then select Create at the top. After entering a text prompt, select an image, tap Create video, and choose the desired length. YouTube has implemented SynthID watermarks and clear labels to distinguish AI-generated content. These features are now available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, with plans for further expansion. This article, "YouTube Integrates Veo 2 AI Video Generation Into Shorts, Expands Creative Tools" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Relations between bosses soured as Honda grew frustrated with Nissan’s restructuringView the full article

The Fast Company Impact Council is a private membership community of influential leaders, experts, executives, and entrepreneurs who share their insights with our audience. Members pay annual membership dues for access to peer learning and thought leadership opportunities, events and more. When you factor in home, school, work, and other public spaces, the average person spends 90% of their time indoors. Given this, it’s probably no surprise that the built environment is responsible for 42% of the world’s carbon (CO2) emissions. This number is too big and the likelihood of it increasing is high when you consider aging buildings, extreme weather, a rising number of powered devices, and the energy demands of AI and high-performance computers. One way for workplaces to lower it is to go back to school and take a page from today’s campus IT leaders and administrators. In addition to monitoring energy consumption, shifting high demand processing needs to off-peak times, and taking advantage of government incentives including energy tax credits and grants, campus leaders have uncovered a new way to get a better handle on energy consumption. One that can potentially lower their buildings’ carbon emissions and be replicated in the workplace. The problem with estimating energy needs Energy consumption and distribution are often based on assumptions. For example, an ad hoc observation could tell you that sections of the library have fewer people on Saturday night versus Monday night. And that student projects and hackathons bring together clusters of people hovering over a table or in a lab. You can also assume energy consumption is higher in dorms on weekday mornings as students get ready for classes while administration buildings are still dark, therefore requiring less power in the administration buildings. Also, for university administrators, budgeting meetings require a larger conference room while one-on-one conversations are in private offices. For these different activities, energy needs vary. These assumptions may be helpful but are not entirely accurate; otherwise CO2 emissions would be decreasing. The HVAC and IT teams have likely already factored the ebb and flow of foot traffic and occupancy into buildings for heating and cooling systems. However, they can’t know the frequency and timing of ad hoc meetings. Meanwhile, the time and cost of powering up an area for a short meeting can be untenable, which explains why a space is often set to a consistent room temperature regardless of usage. Our buildings today don’t understand what users need or intend. I’m sure you remember evenings when you were studying or working alone in a classroom or office, only to have the lights suddenly shut off—forcing you to do a little dance to turn them back on. The situation is similar with HVAC systems. In many buildings, a single rooftop unit cools the entire space, so if one person feels hot in a room and sets the thermostat to “low,” the system might crank up the AC dramatically, wasting a lot of energy. These reactive responses are inefficient for building systems. The future lies in leveraging spatial intelligence to understand how users interact with space and to predict future needs and trends. Use AI to replace assumptions with actual data Little is known about understanding how humans use campus buildings and the office, yet that is changing. Instead of assumption-based decisions, campuses are tuning in to how students and staff use the buildings. For a while, the benefits of occupancy trackers, productivity tools, and cameras were touted, but those are incomplete at best and invasive at worst. This is why higher education institutions are tapping into newer technologies that combine AI and body heat sensing technology with anonymity to better understand how humans use indoor space. In addition to providing insight into foot traffic and occupancy, human movements can tell you the frequency of ad hoc meetings and the need for collaborative versus individual space based on how humans interact on a regular basis. The institutions and organizations using these newer technologies aren’t interested in who is in the space, nor are they capturing that data; they are focused on how the space is being used. Campus insights are transferable to the workplace Campus energy demands are not unlike workplace energy demands. In many instances, both have a mix of older and newer buildings, fluctuating needs for individual work and group collaboration, and fluid foot traffic and occupancy due to shifts in return to office policies. Additionally, each campus and company have distinct corporate cultures. When we have a complete and accurate picture of how indoor space is used by humans, it leads to a better distribution of heating and cooling systems to meet the needs of the people in them. As a result, we see: Fewer blackouts: Despite older infrastructures being retrofitted, the number of blackouts is steadily increasing. Data from Climate Central reports that the U.S. has experienced a 58% increase in weather-related power outages over the past decade compared to the 2000s. A better understanding of energy consumption and needs can help lower the likelihood of blackouts. Higher value from investments in retrofits: According to Professor Kent Larson, director of the City Science research group at the MIT Media Lab, one can lower a building’s carbon footprint by using “deep energy retrofit” with newer technologies in HVAC/building materials and building sensory systems, including heat sensing technology to understand the effects of movements in a space. More productive workspaces: Instead of expensive or one-size-fits-all campus and office designs, interiors can reflect the distinct culture of the institution or organization. Spaces that accommodate the people in them result in more productive, collaborative, and meaningful environments. These types of insights flow into cost savings on energy and maintenance, lower carbon footprints, greater return on technology investments, and higher retention. In the workplace, it’s clear that employees are now in the office more regularly. In a January 2025 report, JLL cites rental rates are trending upwards and leasing has cemented post-pandemic highs in the last three consecutive quarters. What’s more, Q4 volume was at least 92% of pre-pandemic averages. As organizations try to make the office a place employees want to be, it is worth taking a closer look at innovations on campuses that can make a difference in the well-being of employees and the planet. Honghao Deng is the CEO and cofounder of Butlr, an MIT Media Lab spinout. View the full article

Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the alleged murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson, is in prison awaiting trial. But he still managed to launch a new website, along with his first official statement since his arrest, via his legal team. The message states that Mangione, who is being held at Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center, has been “overwhelmed” by and “grateful” for the support he’s received in the form of letters from those who have been moved by his story. Although federal charges against the 26-year-old Mangione include stalking and murder for allegedly gunning down Thompson in front of a New York City hotel, some Americans who are frustrated with the state of the health insurance industry have celebrated him as a folk hero. Not long after a manhunt for the shooter began, there were memes, donations, merchandise, and conversations over the potential for copycats. “Powerfully, this support has transcended political, racial, and even class divisions, as mail has flooded MDC from across the country, and around the globe,” said Mangione in the statement. “While it is impossible for me to reply to most letters, please know that I read every one that I receive. Thank you again to everyone who took the time to write. I look forward to hearing more in the future.” Mangione’s legal team also shared a note on the site, explaining why they felt the need to create the outlet. “Due to the extraordinary volume of inquiries and outpouring of support, this site was created and is maintained by Luigi Mangione’s New York legal defense team to provide answers to frequently asked questions, accurate information about his cases, and dispel misinformation,” the note read. “The intent is to share factual information regarding the unprecedented, multiple prosecutions against him.” Per the site’s FAQ page, Mangione’s team asked that supporters limit the number of certain items they are sending, such as photos. “Luigi is allowed to receive photos via Shutterfly and FreePrints in accordance with mail procedures while in custody,” the section explains, noting Mangione has received many photos. “Due to the volume of photos, they could take longer than usual to be screened and shared. Luigi appreciates the photos that are sent and kindly asks that people send no more than five photos at a time. Please note that every photo that is received is screened and reviewed by law enforcement.” It also asked that supporters temporarily refrain from sending books, given a large number have already been sent. The site also includes a link to a Give Send Go crowdfunding website, which supporters have been donating to in order to help pay for the suspect’s legal fees. As of Monday afternoon, the donations topped $475,000. Last week, the accused’s attorney, Karen Friedman Agnifilo told ABC News, “Luigi is aware of the fund and very much appreciates the outpouring of support.” Agnifilo continued, “My client plans on utilizing it to fight all three of the unprecedented cases against him.” Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include first-degree murder, an act of terrorism, criminal possession of a weapon and forgery by using a fake ID. His next court appearance is scheduled for February 21 in Manhattan. View the full article

A new study from Atticus highlights the risks faced by gig economy workers, revealing that many continue working through injuries without compensation or support. The research, based on a survey of 1,000 American gig workers, found that 15% have suffered workplace injuries or illnesses, with nearly 90% working through their health issues due to financial pressures. The findings underscore the lack of safety nets and growing concerns about long-term job security. Injuries and Financial Burden Gig roles such as rideshare driving, food delivery, and manual labor present significant health risks. Despite this, more than 80% of injured workers received no compensation or insurance benefits. Many paid out-of-pocket for treatment, with Gen Z (59%) and Gen X (56%) workers most likely to cover costs themselves. The inability to take time off for recovery is another major challenge. Three in four injured or ill gig workers returned to work before they were ready, highlighting the financial strain caused by the lack of paid leave. Some workers found the burden unsustainable, with 2% quitting due to injury or illness, a figure disproportionately affecting Gen X workers (10%). Working Through Injuries Without Compensation Despite the high injury rate, nearly 90% of gig workers continued working while injured or ill, with Gen X workers (93%) being the most likely to push through. Employer support was largely absent, with 47% of injured workers feeling their injury was ignored. Workers’ compensation remained out of reach for most. More than three in four gig workers never applied, often due to lack of knowledge or the belief that their injury wouldn’t qualify. Among those who did apply, 30% were denied benefits, often due to insufficient supporting evidence. Gen Z workers were the most likely to apply (42%), with 35% receiving benefits, while Gen X workers had the lowest application rate (7%) and approval rate (7%). Burnout and Calls for Change Beyond physical injuries, burnout is a growing issue in the gig economy. Two in five gig workers reported burnout from working through health issues, with Gen Z workers (50%) particularly affected. Additionally, 87% worry about a future injury leaving them without income, with the concern highest among Gen X and Gen Z (88%). The financial and physical risks of gig work are leading many to seek alternatives. One in two gig workers is considering traditional full-time employment for more stability, with three in five Gen Z workers expressing interest. Unionization and Policy Reform The study also found nearly 80% of gig workers support forming a union or collective to push for stronger workplace protections, with 85% of Gen Z workers in favor. The findings suggest a growing movement toward advocacy in response to the lack of employer-provided safety nets. Rethinking Protections for Gig Workers The study underscores the need for greater education and policy reform to protect gig workers. One-third (34%) of respondents admitted they didn’t know how workers’ compensation works, meaning some may have been eligible but didn’t apply. Image: Envato This article, "Study: Gig Workers Face High Injury Risks, Financial Strain, and Lack of Support" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A new study from Atticus highlights the risks faced by gig economy workers, revealing that many continue working through injuries without compensation or support. The research, based on a survey of 1,000 American gig workers, found that 15% have suffered workplace injuries or illnesses, with nearly 90% working through their health issues due to financial pressures. The findings underscore the lack of safety nets and growing concerns about long-term job security. Injuries and Financial Burden Gig roles such as rideshare driving, food delivery, and manual labor present significant health risks. Despite this, more than 80% of injured workers received no compensation or insurance benefits. Many paid out-of-pocket for treatment, with Gen Z (59%) and Gen X (56%) workers most likely to cover costs themselves. The inability to take time off for recovery is another major challenge. Three in four injured or ill gig workers returned to work before they were ready, highlighting the financial strain caused by the lack of paid leave. Some workers found the burden unsustainable, with 2% quitting due to injury or illness, a figure disproportionately affecting Gen X workers (10%). Working Through Injuries Without Compensation Despite the high injury rate, nearly 90% of gig workers continued working while injured or ill, with Gen X workers (93%) being the most likely to push through. Employer support was largely absent, with 47% of injured workers feeling their injury was ignored. Workers’ compensation remained out of reach for most. More than three in four gig workers never applied, often due to lack of knowledge or the belief that their injury wouldn’t qualify. Among those who did apply, 30% were denied benefits, often due to insufficient supporting evidence. Gen Z workers were the most likely to apply (42%), with 35% receiving benefits, while Gen X workers had the lowest application rate (7%) and approval rate (7%). Burnout and Calls for Change Beyond physical injuries, burnout is a growing issue in the gig economy. Two in five gig workers reported burnout from working through health issues, with Gen Z workers (50%) particularly affected. Additionally, 87% worry about a future injury leaving them without income, with the concern highest among Gen X and Gen Z (88%). The financial and physical risks of gig work are leading many to seek alternatives. One in two gig workers is considering traditional full-time employment for more stability, with three in five Gen Z workers expressing interest. Unionization and Policy Reform The study also found nearly 80% of gig workers support forming a union or collective to push for stronger workplace protections, with 85% of Gen Z workers in favor. The findings suggest a growing movement toward advocacy in response to the lack of employer-provided safety nets. Rethinking Protections for Gig Workers The study underscores the need for greater education and policy reform to protect gig workers. One-third (34%) of respondents admitted they didn’t know how workers’ compensation works, meaning some may have been eligible but didn’t apply. Image: Envato This article, "Study: Gig Workers Face High Injury Risks, Financial Strain, and Lack of Support" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Governor Christopher Waller says levies would only cause temporary increase in prices View the full article

Paramedics treat more than a dozen people at the scene with no fatalities reportedView the full article

Personnel from Elon Musk’s government-downsizing team DOGE were set to visit the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)’s Air Traffic Control command center in Warrenton, Virginia, on Monday, as the Trump administration says it wants to reform the system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy disclosed the plan in a social media post on Sunday. DOGE personnel will “get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system,” he added. The Trump administration this month reversed course and denied participation to air traffic controllers or security officers of the Transportation Security Administration in a government incentive program to quit. On Saturday, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union said several hundred FAA probationary employees were among thousands fired as part of a campaign by President Donald Trump and Musk to slash the U.S. bureaucracy. The union said the “draconian action will increase the workload and place new responsibilities on a workforce that is already stretched thin.” The FAA did not immediately comment on Sunday. Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, said on X in response late on Sunday to the planned DOGE visit that the “safety of air travel is a non-partisan matter. SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer.” Musk previously cited concerns about the recent temporary failure of the FAA’s NOTAM pilot alerting system, housed at the Virginia command center. This month Senator Maria Cantwell called on Duffy to bar Musk from involvement in FAA air space reform, citing conflicts of interest and saying SpaceX was fined by the agency. SpaceX did not comment late on Sunday. The FAA handles an average of 45,000 daily flights and says more than a quarter of the world’s scheduled flights arrive at or depart from U.S. airports. Last week, two U.S. senators called for increased funding and staffing for FAA air traffic after a fatal midair collision highlighted the persistent lack of aviation safety personnel. Senators Jeanne Shaheen and John Hoeven said the FAA is more than 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels. FAA controller staffing has been flat in recent years and is down 10% from 2012. A January 29 collision between an American Airlines regional jet and an Army helicopter killed 67 people near Washington Reagan National Airport in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in more than 20 years. Duffy says the administration plans to “make sure that America has the most innovative, technologically advanced air traffic control system.” He is reconsidering rules that let air traffic control supervisors cut staffing before the fatal collision. Duffy plans to soon announce steps to surge more air traffic control training and applicants and will visit the FAA Academy in Oklahoma this week to meet air traffic controller instructors and students. —David Shepardson, Reuters View the full article

Opposition calls for president’s impeachment after he promoted a cryptocurrency that plunged in valueView the full article

Signaling a major shift in civil rights enforcement, the federal agency that enforces workplace anti-discrimination laws has moved to dismiss six of its own cases on behalf of workers alleging gender identity discrimination, arguing that the cases now conflict with President Donald Trump’s recent executive order, court documents say. The requests by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) mark a major departure from its prior interpretation of civil rights law, and a stark contrast to a decade ago when the agency issued a landmark finding that a transgender civilian employee of the U.S. Army had been discriminated against because her employer refused to use her preferred pronouns or allow her to use bathrooms based on her gender identity. Just last year, the EEOC updated its guidance to specify that deliberately using the wrong pronouns for an employee, or refusing them access to bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity, constituted a form of harassment. That followed a 2020 Supreme Court ruling that gay, lesbian and transgender people are protected from employment discrimination. Nearly all workplace discrimination charges must pass through the EEOC — at least initially — and the agency’s decision to drop at least six of the cases raises serious questions about whether its protections will continue to extend to transgender and gender nonconforming people going forward. The EEOC is seeking to dismiss three cases in Illinois as well as one in Alabama, New York and California. In each instance, the original complaints allege discrimination against transgender or gender nonconforming workers. The agency cites Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order declaring that the government would recognize only two “immutable” sexes — male and female — as the reason for why it no longer intends to pursue the cases. The Alabama case charged that Harmony Hospitality LLC discriminated against an employee who identifies as a gay nonbinary male by firing him hours after co-owners learned of his gender identity. The New York lawsuit alleged that Boxwood Hotels LLC fired a transgender housekeeper who complained that a supervisor repeatedly misgendered them and made anti-transgender statements, referring to the housekeeper as a “transformer” and “it.” Another suit alleged that Wendy’s franchisee Starboard Group, Inc. subjected three transgender employees to pervasive sexual harassment at a Wendy’s restaurant in Carbondale, Illinois, claiming a supervisor demanded to know if one employee had a penis. In another Illinois case, a transgender Reggio’s Pizza cashier at Chicago O’Hare International Airport was “outed” by her manager, called a racist, homophobic slur by coworkers, and fired when she complained. In southern Illinois, at a hog farm called Sis-Bro, Inc., a coworker allegedly exposed his genitals to a transgender employee and touched her breasts. And in Santa Clara, California, the EEOC charged that a Lush Handmade Cosmetics store manager sexually harassed three gender nonconforming employees with “offensive physical and verbal sexual conduct.” Former EEOC General Counsel and Professor and Co-Dean Emeritus at Rutgers Law School David Lopez, who served in the agency for more than 20 years, on Friday said in his experience, the EEOC has never dismissed cases based on substance rather than merit — until now. For the country’s anti-discrimination agency “to discriminate against a group, and say, ‘We’re not going to enforce the law on their behalf’ itself is discrimination, in my view,” Lopez said. “It’s like a complete abdication of responsibility.” The EEOC’s requests to dismiss the cases come just weeks after Trump dismissed two Democratic commissioners of the five-member EEOC before their terms expired, an unprecedented decision that removed what would have been a major obstacle to his administration efforts to upend interpretation of the nation’s civil rights laws. Had the commissioners been allowed to carry out their terms, the EEOC would have had a Democratic majority well into Trump’s term. The administration also fired Karla Gilbride as the EEOC’s general counsel, replacing her with Andrew Rogers as acting counsel. Shortly after their dismissals, acting EEOC chair Andrea Lucas, a Republican, signaled her intent to put the agency’s resources behind enforcing Trump’s executive order on gender. She announced in a statement that one of her priorities would be “defending the biological and binary reality of sex and related rights.” Later, she ordered that the EEOC would continue accepting any and all discrimination charges filed by workers, although complaints that “implicate” Trump’s order should be elevated to headquarters for “review.” “Biology is not bigotry. Biological sex is real, and it matters,” Lucas said in her statement. “Sex is binary (male and female) and immutable. It is not harassment to acknowledge these truths — or to use language like pronouns that flow from these realities, even repeatedly.” She removed the agency’s “pronoun app,” which allowed employees to display their pronouns in their Microsoft 365 profiles, among other changes. The EEOC in fiscal year 2023 received more than 3,000 charges alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, “the most since the agency started tracking these charges in FY 2013, and up more than 36% from the previous year,” according to the agency’s website, which also provides a link for more information on discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. But the information appears to have been removed and the link now leads to a blank page with the message: “The requested page could not be found.” Jocelyn Samuels, one of the Democratic EEOC commissioners who was fired last month, said via email that Trump’s executive order and the EEOC’s response to it “is truly regrettable.” “The Administration’s efforts to erase trans people are deeply harmful to a vulnerable community and inconsistent with governing law,” she said. Sarah Warbelow, vice president of legal at LGBTQ+ rights group Human Rights Campaign, added in an emailed statement: “This is the inevitable outcome when the EEOC is weaponized to greenlight discrimination against American workers. “Instead of standing up for the rights of everyone to a workplace free from discrimination, including harassment and bias, the Trump administration is making it abundantly clear they will not protect working people.” —By Claire Savage and Alexandra Olson, Associated Press The Associated Press’s women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org. View the full article