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The US president’s tolerance for tariff-induced stock slides may be higher than anticipated, investors sayView the full article

A federal grand jury has indicted Edward Michael Greer, a Newport Beach businessman, on charges of tax evasion. According to the indictment, Greer, the owner of insurance salvage company Greer & Kirby Co. Inc., allegedly misclassified millions of dollars in personal expenditures as business expenses between 2017 and 2020. The indictment alleges that Greer used his company’s bank accounts to cover personal expenses, including payments to bookmakers Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian to settle gambling losses, as well as the purchase of a 2021 Mercedes Benz. Greer allegedly concealed these payments in the company’s financial records and directed them to be recorded as business expenses to lower taxable income. Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in operating an illegal sports gambling business. If convicted, Greer faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. The charges were announced by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally for the Central District of California. Image: Canva This article, "California Businessman Indicted for Tax Evasion" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

A federal grand jury has indicted Edward Michael Greer, a Newport Beach businessman, on charges of tax evasion. According to the indictment, Greer, the owner of insurance salvage company Greer & Kirby Co. Inc., allegedly misclassified millions of dollars in personal expenditures as business expenses between 2017 and 2020. The indictment alleges that Greer used his company’s bank accounts to cover personal expenses, including payments to bookmakers Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian to settle gambling losses, as well as the purchase of a 2021 Mercedes Benz. Greer allegedly concealed these payments in the company’s financial records and directed them to be recorded as business expenses to lower taxable income. Wayne Nix and Ken Arsenian have previously pleaded guilty for their roles in operating an illegal sports gambling business. If convicted, Greer faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison for each count of tax evasion. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The case is being investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation. The charges were announced by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Karen E. Kelly of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph T. McNally for the Central District of California. Image: Canva This article, "California Businessman Indicted for Tax Evasion" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Fiverr has introduced a Freelancer Equity Program, granting shares to top-performing, eligible freelancers based in the United States. The initiative aims to provide financial benefits beyond traditional earnings, reinforcing Fiverr’s commitment to its freelancer community. As freelancers are projected to represent half of the U.S. workforce by 2027, Fiverr sees this program as a means of offering additional financial incentives. The program will provide up to $10,000 in Fiverr shares to eligible freelancers, with equity grants distributed over four years based on annual eligibility requirements. “Freelancers are the backbone of today’s economy and the heart of Fiverr’s success,” said Micha Kaufman, Founder & CEO of Fiverr. “With this initiative, they’re not just shaping the future of work—we’re actually giving them a piece of it, making Fiverr not just a platform for work, but a place where equity can also be earned.” Eligible freelancers will be notified in the coming days regarding their participation in the program. The initiative is structured to encourage sustained excellence and continued engagement among Fiverr’s highest-performing freelancers, while also serving as an aspirational goal for others on the platform. “This is something we’ve long wanted to offer, and after careful development and extensive work, we’ve created a program around how we can build success together with our talent,” added Kaufman. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to innovation not just in technology, but in how we value and invest in our talent community.” The Freelancer Equity Program marks a significant step in Fiverr’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with freelancers by offering them a direct stake in the company’s success. This article, "Fiverr Launches Freelancer Equity Program, Offering Shares to Top Freelancers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Fiverr has introduced a Freelancer Equity Program, granting shares to top-performing, eligible freelancers based in the United States. The initiative aims to provide financial benefits beyond traditional earnings, reinforcing Fiverr’s commitment to its freelancer community. As freelancers are projected to represent half of the U.S. workforce by 2027, Fiverr sees this program as a means of offering additional financial incentives. The program will provide up to $10,000 in Fiverr shares to eligible freelancers, with equity grants distributed over four years based on annual eligibility requirements. “Freelancers are the backbone of today’s economy and the heart of Fiverr’s success,” said Micha Kaufman, Founder & CEO of Fiverr. “With this initiative, they’re not just shaping the future of work—we’re actually giving them a piece of it, making Fiverr not just a platform for work, but a place where equity can also be earned.” Eligible freelancers will be notified in the coming days regarding their participation in the program. The initiative is structured to encourage sustained excellence and continued engagement among Fiverr’s highest-performing freelancers, while also serving as an aspirational goal for others on the platform. “This is something we’ve long wanted to offer, and after careful development and extensive work, we’ve created a program around how we can build success together with our talent,” added Kaufman. “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to innovation not just in technology, but in how we value and invest in our talent community.” The Freelancer Equity Program marks a significant step in Fiverr’s efforts to strengthen its relationship with freelancers by offering them a direct stake in the company’s success. This article, "Fiverr Launches Freelancer Equity Program, Offering Shares to Top Freelancers" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Hundreds of thousands of people—including me—are heading to Austin, Texas, for the SXSW Conference and Festivals to learn, share, and meet others who are eager to propel business and culture forward. In perusing the lineup for this year’s conference, I was pleasantly surprised. In addition to Understood.org’s session, the agenda has half a dozen panels or meetups focused on some flavor of neurodiversity—from the science behind neuroinclusive office design to learning to “love your tricky brain.” As a neurodivergent leader at Understood.org, I often find myself the lone neurodiversity advocate in professional settings—creatively connecting dots to make the business (as well as the moral and ethical) case for why people who learn and think differently shouldn’t be overlooked at work, at school, and in the world. So, looking at the agenda, I’m thrilled! It’s incredible to see that people plan to proactively discuss people who learn and think differently at such an influential event. But I’m also cautious. Because I don’t want neurodiversity to get “buzzword treatment.” We’ve seen it before: The viral business focus or philosophy that dominates headlines and conference agendas for a certain period of time and then—poof! It disappears. “Empathetic leadership” during the COVID-19 pandemic-era. “Fail smart” before that. We can’t let neurodiversity get labeled as a trend, because it’s not a trend. Neurodiversity is the future, and it’s critical for business growth. The future is grounded in neurodiversity Research shows that 53% of Gen Z identify as neurodivergent, and this revelation comes at a critical moment when Gen Z now outnumbers baby boomers in the workplace. This means that more than half of middle managers—including those who will grow into future leaders—learn and think differently. Their neurodivergence may mean they have different expectations around ways of working, sharing information, and flexibility. Today’s business leaders must understand the upcoming generation of talent so that they can unlock their full potential. This should also be a wake-up call for brands. Every brand leader is trying to better understand and penetrate the Gen Z market. Recognizing that more than half of these consumers identify as neurodivergent can potentially open up new opportunities—from product development to marketing. It’s estimated that neurodivergent consumers boast almost $2 trillion in spending power. In short, organizations are leaving talent and money on the table if they don’t consider the neurodivergent population. Accessibility is a competitive advantage At a moment when there is sensitivity around language related to equity and opportunity, we must make sure “accessibility” remains. Accessibility helps everyone. It’s often the first step toward building environments where people feel included, and it’s also an unlock for business growth. When people can access information easily, they’re enabled to do their best work. This is especially important for neurodivergent talent, who can offer creativity and unique problem-solving skills when granted the right support. In fact, Gartner research has shown that cognitively diverse and inclusive decision-making teams lead to exceeding financial goals for 75% of organizations. It’s one of the reasons Understood.org leverages the principles of universal design in our operations. Universal design is a simple concept, whether it’s applied to architecture, education, or product design: If you design for the fringes, it benefits everyone. We know that using AI tools to take notes and provide captioning is beneficial to all, and that it’s particularly impactful for people with sensory or processing issues. We understand that using larger text sizes and bullet points in documents increases readability, and that these guidelines are especially helpful for our dyslexic talent. We adopted these practices so that the one-third of Understood employees who identify as neurodivergent don’t need to ask for formal accommodations to do their job. Support is available to everyone and helps everyone. While language may change, the work to build accessible environments for your workforce or your customers shouldn’t. Employers should view it for what it is: a competitive advantage, because it provides people with the opportunity to participate, engage, and play to their strengths. Where do we go from here? I’m optimistic about neurodiversity being discussed openly at marquee events. I’m encouraged by the inquiries we receive from leading companies wanting to be more supportive of neurodivergent employees or customers. I look at Google, which helped launch The Neu Project, and Hinge, which conducted in-depth research to improve the dating experience for users with ADHD. These brands get it. So, let’s continue talking about neurodiversity at conferences. Let’s continue celebrating the strengths while acknowledging the challenges. And let’s continue to push organizations to embrace neurodiversity—not just with words, but with action. Those that do will reap the benefits to their bottom line and do right in their world. Nathan Friedman is copresident and chief marketing officer of Understood.org. 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. View the full article

Lindsay Orr was active and healthy, running marathons and hiking all around Colorado. During pregnancy, she developed a persistent headache and dangerously high blood pressure—hallmark symptoms of preeclampsia, a leading cause of preterm birth as well as maternal mortality and morbidity. She was induced at 32 weeks to save her and her baby’s life. Now, two years later, she continues to experience the long-term impact of preeclampsia as Lindsay developed chronic high blood pressure, a condition she never had before pregnancy. Pregnancy complications like preeclampsia, preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction are dangerous for mom and baby. These complications can strike without warning—sending pregnancies into a crisis overnight. For women like Lindsay who are healthy and don’t have risk factors for complications like preeclampsia, the experience is harrowing and surreal in what should be the most joyous time of a parent’s life. It’s unacceptable for so many women, families, and doctors that the U.S. lags behind every major industrialized nation in addressing the maternal health crisis. It’s heartbreaking that 20% of pregnant women experience the crisis of a pregnancy complication. It creates trauma—long-term physical and mental health impacts on women—and also influences children’s health outcomes. A prenatal model designed 100 years ago As investment has lagged in obstetrics and pregnancy health, the prenatal care model for mothers’ health has remained largely unchanged over the past 100 years. Yet, rates of complications like preeclampsia continue to rise and preterm birth is at the highest level it has ever been in the U.S. We must understand what’s going on biologically in pregnancy to reverse these trends. In the absence of biologically-driven approaches, overstretched and underresourced OB/GYNs and care teams have had to rely on generalized characteristics and demographics. Those include age, BMI, race, and socioeconomic status, to try to identify who may be at risk for pregnancy complications. The U.S. Preventative Services Taskforce guidelines define these as moderate risk factors. Unfortunately, 80% of pregnancies have at least one of these moderate risk factors, making it a poor indicator of who is truly at high risk for preeclampsia. It’s no wonder that patients, clinicians, and care teams have little guidance on where to focus to create a personalized care plan to reduce preeclampsia risk. Some who have no risk factors end up developing severe forms of preeclampsia, and most with moderate risk factors have normal, uneventful pregnancies. The status quo isn’t working. Women deserve better. Moms deserve better. Families deserve better. We need to understand the biology of women and their pregnancy journey if we want to make progress in understanding how to more precisely prevent, treat, and manage diseases that impact women. A new era of pregnancy health To create healthier futures for moms and babies, we need scientific advancements to better understand what’s happening in pregnancy so we can prevent crises caused by complications and preterm birth before they happen. This idea is not new, of course. Five-year survival rates for breast cancer went from a toss-up to around 90% once we brought to bear the scientific understanding of breast cancer’s molecular drivers. Mirvie’s foundational, first-of-its-kind study uncovers insights we never knew about pregnancy. We examined the biology of nearly 11,000 diverse pregnancies from women enrolled across the United States and collected thousands of RNA transcripts and hundreds of clinical details from each patient, translating into millions of data points. Using this rich dataset, combined with advanced machine learning, Mirvie has identified unique molecular signatures to predict the risk of preeclampsia, preterm birth, and severe fetal growth restriction, months in advance. What does this mean for clinicians? Physicians and care teams can move away from generalized risk factors and move toward a personalized care approach driven by a precision understanding of the disease. By identifying care plans and monitoring methods for the right patients at the right time, clinicians and care teams can create better outcomes for mom and baby. Personalized medicine is the standard of care in fields like oncology and cardiology. Being able to finally understand which pregnancies are truly at high risk for complications based on one’s biology can allow women to plan ahead and do everything possible prevent dangerous complications like preeclampsia by adhering to evidence-based strategies like taking daily aspirin, monitoring blood pressure regularly, and incorporating lifestyle changes like diet and exercise. Then we can potentially prevent disease, near-death experiences, long NICU stays, and trauma. With this type of information, we can shift toward personalized patient care and precision medicine by developing new, targeted therapies in the future. At a molecular level, we are closer to understanding who’s most at-risk for pregnancy complications and how biology impacts those at highest risk. Similar to the breakthroughs made in breast cancer in the 1990s, obstetrics can move towards a new standard of care steeped in biology, tailoring care and treatment based on the molecular characteristics of each pregnancy. What gives me hope is that by finally being able to predict the risk of complications like preeclampsia, we can usher in a new standard of care that is preventive, and reverse course on the maternal health crisis. Maneesh Jain is cofounder and CEO of Mirvie. 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. View the full article

Today, no matter where you are in the world, it’s not unusual to find yourself working alongside an analyst from Amsterdam, a strategist from San Francisco, or a designer from Dubai. As companies look increasingly further afield for workers, they unlock a range of benefits—from wider talent pools that make it easier to find specialized talent to the injection of new perspectives that offer insights into diverse customer bases. While most business leaders agree that developing the right workplace model is crucial to their company’s success, only 24% feel their organization is actually ready to fully embrace a distributed workforce. The list of potential reasons for this is long. Common worries include navigating different cultures, time zones, legal requirements, and compliance hurdles. We recently investigated how these problems manifest at each stage of the employee lifecycle—hiring, onboarding, and management. Here’s what we discovered about the challenges of managing global teams, and the solutions. The challenges of a global workforce There are three main areas of difficulty facing distributed organizations. Operating on a global scale Traditional methods of hiring global workers, such as opening legal entities, are clunky and costly. Managing compliance across the globe is no joke—navigating laws across multiple countries increases chances of misclassification penalties and other legal troubles—which is why more companies are pivoting to an employer of record (EOR) solution. Creating a unified team Building teams across multiple countries comes with logistical and cultural hurdles. Clear communication is much harder than it might be in person, especially with workers operating in different time zones. This means global HR teams must create robust internal communication policies and guidelines to help teams stay engaged and in-the-loop. Leading from a distance Global workforce management is the ultimate test of leadership qualities. Employees with different cultural backgrounds may have varying communication styles, work expectations, and even attitudes towards hierarchy. If managers aren’t sufficiently aware of and sensitive to these differences, morale-draining misunderstandings and conflict are oftentimes the result. These are thorny, intertwined problems, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be solved. Here are some concrete solutions that you can use to support your own workforce. Operate on a global scale Operating on a global scale is not purely a problem. Indeed, it’s one of the main draws of building a global workforce in the first place. A distributed team can cater to a global client base, with sales and customer service staff online to close deals at all hours and offer 24/7 support. The challenge is that operating round the clock introduces significant potential for silos between regions. As a survey revealed, working across different time zones ranks among the top five challenges of remote work. Helping managers maintain seamless collaboration and customer engagement despite time zone differences means setting clear expectations around communication. For instance, businesses should embrace forms of communication that don’t require individuals to be simultaneously present, such as pre-recorded videos or shared kick-off documents. And if you’re a global organization, you should act like it. Recognize the time zone burden and rotate meeting times, rather than defaulting to the time zone of a manager or a large office. Create a unified team Nailing communication isn’t just good for operations—it’s at the core of any effective team. How can an organization function if its people don’t know what everyone else is doing? Little wonder that a study from McKinsey found that companies with effective internal communication can boost productivity by as much as 25%. But good communication is especially key in distributed environments, requiring extra effort on the part of everyone. Among distributed teams, communication has to be intentional—whether it’s via email, a video call, or a chat message. Crucially, a good communicator knows not only when to communicate, but how to limit non-essential noise. That means limiting participants in a meeting to only those who truly need to be there, or finding the right medium to communicate a specific point—a video, for instance. Lead from a distance Leadership looks different in a global company, and those with experience working in a culture different from their own have a clear advantage. Such people will naturally have gained the ability to navigate cultural differences and demonstrate self-awareness regarding their own biases. One study found that 89% of people who worked abroad said it improved their ability to work well with people from other countries and cultures. This doesn’t mean that it can’t be taught, however. It’s a skill that anyone can learn with the right framework of encouraging self-awareness and modeling the behaviors that make global teams a success. For instance, small demonstrations of leadership can mean a lot to workers, showing that managers care about them as people, not just commodities. It’s worth brushing up on headlines for the location of the person that you’re about to talk to and understanding what might be happening around them. From challenge to advantage While there are difficulties to operating a distributed team, all can be turned into positives. By prioritizing communication, cultural understanding, and self-awareness, you can unlock the full power of a global workforce. Sagar Khatri is cofounder and CEO of Multiplier. 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. View the full article

Contract is a boost to the cloud computing provider ahead of its $35bn initial public offering View the full article

Corporate philanthropy and corporate social responsibility (CSR) teams face increasing pressure to maximize the effectiveness of their limited funds while addressing complex social and environmental challenges. To meet these demands, innovative strategies that combine campaigns, education, and deep stakeholder engagement are proving vital. By leveraging these approaches, organizations are shifting from traditional grantmaking to more dynamic, impact-driven models that can deliver tangible and sustainable outcomes on a global scale. How catalytic impact transforms funding models In contrast to traditional isolated efforts, a catalytic impact model brings together diverse organizations around a shared mission to drive coordinated and measurable outcomes. This approach exemplifies the idea that “We can do more together than alone.” This past year, Kiva brought several partners together behind a single mission: support women. An initiative for International Women’s Day 2024 demonstrated this concept in action by mobilizing multiple corporate partners to exceed their shared goal of financially supporting over 4,000 women around the world. Six partners came together to raise awareness and engage their stakeholders: UGG, U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association (USWNTPA), Bank of America, Hitachi, The Coca-Cola Foundation, and Visa Foundation. They leveraged their platforms and networks to raise awareness and engage their audiences. UGG, for instance, created an impact-focused landing page, while others utilized social media collaborations to rally their audiences. The result: Not only did these companies surpass the goal by supporting 4,279 women with over $2.3 million in loans, but 12,901 additional women received a surge in loan funding. This achievement underscores the potential of catalytic impact: When aligned organizations unite with purpose, their collective efforts don’t just accomplish immediate goals—they lay the groundwork for ongoing impact. Thanks to innovative models like revolving funds, the resources raised continue to circulate, benefiting thousands more women with the capital they need to thrive. Partnerships for greater good During the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Sydney, The Coca-Cola Foundation took the stage to announce a five-year, $1.1 million grant to enhance financial access for underrepresented women entrepreneurs worldwide. The true value of this initiative lies in its potential for exponential impact. By the end of the first year, it had already reached more than 17,000 women entrepreneurs and today, a little more than a year later, that number has more than doubled with over $2 million in capital in the hands of women around the world. With a revolving fund model in play, the same funding will continue to cycle back, enabling more women to access the capital they need to start and grow their businesses. Over the next four years, the impact is projected to triple, directly benefiting more than 45,000 women. “Kiva’s transparent and impactful model has enabled The Coca-Cola Foundation to invest in communities globally while being able to track the impact at an individual level,” said Carlos Pagoaga, president of The Coca-Cola Foundation. Central to this impact tracking is a real-time impact dashboard that offers stakeholders a clear view of the partnership’s reach, enabling an element of transparency between companies and stakeholders. “It’s a transformative approach to corporate partnerships for any organization committed to genuine change,” added Pagoaga. Build engagement through powerful narratives Effective partnerships rely not only on funding but also on rallying stakeholders and audiences to join a shared mission and vision for change. USWNTPA’s Leveling the Playing Field initiative is a prime example. Soon after the USWNTPA made history in 2022 by securing commensurate pay with the men’s team, its members sought a way to compound that influence. Kiva’s commitment to gender equality attracted their attention, offering a dynamic vehicle to advance economic justice and expand financial access for women. The team eagerly committed to lending $2.5 million in capital for zero-interest, zero-fee Kiva loans in the U.S. by 2025. As borrowers repay their loans, the funds are returned to USWNTPA’s account, enabling a continuous cycle of impact. This means that one loan by an individual, combined with a matching contribution, can multiply into two to three times the impact, creating opportunities for thousands of U.S. small businesses and fostering economic empowerment. To further engage their audience, USWNTPA recently launched the 99 Women campaign to celebrate the historic win of the 1999 Women’s World Cup. The campaign encouraged fans to “change the game” for women entrepreneurs by supporting 99 women. It invited followers to vote on the categories of women entrepreneurs they wanted to champion, reinforcing the idea that “with the right team, any goal is possible.” This approach effectively leveraged USWNTPA’s legacy and its connection with fans to drive tangible impact. Corporates unite for global impact As global issues continue to grow in complexity and traditional resources face increasing constraints, it’s clear that dynamic partnerships and innovative funding models hold the key to achieving greater impact. Social impact leaders are changing the world by leveraging their funds for catalytic impact. While each partnership is unique, all are focused on achieving lasting change in communities most affected by global challenges. Corporate leaders, the time is now. To truly drive change with your CSR initiatives, think beyond traditional grants and explore strategies that blend innovative campaigns, education, and stakeholder engagement. By incorporating models like revolving funds and catalytic partnerships, your organization can multiply its impact, build a more engaged audience, and contribute to long-term, transformative change. Let your next CSR investment do more than good—let it set new standards for sustainable, impactful giving. Vishal Ghotge is CEO at Kiva. 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. View the full article

A nonprofit that was awarded nearly $7 billion by the Biden administration to finance clean energy and climate-friendly projects has sued President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency, accusing it of improperly freezing a legally awarded grant. Climate United Fund, a coalition of three nonprofit groups, demanded access to a Citibank account it received through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a program created in 2022 by the bipartisan Inflation Reduction Act and more commonly known as the green bank. The freeze threatens its ability to issue loans and even pay employees, he group said. “The combined actions of Citibank and EPA effectively nullify a congressionally mandated and funded program,” Climate United wrote in a Monday court filing. Last April, then-Vice President Kamala Harris announced that EPA had selected eight groups, including Maryland-based Climate United, to receive $20 billion to finance tens of thousands of projects to fight climate change and promote environmental justice. The money was formally awarded in August. While favored by congressional Democrats, the green bank drew immediate criticism from Republicans, who routinely denounced it as an unaccountable “slush fund.” Former EPA Administrator Michael Regan sharply disputed that claim. The bank was quickly targeted by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, who was confirmed to the role in late January. In a video posted on X, Zeldin said the EPA would revoke contracts for the still-emerging program. Zeldin cited a conservative journalist’s undercover video made late last year that showed a former EPA employee saying the agency was throwing “gold bars off the Titanic” – presumably a reference to spending before the start of Trump’s second term. Zeldin has repeatedly used the term “gold bars” to accuse the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund’s recipients of misconduct, waste and possible fraud. According to the lawsuit filed in federal court, Citibank cut off access to Climate United’s bank account on February 18 — an action the bank did not explain for weeks. The cutoff took place as Zeldin made multiple public appearances accusing Climate United and other groups of misconduct, eventually announcing that the funds were frozen, according to the lawsuit. Climate United said the EPA has refused to meet with the group. Several Democratic lawmakers slammed Zeldin’s attacks on the green bank. “The Trump administration’s malicious and unfounded attacks on the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund have resulted in a sham investigation and unsubstantiated funding freeze,” Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey and Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell said in a statement. The three Democrats pushed for creation of the green bank. Citibank said it was reviewing the lawsuit. “As we’ve said previously, Citi has been working with the federal government in its efforts to address government officials’ concerns regarding this federal grant program,” the bank said in a statement Monday. “Our role as financial agent does not involve any discretion over which organizations receive grant funds. Citi will of course comply with any judicial decision.” The EPA declined to comment, citing pending litigation. In its court filing, Climate United pointed to the resignation of a former prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Washington office after refusing demands from top Trump administration officials to freeze the group’s assets. Zeldin raised questions in a letter to the agency’s watchdog about the EPA’s use of Citibank to hold the money, a structure that allowed the eight entities to be used as “pass throughs” for eventual grant recipients. The process undermined transparency, Zeldin alleged. He also questioned the qualifications of some of the entities overseeing the grants and said some were affiliated with the Biden administration or Democratic politics, including Stacey Abrams, a former Democratic nominee for Georgia governor. Trump singled out Abrams over her ties to the green bank in his address to Congress last week. In a letter to EPA officials on March 4, Climate United disputed Zeldin’s allegations. The group’s lengthy application material is publicly available and the EPA used a rigorous selection process, Climate United said, adding that its spending is transparent. In addition to Climate United, the new fund has awarded money to other nonprofits, including the Coalition for Green Capital, Power Forward Communities, Opportunity Finance Network, Inclusiv and the Justice Climate Fund. Those organizations have partnered with a range of groups, including Rewiring America, Habitat for Humanity and the Community Preservation Corporation. The EPA’s former inspector general had urged more oversight of the green-bank program. “The rapid implementation of the program, combined with the relatively narrow window of availability for such a significant amount of funding, may lead the EPA to expend the funds without fully establishing the internal controls that mitigate the risk of fraud, waste, and abuse,” then-inspector general Sean O’Donnell told Congress in 2023. Trump fired O’Donnell in January, along with more than a dozen other inspectors general. Acting Inspector General Nicole Murley has said she is looking into the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment —Michael Phillis and Matthew Daly, Associated Press View the full article

In a packed courtroom, a federal judge parsed whether the Trump administration's aggressive actions to rein in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are part of a "normal" transition of power or would impede its statutorily required functions. View the full article

Software updates are supposed to introduce new features while improving the stability of the operating system. Occasionally, however, additional bugs and glitches can slip through the cracks. That's the case with the latest Pixel update: While Google added a number of new features to Android and patched 43 security vulnerabilities, users who have installed it are complaining of strange glitches on their Pixel phones. March 2025 Pixel drop glitches: Brightness, vibrations, and moreFirst up, as spotted by 9to5Google, some Pixel users are experiencing brightness variations while using their phones—without touching the brightness settings themselves. The issue seems to be limited to video playback, where the brightness will dip or flicker at random. This user reports it happens in just about every video app they use, including Netflix, Prime Video, VLC, or Google's built-in player. 9to5Google confirmed the bug on a Pixel 9, though the brightness glitch happened inconsistently. In addition to this brightness glitch, you may also experience changes with your device's vibrations. This thread represents a wide range of experiences with the issue: Some users are complaining that haptics are much stronger than they were before the update, with one user describing the change as a "spring instead of a thump." On the other hand, another user says the vibrations of their Pixel are now weaker than they were before. Regardless, many seem to feel vibrations are "different" following the update. These are the bugs that have made the most buzz on forums since the Pixel Drop. However, there could be other issues that aren't quite as widespread. One r/GooglePixel user rounded up the bugs they've experienced so far, and, in addition to the brightness bug, they're also experiencing audio issues, including an issue with EQ settings, and a problem where song volume is much louder than video volume. That last point would make it quite annoying to jump between, say, Spotify and Netflix: Stranger Things will launch too quiet, and will make your brightness go berserk. How to fix the brightness glitch on Pixel phonesWhile Google is likely working on patches for the biggest bugs from the latest Pixel drop, there's currently a workaround for the brightness glitch: drop your phone's refresh rate. It appears that flickering and dimming problems only occur at this time when watching videos with 120Hz. Drop the refresh rate to 60Hz, and the brightness issues appear to dissipate. To change the refresh rate, head to Settings > Display, then disable the toggle next to Smooth Display. View the full article

The country’s preeminent federal fire training academy canceled classes, effective immediately, on Saturday amid the ongoing flurry of funding freezes and staffing cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration. The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that National Fire Academy courses were canceled amid a “process of evaluating agency programs and spending to ensure alignment with Administration priorities,” according to a notice sent to instructors, students and fire departments. Instructors were told to cancel all future travel until further notice. Firefighters, EMS providers and other first responders from across the country travel to the NFA’s Maryland campus for the federally funded institution’s free training programs. “The NFA is a powerhouse for the fire service,” said Marc Bashoor, a former Maryland fire chief and West Virginia emergency services director with 44 years of fire safety experience. “It’s not a ‘nice to have.’ It is the one avenue we have to bring people from all over the country to learn from and with each other. If we want to continue to have one of the premier fire services in the world, we need to have the National Fire Academy.” The academy, which also houses the National Fallen Firefighter’s Memorial, opened in 1973 to combat a growing number of fatal fires nationwide. At the time, the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control envisioned it to be the “West Point of the Fire Service,” according to a report form the organization. Bashoor said the NFA was set to welcome a new set of fire safety officers for training next week. “People had made their plane and travel reservations. And all of a sudden, they get an email that ‘Sorry, it’s been canceled,'” he said. “It’s really upsetting.” For firefighters, including those on the frontlines of deadly fires that ravaged California this year, having an essential training institution “shut down under the presumption that there’s waste, fraud and abuse” has been demoralizing, Bashoor said. He said losing NFA training could make the coordinated response that prevented additional deaths and destruction in California more difficult. FEMA and the National Fire Academy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. While surveying disaster zones in California in January, Trump said he was considering “getting rid of” FEMA altogether, previewing sweeping changes to the nation’s central organization of responding to disasters. Firings at the U.S. Forest Service on the heels of the deadly California blazes also sparked outcry among discharged workers and officials who said it would mean fewer people and less resources will be available to help prevent and fight wildfires. —Christine Fernando, Associated Press View the full article

Outage is latest trouble for world’s richest person’s business interests since he joined the Trump administration View the full article

A trippy, futuristic grocery store. A pit stop on an interdimensional road trip. A radio station in another realm. These might sound like products of a particularly vivid fever dream, but they’re actually separate exhibitions from Meow Wolf, the immersive entertainment company known for its wild art installations. And now, Meow Wolf is headed to New York City with a brand new otherworldly museum, it was announced today from the stage of SXSW 2025. While the NYC installation’s opening date has yet to be announced, it will be Meow Wolf’s seventh museum overall. The company already operates five distinct experiences in Las Vegas; Grapevine, Texas; Houston; Denver; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. Another exhibition, centered around “the forgotten sad side of Hollywood” is slated to open in Los Angeles next year, with Meow Wolf New York expected to open sometime after that—and said to be the company’s biggest investment yet. “We’re excited to create a Meow Wolf experience that feels uniquely NYC, reflecting the city’s rich arts and cultural landscape,” said Meow Wolf CEO Jose Tolosa via email. “The broader theme will be one that feels right at home in New York City.” Denver, Convergence Station [Photo: Atlas Media/courtesy Meow Wolf] What we know about Meow Wolf New York so far Tolosa was able to share a few other details about the upcoming location: As in all past locations, the New York installation will be realized through a collaboration between Meow Wolf’s own artists and a select group of local creatives. Tolosa said that “external artist scouting” is set to begin soon. “Our goal is to build strong relationships with the artistic community and local arts nonprofits.” Its location was also announced: Manhattan’s Pier 17, chosen both for its proximity to public transit and its rich cultural history. “The South Street Seaport’s history represents the evolution and reinvention of New York City in many ways,” Tolosa said. “It dates back 400 years to its origins as a Dutch fur trading port . . . and now serving as a cultural hub filled with museums, music venues, restaurants, and entertainment.” Denver, C Street [Photo: Kennedy Cottrell/courtesy Meow Wolf] From local art collective to $400 million corporation Meow Wolf was founded in 2008, when a collective of Santa Fe artists became known for hosting eccentric parties-slash-art installations in local warehouses. In its early days, the group specialized in building imaginary worlds entirely out of trash, positioning itself in opposition to the closed-off world of fine art galleries. Over time, though, Meow Wolf evolved from a local art collective to a national, multimillion-dollar company. Santa Fe, The Ancestral Crypt [Photo: Atlas Media/courtesy Meow Wolf] The collective’s first large-scale interactive museum, House of Eternal Return, was opened in 2016 in Santa Fe by a group of seven of its original artists. The exhibition, still open today, centers around the idea of a gothic Victorian house that appears normal on the outside but contains a surreal multiverse within. A $3 million buy-in from Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin helped make it possible. “I’m a science fiction guy, so talking about a Victorian mansion that’s been ripped loose from time and space, with portals to other dimensions and planets and strangenesses—it was right up my alley,” Martin told Fast Company in 2016. Santa Fe, The House of Eternal Return (detail) [Photo: Kate Russell/courtesy Meow Wolf] Over the course of its first year, the House of Eternal Return made three times its projected revenue and drew three-hour lines. In 2017, Meow Wolf reformed as a B Corp, guided by a board and CEO. Today, Tolosa said, the company is majority-owned by the long-term investor Invus Group, and has raised more than $400 million in funding overall. Meow Wolf’s whole premise of live adventure has been often cited as an example of the growing “experience economy,” or the idea that, as materialism reaches an all-time high, consumers will start wanting to use their financial resources to actually do things rather than buy things. While the pandemic initially put a damper on this premise, it ultimately only augmented Americans’ desires to try new activities in-person. Meow Wolf opened its second location, the futuristic grocery store Omega Mart (now a TikTok favorite) in Las Vegas in 2021, followed by Denver’s cosmic Convergence Station that same year. The two Texas locations came shortly after. Nearly a decade out from opening the House of Eternal Return, it’s become clear that the desire for live art installations is more than a passing fad—and fans can expect Meow Wolf New York to push the boundaries of wacky world-building even further, Tolosa said. “We will embrace the grandeur and international position of NYC and take Meow Wolf NYC to a level no one has ever seen before in immersive entertainment.” View the full article

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the launch of the Made in America Manufacturing Initiative, an effort aimed at revitalizing American manufacturing by cutting regulations, expanding access to capital, and strengthening supply chains. The initiative, unveiled by SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, aligns with the administration’s broader agenda to restore American economic dominance and bolster national security. Supporting Small Manufacturers According to the SBA, approximately 99% of American manufacturers are small businesses, and the initiative aims to further support their resurgence. The agency highlighted recent job growth in the sector, citing the addition of 10,000 manufacturing jobs in the President’s first full month in office, reversing previous job losses in the industry. “With the Made in America Manufacturing Initiative, we’re slashing red tape, expanding access to capital, and fueling a manufacturing resurgence that will create high-paying jobs and revitalize communities across the country,” Loeffler said in the announcement. Key Components of the Initiative The SBA outlined several measures under the initiative to support small manufacturers, including: Regulatory Reduction: The agency plans to cut $100 billion in regulatory burdens through its Office of Advocacy, which will work across federal agencies to eliminate policies that disproportionately impact small manufacturers. Red Tape Hotline: A new hotline will allow small business owners to submit feedback on excessive regulations for review. Office of Manufacturing and Trade: A newly established office will provide dedicated resources, training, and support to small manufacturers in collaboration with SBA field offices nationwide. Loan Program Enhancements: The SBA will reduce barriers to its 504 loan program, which provides funding for real estate, construction, and equipment purchases without requiring ongoing taxpayer subsidies. Additionally, the 7(a) Working Capital Pilot program will be expanded to help small businesses finance inventory purchases and export-related expenses. Workforce Development: The SBA will partner with agencies, trade schools, and private sector stakeholders to promote a pipeline of skilled manufacturing workers. Trade and Tax Policies: The initiative supports broader manufacturing policies, including tariffs for fair trade, tax cuts on domestic production, and 100% expensing retroactive to Jan. 20, 2025. Made in America Roadshow As part of the initiative, representatives from the newly established Office of Manufacturing and Trade will embark on a multistate “Made in America Roadshow” over the next two months. The tour will feature roundtables with small manufacturers across the country to gather industry feedback and identify further opportunities for support. Administrator Loeffler will formally launch the initiative today at an aerospace and defense manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, where she will be joined by state and federal leaders as well as small business owners in the manufacturing sector. The SBA stated that this initiative reflects a commitment to bolstering the nation’s industrial base while ensuring that essential goods are produced domestically. The agency emphasized that supporting small manufacturers is a key component of economic growth, job creation, and national security. This article, "SBA Launches Made in America Manufacturing Initiative to Boost U.S. Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the launch of the Made in America Manufacturing Initiative, an effort aimed at revitalizing American manufacturing by cutting regulations, expanding access to capital, and strengthening supply chains. The initiative, unveiled by SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler, aligns with the administration’s broader agenda to restore American economic dominance and bolster national security. Supporting Small Manufacturers According to the SBA, approximately 99% of American manufacturers are small businesses, and the initiative aims to further support their resurgence. The agency highlighted recent job growth in the sector, citing the addition of 10,000 manufacturing jobs in the President’s first full month in office, reversing previous job losses in the industry. “With the Made in America Manufacturing Initiative, we’re slashing red tape, expanding access to capital, and fueling a manufacturing resurgence that will create high-paying jobs and revitalize communities across the country,” Loeffler said in the announcement. Key Components of the Initiative The SBA outlined several measures under the initiative to support small manufacturers, including: Regulatory Reduction: The agency plans to cut $100 billion in regulatory burdens through its Office of Advocacy, which will work across federal agencies to eliminate policies that disproportionately impact small manufacturers. Red Tape Hotline: A new hotline will allow small business owners to submit feedback on excessive regulations for review. Office of Manufacturing and Trade: A newly established office will provide dedicated resources, training, and support to small manufacturers in collaboration with SBA field offices nationwide. Loan Program Enhancements: The SBA will reduce barriers to its 504 loan program, which provides funding for real estate, construction, and equipment purchases without requiring ongoing taxpayer subsidies. Additionally, the 7(a) Working Capital Pilot program will be expanded to help small businesses finance inventory purchases and export-related expenses. Workforce Development: The SBA will partner with agencies, trade schools, and private sector stakeholders to promote a pipeline of skilled manufacturing workers. Trade and Tax Policies: The initiative supports broader manufacturing policies, including tariffs for fair trade, tax cuts on domestic production, and 100% expensing retroactive to Jan. 20, 2025. Made in America Roadshow As part of the initiative, representatives from the newly established Office of Manufacturing and Trade will embark on a multistate “Made in America Roadshow” over the next two months. The tour will feature roundtables with small manufacturers across the country to gather industry feedback and identify further opportunities for support. Administrator Loeffler will formally launch the initiative today at an aerospace and defense manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, where she will be joined by state and federal leaders as well as small business owners in the manufacturing sector. The SBA stated that this initiative reflects a commitment to bolstering the nation’s industrial base while ensuring that essential goods are produced domestically. The agency emphasized that supporting small manufacturers is a key component of economic growth, job creation, and national security. This article, "SBA Launches Made in America Manufacturing Initiative to Boost U.S. Industry" was first published on Small Business Trends View the full article

Toronto-based Simply Approved Mortgages is opening for business in Florida and Colorado, looking for the cross-border success that eluded companies like Rocket. View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. For many years, I've depended on my phone to get me out of bed in the morning, and I've hated it. I'd easily snooze or catch myself doom scrolling instead of starting my morning routine. That all changed after my brother gifted me perhaps the best Christmas present I've received over the last few years: a Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, which you can now get on Walmart or Target for $99.99. It was previously only available on the Nintendo store. Display: Digital, Power type: Corded Electric, Alarm clock type: Projection Alarm Clocks. Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo (Walmart) $99.00 at Walmart $317.50 Save $218.50 Shop Now Shop Now $99.00 at Walmart $317.50 Save $218.50 Display: Digital, Power type: Corded Electric, Alarm clock type: Projection Alarm Clocks. Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo $99.98 at Target Shop Now Shop Now $99.98 at Target SEE -1 MORE The Alarmo is a digital alarm clock that needs to be connected to an outlet with a USB cable to be powered on. You no longer need a Switch Online membership to buy (or use it). It comes with many built-in themes you can choose from, including Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4, and Ring Fit Adventure. Nintendo says you can expect to download more in the future for free, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The Alarmo uses a motion sensor to detect that you're getting out of bed to stop the alarm from going off. I've been using the The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild theme since I set it up and have been using it for months with great results. Because I need to get up to stop the alarm, and I don't want the alarm to wake up my fiancée, it's been effective. I never thought Nintendo would be the one to fix my morning issues and over-dependence on my phone. Something to note is that although there is no snooze feature, it is designed to temporarily stop the music when you move, essentially snoozing. But it's not a pleasant snooze since the music will keep on playing, progressively getting louder. You can also easily unplug it to turn it off completely since there's no battery, but it has been working great for me regardless. View the full article

Michelle Obama and her brother, Craig Robinson, will host a new weekly podcast series starting this month featuring a special guest pulled from the world of entertainment, sports, health and business. “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” will address “everyday questions shaping our lives, relationships and the world around us,” according to a press release. IMO is slang for “in my opinion.” Some of the guests slated to speak to the former first lady and Robinson, the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches, include the actors Issa Rae and Keke Palmer and psychologist Dr. Orna Guralnik. Other guests include filmmakers Seth and Lauren Rogan; soccer star Abby Wambach; authors Jay Shetty, Glennon Doyle and Logan Ury; editor Elaine Welteroth; radio personality Angie Martinez; media mogul Tyler Perry; actor Tracee Ellis Ross; husband-and-wife athlete and actor Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union; and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky. The first two episodes — the first is an introductory one and the second features Rae — will premiere on March 12. New episodes will be released weekly and will be available on all audio platforms and YouTube. “With everything going on in the world, we’re all looking for answers and people to turn to,” Obama said in a statement. “There is no single way to deal with the challenges we may be facing — whether it’s family, faith, or our personal relationships — but taking the time to open up and talk about these issues can provide hope.” Obama has had two other podcasts — “The Michelle Obama Podcast” in 2020 and another in 2023, “The Light We Carry.” Her husband, Barack Obama, offered a series of conversations about American life between him and Bruce Springsteen. The new podcast is a production of Higher Ground, the media company founded in 2018 by the former president and first lady. —Mark Kennedy, AP entertainment writer View the full article

It was a busy week for Colossal Biosciences: On Tuesday, it introduced the world to the first-ever woolly mice; by Wednesday, those mice were going viral; and on Saturday, they were the topic of a bit on Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update. The success of genetically engineering these little creatures represented a huge leap toward a bigger goal: bringing back the woolly mammoth. After spending 2.5 years editing mammoth genes, the team applied their work to mice rather than trying to create a creature that has been extinct for thousands of years. “The genetic engineering of the mouse, while it’s a mouse, it’s a marvel of science in terms of where we are from an innovation perspective,” Ben Lamm, cofounder and CEO of Colossal, said Sunday during a discussion at the Fast Company Grill at South by Southwest (SXSW) in Austin. What many people misunderstood, Lamm said, was that successfully creating woolly mice was a “validation step” rather than a “first step” in the woolly mammoth de-extinction process. “It shows that our precision editing, and the results of our precision editing, work and they worked the first time.” More than just hairy mice The woolly mice have bigger implications for the Dallas-based company, even beyond its de-extinction and species preservation pipeline of projects. What the team has learned about epigenetics and genome engineering can also be used to combat diseases, added Joe Manganiello, the actor and producer who is an investor in Colossal. “There are clues within genetic information as to eradicating all disease, and really all of the ills of man,” Manganiello told the audience. He’s had a lifelong fascination with biology, genetics and the field of epigenetics because his great-grandmother survived the Armenian genocide. He said his life’s mission has been to learn about generational trauma and find a way to end it. The de-extinction work, Manganiello said, is just the tip of a giant iceberg, as Colossal’s research has so many broad-reaching implications that could improve humanity and our communion with nature. “It would be unethical to not pursue this type of science, to not try to preserve and understand the ecosystems that are being destroyed and what needs to be replaced.” But as both Manganiello and Lamm acknowledged, there are a lot of ethical considerations inherent to this burgeoning field of science. There’s a respect for different life forms because in the wrong hands this technology could create some “weird” stuff, they agreed. “There’s a bit of a Manhattan Project to it as well, in that you want to make sure that it’s in the hands of people that are going to handle it ethically,” Manganiello said, referencing the World War II program to develop the first atomic bombs. Mammoth implications The work Colossal is doing is often compared to a modern-day Jurassic Park, but there are benefits to de-extinction that may not be so obvious. Lamm said he initially reached out to George Church, “the father of synthetic biology,” about an idea for a different company, but that conversation quickly turned to the beginnings of Colossal. “I just said, ‘George, if you had one project with unlimited capital, what would you do?’” Lamm recalled. “And he said, ‘I’d work to bring back wooly mammoths, reintroduce them into the Arctic, help suppress carbon and methane in the ecosystem, and make technologies for human healthcare and also for conservation.’” As a tech entrepreneur, Lamm said he saw the opportunity to inspire people and make a pretty big impact. The work colossal is doing could help improve the pregnancy outcomes for in vitro fertilization (IVF), for example, while Lamm said officials from the tropical island of Mauritius are “so excited” about Colossal’s plans to revive the dodo bird from extinction, and estimate it could triple GDP for the tropical island country. And Lamm said that conservation partnerships are key to such rewilding efforts that will spawn better carbon sequestration, better methane suppression, and lead to more fauna and more flora. “Colossal is not the silver bullet,” Lamm added. “We want to be one thread of a much larger tapestry of technologies that people can go use to actually bring back species or save other species.” Finally, one of the “halo effects” of this research is inspiring the next generation of scientists, Lamm said. This is particularly important given projections that the planet will lose up to 50% of all biodiversity by 2050 and current technology doesn’t work at commensurate speed. “We’re trying to do something insanely hard that no one’s ever done—that’s like moon landing-level shit—and we’re trying to do it in a couple years,” Lamm said. View the full article

The selloff in US equities accelerated Monday, with major averages tumbling to their worst day this year, as investors braced for a slowdown in the American economy. View the full article

Unpaid parking tickets happen to the best of us—and one of the latest phishing scams is counting on you to believe you've missed or forgotten to pay an outstanding fee. This text message scam prompts you to pay overdue parking fines and hand your credit card number and other personal information directly to the scammers to turn around and use. Scammers are using the threat of unpaid parking feesThe unpaid parking fee scam is one of many relatively unsophisticated text-based phishing attempts that depends on recipients responding to the threat of owing money and giving up personal and financial information in the process. It's similar to the current unpaid tolls scam text, which may seem just plausible enough that you might be tempted to click the link to settle your supposed fine. In this instance, scammers are impersonating city governments by sending notices of unpaid parking "invoices," which will accrue daily late fees until payments are made. The text message includes a web address or link spoofing an official government website, which directs you to enter details from your name and billing address to your credit card number. If you follow through, you obviously hand your credit card over to the scammers. The Salt Lake City phishing text, for example, reads "This is a notice from Salt Lake city. Your vehicle has an unpaid parking invoice of $4.35. To avoid a late fee of 355, please settle your balance promptly. To avoid late fees, access your file by typing the following link into your browser" with a web address that looks similar to the city's parking portal but is, in fact, fake. According to Bleeping Computer, these texts started circulating in December 2024 and have been spotted in numerous cities across the U.S., including major metro areas like Boston, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee, New York City, Salt Lake City, Charlotte, San Diego, and San Francisco. In some of the texts, there's a clickable link that uses an open redirect on Google.com, which avoids an iOS security feature that disables links from unknown senders and suspicious domains. How to spot a parking fee scam textLike we've said, this scam isn't especially elaborate, but it does attempt to create just enough doubt about your history of parking tickets in your own city that you'll engage. The first question you should ask yourself is whether you've used paid public parking recently—if not, that's an obvious giveaway. Even if you have, though, question whether a city government is likely to text you about unpaid parking fees, and look at the number the text is coming from. While official (legitimate) text messages typically come from five-digit senders, phishing texts often come from full phone numbers, international numbers (with a prefix like "+44"), or even email addresses. From there, other signs of a scam include directions to copy and paste or type a web address into a browser or to respond to the text itself. Non-hyperlinked URLs are a clear giveaway, but you should also be wary of clicking links in any texts from unknown senders and always go directly to official government websites. In the parking fee scam, there are also signs like misspelled words and missing or misplaced symbols, like the dollar sign coming after the amount. View the full article

Agreement will bring a bigger swath of fractured nation under the control of Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration View the full article