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Several U.S. retailers that publicly scrapped diversity, equity and inclusion programs — including Target, Amazon and Tractor Supply — are maintaining certain efforts behind the scenes. The three retailers, while they’ve ended DEI programs on paper, have told advocacy groups and individuals they will continue to offer financial support for some LGBTQ+ Pride and racial justice events, as well as provide internal support for resource groups for underrepresented employees. These contradictions between public remarks to investors and those made to individuals or small groups illustrate the tightrope they’ve walked since U.S. President Donald Trump deemed some elements of DEI illegal and threatened possible investigations into firms that practice it. Advocates say DEI programs aren’t exclusionary policies, but are needed to redress longstanding bias, inequity and discrimination, while detractors counter people should be hired solely on merit without taking into consideration gender or race. Companies are “trying to thread the needle — stay true to corporate values, satisfy various stakeholders, but reduce legal risk,” said Jason C. Schwartz, an employment law partner at Gibson Dunn who advises corporate clients on their DEI policies. Reuters conducted more than a dozen interviews with company employees, advocates for underrepresented groups who’ve met with corporate executives, and consultants advising companies on DEI issues for this story. The developments they described haven’t been previously reported. Tractor Supply, which sells home and garden supplies and clothing to farmers and ranchers, in June ended a DEI program that had aimed to help put people of color in management roles and boost funding to education programs for Black Americans. It also ceased gathering data on its workforce for the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index, a benchmarking tool that rates American businesses on their treatment of LGBTQ+ workers and customers. A Tractor Supply spokesperson told Reuters it “remained steadfast” in its “purposeful decision to remove perceived political and social agendas” from its business. But Keayana Robinson, the contractor who led the diversity data collection at Tractor Supply, told Reuters the retailer offered to keep her on in an undefined role that would be “as closely aligned as possible” to the DEI work she had been doing. Managers assured her that Tractor Supply’s inclusivity initiatives — particularly its resource groups for underrepresented employees — would continue, Robinson said. “I don’t want to work for an organization that wants to hide me,” she said. Tractor Supply declined to comment on Robinson’s account of its conversations with her. Target in January ended its participation in the HRC survey, and scrapped a DEI program that included a goal to increase the number of Black employees by 20% over three years. A Target spokesperson said the new approach “is all about driving business results by increasing relevance with U.S. consumers and making Target a destination for talent.” After Target rolled back its DEI program, Sharon Smith-Akinsanya, CEO of corporate consultancy Rae Mackenzie Group in Minneapolis, said she met with Target executives, including CEO Brian Cornell. Target has long been a sponsor of her career events in Minnesota for people of color, as well as an event she organized honoring Black women of Minneapolis. She said the meetings reassured her that Target would keep a commitment to diversity. “I believe the Target DNA we have come to love remains intact,” Smith-Akinsanya said, adding that she understands the political threats companies are facing. For some, the retailers’ private pledges or actions to continue to support diversity and minority groups don’t go far enough. Twin Cities Pride Executive Director Andi Otto said representatives of Minneapolis-based Target called him to make assurances that their inclusivity efforts would not change, despite the “changing and current climate” of anti-DEI sentiment. But his organization turned down a $50,000 sponsorship from Target this year after nearly two decades of partnering with the chain because of their changes in DEI coupled with the company removing some Pride Month products in 2023. Twin Cities Pride did not accept a sponsorship from Target this year because the company would not specify how it would continue to support LGBTQ+ shoppers and employees to the organization’s satisfactions, Otto said, calling Target’s move away from DEI “problematic.” Turning down Target’s money is a form of protest, a move that he says sends a message to Target that it can’t have it both ways. Similarly, when Black business leader Sheletta Brundidge learned Amazon had rolled back some DEI programs, she dropped the online retailer as a $10,000 sponsor of her annual Black Entrepreneurs Day held at the Minnesota State Capitol. A company representative tried to downplay the changes during a subsequent phone call, according to Brundidge, but it did not change her mind. “We’ve been working to build a diverse team for many years and are committed to continuing on that path,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Nantel said. “You’ll see us continue to inspect and evolve our programs to help us do this really difficult work well.” Amazon did not comment on Brundidge’s account. ‘PICKING THEIR BATTLES’ Some companies are keeping DEI programs despite political and legal risk. Investors at Apple voted against proposals to curtail DEI during its shareholder meeting in February. A day later, Trump said in a post on Truth Social that “Apple should get rid of DEI rules.” Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment, but the company’s website says it is continuing to “create a culture of inclusion, belonging, and collaboration where everyone can do their best work.” Costco Wholesale shareholders in January voted down a proposal to curb its DEI initiatives. A week later, 19 Republican attorneys general demanded Costco notify the states within 30 days whether it will repeal its DEI policies or provide an explanation for maintaining them. Costco did not immediately return a message seeking comment. But the list of companies removing DEI programs in recent months has expanded to include Paramount, Walmart, Lowe’s, PepsiCo, McDonald’s, John Deere and others. Walmart, PepsiCo, Paramount and McDonald’s confirmed changing their DEI programs, while other companies did not immediately comment. Lawyers say that, as executives calculate which programs to eliminate and which to keep, they’re considering both legal and political risks. Although U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Feb. 5 threatened to criminally prosecute companies with “illegal DEI” programs that exclude individuals based on race or sex, she did not explicitly define “illegal,” lawyers say. In a memo, she said her mandate does not prohibit “educational, cultural, or historical observances … that celebrate diversity,” like Black History Month. Black Women Talk Tech co-founder Regina Gwynn said it is seeing continued support from some companies that sponsor its events for Black women founders and tech workers. But some sponsors requested to have their names left off marketing materials out of fear of political and legal retribution, she said. The programs most often retained, Gibson Dunn’s Schwartz said, are the ones tied to relationships with customers and employees: sponsorships of events benefiting underrepresented groups, employee groups that create a sense of community at work, and cultural events like Black History Month. “Companies are essentially picking their battles,” he said, “or trying to avoid battles altogether.” —Nicholas P. Brown and Arriana McLymore, Reuters View the full article

Tax season can reduce even the most organized individuals to stressed-out procrastinators. And if you're anything like me, you're not exactly the most organized individual in the first place. The complexity of gathering documents, understanding deductions, and meeting deadlines creates anxiety that many of us dread each year. But with a well-designed tax preparation checklist, I've been able to turn my taxes into a manageable (maybe even even satisfying?) task well before the April 15 deadline. Here's how you can, too. A tax preparation checklist serves as your personalized roadmap through the filing process. Luckily, I've create this template to get you started. It includes sections for personal information, income documentation, deductions and credits, a tax preparation timeline, and a final verification check-list. All you need to do is to download it or make a copy in Google Docs for your own use. Here's how to make the most of this checklist, or build your own from scratch. Gather personal informationStart with the basics. Your checklist should include spaces to confirm you have: Social Security numbers for yourself, spouse, and dependents Birth dates for all dependents Last year's tax return (helpful for reference) Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit Identify your income sourcesList all potential income sources to ensure nothing gets missed: W-2 forms from employers 1099 forms for self-employment, investments, etc. Income records from gig work or side hustles Alimony received Rental property income Social Security benefits Unemployment compensation Document potential deductionsThis section often represents the biggest opportunity for tax savings: Homeownership documents (mortgage interest, property taxes) Educational expenses (tuition, student loan interest) Medical expenses exceeding threshold amounts Charitable donations with receipts Business expenses for self-employed individuals Retirement contributions Childcare expenses Organize by timelineStructure your checklist with time-based sections: January: Collect arriving tax documents (W-2s, 1099s). February: Organize receipts and deduction documentation. March: Schedule appointment with tax professional or prepare software. April: Complete final review and file. Include verification stepsAdd verification checkpoints to ensure accuracy: Compare this year's return to last year's for consistency. Double-check math and entries. Verify all Social Security numbers. Confirm all required forms are signed. Make copies of everything for your records. Making the most of your tax prep checklistWhile the template provides a comprehensive starting point, your personal tax situation may require additional items. Customize your checklist so that it suits your tax needs. Review last year's return to identify recurring items specific to your finances. Digital vs. physical organizationChoose the system that works best for you: Digital: Use a spreadsheet, note-taking app, or dedicated tax software. Physical: Create a folder system with labeled sections for each category. Hybrid: Scan physical documents and organize them in digital folders. Begin earlyThe biggest tax preparation mistake is waiting until the last minute. Begin organizing as soon as all your documents first arrive, and you'll avoid the mid-April stress entirely. Review and improve annuallyAfter filing, take a few minutes to note what worked well and what didn't. Add a "Notes for Next Year" section to your checklist to remember adjustments needed for the coming tax season. The bottom line A personalized tax preparation checklist transforms tax filing from a dreaded chore into a methodical process. By breaking down the complex task into manageable steps, you'll not only reduce stress, but potentially identify additional deductions you might otherwise miss. Again, here's my downloadable template for you. Feel free to add or remove items based on your financial circumstances and filing requirements. With this system in place, you'll be able to approach tax season with confidence rather than anxiety. View the full article

Causal dining chains had a pretty bad 2024 when it came to solvency issues. Major chains, including Red Lobster, TGI Fridays, and Roti, all filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last year. And 2025 doesn’t seem to be fairing better for more restaurants. The latest restaurant chain to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is the Tex-Mex casual dining chain On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina. Here’s what you need to know about the company’s bankruptcy filing. Why is On The Border filing for bankruptcy? On March 5, OTB Holding LLC, owner of the On The Border chain, announced it had voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Georgia. In the press release announcing the bankruptcy filing, the restaurant chain did not explicitly state why it filed for Chapter 11 protection. However, many casual dining chains have struggled with declining foot traffic in recent years as inflation-weary consumers opt to save money by staying home and cooking instead of eating out. On The Border’s president, Chris Rockwood, said that the “restructuring is the best path forward for On The Border. It allows us to address several financial and operational challenges and emerge stronger and re-focused on our growth.” In a court filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Georgia, OTB’s chief restructuring officer, Jonathan M. Tibus, said the company had faced a “rapid loss of liquidity” in recent months, which resulted in it having to “quickly institute holds on vendor payments and rent payments to maintain cash.” This, in turn, has led landlords and vendors “to cut off service, withhold goods, repossess leased premises or exercise set-off rights,” which “resulted in the Company losing stores, additional operational challenges, and a severe liquidity crisis.” How many restaurants does On The Border have? According to the company, there are 80 On The Border restaurants across the United States and South Korea. A court filing reveals that the majority of those are in the United States. As the filing states, OTB currently operates 60 restaurants in the United States across 18 individual states. Are On The Border locations closing? The company hopes to continue operating. However, a court filing indicates that it has already closed at least 77 locations that were deemed underperforming or were expected to drive losses. On The Border has asked a court to allow it to reject the leases on these locations The list of locations it has closed spans 24 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia. “The Debtors are no longer occupying, nor have use for, the Leased Premises,” the court filing states. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company hopes to restructure itself and look for a buyer who would presumably keep operating the brand. In the company’s press release announcing its Chapter 11 filing, OTB stated, “The Company intends to use the proceedings to drive operational improvements and pursue a sale of substantially all of its assets.” The company also said that its remaining locations will remain open and operating as normal throughout the Chapter 11 process. What about On The Border employees? According to court documents, On The Border currently employs about 2,800 workers. Of those, 375 are full-time hourly employees and 216 are full-time salaried employees. The remaining 2,210 workers are part-time hourly employees. The court documents state that the company has filed “first day” relief pleadings in which it seeks permission to keep paying worker’s wages. View the full article

China will not yield to bullying and its economy can weather higher tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump and other challenges, the Chinese commerce minister said Thursday, though he added that there are “no winners in a trade war.” Speaking on the sidelines of the annual session of China’s national congress, Wang Wentao reiterated Beijing’s calls for talks. Coercion and threats are bound to fail, he said, noting that China’s role as a main trading partner of 140 nations means it has plenty of options. Wang and other officials outlined Beijing’s strategies for building its economy and financial markets, but did not announce any major new initiatives. Here are some highlights: China is open to talks, but will fight US tariffs The Trump administration has raised tariffs on imports from China twice since taking office in January. China has hit back with duties and other restrictions on American goods and companies. Wang said China expects mutual respect in its dealings with other countries. “Coercion and threats will not work on China, nor will they scare China. China’s determination to defend its own interests is unswerving,” Wang said, adding that “there are no winners in a trade war.” “If the American side goes further down this wrong path, we will continue to respond in kind,” he said. “We will fight to the end.” Still, he stressed that China is open to resolving differences over trade. “Our two sides can meet at an appropriate time and our teams can also have communication as early as possible,” he said. Blaming China for the U.S. fentanyl problem — Trump’s stated reason for imposing 20% tariffs on all imports from China — won’t solve the problem, he said. China has other options for global trade China is the main trading partner of 140 countries and regions and has free trade agreements with more than 30 countries, Wang said. “We are ready to sign more FTA,” he added. Wang acknowledged that Chinese exporters face serious challenges but said Beijing is encouraging companies to participate in trade shows and to expand globally. The Chinese government is also expanding its financial support for export credit and hopes to increase trade in services and e-commerce. “We do not put all our eggs in one basket,” he said. Supporting more consumer demand and business investment A slump in China’s housing market and lackluster share prices, scant social welfare and job losses since the COVID-19 pandemic have weighed on China’s economy, dragging on growth. Zheng Shanjie, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s main national planning agency, acknowledged that forecasts for economic growth for 2025 tend to be around 4.6% to 4.8%, below the government’s target of “around 5%.” Zheng said the government is drafting a “specialized plan of action” to encourage more consumer spending and investment. He did not provide specific details. China will spend more on “livelihood and consumption,” Finance Minister Lan Fo-an said, promising more help for deeply indebted local governments and bigger investments in education, social security and public health. “We will make sure that every coin is well spent,” Lan said, adding that “the central government has left ample room for policy to be implemented.” —Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer View the full article

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We may earn a commission from links on this page. Corporations are a driving force behind almost every part of American life—including the movies we watch. It sometimes feels like they hold all the power, and, actually, they kinda do. But if the power of capitalism can’t be overcome, it can at least be checked once in a while. And it can be extremely satisfying to watch a crusader standing up for the rest of us. Here are 15 movies about heroes defying big corporations, most of them at least inspired by true events. Usually, reality is at least as wild as what made it to the screen. As The Constant Gardener author John le Carré observed in the afterward to (and the end credits of the film adaptation of) his almost entirely fictional novel: Nobody in this story, and no outfit or corporation, thank God, is based upon an actual person or outfit in the real world. But I can tell you this. As my journey through the pharmaceutical jungle progressed, I came to realize that, by comparison with the reality, my story was as tame as a holiday postcard. Erin Brokovich (2000) Real life provides plenty of examples of individuals standing up to corporations—with varying degrees of success. This is one of the more inspiring ones: Steven Soderbergh's crowd-pleasing legal drama was a box office triumph and an Oscar season contender, and it made a star of its titular real life activist. Julia Roberts plays Brokovich, who in 1993 was an unemployed single mother who couldn't keep out of her own way. Given a pity job as a paralegal by the man who served as her lawyer in an injury case, she stumbles onto some troubling medical documents while researching a real estate case. It soon becomes clear that Pacific Gas and Electric Company is hiding something in Hinkley, California—specifically, they've been dumping chromium-contaminated waste into several ponds around the town, and cancer incidents are way up in the region. It's here that Erin's dogged determination (and utter refusal to keep her mouth shut ,even when she'd be better off to do so) come in tremendously handy for the people of Hinkley, who now have an unlikely champion. You can stream Erin Brokovich on Netflix or rent it from Prime Video. Erin Brokovich (2000) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Dark Waters (2019) Dark Waters, from director Todd Haynes, kicks off with farmers discovering that their livestock are dying by the hundreds from exposure to waste in the water produced by a local DuPont chemical plant—which is just the beginning, as cancer rates among humans are also unexpectedly high. Mark Ruffalo stars as lawyer Robert Bilott, who takes on the farmers' case. It's based on the New York Times Magazine article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by Nathaniel Rich, and Haynes and company do a masterful job of dramatizing the high-stakes legal battle, as well as the problem of buy-in—parties to the legal action become pariahs in their community because many would rather take their chances with cancer than risk losing a big employer. This all happened within the last decade, so many of the issues related to so-called "forever chemicals" (those that never leave the bloodstream once exposed) are very much ongoing, and will only become more prominent in the current era of deregulation. You can rent Dark Waters from Prime Video. Dark Waters (2019) Learn More Learn More The Insider (1999) Michael Mann's account of tobacco industry shenanigans did only middling business at the box office, but nonetheless earned seven Oscar nominations—including one for Best Picture. It comes at the story from a smart, sideways angle: The focus is on the 60 Minutes piece that broke wide open the story of big tobacco's malfeasance over the risks of smoking—a story that made clear that these companies knew the true dangers of smoking, and lied about it to keep their customers addicted. In the movie's largely accurate telling, CBS producer Lowell Bergman (Al Pacino) coaxes former tobacco-company chemist Dr. Jeffrey Wigand (Russell Crowe) to reveal what he knows, only to face pushback from fearful executives and threats from the tobacco industry. The narrative makes clear the high cost of telling even the most straightforward of truths. You can stream The Insider on The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video. The Insider (1999) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Even the Rain (2011) In 1999, a group of investors lead by the American company Bechtel invested in a dam near Cochabamba, Bolivia. The thus contained water was then sold back to the locals at vastly higher rates. The resulting protests saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets. In director Icíar Bollaín's wildly ambitious film-within-a-film, a crew, led by director Sebastián (Gael García Bernal), comes to Cochabamba to make a movie based on Christopher Columbus' first voyage. His thoughtless executive producer Costa (Luis Tosar)stirs up trouble with his lack of consideration for the locals as the water protests simmer in the background. Weaving in themes that consider the long history of colonization, the film isn't shy about drawing clear lines between past and present. You can stream Even the Rain on Netflix. Even the Rain (2011) at Netflix Learn More Learn More at Netflix Into the Weeds (2022) The jury is still out, I suppose, on the risks of glycophosphate (a prime ingredient in Monsanto's herbicide Roundup) in typical doses, but there's nevertheless much to cheer in Dewayne "Lee" Johnson's case against the chemical company. A school groundskeeper in California, Johnson was exposed to hundreds of gallons of the stuff over the years. He was diagnosed with a terminal case of non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 42, and as this documentary reveals, Johnson won his case against the chemical giant—an extremely rare victory that, if even in only a small way, put these companies on notice. You can stream Into the Woods on Hoopla or rent it from Prime Video. Into the Weeds (2022) Learn More Learn More The Constant Gardener (2005)Ralph Fiennes stars as Justin Quayle, a British diplomat in Kenya, trying to solve the murder of his wife Tessa (Rachel Weisz, who won an Oscar for the role), an Amnesty International activist. It seems that Tessa had been investigating the deaths related to drug trials around something called Dypraxa. The movie alternates between the harrowing investigation and the story of the development of the relationship between the two. An adaptation of the John le Carré, both book and film were inspired by a Pfizer drug trial in Nigeria in 1996 that left 11 children dead. You can rent The Constant Gardener from Prime Video. The Constant Gardener (2005) Learn More Learn More The Informant! (2009) Nearly a decade after Erin Brockovich, Steven Soderbergh took on another real-life whistleblower, this time puncturing the self-importance and self-seriousness of white-collar criminals with a dose of dark comedy. (As we ought to have learned by now, capitalism rewards the goofy and dumb at least as often as it does those with half a brain.) Matt Damon plays corporate executive Mark Whitacre, who confesses to a couple of FBI agents (Scott Bakula and Joel McHale) about his involvement in a scheme to fix the price of commercial livestock-related chemical lysine. Whitacre gets increasingly loopy during his time wearing a wire for the Feds, a period during which his various other infractions come out. Oh, and during which he also embezzles a ton of money from the company he's purportedly trying to expose. You can stream The informant! on Prime Video. The Informant! (2009) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Radium Girls (2018) A fictionalized account of the real-life radium girls (oddly, it's not based on Kate Moore's nonfiction bestseller of the same name), this film follows Josephine and Betty Cavallo, sisters employed painting watch dials at an "American Radium" factory in New Jersey. In real life, radium workers were often called "ghost girls" for the ways in which the radium they worked with made their clothes and hair glow. Workers were assured the radioactive element was entirely safe, and even encouraged to lick their brushes to make the points finer for painting clocks and watches. In real life, much as in the movie, it was the United States Radium Corp. that fought to keep the truth about the dangers of radium from coming out, blaming illnesses and deaths on syphilis long after it was clear what was happening. The back half of Radium Girls dives into the famous court case that resulted, one that wasn't entirely a triumph at the time but that did pave the way for the creation of OSHA and other safety reforms that protected workers for decades—until very recently. You can rent Radium Girls on Prime Video. Radium Girls (2018) Learn More Learn More Michael Clayton (2007) A legal drama with a bit of extra swagger, Michael Clayton is from writer/director Tony Gilroy, the filmmaker who wrote and/or directed most of the Bourne movies. It manages to be just as thrilling, if in an entirely different way. George Clooney stars as the eponymous fixer, working at a major law firm finding legal loop holes that will benefit clients—until he starts to develop a conscience after discovering that his firm is working to clear a path for an agricultural chemical concern to escape the consequences of knowingly selling a cancer-causing weedkiller. The drama and action are on point, as following Clayton as he is hunted by chemical industry goons. It earned seven Academy Award nominations, including for one for Best Picture. You can stream Michael Clayton on Prime Video. Michael Clayton (2007) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Harlan County, USA (1976) Filmed as its history unfolded, Barbara Kopple's essential documentary chronicles what became known as the “Brookside Strike” against the owners of the Brookside Mine and Prep Plant in Harlan County, Kentucky. Kopple’s original intent was to create a film about efforts to unseat the wildly corrupt leader of the United Mine Workers of America union at the time, W.A. Boyle, who seemed to many to be in the pockets of the mine owners (he was later convicted of conspiracy in the murders of a reformist opponent’s entire family). That explosive story turned out to be a side-note to the brutal, bloody, violent opposition faced by the striking mineworkers and their families. These workers were no pushovers when it came to their rights and mine safety; nor were their wives and mothers. It's a throwback to an era when what we might call the "white working class" (though it was not exclusively white) would still fight fiercely against government and corporate greed. You can stream Harlan County USA on Max and The Criterion Channel. Harlan County USA (1976) at Max Learn More Learn More at Max North Country (2005) Though occasionally a bit formulaic, there's no faulting North Country for its ability to rouse, at least in moments, nor for its acting: both Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand earned Oscar nominations for their roles. While fictionalized, the film is based on the nonfiction book Class Action, by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler, which examines Jenson v. Eveleth Taconite Co., the first-ever class-action sexual harassment lawsuit in the U.S., which took place in 1989. Theron plays Josey Aimes, who moves back to her hometown in northern Minnesota and takes a well-paying job in the local iron mine at the behest of an old acquaintance (McDormand). No rabble-rouser, Aimes nonetheless immediately sees how women at the mine are treated: Their skills are dismissed, and they're viewed as low-cost replacements for more deserving men. What's more, sexual harassment and even sexual assault are daily occurrences. With the (initially reluctant) backing of the local union, Aimes takes the mine to court on behalf of all the women workers, facing down a massive company more than willing to make an issue of her own sex life. You can stream North Country on Hoopla or rent it from Prime Video. North Country (2005) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Philadelphia (1993) Andrew Beckett isn't a traditional "little guy," instead a successful senior associate at a major corporate law firm in Philly. He's also gay and closeted, and starts displaying lesions (Kaposi's sarcoma, specifically) related to the AIDS diagnosis that he's been concealing. When he's fired with little reason given, he hires Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), one of the few lawyers who will take his wrongful termination suit. There were few mainstream films about about the darkest days of the first HIV/AIDS crisis (and we're living through another, as effective treatments and miracle preventatives have become increasingly scarce and unaffordable), and none had more cultural impact than this all-star legal drama. It's based loosely on the real-life case of attorney Geoffrey Bowers and his own lawyer, Clarence Cain, who took on the law firm Baker McKenzie under similar circumstances, though the Hollywood version has a somewhat happier end—Bowers' own case wasn't settled until eight years after his death. You can rent Philadelphia from Prime Video. Philadelphia (1993) at Prime Video Get Deal Get Deal at Prime Video The Rainmaker (1997) Matt Damon stars in this John Grisham adaptation, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, as Rudy S. Baylor, a poor kid who just barely made it through law school only to find himself in a profession that mostly makes him uncomfortable—not helped by the fact that his first boss is a smarmy con man played by Mickey Rourke. Convinced by scrappy paralegal Deck Shifflet (Danny DeVito) to join him in a little storefront operation, the two take on three cases around which the movie revolves, but the emotional core is in the one about a kid with cancer whose treatment his insurance company refuses to fund. It quickly becomes clear that Donny's life can't be saved, but there's hope that the insurance company can be forced to treat him like a person and not a line item anyway. It's still timely, except for the "hope" part. You can stream The Rainmaker on Pluto TV or rent it from Prime Video. The Rainmaker (1997) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video Salt of the Earth (1954) Once of the first films that we'd recognize as independent in the modern sense (the writer, director, and producer were all blacklisted), Salt of the Earth was suppressed and dismissed as propaganda for its wild, still controversial propositions that racism is bad, women should maybe have some rights, and working conditions ought not be awful. Commie nonsense, to be sure, but presented not without dramatic flair. Based on a real 1951 strike, the movie is set in "Zinc Town, New Mexico" among mostly Mexican-American miners who are agitating for better working conditions—at least as good as those of their white counterparts. The strikers are arrested and the strike is put down by use of the real, and then recent, Taft-Hartley Act, the nation's most significant anti-union legislation (it's still in force, by the way). A loophole allows the miners' wives to march in their places, and the movement is lead by Esperanza Quintero (Rosaura Revueltas), the spouse of a jailed striker. You can stream Salt of the Earth on MGM+, Tubi, Pluto TV, and Prime Video. Salt of the Earth (1954) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video The China Syndrome (1979) The Meryl Streep-starring Silkwood, the acclaimed film based on the real-life case of a nuclear whistleblower, isn't streaming or digitally rentable anywhere (conspiracy!), but The China Syndrome isn't a terrible substitute. Jane Fonda plays a reporter who begins to smell something fishy at the Ventana nuclear power plant, the owners of which are handing out radiographs that don't make much sense. It turns out there's a leak that they can't be bothered to fix, and rather than shelling out that money, they're putting out faked test results suggesting that all is fine, and surely the tragic accidents that befall anyone who considers speaking up are mere coincidences. Nuclear industry executives were initially livid at the suggestion that anything could ever go wrong at one of their plants, but got much quieter 12 days later, when the Three Mile Island nuclear accident occurred in Pennsylvania. Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon both earned Oscar nominations for their performances. You can rent The China Syndrome from Prime Video. The China Syndrome (1979) at Prime Video Learn More Learn More at Prime Video View the full article

Robert Rodriguez wants to give you a cut of the action—in more ways than one. The director, writer, and producer behind movies including El Mariachi, From Dusk Till Dawn, Spy Kids, and Sin City recently announced Brass Knuckle Films, a new initiative inviting fans to become investors in action films. Powered by global investment platform Republic, Brass Knuckle Films will allow everyday fans to back projects from Rodriguez’s production company Troublemaker Studios, share in the profits, and access perks including exclusive previews, set visits, discussions with Rodriguez and his creative team, and even the chance to have their own idea made into a movie. Each Brass Knuckle Films investor will have the opportunity to submit a movie concept, which Rodriguez and his team at Troublemaker Studios will review based on originality, feasibility, and market potential. Ten finalists will be selected to pitch their concepts directly to Rodriguez, who will choose one to be developed into a full-length feature as part of the Brass Knuckle Films slate. “When I talk to studio execs, they’re like zombies in suits. They don’t watch movies. They’re not fans of movies. They’re in it for a business,” says Rodriguez, cofounder of Brass Knuckle Films. “You talk to a fan—you see the passion. They should be making the money.” Brass Knuckle Films is coming to the scene behind a similar company Legion M that launched in 2016 and billed itself as “the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company.” What could set Brass Knuckle Films apart is Rodriguez himself who’s built something of a cult fandom from his body of work, as well as how streamlined his Austin, Texas-based production company, Troublemaker Studios, operates with him as the writer, director, producer, and editor of his projects. “Studios have never made things efficient,” says Alexis Garcia, cofounder of Brass Knuckle Films. “So if you can offer [efficiency with] less cooks in the kitchen or because you own and control more of the food chain to making movies like we do with a studio here, that’s a value that nobody would argue with.” What’s also unique about Brass Knuckle Films is its specific focus on action films. Not only is it Rodriguez’s go-to genre, it’s what he’s seeing is in high demand—and that he could fill quickly and profitably. Rodriguez recalls a conversation with an executive at Netflix a few years ago where he was told the streamer needed more family films. Rodriguez took the prompt and wrote, directed, and produced the 2020 film We Can Be Heroes. To this day, the film remains in the top 10 most popular Netflix films globally. “Now when I ask, what do you need?, [studio executives] say, action, action, action. We just don’t have enough action movies,” Rodriguez says. “There’s such an appetite for these movies. [Studios] don’t care where they come from as long as they come. They can’t make them fast enough and they don’t know how to make them efficiently. So you’re solving their problem.” At the core of Brass Knuckle Films is Rodriguez’s desire to amplify his indie approach to action filmmaking and to give fans more equity in movies they’re ultimately supporting at the box office or by hyping them up on social media. “If it’s going to end with the fans anyway with them watching the movie, let’s begin with the fans and let them be a part of it, get a piece of the action,” Rodriguez says. “They’ll be more motivated to go tell their friends to go watch it because they’ll make more money.” “Democratizing and demystifying has always been a part of my DNA as an independent [filmmaker],” he adds. “Now I want to do that with an audience.” View the full article

SEO is evolving faster than a fruit fly colony in a genetics lab – constantly adapting, mutating, and surprising even the experts. One day, long-form content reigns supreme; the next, AI-generated summaries are stealing the spotlight. Staying ahead requires smarter, data-driven insights. AI-powered tools like OpenAI’s Deep Research are reshaping how marketers approach content strategy, competitive analysis, and SERP optimization. Unlike traditional AI models that rely on pre-existing training data, Deep Research can pull real-time insights from external sources, making it a game-changer for SEO professionals. But how does it compare to standard ChatGPT, and how can marketers use it to outperform competitors and create better content? Let’s dive in. Deep Research vs. ‘regular’ ChatGPT Until February, Deep Research was only available to OpenAI’s $200/month Pro+ users. Thankfully, regular $20/month users now have access to this tool that can pull real-time insights from external sources, making it a potential game-changer for research of all kinds. Whether you’re working on SEO strategies or conducting competitive analysis, real-time, sourced information with thorough citations is invaluable. Discovering Deep Research is like switching from gloppy rubber cement to spray adhesive for science fair projects – suddenly, everything is faster, cleaner, and prettier – just like how spray adhesive ensures a smooth, uniform finish without bubbles or unevenness. Deep Research speeds up the process and delivers polished and well-organized results right out of the box, saving time and effort while improving overall quality. So, before diving into SEO applications, let’s examine how Deep Research differs from traditional ChatGPT responses. Regular ChatGPT (GPT-4o, etc.) Generates responses based on its internal knowledge and general training data. Can provide SEO guidance, competitive research, and content ideas but does not cite external sources in real-time. Responses are based on historical knowledge rather than up-to-date, sourced insights. Deep Research Pulls real-time insights from external sources, synthesizing multiple perspectives and providing links to supporting materials. More powerful for research-heavy SEO tasks, such as: Evaluating competitors. Validating E-E-A-T signals. Ensuring factual accuracy in content. Unlike ChatGPT, Deep Research includes thorough citations and footnotes, making it easier to verify and trust the information. Helps SEOs assess the credibility, relevance, and quality of insights by showing exactly where the data comes from. Can also be a valuable tool for discovering new thought leaders, publications, and authoritative sources in the industry. Example of ChatGPT vs. Deep Research in SEO Let’s say you want to understand how Google’s latest core update is impacting search rankings. ChatGPT prompt: “What are the key ranking changes from Google’s latest core update?” ChatGPT will provide insights based on its training data, which may not include the latest updates. Deep Research prompt: “Summarize the latest analysis of Google’s December 2024 core update from industry experts, including changes in ranking factors and who has been affected.” ChatGPT might provide a general summary of past updates but lacks real-time data and direct citations. Deep Research, on the other hand, retrieves insights straight from authoritative sources. For example, when testing this prompt, Deep Research returned a 1,068-word analysis (not counting the list of 13 citations with links). Here’s an excerpt: “Google’s December 2024 update rewards content-rich, trustworthy sites and raises the bar against spam or subpar content[^1]. SEO analysts noted that Google placed even greater emphasis on high-quality, original content demonstrating E-E-A-T[^2]. Sites with thin or duplicate content, especially in YMYL categories, saw declines[^3]. AI-generated content was scrutinized more heavily, with low-quality, auto-generated text being devalued[^4].” The footnotes and citations in Deep Research’s response allow SEOs to see exactly who said what and in which publication, making it easier to evaluate the credibility of the insights and make informed decisions. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. SEO use cases for OpenAI’s Deep Research 1. Competitive analysis and SERP research One of the most practical applications of Deep Research in SEO is real-time analysis of competitors and search engine results pages (SERPs). Example: Identifying content gaps Imagine you’re optimizing a blog for a keyword like “best AI SEO tools 2025”. Using Deep Research, you can prompt: Prompt: “Provide a comparison of the top five AI SEO tools as of 2025, summarizing their features, pricing, and pros/cons with links to sources.” Instead of relying on outdated or generalized knowledge, Deep Research pulls current information from multiple sources, allowing you to craft more comprehensive and up-to-date content than your competitors. 2. Content ideation and topic research Creating unique, high-quality content that ranks well requires more than just keyword research. SEOs often need to find trending topics, authoritative sources, and expert insights to craft engaging content. Example: Finding trending and evergreen topics Prompt: “What are the emerging trends in AI-powered search optimization in 2025? Provide references to industry reports or expert opinions.” Deep Research helps ensure your content is timely, relevant, and backed by authoritative sources, improving both E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) and engagement. Dig deeper: AI optimization: How to optimize your content for AI search and agents 3. E-E-A-T and link building research Google increasingly prioritizes content that demonstrates E-E-A-T. With Deep Research, SEOs can efficiently: Find reputable sources to cite for stronger credibility. Discover link building opportunities by identifying authoritative industry sites that accept guest contributions. Locate credible experts whose insights can add weight to an article. Example: Strengthening content credibility Prompt: “Find peer-reviewed studies or expert analysis on the impact of AI-generated content on SEO rankings.” (Seriously, try this. The footnotes alone are *chef’s kiss*) By embedding sourced insights directly into your content, you enhance trust and authority, which can contribute to higher rankings. 4. Automating SEO research tasks SEO professionals spend a significant amount of time manually reviewing sources, extracting insights, and analyzing SERP trends. Deep Research can automate much of this work, freeing up time for strategy and execution. Example: Generating a content brief Prompt: “Generate a content brief for a 2,000-word article on ‘How AI is Changing SEO in 2025,’ including H2s, key takeaways, and supporting statistics with sources.” This allows SEO teams to move faster and maintain consistency in content quality and depth. Dig deeper: Improving content quality at scale with AI Reevaluating the role of schema in SEO While structured data has long been considered a key element of technical SEO, recent advancements in AI-driven search have lessened its importance for many types of content. In a December 2024 article for Search Engine Land, I discussed how schema markup is not as critical as it once was, with the exception of certain structured data types, such as product schema. Deep Research can still assist SEOs by: Identifying the most relevant schema types for products, events, or structured content that still benefit from markup. Finding industry-specific examples of where structured data is still impactful. Example: Schema relevance in AI search Prompt: “Analyze the role of schema markup in AI-driven search results and identify which schema types still provide ranking benefits.” By leveraging Deep Research, SEOs can avoid unnecessary implementation efforts and focus on structured data that truly matters in today’s search landscape. Why Deep Research feels like an SEO superpower SEO’s evolution is starting to feel like a sci-fi experiment gone rogue – constantly mutating and throwing unexpected changes our way. OpenAI’s Deep Research helps SEOs track these mutations in real time, ensuring they aren’t optimizing for outdated strategies. While traditional ChatGPT responses provide helpful general guidance, Deep Research enables SEOs to produce more accurate, authoritative, and competitive content – a necessity in AI-driven search. Integrating Deep Research into your workflows can improve competitive analysis, content ideation, E-E-A-T optimization, and automation efforts, ultimately leading to higher rankings and stronger organic performance. Deep Research shifts the balance of AI-assisted SEO from guesswork to precision. This tool is a game changer for SEOs who thrive on data-backed decisions. View the full article

Basic digital marketing analytics is easier than it sounds and provides enough information to evaluate your performance, create reports, and plan your strategy. What’s more, you can do it with free tools, and the process becomes even simpler when using…Read more ›View the full article

Rural cancer patients may miss out on cutting-edge treatments in Utah. Therapies for intellectual disorders could stall in Maryland. Red states and blue states alike are poised to lose jobs in research labs and the local businesses serving them. Ripple effects of the Trump administration’s crackdown on U.S. biomedical research promise to reach every corner of America. It’s not just about scientists losing their jobs or damaging the local economy their work indirectly supports — scientists around the country say it’s about patient health. “Discoveries are going to be delayed, if they ever happen,” said Dr. Kimryn Rathmell, former director of the National Cancer Institute. It’s hard for patients to comprehend how they could lose an undiscovered cure. Yet “all the people out there who have, you know, sick parents, sick children, this is going to impact,” said neuroscientist Richard Huganir of Johns Hopkins University. The administration’s unprecedented moves are upending the research engine that has made the U.S. “the envy of the world in terms of scientific innovation,” said Georgetown University health policy expert Lawrence Gostin. Among the biggest blows, if it survives a court challenge: Massive cuts in funding from the National Institutes of Health that would cost jobs in every state, according to an analysis by The Associated Press with assistance from the nonprofit United for Medical Research. That’s on top of mass firings of government workers, NIH delays in issuing grants and uncertainty about how many already funded studies are being canceled under the president’s anti-diversity executive orders. Earlier this week, lawmakers pressured Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the nominee to become NIH director, about the turmoil. Bhattacharya said if confirmed, he’d look into it to ensure scientists employed by and funded by the agency “have resources to do the lifesaving work they do.” Funding cuts may leave rural patients more vulnerable Patients who live in rural counties are 10% more likely to die of their cancer than those living in metropolitan areas, said Neli Ulrich of the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute. A third of patients travel more than 150 miles for care at the Salt Lake City cancer center. But for patients even further away — in Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming — because it’s also the regional hub for NIH-funded studies of new treatments. So Ulrich’s center helps train local doctors to do at least some of the blood tests and other steps of clinical trials that let faraway patients participate without traveling — a program threatened if her university loses tens of millions in NIH cuts. The issue: Most of the NIH’s budget — more than $35 billion a year — goes to universities, hospitals and other research groups. The grants are divided into “direct costs” — covering researchers’ salaries and a project’s supplies — and “indirect costs,” to reimburse other expenses supporting the work such as electricity, maintenance and janitorial staff, and safety and ethics oversight. NIH directly negotiates with research groups, a process that grants managers say requires receipts and audits, to set rates for those indirect expenses that can reach 50% or more. But the Trump administration now plans to cap those rates at 15%. The administration estimates it would save the government $4 billion a year but scientists say it really means they’ll have to stop some lifesaving work. They are “real expenses, that’s the critical point – they are not fluff,” said Ulrich. Using separate cancer center funds to cover those costs would threaten other “activities that are really important to us in serving our communities across the mountain West.” A federal judge has blocked the move but until the court fight is done researchers aren’t sure what they can continue to afford. ‘Indirect’ costs directly support local jobs NIH grants divided between researchers in every state in 2023 supported more than 412,000 jobs and $92 billion in new economic activity, according to a yearly report from United for Medical Research that often is cited as Congress sets the agency’s budget. The AP tallied how much money would have been lost in each state under a 15% cap on those grants’ indirect costs. Those lost dollars alone would have cost at least 58,000 jobs, concluded an analysis assisted by Inforum, a nonpartisan economic consulting firm that conducts UMR’s economic impact reports. Consider Hopkins, which runs about 600 NIH-funded clinical trials plus other laboratory research and is Baltimore’s largest private employer. “If we can’t do science and we can’t support the science, we can’t support the surrounding community either,” Huganir said. Research cuts could leave new treatments on the brink Huganir studies how the brain stores memory as people learn when he discovered a gene that, when mutated, causes certain intellectual disabilities. After years studying the SynGap1 gene, “we have what we think is a really great therapeutic” almost ready to be tested in severely affected children. Huganir has applied for two new NIH grants key for moving toward those trials. “The problem is for the kids, there’s a window of time to treat them,” he said. “We’re running out of time.” NIH reviews of new grant applications have been delayed despite court rulings to end a government spending freeze, and it’s unclear how quickly they can get back on track. “Everyone I know is basically freaking out because we suddenly don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to keep our labs open,” said neuroscientist Rebecca Shansky at Boston’s Northeastern University, who’s awaiting word on grants for her study of how the brain processes pain and trauma. Even scientists with existing funding are left wondering if their projects — from transgender health to learning why white breast cancer patients in Oklahoma fare worse than Black patients in Massachusetts — will be caught in Trump’s anti-diversity crackdown. Some already have, even though studying different populations is fundamental to medicine. “Those studies are very much threatened right now. People don’t know what the rules are,” said well-known Hopkins specialist Dr. Otis Brawley. “We’re actually going to kill people is what it amounts to, because we’re not studying how to get appropriate care to all people.” AP journalists Shelby Lum and Adithi Ramakrishnan contributed to this report. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. —Lauran Neergaard and Kasturi Pananjady, Associated Press View the full article

Like homeowners insurance, auto insurance is getting significantly more expensive: Data show that policy costs rose 11% last year, likely due to factors like climate change, rising accident rates, and higher repair costs. Under certain circumstances, you may be able to offset or at least keep your car insurance premium stable, if not reduce it. If you go through any of the following life changes, it may be time to call your insurance company about lowering your policy premium. You've movedA move is a major life transition—and one that could impact your auto insurance policy for the better in a few ways. First, insurers factor where you park your car into your rate, so living in a lower density or safer neighborhood can potentially save you some money. Moving also gives you the chance to bundle your renters or homeowners insurance policy with your auto policy if you haven't already, which typically reduces the cost of both. Finally, moving can change your driving habits, which we'll get into next. You're driving lessLet's say your move has put your closer to work, or you've changed jobs or begun working remotely more frequently, or another shift in your routine has cut the number of miles you drive on a regular basis. Insurance companies consider annual mileage when calculating premiums, so a significant drop could save you some money. Your family size has changedIf you've had a teenager on your policy who now has their own vehicle or own policy and no longer lives at home, removing them from yours can save you a significant amount of money on your premiums (potentially cutting the cost by half). On the flip side, combining your policy with a new spouse's could reduce the cost per person. You've taken a defensive driving courseOne of the many discounts available on auto insurance is for taking a defensive driving course—in fact, some states require insurers to offer this discount. Typically, these discounts are good for several years before you need to retake the class. Discounts range from 5% to 20% off your premium. Your coverage is about to renew (or expire)Re-upping your policy won't save you money specifically, but it is a good time to call your current insurer about options for reducing your premium as well as to shop around for cheaper options. Other ways to lower your car insurance premiumEven if you don't have a life change that could qualify you for a lower insurance premium, there are other ways to reduce the cost of your policy: Increase your deductible: Raising your deductible (the amount you'll pay out of pocket before your policy kicks in) can lower your premium. Most policies have a $500 deductible, but bumping that up to $1,000 can potentially save you 25% on your policy cost, according to Consumer Reports. However, you'll want to consider whether you have an emergency fund to cover the added potential cost. Decrease certain types of coverage: Collision and comprehensive coverage may be optional in your state, and dropping one or both can reduce your policy premium. Collision may be an unnecessary expense if your car's value is especially low (and if your premium is more than 10% of that value). Ask about discounts: Many insurers offer policy discounts for things like setting up autopay or paperless statements, paying your premium upfront, maintaining a clean driving record, and bundling with other policies. Drive a cheaper car: This may not be a change you can make immediately, but when you're in the market for a vehicle, consider a make and model that's cheaper to insure. Look for usage-based policies: Usage-based insurance calibrates your policy to your real-life driving habits, so low-risk drivers pay less. However, this typically requires you to have a tracking app that sends data to your insurance company, which raises privacy concerns, and risky driving can actually increase your policy cost. View the full article

Move comes amid signs that inflation is returning to targetView the full article

Tuning out the external world may be tempting but it’s the wrong strategyView the full article

Branding is design. It’s the logos, typefaces, and design systems that bring a company to life. But it’s also strategy. A rebrand can reveal the priorities, motivations, and aspirations of a company if you look beyond the logo. In a recent conversation for FC Live, Fast Company‘s design editors Liz Stinson and Mark Wilson explored the true impact of branding through the lens of some of the biggest branding moments from the past year. If you missed the subscriber-only event, you’re in luck. You can catch the whole conversation in the video above. View the full article

Learn how to make Google ads for low budget work for you, even with limited spending, to achieve your marketing goals. The post Ask A PPC: Is Google Ads Still Good Value For Money For Low Budget Accounts? appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Gina Trapani, founder of the website you're reading right now, popularized a plaintext format for to-do lists way back in 2006 (please excuse any weird formatting on that nearly 20-year-old article). Called Todo.txt, it is used by many people to this day, in part thanks to an ecosystem of applications built around the format. I recently stumbled on Calendar.txt, by author and teacher Tero Karvinen. It's a text document based on a similar philosophy—a stripped down, just-the-basics take on your overloaded calendar app. It's a concept worth considering. We're at least a decade into the "using a separate app for everything" era, and sure, a lot of those apps are pretty great. I've spent years recommending software-based tools for everything from managing tasks to making drinks, and I don't plan to stop anytime soon. But not everyone needs a bespoke app for everything they do. Productivity is personal, and everyone has different needs. I've known several highly technically competent people who still use paper day planners to track their appointments and tasks—a simple notebook is flexible in a way that no app can match. One line of text per dayI view plaintext tools like Calendar.txt in a similar light. This specific tool is about as simple as it gets: It uses one line of text for every day. You can download a pre-made file with lines for dates that stretches through the year 2033, or you can just make your own. Every line starts with the date, followed by the week number, followed by a three-letter week name. The idea is that you write your appointments after that, by simply writing the time, followed by the name of the event. Events are simply added, in order, to the line. So, for example, a line for today, with one appointment/task (me cleaning the house this afternoon) would look like this: 2025-03-06 w10 Thu 14 cleaning the house There are many shortcomings to this approach. There's no built-in tool for reminding you of events, for one thing, and there's no way to invite others to your appointment. But this simple approach might work for you. And, as todo.txt demonstrated two decades ago, there are benefits to using plaintext files. Plaintext is versatile, can be opened on any device, and your files won't disappear because some software company decides it wanted to change its priorities. If you're familiar with the command line, you can use existing tools in all kinds of interesting ways. For example, the calendar.txt documentation shows how you can use grep, a tool for searching text documents, to pull up today's appointments: grep 2025-03-06 calendar.txt You could use the same command to search for events by the day. Credit: Justin Pot Again, this approach won't seem useful to everyone—especially if you never open the command prompt—but not every tool needs to be for every user. Only you can decide which tools work best for you. View the full article

Sticking to the same set of keywords in your paid search campaigns might feel safe, but it can limit your reach. Consumers search in countless ways, often using terms you may not have considered. To stay competitive – whether you’re scaling your budget, chasing growth goals, or trying to revitalize PPC performance – you must identify and fill keyword gaps. Here’s how. Keyword tools Google’s built-in Keyword Planner (and Microsoft’s equivalent product) provides a natural starting point for researching additional keywords. The tool can automatically filter out existing keywords in your account so you can easily see new suggestions. You can use Keyword Planner by either inputting a keyword (or a set of keywords) to get suggestions for similar keywords, or you can input a URL. If you aim to fill in gaps for specific products you offer, use the URL specific to that product or product category. Remember that pages with descriptive content will give the tool the best signals to generate ideas. You can input competitor URLs to get keyword ideas related to their content. Aside from using competitors you may already be familiar with, look at Auction Insights for the campaigns and ad groups where you plan to expand, and use those brands’ URLs. There are also a number of third-party keyword research tools available, such as: Semrush. SpyFu. Answer The Public. AlsoAsked. Many of these tools have free versions with limited features, plus paid plans for more in-depth insights. Using a variety of them can help uncover a broader range of keyword ideas. Leverage them to search by “seed” keywords and competitor URLs where applicable. Search term analysis By reviewing existing search terms that match your keywords, you may identify terms you aren’t bidding on that would be worth adding as new keywords. These might include: Search terms with a high enough impression/click volume to justify adding as keywords. Search terms with an exceptional conversion rate and/or reasonable CPA. Search terms that are still relevant to your brand but not related to the keyword/ad group where they matched. If you’re running in both Google and Microsoft, be sure to include search terms from both platforms, as you will likely find unique results between each. You can then test relevant terms as new keywords in both. If you’re running a Performance Max campaign, you can use Insights to view search terms. You can then evaluate bidding on high performers in regular search campaigns to better control bidding and ad copy. Today, even exact match keywords can trigger a wide range of search terms. If performance is similar and aligns with your ad messaging, there’s no need to separate them. However, if intent or performance differs, adding them to new ad groups or campaigns can be valuable. Dig deeper: 11 free tools for PPC campaign management Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Google Search Console data Looking through queries in Google Search Console may help to flag keywords that are driving relevant traffic organically but are not currently in your paid search campaigns. If you’ve linked your Search Console and Google Ads accounts, you can also use the Paid and Organic report to identify keywords you are strictly showing organically but not in paid results. Generally, appearing for the same keywords in both paid and organic results helps drive incremental traffic and conversions that would not have happened with just appearing for one or the other. Even if you already show up organically for a particular keyword, you can tweak the ad copy and URL for the paid search end to feature current offers. Website content When was the last time you thoroughly reviewed your brand’s website? A sitemap lets you view the site’s hierarchy and pinpoint products and categories for which you may not already be bidding on related keywords. Analytics data can reveal which product or service pages attract the most views and engagement. You can pinpoint areas of interest for which you aren’t pushing traffic or bidding on relevant keywords. Generative AI With careful prompt guidance, you can use generative AI tools to provide recommendations. For instance, paste in an existing list of keywords, describe your brand and marketing, and ask the tool to provide additional suggestions. Building off the previous section, you could provide the URL for your site or specific pages and ask for recommendations or paste in content directly from those pages. You’ll need to carefully review the outputted keyword suggestions for relevance. Also, you may need to provide further prompts to refine what you receive back. Dig deeper: Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC Feedback from SMEs and customers As an agency or in-house marketer, you likely don’t have the same “in-the-weeds” level of knowledge that SMEs (subject matter experts) in the organization may have. Connect with individuals such as product marketers, sales teams, and owners in a small business setting. Ask them questions such as: What are the key problems your products solve? What are the main concerns customers ask about? What are the top competitors you hear mentioned by prospects? What less obvious phrases might customers use when referring to the products you sell? These questions, and others tailored to the products or services you are promoting, can inform new keywords you may want to include in your campaigns. Similarly, you may have access to talk directly to customers or review customer survey data. Use the information customers provide for further insight, as this may contradict or add to what SMEs share. For instance, I once managed paid search campaigns for a heating/AC business, and the marketing staff insisted that the average consumer did not use the acronym “HVAC” to refer to their services. However, actual search volume proved otherwise, as search terms containing “HVAC” were on par with the volume and conversion performance of heating/air conditioning terms. Start researching new keywords Regular keyword research keeps your PPC strategy fresh and competitive. Don’t let valuable opportunities slip by. Review your existing search campaigns, utilize available tools and resources, and incorporate staff and customer feedback to determine additional keywords that may help cover current gaps. View the full article

DEI measures may be under threat, but the reality is many workers want jobs at companies that value diversity. Comparably, a platform for salary data and work culture insights, just released its list of the top 100 large companies for diversity. To compile the list, Comparably asked 30,000 employees of color to weigh in on 16 different categories, including satisfaction with leadership, compensation, and career growth opportunities. The ratings were collected between February 10, 2024 and February 10, 2025. To qualify, large companies had to employ over 500 employees and needed at least 75 employee ratings. (Comparably also published a list of top 25 small-to-midsize companies for diversity.) It’s worth noting that nearly a quarter of the companies on the list have CEOs of color, including Informatica (led by Amit Walia) and Synopsis (led by Sassine Ghazi). While tech company HubSpot is celebrating its eighth year on the list, other tech giants such as Uber and IBM didn’t make this year. Apple and Meta haven’t been on the list since 2020, and Google and Microsoft last made an appearance on the list in 2021. Here are the top 25 large companies for diversity, according to Comparably: Elsevier: New York City, NY RingCentral: Belmont, CA Informatica: Redwood City, CA ADP: Roseland, NJ Calix: San Jose, CA Teleperformance: New York City, NY Esri: Redlands, CA TaskUs: New Braunfels, TX LexisNexis Legal & Professional: New York City, NY Synopsys: Sunnyvale, CA N-able: Burlington, MA Arista Networks: Santa Clara, CA Paycom: Oklahoma City, OK Squarespace: New York City, NY Adobe: San Jose, CA Altametrics: Costa Mesa, CA Baylor Scott & White Health: Dallas, TX DataStax: Santa Clara, CA Elastic: San Francisco, CA HubSpot: Cambridge, MA Boston Consulting Group: Boston, MA Trimble: Westminster, CO Remitly: Seattle, WA Sunrun: San Francisco, CA Workday: Pleasanton, CA View the full article

Winning over Gen Z employees isn’t about flashy perks or trendy office spaces—it’s about leadership that actually walks the talk. This younger generation of employees has different values than their predecessors. It expects transparency, meaningful work, and a culture that values their contributions. If leaders want to earn their trust and loyalty, they need to rethink traditional management styles and embrace a more authentic, collaborative approach. From recognition and flexibility to open communication, here’s what nine leaders say it takes to lead Gen Z employees in a way that actually resonates. Provide regular recognition I’ve seen how regular recognition can be crucial in building trust and loyalty with Gen Z employees. This generation values being acknowledged for their hard work and contributions, and when leaders show appreciation, it creates a positive work culture. We make it a point to regularly highlight the achievements of our team, whether in team meetings, through internal shout-outs, or personal messages. For example, every quarter during our company meeting, our CEO publicly recognizes a few employees for their outstanding contributions, reinforcing the importance of appreciation at every level. This helps people feel seen and motivates them to keep pushing forward. One approach that has worked really well for us is encouraging employees to regularly give shout-outs to each other for going above and beyond. One such example is via our Thankful Thursdays, where everyone is welcome to give recognition to a peer. This creates a sense of community and helps build trust among employees, as they know their colleagues are supporting and appreciating their efforts. It’s not just about top-down recognition; it’s also about fostering a culture of mutual respect. It helps Gen Z employees feel that their contributions matter, which in turn builds a sense of loyalty to the company. Vivek Vaidya, Cofounder & CTO, Ketch Foster transparency and authenticity Leaders can earn trust and loyalty from Gen Z employees by fostering a culture of transparency and authenticity in communication. Gen Z values honesty regarding decision-making, company direction, and understanding how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. They are not just looking for a paycheck—they want to feel like they’re part of something meaningful, and they want to work for open and genuine leaders. A key approach I’ve found effective is holding regular, informal check-ins that focus on achievements and challenges. During these sessions, I share company updates, discuss ongoing projects, and address any issues the business may face. I also encourage team members to ask questions, provide feedback, and share ideas on overcoming obstacles. This creates a sense of inclusivity, where employees feel their opinions are valued, and trust is built through open dialogue. Transparency extends to leadership decisions. When changes or challenges arise, I make it a point to explain the reasoning behind decisions rather than just delivering the outcome. This helps employees understand the “why” behind actions, turning decisions into shared experiences rather than top-down mandates. As a result, employees feel more engaged and involved, which deepens their trust in leadership. Providing opportunities for Gen Z employees to contribute their insights in these conversations further empowers them to take ownership of their work. When their input can influence the company’s direction, they develop a greater sense of purpose and connection to the organization’s success. For example, I worked with a client who wanted to improve communication with their younger team members. We set up biweekly “listening sessions,” where leadership openly discussed company goals and challenges, and Gen Z employees were invited to provide feedback and suggest solutions. These sessions fostered candid, two-way conversations that made employees feel more informed and involved. They also brought forward valuable insights that helped the company make better decisions. This approach builds trust by showing that leadership values Gen Z employees’ perspectives and treats them as active participants in decision-making. It emphasizes authenticity, open communication, and mutual respect, which are essential for earning loyalty from this generation. When leaders are transparent, inclusive, and willing to listen, they create lasting, meaningful relationships with their teams. April Eldridge, Founder/Principal – Fractional COO & Chief of Staff, April Eldridge Consulting Empower employees from day one From day one, we empower our Gen Z employees to take ownership of their career with our “Green Room,” a structured three-day period where new hires reflect on their past experiences, current skills, and future goals before meeting with leadership to cocreate their development plan. In case you’re wondering about the name Green Room, our brand is all green, and our Operations team loves theater. The Green Room asks new hires to consider their past roles, detailing what they loved, what drove them crazy, and what opportunities/support they wished they had. Instead of corporate onboarding, we encourage honest reflection about new hires’ career trajectory and aspirations. By day three, we discuss real metrics. New hires pitch their own KPIs and qualitative goals (the actual numbers they’ll be measured by) to their supervisors. Letting new employees set their own targets is exactly the kind of trust that makes Gen Z stick around. Promises of growth just don’t cut it when it comes to building trust with your new Gen Z hires; you have to prove to your employees that there is a clear path for advancement in your organization. I’m proud to say that over 50% of our current staff started as entry-level employees or Specialists (our paid internship program). Rather than trying to force Gen Z employees into traditional models, we’ve adapted our work environment to Gen Z’s preferences. We offer true flexibility: our team can work remotely, from our New Orleans HQ, or we’ll cover coworking space costs if they want the social aspects of office life without a full-time commute. Everyone on our team is empowered to choose the workplace environment where they work best, which shows that we trust our Optimists to be able to decide for themselves. Gen Z values transparency, so we have built in opportunities to bring candid dialogue to our Gen Z employees proactively. We’ve formalized the conversation around compensation by discussing it every four months. Flynn Zaiger, CEO, Online Optimism Respect work-life balance Gen Z values flexibility and well-being as much as career growth. Leaders who respect work-life balance and mental health earn their trust. It’s not just about perks—it’s about creating a culture where they feel valued as people, not just employees. One manager I coached introduced “No-Meeting Fridays” to reduce burnout and encourage deep work. A Gen Z employee later shared that this small change helped them feel more productive and less stressed, leading them to stay with the company longer than they had planned. Small, thoughtful shifts like this show genuine care, which builds trust and loyalty. Mauro Nardocci, Marketing and Leadership Expert – The Economist Top 10 ocean Change Maker, Sounding Board Avoid micromanaging One of the most successful ways for leaders to acquire the trust and loyalty of Gen Z employees is to refrain from micromanaging them and instead give them the freedom to make decisions regarding their projects. For instance, a leader could set clear objectives and expectations at the start of the process, then schedule regular check-ins, such as once or twice a week, to provide direction and feedback, instead of constantly monitoring every detail. The flexibility to innovate, problem-solve, and think creatively is something that Gen Z employees place a high value on, and this method gives them the opportunity to do so. An example of this strategy being put into practice in the real world is a technology company that has developed a “results-only work environment” (ROWE) for its employees who are members of Generation Z. Employees were given the authority to control their own time and procedures because managers focused on outcomes rather than specific processes or the number of hours spent. Not only did this increase productivity, but it also built a sense of trust and loyalty among employees, as they felt appreciated and trusted to deliver outcomes in their own unique way. It is possible for leaders to cultivate deeper, more collaborative relationships with Gen Z employees by providing them with the room to flourish while still maintaining open lines of communication. These relationships are the driving force behind both individual and organizational success. Rejoyce Owusu, Vice President of Human Resources, Umatta Consulting Embrace reverse mentoring I’ve seen firsthand how being open to learning from Gen Z employees fosters trust and loyalty. Gen Z thrives in collaborative, mission-driven environments, and they want leaders who respect their perspectives, not just dictate from the top. One key way I’ve built trust is by embracing reverse mentoring, where our younger team members educate leadership on digital trends, AI-driven workflows, and evolving workplace values. For example, when we were refining our approach to donor engagement, a Gen Z employee suggested leveraging short-form video content on TikTok and Instagram Reels. Initially, some senior leaders were skeptical, but after listening and implementing their ideas, we saw a noticeable increase in engagement from younger donors. By showing that we trust and act on their insights, we reinforce that their voices matter. This openness has created a culture where Gen Z employees feel valued, invested in our mission, and more likely to stay long-term. Justin Wheeler, Cofounder & CEO, funraise Follow through on promises The one thing leaders need to do to earn trust and loyalty from Gen Zers is to actually follow through. Gen Z grew up watching corporations make big, flashy promises about work-life balance, diversity, mental health, and flexibility, only to see those promises fall apart the moment things got tough. They’re skeptical, and honestly? They have every reason to be. Leaders who want their trust need to prove, through consistent actions, that their words aren’t just for employer branding. They aren’t looking for perfection though, but they are looking for consistency. They know that no leader or company gets everything right 100% of the time, and that’s not the issue. The issue is when leadership claims to stand for something but fails to show up when it actually matters. They don’t expect every policy to be flawless or every workplace to be utopian, but they do expect their leaders to be honest, accountable, and willing to back up their words with real action. This is where so many companies get it wrong. They roll out polished mission statements about work-life balance, but then glorify employees who burn out working late nights. They preach mental health support, but then guilt employees for taking a sick day. They talk endlessly about diversity and inclusion, but when promotion time comes, the leadership team still looks the same. It’s not the imperfections that cause them to lose trust, it’s the hypocrisy. For Gen Z, consistency means alignment between what a company says and what it actually does. It means if a company promises flexibility, it doesn’t punish employees for using it. If it claims to care about professional growth, the company should provide real opportunities for learning and mentorship, not just vague encouragement. If it commits to inclusivity, it doesn’t just hire diverse talent but actually fosters an environment where those employees have a path to leadership. At the core of this, Gen Zers are looking for leadership they can believe in. They want to work for companies that don’t just talk about values but embed them in their culture, decisions, and daily operations. For me, that’s the real key to earning their trust and loyalty. Be the kind of leader who doesn’t just make promises but follows through, even when it’s inconvenient. They demand authenticity and consistency. And if a leader can provide that, they’ll have a team that’s truly invested in the company’s success. Stephen Greet, CEO & Cofounder, BeamJobs Adopt expertise-driven leadership As an executive leadership coach, I’ve learned that Gen Z’s trust isn’t won through traditional management tactics. Instead, it’s earned through what I call “expertise-driven leadership.” This approach combines authentic coaching with transparent mentorship. I was working with a tech company that was seeing a concerning drop in Gen Z retention. The leaders were well-intentioned, but their approach was not very collaborative. So, we made a shift. We reimagined their leadership style to focus on coaching and mentorship rather than the usual top-down management. And, wow, did it make a huge difference. Gen Z values growth, but not necessarily in climbing a hierarchical ladder. In fact, 72% of them prefer advancing through expertise, not people management. So, we introduced “expertise exchange” sessions. Senior leaders stopped simply giving orders and instead became facilitators. They opened up about their challenges, invited team members to help solve them, and made room for innovative ideas. The results were incredible: engagement shot up, turnover decreased, and trust grew stronger. This change was more than just a leadership shift; it aligned perfectly with Gen Z’s core values. Research shows that companies with a strong coaching culture see a 60% boost in employee engagement. Here’s what I’ve realized: it’s not just about adding coaching; it’s about transforming how we think about leadership altogether. From my experience, the best leaders are the ones who prioritize curiosity over control. They’ve let go of the “I know best” mindset and embraced “collaborative expertise.” While leaders bring experience to the table, they also acknowledge that their Gen Z employees bring fresh, digital-savvy perspectives that can be just as valuable. Let’s not forget: Gen Z has grown up fact-checking everything online. They can spot inauthentic leadership a mile away. That’s why transparency is critical. I’ve seen the difference it makes when leaders admit their mistakes, share challenges openly, and seek input from their teams. It creates a space where psychological safety thrives, and Gen Z feels respected and heard. The truth is, Gen Z wants leaders who act as both coaches and collaborators. They want mentorship that guides their growth but respects their autonomy. When leaders adopt this dual role, they build trust and create an environment where both sides can flourish together. Zabrina Mok, Founder, Strategic EQ Inc. Prioritize authenticity and diversity Leaders can earn trust and loyalty from Gen Z employees by prioritizing authenticity and recognizing diverse communication styles. One effective approach is fostering an environment where individuals feel safe to express themselves while maintaining healthy boundaries. For example, a leader who openly acknowledges their own learning moments—whether about workplace dynamics, social issues, or evolving industry trends—demonstrates vulnerability and growth. This creates space for Gen Z employees to do the same, which encourages collaboration, innovation, and psychological safety. Equally important is rejecting binary thinking. Trust isn’t built through rigid right-or-wrong approaches but through transparency, nuance, and action. Leaders who navigate complexity—holding space for different perspectives while addressing bias—show a real commitment to fairness and continuous improvement. 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