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Friedrich Merz leads German pivot in Europe’s ‘rearmament’ raceView the full article

While there seems to be no relief in sight for the high cost of eggs, it almost feels counterintuitive for people to celebrate two cracking, but it is a welcome distraction from the current political turmoil. Two bald eagles in Big Bear, California, have just become parents again to two chicks, with the potential for a third. This is egg-cellent news. Here’s everything to know about Jackie and Shadow’s journey to parenthood: Jackie and Shadow’s origin story Jackie and Shadow have been together since 2018. Shadow actually stole Jackie from another male, which is unusual for eagles who normally mate for life. They successfully raised two chicks but also experienced their fair share of loss over the years. Humans have come to know and love them while watching live streams of two bald eagle webcams maintained by the nonprofit Friends of Big Bear Valley. For the past two seasons, Jackie and Shadow’s egg did not hatch despite the parents’ best efforts making this season’s births even more special. 2025’s egg timeline This season, Jackie laid three eggs, which is unusual for eagles. The first made its debut on January 22. Three days later, another one appeared in the nest. The last was laid on January 28. The first pip, or crack, was spotted on Sunday at 3:09 p.m local time. The second came around 8 a.m. on Monday. The first chick fully hatched around 11:30 a.m. on Monday while the second one made its way into the world at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. Typically, parents do not help the chicks with this process, but Shadow has stepped in from time to time. Temporarily, the babies are known as Chick 1 and Chick 2. Eventually, a naming contest will help the nonprofit come up with much more creative monikers. This has not been formally announced yet but historically a third grade class in Big Bear has the final vote. There is still a chance the third egg will also hatch. March 4 marked 35 days since it has been laid, which is normally when the hatching period begins. Fans are rooting for this since Jackie and Shadow have never raised three chicks at one time before. What’s next for this family of eagles? Chick 1 and Chick 2 don’t need to eat immediately because they absorbed the yolk on their way out of the egg. Eventually, Jackie and Shadow will bring them small pieces of raw meat. Some bird parents regurgitate their food but not bald eagles. At this young age, it is hard to guess the gender of the chicks. The only official way to tell is through a blood test, but once the chicks get to be around nine weeks old, their physical appearance will allow for an educated guess. Females tend to be larger. The chicks will stay in the nest for 10 to 12 weeks. Around this time they fledge or fly from the nest. For the next couple of months, they will remain close to home to test their wings. After that, they will typically head out to start their own adult life. How can I see the bald eagle action for myself? To watch the chicks grow up and root for another sibling, watch the two live-feed cameras. The first camera offers a close-up view of the nest while the second zooms out for perspective. As of Wednesday morning, almost 30,000 viewers were watching the nest live. We’ve also embedded the YouTube video below. View the full article

The IRS is drafting plans to cut its workforce by as much as half through a mix of layoffs, attrition and incentivized buyouts, according to two people familiar with the situation. The people spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose the plans. The layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency by closing agencies, laying off nearly all probationary employees who have not yet gained civil service protection and offering buyouts to almost all federal employees through a “deferred resignation program” to quickly reduce the government workforce. A reduction in force of tens of thousands of employees would render the IRS “dysfunctional,” said John Koskinen, a former IRS commissioner. The federal tax collector employs roughly 90,000 workers total across the United States, according to the latest IRS data. People of color make up 56% of the IRS workforce, and women represent 65%. Already, roughly 7,000 probationary IRS employees with roughly one year or less of service were laid off from the organization in February. The organization also offered IRS employees — along with almost all federal employees across the government — “deferred resignation program” buyouts, though IRS employees involved in the 2025 tax season were told earlier this month that they would not be allowed to accept a buyout offer from the Trump administration until mid-May, after the taxpayer filing deadline. In addition to the planned layoffs, the Trump administration intends to lend IRS workers to the Department of Homeland Security to assist with immigration enforcement. In a letter sent in February, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to borrow IRS workers to help with ongoing immigration crackdown efforts. Koskinen and six other former IRS Commissioners wrote in the New York Times earlier this month: “Aggressive reductions in the I.R.S.’s resources will only render our government less effective and less efficient in collecting the taxes Congress has imposed.” According to a White House memo sent to federal agencies in late February, agencies are to develop a report by March 13 on its reduction in force plans — but it is unclear whether the White House will approve the IRS’ reorganization plan and over what period of time it would be implemented. Representatives for the White House, the Treasury Department and IRS did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment. The New York Times first reported the deliberations. —Fatima Hussein, Associated Press View the full article

AI has been a part of PPC for years through features like smart bidding and audience targeting. But in the past 12-18 months, its influence has expanded – reshaping how PPC managers plan, execute, and optimize campaigns. By leveraging AI, you can streamline processes, improve performance, and focus on higher-level strategy. This article covers 15 essential AI tactics and the best tools to enhance your PPC management – from content creation to data analysis. The top AI tools for PPC marketers A variety of tools are available to assist with setting up and managing PPC campaigns, each offering unique capabilities and benefits. Advertising platforms are also evolving, with innovations like TikTok Symphony Creative Studio leading the way. Below are my recommended tools, categorized into content creation, visual creation, and data management. Many of these tools offer free versions, allowing you to generate a limited number of outputs at no cost. Content creation ChatGPT: Generates content at scale from prompts (from $0/month). Claude: Generates content at scale from prompts (from $0/month). Optmyzr: Provides ad copy suggestions (from $208+/month). Visual creation Canva: Creates imagery and video from prompts (from $0/month). Synthesia: Generates video content from scripts and prompts (from $0/month). Runway: Produces imagery from prompts (from $0/month). Microsoft Copilot: Generates visuals from prompts (from $0/month). Data analysis ChatGPT: Visualizes and analyzes large datasets (from $0/month). Claude: Visualizes and analyzes large datasets (from $0/month). Optmyzr: Analyzes data and provides performance recommendations (from $208+/month). Dig deeper: How does AI work in PPC? Key ways AI can support PPC managers AI should be embraced, not feared. When used effectively, it has vast potential to enhance PPC campaign management. Its applications can be grouped into three key areas: planning, building and managing, and reporting. Planning Competitor research. Keyword research. Audience research. Audience personas. User intent. Building and managing Ad ideation. Landing page content. Creative concepts. Video scripting. Image generation. Account structures. Bidding. Feed optimization. Reporting Report summaries. Theorizing. Stress-testing. By leveraging AI in these areas, you can free up time to focus on high-level strategy and tasks that drive greater impact. 15 tactics to use AI in PPC AI can enhance every stage of PPC management – from research and ad creation to performance analysis. Here are 15 actionable ways to integrate AI into your campaigns. We’ll explore several of these tactics in more detail below. Formulating a successful prompt. Researching competitor offerings. Understanding user buyer intent. Finding ideal audiences to target. Identifying what users are searching for. Building ad variations. Stress-testing performance feedback. Developing creative concepts based on audiences. Creating video concepts from specific scenarios. Turning video concepts into scripts. Reducing production costs through image generation. Improving product feed attributes. Summarizing performance from data sets. Creating a PPC assistant with custom GPTs for reusable prompts. Using a Google Sheets plugin to run AI in bulk. Formulating a successful AI prompt A well-crafted prompt is essential for effective AI outputs – whether it’s Google’s bidding algorithms relying on first-party data (like conversion volumes and targets) or ChatGPT generating ad copy ideas. Weak prompts lead to subpar results. The more detailed information, context, and guidance you provide, the better the output will be. The quality of your prompt directly affects the accuracy, tone, and relevance of the AI’s response. When writing an AI prompt, be sure to include these key elements: Desired output format – e.g., a list, table, or summary. Specific request – e.g., “10 ad ideas.” Intended recipient – e.g., “For Anicca Digital” (include a URL if possible). Context – e.g., “Anicca Digital is a digital marketing agency.” Target audience – e.g., “Marketing managers.” Usage location – e.g., “Google Ad copy.” Example of a low-quality prompt Example of a good prompt The difference in outputs Incomplete or vague prompts lead to basic, less tailored, and less relevant AI outputs. To achieve optimal results, your prompts should be precise and clear, providing detailed instructions on the desired output. AI tools like ChatGPT can be refined through iterative prompting. If the initial response isn’t effective, you can adjust the prompt to improve the output. Dig deeper: ChatGPT for PPC: 17 strategic prompts you can use today Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. Competitor research AI can streamline competitor research by quickly gathering and organizing information. Tools like ChatGPT can assist by: Creating a table of price points. Building a matrix of key features. Analyzing landing pages for calls to action. Example output Finding ideal customers to target Audience insights are essential for successful paid media campaigns across platforms like Google, Meta, LinkedIn, and YouTube. AI can help identify ideal customer profiles, preferred platforms, and messaging that resonates with them. You can generate detailed audience personas by providing AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude with information about a brand, its website, and its offerings. These personas guide ad copy and creative development, ensuring your messaging aligns with customer motivations. Understanding what users are searching for AI can significantly enhance the traditionally manual keyword research process, making it faster and more interactive. Similar to using classic keyword tools like Google Keyword Planner or Semrush, AI provides diverse results based on your prompt. You can: Give the AI context about the business or brand. Refine the output by providing additional guidance. Request search volumes and specify the target location. After generating keywords, you can validate the search volumes or estimate CPCs using traditional research tools. Example prompt Example outputs from ChatGPT and Claude Building ad variations AI tools like Claude can help overcome creative blocks by generating ad copy ideas and variations. AI can assist in the following ways: Suggesting ad copy: Provide detailed prompts, including brand context (with a URL if possible), target audience, and ad placement. Incorporating audience insights: Use AI-generated audience personas to identify key motivators and tailor messaging. Analyzing competitors: Ask AI to review competitor materials, such as customer reviews, to highlight pain points your business can address. Creating scripts for ad visualization: Use AI to generate scripts or code (e.g., Google Apps Script) to visualize ad copy in structured formats. Dig deeper: 4 practical ways to use generative AI for ad copywriting Stress testing performance feedback AI can act as a secondary voice of reason when you need to analyze or validate campaign performance. This is especially useful if you are working independently or want to prepare for meetings. AI can help stress-test: Performance changes. Campaign strategies. Key performance factors. New channel adoption. Tools like ChatGPT can simulate potential challenges and questions, enabling you to refine your approach and deliver stronger reports. Example ChatGPT output Improving product feed attributes Optimized product feeds are critical for successful shopping campaigns. However, managing large product catalogs often results in incomplete or suboptimal attributes. AI tools like ChatGPT can assist by: Providing strategies to improve product titles and attributes. Handling individual optimizations or bulk edits through document uploads. Integrating with Google Sheets for large-scale feed enhancements. Example individual product title optimization output Example Google Sheets bulk output Using the GPT for Sheets and Docs plugin, you can automate bulk optimizations. By applying AI-generated formulas, you can quickly return answers across multiple rows. Use formulas to generate enhanced product attributes. Apply the concatenate formula to append or prepend missing values (e.g., color or brand) to existing product titles. Final thoughts AI is transforming PPC management. Adopting it allows you to optimize workflows, enhance campaign performance, and free up time for strategic initiatives and first-party data development. However, AI is only as effective as the information it receives. PPC managers must guide, refine, and quality-check AI outputs to ensure the best results. [Watch] 15 AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC Watch my full SMX Next 2024 session here. View the full article

You can now use Siri with added ChatGPT on your iPhone, but Google is keen for you to use its Gemini AI bot instead: A few months ago, an official Gemini iPhone app was launched, and now we have some lock screen widgets to go with it. While you can't swap out the iPhone's default digital assistant entirely, as you can on Android, these six new lock screen widgets do give you easier access to Gemini on iOS, and are handy shortcuts if you prefer Google's AI. The widgets are available to you whether or not you're paying $20 a month for Gemini Advanced. To make use of these widgets, you first need Google Gemini for iOS installed. Launch the app after it's been downloaded, and you'll be asked to sign into your Google account. Next, switch to the lock screen, long press on a blank part of it, then choose Customize. Gemini now shows up in the lock screen widgets list. Credit: Lifehacker Tap inside any of the widget spaces—just below the clock, or in the lower corners—to find all of your widgets options, including the Gemini ones. Choose Gemini from the list, swipe left or right to scroll between the widgets on offer, then tap on the one you want to use or drag it into place on screen. First up there's Type prompt, which does exactly what its name suggests: It brings up the Gemini app and lets you start a new conversation with a text prompt. For a voice chat instead, you can add Talk Live, which launches the Gemini Live experience—designed to mimic talking to a person as much as possible. Open mic leads you to the more basic voice interaction mode in Gemini, while Use camera sends you straight to the camera interface: You can snap a picture of something and ask Gemini questions about it (like what species of flower you're looking at, or how to fix something that's broken). You've got six widgets to pick from, including Talk Live. Credit: Lifehacker Share image lets you pick an image from your iPhone for Gemini to work with—to ask a question about it, for example, or to create new AI art—and finally there's Share file, which lets you give Gemini a file to analyze. One way to use this would be to have the AI assistant summarize a PDF. All these widgets worked as advertised during my testing, and do indeed allow quick and easy access into the Gemini interface. You're only saving a couple of taps each time, but those taps can add up if you're using Gemini a lot—even if it's not quite as simple to get to Gemini as it is to Siri. The widgets should be available now in version 1.2025.0762303 of Google Gemini in the App Store. The release notes also mention improvements to the user interface, bug fixes, the option to share text, images, and links directly to Gemini from any other app, and access to Deep Research for Gemini Advanced users. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. During his campaign, Donald Trump vowed to implement mass deportations. Since regaining power, he has signed multiple executive orders aimed at tightening border security and increasing arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. In theory, an increase in deportations—let alone “mass deportations”—could impact U.S. homebuilders and their network of subcontractors. While we don’t exactly know how many undocumented immigrants work in construction, we know it’s a chunk. In 2016, Pew Research Center estimated that 13% of the U.S. construction workforce is undocumented. In 2021, the Center for American Progress estimated that 23% of construction laborers are undocumented (see their full breakdown below). Last month, analysts at John Burns Research and Consulting (JBREC) set out to find out if homebuilders are seeing an impact yet from deportations and arrests. So far, there hasn’t been a big impact on the housing market: 11% of homebuilders in the JBREC survey said that recent deportations and/or changes in immigration policy have impacted their labor force. What are the major publicly-traded homebuilders saying publicly? Last week, Rick Palacios, director of research at JBREC, posted a roundup of recent comments made on earnings calls regarding deportations and the housing market. Here’s what they had to say: Century Communities, Q4 2024 earnings call (January 29, 2025): “Regarding ICE raids and deportations […] This is still early on unfolding. We have not seen anything on the ground or in our cost structure that needs us to react in a certain way. It’s just wait and see. But right now, we’re not seeing anything that is negative to the business.” Beazer, Q1 2025 earnings call (January 30, 2025): “Regarding impact of deportations and immigration issues […] Honestly, have not seen an impact. And we check in regularly. We’ve got a hotline set up internally to sort of anything, and I have not heard any news on that. I won’t be surprised if there is some in markets that we do business and in the industry. But so far, I have not heard of any.” PulteGroup, Q4 2024 earnings call (January 30, 2025): “Regarding impact of immigration enforcement […] It’s been a long-standing policy of our company trade partners and the labor that are on our job sites, we require verified residency status and/or work permits that allow them to work legally in the U.S. That’s been our position for a long time, it will continue to be our position. In terms of impacts to the broader labor force, even beyond just construction labor to the extent that there are deportation activities, there’s no question there’ll be less labor available and that will have an impact on all wage rates. And we’ll certainly have to deal with that as that becomes more clear.” Taylor Morrison Home Corporation, Q4 2024 earnings call (February 12, 2025): “Regarding potential impact of immigration . . . we’re happy to report that we haven’t seen anything hit the job site. Certainly, we’ve got protocols in place. Even though we’ve seen activity within markets, we have not seen anything hit our job sites. Coming into the year, we had a little bit of fear that we would see some absenteeism of folks. To date, I’d say there’s been no disruptions.” Tri Pointe Homes, Q4 2024 earnings call (February 18, 2025): “Regarding the impact of ICE raids or deportations […] No impacts at all. Typically, our trades have maintained the necessary requirements as far as making sure they’re legal citizens. Our trades have employees and teammates that have been with them for quite a while. We’re not expecting any labor issues this year, to be honest with you.” Toll Brothers, Q1 2025 earnings call (February 19, 2025): “We have not seen any immediate supply chain impacts from tariffs or labor shortages due to changes in immigration policies, although we are monitoring developments closely and will pivot as necessary to deal with any issues that arise.” View the full article

It’s not just the tech industry that is facing layoffs in 2025. In recent weeks, a number of high-profile media and entertainment companies have seen job cuts. The most recent media giant to reportedly undergo layoffs is the Walt Disney Company. Here’s what you need to know about the layoffs affecting the media industry right now. ABC News and Disney Entertainment Networks cut jobs The Walt Disney Company company is getting ready to let go of about 6% of its employees who work in the company’s ABC News Group and Disney Entertainment Networks units, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. The layoffs will total about 200 employees and will reportedly be announced today. The move is being made to save costs on what used to be more profitable divisions but now aren’t seen as important in the ongoing shift to streaming. Fast Company reached out to Disney for comment. As part of the move, ABC will reportedly merge 20/20 and Nightline into one unit, which will result in lost jobs. The news network is also reportedly shutting down the news site 538, which currently employs about 15 people. As for the Disney Entertainment Networks unit, WSJ says its scheduling and program planning units will see job cuts. E.W. Scripps and Tegna lays off employees American broadcaster E.W. Scripps will also reportedly lay off workers across its local TV stations, reports TheWrap. The company currently owns 61 stations across the country, and employees are said to have begun being notified about the job cuts yesterday. It is unknown exactly how many employees E.W. Scripps will be laying off, but the company is said to employ about 5,200 workers. “We can confirm there were some position eliminations across about a dozen Scripps stations,” an E.W. Scripps spokesperson told Fast Company when reached for comment. “The media industry is in a state of continued disruption and, while difficult, these changes are part of Scripps’ ongoing commitment to adapt through this disruption and ensure we can continue providing our communities with essential services well into the future.” The reported E.W. Scripps layoffs come after another American broadcast company, Tegna Inc., which owns numerous NBC-affiliated stations, laid off its its VERIFY fact-checking team. As AdWeek reported, Tegna’s fact-checking team included about 20 journalists and producers. Jobs disappear at WSJ and LA Times, too It’s not just broadcast jobs that are going in the media industry. Jobs at print media giants have also been lost in recent days, too. The Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker sent a memo (via TalkingBizNews) to employees on Tuesday that the paper would be creating a new Technology & Media group based in New York to oversee its tech coverage. However, Tucker said the “changes do mean that some reporters and editors in San Francisco and New York will be leaving us.” Tucker did not say how many jobs would be lost. The Los Angeles Times will also see some journalists departing—but this is not due to layoffs. As noted by TheWrap, the newspaper’s owner, Patrick Soon-Shiong, has made buyout offers to over 40 newsroom staff. The buyout offer comes amid recent drama at the paper, including the pulling of the publication’s planned endorsement of Kamala Harris late last year. Silver lining: January job losses lower than a year earlier According to data from consulting firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the media industry—which includes television, film, streaming, and news—lost 624 jobs in January. That was a jump of 27% over the 490 jobs the industry lost in December 2024. However, January 2025’s job losses of 624 media jobs were down 41% from the 836 media jobs lost in January 2024. When it comes to just the news segment of the media industry—which includes digital, broadcast, and print—Challenger, Gray & Christmas says 192 layoffs occurred in January 2025, down 64% from the 528 cuts in January 2024. View the full article

Trump expected to announce decision on potential exemptions from Canada-Mexico tariffs on Wednesday View the full article

President Donald Trump vowed to keep up his campaign of “swift and unrelenting action” in reorienting the nation’s economy, immigration and foreign policy in an unyielding address before Congress that left Democratic legislators to register their dissent with stone faces, placards calling out “lies,” and one legislator’s ejection. Trump’s prime-time speech Tuesday was the latest marker in his takeover of the nation’s capital, where the Republican-led House and Senate have done little to restrain the president as he and his allies work to slash the size of the federal government and remake America’s place in the world. The president’s address, clocking in at a record 99 minutes, added up to a defiant sales pitch for the policies that Trump promised during his campaign and leaned into during his first weeks back in office. Trump pledged to keep delivering sweeping change to rescue the nation from what he described as destruction and mistakes left by his predecessor. He seldom addressed his comments directly to the American people, who are trying to keep up with the recent upheaval, while repeatedly needling the Democratic lawmakers seated before him. Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who delivered the Democratic response following Trump’s speech, allowed that “America wants change, but there’s a responsible way to make change and a reckless way, and we can make that change without forgetting who we are as a country and as a democracy.” Emboldened after overcoming impeachments in his first term, outlasting criminal prosecutions in between his two administrations and getting a tight grip on the GOP-led Congress, Trump has embarked on a mission to dismantle parts of the federal government, remake the relationship with America’s allies and slap on tariffs that have sparked a North American trade war. “It has been nothing but swift and unrelenting action,” Trump said of his opening weeks in office. “The people elected me to do the job, and I am doing it.” Trump, who has billionaire adviser Elon Musk orchestrating his efforts to slash the size and scope of the federal government, said he is working to “reclaim democracy from this unaccountable bureaucracy” and threatened federal workers anew with firings if they resist his agenda. Musk, who was seated in the House gallery, received a pair of standing ovations from Republicans in the chamber, as Trump exaggerated and shared false claims about alleged government abuse uncovered by the Tesla and SpaceX founder and his team of disrupters. Trump repeated false claims that tens of millions of dead people over 100 years old are receiving Social Security payments, prompting some Democrats to shout, “Not true!” and “Those are lies!” Trump spoke at a critical juncture in his presidency, as voters who returned him to the White House on his promise to fix inflation are instead finding economic chaos. All the gains the S&P 500 have made since Election Day are now gone, while consumer sentiment surveys show the public sees inflation as worsening. Trump seemed prepared to double down on his trade policies, which experts have warned will raise prices for consumers. “Whatever they tariff us, we tariff them. Whatever they tax us, we tax them,” Trump said. At the same time, he tried to ease concerns about the resulting price increases, saying, “There’ll be a little disturbance, but we’re okay with that. It won’t be much.” Trump said one of his “very highest priorities” was to rescue the economy and offer relief to working families. He promised to organize the federal government to lower costs on eggs and energy, blaming his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for the situation and offering scant details of his own plans. Trump also called for the extension of his first-term tax cuts and additional federal funding for his border crackdown, including for his promised efforts at “mass deportation” of people in the U.S. illegally. He celebrated his crackdown on migration, saying, “But it turned out that all we really needed was a new president.” Speaking about his promised tax cuts, Trump seemed to goad Democrats, saying: “I’m sure you’re going to vote for those tax cuts. Because otherwise I don’t believe the people will ever vote you into office.” The backdrop was the new economic uncertainty unleashed after the president opened the day by placing stiff tariffs on imports from the country’s neighbors and closest trading partners. A 25% tax on goods from Canada and Mexico went into effect early Tuesday — ostensibly to secure greater cooperation to tackle fentanyl trafficking and illegal immigration — triggering immediate retaliation and sparking fears of a wider trade war. Trump also raised tariffs on goods from China to 20%. Republicans were boisterous as Trump stepped to the lectern in the House, chanting “USA! USA!” as the president basked in the cheers. The GOP lawmakers were jubilant, having won a trifecta of the White House, Senate and House in the elections. However, they face the challenging task of delivering on Trump’s agenda as well as avoiding a government shutdown later this month. Across the aisle, out-of-power Democrats set the tone early, with most remaining seated without applauding or making eye contact with Trump as he was introduced in the chamber. After several interruptions, House Speaker Mike Johnson jumped in and called for decorum to be restored in the chamber as Republicans shouted “USA” to drown out the cries from the other side of the aisle. Johnson then ordered Texas Rep. Al Green removed from the chamber. “It’s worth it to let people know that there are some people who are going to stand up” to Trump, Green told reporters after being thrown out of the chamber. Other Democrats held up signs criticizing like “Save Medicaid” and “Protect Veterans” during Trump’s remarks, seeking to drive public awareness to elements of Trump’s agenda they believed might offer them a pathway back to the majority. Some Democrats chose to highlight the impact of Trump’s actions by inviting fired federal workers as guests, including a disabled veteran from Arizona, a health worker from Maryland and a forestry employee who worked on wildfire prevention in California. Trump also used his speech to address his proposals for fostering peace in Ukraine and the Middle East, where he has unceremoniously upended the policies of the Biden administration in a matter of just weeks. On Monday, Trump ordered a freeze to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine, ending years of staunch American support for the country in fending off Russia’s invasion. Trump recited a letter he received earlier Tuesday from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, saying that the wartime president wants to come back to the table after a explosive Oval Office meeting last week broke down negotiations for a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine. “We’ve had serious discussions with Russia and have received strong signals that they are ready for peace,” Trump said. “Wouldn’t that be beautiful?” He also announced the arrest of a suspect in the 2021 suicide bombing at the Kabul airport that killed U.S. troops during the withdrawal from Afghanistan. Trump’s 1 hour and 39 minute speech was the longest annual address a president has ever delivered to Congress, breaking Bill Clinton’s record of 1 hour and 28 minutes. Watching from the gallery with first lady Melania Trump were guests including 15-year-old Elliston Berry, of Aledo, Texas, who was the victim of an explicit deepfake image sent to classmates. Other White House guests included relatives of Corey Comperatore, the former Pennsylvania fire chief who was killed as he protected his family during an assassination attempt on Trump last summer. Republican lawmakers cheered the conclusion of Trump’s address with chants that echoed his words after he was struck in the ear by a bullet: “Fight! Fight! Fight!” Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking in Washington, Darlene Superville in Kissimmee, Fla., and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed to this report. —Zeke Miller and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. If you don’t mind going the renewed route for automated home cleaning, you can now grab a refurbished iRobot Roomba j7+ for $249.99—a fraction of the cost compared to the $799 price tag on a new unit at Amazon or Best Buy. This deal gets you a Refurbished Premium model, meaning it’s been tested, inspected, and reconditioned to meet Amazon's "Renewed" standards, so you can expect it to work as intended. PCMag gave this vacuum an Editor’s Choice award for its ability to detect and avoid common household obstacles like power cords using its PrecisionVision Navigation system and machine learning technology. Plus, iRobot backs this model with its P.O.O.P. (Pet Owner Official Promise) guarantee, which means they’ll replace it for free if it fails to dodge solid pet waste in its first year. Also, it learns from your feedback to improve over time. iRobot Roomba j7+ (7550) Self Emptying Robot Vacuum (Renewed Premium) $249.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Get Deal Get Deal $249.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg Beyond the smart navigation, this Roomba takes convenience up a notch with self-emptying capabilities. Once it’s done cleaning (or when its bin is full), it returns to its base and dumps the dirt into an allergen-sealed bag—holding up to 60 days' worth of debris, depending on how often you vacuum, making upkeep a lot simpler. Just a note, though, that it does get a bit loud during that process, but only for about 15 seconds. It’s also smart enough to resume cleaning after recharging, so if its 86-minute battery life isn’t enough for one run, it’ll pick up where it left off. If you are considering alternatives, the Eufy RoboVac G30 is a solid choice at $199.99. (Here is our full list of the best robot vacuums.) The Roomba j7+ moves efficiently across hard floors, carpets, and rugs, adjusting suction as needed, notes this PCMag review. Additionally, it works seamlessly with Alexa and Google Assistant, meaning you can start or stop a cleaning session by speaking your commands. The mapping feature of the J7+ takes a few runs to learn the layout, but once set up, you can enable targeted room cleaning, scheduled cleanings, customized clean zones for high-traffic areas, set up no-go zones, and more in the companion app. The app also tracks its cleaning runs, showing you exactly where it’s been, how much dirt it found, and whether it automatically emptied its bin when it docked. View the full article

Last summer, The Brandtech Group CEO David Jones and creative director James Dow went to Cannes Lions to convince the industry of the power in their company’s GenAI tools. To show off what the tools could do, Jones and Dow declared they could create a brand in 59 minutes. The Brandtech Group made a spree of AI acquisitions over the past few years. The company’s crown jewel is Pencil, which it acquired in 2023. Pencil uses AI to create static and video ad creative, and as of December, it had generated more than 2.35 million ads for more than 5,000 brands, and processed $2.65 billion in media spend since 2018. Soon after the acquisition, the company launched a premium platform, called Pencil Pro, with Unilever and Bayer as launch partners. Midway through last year, Brandtech claimed it had already produced an average 48% drop in an ad’s cost-per-action and a 78% boost in return on ad spend compared to a brand’s baseline. In episode two of Brand New World, I decided to interrogate the claims of Jones and Dow with my own idea for a toothpaste brand as a way to get a peek under the hood of how these tools are significantly changing the advertising we see. What should the toothpaste brand look like? What should it be called? What’s the market analysis and growth strategy? Their answers were… impressive. I also spoke to Omnicom Advertising Group’s chief operating officer Deepthi Prakash about TBWA’s CollectiveAI platform. The Omnicom-owned agency launched the platform last summer. It’s a collection of tools trained on the company’s past work to do everything from create social content and brand materials for clients, run ideas by synthetic audiences of any and every desired demographic, and use the company’s DE&I values to create more diverse casting, programs, and partnerships. This episode is about how ad agencies and other brand partners are retooling their services and business using AI, and how that is already impacting brand culture. And, of course, toothpaste. David Jones on the fears of GenAI’s impact on creativity: “One of the big fears people have is like, everything’s going to look the same. And my first answer to that is just go look at a reel of banking ads and car ads. And they all look the same. This isn’t an AI problem. This is a human problem. But actually you’re going to be able to do so much more to ensure that you can push your brands into different spaces.” Omnicom’s Deepthi Prakash on the value of ideas in the AI era: As creative becomes more automated, the volume of it is going to grow to an extent where it will be really hard to stand out And brands are going to have to work a lot harder. And that means you can’t get away with just making campaigns anymore. You actually have to figure out what you stand for, and have a strong and differentiated position if you’re going to survive and not be diminished in your margins, your costs, and even the quality of your product. The content is not going to break through as easily when everybody else can also make it really fast and really cheaply. Feeding the model what the model has created will no longer be useful. Listen to the full episode for more. And if you missed Episode One last week, check it out here. View the full article

For cryptocurrency investors, Donald Trump represents a great hope. In the libertarian paradise where tokens on blockchains pave the future of the financial system instead of banks, lenders, and brokerages, Trump could even be a prophet. Trump has cleared the way for Bitcoin, Ethereum, and coins with names you’ve never heard of to go to the metaphorical moon. He has promised to kneecap the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which is tasked with reining in fraud on the traditional markets and was getting more comfortable with calling a spade a spade when cryptos acted like equities or trading platforms mimicked the highly regulated function of brokers. Earlier this week, Trump announced a “Crypto Strategic Reserve” in which the government would presumably use taxpayer money to buy and hold various cryptocurrencies. And on Friday, the White House will hold a crypto summit hosted by Trump’s AI and crypto czar, the venture capitalist David Sacks. But one thing is holding him back from being a savior of decentralized finance: tariffs. (Well, really it’s his entire economic plan.) On Tuesday, tariffs went into effect on goods from China as well as neighbors Canada and Mexico. Not only did the traditional markets falter with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling 1.3% and the S&P 500 dropping 1% as of midday, but the crypto markets took a hit too. The price of Bitcoin fell 1% and Ethereum dropped 1.2%. The Dow and Bitcoin have each erased all of their respective gains since Trump was elected in November. If you’re wondering if that’s a coincidence that the crypto market is moving in tandem with the stock market, it’s not. Cryptocurrency was long hailed as a hedge against inflation. So the theory goes: If the economy suffers, the price of goods will go up and the buying power of the U.S. dollar, the world’s reserve currency, will go down. In that scenario, it’d be nice to have some alternative asset like precious metals or a digital currency that can bear the brunt of—or even thrive during—the hard times. But Bitcoin and its peers became so popular in the mid-2010s that investors bought up a lot of it. Treasuries at companies like Microstrategy and Tesla hold billions of dollars in Bitcoin, crypto hedge funds abound, and there are even ways for retail investors to buy crypto on traditional markets such as through Bitcoin ETFs and even in their retirement plans. This intermingling often means that when traditional assets suffer, investors sell crypto and when crypto assets suffer, investors sell traditional assets. Their fates are intertwined. So, when Donald Trump announced his tariffs, both the stock market and the crypto market suffered. In other words, Trump cannot inflict pain on the stock market without sending those shockwaves through the crypto world too. That’s why his laissez-faire approach to digital assets won’t work—until he gets out of his own way, stops picking fights with neighbors and key trading partners, and does something that will actually improve the economy. Unless he does that, Kamala Harris will have been the better pick for the industry, even if she placed a cop on the beat. View the full article

We all want to travel more. Whether a vacation, career break, gap year trip, there’s some trip we are always thinking about. One of the things that keeps a lot of people from achieving that dream is money. Saving money to travel can be an uphill battle but travel is not as expensive as you think. There are plenty of ways to save money on the road and lower your costs. And you don’t have to be a backpacker to travel cheap. There are tons of ways to travel on a budget without sacrificing comfort. One of the easiest ways to travel on a budget is to just go somewhere inexpensive. There are plenty of amazing places to visit that are still quite affordable. In fact, many of them are actually cheaper than day-to-day life back home! And, while there are dozens upon dozens of inexpensive countries you can visit, in this post, I am going to share my favorite that I think are the best! Table of Contents Thailand Mexico Portugal Central America Hungary Peru Vietnam India Taiwan 1. Thailand Despite being a hugely popular tourist destination, Thailand has remained relatively cheap. Outside of the popular island destinations, it’s easy to visit the country for around $50 USD per day if you’re backpacking. Hostel dorms cost $10 USD per night, you can eat on less than $10 USD per day if you stick to delicious street food markets, drinks are just a couple bucks each, and tours and activities don’t cost much more than $20-30 USD. If you’re not looking to backpack around Thailand, you can still visit the country on a budget if you use points for hotels, stick to budget accommodation, continue to stick to street food vendors and public transportation. If you do that, you’d spend around $100 USD per day. For more information, check out my guide to visiting Thailand. 2. Mexico I’ll be honest: I was late to the game on Mexico. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I finally took the time out to explore the country. The country is just incredible. Mayan ruins, stunning beaches, lush jungles, world-class food, picturesque cenotes, mezcal….I love the country. The trick to having an affordable trip to Mexico is to get out of the tourist regions. Leave Tulum (it’s the worst place in the world anyway), Playa del Carmen, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, and all the other resort towns filled with American hotel brands and tourists. Hostels cost between $10-15 USD per night, street tacos are $1 USD or less, other meals will set you back $5-10 USD, beer is around $1-2 USD, and even big-ticket sites like Chichen Itza are just $5-15 USD. If you aren’t looking to backpack, you can still visit affordably. On a midrange budget of about $80, you can stay in a private hostel room or cheap hotel, eat out at restaurants serving cheap traditional cuisine, visit more attractions, enjoy a few drinks, and take the occasional taxi to get around. For more information on how to plan a trip there, check out my guide to visiting Mexico. 3. Portugal Portugal is not only one of my favorite countries in Europe but it’s one of the cheapest eurozone countries as well. Offering charming cities, stunning coastlines, and beautiful weather, this country has become much more popular in recent years. There’s a growing expat scene as well as a lively digital nomad community. You can get by here for around $50 USD per day without missing out on the amazing food, fun activities, and delicious wine. On this budget, you’ll be staying in a hostel dorm room, cooking all of your meals, limiting your drinking, using public transportation to get around, and sticking to free activities like free walking tours and enjoying the beaches. While prices are a bit higher in popular Lisbon, you can easily offset that by visiting in the shoulder season or in the winter. For more information, check out my guide to visiting Portugal. 4. Central America Central America is one of the cheapest regions of the world, with pretty much every country here an affordable place to visit. Because of that, I’m including the whole region! In countries like El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala you’ll find the best deals, with budget hotels costing around $15 USD, meals for $3-4 USD, bus journeys for the same price, and beer for less than a dollar. In the “expensive” countries in the region (Belize, Panama, Costa Rica), you’ll be spending closer to $50 USD per day, though you won’t be wanting for anything as street food costs under $5 USD and hostel dorms are $8-12 USD. For more information on the region, check out my guide to visiting Central America. 5. Hungary Hungary is an amazing, affordable country, the highlight of which is Budapest. I love Budapest. It’s a beautiful, historic city. Hostels in Budapest start at $10 USD per night. Meals at the markets or at the plethora of kebab and sandwich shops are around $5-10 USD. Trains and buses were just a few dollars while a beer is less than $2 USD. Unless you are going out for a big night of drinking or paying for lots of attractions and activities, $50 USD will give you plenty of room to enjoy the sites and sounds of the country. And the Budapest is a great alternative to more popular destinations like Prague or Vienna, offering just as much fun for a fraction of the cost. For more information, check out our guide to visiting Hungary. 6. Peru Home to the epic Wonder of the World, Machu Picchu, Peru is one of the most popular countries in South America. I absolutely loved my trip there. It’s a country I would go back to over and over again. While hiking the Inca Trail will definitely burst your budget, everyday life in Peru is quite affordable. If you want to backpack Peru, I’d plan for $50–80 USD per day. On this budget, you’d be staying in hostel dorms, eating at typical hole-in-the-wall restaurants and cafés, limiting your drinking, taking public transportation and overnight buses, and doing a few paid activities and tours. If you’re going to party a lot, you’ll be on the higher end of this range. And, if you do want to do some guided hikes but don’t have the money, try to book last minute. You can usually find amazing deals — including deals for hikes like the Inca Trail. While you might end up spending more than $50 USD per day, those once-in-a-lifetime experiences are worth it. For more information, check out my guide to visiting Peru. 7. Vietnam Vietnam is one of the cheapest countries in Southeast Asia. From the stunning views of Sam Mountain and Ha Long Bay to the man-made artistry of the sacred temples and pagodas to the rice terraces and beaches, Vietnam is stunning. Hostels can be found for as little as $4-5 USD, with many including free breakfast and free beer (during limited hours). Food from street vendors can be found for under $1-2 USD, and buses around the country are incredibly cheap. Even activities here are cheap. The Cu Chi Tunnels (tunnels used by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam war) are just $5 USD to visit while a full day of canyoning is just $20 USD. For more information, check out my guide to visiting Vietnam! 8. India No budget travel list would be complete without India. India has always been an inexpensive place to visit, but the steep decline in the Indian rupee in recent years has made the country an even bigger bargain. You can travel well here for very little money, and increasing your budget by just a few dollars can often lead to substantial increases in luxury. For example, on a budget of $30-45 per day, you can do the typical backpacker thing: guesthouses, cheap food, sleeper trains, and overland buses. In the larger cities of Mumbai, New Delhi, and Bangalore as well as beach destinations like Goa, you can expect to spend around $45-55 per day. But, if you doubled that, there’s virtually nothing you couldn’t do from private tour guides to three- or four-star hotels to opulent meals to internal flights. The country is generally just really, really cheap. 9. Taiwan Taiwan is one of the most underrated countries in Asia. It’s super affordable, safe, clean, and has plenty of things to see and do. You can easily visit Taiwan for $40-50 USD per day as food and accommodation are both super affordable. Hostels start around $10 USD while street food costs just a couple dollars (and is super tasty). There are plenty of markets, lots of hiking, convenient public transportation, and a fun nightlife. No matter what you are interested in, you can find it in Taiwan. You’ll get a lot of value here. For more information, check out my guide to visiting Taiwan. ***There are many great destinations in the world that don’t have to cost a fortune. And, if you use points to fly there, you can save even more money. And, even if you aren’t an uber budget traveler and want some more luxury, all the destinations listed here can still provide a lot of luxury on a bargain. By visiting some of these budget destinations, you’ll be able to stretch your budget and make your trip financially attainable. How to Travel the World on $75 a DayMy New York Times best-selling book to travel will teach you how to master the art of travel so that you’ll get off save money, always find deals, and have a deeper travel experience. It’s your A to Z planning guide that the BBC called the “bible for budget travelers.” Click here to learn more and start reading it today! Book Your Trip: Logistical Tips and Tricks Book Your Flight Find a cheap flight by using Skyscanner. It’s my favorite search engine because it searches websites and airlines around the globe so you always know no stone is being left unturned. Book Your Accommodation You can book your hostel with Hostelworld. If you want to stay somewhere other than a hostel, use Booking.com as it consistently returns the cheapest rates for guesthouses and hotels. Don’t Forget Travel Insurance Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. My favorite companies that offer the best service and value are: SafetyWing (best for budget travelers) World Nomads (best for mid-range travelers) InsureMyTrip (for those 70 and over) Medjet (for additional evacuation coverage) Want to Travel for Free? Travel credit cards allow you to earn points that can be redeemed for free flights and accommodation — all without any extra spending. Check out my guide to picking the right card and my current favorites to get started and see the latest best deals. Need a Rental Car? Discover Cars is a budget-friendly international car rental website. No matter where you’re headed, they’ll be able to find the best — and cheapest — rental for your trip! Need Help Finding Activities for Your Trip? Get Your Guide is a huge online marketplace where you can find cool walking tours, fun excursions, skip-the-line tickets, private guides, and more. Ready to Book Your Trip? Check out my resource page for the best companies to use when you travel. I list all the ones I use when I travel. They are the best in class and you can’t go wrong using them on your trip. The post 9 Destinations Under $50 A Day appeared first on Nomadic Matt's Travel Site. View the full article

It can be useful, while studying any topic, to get an overview of when major events happened relative to each other. History textbooks commonly use a timeline for this—a chronological chart that shows when various events happened. WikiTimeline is a free website that uses a large language model to turn any Wikipedia article into a visual timeline you can use to see major events in a sequence. Wikipedia's open nature means there's all kinds of third party tools that use the articles in interesting ways. There's WikiTok, a sort of TikTok for Wikipedia, which allows you to scroll through articles to learn topics at random. WikiTimeline is another tool like that, putting the free and open information into a new context. To get started, just head to the home page and search for anything—you will see suggested articles. Select the article you want to turn into a timeline. WikiTimeline will scan the article, note everything in the article that happened on a particular date, then compile it all into a timeline. You can start exploring right away. You can click any item to read a few more details, typically the year and a one-sentence summary of the event. You can zoom in and out, depending on how crowded the timeline is, and you can use the arrows on the side to jump between events. You can also add multiple articles to one timeline, allowing you to compare the relative history of two people or organizations. Credit: Justin Pot You can then copy the URL to your timeline and share it. An embed code is offered if you want to put the timeline on a website. There's even the option to customize the color scheme, if you want. Credit: Justin Pot As for the timelines themselves, they're pretty good. I'd say they're useful as a quick study aid than anything as authoritative as the timelines in a history textbook. And all of the usual nuances that apply to large language models are relevant here—it might get facts wrong or miss certain things. The product's about page recommends actually reading the Wikipedia article: "Our tool is meant to be a visual aid and should not be used as the sole source of information." In other words, it's probably best to think of this tool as a visual supplement. It's a potentially useful one, though. View the full article

Are you new to the world of PPC? If so, welcome! We’re thrilled to have you on board. A career in paid search offers exciting opportunities for growth, creativity, and making a real impact on businesses. Let me tell you, starting out in 2025 is a whole different ballgame than when I first started in PPC. In those days, we managed accounts overflowing with millions of keywords, manually adjusted bids, and navigated the platforms while learning how the web was shifting marketing and consumer behavior – all while serving our clients. This was a time before AI and automation, when text ads were static, and both searchers and marketers approached the internet with less skepticism. Today, with all the advanced technology at your fingertips, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed in this industry. You know you’re missing the “been there, done that” context that comes with nearly two decades in the trenches. I wrote this article to share 12 essential tips for building a strong foundation in paid search with knowledge, clarity, and healthy skepticism. By the end, you’ll be able to critically assess strategies rather than relying on automated systems or unverified claims about what works in PPC in 2025. 1. The power of ‘why?’ The most potent tool in your advertising arsenal isn’t a new platform or algorithm – it’s the relentless pursuit of “why.” Question everything: Why this campaign type? Why these keywords? Why this budget allocation? Consider different campaign objectives (e.g., awareness, consideration, conversion) when asking “why.” In 2025, “standard” setups are obsolete. While non-brand campaigns, a brand campaign, and a display campaign once dominated, Performance Max (PMax) often delivers superior results. For ecommerce, a focused strategy of brand campaigns, PMax, and strategic YouTube placements frequently outperforms traditional display. This isn’t about blindly following trends – it’s about deeply understanding your “why” and your client’s “why.” Before allocating budget to a standalone YouTube campaign alongside PMax, define its purpose and realistic goals. A 10 times ROI from YouTube is often unrealistic, but boosting brand recall or branded searches is achievable. Only through rigorous questioning can you align campaign objectives with realistic expectations – ensuring every dollar spent serves a clear, measurable purpose, whether it’s driving direct conversions or building long-term brand equity. Dig deeper: Becoming a world-class PPC ad buyer: 8 key lessons 2. Explore every nook and cranny of the platforms Mastery comes from immersion. Don’t just navigate your accounts. Explore them. Click through every dropdown, dissect campaign settings, and question each feature. “What does this do?” should be your mantra. Then, seek answers. Google is your ally. Experiment fearlessly; you won’t break anything, and you’ll uncover hidden functionalities. For example, you could explore the Change history feature to track past modifications and identify the root cause of account performance fluctuations. Many paid search leaders began as curious explorers, sharing their discoveries and building their expertise. I personally found new settings, shared insights, and connected with fellow professionals through this process. Remember, interfaces vary widely, even within the same manager account. Consistent exploration is nonnegotiable, especially for newcomers. Make it a daily habit, regardless of your experience level. 3. Business context is king Paid search operates within a broader business ecosystem. Performance fluctuations rarely exist in isolation. Instead of solely scrutinizing campaign metrics, analyze the surrounding landscape: Market trends. Product quality. The overall marketing strategy. While clients may fixate on ROAS and conversion targets, recognize the limitations imposed by budget constraints and unrealistic expectations. Experience will sharpen your ability to discern what’s achievable within the platform. Crucially, collaborate with senior experts to differentiate between paid search challenges and fundamental business or expectation discrepancies. Dig deeper: 5 ways to align PPC campaigns with business objectives 4. Ditch the process, embrace the data Rote processes breed stagnation. Too many campaigns are launched on autopilot, adhering to rigid, “boilerplate” structures – brand, non-brand, display – a cookie-cutter approach applied indiscriminately. This formula guarantees mediocrity. Instead, become a data interpreter. Really embrace the data. Ask yourself: “What insights does the data reveal?” “How can we leverage these insights to maximize results?” This data-centric approach fuels innovation and transforms you into a strategic powerhouse. 5. Understand PPC’s role in the customer journey PPC excels in the lower funnel, capturing users with immediate purchase intent. However, it’s crucial to recognize its limitations. Brand awareness is primarily cultivated through upper-funnel initiatives like CTV and Facebook campaigns. While YouTube and Discovery campaigns can contribute to awareness, relying on search for foundational brand building is inefficient. Non-brand search – particularly for ambiguous keywords like “truck” – yields costly and diluted results due to vague user intent. Understanding PPC’s strategic position within the customer journey is paramount for effective campaign planning and realistic performance expectations. Dig deeper: How to set and manage PPC expectations for teams and stakeholders 6. Influencer insights: Take ’em with a grain of salt While expert insights offer valuable perspectives, remember that context is paramount. Strategies that succeed in one account may falter in another. Prioritize your own data-driven analysis over blind replication of external playbooks. Leverage PPC influencer insights as a source of inspiration, not as a rigid blueprint for implementation. Get the newsletter search marketers rely on. Business email address Sign me up! Processing... See terms. 7. Master the basics Dive deep into keyword matching, search terms, negative keywords, and targeting. Understand the basic settings and the “unwritten rules” that contradict Google’s support documents – like location settings and the display network inclusion in search. Foundational mastery is non-negotiable. Develop a comprehensive understanding of core PPC principles. Dig deeper: 5 essential PPC skills every agency pro must have 8. Platform-specific advice: Be discerning Exercise critical judgment when evaluating platform-generated recommendations. Platform suggestions are not inherently aligned with your account’s best interests. Google representatives, for instance, may advocate strategies that prioritize platform revenue over your specific objectives. Similarly, interface prompts often encourage changes that may not be strategically sound. Remember, platform goals and your business goals may diverge. Approach platform advice with the same skepticism you would financial guidance from a credit card provider – their primary objective is to increase spending. Dig deeper: Top Google Ads recommendations you should always ignore, use, or evaluate 9. Master the art of ad copy Writing persuasive ad copy remains a critical differentiator – a skill that can fast-track your success in PPC. While automation and algorithms dominate many aspects of paid search, the ability to craft compelling, human-centered language is a rare and invaluable asset. As a senior strategist, my days are consumed by high-level strategy, budget allocation, and stakeholder management. By the time I’ve finalized a campaign framework and gotten sign-off, I’m often mentally exhausted. Expecting me to then conjure up brilliant ad copy? Not a chance. That’s where you, as a junior strategist, have an opportunity. Don’t underestimate the power of strong ad copy – and the brainpower it takes to write it. It’s more than just clever writing; it’s about understanding the target audience, conveying value propositions, and driving meaningful action. A junior strategist who consistently delivers persuasive, high-converting copy is a godsend. It’s an immediate way to prove your worth, become an indispensable team member, and accelerate your career growth. So, hone that skill, embrace those copy templates and sitelink assets, and watch the doors swing open. 10. Consistent monitoring is key PPC is an ongoing process – don’t set it and forget it. Check your accounts regularly, even if you decide not to make changes. Think of PPC as tending a garden. You wouldn’t constantly dig up plants, replant them, and add new fertilizers every day. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is simply observe, water when needed, and let nature take its course. The same goes for paid search. Regular check-ins, even without immediate changes, give you a deeper understanding of account behavior. You’ll develop a sense of what’s normal, what’s not, and when intervention is truly necessary. This “zen” approach to monitoring allows you to: Spot anomalies quickly: If something unexpected happens – a sudden spike in CPCs, a drop in conversions, or a rogue campaign draining your budget – you’ll identify it immediately and take action. Anticipate trends: By observing patterns over time, you can anticipate seasonal fluctuations, competitor activity, and other factors that might impact performance. Build confidence: The more familiar you are with your accounts, the more confident you’ll feel in your ability to manage them effectively. Dig deeper: PPC management checklist: Daily, weekly and monthly reviews 11. Budget management: Don’t panic Budget management is the unsung hero of successful PPC campaigns – and it’s a great entry point for junior strategists to make a real impact. Mastering this skill isn’t just about number crunching; it’s about understanding how Google Ads allocates budgets across campaigns and over time. Familiarize yourself with the nuances of daily and monthly budgets, and remember the crucial 30.2-day rolling average that influences spending patterns. Avoid making impulsive daily adjustments. Instead, adopt a strategic, data-informed approach. Explore the budget management tools and scripts available within the platform. These resources can automate tasks, provide insightful visualizations, and help you maintain spending targets. By taking ownership of budget management, you’ll free up senior strategists to focus on higher-level tasks while gaining invaluable experience in a core aspect of PPC. It’s a stepping stone to mastering campaign strategy and essential to keeping accounts from over- or underspending. Dig deeper: PPC budgeting in 2025: When to adjust, scale, and optimize with data 12. Beware of account overload As a junior strategist, it’s easy to fall into the trap of account overload – especially in agency settings. You might be pressured to juggle 40–50 accounts simultaneously, with the promise of rapid experience gain. However, this is a recipe for burnout and subpar performance. While the ideal number of accounts depends on their complexity, spreading yourself too thin inevitably compromises quality. When you’re overwhelmed, strategic thinking and in-depth analysis suffer. You’re forced into reactive mode – checking boxes and putting out fires – instead of proactively optimizing campaigns for maximum impact. Your value lies in delivering insightful, data-driven strategies, not just completing tasks. Advocate for a manageable workload that allows you to master the craft and provide exceptional client service. Final thoughts Navigating the world of paid search can feel like traversing a constantly shifting landscape – but with the right mindset and a commitment to continuous learning, you can thrive. Success in PPC isn’t about blindly following trends or succumbing to platform pressures. It’s about: Cultivating a data-driven approach. Questioning assumptions. Understanding the nuanced interplay between strategy, creativity, and human psychology. As you embark on your paid search journey, embrace the challenges and celebrate the victories. Never stop questioning, testing, and refining your approach. Most importantly, remember that your value lies in delivering insightful, impactful solutions that drive meaningful results for your clients. So, keep learning, growing, and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the ever-evolving world of paid search. You’ve got this! 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I like to say that I spend most of my life negotiating—and if you consider your own work and life, you just might feel the same. My career has been full of back-and-forth: I sat across tables negotiating agreements for Christie’s for over two decades as Global Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships; I stand on stages around the world as a charity auctioneer, negotiating prices up to maximize fundraising; and I founded a talent agency that requires me to negotiate pay and conditions on behalf of my clients. To top it all off, I’m a mom of three kids. Over the years, I have listened to many people unknowingly sink their own negotiations with a mistake as simple as using the wrong language, revealing their inexperience and lack of confidence in one sentence. Here are three phrases you should avoid if you want to come out on top in your negotiations every single time: 1. Is it okay if I ask for . . . ? One of the most important things to remember in any negotiation is to project confidence from the minute the conversation begins. I have watched innumerable people show a lack of confidence and subpar negotiating skills in the first couple of minutes of the negotiation with this phrase. If you begin a negotiation asking “Is it okay if I ask for . . . ?” you have made me the authority, which gives me the upper hand. As an auctioneer, I never look out into the audience and ask the bidder for the next increment—I tell them the number and then wait for them to agree. This doesn’t mean you need to walk into a negotiation acting aggressive or assertive if that is not your natural demeanor. In fact, it is better if you act naturally when you walk into the room, so that the person sitting across from you feels comfortable and relaxed. Body language is a telltale sign that you are in control of the situation. If you are the type of person who likes to overexplain or ask for permission, practice the negotiation with friends and family before you walk in the room and get comfortable sitting in silence. Remember, in a negotiation, confident silence will always be your greatest asset. The person who speaks and asks too much will usually come out with less than they wanted. Negotiation is about gaining the upper hand from the minute you sit down . . . and keeping the upper hand until the DocuSign has been completed. 2. Do you think my number is too high? To set the right tone for a negotiation, it is important that you appear to be in control at all times. If you have done your prep work, you should set your “LMH” number in advance of the meeting. Your L is your Low (walk away) number. Your M is your medium number; you would feel comfortable accepting this offer. Lastly, your H is your high number; would be thrilled to get this in exchange for what you are providing. By thinking this through before the negotiation, you should feel confident you won’t give away more than you want or accept less than you should in the heat of negotiation. Even better, this means you don’t need to ask the question of the person across the table because you already know what you will accept for the service or product you provide. If they want it, fantastic! If not, you already know what it will take for you to walk away. Also note that a shrewd negotiator will go into a negotiation expecting that a higher number will be stated to start the negotiation. Good negotiators expect the person across the table to be good at negotiating until proven otherwise. If you don’t feel like a confident negotiator, asking if your number is too high will only show them you don’t feel confident that what you are asking for is worth the number you have put out there. Instead of asking, state your number and let them react to it before continuing the negotiation. 3. I will just wait to hear back from you about next steps. When I stand onstage at an auction watching two bidders battle it out to win the item, the minute I slam down the gavel and read out the paddle number, I recommend the winning bidder’s credit card number be charged as soon as possible. I learned a long time ago that buyer’s remorse is real, and things that are purchased in the heat of an auction battle might not be as appealing outside of a crowded room of people cheering on the bidders. I have seen the same thing happen in a negotiation. A negotiation is not done until the contract is signed—so make sure to take the initiative to follow up immediately and ensure everything you discussed is ready to be finalized as soon as possible. The sooner you finalize the deal, the sooner you can get on to your next successful negotiation. View the full article

I've been watching the volatility ever since the unconfirmed February 26th or so ranking volatility when the tools didn't show much of a spike but the chatter was super high. Well, the tools started to show the spike around March 1st and the chatter is still heated.View the full article

Google is now using generative AI, and labeling it as such, within the Google Search product details overlay. When you click on a product listing in Google Search, the overlay window has a section called top insights. That section can be generated using AI.View the full article

Google now supports expressive reactions for Google reviews on mobile search and maps. This shows up when viewing a Google Business Profile's reviews on mobile.View the full article

Understand the role of digital marketing KPI in overcoming attribution issues while using analytics tools for better insights. The post Mapping Digital Marketing KPIs To Business Outcomes appeared first on Search Engine Journal. View the full article

Hello! Thank you, as always, for reading Plugged In. A quick scheduling note: Starting next week, this newsletter will land in your inbox on Fridays instead of Wednesdays. See you then. Back in December, a Meta executive catalyzed a doozy of a kerfuffle by saying the company expected AI-generated profiles to exist on its platforms “kind of in the same way that accounts do.” “They’ll have bios and profile pictures and be able to generate and share content powered by AI on the platform. . . . That’s where we see all of this going,” VP of generative AI Connor Hayes told the Financial Times. The reaction was . . . not great (Futurism’s headline: “People Are Disgusted by Facebook’s Plan to Deploy AI-Powered ‘Users’”). Hayes specified that Meta expected this development to happen “over time,” and though it didn’t sound the least bit appealing to me, I also thought it wasn’t an immediate threat. But in recent days, a bevy of AI-generated people have overwhelmed my Facebook feed. They are, I’m sure, a cruder manifestation of the idea than the AI members Hayes was talking up. But their presence has left me even warier of Meta willfully reimagining a social network around synthetic personalities. The posts in question come from a variety of AI slop Facebook pages I didn’t ask to follow. The page names, such as “Nature and Animals,” “The Newstoday,” and “Dogs World,” have little or nothing to do with the topics of the posts. And those topics are, well, bizarre. How bizarre? Something like half the posts I’ve seen involve AI-generated images of senior citizens—as old as 120—showing off birthday cakes they’ve baked themselves. Most of the others relate to talented craftspeople who have fashioned elaborate sculptures out of materials as diverse as wood, ice, and vegetables. A smattering are then-and-now shots of happy people in photos taken decades ago and in 2025. A few show distressed wild animals getting rescued by humans. Much of the imagery is obviously synthetic; some of it is a tad more subtle. But all of it is meant to tug at the heartstrings, often in nakedly manipulative ways. A pretty high percentage of the cake bakers and craftspeople explain that their accomplishment has gone unacknowledged. Sometimes they look downright morose about the lack of love. That’s presumably meant to get Facebook members clicking, which they do—sometimes to the tune of thousands of comments and tens of thousands of likes. Along with inserting these posts into the feeds of users who didn’t request them (like, for instance, me), Meta tries to goose engagement via its Meta AI bot. An image of a bearded gent who carved a crib for his grandchild—only to discover that “Nobody Likes It :(”—is accompanied by suggested questions such as “Why is it unliked?” and “Baby’s reaction to crib.” None of the answers the AI generates are of even the slightest value, creating a perverse feedback loop in which Meta is feeding one form of bad AI into another to generate even more slop. Which is not to say that I didn’t find this material briefly transfixing when it first found its way into my feed. Craving more understanding of what was going on, I clicked on some of the posts to read the comments. An alarming percentage of them showered the purported posters with birthday wishes, compliments on their artistic creations, and general good vibes. Either the Facebook members who left the comments had been fooled or—worse—they were happy to be happy about the accomplishments of AI-generated characters going through slight variations on a handful of maudlin scenarios. I did savor the delightfully cynical comments from those members who saw through the whole thing. “So what?” snapped one member in response to a post involving one particular cake-baking centenarian. “I’m 199 years old and I made my cake with peach cream and filling and I started decorating cakes when I was 6 months old.” After a few days of this, I got worried that engaging with these posts at all had something to do with them being there—especially when the onslaught not only continued, but intensified. Maybe Facebook took me as liking them (though I never, you know, clicked the Like button) rather than merely being a victim of my own morbid curiosity. So I started using the “Not Interested” option to tell its algorithm I didn’t want to see these kinds of items. A day later, they seem to be gone, though I’m not ready to declare them eradicated. At its best—as when group moderators take their jobs seriously—Facebook is still wonderful. It might even live up to Mark Zuckerberg’s platitudes about its mission being to connect the world. These AI posts have nothing to do with that. Stripped of its humanity and stuffed with generative AI, Facebook is the junkiest digital junk food imaginable. And the worst part is that the bad contaminates the good. As AI-generated fake then-and-now photo comparisons began showing up, I started skimming right past similar ones posted by people I’m following. Only after slowing down and assessing them more carefully did I realize they were their real family members, not more empty calories. I felt like I’d been left to moderate my own feed—which, come to think of it, is an official Facebook policy these days. Maybe Meta will somehow institutionalize AI profiles in a way that adds value and leaves no member confused. But I can’t help but wonder: Instead of welcoming AI-generated members onto its platforms, might the company be better off doing everything in its power to guarantee that the only people you’ll run across are, indeed, actual people? You’ve been reading Plugged In, Fast Company’s weekly tech newsletter from me, global technology editor Harry McCracken. If a friend or colleague forwarded this edition to you—or if you’re reading it on FastCompany.com—you can check out previous issues and sign up to get it yourself every Friday morning. I love hearing from you: Ping me at hmccracken@fastcompany.com with your feedback and ideas for future newsletters. I’m also on Bluesky, Mastodon, and Threads. More top tech stories from Fast Company Uber will now pair Austin riders with Waymo self-driving cars Austin riders can be matched with a Waymo all-electric Jaguar I-PACE. Read More → Mozilla’s new message: We’re the only browser not backed by billionaires Mozilla’s new CEO outlines coming browser features and her hopes for regulatory action. Read More → TikTok’s ‘airport theory’ dares you to arrive just 15 minutes before your flight A viral trend has travelers cutting it dangerously close, claiming you can breeze through security in minutes. Some make it. Others? Not so much. Read More → Trump’s crypto reserve is a payoff for loyalists A crypto stockpile rewards supporters while creating volatility for the government. Read More → AI Chatbots have telltale quirks. Researchers can spot them with 97% accuracy A new study shows that different LLMs have distinct writing styles—making AI-generated text easier to detect. Read More → Elon Musk’s bumbling X posts are inadvertently teaching everyone how government works Thanks to replies from journalists and experts, Musk’s X feed has become an accidental crash course in civics and a variety of topics. Read More → View the full article

Google is now showing AI Overviews within the movie review summaries in Google Search. Under the review summaries is a disclaimer that reads, "Al overviews are experimental."View the full article

There is no way of defending the continent without cuts to social spendingView the full article

Delegate passes for corporate event at the party’s conference this autumn have been increased to £5,000 View the full article

Welcome to Pressing Questions, Fast Company’s work-life advice column. Every week, deputy editor Kathleen Davis, host of The New Way We Work podcast, will answer the biggest and most pressing workplace questions. Q: My boss is playing favorites, what should I do? A: So much of adult life can feel like you’re perpetually stuck in high school: gossip and office politics, making friends, and who the boss favors. If you feel like your boss is playing favorites, the first step is evaluating why you feel this way as objectively as possible. The more specific you are about the problem, the more specific you can be about how you address it. A vague feeling of “I think you like Sam more than me,” doesn’t have much of a solution. Do other employees get more opportunities to work on high-profile projects? Do other employees seem to get more leeway to make mistakes? Are your colleagues getting promoted or praised and you aren’t? Does your boss just seem to like your colleagues more or have formed a friendship with them and not you? Once you pinpoint what’s wrong (and it may be more than one thing), you can address the issue directly. Your feelings of being left out and overlooked are totally valid and worth bringing up. What you shouldn’t do however is pit yourself against your colleagues. If you view it as a competition, you will lose. Your work is to improve your situation, not destroy someone else’s. A rising tide lifts all boats—or at least it should. Whatever the issue, approach it as a problem you and your boss will solve together, not an accusation. If your colleagues are getting more opportunities So much of my workplace advice boils down to the same thing: Have a conversation with your boss. It’s the most obvious move, but also the thing that so many people avoid. If you want more opportunities to work on high-profile projects, set up a meeting with your boss and tell them exactly that. Don’t frame it as something they owe you. Instead, come to the meeting with some ideas of what you’d like to do. Explain how it fits into the company’s goals, as well as your career goals. It wouldn’t hurt to also have some examples of why you are ready for this new level of responsibility, too. Presented like this, even if your boss says “no,” they will be pressed to give you a reason and likely a time frame for when you can take on more. If your colleagues are getting promoted and praised When your coworkers are getting praise and promotions, it can feel particularly hard to not view it as a competition. But again it’s best to focus on yourself and your work. Follow all the advice for getting a promotion: Work above your current title and make sure your boss knows about your accomplishments. If you are doing all of those things but your colleague with the same title just got a bump up and you didn’t, you can be more explicit in your next check-in. Try something like “I feel my work is at the senior associate level. Can you help me understand what it would take for me to get to that level?” If your colleagues get more leeway to make mistakes This is tricky, as you likely don’t know all the factors behind what causes mistakes at work. Pitting your failures against someone else’s isn’t likely to end well. Instead, focus on getting feedback on your work and owning up to your mistakes if you make them. If your colleagues make mistakes that impact your work, deal with them as constructively as possible and outline your problem-solving to your manager. If your colleagues are allowed to make continuous mistakes, there will eventually be repercussions. If not, it’s a red flag for a toxic culture that you likely don’t want to be a part of. Your boss just seems to like your colleagues more This is both a professional and a personal problem and the type of problem that can make you feel the most like you’re back in high school. Some people just click more than others. You can be a friendly colleague and just not form a close personal relationship with someone. You can do the work I mention above to try to change the way your boss views your work, but you can’t really call a meeting to say “You like Dave more than me.” If there is an unprofessional level of favoritism or personal relationships between your boss and your colleagues, you can try to delicately raise it with your manager’s boss, or HR if you feel comfortable. But tread carefully. If you just feel like you want better relationships at work and it’s not clicking with your manager, look elsewhere. Make friends in other departments or start a project with someone on another team. Not only will it make you feel less alone, it might help your boss see how valuable you are. Want some more advice on favoritism at work? Here you go: What to do when your boss favors a colleague over you How to deal with a boss who plays favorites How to deal with favoritism at work View the full article