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Possible additional sanctions on Moscow are gaining support in Washington as frustration over war growsView the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. Deal pricing and availability subject to change after time of publication. QLEDs attempt to look like OLED TVs without the hefty price tag, and within QLEDs, there is diversity in price. A great mid-tier QLED is TCL's QM7, which I got to review. But you can find budget QLEDs for cheaper: That's where the Hisense QD6 QLED, currently $379.99 (originally $499.99), half the price of the QM7 for the same 65-inch size and matching the lowest price it has ever been, according to price-tracking tools. And you still get a lot of the nice features normally found on mid-tier or higher TVs. Hisense 43-inch QD6 QLED TV $199.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $299.99 Save $100.00 Get Deal Get Deal $199.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $299.99 Save $100.00 Hisense 55-inch QD6 QLED TV $258.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $379.99 Save $121.00 Get Deal Get Deal $258.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $379.99 Save $121.00 Hisense 65-inch QD6 QLED TV $379.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $499.99 Save $120.00 Get Deal Get Deal $379.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $499.99 Save $120.00 Hisense 75-inch QD6 QLED TV $549.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $675.00 Save $125.01 Get Deal Get Deal $549.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $675.00 Save $125.01 Hisense 85-inch QD6 QLED TV $897.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,065.00 Save $167.01 Get Deal Get Deal $897.99 at Amazon /images/amazon-prime.svg $1,065.00 Save $167.01 SEE 2 MORE The Hisense QD6QF is the 2025 Fire TV version of the 2024 Hisense QD65NF. As mentioned, this is a budget QLED TV, meaning it won't have the same number of dimming zones or contrast you can find on higher-end QLEDs, but you're still getting a QLED with some surprising features usually reserved for more expensive TVs. Gamers will enjoy up to a 120Hz refresh rate, which can make their game feel smoother. It also has a Game Mode Plus, which reduces the input lag and enhances picture quality for video games, and VRR, which reduces screen tearing and stuttering. For movies and TV shows, the TV supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and HDR10+, all of which are great at the price this TV is currently going for. Since this is a Fire TV, you can stream movies that support those premium formats from apps like HBO Max and Netflix. You also get the voice remote feature to call for Alexa, and there's an AI feature that claims to enhance low-resolution content up to 4K, but we won't know how good that performs until this TV gets hands-on testing. Also, since this is a Fire TV, remember you can install Kodi to virtually stream anything for free. View the full article

Nvidia’s earnings have become some of the most closely watched numbers on Wall Street. The company makes up about 6.5% of the Nasdaq 100, and 5.5% of the S&P 500, so a good quarter can send the Nasdaq index soaring. A marginal or poor one can send it tumbling. On Wednesday May 28, after the market close, the innovative chip giant will report its fiscal first quarter results for 2025 and expectations are once again high. Analysts expect Q1 revenue to grow 66% year over year to $43.28 billion, according to LSEG. That’s not the 262% increase it had in Q1 of last year, but it’s still an impressive advance. Adjusted earnings are expected to come in at $0.73 per share. Nvidia stock (Nasdaq: NVDA) is already on the rise in advance of earnings, gaining more than 3% as of 3:00 p.m. ET, with shares topping $135. Year to date, shares of NVDA are down 2%. Despite the high hopes, though, Nvidia is facing some substantial obstacles – and investors will be looking to see what sort of impact those will have. Last month, the The President administration put export limits on Nvidia’s H20 chip. That led the company to announce a Q2 write-down of $5.5 billion, related to inventory and purchase commitments for the chip. The longer-term impact of those restrictions could be worse. David O’Connor, of BNP Paribas, wrote in a note Tuesday “This inventory write-off implies a $15 billion H20 revenue hit on a rolling 12-month basis.” The limitations on sales to China could wreak some havoc in the near-term for Nvidia. Bank of America analysts warned that guidance for the second quarter could be “messy,” saying “[Nvidia] could guide [second fiscal quarter revenue] to as low as $41 billion, below recently lowered ~$46 billion consensus.” Earnings per share consensus (an average of analyst expectations) could be lowered significantly as well in the second fiscal quarter. While the short term could be rocky, analysts are more interested in the back half of the year – and will be listening to what the company has to say about the third and fourth quarters. Nvidia is reportedly working on a new chipset for China which would be compliant with the most recent regulations. And big contracts beyond China could potentially help make up any near-term shortfall. A Saudi savior Analysts have remained positive in advance of earnings. Piper Sandler, on Tuesday, reiterated its “overweight” rating on the company (meaning a belief that NVDA stock will outperform its peers or the market over the next 6 to 12 months), saying in a note, “We advise investors to weather the uncertainty and stay long the stock as this is likely largely the last wave of negative news for NVDA this year.” And despite its warning, Bank of America maintained its “buy” rating and price target for Nvidia. It raised that target from $150 to $160 last week following the announcement of a deal with Humain, a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund that is building a massive AI data center. (This deal seems less likely to face restrictions as the The President administration has given its blessing to the arrangement, with AI czar David Sacks calling it a “game-changer in the global AI race.”) Nvidia is set to receive an estimated $7 billion in direct contracts from that deal. Phase 1 includes 18,000 Blackwell GPUs valued at roughly $700 million. Bank of America expects “several hundred thousand of NVIDIA’s most advanced GPUs” to be shipped over the next five years. Collectively, 87% of the analysts who cover NVDA stock have a buy rating on the company. The share price has increased more than 600% in the past three years, and the company is the second largest public company in the world by market cap (behind Microsoft) with $3.3 trillion. There are some bears, though. Michael Burry, who rose to prominence by predicting the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008, has purchased put options on the company, essentially betting against it. And other critics question how much longer the robust growth can continue, as competitors, such as Huawei, attract clients and cloud companies, like Microsoft and Google, work to create their own AI chips. View the full article

The Steam Deck changed the game for PC players, opening up a world of portability that was usually reserved for Nintendo fans. Naturally, manufacturers tried to follow suit with Windows-based handhelds and the results are, shall we say, mixed. Now, Valve has released official instructions for installing its SteamOS on devices other than the Steam Deck. Let's dive into how to do it—and whether you should. I should note up front: This is going to be a nebulous area when it comes to official support from the company that made your handheld. At time of writing, the Lenovo Legion Go S is the only handheld with the "Powered by SteamOS" branding (besides the Steam Deck itself), meaning it's officially supported with a final build. You can install SteamOS on devices like the Legion Go and the ROG Ally, but their support isn't final. Also, it should go without saying, but we'll say it anyway: If you wipe Windows from your handheld, you won't be able to play Windows-based games that aren't supported via SteamOS. That largely consists of online games that require anti-cheat software, but it's worth checking sites like ProtonDB to make sure your favorite games will work on SteamOS. Why should you install SteamOS on your Windows handheld?So, with the caveats out of the way, what are the upsides? Put (overly) simply, Windows is not designed for handhelds. In fact, under the hood, Windows tends to see your gaming handheld as a laptop. Right down to including things like Microsoft Teams that run in the background, or popping up alert boxes that interrupt your game to inform you of a low battery. Now that people are able to experiment with SteamOS and Windows on the same hardware, it's becoming clearer that Windows itself is a massive nerf to both frame rate and battery life. Even gaming laptops, which can often last all day for normal work, can struggle to get even a few hours of gameplay while away from a charger. That's why it's so important to tweak your settings for the best battery life. Gaming handhelds only make this problem worse with a smaller form factor, and thus a smaller battery. In my own experience, I've struggled to get two hours of playing a lightweight game like Stardew Valley from a Windows handheld, while the Steam Deck and even the Switch can get upwards of six hours or more. Since Windows is primarily designed as a desktop (and secondarily as a tablet) computer, it's also harder to tweak settings using controller inputs. What, exactly, is the controller equivalent of Ctrl+Alt+Delete again? While you can plug in a keyboard to dig around in your handheld's settings, it's just easier to do on SteamOS, since its interface has been built from the ground up for controller input. At this point, Valve has also shown that running Steam games via the Proton compatibility layer works so well that it's almost seamless. I admit, when the Steam Deck was first announced, I expected games to be broken or perform much worse than their native Windows counterparts. Four hundred hours in Hades II later, though, and it's clear that many games can actually run better on SteamOS than Windows. Step 1: Download and prepare a SteamOS recovery image USB stickWith all that out of the way, let's get started. To install SteamOS on your gaming handheld, you'll need two things: the SteamOS recovery image and a USB stick (preferably USB-C) with at least 8GB of storage. Make sure anything on that USB stick is properly backed up, because this process will reformat that device. The Steam Deck recovery image can be found here. It's a little over 3GB, so it might take a little while to download, depending on your connection. While you wait for that, you'll also need a utility to create the recovery USB drive. Valve recommends Rufus for Windows users, and Balena Etcher for Mac or Linux users. Once the recovery image is downloaded, use whichever tool you chose to write the recovery image to your USB drive. This process should be relatively straightforward. Rufus, for example, will present you with a dropdown to select which drive to write the file to under Device, and under Boot Selection, click Select to pick the recovery image file. Click Start and wait. Reminder: This will wipe the contents of your USB drive. Step 2: Disable Secure Boot on your handheldThis part can be a bit tricky, and the exact process will vary depending on which handheld you own. Valve has a breakdown of the steps here for a couple specific devices, like the Legion Go and the ROG Ally. However, other devices like those from MSI or Ayaneo will have their own process. In general, the steps will usually go something like this: Reboot to the bios. Similar to how you can hold Del or F2 on a computer while rebooting to get to the bios, your gaming handheld has a similar process. Often it's holding a button like Volume + while pressing the power button, but check your specific device's instructions if that doesn't work. Navigate to the Secure Boot settings. You may have to poke around for this one. Look for categories like Security, and you may need to switch to an Advanced settings mode or menu to find it. This setting should be called Secure Boot. Change this to Disabled. Save settings and restart your device. Once you've changed the Secure Boot setting, make sure to save the changes to your bios and restart. Depending on the device, you might have to use the touchscreen to navigate the bios, or even plug in a keyboard or mouse. Again, Valve has specifics for a couple of devices in the link above, but if you're lost, your device's manufacturer will be your best bet for getting specific instructions. Step 3: Boot using the SteamOS recovery image Credit: Eric Ravenscraft Once you've disabled Secure Boot, you can plug the USB stick into your handheld and restart the device. At this point, you should end up at a boot menu that lets you choose which drive to boot to. Once again, this process will sometimes differ by device, so if you're not sure how to get to the boot menu, check your device's documentation. When you get to the boot menu, select your USB drive with the SteamOS recovery image on it. This will take you to a SteamOS desktop environment. Here, you'll see four shortcuts on the desktop. The one we care about is labeled "Wipe Device & Install SteamOS". Give that a single tap (double-tapping will launch it twice, so be careful). At this point, you should see a warning that proceeding with this step will erase everything on your device. If you had any important game saves, media, or work files (for some reason) on this device that weren't already backed up, you can still bail on this process and reboot to Windows to save them. This is the point of no return, though. Make sure you're ready before moving forward. Step 4: Familiarize yourself with your new handheld's quirks Credit: Eric Ravenscraft The install process won't take too long, and when it's done, your handheld will restart and begin setup as though it's a natural-born Steam Deck. There are a few quirks, though. For example, in my testing on the Legion Go, the device tutorial pointed to the "Steam button" on the bottom-left side, but used the Xbox logo. In reality, the corresponding button was at the top-right, and had a Legion logo. It also pointed to a microSD card slot on the bottom of the device that doesn't exist. Unless you're using an official "Powered by SteamOS" device, prepare for some awkwardness while using the device. Aside from the tutorial, I found some games I wasn't able to install—pressing "Install" on Doom Eternal simply did nothing, for example—and it took some time to figure out which hardware buttons were mapped to which Steam Deck input. To my surprise, some things that I expected to be broken worked perfectly when I tested this. The Legion Go is unique in that its controllers can be detached, Joy-Con style, from the handheld. I expected them to be laggy or non-functional when I played with SteamOS, but they worked perfectly during a Hades II run—a game that isn't very forgiving of input lag. Your mileage can and will vary depending on what games you want to play and what hardware you want to run SteamOS on. Still, as we wait for manufacturers to more officially support SteamOS—or for Microsoft to make a proper handheld of its own—it's exciting to finally be able to have a choice in platform for these devices. View the full article

Technology projects move fast and things change on a dime. Having a clear and structured plan is essential to aligning IT initiatives with broader business goals. That’s where an IT roadmap comes in. An IT strategy roadmap is a planning tool that outlines how an organization will evolve its technology over time, covering everything from infrastructure upgrades and software development to cybersecurity improvements and cloud migration strategies. Before we get to all that, though, we’ll define what an IT roadmap is, what should be included in one and how you can create one that supports both long-term vision and short-term execution. To help you get started, we’ve also included a customizable IT roadmap template that you can tailor to your organization’s unique priorities and timelines. What Is an IT Roadmap? An IT roadmap is a strategic document that outlines how an organization plans to use technology to support its business goals over a specific timeframe. It serves as a high-level visual guide for planning and prioritizing IT initiatives such as infrastructure upgrades, software implementation, cybersecurity improvements and cloud migration. The roadmap details what technologies will be adopted, when they will be deployed and how they align with business needs, helping stakeholders understand the direction and value of IT investments. /wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IT-roadmap-template-featured-image.jpg Get your free IT Roadmap Template Use this free IT Roadmap Template to manage your projects better. Get the Template Beyond just listing projects, an IT roadmap helps coordinate cross-functional teams, manage resources and track progress against long-term objectives. It ensures that all stakeholders—from IT departments to executive leadership—are aligned on technology priorities and timelines. By using an IT roadmap, organizations can reduce redundancy, improve scalability and make more informed decisions about budgeting and resource allocation. While it looks like a Gantt chart, an IT roadmap is more expansive, including the context, strategy, project breakdowns, timing and sequencing, resources and budget plans and governance. Think of a Gantt chart as a delivery timeline, while the full IT roadmap is the blueprint guiding everything, technically and strategically. We have an IT roadmap template for free, but we recommend project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software with comprehensive IT roadmaps designed to provide a strategic, high-level view of projects, programs and portfolios. These tools help with strategic alignment, ensuring all stakeholders understand the project’s direction. It also integrates with resource management, time tracking and task management features to ensure projects stay on track. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. /wp-content/uploads/2024/02/light-mode-CTA.jpgLearn more What Should Be Included in an IT Roadmap? An effective IT roadmap provides a clear and comprehensive view of how an organization plans to use technology to meet its strategic goals. Whether you’re introducing new infrastructure, upgrading software or enhancing cybersecurity, a well-structured IT roadmap aligns technology initiatives with business objectives. Here’s what should be included in an IT roadmap to ensure it serves as a reliable and actionable guide. 1. Executive Summary This section provides a high-level overview of the roadmap, outlining its purpose, scope and alignment with the organization’s broader strategic vision. It’s aimed at stakeholders and decision-makers who need a concise summary of the roadmap’s goals. 2. Current IT Environment This is a snapshot of the organization’s existing IT infrastructure, systems, tools and capabilities. This baseline helps identify gaps, limitations and opportunities for improvement. It should include the following. Infrastructure: Describes the physical and virtual computing environment, including on-premises servers, data centers and cloud hosting platforms. Network: Covers internal and external connectivity such as LAN/WAN architecture, VPN access, firewalls, bandwidth and network redundancy. End-User Devices: Refers to the hardware employees use, including desktops, laptops, mobile devices and their operating systems. Applications: Lists core business software in use, such as ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), CRM (Customer Relationship Management), HRIS (Human Resources Information Systems) and collaboration tools. Data Storage: Involves how data is stored, backed up and retained, including total capacity, storage types and backup protocols. Security: Encompasses tools and processes to protect IT assets, such as antivirus software, multi-factor authentication (MFA), encryption and vulnerability management. IT Service Management (ITSM): Includes the systems and workflows used to manage IT support, including helpdesk software, ticket resolution processes, SLAs and response times. Integration Points: Describes how systems communicate using APIs, middleware and third-party software connections. Licensing & Compliance: Tracks software licensing agreements, renewal schedules and adherence to industry regulations such as GDPR or HIPAA. IT Team: Outlines the structure of the internal IT department, including team roles, skillsets and headcount. Vendors & Contracts: Identifies key external technology partners, service providers and the status of contractual agreements. Pain Points: Highlights current challenges or limitations within the IT environment, such as aging hardware or unsupported legacy systems. 3. Strategic IT Goals These are defined objectives that the IT roadmap aims to achieve. These goals should align with business strategy and might include goals such as improving system reliability, enhancing cybersecurity or enabling digital transformation. 4. Key Initiatives and Projects This is the core of the roadmap, detailing the major IT initiatives and projects planned to achieve the strategic goals. Each project should include a brief description, objectives, timelines and responsible teams. 5. IT Roadmap Timeline A visual or tabular representation of when each initiative will be executed. This timeline is like a Gantt chart, showing activities required to meet the IT goals. It ensures alignment across departments and helps with planning and resource allocation. 6. Resource Requirements Outlines the personnel, tools, hardware and software needed to execute the roadmap. Resource requirements are essential for assessing feasibility and ensuring appropriate resource planning. 7. IT Roadmap Budget A financial estimate for the initiatives and projects included in the roadmap. It should include capital expenses, operational costs and contingency funds. 8. Risk Management Plan Identifies potential risks that could affect the roadmap’s success, along with mitigation strategies. Common risks include vendor delays, scope creep or cybersecurity threats. 9. Performance Metrics and KPIs Defines how progress and success will be measured. Common IT KPIs include system uptime, project completion rate and return on technology investment. 10. IT Governance Structure Details the roles, responsibilities and decision-making processes for overseeing the roadmap’s execution. This section ensures accountability and consistency in implementation. 11. Communication Plan Describes how the roadmap and its progress will be communicated to stakeholders, including reporting frequency, formats and key audiences. This promotes transparency and engagement. Benefits of an IT Roadmap An IT roadmap delivers numerous strategic and operational benefits, helping organizations align their technology initiatives with long-term business goals. Here are some of the key advantages. Stronger strategic alignment Improved prioritization and planning Enhances communication and transparency Better risk management Resource optimization Adaptability to change IT Roadmap Template Now that we understand more thoroughly what an IT roadmap is, readers are most likely eager to get their hands on one to use it or, at least, play around with the tool to get a better understanding of its usefulness. Download our free IT roadmap template for Excel and give it a try. /wp-content/uploads/2025/05/it-roadmap-template.png This free IT roadmap template helps organizations plan, organize and communicate their technology strategy over time. It serves as a guide for outlining current IT capabilities, future technology initiatives and the steps needed to bridge the gap between them. Related IT Templates There are more IT templates than the IT roadmap. In fact, there are over 100 free project management templates available for immediate download. They cover all aspects of managing a project across multiple industries. Here are just a few that are appropriate for IT. IT Project Plan Template Open this free IT project plan template in ProjectManager to help project managers organize, document and communicate the key components of an IT project. It outlines what the project will deliver, how it will be executed, who will be involved and how progress will be tracked—serving as a comprehensive blueprint for successful project execution. IT Risk Assessment Template Download this free IT risk assessment template for Excel to identify, evaluate and prioritize potential risks to an organization’s information technology systems, infrastructure and operations. It provides a repeatable process for analyzing vulnerabilities and threats so that mitigation strategies can be developed proactively. Agile Sprint Plan Template Use this free agile sprint plan template to organize and manage work during a sprint (a short, time-boxed development cycle, typically one to four weeks). It helps teams outline what they aim to accomplish during the sprint, track progress and ensure alignment across team members. How ProjectManager Helps Manage IT Projects It may feel odd using outdated technology like templates to manage an IT project. Yes, they can provide a free workaround, but they’re limited, requiring manual updates and not built for collaboration. It’s unlikely to find IT teams working with templates. Understandably, they prefer project management software. ProjectManager is award-winning project and portfolio management software that has multiple project views that allow IT teams to work on kanban boards, but cross-functional teams to use tools that are more appropriate for their work, whether that’s Gantt charts, task, sheet or calendar views. All project views are updated in real time to keep teams collaborating and working on the same page. Allocate and Monitor Resources Our software enables IT teams to allocate and monitor resources, whether people, equipment or budgets, in real time. For example, our color-coded workload chart makes it easy to see who is overallocated or underutilized and balances the team’s workload to keep them productive. When teams are onboarded, their availability can be set to make assignments based on actual availability and skills. There’s even a team page for a daily or weekly summary of their activity, which can be filtered by progress or priority. Tasks can be updated without leaving the page. /wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Team-Light-2554x1372-1.png Track Tasks and Progress With Real-Time and Reports Sticking to the IT project plan requires constant monitoring. Our real-time tracking features ensure that the collected data is updated and relevant. For a high-level overview, toggle over to the real-time project or portfolio dashboard for instant visibility into KPIs like task completion, resource utilization and budget health. For further details, use our customizable reports on status, variance, timesheets, workload and more. They can be filtered to show the information you want to see. Even our secure timesheets help by tracking labor costs to help keep to the budget. /wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Team-summary-better-data-light-mode-home-screen-dashboard.png Related IT Management Content An IT roadmap is part of the larger IT management process. For those readers curious to learn more about this discipline, below are some recent blog posts that expand on the subject. What Is IT Management? Why Is IT Important for Businesses? IT Service Management (ITSM): Frameworks, Processes & Phases What Is an IT Budget? IT Budgeting Basics IT Financial Management (ITFM) Best Practices IT Incident Management: How to Manage IT Incidents IT Risk Management Process, Frameworks & Templates ProjectManager is online project and portfolio management software that connects teams whether they’re in the office or out in the field. They can share files, comment at the task level and stay updated with email and in-app notifications. Join teams at Avis, Nestle and Siemens who use our software to deliver successful projects. Get started with ProjectManager today for free. The post What Is an IT Roadmap? (Template Included) appeared first on ProjectManager. View the full article

As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’s co-founder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You’ve said that newcomers resettling can bring big economic benefits to the U.S. economy. That’s kind of the opposite of a lot of political rhetoric, people worried about their jobs, and the cost of supporting newcomers. What are you looking at differently? Wow, so many indicators. I mean, let’s start at the top. Over 50% of our billion dollar companies were founded or co-founded by newcomers, many of them refugees. Scaled immigration pathways of the last three years are estimated to contribute $9 trillion to our economy over the next decade. You have thousands of communities, rural and semi-rural communities, across the country that have been losing population year over year, and are eager to reverse that decline. There are enormous needs. I mean the Census Bureau estimates that we require net immigration of nearly one and a half million a year just to sustain our economy. So, we not only have the capacity to welcome, we have a need to welcome. You’ve gotten support from corporate partners, Meta, Google, Uber, others. What’s been the role of business in Welcome’s efforts? Yes. So this has been an extraordinary public-private partnership. We partnered with the private sector to build the civic infrastructure that would scale these new pathways. That included designing a campaign. We did that with assets from Accenture’s Droga5 partnership. We did that with resources from Goldman Sachs. It was carried with airtime from Comcast, and then distributed to our target audience with Google Ads. They provided massive technological support for our sort of many to many, our B2C strategy, that allowed us to quickly scale. And then the framework of technology that they helped us create was not only our matching platform and our online sponsorship hubs, but it was also the framework that allowed us to scale flight credits, and housing credits, and matching grants, and rideshare credits from Lyft and Uber. It wasn’t a, “Write us a check and go away,” partnership. It was a deep collaboration that was about bringing our collective efforts to build a seamless infrastructure and journey that wrapped around sponsors and newcomers, and provided them the support they need, and empowered them to do this work. How did you build these relationships with all of these organizations? I mean, I know you have something called the Welcome.US CEO Council. It’s got like 40 of the biggest name CEOs. Is that where you started? Do you start at the top of these organizations? How did all that come together? We launched in the crucible of the Afghan evacuation. When the U.S. faced this extraordinary challenge of resettling 80,000 Afghan newcomers on a government resettlement infrastructure that had resettled just 11,400 refugees the year before. So, that’s when we developed this public-private partnership with government. We were like, “This is a problem that’s way too big for government to solve alone.” But we felt like if we tapped into innovations of the private sector, willingness of the American people, we could find much more capacity. And indeed, when we went to these CEOs, and asked them to help, not a single one said no. These leaders know exactly what the challenges are. Peter Zaffino, CEO of AIG, wrote about this in 2015. He talked about unmanaged migration as one of the top five things CEOs should be concerned about as risks. He talked about the benefits if it’s managed, and the risks if it’s not, and he’s talking about global instability, and security, rise of authoritarian regimes. David Risher looked at our methodology, and he was like, “Oh, I see what you’re doing. This is like what Airbnb, and Lyft, and Uber did. You are not trying to reform government systems from the inside. It’s a whole new business model that you’ve built alongside.” And now, those are lessons we can carry into the traditional system. I think they were deeply inspired to see how communities engaged, right? Like the social cohesion, the bridge building, the community-driven aspect of this work is so important for the moment we’re in. So what’s at stake for Welcome.US right now? We feel passionately about continuing to grow this extraordinary movement of welcomers. So, we are pivoting our technology, our campaign, our systems, our infrastructure, to help Americans volunteer, and serve as citizen guides for the 8.5 million green card holders who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, but haven’t done it yet. There’s paperwork you have to file, you have to pass an English test, you have to pass a civics test, you have to pay a fee. Those are barriers that can be overcome if you have a friend, and a guide, and a welcomer who’s walking alongside you, and helping you through it. So, we’re excited to get the word out. We’re excited for all these policymakers to be educated on what their communities have been experiencing, and we feel really confident that these are the solutions that should rise, and will rise. Can I ask you, why do you do this? I do this work for a number of reasons. My parents came here from Iran as exchange students, and they intended to pursue their education and return. They had me accidentally, they were still undergraduates when they had me. The Iranian Revolution happened in the last year of my dad’s PhD program, and so they decided to stay. And if you look at what is happening with women in Iran today, you know what my future would’ve been otherwise. So, that led to a career of trying to remove those barriers of human potential for others. And I have deep faith in the American people. I come to this with a tremendous amount of patriotism, because we were the first nation with a written constitution that conferred human rights and human dignity on the basis of personhood, and not on the basis of citizenship. You get emotional about this. I mean, you really feel it. Yeah. We’re built on this idea that we’re a place for strivers. We’re a place for people seeking freedom, and opportunity, and self-determination. And our sponsors talk about how their experience as welcomers reintroduced them to that value. One of our sponsors shared a story once, it’s Leslie Sperry. She’s part of a sponsor group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she sponsored a Congolese family who had spent three generations in a refugee camp, and she was walking the father, Meshack, after she had visited the family to see how they were doing. And she tells the story of how he threw out his arms and said, “I’m free.” And for her, it was this shock, and reminder that, yeah, that’s what we have to offer, freedom. And how incredible to be able to offer that to the next generation of new Americans. These welcomers are having a generational impact in someone’s lives. They’re putting them on a completely different trajectory. Just as my life was put on a completely different trajectory. What an amazing thing to do as a country, and as Americans. View the full article

As the global migrant crisis continues to dominate our airwaves, Welcome.US has triggered a dramatic impact on U.S. immigration, resettling 800,000 refugees across all 50 states. The organization’s cofounder and CEO, Nazanin Ash, shares how her team developed an effective and efficient model, unlocking a nonpartisan community of 2 million volunteers, supported by corporate partnerships with the likes of Meta, Google, and Uber. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by the former editor-in-chief of Fast Company Bob Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with today’s top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. You’ve said that newcomers resettling can bring big economic benefits to the U.S. economy. That’s kind of the opposite of a lot of political rhetoric, people worried about their jobs, and the cost of supporting newcomers. What are you looking at differently? Wow, so many indicators. I mean, let’s start at the top. Over 50% of our billion dollar companies were founded or co-founded by newcomers, many of them refugees. Scaled immigration pathways of the last three years are estimated to contribute $9 trillion to our economy over the next decade. You have thousands of communities, rural and semi-rural communities, across the country that have been losing population year over year, and are eager to reverse that decline. There are enormous needs. I mean the Census Bureau estimates that we require net immigration of nearly one and a half million a year just to sustain our economy. So, we not only have the capacity to welcome, we have a need to welcome. You’ve gotten support from corporate partners, Meta, Google, Uber, others. What’s been the role of business in Welcome’s efforts? Yes. So this has been an extraordinary public-private partnership. We partnered with the private sector to build the civic infrastructure that would scale these new pathways. That included designing a campaign. We did that with assets from Accenture’s Droga5 partnership. We did that with resources from Goldman Sachs. It was carried with airtime from Comcast, and then distributed to our target audience with Google Ads. They provided massive technological support for our sort of many to many, our B2C strategy, that allowed us to quickly scale. And then the framework of technology that they helped us create was not only our matching platform and our online sponsorship hubs, but it was also the framework that allowed us to scale flight credits, and housing credits, and matching grants, and rideshare credits from Lyft and Uber. It wasn’t a, “Write us a check and go away,” partnership. It was a deep collaboration that was about bringing our collective efforts to build a seamless infrastructure and journey that wrapped around sponsors and newcomers, and provided them the support they need, and empowered them to do this work. How did you build these relationships with all of these organizations? I mean, I know you have something called the Welcome.US CEO Council. It’s got like 40 of the biggest name CEOs. Is that where you started? Do you start at the top of these organizations? How did all that come together? We launched in the crucible of the Afghan evacuation. When the U.S. faced this extraordinary challenge of resettling 80,000 Afghan newcomers on a government resettlement infrastructure that had resettled just 11,400 refugees the year before. So, that’s when we developed this public-private partnership with government. We were like, “This is a problem that’s way too big for government to solve alone.” But we felt like if we tapped into innovations of the private sector, willingness of the American people, we could find much more capacity. And indeed, when we went to these CEOs, and asked them to help, not a single one said no. These leaders know exactly what the challenges are. Peter Zaffino, CEO of AIG, wrote about this in 2015. He talked about unmanaged migration as one of the top five things CEOs should be concerned about as risks. He talked about the benefits if it’s managed, and the risks if it’s not, and he’s talking about global instability, and security, rise of authoritarian regimes. David Risher looked at our methodology, and he was like, “Oh, I see what you’re doing. This is like what Airbnb, and Lyft, and Uber did. You are not trying to reform government systems from the inside. It’s a whole new business model that you’ve built alongside.” And now, those are lessons we can carry into the traditional system. I think they were deeply inspired to see how communities engaged, right? Like the social cohesion, the bridge building, the community-driven aspect of this work is so important for the moment we’re in. So what’s at stake for Welcome.US right now? We feel passionately about continuing to grow this extraordinary movement of welcomers. So, we are pivoting our technology, our campaign, our systems, our infrastructure, to help Americans volunteer, and serve as citizen guides for the 8.5 million green card holders who are eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, but haven’t done it yet. There’s paperwork you have to file, you have to pass an English test, you have to pass a civics test, you have to pay a fee. Those are barriers that can be overcome if you have a friend, and a guide, and a welcomer who’s walking alongside you, and helping you through it. So, we’re excited to get the word out. We’re excited for all these policymakers to be educated on what their communities have been experiencing, and we feel really confident that these are the solutions that should rise, and will rise. Can I ask you, why do you do this? I do this work for a number of reasons. My parents came here from Iran as exchange students, and they intended to pursue their education and return. They had me accidentally, they were still undergraduates when they had me. The Iranian Revolution happened in the last year of my dad’s PhD program, and so they decided to stay. And if you look at what is happening with women in Iran today, you know what my future would’ve been otherwise. So, that led to a career of trying to remove those barriers of human potential for others. And I have deep faith in the American people. I come to this with a tremendous amount of patriotism, because we were the first nation with a written constitution that conferred human rights and human dignity on the basis of personhood, and not on the basis of citizenship. You get emotional about this. I mean, you really feel it. Yeah. We’re built on this idea that we’re a place for strivers. We’re a place for people seeking freedom, and opportunity, and self-determination. And our sponsors talk about how their experience as welcomers reintroduced them to that value. One of our sponsors shared a story once, it’s Leslie Sperry. She’s part of a sponsor group in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and she sponsored a Congolese family who had spent three generations in a refugee camp, and she was walking the father, Meshack, after she had visited the family to see how they were doing. And she tells the story of how he threw out his arms and said, “I’m free.” And for her, it was this shock, and reminder that, yeah, that’s what we have to offer, freedom. And how incredible to be able to offer that to the next generation of new Americans. These welcomers are having a generational impact in someone’s lives. They’re putting them on a completely different trajectory. Just as my life was put on a completely different trajectory. What an amazing thing to do as a country, and as Americans. View the full article

Explore 14 proven tactics for increasing your website traffic. From competitive traffic analysis to traffic generation marketing techniques, you‘ll learn how to drive more traffic to your website and win the traffic race. View the full article

The list of Rite Aid drugstores marked for closure continues to grow at a furious pace after the ill-fated pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy a second time. In a court filing last week, the company said it would move to close 151 additional locations in 10 states, its largest batch of closures since the Chapter 11 process began three weeks ago. Three earlier filings had disclosed a combined 210 closures, as Fast Company previously reported. That means the list of stores that are expected to shutter on an accelerated timeline is now over 360—more than a quarter of Rite Aid’s fleet of 1,277 locations. Fast Company reached out to Rite Aid for more information on when the stores are expected to close. According to the filing, interested parties have until June 2 to object. Sold for parts Every Rite Aid store will eventually close or be sold to another entity, but many customers and employees have faced uncertainty about the fate of their local Rite Aid locations in the interim, as the company has not publicly shared many detailed updates. On May 15, Rite Aid reached deals to sell off most of its pharmacy assets, including agreements with Walgreens, Albertsons, and others. Notably, pharmacy giant CVS will hoover up prescription files for 625 Rite Aid locations, but it will only take over 64 physical stores in three states: Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. As for Rite Aid’s remaining assets, interested parties have until June 13 to submit a bid, with an auction planned for June 20. But at the rate these stores are closing, there may not be many Rite Aid stores left by then. The full list of 151 Rite Aid locations marked for closure on last week’s court filing is below. These locations join previous waves of closures announced here, here, and here. 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UNIT G DURHAM NH 03824 72 LAFAYETTE ROAD NORTH HAMPTON NH 03862 58 CALEF HIGHWAY LEE NH 03861 New Jersey 7 WEST LANDIS AVENUE VINELAND NJ 08360 865 ROUTE 45 PILESGROVE NJ 08098 424 ROUTE 9 BAYVILLE NJ 08721 332 RARITAN AVENUE HIGHLAND PARK NJ 08904 220 MATHISTOWN ROAD LITTLE EGG HARBOR NJ 08087 130 EAST MAIN STREET PENNS GROVE NJ 08069 76 SMITH STREET PERTH AMBOY NJ 08861 3258 BRIDGE AVENUE POINT PLEASANT NJ 08742 52 EAST BROAD STREET BRIDGETON NJ 08302 531 US HIGHWAY 22 EAST WHITEHOUSE STATION NJ 08889 1070 NORTH PEARL STREET BRIDGETON NJ 08302 3553 WASHINGTON ROAD PARLIN NJ 08859 151 ROUTE 94 BLAIRSTOWN NJ 07825 220 ROUTE 70 TOMS RIVER NJ 08755 New York 209 MOUNT ZOAR STREET ELMIRA NY 14904 149 MARKET STREET AMSTERDAM NY 12010 1679 BEDFORD AVENUE BROOKLYN NY 11225 158-02 UNION TURNPIKE FLUSHING NY 11366 1030 PINE AVENUE NIAGARA FALLS NY 14301 272 HOOSICK STREET TROY NY 12180 604 ROUTE 9 WAPPINGERS FALLS NY 12590 9302 3RD AVENUE BROOKLYN NY 11209 165-02 BAISLEY BOULEVARD JAMAICA NY 11434 1000 NORTH CLINTON AVENUE ROCHESTER NY 14621 3700-06 JUNCTION BOULEVARD FLUSHING NY 11368 1863 CENTRAL AVENUE COLONIE NY 12205 33-01 30TH AVENUE ASTORIA NY 11103 3823 NOSTRAND AVENUE BROOKLYN NY 11235 405 ERIE BOULEVARD WEST ROME NY 13440 343 MEADOW DRIVE NORTH TONAWANDA NY 14120 113 DOWNER STREET BALDWINSVILLE NY 13027 21-25 BROADWAY LONG ISLAND CITY NY 11106 2063 BARTOW AVENUE BRONX NY 10475 605 TITUS AVENUE ROCHESTER NY 14617 1820 TEALL AVE SYRACUSE NY 13206 4854 COMMERCIAL DRIVE NEW HARTFORD NY 13413 7118 3RD AVENUE BROOKLYN NY 11209 6900 4TH AVENUE BROOKLYN NY 11209 1950 FULTON STREET BROOKLYN NY 11233 1924 GENESEE STREET UTICA NY 13502 961 PORT WASHINGTON BLVD. 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DR. S#2 LEHIGHTON PA 18235 623 SAINT CLAIR AVENUE CLAIRTON PA 15025 Virginia 525 WEST 21ST STREET NORFOLK VA 23517 2040 ATLANTIC AVE CHESAPEAKE VA 23324 40 TOWNE CENTRE WAY HAMPTON VA 23666 515 NORTH MAIN STREET SUFFOLK VA 23434 6908 MAIN STREET GLOUCESTER VA 23061 13554 CARROLLTON BLVD CARROLLTON VA 23314 240 SOUTH BATTLEFIELD BLVD CHESAPEAKE VA 23322 975 HODGES FERRY ROAD PORTSMOUTH VA 23701 Washington 900 EAST MERIDIAN SUITE 23 MILTON WA 98354 22117 SE 237TH ST MAPLE VALLEY WA 98038 3282 BETHEL ROAD SE PORT ORCHARD WA 98366 1509 AUBURN WAY SOUTH AUBURN WA 98002 3840 BRIDGEPORT WAY WEST UNIVERSITY PLACE WA 98466 View the full article

We may earn a commission from links on this page. It looks like Strava is making moves to become more than just a social fitness tracker. The popular fitness app—arguably the best one of its kind—announced Thursday that it has acquired The Breakaway, an AI-powered cycling training app, marking its second major acquisition in just over a month. This follows Strava's purchase of Runna back in April. So, what do these acquisitions mean for users of The Breakaway and Strava alike? Will those apps' specific training plans become available a part of the Strava subscription? Will I have to pay for that whether I like it or not? Here's what you need to know. What The Breakaway brings to StravaThe Breakaway uses AI to create customized training plans for cyclists pursuing specific performance goals. The app analyzes individual fitness data and objectives to generate workouts tailored to each user's needs and schedule. Similarly, Runna offers AI-generated training plans, but focuses on runners rather than cyclists. As people are speculating on Reddit, these apps could represent Strava's strategic push into more personalized training and coaching features. Zooming out, Strava has built its reputation on social fitness tracking. As a loyal Strava user myself, I believe no other running app can beat Strava's social and mapping features. This ability to tap into a community of fellow runners and cyclists has always differentiated Strava from pure tracking apps. Strava's core offering has remained relatively (and refreshingly) basic compared to specialized training apps. That said, these acquisitions sure do suggest the company wants to capture more and more of the fitness ecosystem by offering the kind of structured, goal-oriented training that serious athletes need. What this means for pricingCurrent subscribers don't need to worry about immediate price hikes. The Breakaway costs $9.99/month, or $69.99/year. (I guess runners are willing to shell out more, since Runna costs $19.99/month, or $119.99/year.) Strava's free tier lets you post your runs, interact with other users, and track some basic statistics about your performance. The premium tier, at $11.99/month or $79.99/year, gives you extra performance tracking and mapping tools. And according to statements from Strava, there are no plans to alter pricing structures or eliminate free access to the acquired apps' basic features. Whether this pricing structure will hold long-term remains to be seen, especially as Strava integrates these services into its broader platform. The bottom lineRather than users needing separate apps for social tracking and structured training, Strava appears to be building an all-in-one fitness ecosystem. Even for the most casual users, this could mean access to more training tools without leaving the Strava ecosystem. But as some disgruntled fans are voicing, it can be frustrating to see Strava scoop up AI-powered training features, rather than fix some of its most basic issues. (Seriously: I should be able to accurately search for for past runs.) And we can only hope that pricing doesn't get too crazy. We'll see whether users are willing to pay more for what has traditionally been a social-first fitness app. Finally, as Strava continues to expand its feature set, it's worth remembering that the app defaults to public sharing. Regularly review your privacy settings to ensure you're not inadvertently sharing location data or personal information more broadly than intended. View the full article

IMF has warned there are ‘significant risks’ associated with delivering the UK chancellor’s economic strategyView the full article

Lego just announced its first book nook: Sherlock Holmes’ Baker Street. I was guessing this was coming sooner than later, with Lego’s ever-increasing focus on the adult market and the growing popularity of book nooks. The design is fantastic, full of the fine details you expect of high-quality book nooks, which are miniature dioramas that are designed to fit between books on a shelf. But, unlike those, you can actually take this off the bookshelf, unfold it into a three-building Victorian London street, and play with it. Conceived by Japanese artist Monde in 2018, book nooks often depict a street, a room, or some other structure inspired by a theme from a real book. Originally, people made their own but they quickly became popular on social media, so companies in Japan and China started to sell kits. These precious windows into literary realities are very intricate and complex to build, usually with LED lights to illuminate the scene at night. People who build them find them relaxing. Since adult Lego fans mostly buy sets to chill, it makes sense that the Billund, Denmark-based toy company decided to make its own version. It has been doubling down on a trend that began in the late 2000s, when it released the huge 7,500-brick Millennium Falcon, a massive set that started the Ultimate Collector Star Wars line of sets that catered to grown-up Lego fans (like me) by appealing to their childhood fetishes. The success of these earliest complex sets spurred the company to release other lines, like Lego Architecture, which allow people to build anything from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Last year it launched a Botanical Collection line, which got deeper into the adult-oriented relaxing space, and iconic pop culture objects in a line aptly named Lego Icons. This is where you will find the Sherlock Holmes Book Nook, available for pre-order for $120 for shipping on June 1. They are playable! When folded and placed in-between books, the book nook offers a view of a street flanked by precious buildings full with architectural details, and a cobblestone street. You will notice that the façades don’t run parallel to each other, but converge towards the back in a faux one-point perspective, a design conceived to create an optical illusion that makes it look deeper than what it actually is. There’s Sherlock and Watson minifigs, plus Irene Adler, Paige and Professor Moriarty. I just wish Lego had included LED lighting, too. Unlike assembled wooden or carton book nooks, you can take the Lego book nook out of the bookshelf and unfold it to form a perfectly straight lineup of three buildings. Not surprisingly, the designers found ways to make the set fully interactive. There’s even a secret hideout for Moriarty, which you can operate by turning a chimney in the building’s roof. You can peek into Holmes’ study by pushing open the top floor wall of 221B Baker Street. There’s also a bookshelf in a book nook in a bookshelf inside the window display of the book store in one of the buildings, which you can access by rotating its cylindrical window display. The kind of clever infinite loop that can open real portals between our reality and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s universe. View the full article

President Donald The President’s media company said Tuesday that institutional investors will buy $2.5 billion in the company’s stock with the proceeds going to build up a bitcoin reserve. About 50 institutional investors will put up $1.5 billion in the private placement for common shares in the company and another $1 billion for convertible senior notes, according to The President Media and Technology Group, the operator of Truth Social and other companies. The President Media said it intends to use the proceeds for the creation of a “bitcoin treasury.” “This investment will help defend our Company against harassment and discrimination by financial institutions, which plague many Americans and U.S. firms,” said The President Media CEO and Chairman Devin Nunes in prepared remarks. Shares of The President Media & Technology Group Corp., based in Sarasota, Fla., tumbled 9% Other companies have adopted similar strategies through cryptocurrency. Cloud and mobile software developer MicroStrategy Inc. has built up a treasury reserve containing billions worth of bitcoin through stock sales and debt financing. The President, who referred to cryptocurrencies in his first term as “not money,” citing volatility and a value “based on thin air,” has shifted his views on the technology. During an event at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida during his presidential campaign in May 2024, The President received assurances that crypto industry backers would spend lavishly to get him reelected. Last week, The President rewarded 220 of the top investors in one of his other cryptocurrency projects — the $The President meme coin —with a swanky dinner luxury golf club in Northern Virginia, spurring accusations that the president was mixing his duties in the White House with personal profit. View the full article

The regulator says its prior amicus brief, which cited the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and sided with borrowers, was no longer valid. View the full article

Remember the letter-writer asking how to manage someone with poorly controlled ADHD? Here’s the update. I found your response very helpful and I’m working my way through all the comments as well. The situation was already resolved by the time this was published, but it’s helpful to reflect back on what I could have done better, and hopefully others will learn from this too! It’s fascinating to see the commenters weighing in on the importance of accommodations vs personal responsibility. I’m also learning a lot about the uniqueness of ADHD coping methods, not only that different people find different approaches helpful, but also that the same person will need different approaches over time. My update on the situation is that I did set explicit expectations about how long tasks should take, that she shouldn’t take on any side projects without checking with me first, that getting things done in a timely fashion was an essential part of her job (and more important than exhaustive detail), and that consistently clocking in and out for her shifts was a requirement that could lead to progressive discipline if not followed. I think my years of reading AAM helped me come up with those ideas even before you responded. If there’s one thing I’ve learned here, it’s that clearly-communicated expectations are essential! Unfortunately the idea of us paying for an ADHD coach wasn’t feasible for someone at her level. That said, we do have a strong Employee Assistance Program here, and this kind of thing is within their scope. I encouraged her to contact the EAP, but I don’t know if she ever did. It all came to a head when she forgot to punch out again for most of her shifts over two weeks. The estimated shift end times she gave us when prompted seemed suspicious, so we compared them to computer use and parking ramp data. This unfortunately showed that she was significantly overestimating her work time. I don’t think she did this on purpose, but it demonstrated exactly why we require people to actually punch in and out instead of guesstimating at the end of a pay period. All of this put together resulted in a brief suspension. I was very explicit in the suspension discussion that we believed she could do better, and that we would be happy to make accommodations to help her succeed. I also was very clear that we wanted this to be not a punishment but a wake-up call that the behavior needed to change if she wanted to keep working here. On her first morning back after the suspension, she submitted her two-week notice. She said the stress of “trying to be perfect” was going to lead her to make more mistakes, so she didn’t think she could stay. I had somewhat mixed feelings about this until she admitted that she had forgotten her badge at home that morning, so she needed a leader to clock her in and out for the day. That felt like a last straw to me, to be honest. A few days before the end of the two week notice period, she changed her mind and said she wanted to stay. Thankfully I had already read some good advice here at AAM about this situation! I reminded her that we had formally accepted her resignation, and explained that we would proceed with her last day as planned. She was not happy, but we all got through it. Thank you and all the commenters for the thoughtful advice and discussion, not only about this situation, but also throughout the years! The post update: how do I manage someone with poorly controlled ADHD? appeared first on Ask a Manager. View the full article

Google updated its Google Tag Manager (GTM) conversion tag, removing the ability to configure user-provided data for Enhanced Conversions directly in the tag. What’s new. The Enhanced Conversions setup option has been removed from the standard Google Ads Conversion Tracking tag in GTM. Instead, Google has introduced a dedicated tag specifically for Enhanced Conversions for Google Ads. The big picture: The move separates the main conversion tracking functionality from Enhanced Conversions, likely to streamline setup and reduce confusion. Why we care. Enhanced Conversions help advertisers improve conversion measurement by sending hashed first-party customer data, like email addresses, to Google Ads. The data is used to match conversions with Google users, improving accuracy. With Google moving this functionality to a new tag, advertisers need to update their GTM setups to ensure Enhanced Conversions continue to work correctly. Missing this update could lead to gaps in conversion data, reducing the effectiveness of Google Ads campaigns. First seen. We first learned of this change when Google Ads specialist Adriaan Dekker shared a screenshot of the updated tag interface, which no longer includes fields for Enhanced Conversions. What’s next. Advertisers and agencies should review their GTM configurations to ensure Enhanced Conversions continue to be tracked correctly under the new tag structure. View the full article

The dock, an iconic Mac feature, is used to launch apps, switch between them, and as a hub for displaying key apps and minimized windows while they're open. By default, the dock has a clean look and features a few apps that your computer thinks you might want to use. However, you can get a lot out of customizing your dock, like removing the icons for default Apple apps you don't use. You can also change its placement and its look. Here's what you need to know to do just that, plus a bit extra. Remove apps you're not going to use Credit: Pranay Parab You should start your dock tweaks by removing apps you're never going to use. To remove an app from your dock, right-click it and select Options > Remove from Dock. You can also ensure apps that are only in the dock temporarily (which appear on the right side of the dock, next to a separator) stay there by right-clicking them and selecting Options > Keep in Dock. Move apps around to make them easy to accessYour next step should be to reorder your Dock's apps, which is as simple dragging their icons where you want them. Note, though, that if you accidentally drop an icon outside of the dock, it'll be removed from your dock and you'll have to add it again. Change the size of the dockYou can also adjust your dock's size. Hover your mouse cursor over any of your dock's separators (those vertical dividing lines). The cursor will change to an arrow that points up and down. Drag it towards the top of the screen to make the dock larger or drag it downwards to make it smaller. Alternatively, you can adjust the dock’s size by clicking the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your Mac's screen and going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and moving the Size slider. Change the dock’s positionThe dock can be moved to either side of your screen, saving you precious real estate. To change this, right-click any vacant area in the dock and select Position on Screen. Pick Left or Right to align your dock vertically to your selected position. Center will place it back in the default spot. This option is also available in System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Position on screen. Automatically hide and show the dock Credit: Pranay Parab Some of us prefer to have a clean workspace, and if that's you, you can auto-hide the dock when it's not in use. It won't be gone entirely, but it'll only make itself visible when you move the cursor towards its location. This is also a good feature for those with limited screen space. Enable this feature by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock > Automatically hide & show the dock. Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Command-Option-D to toggle this setting on and off. Remove recently opened apps from the dockThe right side of your dock will show your most recently opened apps. If this annoys you, you can disable the setting by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and disabling Show suggested and recent apps in Dock. I prefer this feature on, to help me navigate commonly used apps, but if you're short on screen space, it could be useful. Move minimized windows into the app iconWhenever you minimize apps on your Mac, each window appears as a separate icon on the dock. This can cause the dock to fill up fast, automatically making it smaller. If you’d rather avoid this, macOS allows you to minimize windows directly into the appropriate app icon instead. Just go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and select Minimize windows into application icon. To access a window that's been minimized into an app icon, right-click it. Hide indicators for open apps Credit: Pranay Parab If an app is open on your Mac, a small dot will appear near its icon on the dock. You can remove these open app indicators if you'd like. Go to System Settings > Desktop & Dock and disable Show indicators for open applications. Customize magnification of iconsWhen you move your cursor near any app icon on your Mac’s dock, it’ll automatically enlarge. You can change the level of this magnification effect, or disable it altogether by going to System Settings > Desktop & Dock. To enable or disable enlarging icons, use the slider below Magnification. Moving the slider all the way to the left switches off magnification, while moving it elsewhere will adjust magnification size. Fun tip: If you have this feature disabled, you can temporarily activate it on command by holding Shift + Control. Add folders to the dock Credit: Pranay Parab You can add browsable folders to your Mac’s dock, as long as the folder is in the Favorites bar in Finder. Open Finder and locate the folder you want to add and drag it to the Favorites bar in the left pane. Right-click any folder in the Favorites bar and select Add to Dock. Here's the fun part: you can use this trick to group a bunch of apps into a single dock icon, which is great when you have a few apps that you want to keep in the dock, but you don't need them every single day. The trick is to go to the Applications folder in Finder and move the apps to a new folder. Just give the folder a name, move it to the Favorites Bar, and add it to the dock. You're all set! Add spacers to the dockYou can go a little beyond the options macOS gives you and add a few spacers, or blank spaces, to your dock to help organize it. You can use these blank spaces for aesthetics or to group similar apps. To do this, you'll need to use your Mac's Terminal. Press Command-Space, search for Terminal, and open the app. Then, paste and run the following command to add a full-size spacer in the dock. defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{tile-data={}; tile-type="spacer-tile";}' && killall Dock If you want a smaller spacer, use this command instead. defaults write com.apple.dock persistent-apps -array-add '{"tile-type"="small-spacer-tile";}' && killall Dock For more than one spacer, simply re-run your chosen command. The good news is that this is the only time you'll need the Terminal. Once you have your spacer, simply drag it around to change its position in the dock, or drop it outside the dock to remove it. Change app icons to make the dock more visually pleasingYou can also customize the dock by simply changing various app icons. This can make it look more pleasant or help it fit a particular theme. The best way to do this is to open your favorite apps and see if they let you change their app icons. If not, check out my guide on replacing macOS app icons, which highlights both a built-in method and one third-party app that makes it easier to change app icons. For alternative icons, a good resource is macOSicons.com. Use third-party apps to access hidden dock settings Credit: Pranay Parab Your Mac doesn't always make it easy to find everything you can do with it. Sometimes, you need to run a few Terminal commands to access hidden features (such as the spacers I just highlighted), and even then, some features aren't user-accessible at all. For more control, consider trying Mac apps that unlock these hidden features for you, such as TinkerTool (free) or Supercharge ($11). I've written about TinkerTool before, and my colleague Khamosh Pathak has covered Supercharge. Both apps have a few useful options for tweaking your dock, such as the ability to remove the delay before macOS reveals your hidden dock, or dimming the icons of hidden apps. TinkerTool also makes it easier to add spacers to the dock, and it even allows you to lock the dock, so that the positions of icons and spacers can't be changed. Supercharge, meanwhile, has a feature that directly opens dock folders in Finder, instead of showing their contents right in the dock. Use a dedicated dock customization appIf your goal is only to tweak the dock and nothing else, you may be better-served by a dedicated dock customization app. This type of an app will allow you to make cosmetic and functional changes to the dock, but won't be useful if you want other systemwide tweaks. Two good examples are DockFlow ($5.60) and uBar ($30). DockFlow lets you create presets for your dock. You can think of it like creating various profiles such as work, gaming, education, social media, etc. For each of these presets, you can drop a few apps into them and quickly switch between them as needed. uBar, meanwhile, focuses on making the dock look like the Windows taskbar, which could be useful if you're moving operating systems. View the full article

Want more housing market stories from Lance Lambert’s ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac support the mortgage industry by buying mortgages from lenders and selling mortgage-backed securities to investors. They were placed into conservatorship by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) in September 2008 after suffering massive losses during the housing crash, threatening the stability of the U.S. financial system. The U.S. Treasury provided a bailout to keep them afloat, and they have remained under government control ever since—despite returning to profitability. While the U.S. Treasury owns the majority of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac profits through senior preferred stock agreements, the common and preferred shares that existed before conservatorship were never fully wiped out. Once Wall Street realized Donald The President had won the 2024 election, the stocks of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac spiked as the market priced in higher odds that the second The President administration would attempt to end that conservatorship. After all, one of The President’s biggest backers this cycle was Bill Ackman, a leading proponent of releasing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship. The odds of conservatorship ending—or at the very least, an attempt to unwind it—increased this week after The President posted on social media: “I’m giving very serious consideration to bringing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac public.” Then, on Thursday evening, Bill Pulte, the director of FHFA, tweeted out a podcast he did with Donald The President Jr. centered on the future of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Those aren’t the kind of public moves the administration would make unless it is seriously considering a push to end conservatorship or wants to further test financial market reaction to the idea. What would this do to mortgage rates? The reason housing stakeholders should pay attention is the long standing concern that ending conservatorship could put upward pressure on mortgage rates and more strain on housing affordability. Once released, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could need to hold more capital to absorb losses. To build and maintain that capital, they may need to increase guarantee fees charged to lenders. In addition, upon release, unless there’s an “explicit guarantee” or backstop from Congress, investors may demand higher returns to account for increased risk. Those concerns are real enough that back in February, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae wouldn’t get released from conservatorship if doing so put upward pressure on mortgage rates/mortgage spreads. “The priority for a Fannie and Freddie release, the most important metric that I’m looking at is any study or hint that mortgage rates would go up. Anything that is done around a safe and sound release [of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac] is going to hinge on the effect of long-term mortgage rates,” Bessent said in February. On Friday, Bessent reaffirmed in an interview with Bloomberg that the privatization of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac hinges on mortgage rates, saying: “It [privatization of Fannie and Freddie] is a goal for this administration. Again, we’re doing peace deals, tax deals, and trade deals. As we land some of those deals then we will focus on that [privatization of Fannie and Freddie]. But what I can tell you is that we are doing a great deal of studying at Treasury because the one requirement for this privatization is that they are privatized in such a way that mortgage spreads do not widen.” To understand how mortgage rates could respond in different Freddie Mac/Fannie Mae release scenarios, read this housing research we published earlier this year. View the full article

Americans’ views of the economy improved in May after five straight months of declines sent consumer confidence to its lowest level since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely driven by anxiety over the impact of President Donald The President’s tariffs. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose 12.3 points in May to 98, up from April’s 85.7, its lowest reading since May 2020. A measure of Americans’ short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market jumped 17.4 points to 72.8, but remained below 80, which can signal a recession ahead. The proportion of consumers surveyed saying they think a U.S. recession is coming in the next 12 months also declined from April. The President’s aggressive and unpredictable policies — including massive import taxes — have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market, raising fears that the American economy is headed toward a recession. However, The President’s tariff pullbacks, pauses and negotiations with some trading partners may have calmed nerves for the time being. “The rebound was already visible before the May 12 US-China trade deal but gained momentum afterwards,” said Stephanie Guichard, senior economist at The Conference Board. The President had initially imposed a stunning 145% tariff on most goods from China, but agreed to a 90-day pause for negotiations. The U.S. also came to an agreement with the U.K. earlier in May. Over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, The President and European Union leaders announced that the president’s 50% tariff on imports from the E.U., which he announced Friday, are on hold until July 9. That announcement would not have impacted the Board’s survey, which closed on May 19. The Conference Board said the rebound in confidence this month was broad-based across all ages and income groups. Consumers’ assessments of the present economic situation also improved, with the exception of their view on job availability, which weakened for the fifth straight month despite another strong U.S. jobs report. However, less than 25% of respondents said they were worried about losing their jobs, compared with the 50% of respondents who said they were concerned about not being able to buy the things they need or want. The Labor Department earlier this month reported that U.S. employers added a surprising 177,000 jobs in April and the unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%. Write-in responses to the survey showed that tariffs are still consumers’ biggest concern. Inflation is also still weighing on their minds, though some noted that inflation seemed to be easing, along with gas prices. Earlier in May, the Commerce Department reported that consumer prices rose just 2.3% in March from a year earlier, down from 2.7% in February. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose 2.6% compared with a year ago, below February’s 3%. Economists track core prices because they typically provide a better read on where inflation is headed. Gas prices have hovered around $3.17 per gallon this month, down from $3.59 a year ago, but up a few pennies from April. The slowdown in inflation could be a temporary respite until the widespread duties imposed by The President begin to push up prices in many categories. Most economists expect inflation to start ticking up in the coming months. Robert Frick, an economist with Navy Federal Credit Union, said that while the tariff rollbacks may have boosted Americans’ confidence this month, that optimism may be fleeting. “When prices start rising from existing tariffs in a month or two, it will be a sobering reminder that a new inflation fight has just begun,” Frick said. The Board’s survey Tuesday also showed that Americans’ plans to spend on homes, cars and vacations also increased from April, with significant gains coming after the May 12 China tariff pause. —Matt Ott, AP business writer View the full article

A federal housing official pledged to take near-term action on credit score costs as two legislators have urged him not to allow fewer credit reports. View the full article

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The reverse stock split, consolidating eight shares into one, is designed to bring the Luxembourg-based company back into listing compliance on Nasdaq. View the full article

One of the most popular smartphone apps in the world has finally come to the iPad. Today, Meta has officially released WhatsApp for iPad. The release comes nearly sixteen years after WhatsApp debuted on the iPhone, and went on to become the de facto messaging app for most of the world. WhatsApp comes to the iPad WhatsApp debuted on the iPhone in 2009, and within just five years, that messaging app had become so popular that Facebook (now Meta) announced in 2014 that it was acquiring it for a staggering $19 billion. But the extraordinary sum Meta paid for WhatsApp seems to have been worth it. On Meta’s financial conference call on April 30, Mark Zuckerberg announced that WhatsApp now has 3 billion monthly active users worldwide. That’s a billion more than the app had just five years earlier in 2020, notes TechCrunch. Outside of the United States and China, where Apple’s iMessage and Tencent’s WeChat respectively dominate the messaging app market, WhatsApp is the preferred communication app for the rest of the world. It’s no wonder, then, that fans of the app have hoped it would come to Apple’s iPad since the tablet was introduced in 2010. Today, those hopes have finally been realized. Meta has now released an updated WhatsApp app on Apple’s App Store that runs natively on both the iPhone and iPad. Based on the App Store listing images, WhatsApp for iPad supports many of the features of WhatsApp for iPhone, including messaging, calls, and app lock. How to get WhatsApp for iPad To get WhatsApp for iPad, go to the App Store on your iPad and search for WhatsApp. You’ll now see the app show up in your search results. Simply click on the “Get” button to download the app (or the cloud download button if you previously downloaded the app to your iPhone). WhatsApp will then install on your iPad, and you’ll be ready to chat on Apple’s tablet. You can check out the App Store listing for WhatsApp for iPad here. What has Meta said about WhatsApp for iPad? Surprisingly, Meta has launched WhatsApp for iPad with little fanfare. As of the time of this writing, Meta has not published any announcement that WhatsApp is now available on the iPad. Even the release notes for the latest build of WhatsApp for iPhone don’t mention that the app now natively supports the iPad (Meta uses a single binary for the iPhone and iPad versions of the app). The only public comment Meta has given about WhatsApp for iPad was in a post on X yesterday. The official WhatsApp account on X replied with an eye emoji to a comment suggesting that the app should be released on the iPad. 👀 https://t.co/RWs0L40cBm — WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) May 26, 2025 Regardless of the lack of fanfare from Meta, WhatsApp and iPad fans will be happy that 15 years after Apple’s tablet debuted, and 16 years after the app debuted, it’s now usable on the iPad. View the full article

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