The historic Buffalo Trace Distillery has temporarily closed after deadly flooding ravaging Kentucky swept into its facilities, forcing the popular bourbon company to turn away the public and staff.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Frankfort, Kentucky-based distillery said it would remain closed through April 10 but warned that date could change.
Due to the unprecedented and ongoing rain and flooding, we are not able to advise on the impact to our total distillery footprint, Buffalo Trace said. We will assess those realities in the coming days as the facilities become safe to navigate and will make necessary adjustments to operations as required.
A spokesperson for Buffalo Trace declined to comment further.
Days of unrelenting torrential rain in Kentucky and across the U.S. South and Midwest have caused catastrophic flooding and raised fears the damage could linger for days as rivers swell. In Frankfort, the Kentucky River curves throughout the capital city and has been known to flood.
On Monday, the river was cresting at Frankfort Lock approaching the record of 48 1/2 feet (14.78 meters) set on Dec. 10, 1978, according to CJ Padgett, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Louisville, Kentucky, office.
Buffalo Trace is far from the only distillery in Kentucky, the home of bourbon country, but it is one of the closest to the banks of the Kentucky River. Notably, the distillery has markers of several high-water marks from previous floods inside its Frankfort buildings, with the most recent being the 1978 flood.
As of Monday, several Buffalo Trace buildings were flooded at lower levels and parking lots and cars were underwater. The water tower bearing the brands logo stood over the visitor center and warehouses that appeared to be inundated with water. Residents stopped to take pictures of the well-known bourbon makers property as it was flooded out. Traffic signs directing trucks and visitors to parking peeked over several feet of rushing water.
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American, family-owned company that has operated for more than 200 years. Its products include the holy grail for bourbon fanatics: Pappy Van Winkle 23-year-old, which can sell for tens of thousands of dollars on resale markets.
Kimberlee Kruesi and Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press
Redbox is getting ready for one final sale.
The defunct DVD rental chains assets, and those of its corporate siblings Crackle and Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, are being auctioned off in New York later this month, according to a court filing published Monday morning.
The asset sale is just the latest chapter in Redboxs tumultuous downfall: Once one of the countrys biggest DVD vendors, the rental chain saw its revenue evaporate overnight during the pandemic, leading to its bankruptcy in June of 2024.
Much of this had to do with consumers switching to streaming, but the exact circumstances of Redboxs demise remain highly contested: Last month, the trustee in charge of the bankruptcy proceedings filed a lawsuit against Chicken Soup for the Soup Entertainments former executives and board, alleging that the company and its subsidiaries were victim of mismanagement and pillaging by insiders on a scale rarely seen with public companies.
For sale: Everything but the kiosks
When the assets of Redbox and its corporate siblings go on sale on April 23, potential buyers will be able to bid on Redboxs and Crackles trademarks, patents and other intellectual property. Among other things, the sale also includes various rights associated with hundreds of movies and TV shows produced and distributed by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment subsidiary Screen Media Films. Titles mentioned in Mondays filing range from Jeepers Creepers to Machine Gun Woman to the 2021 Nicholas Cage flick Willys Wonderland.
While its hard to estimate what the assets will ultimately be selling for, there does appear to be some interest in those film catalogs. The court-appointed trustee noted in a legal filing earlier this year that he had received offers in excess of $100 million.
Notably exempt from the firesale: Redboxs once-ubiquitous red rental kiosks. The filing does not explain why the DVD vending machines arent being sold at this point, but one reason could be that many of them have already found their way to landfills and Ebay auctions.
When Redbox went bankrupt, it still operated about 27,000 kiosks, located in front of grocery stores, pharmacies and other retailers. Redbox had stopped paying many of these retail partners contractually owed commission fees long before it went bankrupt, leading to lawsuits from major chains including CVS and 7-Eleven. After the company went under, the kiosks became even more of a nuisance for retailers, with Albertsons complaining in a legal filing that its electricity bill for the machines amounted to $184,000 a month.
Eventually, the bankruptcy court granted most retailers the right to dispose of the kiosks themselves. A few machines were saved by enthusiasts, while others apparently have been stripped for parts that are now being sold on Ebay.
Wildly unrealistic projections
The story of Redboxs downfall has few parallels in modern corporate history: The company surpassed $1 billion in revenue in 2018, and had long planned a transition to streaming. Those plans were thrown into upheaval when the pandemic hit in 2020, with many of its consumers embracing much-larger streaming competitors like Netflix and Disney+ overnight. Redboxs revenue declined to around $250 million in 2021, and the company was effectively out of money by early 2022.
Thats when Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book publisher, swooped in to acquire Redbox for $375 million. The deal included the assumption of $325 million in debt, but Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainments leadership forecast at the time that DVD rentals would quickly recover.
That didnt happen. Instead, Redboxs revenue continued to crater. The company found itself in a cash crunch, unable to buy new DVDs, which further depressed rentals. In early 2024, the companys cash on hand was so low that it wasnt able to pay most of its bills, even leaving its service technicians stranded because corporate credit cards meant to pay for gas for company vehicles stopped working for days at a time. Employees would later discover that they had lost their health insurance while still working for the company.
This was all too expected, according to the bankruptcy trustee. Redboxs recovery never could have reasonably been expected to happen and were based on wildly unrealistic business projections and plans, the trustee claimed in his recently-filed lawsuit.
The lawsuit also alleges that Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainments corporate leadership used the company as their personal piggy bank by relying on unusual fee arrangements: Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and its subsidiaries were obligated to pay 10% of their revenues to the book publisher every month in exchange for management services as well as the right to use the publishers trademarks.
These fees allegedly ballooned to $18.4 million dollars a year following the Redbox acquisition, despite the fact that Redbox was losing money hand-over-fist. Payments even continued after Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment had stopped paying payroll taxes in late 2023.
The trustee now wants executives to pay back those fees; any money recovered through such legal actions as well as this months auction is likely going to go to the companys primary lender HPS, which is reportedly owed $500 million.
Shopify CEO Tobi Lutke shared an internal memo on X on Monday that stressed the importance of using AI effectively in daily tasks. In fact, he wrote, using AI is now a fundamental expectation of Shopify employees.
Spotify product designers are now expected to use AI tools to do all platform feature prototypes. The results, Lutke says, are more exploratory and faster to produce and share. Shopify already provides employees with access to various AI coding tools from Github (Copilot), Cursor, and Anthropic (Claude code).
Our task here at Shopify is to make our software unquestionably the best canvas on which to develop the best businesses of the future, Lutke wrote in the memo, which he said he posted to X because he believed it was about to be leaked anyhow. We do this by keeping everyone cutting edge and bringing all the best tools to bear . . . for that we need to be absolutely ahead.
Lutke says his company will judge employees in performance reviews on how well they know and use AI tools. Employees are expected to continue to learn about and experiment with new AI tools, and share their findings within the company.
Spotify product designers are now expected to use AI tools to do all platform feature prototypes. The results, Lutke says, are more exploratory and faster to produce and share. Shopify already provides employees with access to various AI coding tools from Github (Copilot), Cursor, and Anthropic (Claude code).
But the new focus on AI tools such as Anthropics Claude and Githubs Copilot may not end at helping clients. Lutke says that before Shopify hires any more humans to work at the company, the hiring managers must explain why an AI tool couldnt do the job.
[T]eams must demonstrate why they cannot get what they want done using AI, he wrote. What would this area look like if autonomous AI agents were already part of the team?
Shopify has been a boon for merchants by providing a comprehensive, user-friendly platform that streamlines the process of establishing and managing online stores.
Our job is to figure out what entrepreneurship looks like in a world where AI is universally available, Lutke wrote in the memo. And I intend for us to do the best possible job of that, and to do that I need everyones help.
For the second time in more than 20 years, the Mega Millions lottery is getting a facelift. Tickets will now be twice as expensive, but prizes will also be biggerand the odds of winning the jackpot have gone up (though your chances of taking home the prize are still infinitesimal).
The new version of Mega Millions rolled out on Saturday, and the updated game will see its first drawing tomorrow. Heres what you need to know about how the game has changed (and what it means for your wallet):
How much are tickets?
As of this Saturday, ticket prices for the Mega Millions have gone from $2 to $5 apiece. According to a press release, the price hike will lead to better odds overall, larger starting jackpots, and faster-growing jackpotsessentially, the more money players pour into tickets, the larger the communal payout pool becomes. Tickets are sold in 45 states, Washington, D.C., and the U.S. Virgin Islands. (The five holdouts are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah.)
This is the second time the Mega Millions has adjusted its game matrix since its inception in 2002. In 2017, ticket prices doubled from $1 to $2, and, per the release, more than 1,200 players have become millionaires since that last change.
How does this change my odds of winning a prize?
The updated game parameters increase players odds of winning any prize from 1 in 24 to 1 in 23.
For those who do win, they can expect an increased payout. A new built-in multiplier feature will automatically increase every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X its base price. Now, non-jackpot prizes will range from $10 to $10 million, compared to the $2 to $1 million scale in the previous game.
Beyond big jackpots, players told us they want bigger non-jackpot prizes and that’s exactly what this new game delivers, Joshua Johnston, lead director of the Mega Millions Consortium, said in the press release. Players who had won $2 in the old game will now take home $10, $15, $20, $25 or $50 under this game.
What will happen to the size of the jackpot?
A few important tweaks have been made to the jackpot. To begin with, every starting jackpot will now reset to $50 million instead of the former $20 million. In addition, the Mega Millions Consortium predicts that jackpots will grow faster under the new guidelines, estimating that the average jackpot win in the new game will be more than $800 million vs. approximately $450 million in the current game.
This set-up might mean more jackpot wins passing the billion dollar threshold going forward, a payout phenomenon thats happened just seven times since the lotterys creation.
How does this change my odds of winning the jackpot?
Your odds of winning the jackpot have just jumped from 1 in 302,575,350 to 1 in 290,472,336.
That might seem like a fairly sizable increase, but its less impressive when you realize that your chances of getting struck by lightning within the year are 1 in 700,000. In other words, dont get your hopes up.
When is the first drawing under the new structure?
Mega Millions drawings take place every Tuesday and Friday at 11 p.m. ET, meaning the first drawing under the new game structure is tomorrow night. You can catch the drawing live on TV stations including ABC, CBS, and NBC or on the Mega Millions website, and past recordings are posted to the Mega Millions YouTube channel.
As the European Union looks at how best to respond to Donald Trump’s trade war, officials are considering further escalating things, taking them to a point where it could really hurt Big Tech companies.
Sophie Primas, a spokesperson for the French government, said the EU is deciding on its response to Trump’s blanket tariffs that would include not just tech goods, but tech services as well, an area where the U.S. enjoys a massive trade surplus. That would potentially target companies like Google, Meta, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft and X.
Apple is already under pressure as tariffs on imported goods will likely result in higher prices for the company’s products, such as the iPhone and iPad, but Microsoft’s stock has largely escaped the drubbing other tech companies have seen on Wall Street since Trump announced the tariffs. (Shares are down just 5% in the past five days vs. 10% for Nvidia and 18% for Apple.)
That’s because Microsoft’s chief products are software and services, such as cloud storage and Microsoft 365. Should the EU place tariffs on those, it would cause more pain for tech companies, which are already sore after a series of tariff-inspired body blows in recent days.
Other examples of tech services include Googles ad and cloud network; Meta’s ad network as well as the Quest (and digital store); Apple’s Music, Arcade and TV+ offerings; Amazon’s Web Services and Prime loyalty program; and X’s AI offering and planned financial services unit.
The nuclear option
The EU, it’s important to note, has not imposed these reciprocal tariffs yet. On Monday, the European Commission said it had offered a “zero-for-zero” tariff proposal to Washington. Michal Baranowski, deputy economy minister of Poland, following a meeting by the Commission Monday, said EU officials did not want to be “trigger-happy.” (Elon Musk has espoused a similar zero tariff proposal, in a video call to Italy’s right-wing, co-ruling League Party.)
The White House has, so far, shrugged off talk of “zero tariffs,” with Peter Navarro, Trump’s top trade advisor who is seen as the architect of the tariff plan, dismissing Musk as a “car assembler” that relies on parts from other countries.
“When it comes to tariffs and trade, we all understand in the White Houseand the American people understandthat Elon is a car manufacturer, but he’s not a car manufacturer. He’s a car assembler,” Navarro said. “He’s a car person. That’s what he does, and he wants the cheap foreign parts.”
Should the Trump administration refuse to deal, which has not yet been discussed, EU officials said nothing was off the table, though there appears to be different schools of thought among members about whether placing a tariff on services would be wise.
Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris said doing so would be “very much the nuclear option.”
The likelihood of putting tariffs on services is part of what the EU calls the anti-coercion instrument (ACI). Adopted in 2023, it was designed to defend the EU against a trade war with China, but now it’s being seen as a tool to battle Trump, if necessary. Some EU officials refer to it as the “bazooka”.
The ACI has wide ranging potential powers. It can be used to limit American banks’ access to certain EU markets or it could also increase tax and regulatory pressure on American digital platforms, said European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen last week.
Talk that the EU could be considering a tariff on services from U.S tech companies comes as the market continues to show extreme volatility. On Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average saw trading range from 36,705 to 39,198- a nearly 2,500-point swing.
Do you think you could live with no money? asks shady patriarch Timothy Ratliff (Jason Isaacs) in the season three finale of HBO hit The White Lotus. I mean, no money, no house, nothing.
In a remarkable, if not exactly serendipitous coincidence, the show comes out at a time when fiscal austerity is top-of-mind for so many Americans. (And fair warning: spoilers ahead.)
Perhaps the biggest moral quandary of the series third season belongs to Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook). Stuck within the lush, amenity-packed grounds of the titular Thai resort, Piper is convinced shed rather spread her budding Buddhist wings at a nearby monastery. Her arc throughout the season hinges on whether she will ultimately be willing to cast off her familys estimable fortune and embrace a monks spartan living conditions for a year or more.
Complicating this decision, unbeknownst to her, Pipers father Timothy has just become embroiled in a federal finance investigation, and it appears the familys fortunes are about to go up in smoke. Whether Piper chooses to live in the monastery or not, her lifestyle is about to inadvertently become far more monk-like. Thats why Timothy spends much of the season feeling out each family member about whether they could (hypothetically!) live without a cushioning biome of wealth.
Interestingly, several MAGA-friendly influencers have spent the past few days in a Timothy Ratliff-like quest to prepare their supporters for lean times ahead.
Their approach might be even less straightforward, though.
Ask any billionaire what success means. They wont say more money. They wont say more stuff. Theyll say: My Family, wrote popular conservative commentator Benny Johnson in a post on X last Friday. It was one of multiple tweets downplaying the importance of materialism, just as markets crashed around the globe in direct response to policies he supports. Johnson is far from alone, either, in spreading this anti-prosperity gospel.
Right-leaning YouTuber Jeremy Hambly, who goes by the handle The Quarterling, tweeted on Thursday about the unimportance of worldly possessions in the grand scheme of things. (You do NOT need the new iPad, he posted on X. You do NOT need the new Cell Phone. You do NOT need the new video game console. You WANT them.) Meanwhile, MAGA influencer Milo Yiannopoulos tweeted about how men with BS email jobs will find more satisfaction in life from working in factories againan outcome current Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick also suggests is on the way.
It remains unclear whether any of these content creators plan on joining their followers in glorious servitude for the greater good. What seems obvious, though, is that the sudden pivot to Walden-like simplicity, among supporters of a tax cut-craving cabinet of billionaires, sure seems like a coping mechanism for crashing markets.
As for The White Lotuss Piper, her journey toward monastic enlightenment ended with a reluctant embrace of material wealth. Despite her admiration for head monk Luang Por Teera (Suthichai Yoon) and her discomfort with economic inequality, she chooses a life of comfort.
I know that Im not supposed to be attached to this kind of stuff and I dont want to think that I am, she said. But, like I think I am. I know I am.
Elsewhere on the show, Belinda Lindsey (Natasha Rothwell) accepts a $5 million bribe rather than inform on globetrotting murderer Greg Hunt (Jon Gries.) Apparently, she was unwilling to settle for an ethically pure but far less materially satisfying lifestyle. Belindas betrayal of her own morals packs even more of a punch given that her new windfall leads her to abandon business plans with new paramour Pornchai (Dom Hetrakul). Its a direct echo of how Jennifer Coolidges socialite Tanya McQuoid bailed on her plan to finance Belindas own spa in the first season finale. Although a character whom the audience is meant to root for does indeed sail off into the sunset $5 million richer, its by no means a happy ending.
Piper, meanwhile, is set to be force-fed the spartan lifestyle she just opted out of. Like much of the series altogether, the finale archly illustrates moneys corrosive effects; the way it eats through our morality and higher reasoning. The ending of White Lotus highlights the fact that almost nobody would willingly give up any of their own material comfortat a time when Trump supporters are being asked to embrace just such a mindset of scarcity.
Trump has telegraphed, again and again, that some temporary pain would accompany his not-even-half-baked tariff strategy. Now that the pain is right at Americans doorsteps, along with the rest of the worlds, Trumps messengers have changed their tune. The pain, it seems, might not be temporary, nor should it be perceived as pain. Will the MAGA faithful be willing to recalibrate their values as prices rise and 401ks fall? That remains to be seen.
Perhaps theyll never need to do so. Trump could decide tomorrow that his approach to tariffs needs some rejiggering, and the markets might stabilize as a result. Until then, the only new mindset one might do well to embrace is one of uncertainty. As The White Lotuss head monk says in the finale: It is easier to be patient once we finally accept there is no resolution.
If you’ve ever battled your way through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at rush hour, you know that comfort can feel like a luxury. Between TSA lines, flight delays, and a race to find a seat with an outlet, air travel isnt always relaxing. Thats exactly the stress Delta is trying to relieve with the launch of its newest Sky Club in Atlanta Mondayits biggest yet by guest count.
Located in Concourse D, the new 24,000-square-foot space is the eighth Delta lounge in ATL and is designed to offer more breathing room, literally and figuratively. With seating for 506 guests, its the second-largest Sky Club by square footage in the airportbut the largest when it comes to sheer capacity.
This lounge is not just about space, Dwight James, S.V.P. of Customer Engagement & Loyalty for Delta Air Lines tells Fast Company. Its about experience. Its about hospitality. Were always looking for ways to reduce the stress that naturally builds up during travel, especially right after TSA. Thats the moment we think about the mosthow do we help someone shift from feeling anxious to feeling cared for?
Hospitality meets hometown pride
The lounge includes amenities aimed at all types of travelers: a 16-seat bar, theater-style media wall, soundproof phone booths, and ample workspace. Floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views of the airfield. Theres a full buffet and two beverage stations.
But beyond the layout and amenities, what makes this club unique is its sense of place. Delta leaned into Atlantas dual identity: Southern charm meets city sophistication. We always try to bring in local flavor, James explains. Youll see that in the art, in the design choices. When people visit our lounges, we want them to feel something familiar, like a quiet respite. Something that reminds them of homeeven if theyre far from it.
[Photo: Delta]
We always try to bring in local flavor, James explains. Youll see that in the art, in the design choices. When people visit our lounges, we want them to feel something familiar, like a quiet respite. Something that reminds them of homeeven if theyre far from it.
In this case, theres a custom tile mural of lush greenery behind the buffeta subtle nod to Atlantas nickname, City in a Forest. Guests riding the elevator are greeted by a vibrant mural featuring magnolias and dogwoods by local artist Ryan Coleman, and the lounge also features sepia-toned photography from Pam Moxley that manages to make you nostalgic for summer eveningseven if youre en route to Minneapolis.
Were not just building lounges as places to sit before a flight, says James. Were building experiences. Our goal is that when someone leaves the lounge, they carry that feeling with them onto the aircraft.
Solving the lounge crowding problem
Of course, as any frequent flyer knows, lounges can get crowded. Really crowded. Delta faced backlash (and some angry Reddit threads) when it rolled out changes to its loyalty program for SkyMiles members last year, intended to help with overcrowding.
Change is hard when youre emotionally connected to a brand, James admitted. But it also showed us how passionate people are about Delta. We made some tweaks, and now were seeing record engagement.
According to Delta, credit card signups are at an all-time high. Base-tier membersthose who havent yet earned statusare rating the SkyMiles program higher than before. And for travelers who hit top-tier Diamond Medallion status, new incentives are now built in to keep them engaged past the finish line.
We want to make it feel like, hey, Delta sees me, James said. Even after Ive hit my status, theres still more value to earn.The new space in Concourse D is also meant to help with overflow, especially in a city that accounts for nearly a third of Delta lounge visits systemwide. ATL handles nearly 1,000 peak-day departures to over 200 destinations worldwide.
Weve taken steps to ensure our most premium customers get the experience they deserve, said James. But we also want our lounges to feel more welcoming. Thats why were continuing to modernize and expandnot just in Atlanta, but across our network.
That roadmap includes upcoming lounge openings in Seattle and Salt Lake City, plus future expansions in Philadelphia and Denver. But in Atlanta, the focus is on more than just expanding the physical footprint. Its also about making lounges feel like experiences rather than just rooms with snacks and decent Wi-Fi.
We may have a local chef come in and do a live demo, or even set up something like a farmers market-style event, James said. People walk in and are like, ‘Wait, is that a chef? In the airport?’ Its something different, something memorable.
The goal, he added, is to build those moments into Deltas broader loyalty strategynot just offering a clean seat and a drink, but creating a kind of brand consistency from the lounge to the gate to the air.
[Photo: Delta]
Its a different kind of energy. It surprises people in a good way, he says. These curated experiences tie into how we think about loyaltybecause for us, loyalty isnt just about a program. Its about giving people reasons to choose Delta again.
The new lounge arms race
As a whole, airlines are expected to cut 2025 outlooks when they report earnings starting this week (Delta’s earning are expected Wednesday). Last month, Delta cut its first-quarter expectation citing weaker-than-expected corporate and leisure bookingsanother reason for the airline and others to focus on their high-spending travelers.
Delta isnt the only airline rethinking the lounge experience. United Airlines recently announced it is raising fees for its airport lounge memberships and co-branded credit cards, part of a broader effort to manage crowding and cater to high-spending travelers. The new structure introduces two tiers: $750 annually for individual United Club access, or $1,400 to bring up to two guestsmore than double the previous cost for a guest-inclusive pass.
Yes, there are fee increases, United MileagePlus head Richard Nunn told reporters last month, but we were very, very cognizant of ensuring that the value increments and the benefits that are delivered outweigh any increase. Like Delta, United is leaning into perks like rideshare credits, award flight discounts, and lounge upgrades to retain loyalty in a market where travelers are demanding more than just a comfy seat and free snacks.
Capital One, a relative newcomer to the airport lounge space, is also making moves. Since opening its first lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport in 2021, the company has gradually expanded to five locations, including Washington D.C.s Reagan and Dulles airports, as well as Denver and Las Vegas. By the end of 2025, that number is expected to grow to seven, with new lounges planned for New Yorks JFK, and a Capital One Landing at LaGuardia.
While still small compared to legacy players like American Express, Capital Ones lounges are carving out a niche by partnering with local businessesthink regional breweries, bakeries, and distilleriesto create a more personalized, locally inspired experience. As Jenn Scheurich, head of Capital One Travel, puts it: We honestly always want to make sure the local market is represented everywhere we go.
Deltas investment in this new Sky Club fits into a broader effort to modernize and expand its lounge network. Other clubs in Atlantaspecifically in Concourses A and Care set for updates. The expansion of Concourse D will also allow Delta to operate more gates and accommodate larger aircraft.
And its not just Atlanta. Later this year, the airline will open a Delta One Lounge and a new Sky Club in Seattle, with additional projects planned for Salt Lake City, Philadelphia, and Denver.
Nations are trying to reach an agreement to charge commercial vessels a fee for their emissions in what would effectively be the worlds first global carbon tax.
The International Maritime Organization, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee meets Monday through Friday in London.
The committee, comprised of IMO member states, is working to approve proposed new global regulations to put a price on maritime greenhouse gas emissions and to set a marine fuel standard to phase in cleaner fuels.
The measures are more than climate aspirations they will become mandatory for ships operating globally, said IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez, who thinks the industry must do more to cut carbon pollution. The committee will set the course for a net-zero future for the maritime sector, he told The Associated Press in a statement Thursday.
The future of clean shipping hangs in the balance, said Emma Fenton, senior director for climate diplomacy at a U.K.-based climate change nonprofit, Opportunity Green. Fenton said a high price, simple flat-rate levy on shippings greenhouse gas emissions is the only way to decarbonize the industry equitably.
If an agreement is reached, it would represent a huge moment of solidarity in the fight to tackle climate change, Fenton said. For the first time, we will have, hopefully, an effective global framework tackling this international issue. Most emissions are tackled domestically.”
Heres what to know:
What are the talks about?
Emissions from shipping have increased over the last decade to about 3% of the global total, according to the United Nations as vessels have gotten much bigger, delivering more cargo per trip and using immense amounts of fuel oil.
Maritime nations agreed in 2023 to slash emissions from the shipping industry, though several experts and nations were critical of the deal since it did not set 2050 as a hard date. The IMO is now in the process of adopting regulations to achieve the goals agreed to in 2023.
Why are they important to the world?
A simple climate levy paired with a green fuel standard would help narrow the price gap between fossil fuels and green fuels, such as hydrogen, methanol and ammonia, according to the Global Maritime Forum, a nonprofit that works closely with the industry. Shipping relies heavily on fossil fuels and the sector won’t transition off those on its own, said Jesse Fahnestock, who leads the forums decarbonization work. And it will take time to build up a supply of e-fuels based on renewable electricity so investments need to happen now, he added.
Most ships today run on heavy fuel oil, releasing carbon dioxide and other pollutants as it’s burned. Dominguez has said that major decarbonizing requires an overhaul of shipping fuel.
The Clean Shipping Coalition is calling on governments to commit to a high price on all ship emissions and a strong fuel standard. The alliance of environmental non-profits is also urging countries to revise the IMO’s tool for measuring a ship’s carbon intensity, to quantify and raise their efficiency transparently and drive down the amount of fuel burned long-term.
What is the status of the negotiations?
Led by Pacific island nations, whose very existence is threatened by climate change, more than 60 countries support a flat levy per metric ton of emissions to reach net zero in a fair way. The shipping industry supports a fee, too. The International Chamber of Shipping represents over 80% of the worlds merchant fleet. Its secretary general, Guy Platten, said a pricing mechanism for maritime emissions is a pragmatic solution and the most effective way to incentivize a rapid energy transition in shipping.
Some countries, notably China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, want a credit trading model instead of a fixed levy, where ships get credits for staying under their emissions target and ships purchase credits if they go over. Other countries want a compromise between the two models.
Some fear that anything short of a universal levy would jeopardize climate goals and allow wealthier ship owners to buy compliance while continuing to pollute. Ambassador Albon Ishoda, Marshall Islands special envoy for maritime decarbonization, said IMO’s climate targets are meaningless without the levy. Revenue from a levy could be used to help developing countries transition to greener shipping, so they aren’t left behind with dirty fuels and old ships.
What’s expected by the end of the meeting?
If the committee agrees and finalizes text for the regulations, they could be formally adopted in October and take effect in 2027. That could send a powerful signal that the green transition is happening and that it’s possible for a global industry, according to the IMO.
The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press
Over the past decade, weve seen Cheetos and its Flamin Hot flavor brand pop up in some fun and unexpected places. There was the Spotted Cheetah pop-up NYC restaurant in 2017. The Hollywood pop-up with chef Roy Choi in 2018 called the Cheetos Flamin Hot Spot. A taco at Taco Bell. There was a Forever 21 apparel collection in 2019. A nail polish with Dipwell. A Dr. Squatch soap. And, of course, a pair of Crocs. Parent company Frito-Lay has sprinkled Flamin Hot across products like Doritos, Ruffles, Lays, Funyuns, Smartfood, and even in a limited edition of Mountain Dew.
But Jack Black escalated things to previously unpredictable levels on Saturday Night Live this weekend, in a spoof that imagined Flamin Hot in an entirely unprecedented product category.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Saturday Night Live (@nbcsnl)
Even Chester Cheetah was disgusted with the Preparation H collab.
The Cheetos SNL Canon
This is a more-than-worthy addition to the Cheetos SNL canon. The brand has been spoofed and referenced several times over the years. In 2019, Woody Harrelson played a man who opened a World’s Biggest Cheeto Museum.
And of course, there is 2017s brilliant Pitch Meeting sketch, in which the misguided definition of brand purpose is taken to the extreme.
We may be cresting peak brand collab, with so many constantly rolling out that it takes the most wild and wildly creative to even make a ripple. Liquid Death has become a master at navigating this, but for so many brands these efforts come and go with little fanfare.
Cheetos may be the perfect brand through which to satirize broader brand culture. Its beloved in a way that is self-aware and silly. It has utilized brand collabs and limited products cleverly enough that absurd spoofs are just this close to actually being believable.
Frito-Lay has not yet responded to a request for comment on whether this was an official brand partnership with the show. But I hope it is. Just as Kraft Heinz is mulling the potential of its unofficial role in Seth Rogens show The Studio, Cheetos extending its self-awareness and sense of humor in this way would be an incredibly spicy way to evolve how brands play in entertainment.
Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of cities, towns, and villages across the country on Saturday. They were protesting the Trump administrations deep budget and staffing cuts, funding freezes, tariffs, and other actions that they believe threaten democracy, economic stability, and the fabric of American life.
The national day of action to stop the most brazen power grab in modern history was organized by the nonprofits MoveOn, Third Act, Indivisible, and nearly 200 other groups working on behalf of climate action, civil rights, seniors, workers, veterans, corporate accountability, and many more issues.
Opponents of the Trump administration flocked to Hands Off! protests around the San Francisco Bay Area. People voiced their concerns about the breakneck pace at which Trump officials are dismantling the machinery of government and firing the public servants who make it run.
More than 1,500 people crowded the streets around a BART station in North Berkeley, chanting Not my president! and People over profit. A steady stream of cars honked in support. As drummers infused energy into the crowd, a woman shouted through a bullhorn, Ive seen smarter cabinets at IKEA.
Lisa Oglesby organized the Hands Off! protest in Berkeley. [Photo: Liza Gross/Inside Climate News]
Berkeley resident Lisa Oglesby, 70, organized the protest even though shes never been a big protester.
Oglesby, a retired information security consultant, said she couldnt stand by and do nothing. I am appalled at whats going on in the country, and I know everyone else is too, but we need to know were all in this together.
Laurie Baumgarten, who has worked on climate issues for the last 20 years, said shes against the entire Trump agenda but focuses primarily on climate. Baumgarten said she has joined 1000 Grandmothers for Future Generations, an organization of elder women and allies from Berkeley and Oakland raising awareness about the urgency of the climate crisis.
Baumgarten has been working to support California legislation to make polluters pay. This could shift the massive financial burden of the climate crisis from taxpayerswho face ever-rising insurance rates, healthcare costs, and devastation from extreme weather disastersto the fossil fuel companies that are driving climate change.
Oil and gas companies have been covering up what they knew about fossil fuel pollution since the 1970s, Baumgarten said, including the fact that burning fossil fuels contributes to global warming. And here we are now facing these disasters, and they have the money to pay for it out of their profits, she said.
Particularly since the L.A. fires, its important that we the taxpayers get help paying for all of this cleanup, she said.
Los Angeles, April 5th, 2025. [Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News/Getty Images]
Some people at the protestsincluding teachers, Defense Department employees, and other federal workerswere willing to speak their minds but said they did not want to be quoted. These people said they were worried about experiencing backlash from the government or at their workplaces.
Asked for comment about the demonstrations, White House spokeswoman Liz Huston did not address the tariffs or research cuts that many protesters referenced.
President Trumps position is clear: He will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries, Huston said in a statement. Meanwhile, the Democrats stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.
Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb speaks to a large crowd in Pittsburgh at one of the Hands Off demonstrations around the country. [Video: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News]
Devastated Infrastructure
Demonstrations in major cities in Massachusetts, Illinois, and New York drew huge crowds, and organizers said there were plans for protests in all 50 states. In Pennsylvania, a key battleground state during the presidential election, crowds in Pittsburgh filled the city blocks and parking lots leading to the City-County building before noon.
Steve Plant drove from the suburb of Wexford to protest the Trump administrations canceling of federal science grants and efforts. His wife, the director of quality control for a private company based in Madrid, lost her job this week because of the cuts. An audit that the company expected from the Food and Drug Administration was derailed by budget slashing, he said, and now his wife was unexpectedly out of a job.
The private company where she worked for 35 years said to hell with the U.S., Plant said.
We were planning to retire and now shes job hunting, he said. Plant worked as a contractor and he and his wife had a retirement nest egg. Right now, I dont want to look at how it.” It has been affected by the stock market plunge that followed tariffs announced by President Donald Trump, he said. His people dont care if people like us have enough to retire.
Natalie Williams, 7, and her sister, Laila, 9, made signs to protest the impacts to their grandmothers retirement. Cathy Brunner, 69, their grandmother, and their mother, Chelsea Brunner, 33, brought them to the Hands Off rally in Pittsburgh. [Photo: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News]
Chelsea Brunner drove with her two daughters and her mother from Ross Township, north of Pittsburgh. Brunner, 33, works as a pharmacy benefits manager. Her mother, Cathy, is a legal assistant who at age 69 is still working. Chelsea, a 10-month-old orphan in Guatemala when Cathy adopted her and her sister, was near tears as she described why her family was protesting.
Shes worked so hard her whole life, Chelsea said of her mother.
Cathy said she has had sleepless nights watching her 401(k) dwindle from stock market losses under Trump. Im losing $8,000 a day, Cathy said. I wanted to throw up.
Her granddaughters, Natalie, 7, and Laila, 9, were there with hand-written signs demanding hands off their grandmothers retirement savings.
Subha Das spoke to the crowd from the steps of the City-County building about his love for and work in scientific research. That is what propelled him to move from India to America decades ago.
Now an associate professor at Carnegie Mellon University, he appealed to people to keep vigilant about the cuts that are gutting research and ambitions.
We cant do this on our own, he said about how scientists are coping with the losses. Im speaking out because Im concerned about the future of America.
Later, in an interview about medical research in the United States, he said: America has set the standard all over the world. That infrastructure has just been devastated.
Subha Das, a researcher, spoke at a crowded Hands Off rally in Pittsburgh on April 5, 2025. [Photo: Christine Spolar/Inside Climate News]
Stop Stealing Our Data!
At the main rally in Washington, D.C., people held mass-produced signs reading Some cuts dont heal, referring to the inability to repair gutted government infrastructure and expertise that took decades to build.
U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) gave a shout out to the people of Wisconsin, who voted against a state supreme court judge backed by Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump donor whose so-called Department of Government Efficiency has driven the federal cuts.
Dallas, April 5, 2025. [Photo: Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images]
They showed America that organized people who want nothing but freedom can defeat organized billionaires who want nothing but power, Raskin said.
Here in America, Mr. Musk, justice is not for sale, Raskin said. And we dont raffle off state supreme court judgeships for million-dollar prizes. Stop trying to buy our votes, stop ripping off our government and stop stealing our data, he yelled, referring to the thousands of web pages and datasets scrubbed from federal agency websites.
Cathy Kennedy, a registered nurse and president of National Nurses United, the largest union and professional association of registered nurses, said she and her colleagues have long fought for Medicare for all because they believe healthcare is a human right.
Healthcare is not just about medical treatment, its also about the world we live in and the support systems we all rely on, said Kennedy, naming as examples Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This current administration wants to weaken and privatize those programs that have helped millions of people stay alive, housed and cared for.
Without these programs, she added, vulnerable seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and veterans will suffer.
The current administration wants a society where the wealthy and powerful get richer while the rest of us struggle, Kennedy said. They say people should be responsible for themselves while theyre handing out billions in tax breaks, subsidies, and bailouts to giant corporations. No way! she yelled, as the crowd cheered.
Liza Gross and Christine Spolar, Inside Climate News
This article originally appeared on Inside Climate News. It is republished with permission. Sign up for their newsletter here.
