The U.S. federal disaster agency FEMA has sharply reduced training for state and local emergency managers ahead of the start of the hurricane season on June 1, according to current and former officials, memos seen by Reuters, and three sources familiar with the situation.
The training cutbacks could leave storm-prone communities less prepared to handle the often devastating aftermath of hurricanes, the sources and some of the current and former officials warned.
Leading forecasters predict a busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season this year, with 17 named tropical storms, including nine hurricanes.
If state directors and local emergency managers are not briefed on the federal government’s latest tools and resources, it will impact their ability to prepare for and warn communities of impending storms, said Deanne Criswell, who headed FEMA during President Joe Biden’s administration.
Some 2,000 FEMA employees – or about a third of full-time staff – have been fired or accepted incentives to quit since President Donald Trump took office in January and declared that the agency should be abolished and its functions handed over to the states.
Last week, Trump fired FEMA’s acting chief, Cameron Hamilton, a day after Hamilton told lawmakers that the agency should be preserved.
Hamilton’s successor, David Richardson, told FEMA employees on Friday that he would “run right over” any staff opposed to his implementation of Trump’s vision for a smaller agency.
Online training
FEMA’s National Hurricane Program and the National Hurricane Center typically conduct in-person workshops and presentations for state and local emergency officials each spring to help them prepare for hurricane season.
These training sessions are used to share the latest data on hurricane modeling, build relationships between local, state and FEMA officials to improve coordination on disaster preparedness and relief, and review evacuation routes and other planning measures.
Relationship building is critical for coordination in the event of a storm, according to three emergency managers and experts. Some planned hurricane training sessions and workshops have been moved online.
FEMA, which is overseen by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, confirmed the training cutbacks in a statement to Reuters.
“At the direction of President Trump and Secretary Noem, we’re done offering duplicate trainings that promote waste, fraud and abuse and that are not a good use of American taxpayers,” the statement said.
“The National Hurricane Program continues to deliver readiness trainings ahead of the 2025 Hurricane Season to emergency managers nationwide with virtual trainings.”
Steve Still, the emergency manager for New Hanover County, a hurricane hotspot on North Carolina’s Atlantic Coast, said online training, while useful, was less effective than in-person events.
“If there’s any practical applications or exercises, you need in-person training,” Still said.
Despite the reduced training, emergency management officials in North Carolina and Louisiana – states regularly battered by hurricanes – told Reuters they have FEMA-certified trainers on staff who can lead in-person disaster training.
“FEMA courses have continued as planned in the state without issue,” said Justin J. Graney, a spokesman for North Carolina Emergency Management.
Travel restrictions
Since February 5, FEMA staff have been barred from travel unrelated to disaster deployment and other limited purposes. Since early March, staff must have their speaking engagements and presentation materials approved by the Office of External Affairs and Office of Chief Counsel, according to two internal memos seen by Reuters.
Few speaking requests have been approved, leading the National Hurricane Program to cancel some trainings for emergency managers in storm-prone areas or move them online, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Organizers of April’s National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans canceled several FEMA-led sessions – including one aimed at helping emergency managers make evacuation decisions during hurricanes – after FEMA staff dropped out due to the travel restrictions, said John Wilson, chairman of the conference.
Wilson said the director of the National Hurricane Center usually speaks at the conference about lessons learned from past hurricane season and shares forecasting model updates, but did not this year.
“It was kind of bizarre to have a National Hurricane Conference without the National Hurricane Center director opening it up,” Wilson said.
NHC Director Michael Brennan said in a statement that he did not attend the conference due to travel restrictions but noted that the center recently organized a virtual course with 500 participants. He said the NHC’s “dialogue with partners continues and remains unchanged.”
Concerns
Lynn Budd, president of the National Emergency Management Association, an organization of state emergency managers, and director of the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security, said states need more time and resources if they are expected to make up for cuts to FEMA staff and activities.
“There is room to reduce the footprint of FEMA in their regular deployment activities, but there is also expertise provided by FEMA for state and local jurisdictions that the states simply dont have at this time,” Budd said.
NEMA would not comment specifically on the reduced trainings.
The lack of training sessions at disaster preparedness conferences leaves state and local emergency managers more vulnerable to inaccurate or inadequate advice ahead of the storm season, said Bryan Koon, the former head of Floridas Division of Emergency Management who now heads a disaster preparedness consultancy.
“These conferences are really important, because lots of FEMA trainings are normally done at them,” Koon said. “Thats one of the critical things new information is released to state and local emergency managers.”
If local emergency managers are not trained in new forecasting models, for example, then there might be critical information the public won’t get ahead of a hurricane, Koon said.
Leah Douglas, Nathan Layne, Nichola Groom and Tim Reid, Reuters
The rideshare market has reached a crossroads. Autonomous vehicles are on the rise, driver unrest is mounting, and customers are questioning everything from pricing to trust and safety. In the midst of it all, Lyft is mounting a comeback. CEO David Risher, who came into the role at Lyft two years ago, is taking a birds-eye view on the operation and pushing to reposition the company squarely against their competitor, Uberwith faster execution, bold new programs, and Lyfts biggest international acquisition to date.
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 todays top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode.
[A recent letter you wrote to shareholders] includes this phrase “falcon mode,” which has also sparked a bunch of interest. I wanted to ask you to explain, what is falcon mode?
So falcons fly thousands of feet in the air. But of course, they can’t stay up there always because theyve got to eat. So falcons have adapted to become extremely perceptive at seeing very small things on the ground and then being able to dive down very, very quickly, grab the mouse or whatever it is, and then go back up to cruising altitude.
I use that kind of figurative language to help my team actually understand my job, which is to try to stay up at the high level. I mean, a CEO doesn’t hopefully need to be in the details every single day, but I have never found a successful CEO, and I’ve worked for some very successful CEOs, I’m very lucky in that way, who doesn’t also judiciously decide when to come down and to go really, really deep into the things, to get to the point where you’re literally saying, “You know what, I think this language on the screen isn’t quite doing the job,” as an example.
How much of that is about you identifying something that’s strategic that you could have seen at 30,000 feet that maybe others are missing versus pointing to your team that this is the way you want them to act?
I think if you never do it yourself, if all you’re doing is telling your team, “Go look at this, go look at this, go look at this, go look at this,” I think the chance of you having good intuition on that, where to actually go deep, is low. But then on the other hand, hopefully they see you doing it, and they become comfortable themselves.
And again, I want to make a distinction: you haven’t mentioned the word micromanagement, but that’s a word that sometimes people say, “Well, doesn’t that sound like micromanagement?” And for me, the distinction I make is I try, again, sometimes unsuccessfully to be clear, but I try not to use it as a way to propose answers. Of course, sometimes I do. I’m a human being, I have ideas, but I try more to use it as a way to understand a problem space better.
A story I tell in the letter is you can understand the issue of surge pricing at a generic level. People don’t like prices that are unpredictable, and that gives you a certain amount of insight. But when I drove and I picked up a woman named Anne, and she said, “Sometimes the price is 20, sometimes it’s 30, sometimes it’s 40. When it’s 20, I take a Lyft. When it’s 40, I drive myself, but I’m really annoyed. I get up at six in the morning, just check the price every single morning.” You have these conversations, and you get so much more empathy and understanding for the contours of that problem and why it matters so much at an individual level.
And then you can go back to your team and say, “You know what, guys, I know we’ve been talking about trying to get rid of surge pricing or at least some of it for a while. Let me give you some examples that I’ve picked up by going deep that maybe help us understand both why this is a big problem for people and maybe understand, as I say, the contours of this space a little bit better as a result.”
And so this is why you get on the road and you drive a Lyft every six weeks for a day, so you’re close to the experience of both sides of your marketplace, the driver and the rider.
It’s exactly it. And it’s so interesting. I actually took my first drive, I think it was a week before I joined even. So it’s been a little bit over two years now. And at first what I really thought it was going to be is really understanding the driver app and the driver experience. And I learned a lot, but what it’s really taught me is how the rider experiences the ride. And it’s so different to look at the data versus talk to the riders and ask them, “Why did you choose Lyft today versus the other guys? What are some of the perceptions you have?”
And sometimes people talk about a credit card deal we have with Chase Sapphire Reserve, and sometimes people will talk about a bad experience they had on the other guys. Sometimes they’ll talk about how they think they like our values better or they like Women+ Connect, which is a service we have. So you get a sense of both sides of the marketplace, and it’s quite efficient. I mean, it’s only two or three hours, and gosh, you can learn a lot in two or three hours if you really, really focus on them.
You have more riders than ever, you have more drivers than ever, but you’re still far behind Uber, which has 75% of the market or something. I mean, we’ve heard a lot about the streaming wars in TV, and there’s arguably a ridesharing war going on. Do you have to beat Uber to become like Netflix in streaming, or is it just about staying competitive? You don’t have to be Netflix. If you can be BritBox, and that’s you, that’s okay.
So a couple of things I think about that, every year just in the U.S., so we’re not even talking about overseas, just in the U.S., people take about 160 billion rides in their own car, 160 billion. So every single one of those rides, they’re getting behind the wheel, their stress level is probably going up a little bit, hopefully they’re not texting, but they’re certainly tempted to text every time they come to a stoplight, they’re road rage sometimes, frustrated. At the very least, they’re not able to do very much else with their life, and then they got to park, and then they got to pay for parking, and all these different things.
So there are a lot of times where, you know what, it’s actually kind of nice to have someone else pick you up. You can do the texting, you can sit back, you can make a phone call if you want to, you can put on your makeup if you’re a woman, whatever it is, guy too, whoever. So the point is it’s a better experience, and we want to do it so reliably and at such a high service level that we move from, call it, 800 million rides a year, which is about what we do, to a billion to two billion to three billion to four billion.
So do I have to compete with someone else to do that? Not really. Now, we have to compete with private cars, and to a certain extent, with people staying at home on their couch. I mean, hose are things I have to compete with, but I don’t really need to dominate the other guy.
Now, having said that, there is another guy in the marketplace. Our share when I joined was about 26% share. Now it’s about 31% share. So we’ve made nice progress there, and that’s hard. I mean, every single point of share you get over a bigger competitor is quite hard.
I’ll give you two stats that I’m very proud of. One is we pick you up about 30 seconds faster than they do. Second is for our drivers, we have a 23-point advantage, 23-point advantage in preference of dual-appers, people who use both apps. Who would you prefer to drive for?
So I consider those to be very good leading early indicators that we’re doing some things well. The share thing is a little bit of a trailing indicator. It’s just an interesting little thing to look at. Leading indicator is more to people like you more, you get better service. And over time, that tends to grow a business quite nicely.
Now that the 100 men vs. one gorilla debate has been settled, a new question is circulating on social media: Who would win, 100 Americans or 100 Brits?
British creator @2mwad_ first posed the question on TikTok: I got a new one, 100 British people versus 100 Americans. One big room, no weapons, whos winning? The video has since gained over a million views, succeeding in uniting both nations against a common, historical rival.
@2mwad_ #fyp #2mwad original sound – 2mwad
The patriotism sparked in the comments section is truly something to behold. Our president is a felon who you think is winning, one American wrote. Do they have the Britain man? We have the Florida man, another added. A third chimed in, 100 British people vs one Waffle House shift.
But the Brits werent going down without a fight, and if theres one thing British people do best, its getting under Americans skin. British people 100%, one wrote. Dont get me started. I might start sounding patriotic, added another.
In a follow-up video, the creator made the hypothetical brawl more specific. He said the British side would include groups of 20 from Birmingham, London, Manchester, Nottingham, and Liverpool. For the Americans, the fighters would be drafted from Louisiana, L.A., New York, and Chicago. (For what its worth, as a Brit, my money is on the Americans.)
@2mwad_ #fyp #2mwad original sound – 2mwad
Theres something so uniquely special about being American because our country can be in complete shambles . . . but as soon as someone tries to attack America, we are all patriotic, said creator @adivunsolicited in a video with 1.2 million views. The only people Americans are scared or intimidated by are other Americans, he added.
TikTok creator Keara Sullivan posted her ideal American lineup: two people from Appalachia, two Floridians with criminal records, two blue-collar workers from Boston, one drunk Eagles fan born and raised in Philadelphia, and one Waffle House employee from any state.
On the British side, TikToker Max Baledge pushed back: Guys, you would not be allowed guns. Id like to see all of those people have a bare knuckle bash with someone from Newcastle.
One commenter replied: We already did thiswe celebrate it on July 4th.
If youre a frequent eye drop user, nows the time to check your medicine cabinet: The pharmaceutical lab BRS Analytical Service, LLC has issued a voluntary recall of five different ophthalmic solutions, including some eye drops and artificial tears, due to concerns that the products may be of unacceptable quality. Heres what to know:
What is the reason for the recall?
According to a notice published by the distributor AvKare, the recall was initiated when a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) audit found manufacturing cGMP deviations in the production of the five eye products. CGMP, or Current Good Manufacturing Practice, refers to the required manufacturing process guidelines set by the FDA for a certain item.
Per the AvKare notice, Health Hazard to the user is unknown, cGMP deviations may lead to products of unacceptable quality, and it is not possible to rule out patient risks resulting from use of these products.
Separately, an FDA enforcement report surrounding the five products notes that there was a lack of assurance of sterility found during the agency’s audit.
BRS Analytical Service voluntarily initiated the five recalls on April 23. On May 6, the FDA classified each as a Class II, meaning it is considered a situation in which exposure to the product may cause reversible adverse health consequences, or where the probability of serious health consequences is remote.
Which products are being recalled?
The recall encompasses five products, totaling over 75,000 cases of ophthalmic solution, shipped over a two-year period: May 26, 2023, to April 21, 2025.
The products include:
NDC# 50268-043-15 Artificial Tears Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0404-2025
NDC# 50268-066-15 Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium Ophthalmic Gel 1%; recall number D-0405-2025
NDC# 50268-068-15 Carboxymethylcellulose Sodium Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0406-2025
NDC# 50268-126-15 Lubricant Eye Drops Solution; recall number D-0407-2025
NDC# 50268-678-15 Polyvinyl Alcohol Ophthalmic Solution; recall number D-0408-2025
Detailed lots numbers and specific expiration dates can be found here.
Where were the products sold?
According to the FDA, the items were distributed nationwide in the U.S., though specific states and stores were not listed.
What should I do if I have one of the recalled products?
If you have a recalled eye solution, do not use it. Instead, AvKare requests that you follow the instructions listed in its notice to alert the company that you received the recalled product, and then ship the affected items back to its headquarters.
With any follow-up questions, AvKares customer service email is customerservice@avkare.com.
Rich Diviney spent 21 years as a Navy SEAL, leading and operating on missions around the globe. In that time, he completed multiple combat deployments and had the honor of serving as the Commanding Officer of a SEAL Command. One of his most pivotal roles was running a specialized Selection and Assessment program for one of the most elite SEAL units. He also spearheaded the SEALs Mind Gym to train soldiers minds to perform better under stress. Today, he teaches optimal performance to thousands of business, athletic, and military leaders.
Whats the big idea?
What makes someone able to thrive in conditions of extreme stress, challenge, and uncertainty? Why do some people falter when the pressure rises, while others step forward with clarity and strength? High performance under pressure isnt limited to Navy SEALs. Its not about being fearless or superhuman. Its about tapping into human capabilities that we all possesscapabilities that can be trained, honed, and applied in any environment.
Below, Rich shares five key insights from his new book, Masters of Uncertainty: The Navy SEAL Way to Turn Stress into Success for You and Your Team. Listen to the audio versionread by Rich himselfin the Next Big Idea App.
1. Uncertainty is the only certainty
On May 2, 2011, a SEAL team launched one of the most daring missions in modern history: the operation to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. They trained relentlessly. They built a replica of the compound. They rehearsed every move, down to the second.
The moment they got on target, everything changed. One of the helicopters crashed. Timelines shifted. Entry points failed. All that preparation didnt mean muchunless they could adapt.
That mission succeeded not because they had a perfect plan, but because they knew how to perform inside the chaos. Thats what Masters of Uncertainty is about.
Peak performance is a myth. It depends on perfect conditions, and life is rarely perfect. What matters more is optimal performance: showing up with the best you have in that moment, no matter what that best looks like.
In the book, I show you how to develop a fluid kind of performance that is resilient and real. Uncertainty isnt a curveball. Uncertainty is the game. Once you stop chasing perfection and start learning to thrive inside the unpredictable, you unlock your true edge.
2. The Mastering Uncertainty Method
High performers dont have superpowers. What they do have is a system that allows them to take the raw chaos of a moment and make it work in their favor. That system is what I call the Mastering Uncertainty Method. I built it by observing elite SEALs, world-class athletes, and business leaders who consistently perform under pressure. What I noticed was that they werent calm by accident. They practiced something specific, something trainable.
These steps are rooted in how humans are wired.
The first part of the methodMove Horizonsis what you do when the world is swirling. You anchor in the present and ask, What do I know? What can I control? Like George, an ultrarunner who started his journey at 450 pounds. Day one: he bought the shoes. Day two: he put them on. He moved horizonsone mailbox, one street corner at a timeuntil he ran a marathon.
Then theres Keep Going, learning to set meaningful goals that trigger the brains dopamine system. And Stay Cool, the art of modulating your stress response to stay focused and clear-headed. These steps are rooted in how humans are wired. Once you train them, youll discover you were built for uncertainty all along.
3. Attributes, Identity, and Purpose drive behavior
When everythings spinning, we like to believe well rise to our trainingto our values, our beliefs. But the truth is, we dont rise. We revert to our instincts and core wiring. Thats why understanding your Attributes, Identity, and Objectives is vital.
Ill never forget one SEAL candidate during assessment who, on paper, was a rock star. He was physically gifted, razor-sharp, and highly trained. But when things got murky and unpredictable, he couldnt make decisions. He lacked the attributes we couldnt teach: adaptability, resilience, situational humility. In that moment, it wasnt his skills that failed him. It was who he was underneath them.
This part of the book is about helping you discover who you are when things arent going according to planwhen the tools fall away and only instincts remain. Youll learn to identify the traits that drive you, reshape the beliefs that hold you back, and root everything in a sense of purpose that doesnt crack under pressure. In uncertainty, the person you are matters far more than the roles you play.
4. Dynamic Subordination and trust in teams
I love to ask teams, When the plan falls apart, who leads? Because in high-stakes environments, its not always the person with the rank. Its the person with the clarity.
We call that Dynamic Subordination. Its a principle we lived by in the SEAL Teams. Leadership flowed to the person with the most relevant expertise in the momentnot the most stripes on their sleeve. That only works in a culture built on trust.
Leadership flowed to the person with the most relevant expertise in the momentnot the most stripes on their sleeve.
I remember one mission where our comms guynormally the quietest person in the roomstepped up mid-operation and made a call that saved lives. He wasnt the senior guy. He wasnt the loudest. But he had the best information, and we trusted him enough to follow.
Most teams say they want adaptability, but they dont build the trust required to make it real. I teach how to build trust, implement dynamic subordination, and create a culture where leadership is a function of moment, not title.
When uncertainty hits, rigid hierarchy cracks. Trust flexes. Flex wins.
5. Stress as a performance enhancer
Most of us treat stress like the enemysomething to fight off, push down, or escape. But stress isnt the problem. Misused stress is.
Your stress responsewhat scientists call autonomic arousalis built to help you. It gives you energy, alertness, even clarity. Its what helped me stay sharp jumping out of planes, navigating combat zones, or stepping onto a keynote stage. The challenge is knowing when to turn the dial up and when to turn it down.
This chapter is about rewiring your relationship with stress. Ill teach you the same breathwork, visual cues, and mental framing used by elite performers. Once you stop fearing stress and start partnering with it, you unlock performance you didnt know was possible. Stress isnt the villain. Its the voltage. You just have to learn how to use it.
Uncertainty isnt ging anywhere. Its not something we can out-plan, out-muscle, or outrun. But we can learn to meet it with strength, clarity, and purpose. Whether youre leading a team, navigating change, or just trying to show up better in your life, the ability to move forward in the unknown is a trainable skill. One that starts with awareness, grows with intention, and gets stronger every time you choose to lean in rather than pull back. Learn to master the moment youre in. Thats where your power lives.
This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
Fashion designers from across North America are bringing together inspiration from their Indigenous heritage, culture and everyday lives to three days of runway modeling that started Friday in a leading creative hub and marketplace for Indigenous art.A fashion show affiliated with the century-old Santa Fe Indian Market is collaborating this year with a counterpart from Vancouver, Canada, in a spirit of Indigenous solidarity and artistic freedom. A second, independent runway show at a rail yard district in the city has nearly doubled the bustle of models, makeup and final fittings.Elements of Friday’s collections from six Native designers ran the gamut from silk parasols to a quilted hoodie, knee-high fur boots and suede leather earrings that dangled to the waist. Models on the Santa Fe catwalks include professionals, dancers and Indigenous celebrities from TV and the political sphere.Clothing and accessories rely on materials ranging from of wool trade cloth to animal hides, featuring traditional beadwork, ribbons and jewelry with some contemporary twists that include digitally rendered designs and urban Native American streetwear from Phoenix.“Native fashion, it’s telling a story about our understanding of who we are individually and then within our communities,” said Taos Pueblo fashion designer Patricia Michaels, of “Project Runway” reality TV fame. “You’re getting designers from North America that are here to express a lot of what inspires them from their own heritage and culture.”
Santa Fe style
The stand-alone spring fashion week for Indigenous design is a recent outgrowth of haute couture at the summer Santa Fe Indian Market, where teeming crowds flock to outdoor displays by individual sculptors, potters, jewelers and painters.Designer Sage Mountainflower remembers playing in the streets at Indian Market as a child in the 1980s while her artist parents sold paintings and beadwork. She forged a different career in environmental administration, but the world of high fashion called to her as she sewed tribal regalia for her children at home and, eventually, brought international recognition.At age 50, Mountainflower on Friday presented her “Taandi” collection the Tewa word for “Spring” grounded in satin and chiffon fabric that includes embroidery patterns that invoke her personal and family heritage at the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo in the Upper Rio Grande Valley.“I pay attention to trends, but a lot of it’s just what I like,” said Mountainflower, who also traces her heritage to Taos Pueblo and the Navajo Nation. “This year it’s actually just looking at springtime and how it’s evolving. It’s going to be a colorful collection.”More than 20 designers are presenting at the invitation of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts.Fashion plays a prominent part in Santa Fe’s renowned arts ecosystem, with Native American vendors each day selling jewelry in the central plaza, while the Institute for American Indian Arts delivers fashion-related college degrees in May.This week, a gala at the New Mexico governor’s mansion welcomed fashion designers to town, along with social mixers at local galleries and bookstores and plans for pop-up fashion stores to sell clothes fresh off the fashion runway.
International vision
A full-scale collaboration with Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week is bringing a northern, First Nations flair to the gathering this year with many designers crossing into the U.S. from Canada.Secwépemc artist and fashion designer Randi Nelson traveled to Santa Fe from the city of Whitehorse in the Canadian Yukon to present collections forged from fur and traditionally cured hides she uses primarily elk and caribou. The leather is tanned by hand without chemicals using inherited techniques and tools.“We’re all so different,” said Nelson, a member of the Bonaparte/St’uxwtéws First Nation who started her career in jewelry assembled from quills, shells and beads. “There’s not one pan-Indigenous theme or pan-Indigenous look. We’re all taking from our individual nations, our individual teachings, the things from our family, but then also recreating them in a new and modern way.”April Allen, an Inuk designer from the Nunatsiavut community on the Labrador coast of Canada, presented a mesh dress of blue water droplets. Her work delves into themes of nature and social advocacy for access to clean drinking water.Vocal music accompanied the collection layers of wordless, primal sound from musician and runway model Beatrice Deer, who is Inuit and Mohawk.
Urban Indian couture
Phoenix-based jeweler and designer Jeremy Donavan Arviso said the runway shows in Santa Fe are attempting to break out of the strictly Southwest fashion mold and become a global venue for Native design and collaboration. A panel discussion Thursday dwelled on the threat of new tariffs and prices for fashion supplies and tensions between disposable fast fashion and Indigenous ideals.Arviso is bringing a street-smart aesthetic to two shows at the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts runway and a warehouse venue organized by Amber-Dawn Bear Robe, from the Siksika Nation.“My work is definitely contemporary, I don’t choose a whole lot of ceremonial or ancestral practices in my work,” said Arviso, who is Diné, Hopi, Akimel O’odham and Tohono O’odham, and grew up in Phoenix. “I didn’t grow up like that. I grew up on the streets.”Arviso said his approach to fashion resembles music sampling by early rap musicians as he draws on themes from major fashion brands and elements of his own tribal cultures. He invited Toronto-based ballet dancer Madison Noon for a “beautiful and biting” performance to introduce his collection titled Vision Quest.Santa Fe runway models will include former U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland of Laguna Pueblo, adorned with clothing from Michaels and jewelry by Zuni Pueblo silversmith Veronica Poblano.
Morgan Lee, Associated Press
Republicans in Congress are expected this week to reveal whether they are willing to go ahead with President Donald Trump’s suggestion to raise taxes on the rich, which would break with decades of party orthodoxy.
After weeks of closed-door talks, the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee is due to unveil full details of tax-cut legislation that would be the centerpiece of a sweeping budget package that also would raise spending on the military and border security.
The legislation would build on a measure enacted during Trump’s first presidential term that lowered tax rates, especially for the wealthiest.
Late on Friday the panel made some details public, but without providing the outcome on the thorniest matters under debate within Republican ranks.
Still unknown is whether the legislation will deliver on Trump’s promises to discontinue taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security retirement benefits, and whether the bill would increase the deduction for state and local taxes. That is an issue particularly important to moderate Republicans, mainly in coastal states, as well as to Democrats.
Trump has indicated a willingness to raise taxes on the wealthiest in what would be a stark departure from a red line drawn by Republicans for many years.
These questions might be answered as soon as Tuesday, when the House committee plans to debate the complex legislation.
Republicans did unveil provisions for increasing the child tax credit to $2,500 through 2028, from $1,000. Trump’s presidential term ends on Jan. 20, 2029.
The House Republicans’ bill also would reduce some taxes for multinational companies and unincorporated businesses.
Republicans also have been at odds over spending cuts to safety-net programs mainly the Medicaid health insurance program for the poor and disabled to offset some of the costs.
Trump has privately urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to raise the tax rate on the wealthiest Americans, sources say, though publicly he has been more ambivalent. Some on the party’s right flank have come out in favor of it.
Johnson has told some Republicans that he might have to scale back the tax cut package by $500 million to $4 trillion.
House fiscal hawks are pushing for deep spending cuts of up to $2 trillion to allow for deeper tax cuts. But some moderates are resisting cuts to Medicaid and SNAP, the crucial food assistance program.
Democrats are warning that Republicans could put other social service programs on the chopping block.
Their legislation feeds corporate and wealthy individuals greed by abandoning vulnerable children, starving seniors, and cutting off families in need,” a group of Democratic senators said in a letter on Friday.
Republicans aim to extend Trump’s signature 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Some of its provisions are due to expire at the end of this year.
Hes wanting to help the blue-collar worker,” Representative Kevin Hern, a Republican tax writer from Oklahoma, said. So were going to make that happen.
“This is where the rubber hits the road for tax writers, who will be challenged to preserve President Trumps first-term legacy at a fiscal cost that is acceptable to the conference,” said Mimi Bair, a former Republican tax staffer now at McGuireWoods Consulting. “Were all eager to see the tax committee shed more light on how they will strike that balance.”
Meanwhile, a handful of Republicans from high-tax states like New York, New Jersey and California are pressing for a higher deduction amount for state and local taxes. The Ways and Means committee is expected to offer a $30,000 limit for these state and local taxes, up from the current $10,000, according to a Republican aide.
However, these Republican lawmakers have said that is not enough.
Either were going to have a bill that has a fix that assuages the concerns of constituents like mine, or we wont have a bill and the tax cuts will expire, Representative Nick LaLota, a New York Republican, told reporters last week.
That could sink the budget bill in the House, which Republicans control by a narrow 220-213 margin.
Bo Erickson, Reuters
House Republicans unveiled the cost-saving centerpiece of President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” late Sunday, at least $880 billion in cuts largely to Medicaid to help cover the cost of $4.5 trillion in tax breaks.Tallying hundreds of pages, the legislation is touching off the biggest political fight over health care since Republicans tried to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, during Trump’s first term in 2017which ended in failure.While Republicans insist they are simply rooting out “waste, fraud and abuse” to generate savings with new work and eligibility requirements, Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage. A preliminary estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with health care by 8.6 million over the decade.“Savings like these allow us to use this bill to renew the Trump tax cuts and keep Republicans’ promise to hardworking middle-class families,” said Rep. Brett Guthrie of Kentucky, the GOP chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which handles health care spending.But Democrats said the cuts are “shameful” and essentially amount to another attempt to repeal Obamacare.“In no uncertain terms, millions of Americans will lose their health care coverage,” said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the panel. He said “hospitals will close, seniors will not be able to access the care they need, and premiums will rise for millions of people if this bill passes.”As Republicans race toward House Speaker Mike Johnson’s Memorial Day deadline to pass Trump’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, they are preparing to flood the zone with round-the-clock public hearings this week on various sections before they are stitched together in what will become a massive package.The politics ahead are uncertain. More than a dozen House Republicans have told Johnson and GOP leaders they will not support cuts to the health care safety net programs that residents back home depend on. Trump himself has shied away from a repeat of his first term, vowing there will be no cuts to Medicaid.All told, 11 committees in the House have been compiling their sections of the package as Republicans seek at least $1.5 trillion in savings to help cover the cost of preserving the 2017 tax breaks, which were approved during Trump’s first term and are expiring at the end of the year.But the powerful Energy and Commerce Committee has been among the most watched. The committee was instructed to come up with $880 billion in savings and reached that goal, primarily with the health care cuts, but also by rolling back Biden-era green energy programs. The preliminary CBO analysis said the committee’s proposals would reduce the deficit by $912 billion over the decade with at least $715 billion coming from the health provisions.Central to the savings are changes to Medicaid, which provides almost free health care to more than 70 million Americans, and the Affordable Care Act, which has expanded in the 15 years since it was first approved to cover millions more.To be eligible for Medicaid, there would be new “community engagement requirements” of at least 80 hours per month of work, education or service for able-bodied adults without dependents. People would also have to verify their eligibility to be in the program twice a year, rather than just once.This is likely to lead to more churn in the program and present hurdles for people to stay covered, especially if they have to drive far to a local benefits office to verify their income in person. But Republicans say it’ll ensure that the program is administered to those who qualify for it.Many states have expanded their Medicaid rosters thanks to federal incentives, but the legislation would cut a 5% boost that was put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Federal funding to the states for immigrants who have not shown proof of citizenship would be prohibited.There would be a freeze on the so-called provider tax that some states use to help pay for large portions of their Medicaid programs. The extra tax often leads to higher payments from the federal government, which critics say is a loophole that creates abuse in the system.The energy portions of the legislation run far fewer pages, but include rollbacks of climate-change strategies President Joe Biden signed into law in the Inflation Reduction Act.It proposes rescinding funds for a range of energy loans and investment programs while providing expedited permitting for natural gas development and oil pipelines.__ Associated Press writer Amanda Seitz contributed to this report.
Lisa Mascaro, AP Congressional Correspondent
Rite Aid is plotting an immediate wind-down of operations at dozens of additional locations as it scrambles this week to sell off its pharmacy assets and retail operations to potential bidders.
The drugstore chain, which last week sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for a second time, has marked 68 locations in seven states for closure, meaning it wants to promptly start the process of going-out-of-business sales. The list was disclosed in a filing on Friday with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey.
Interested parties have until May 19 to object to the additional closings, according to the filing. Fast Company has reached out to Rite Aid for comment.
The move comes after Rite Aid identified 47 locations that would initially close, noting in a court filing earlier last week that it saw “little or no value” in keeping the stores open as it moves through the bankruptcy process.
Deadlines approaching for potential bidders
In a statement last week, Rite Aid CEO said the company has seen “meaningful interest” from potential buyers at the local and regional level.
Rite Aid has stressed that it is seeking to minimize the impact on its customers and employees by soliciting bids from pharmacy companies that could acquire its prescription files, retail locations, or both.
However, time is running out. According to court documents, potential bidders for Rite Aid’s pharmacy assets have until tomorrow to submit a bid. Although the deadline could be extended, Rite Aid has expressed concern about customer attrition during a drawn-out sale process, which could significantly diminish the value of its assets.
Ultimately every Rite Aid location will either close or be sold to another owner. For now, expect the 68 locations listed below to close quickly:
California
3860 SEPULVEDA BOULEVARD TORRANCE CA 90505
5075 OLIVEHURST AVENUE OLIVEHURST CA 95961
New Hampshire
360 SUMMER STREET BRISTOL NH 03222
41 CARROLL STREET PITTSFIELD NH 03263
New York
9 BROAD STREET SALAMANCA NY 14779
1070 GENESEE STREET BUFFALO NY 14211
Oregon
728 SOUTH WEST 4TH AVENUE ONTARIO OR 97914
4041 NW LOGAN ROAD LINCOLN CITY OR 97367
2049 WEST CASCADE AVENUE HOOD RIVER OR 97031
178 WEST ELLENDALE AVENUE DALLAS OR 97338
1217 CAMPBELL STREET BAKER CITY OR 97814
44 MICHIGAN AVENUE NE BANDON OR 97411
313 SOUTH ROOSEVELT DRIVE SEASIDE OR 97138
626 MCCLAINE ST SILVERTON OR 97381
Pennsylvania
805 HUNTINGDON PIKE HUNTINGDON VALLEY PA 19006
6 BOCHICCHIO BOULEVARD MOSCOW PA 18444
601 DELAWARE AVENUE PALMERTON PA 18071
315 WEST FOURTH STREET QUARRYVILLE PA 17566
2201 WEST ALLEGHENY AVE. PHILADELPHIA PA 19132
10 NEWPORT PLAZA NEWPORT PA 17074
801 GROW AVENUE MONTROSE PA 18801
2503-05 WELSH ROAD PHILADELPHIA PA 19114
5 FRIENDLY DRIVE DUNCANNON PA 17020
260 WEST LEHIGH AVENUE #80 PHILADELPHIA PA 19133
3145 MAIN STREET MORGANTOWN PA 19543
205 CENTER STREET TAMAQUA PA 18252
9635 WILLIAM PENN HIGHWAY HUNTINGDON PA 16652
15 WEST CENTRE STREET MAHANOY CITY PA 17948
4530 NORTH 5TH STREET PHILADELPHIA PA 19140
101 EAST SHIRLEY STREET MT UNION PA 17066
4390 RICHMOND STREET PHILADELPHIA PA 19137
5201 SPRING ROAD SUITE 6 SHERMANS DALE PA 17090
126 W. MAIN STREET GROVE CITY PA 16127
111 NORTH PLAZA APOLLO PA 15613
5214-30 BALTIMORE AVENUE PHILADELPHIA PA 19143
1941 DERRY STREET HARRISBURG PA 17104
5400 RISING SUN AVENUE PHILADELPHIA PA 19120
901 S SAINT MARYS STREET SAINT MARYS PA 15857
200 RESORT PLAZA DRIVE BLAIRSVILLE PA 15717
630 MAIN ST. PORTAGE PA 15946
207 ROUTE 6 WEST COUDERSPORT PA 16915
838 FIFTH AVENUE FORD CITY PA 16226
620 E ALLEGHENY AVENUE EMPORIUM PA 15834
100 SOUTH THIRD STREET CONNEAUT LAKE PA 16316
200 MEMORIAL BLVD. CONNELLSVILLE PA 15425
59 NORTH MAIN STREET PORT ALLEGANY PA 16743
610 BROAD STREET NEW BETHLEHEM PA 16242
1340 MAIN STREET BURGETTSTOWN PA 150
1365 LOGAN AVENUE TYRONE PA 16686
1212 SECOND STREET CRESSON PA 16630
201 WEST MAHONING STREET PUNXSUTAWNEY PA 15767
165 BUTLER ROAD KITTANNING PA 16201
100 FRANKLIN STREET MERCER PA 16137
1222 BROWNSVILLE RD PITTSBURGH PA 15210
521 NORTH FRALEY STREET KANE PA 16735
3939 BUTLER STREET PITTSBURGH PA 15201
1 EAST HIGH STREET UNION CITY PA 16438
2150 BROWNSVILLE RD STE120 PITTSBURGH PA 15210
Virginia
115 BRUNSWICK SQUARE COURT LAWRENCEVILLE VA 23868
144 SCOTTSVILLE CENTER SCOTTSVILLE VA 24590
4171 LEE JACKSON HWY, STE 113 GREENVILLE VA 24440
200 AUGUSTA AVENUE GROTTOES VA 24441
Washington
27000 MILLER BAY RD NE KINGSTON WA 98346
909 EAST YELM AVENUE YELM WA 98597
608 W. STANLEY STREET GRANITE FALLS WA 98252
609 OMACHE DRIVE OMAK WA 98841
35013 SNOQUALMIE PKWY SNOQUALMIE WA 98065
1517 COMMERCIAL AVE. ANACORTES WA 98221
When we think of summer bags, we tend to think of big totes we can carry to the beach or a farmers market. But this year, bag designers are reimagining the summer staple as a piece of art you can carry around with you. They’re taking the seasonal materials we’re used to seeingraffia, straw, wickerand transforming them into beautiful, interesting shapes. They’re meant to do more than hold your phone; they’re designed to give you pleasure and start conversations.
Here are our favorite sculptural bags of the season.
Camilla Clutch
Cult Gaia, $298
Cult Gaia first made a name for itself with a half-moon-shaped bamboo Ark bag, which went viral. Since then, even as the label has expanded to include ready-to-wear and fragrances, it is best known for its whimsical statement bags. This summer, it launches many creative designs, including a bag that doubles as a backgammon board, and a clutch in the form of a golden apple.
The Camilla clutch is perhaps the one that feels most like summer. Made from abaca, a kind of hemp, its inspired by a horse conch shell and has a long tassel. It’s sure to be a conversation piece when you’re at a cocktail or pool party, or even at a beachside wedding.
The Cesi Shopper
Poolside, $315
As the brand’s name suggests, Poolside specializes in summer bags, tailor-made to pair with resortwear. And while its most famous for its toteswhich can be personalized with monograms or witty phrasesit also has many sculptural pieces that look like shells and fish.
The Cesi bag stands out for combining beauty and functionality. Made of raffia, with an acrylic tortoise shell chain strap, its spacious enough to stash your phone and even a small book. It can be dressed up for parties, but it can also carry you through your day.
The Leila Basket
Sézane, $275
The French label Sézane is famous for its large raffia basket bag, inspired by totes that people carry to the farmers market. But this year, it’s added more interesting silhouettes to its collection.
If you feel like shell-based bags are a little too on the nose, consider the Leila Basket, which is made of raffia and comes in two shades, natural and red. The delicate flower design gives it a feminine touch, but the bag is also practical, with durable woven handles that can bear some weight.
Clamshell Clutch
Vineyard Vines, $148
Vineyard Vines’s clamshell bag is perhaps the most versatile of the lot. While it’s compact, with just enough space for your phone and wallet, you can carry it in several different ways: as a clutch, with a chunky wicker handle, and with the crossbody strap. This flexibility means you can utilize it for many different occasions, from elegant dinner parties to busy days out.
Color-Blocked Shopper
Eileen Fisher, $168
This design is unlike the others. But in case you’re not the kind of person who wants to carry an enormous shell or flower-shaped bag around with you, you might go for this tote, which is designed with clean lines and an interesting silhouette. It’s one of Eileen Fisher’s new offerings, made in collaboration with Mar y Sol, which makes raffia bags in Madagascar, supporting the work of local artisans. The bags in this collaboration are chic and simple, in keeping with Eileen Fisher’s minimalist aesthetic, but they are anything but boring. This ones color-blocked design makes it a standout as it hangs elegantly from your shoulder.
