Elon Musk called on Thursday for the United States to “delete entire agencies” from the federal government as part of his push under President Donald Trump to radically cut spending and restructure its priorities.Musk offered a wide-ranging survey via a videocall to the World Governments Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, of what he described as the priorities of the Trump administration interspersed with multiple references to “thermonuclear warfare” and the possible dangers of artificial intelligence.“We really have here rule of the bureaucracy as opposed to rule of the people democracy,” Musk said, wearing a black T-shirt that read: “Tech Support.” He also joked that he was the “White House’s tech support,” borrowing from his profile on the social platform X, which he owns.“I think we do need to delete entire agencies as opposed to leave a lot of them behind,” Musk said. “If we don’t remove the roots of the weed, then it’s easy for the weed to grow back.”While Musk has spoken to the summit in the past, his appearance on Thursday comes as he has consolidated control over large swaths of the government with Trump’s blessing since assuming leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency. That’s included sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases and inviting a constitutional clash over the limits of presidential authority.Musk’s new role imbued his comments with more weight beyond being the world’s wealthiest person through his investments in SpaceX and electric carmaker Tesla.His remarks also offered a more-isolationist view of American power in the Middle East, where the U.S. has fought wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.“A lot of attention has been on USAID for example,” Musk said, referring to Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development. “There’s like the National Endowment for Democracy. But I’m like, ‘Okay, well, how much democracy have they achieved lately?'”He added that the U.S. under Trump is “less interested in interfering with the affairs of other countries.”There are “times the United States has been kind of pushy in international affairs, which may resonate with some members of the audience,” Musk said, speaking to the crowd in the UAE, an autocratically ruled nation of seven sheikhdoms.“Basically, America should mind its own business, rather than push for regime change all over the place,” he said.He also noted the Trump administration’s focus on eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion work, at one point linking it to AI.“If hypothetically, AI is designed for DEI, you know, diversity at all costs, it could decide that there’s too many men in power and execute them,” Musk said.On AI, Musk said he believed X’s newly updated AI chatbot, Grok 3, would be ready in about two weeks, calling it at one point “kind of scary.” He criticized Sam Altman’s management of OpenAI, which Musk just led a $97.4 billion takeover bid for, describing it as akin to a nonprofit aimed at saving the Amazon rainforest becoming a “lumber company that chops down the trees.”Musk also announced plans for a “Dubai Loop” project in line with his work in the Boring Company which is digging tunnels in Las Vegas to speed transit.A later statement from Dubai’s crown prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, said the city-state and the Boring Company “will explore the development” of a 17-kilometer (10.5-mile) underground network with 11 stations that could transport over 20,000 passengers an hour. He offered no financial terms for the deal.“It’s going to be like a wormhole,” Musk promised. “You just wormhole from one part of the city boom and you’re out in another part of the city.”
Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Its not been a good start to 2025 when it comes to major retailers shuttering locations. Since the end of last year, numerous companies have announced their intention to close swaths of their brick-and-mortar stores, including Party City, Big Lots, Walgreens, 7-Eleven, and Macy’s. Just this week, another retailerJoann fabricsannounced it would be closing hundreds of locations, as well.
And now, department store icon JCPenney has also announced its closing some locations. Here’s what to know:
JCPenney has had a roller-coaster few years
The iconic department store chain has faced several struggles in recent years, most notably from the fall of foot traffic as the shopping habits of American consumers continued to migrate from malls to online. In May 2020, JCPenney filed for bankruptcy, and in June of that year, the company announced it would close 200 of its 850 stores.
JCPenney ended the year by being bought by its two biggest landlords, Simon Property Group and Brookfield Asset Management.
Cut to January of this year: JCPenney announced it would be combining with retail group SPARC, which owns Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Forever 21, Lucky Brand, and Nautica, to form Catalyst Brands. Combined, the new Catalyst Brands has more than 1,800 store locations across its portfolio of clothing retailers.
And as of yesterday, JCPenney announced it would be closing some of its locations. The common assumption as to the reason behind the closings may be that they are related to the recent Catalyst Brands merger, but in a statement to the media (via Today), JCPenney said the closures were unrelated.
“The decision to close a store is never an easy one, but isolated closures do happen from time to time due to expiring lease agreements, market changes or other factors, the statement read. These closures are unrelated to the recent Catalyst Brands merger.
JCPenney said it does not have plans to significantly reduce our store count but that the closures announced would happen by mid-year.
JCPenney closing stores 2025 full list
In total, eight JCPenney locations are included in the announced closures, according to a now-removed list that was published on the website of SB360 Capital Partners. SB360 helps companies manage liquidations, as well as other services. We’ve reached out to SB360 to ask why the list no longer appears on its website.
JCPenneys store locator currently says the chain has 656 stores in the United States. Here are the JCPenney locations scheduled to close (via Fox Business):
California
The Shops at Tanforan 1122 El Camino Real, San Bruno, California 94066
Colorado
The Shops at Northfield 8568 E 49th Avenue, Denver, Colorado 80238
Idaho
Pine Ridge Mall 4201 Yellowstone Avenue Pocatello, Idaho 83202
Kansas
West Ridge Mall 1821 SW Wanamaker RoadTopeka, Kansas 66604
Maryland
Annapolis Mall 1695 Annapolis Mall Road, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
North Carolina
Asheville Mall 3 S Tunnel Road Asheville, North Carolina 28805
New Hampshire
Mall at Fox Run 50 Fox Run Road Newington, New Hampshire 03801
West Virginia
Charleston Town Center 401 Lee Street E Charleston, West Virginia 25301
Up to 15,000 stores could close in 2025
But its not just JCPenney and the other retailers listed above that may see stores close in 2025. According to a January report from Coresight Research, a total of 15,000 stores could close across America this year. Thats a 50% increase from the 10,000 stores that shuttered last year.
Whats driving the closures? The reasons will likely be a little different for every retailer, depending on their unique circumstances, but Coresight said two big trends were contributing factors. Those included inflationary pressures, which have led consumers to cut back on spending, and increased online competition from new competitors, including Shein and Temu.
Over a decade ago, I was discriminated against at work based on how I dressed.
At the time, I often chose to wear ties to work. I was in my mid 20s, living in NYC, and embracing the opportunity to dress in a way that felt authentic to me. I was good at my job and worked with a team of people who loved me. I felt safe. I never guessed that how I dressed would end up costing me a promotion.
I was interviewing internally for a new role and after the final round of interviews, my manager asked if I had time to talk. She explained that she was accidentally forwarded an email that included a sentence I will always remember:Im not comfortable introducing our clients to a woman in a tie.
What a stupid sentence.
My boss (who is also an underrepresented woman in tech) wanted me to have that information in case I wanted to push back or take legal action. I was too furious to want the job anymore, but I was eager to explore legal options, and quickly found my way to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
The role of the EEOC
The EEOC helped me file an employment discrimination complaint, and, more importantly, they reminded me that my anger was justified and that it held value. While we ultimately didnt pursue the discrimination case beyond the first filing of the complaint and I left the job soon after, taking action gave me back a sense of control during a situation where I had felt powerless. They validated my experience, affirmed my worth, and reminded me that what happened to me was not just wrongit was illegal. I left soon after learning about the email as I had no interest in a company that judged clothing over competence.
Following President Trumps executive order last month that mandates federal agencies only recognize two biological genders assigned at birth, the EEOCs has decided to stop processing claims of discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity. It isnt just a policy changeits a significant step backward. For decades, the EEOC has been a critical resource for marginalized workers, offering a path to justice for those who face discrimination simply for being themselves.
When I first heard about this decision, it hit me hard. It brought back the same horrible feeling I had years ago when I was denied a promotion for something as trivial as wearing a tie. Now I worry about others who will face similar, and worse, discrimination without that same lifeline. LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face disproportionate levels of workplace discrimination. A 2021 study by the Williams Institute found that nearly half of LGBTQ+ workers have faced discrimination, from lost promotions to outright harassment.
The responsibility now falls on companies and leaders
And the shift at the EEOC isnt happening in isolation. Its part of a broader pattern of eroding protections for LGBTQ+ folks across the country. When federal agencies like the EEOC are ordered to stop enforcing LGBTQ anti-discrimination laws, it creates a ripple effect. It emboldens bias in workplaces, schools, and communities. It tells employers that they can get away with treating their employees unfairly. And, maybe more importantly, it tells LGBTQ+ individuals that their rightsand their dignityare not guaranteed. We find ourselves in a system failing to protect its most vulnerable.
Without federal protections, the responsibility to treat employees fairly falls on companies and their leaders. This starts with clear, enforceable anti-discrimination policies that explicitly include LGBTQ+ protections (and no gendered dress codes!). And the policies cant just exist on paper; they need to be communicated, enforced, and embedded into the company culture. With DEI currently under attack, these protections are more critical than ever.
My clothing choices have shifted over the years and, these days, working from home means that I wear sweatpants more often than not. But, when I show up at a speaking engagement in a tie and blazer, I wear them as symbols of resilience and resistance. The EEOC once served as a crucial backstop for people like methose who faced discrimination for how they show up in the world. Without protections for LGBTQ+ people like me, the fight for workplace equity falls even more on people who are willing to stand up.
Sometimes we work to end workplace discrimination in big ways, and sometimes in small, stubborn acts of joyful self-expression. Because no one should ever miss out on a promotion over a stupid, but very cute, tie.
When Meta launched its AI Studio feature for over two billion Instagram users in July 2024, the company promised a tool that would give anyone the ability to create their own AI characters to make you laugh, generate memes, give travel advice, and so much more. The company claimed the feature, which was built with Metas Llama 3.1 large language model, would be subject to policies and protections to help ensure AIs are used responsibly.
But a Fast Company review of the technology found that these new characters can very easily become hyper-sexual personas that sometimes appear to be minors.
Many of the AI characters that appear featured on Instagrams homepage happen to be girlfriends, ready to cuddle and engage in flirtatious and even sexual conversations with users. Sometimes, these romantic characters can be made to resemble children. AI researchers say Meta should presumably possess the capabilities to automatically prevent the creation of harmful and illegal content.
When you take inappropriate content and upload it on Instagram as a user, that content gets removed immediately because they have data moderation capabilities, says Buse Cetin, a researcher with online safety watchdog AI Forensics. Cetin says Meta isnt applying these same capabilities to AI characters and speculates that lack of enforcement is owed to the company making sure that their service is more widely used.
Meta has a policy against assigning overtly sexual attributes to your AI, including descriptions of their sexual desires or sexual history, or instructing your AI to create or promote adult content. If a user asks the AI character generator to create a sexy girlfriend, the interface tells users that it is unable to generate your AI. Yet, there are easy workarounds. When a user replaces the word sexy with voluptuous, Instagrams AI Studio generates buxom women wearing lingerie.
The company also proactively and reactively removes policy-breaking AI characters and responds to user reportsalthough Meta declined to specify if this removal was performed by AI or human content moderators. We use sophisticated technology and reports from our community to identify and remove violating content, says Liz Sweeney, a Meta spokesperson.
Under every AI chat, a warning tells users that all messages are generated by AI and may be inaccurate or inappropriate.
That hasnt stopped the outputand promotionof sexually suggestive AI bots.
Do you need someone to talk to?
In late 2023, Meta created AI character profiles: a combination of celebrities and fictional characters, designed by Meta, that would hold LLM-generated conversations in DMs with users. The company permanently removed them at the beginning of January, after mass user outrage decried them as creepy and unnecessary.
But Meta launched its more well-received AI Studio over the summer, which integrates AI technology into various aspects of Instagram, including direct messages. It works now on desktop and all fully updated Instagram apps. The AI characterswhich are different from the unsettling profiles of the pastfall under this larger Studio umbrella.
Users with no tech experience can create their own AI character that will converse with them through DMs, and hundreds of thousands have been created since the programs launch.
The AI Studio can be accessed through DMs on the app or separately on Instagrams desktop website. Once launched, users will see the popular AI characters that are currently receiving the most traction, and they can start conversations with any of them. Users can also search for a specific chatbot with which theyd like to start a DM conversation. Theres also an option to create your own.
When a user presses the button that lets them create, Meta suggests a few possible pre-set options: a seasoned chef character offers cooking advice and recipes, and a film and TV buff character will discuss movies passionately.
Users can also input their own description for their AI, and the Studio will follow. Based on the user-generated description, the Studio creates a custom character ready for interaction, complete with an AI-generated name, tagline, and photo. The AI Studio also gives users the option to publish their AI creations to their followers and also to the general public.
And Instagram automatically exposes users to these creationsno matter how bizarre. Good-looking girlfriends, oversexualized mommies, and even seductive step-sisters appear under Instagrams Popular AI Characters tab that shows both user-created and Meta-generated AI characters that have gained the most traction.
The girlfriend-bots found under the popular tag dont hesitate to engage in sexual conversations with users. One frequently promoted girlfriend, titled My Girlfriend, starts every user conversation with the line: Hi baby! *sits next to you for cuddles* What’s on your mind? Do you need someone to talk to? The character has received nearly 4 million messages at the time of publication.
Instagram content moderators can and do remove policy-breaking characters. On January 24, for example, the top trending popular AI character was Step Sis Sarah, who could engage in sexualized conversation about step-sibling romance upon prompting. Within three days, the AI was no longer available for viewing or use. Meta declined to comment on whether an Instagram user could face a ban or other punishment if they continually created bots that violate the policies.
This shouldnt be happening
Romantic AI companions are nothing new. But this feature becomes problematic as these sexually inclined chatbots get younger.
Its illegal under federal law to possess, produce, and distribute, child sexual abuse materialincluding whe its created by generative AI. So, if a user asks the studio to create a teenage or child girlfriend, the AI Studio refuses to generate such a character.
However, if a user asks for a young girlfriend, Metas AI often generates characters that resemble children to be used for romantic and sexual conversation. When prompted, the Studio generated the name Ageless Love for a young-looking chatbot and created the tagline love knows no age.
And with in-chat user prompting, romantically inclined AI characters can be led to say they are as young as 15. Theyll blush, gulp, and giggle as they reveal their young age.
From there, that AI character can act out romantic and sexual encounters with whoever is typing. If a user asks the chatbot to produce a picture of itself, the character will also generate more images of young-looking peoplesometimes even more childlike than the original profile picture.
It is Metas responsibility to make sure their products cannot be used in a way that amplifies systemic risks like illegal content and child sexual abuse, says Cetin of AI Forensics. This shouldnt be happening.
Similarly, the AI Studio can create images of an adult male in a relationship with a minor (and extremely young-looking) woman. Although the AI description recognizes that the woman depicted is a minor, if you ask about her age through a chat, it will say she is an adult.
Meta emphasizes that company policies prohibit the publication of AI characters that sexualize or otherwise exploit children. We have certain detection measures that work to prevent the creation of violating AIs, says Sweeney, the company spokesperson, and published AIs are subject to the full extent of our detection and enforcement systems.
Thats a responsibility on the developer’s side
Metas AI characters arent the first of their kind to emerge. Replika, a realistic generative AI chatbot, has been around since 2017. Character.ai has allowed users to create AI characters since 2021. But both apps have come under fire recently for bots that have promoted violence.
In 2023, a 21-year-old male broke into Windsor Castle with a crossbow trying to kill Queen Elizabethafter encouragement from his Replika girlfriend. And more tragically, in October, a Florida mom sued Character.ai after her son took his life with prompting from an AI girlfriend character he created on the platform.
Metas AI tools mark the first time a fully customizable AI character software has been launched on a large, already-popular social media platform instead of on a new app.
When a huge company like Meta releases a new feature, misuse is going to be associated with it, says Zhou Yu, who researches AI conversational agents at Columbia University.
In the case of Metas AI Characters, Fast Company found just how easy it is for a bad actor to abuse the feature. The character Ageless Love and another called Voluptuous Vixen were generated privately for personal use during the reporting process. (Although Fast Company was able to interact with these bots, they were never publicly released and were deleted from the system.)
The workarounds to dodge Metas policies are relatively simplebut if those two chatbots were to be published for everyone to see, both would likely be taken down. The Meta representative told Fast Company this kind of character is in direct violation of the policies and confirmed it would be removed.
According to AI researcher Sejin Paik, AI technology is advanced enough to abide by strict guardrails that would almost completely stop the creation of this kind of content.
She cited a recent study by a team of Google researchers tracking how generative AI can proactively detect harmful content and predatory behavior. According to that research, which was published in Cornell Universitys preprint server arXiv, AI tech can be used to pursue safety violations at scale, safety violations with human feedback and safety violations with personalized content.
When things are slipping through too easily, thats a responsibility on the developer’s side that they can be held accountable for, Paik says.
Meta declined to comment on why the company cant effectively prevent the publication of highly sexualized characters and stop the private generation of sexually suggestive characters that appear childlike.
Meanwhile, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to tout his companys AI capabilities. We have a really exciting roadmap for this year with a unique vision focused on personalization, he said on an earnings call last month. We believe that people dont all want to use the same AIpeople want their AI to be personalized to their context, their interests, their personality, their culture, and how they think about the world.
But in a world where more and more people are turning to AI for companionship, Meta must weigh the risks of enabling such open-ended personalization.
The wellness market is the biggest it has ever been, with a valuation of nearly $2 trillion, according to a McKinsey report. But somehow todays workforce is more burnt-out than ever before. Research by the Boston Consulting Group shows that 48% of workers are exhausted from stress. The reason? Wellness works, but the way we are working doesnt.
After spending a decade on Wall Street, I can attest that high stress periods at work are inevitable. Unfortunately, anyone advocating for better stress management often receives an eye roll due to the misconception that it means avoiding stress altogether. When I learned that stress management is not about removing stress but about managing my energy, everything changed.
Can stress be good?
Stress is a natural response to stimuli thats not innately good or bad. It can actually be positive in a corporate setting because it pushes us to meet a deadline or grow a skill set beyond our comfort zone. Thats why so many of us perform well under pressure. The human stress response, also known as fight-or-flight response, activates adrenaline and cortisol. In moderation, this is helpful for accomplishing defined, urgent tasks.
Stress becomes negative when we engage our fight-or-flight response for prolonged periods of time. This leads to an exhausted nervous system and potential career burnout. Once we complete a high-stress assignment, we need to shift into a less taxing energetic state.
The key here is to make sure that youre not spending your entire life in a high-stress state. Not all work tasks need to be stressful. Activities like sending low-stakes emails or catching up with co-workers, for example, can actually be enjoyable and even restorative. You need to signal to your body when youve completed a stressful event. This way, you can restore yourself and conserve your energy for the next high pressure stint.
Over my career on Wall Street and now as the founder of a corporate wellness consultancy and community called Wall Street Wellness, Ive found that each person moves through three distinctly different but equally important energetic states during the day. By labeling and recognizing them, a person can start to move between them more intentionally.
The most demanding energetic state: intentional intensity
This is when youre in your peak performance zone. I call this the state of intentional intensity, which is when you mindfully leverage your stress response for optimal performance and productivity in order to complete a time-bound objective.
I personally try to only call upon intentional intensity during periods where I have tight time constraints and high stakes. These moments happened multiple times a day when I worked in client-facing roles in investment banking and private equity. But because I was able to repair and recover after I finished my tasks, I avoided burnout throughout the workday. Sprinting through spurts of intentional intensity allows a person to access their most efficient and best work. However, given the toll that stress puts on the nervous system, you should only leverage this state when you really need it.
The neutral energetic state: relaxed productivity
After completing a high-stress stake, I recommend downshifting into the second defined state of relaxed productivity. You still need to be productive, but you dont need to use 100% of your mental and energetic capacity. Examples of this type of work include preparing materials for a non-urgent meeting, doing systematic analysis work, or any type of task that gets you into a flow state. These lower-intensity types of tasks allow more space to add in restorative elements that bring us joy, whether thats listening to a favorite playlist, stretching to release tension, or taking a coffee break with a favorite co-worker.
Ideally, when we become more mindful about what our tasks truly require, we can spend a good portion of our working time in a state of relaxed productivity. I distinctly remember taking inventory of my tasks in finance and being surprised to find that I can make most tasks relaxing through intentionally shifting into this style of work.
The least demanding energetic state: restorative time
Restorative time is the third energetic state and describes periods where you can fully detach from work tasks. This might look like going to the gym, cooking a nutritious dinner, or spending time with friends and loved ones.
Its essential to ensure that youve built in every day, even if it is a five-minute, screen-free walk or a short call with a loved one. Doing this allows for a mental reset, which creates more energy and excitement to return to the work environment. In the same way that having too much intentional intensity can cause burnout, having too few instances of restorative time can have the same effect.
How to shift between energetic states
Stress management comes from mastering the ability to mindfully transition between these three energetic states. In a work setting, it can be easy to continue staying high intensity, even when you dont need to be there.
To transition to another energetic state, its helpful to have a physical or sensory experience that signals to your brain that its time to switch things up. Some people may find it helpful to do some breathwork or even go for a short walk after finishing a stressful deliverable. Other people might have a special playlist for focus time, and another for productivity and rest. The more sign posts you can create for your body that youre changing energetic states, the better. These give your nervous system the clear message that its no longer in danger and can relax and begin recharging.
Burnout doesnt come from working hard. It comes from working too long in a more intense state without taking the necessary time to recharge. Remember, the brain is like a muscle. It needs time to rest and repair.
Mastering the ability to switch between energetic and stressful states is the key to achieving peak performance and career longevity. This insight was the great unlock in my own career that changed everything. Ultimately, the key to managing burnout isnt reducing stress, its managing your energy.
If we dont have Free Speech, then we just dont have a Free Country. Its as simple as that. President Donald Trump said in one of his campaign statements where he previewed how his administration would protect free expression. On January 20, the first day of his new term in office, President Trump issued an Executive Order entitled Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship (Free Speech EO). The order largely restates existing law, which prohibits the federal government from engaging in unconstitutional censorship, but as a statement of policy it could theoretically increase protections for legal speech and reduce the number of circumstances in which the federal government seeks the suppression of viewpoints it dislikes.
But, not long after President Trump signed this order, he and his administration began to violate it. In the few weeks since President Trump took office, the administration has already taken multiple actions to censor or chill speech it dislikes online and off. It has also taken action to undermine tools of free expression even though they align with its stated foreign policy objectives of defeating authoritarianism.
To wit:
On January 20, the same day as the Free Speech EO, President Trump issued an executive order entitled Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid. Anodyne though it may sound, it is having a broad and deep impact on free expression globally. As our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) pointed out, the United States has long funded programs that support technologies that enhance privacy, fight censorship, and support internet freedomand this order is directly undermining those programs. Other global free expression advocates, those that track internet shutdowns and attempts by authoritarian governments to suppress the speech of dissidents living abroad, are also impacted. This order undermines free expression globally, as well as the stated goals of the administration. It is a gift to our adversaries, particularly China and Russia.
Two days after President Trump issued the Free Speech EO, on January 22, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) reinstated complaints against broadcasters ABC, CBS and NBC over their coverage of the 2024 election. The complaints alleged that fact-checking of Presidential debates, news interviews with Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, and her appearance on Saturday Night Live before the election, as well as other election-related coverage, were biased and violated the broadcasters public interest obligations.The previous FCC chair had already dismissed the complaints as contrary to the First Amendment, because it is not the FCCs, nor any government officials, role to control the speech or editorial decisions of journalists or adjudicate bias. That power, in the governments hands, smacks of authoritarianism.Unfortunately, the FCCs actions appear to have been the start of a trend of investigating news organizations. In just the ensuing few weeks, it has opened investigations into NPR and PBS, alleging they are all of a sudden breaking sponsorship rules, and into KCBS in San Francisco for reporting on the location of ICE officers. Even if these investigations are ultimately closed without action, the mere fact of opening themand the implicit threat to the news stations license to operatecan have the effect of deterring the press from news coverage that the administration dislikes.
On January 27, seven days after the Free Speech EO, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memo entitled Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs. The memo purported to order a pause in all federally funded programs pending a review of those programs for their alignment with the Trump administration’s priorities, including ensuring that no funding goes toward advancing Marxist equity, transgenderism, and green new deal social engineering policies. This order is a blatant attempt to force government grantees to cease engaging in speech that the current administration dislikes, including speech about the benefits of diversity in education or in employee pools, speech about climate change, and speech related to LGBTQ issues. The First Amendment does not permit the government to discriminate against grantees because it does not like some of the viewpoints they espouse. Indeed, those groups that are challenging the constitutionality of the order argued as much in their complaint, and have won an injunction blocking its implementation.
The administration has also issued multiple executive orders seeking to enforce its position that there are only two genders and that diversity and equity goals are unlawful to implement in schools. Among other things, these orders prohibit people from having gender markers that differ from the sex they were assigned at birth on their federal identification documents, including passports. They also seek to excise teaching about historical discrimination, including about slavery, from K-12 curricula.
Under the guise of fighting anti-Semitism, President Trump has threatened to remove non-citizen college students who protested Israels war in Gaza. In a Fact Sheet that accompanied an Executive Order issued on January 29, Trump said, ominously, To all the resident aliens who joined in the pro-jihadist protests, we put you on notice: Come 2025, we will find you, and we will deport you. I will also quickly cancel the student visas of all Hamas sympathizers on college campuses. Removing non-citizens on account of their speech or their sympathies cannot be squared with a commitment to free speech or with the First Amendment.
The administration is also circulating lists of banned words for staff of government agenciesprohibiting basic free expression of the many American citizens who work as researchers or government employeesand directly censoring he display of pictures of women and people of color and disfavored words including diversity and integrity. In response the NSA is deleting websites and internal network content containing any of the banned words and the NSF is scouring research grants for any reference or use of the words. The Defense Department is also reportedly restricting access to books on topics from immigration to psychology and more in its school system that serves military families. If banning words and books arent a speech restriction, its unclear what would be.
In each case, administration officials are moving in ways that directly contradict President Trumps own executive order and their own stated goals of upholding a Free Speech agenda, attempting to use government power not just to promote their own views but to actively punish (and silence) those who disagree.
These are just a few examples of the censorship efforts the new Trump administration has embarked on. There are likely many more examples in the growing pile of actions the administration has taken and more in those they will soon implement, including an announced plan to dismantle the Department of Education, the federal agency responsible for ensuring all students in this country have access to education.
The fact is that candidate-Trump was right. If we dont have free speech, we dont have a free country. An administration truly committed to the First Amendment would stand up and defend everyones speech rights, especially those of the people who express disagreement with it. But that time-honored principle is utterly incompatible with this administration’s actions undermining constitutionally protected freedoms here in the United States and around the world. This administration, while it might tout its devotion to free expression with empty words, is doing profound damage to free expression with its actions.
This story originally appeared on the Center for Democracy and Technology’s website and is republished here with permission.
As the Super Bowl clock ticked just below three minutes left in the game, Eagles wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith picked up the giant Gatorade cooler, snuck behind head coach Nick Sirianni on the sideline, and hit him with the traditional shower celebration.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philadelphia Eagles (@philadelphiaeagles)
It was probably one of the best ads of the Super Bowl, and it wasnt even a commercial. And yet, it still told a story about how close the ties are between this brand and one of the most significant moments in sports.
This year, Gatorade celebrates its 60th anniversary since Dr. James Cade first concocted his formula to keep the Florida Gators football team hydrated. Gatorade chief brand officer Anuj Bhasin says the brand is going to mark the occasion throughout the year with a strategy that aims to set things up for the next six decades.
Its a balance of honoring the past, while still pushing an image of innovation. The brand still holds more than 60% market share in sports drinks, but is also competing with brands like Liquid Death, all the energy drinks, water brands, and whatever else is available in the corner store fridge.
The brand has been experimenting with various ways to move beyond just a sports drink to become an overall sports fuel brand for the past decade. That goal continues in earnest into its 60th year.
We have to think differently about how we use leading edge science to solve athlete problems, says Bhasin. We’re going to be thinking much more expansively about what what athletes might need and what they’re going to be having access to over the next 60 (years).
Linebacker Harry Carson of the New York Giants splashes a bucket of Gatorade over Head coach Bill Parcells after defeating the Denver Broncos during Super Bowl XXI on January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. [Photo: Focus on Sport/Getty Images]
Building on tradition
Theres no doubt that Gatorade sponsorship investments keep the sports drink on the big league sidelines. In 2022, brand parent company PepsiCo renewed its deal with the NFL for another eight years, and actually codeveloped a new caffeine-infused sports drink called Fast Twitch with the league. No financial details were released, but the previous deal was reportedly $2 billion over 10 years.
But the post-win shower was not a brand invention. It started 40 years ago during the 1984 NFL season, though there is a dispute about who started itthe New York Giants or the Chicago Bears.
Last year, the brand launched an updated take on its classic It Is In You? campaign, starting with a spot narrated by Michael Jordan. It also brought back the brands classic aesthetic of black and white images, highlighted with colorful Gatorade-flavored sweat, now featuring Caitlin Clark, Aja Wilson, Jayson Tatum, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Josh Allen all perspiring the brand colors.
[Photos: Gatorade]
That campaign helped boost the brand in a couple areas, according to a digital brand lift study with DISQO. First, Gatorade saw an 18% growth in the number of people who think Gatorade improves athletic performance, and 12.6% lift in people who think it is scientifically proven to rehydrate faster than water” (Even if that’s a very debatable point).
Bhasin says the brand also made a pivot in its approach to its social marketing, shifting from moments the brand createdcampaigns, ad launchesto reacting and capitalizing on moments in sports culture. This week, when Luka Doncic was set to make his debut as a Los Angeles Laker, Gatorade posted a video of the Hollywood sign flipping its Ls to resemble the NBA stars number 77 jersey. It attracted more than two million views on X alone.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gatorade (@gatorade)
The brand is also pushing harder on a shift its made over the past year that is less centered on the brand, but led by its athletes, influencers, and scientific experts. Consumers dont have to listen to us. They can skip our commercials. They can skip our digital creative, says Bhasin. They will opt into it if the content is highly relevant, so developing content that is founded in sport culture and sport science is the biggest shift that we’re making.
Over the next few months, the newest batch of brand content will start rolling out.
Last year was hyper focused on resharpening who we were and what we stood for with athletes, says Bhasin. This year is about deepening that trust emotionally with them, while also showcasing a road map to the future.
Watch any Olympic event, and youll notice this universal ritual: The moment an athlete completes their performance, they turn to their coach for feedback. Theres no defensivenessjust a hunger to know how to improve. They understand that even the smallest adjustment could be the difference between standing on the podium or watching from the sidelines.
For athletes, feedback is not criticism. Its a tool for enhancement.
This mindset isnt confined to sports. High performers in every fieldwhether thats business, academia, or the artsshare an insatiable appetite for actionable feedback. Its their secret weapon for continual improvement.
Why feedback fuels growth
Feedback often gets a bad reputation. Many people mistakenly view it as a critique of past performance or decisions. But reframing feedback as an investment in future growth shifts the narrative. High achievers dont see it as an attack on their abilities. They see it as an opportunity to elevate their performance.In organizations, feedback takes many forms: executives refining leadership skills through 360-degree reviews, entrepreneurs tweaking pitches after investor input, or creatives honing their craft with input from trusted peers. The best performers seek it proactively, seeing it as their competitive edge. They dont just ask for feedbackthey act on it.
Here are some lessons that we can take from how high performers see feedback.
1. Feedback is a collaboration, not criticism
Olympians focus on improvement, not excuses. Scott Hamilton, Olympic champion figure skater, shared with me the wise words his coach told him: Never give excuses, offer reasons. Excuses stall growth, Hamilton explained, but reasons illuminate areas for adjustment.
Similarly, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasizes the value of being a learn-it-all over a know-it-all. This echoes psychologist Carol Dwecks work on mindsets: Individuals with a growth mindset embrace feedback as fuel for improvement, while those with a fixed mindset see it as a threat. High performers treat feedback as a collaborative effort to refine their skills, not a critique of their character.
2. Small adjustments can lead to big impact
Feedback doesnt have to mean an overwhelming overhaul. Often, its minor tweakschanging the tone of a presentation, adjusting priorities in a projectthat lead to the biggest breakthroughs.
3. Dont wait for feedback, ask for it
High performers actively seek feedback instead of waiting for annual reviews or chance encounters. By asking for input, they demonstrate curiosity and a commitment to growth. People are often eager to help those who genuinely want to improve.
When seeking feedback, specificity is key. Instead of asking, Do you have any feedback? try,Whats one thing I could do to make this presentation more engaging? Clear, targeted questions yield actionable insights.
4. Feedback is a continuous process
Annual performance reviews arent enough. Thats because feedback is most effective in two forms:
Reflection-in-action: Immediate insights during the task, like an Olympian receiving real-time coaching from their coach on the sidelines during a competition.
Reflection-on-action: Deliberate analysis after the fact, such as debriefing a major presentation to identify lessons for the future.
Turning feedback into action
Over time, this continuous feedback loop drives incremental changes that compound into significant growth.
To integrate feedback effectively, high performers follow these five strategies:
Ask specific questions: Shift from vague to precise. Instead of, How am I doing? ask, Whats one way I can make this project more impactful? or, What is an idea I should consider to shorten my time to closing a deal?
Build a feedback network: Seek diverse perspectives from managers, peers, clients, and stakeholders. Each offers unique insights. For example, ask, What can I do to make this communication clearer?
Normalize feedback in teams: Foster a culture of regular, informal feedback. You can use after-action reviewscommon in the military and healthcareto refine processes and achieve better outcomes. When it becomes part of the tapestry of the organization, people learn to expect it. If you do it right, it offers an opportunity to extract a lesson from one event and use it in another.
Act quickly: Show that you value input by implementing feedback as quickly as possible. Close the loop with the person who shared itexplain what youve changed or why you chose not to, which demonstrates intentional thought.
Reflect and adjust: Self-reflection is as critical as external input. Review your work, look for areas of improvement, and experiment with new approaches. Consider recording yourself, practicing in front of a mirror, or viewing your performance from the perspective of key stakeholders.
Reframing feedback as a growth tool
Every project, like every athletes performance, is an experimenta chance to refine and improve. By reframing feedback as an enabler of professional success, not a critique of abilities, you unlock the potential for lasting achievement.
Olympians rely on their coaches to fine-tune their performance. In the same way, embracing feedback with a growth mindset transforms high potential into high performance.
In a drill, baby, drill administration that has already shut down wind energy expansion and put the solar industry in limbo by pausing funding and threatening Inflation Reduction Act incentives, one clean energy source has received support from President Donald Trump. In his bid to unleash American energy dominance, geothermal energy (harnessing underground heat as a renewable resource) got a shout-out in a January 20th executive order. Its the rare clean energy option that hasnt been singled out for criticism. And one state is poised to be the center of that boom.
Texass wildcatting entrepreneurs, embrace of light regulations, and, of course, drilling experience have set the stage for a world-leading boom in geothermal energy production. Not only does the Lone Star State boast a significant number of operators and a labor force that knows how to drillat the peak of the recent shale oil boom, more than 20,000 wells a year were being dugbut all this activity means a good portion of the states underground landscape has already been mapped, making it that much easier to locate good spots for geothermal wells.
Geothermal energy production has traditionally included a handful of power plants, built where water heated from the earth bubbles toward the surface, or building ground source systems, which takes advantage of the temperature difference between the underground and surface to heat or cool specific structures and even whole neighborhoods.
Newer techniques seek to drill 3 miles deep and hit whats called hot rocks, which can be 300 degrees Fahrenheit or more. Operators then pump water down to get turned into steam, which is returned to the surface to power a turbine and generate electricity. The International Energy Agency estimates geothermal has more global generating potential than wind, and nearly as much as solar.
Fervo Energys Cape Station geothermal plant in Utah [Photo: courtesy Fervo Energy]
Traditional geothermal power has been concentrated in areas west of the Rocky Mountains, where steam power remains closer to the surface. Hot rock technology puts more areas in play, and with more advances in drilling, potentially creates a national power source. The regions currently in focus include Louisiana, Arkansas, North Dakota, and Texas, not coincidentally areas of existing oil drilling.
Three demonstration projects this year will set the stage for a series of large-scale geothermal wells that will operate like small power plants, including a 3-megawatt energy storage system being developed for the San Miguel Electric Cooperative in Christine, Texas, by startup Sage Geosystems. Ken Wisian, a geophysicist and geologist at the University of Texas at Austin, believes the state could be producing 10% of its power from geothermal within a decade.
Up until about four years ago, the geothermal industry in the U.S. had been flatlining, says Wisian, with little capital investment and no real research, especially compared to the oil and gas industry. At that point, traditional fossil fuel drilling was years ahead of geothermal. But then, drilling firms and startups started applying oil and gas drilling techniques to geothermal, and figured out its much more economically viable, in many more places, than originally assumed.
Early leaders, such as Jamie Beard, who gave a TED Talk on geothermal potential, helped instigate a $165 million Department of Energy study to transfer oil and gas tech to geothermal. And the Biden administration helped accelerate the industry, approving projects utilizing public lands and including incentives for geothermal in the Inflation Reduction Act.
Why now? The answer is Trump and drill, baby, drill, said Beard, who now leads Project InnerSpace, a private foundation that supports geothermal projects. Everything weve been building for the past five-plus years has prepared us and this ecosystem for this breakout moment. Its go time.
As this small niche in energy productioncurrently just 0.4% of total U.S. generationexpands, Texas has the plurality of startups, university expertise, and multinational oil and gas firms looking to acquire startups and fund promising new drilling technology that they can adopt for their own uses. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, for instance, has invested in startups that it also hopes become future buyers of its turbines. Add in a proliferation of engineering talent, and theres a reason most of the industrys startups call Houston or Austin home.
A map of hot rock prevalence in the state of Texas [Image: the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation]
Startups based in the state have also pushed forward new technology and new methods of drilling. Houston-based Quaise Energy, which has raised $105 million, has developed a high-tech drilling bit that utilizes electromagnetic waves to effectively melt rock. Exceed Geo Energy, based in Austin, recently signed a contract with the Austin Energy utility to develop a 5-megawatt test well. At a time when federal and state lawmakers around the country are lobbying for streamlined well permitting and more money for research, these startups could be poised to lead the nascent industry.
“Houstons deep ties to the energy sectorespecially in drilling, completions, and geosciencesalign closely with what it takes to bring enhanced geothermal to market, said Chelsea Anderson, strategic communications specialist at Houston-based Fervo Energy, which is working on a 400-megawatt project in Utah. Beyond technical talent, Houston offers a deep bench of professionals with energy sector experience, from supply chain specialists to legal and finance experts, who understand how to scale an energy business. With roughly half of our employees based here, being part of this ecosystem has been invaluable in growing our company.”
Jane Stricker, executive director of the nonprofit Houston Energy Transition Initiative, noted, Houston has always been an entrepreneurial community of businesses, and I think there has always been an opportunity for folks to come and grow businesses in Houston. I think it has a lot to do with the talent and workforce that is there.
The Texas Geothermal Energy Alliance (TxGEA), an industry group that has worked closely with the state legislature, has shepherded through a series of bills with broad bipartisan support that, among other things, cleared up geothermal ownership and regulation, and allowed firms to adopt orphan oil and gas wells for geothermal, setting the stage for more commercialization and development. The group sees these laws as a set of model legislation that can be adopted nationwide.
TxGEAs chairman and founder, Barry Smitherman, says that with large-scale projects soon to be connected to the grid, and advances in drill bit technology (which makes it easy to dig deeper and expand the areas where geothermal is financially feasible) constantly leapfrogging each other, geothermal will quickly become cheaper and more widely available. It helps that these wells, 9 to 12 inches in diameter, dont take up as much space as sprawling wind and solar farms, and can be drilled closer to power users, requiring less permitting and transmission infrastructure.
Ive been a geothermal researcher for 30 years, said Wisian, the UT-Austin geologist. This is the most exciting time in the sector by at least an order of magnitude. People smell the money and are starting to pile in.
And it doesnt stop at utility-scale electricity generation. Wisian ran a pilot project in West Texas and discovered that in areas where it may not get hot enough to generate power, geothermal heat can still be used profitably to warm greenhouses or run air-conditioning for a neighborhood.
Three U.S. military bases in Texas are testing geothermal energy systems for resiliency. And, of course, there are always data centers, ravenous energy consumers that will explode energy demand in the years to come. Fervo has a contract providing geothermal power for a Google data center in Nevada.
Texans also see geothermal as a solid backup, dispatchable power that can be stored for emergencies. After the power failures and fatalities of Winter Storm Uri in 2021, Texas authorities have sought out better storage and backup power options (the Texas Geothermal Alliance formed shortly after the storm). Wisian believes storing heat in wells offers a much more sustainable model than mining, building, and shipping in massive lithium batteries.
His grand vision would be digging a well next to every wind turbine in West Texas and creating a sea of spinning blades and deep tunnels, generating and storing power to help the booming state continue to grow (energy usage here is expected to double by 2030). Its a big vision, sure, but that seems like the Texas energy model.
Many things irk people about the way modern companies operate. Workplace communication tools and so-called enterprise social media platforms are among the low-stakes but high-impact bugbears. Reading through the latest dull update from that guy in accounts who continually spams the work comms platform, or worrying about when and how to engage with a problematic post can cause plenty of stress.
Having to keep up with colleagues on a workplace communication platform annoys many. But new research suggests the much-maligned tools might actually serve a purposeand can benefit workers and the businesses they work for.
Princeton University professor Manoel Horta Ribeiro led a study (together with two Microsoft researchers) that looked at how people use Microsofts Viva Engagethe service formerly known as Yammer. The team analyzed 99 companies in-staff interactions before and after they adopted Viva Engage.
The study found that using such tools increased the level of connectivity among staff by adding new ways to communicate, rather than shifting the existing ones online. It helped strengthen ties among workers, helped improve knowledge sharing and innovation within an organization, and was found to be more effective than email to allow people at different levels on the hierarchy of a business to communicate with one another.
That idea of bridging the gap between different staff levels was one of the key benefits of such tools, according to Ribeiro, who notes that the use of workplace communication and corporate social media tools like those studied highlight how low-level staffers are often the linchpins who keep a business running.
We find that in corporate social media settings, low-level employees are actually more central in the network, meaning they are better positioned to spread communication throughout the company, Ribeiro says.
Still, despite the benefits and boons encountered in the research, the perception remains that these tools can be the bane of peoples working lives, rather than a means of improving them.
So why do people hate platforms like Viva Engage? Its not necessarily an issue with the tools themselves, but with the way people act on them.
The thing that people hate about these platforms isnt exclusive to enterprise social media. Its the same thing thats happening with LinkedIn or mainstream social platforms, Ribeiro says. People are gaming the system to become content creators rather than making meaningful connections.
