Earlier today, Bitcoin hit an all-time high of over $118,000 per token, giving many crypto investors hope that the digital coin king may soon surpass the psychologically important barrier of $120,000.
But Bitcoin isnt the only cryptocurrency significantly on the rise today. The altcoin XRP is also up todaymore than 13% over the past 24 hours as of the time of this writing. Heres a possible reason why.
What is XRP?
In the world of cryptocurrency, you have one king, Bitcoin. Keeping in line with the nobility nomenclature, the title of prince belongs to Ethereum, the second-largest crypto by market cap. The title of duke, then, would go to XRP, the third-largest crypto by market cap.
All Bitcoins in the world currently have a market cap of about $2.3 trillion, while Ethereum sits at about $361 billion, and XRP hovers around $161 billion.
XRP, then, is one of the bigger so-called altcoins on the market. According to Yahoo Finance data, the current price of XRP (XRPUSD) is right around $2.76 per token.
One of the largest holders of XRP is Ripple Labs Inc., a company that offers digital cross-border payment solutions like the decentralized RippleNet.
Why is XRP surging?
Over the past 24 hours, XRP has seen a significant increase. As of the time of this writing, the coin is trading at around $2.7636 apiece. Thats a more than 13% gain in the last day.
But why is XRP surging? Any rise or fall in any crypto is usually linked to more than one reason, but over the past few days, investors seem to be more bullish on XRPand perhaps thanks in part to a specific event.
As noted by The Coin Telegraph, on Wednesday, the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hosted a hearing called From Wall Street to Web3: Building Tomorrows Digital Asset Markets.
The event covered a number of topics, as noted by Bitcoin Magazine, including the regulatory environment surrounding crypto.
One of the witnesses at the event was Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse. Since that event, XRP has steadily increased. Garlinghouses presence at the event seems to suggest to some investors that Ripple may have a growing involvement with policymakers in Washington. If so, it may help boost the appeal of XRP, which Ripple owns a lot of.
Of course, whether Ripple Labs actually has an increasing involvement with policymakers in D.C. remains to be seenand even if they do, it doesnt mean XRP is guaranteed any kind of upward trajectory.
Still, over the past five days, XRP has surged 20%.
XRP jumps 500% over the past 12 months
While XRPs five-day jump of 20% seems impressive, it’s nothing compared to what the coin has done over the past 12 months.
Since last July, XRP has surged a staggering 507%, according to data from Yahoo Finance.
Thats an astounding return compared to its peers. Bitcoin, for example, is up just over 105% in the same period, and Ethereum is down just over 3%.
Sketched out on an air sickness bag, the first Birkin handbagthe prototype for fashion’s must-have accessorysold for a staggering 8.6 million euros ($10.1 million), including fees, on Thursday in Paris to become the second most valuable fashion item ever sold at auction.The winning bid of 7 million euros drew gasps and applause from the audience. The price crushed the previous auction record for a handbag$513,040 paid in 2021 for a Herms White Himalaya Niloticus Crocodile Diamond Retourne Kelly 28.Now, the original Birkin bag, named after the actor, singer and fashion icon that Herms created it forthe late Jane Birkinis in a new league of its own. Only one fashion item has sold at auction for more: a pair of ruby red slippers from “The Wizard of Oz”, which sold for $32.5 million in 2024, Sotheby’s said.
Whistles in the auction room
The Paris auction room buzzed with anticipation as the sale got underway, with the auctioneer reminding the crowd that the bag was “totally unique” and “the most famous bag of all time.”The bidding started at 1 million euros but quickly increased, with telephone bidders fighting it out at the end. With Sotheby’s fees included, the total price for the winning bidder from Japan was a cool 8.6 million euros, the auction house said.From the starting price, bids rocketed past 2 million euros, then 3 million, 4 million and 5 million, to astonished gasps. When the price jumped from 5.5 million to 6 million euros in one swoop, there were whistles and applause.The final bids were 6.2 million euros, then 6.5 million, then 6.8 million before the Japanese buyer’s last winning bid: 7 million euros.Sotheby’s didn’t identify the buyer. Nine collectors bidding by telephone, online, and in the room competed in the 10-minute auction battle, with the private collector from Japan beating a last remaining other bidder at the end.
‘One of a kind’
Paris fashion house Herms exclusively commissioned the bag for the London-born Birkin in 1984 branding it with her initials J.B. on the front flap, below the lock and delivered the finished one-of-a-kind bag to her the following year, Sotheby’s said. The subsequent commercialized version of Birkin’s bag went on to become one of the world’s most exclusive luxury items, extravagantly priced and with a yearslong waiting list.The bag was born of a fortuitous encounter on a London-bound flight in the 1980s with the then-head of Herms, Jean-Louis Dumas. Birkin recounted in subsequent interviews that the pair got talking after she spilled some of her things on the cabin floor.Birkin asked Dumas why Herms didn’t make a bigger handbag and sketched out on an airplane vomit bag the sort of hold-all that she would like. He then had an example made for her and, flattered, she agreed when Herms asked whether it could commercialize the bag in her name.“There is no doubt that the Original Birkin bag is a true one-of-a-kinda singular piece of fashion history that has grown into a pop culture phenomenon that signals luxury in the most refined way possible. It is incredible to think that a bag initially designed by Herms as a practical accessory for Jane Birkin has become the most desirable bag in history,” said Morgane Halimi, Sotheby’s head of handbags and fashion.The bag became so famous that Birkin once mused before her death in 2023 at age 76 that her obituaries would likely “say, ‘Like the bag’ or something.”“Well, it could be worse,” she added.
Height of French chic
Sotheby’s said that seven design elements on the handcrafted all-black leather prototype set it apart from Birkins that followed.It’s the only Birkin with a nonremovable shoulder strapfitting for the busy life and practicality of the singer, actor, social activist and mother who was also known for her romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg and their duets that included the steamy 1969 song “Je t’aime moi non plus” (“I Love You, Me Neither”).Her bag also had a nail clipper attached, because Birkin “was never one for long painted nails,” Sotheby’s said.The bag that Herms handmade for her, developed off its existing Haut A Courroies model, also has gilded brass hardware, bottom studs and other features that differ from commercial Birkins.Birkin’s casual, breezy style in the 1960s and early 1970slong hair with bangs, jeans paired with white tops, knit minidresses and basket bagsstill epitomizes the height of French chic for many women around the world.
‘More than just a bag’
When Birkin chatted to Herms’ Dumas on the Paris-to-London flight about what her ideal handbag would be, she’d been in the habit of carrying her things around in a wicker basket, because she felt handbags in the 1980s were too small, Sotheby’s said. She was traveling with her young daughter, Charlotte, and complained that she couldn’t find a bag suitable for her needs as a mother, Herms says.Herms later gifted her four other Birkin bags. She kept the prototype for nearly a decade, before auctioning it for an AIDS charity in 1994. It was auctioned again in 2000 and had since been in private hands.The previous owner, who identified herself only as Catherine B., told journalists at the auction that the bag “has all the attributes of a star.”“The price is the price of the Herms story,” she said.Sotheby’s called it “more than just a bag.”“The Birkin has evolved from a practical accessory to become a timeless cultural icon,” it said. “Its presence spans the worlds of music, film, television and the arts,” it added. “It is a red-carpet staple, a fashion magazine mainstay, and a coveted piece in the wardrobes of celebrities, artists and stylists.”
John Leicester and Jeffrey Schaeffer, Associated Press
Yahoos bet on creator-led content appears to be paying off. Yahoo Creators, the media companys publishing platform for creators, had its most lucrative month yet in June.
Launched in March 2024, Yahoo Creators was built to capitalize on the growing appetite for personality-driven content. Now, a little more than a year in, the platform is gaining momentum: Last month marked its highest revenue and engagement levels since launch, a spokesperson told Digiday.
Historically, Yahoo has aggregated stories from around the web and produced original journalism through its in-house newsroom. Now its also staking its claim in the creator economy.
According to Digiday, the program currently includes 135 lifestyle-focused creators, whose work is featured prominently on Yahoos homepage. Theres a dedicated creator vertical, and creator content is woven throughout the Yahoo app and newsletters, appearing alongside articles from traditional publishers. Theres even a waiting list of influencers eager to join.
Selected creators have access to monetization tools, affiliate commerce, and audience analytics in exchange for posting on the platform. While the program focuses mainly on written content, creators can embed audio and video. Yahoo offers a 50-50 split on ad revenuecomparable to platforms like Substack and YouTube.
We hear consistently that people want to get their news from other people, Kat Downs Mulder, senior vice president and general manager of Yahoo News, previously told Fast Company. They have institutions they trust, but they also really want connections. . . . In addition to the publisher network that we have, and the journalists that we have in-house, creators would add an additional dimension to that content. And so it would really help us to flesh out that whole ecosystem of content as we really look to become the worlds best guide to the internet.
Since launch, revenue, engagement, and feedback have all been positive. Yahoos new media model is wild (and maybe genius), Michelle Songy, founder of Press Hook, posted on LinkedIn last month. Legacy media is finally taking notes from creators, and honestly, Im here for it.
As journalist Mike Hume put it in a Substack post last year, To me, this is a low-risk, high-reward bet, which is usually a smart bet to make.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said Thursday that he will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if President Donald Trump follows through on a pledge to boost import taxes by 50% over the South American country’s criminal trial against his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro.Lula said he will trigger Brazil’s reciprocity law approved by Congress earlier this year if negotiations with the U.S. fail.“If there’s no negotiation, the reciprocity law will be put to work. If he charges 50 (% tariffs) from us, we will charge 50 from them,” Lula told TV Record in excerpts of an interview that will be fully aired later in the day. “Respect is good. I like to offer mine and I like to receive it.”Lula’s comments raise the risk of a tariffs war erupting between the two countries, similar to what has happened between the U.S. and China. Trump has vowed to respond forcefully if countries seek to punish the U.S. by adding tariffs of their own.The president of Brazil’s Senate, Sen. Davi Alcolumbre, and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Hugo Motta, a pair of moderates who have recently been at odds with Lula, agreed that the recipricity law gives Brazil “the means to protect our sovereignty.”“We will be ready to act with balance and firmness in defense of our economy, our productive sector, and the protection of Brazilian jobs,” they said in a joint statement.
A new front in the trade war
The tariffs letter that Trump sent to Brazil and posted on social media Wednesday railing against the “witch hunt” trial against Bolsonaro opened up a new front in his trade wars, with the U.S. leader directly using import taxes to interfere with another nation’s domestic politics.Trump has already tried to use tariffs to ostensibly combat fentanyl trafficking and as a negotiating tool to change how other nations tax digital services and regulate their economies.In Brazil’s case, Trump is trying to dictate the outcome of the criminal trial of Bolsonaro, an ally who like Trump has been charged with attempting to overturn a presidential election. Bolsonaro maintains that he is being politically persecuted by Brazil’s Supreme Court over his charges on the alleged plot to remain in power after his 2022 election loss to Lula.“There’s nothing Lula or Brazil can do about Bolsonaro’s trial,” said Carlos Melo, a political science professor at Insper University in Sao Paulo. “Any change in that would be Brazil’s capitulation. Bolsonaro’s situation here won’t change. How do you negotiate over that?”Lula ordered his diplomats on Thursday to return Trump’s letter if it physically arrives at the presidential palace in Brasilia. The document attacks the country’s judiciary and mentions recent rulings on social media companies among the reasons why goods from the South American nation will have higher tariffs from Aug. 1.
Trade negotiations now ‘up in the air’
Trump has initiated his tariffs under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act, saying in April that the persistent deficit between what the U.S. exports and what it imports is a national crisis.But the U.S. runs a trade surplus with Brazil, undermining some of the rationale.A staffer of Brazil’s foreign ministry told The Associated Press that trade negotiations that were ongoing since Trump imposed a first set of tariffs in April are now “up in the air.”Some members of the Lula administration say Trump’s move is actually aimed at Brazil’s connection with other Southern economies, as displayed on Sunday at the summit of BRICS nations hosted in Rio de Janeiro. Brazil’s president once again mentioned the hope for an alternative currency to the dollar for transactions, a topic that frequently draws Trump’s ire.“Trump was never worried about democracy anywhere, much less with Bolsonaro’s destiny,” said Gleisi Hoffmann, Brazil’s institutional relations minister.
Brazil’s new unity
Trump’s interference in Brazilian affairs has brought a sense of unity that was largely absent in the politically divided nation. Some of Bolsonaro’s allies claimed Lula had drawn the U.S. president’s anger with other decisions, including criticism of Israel’s war in Gaza. But other supporters of the former president chose to ask for prudence in negotiations.Daily O Estado de S. Paulo, a frequent critic of Lula and his administration, said in an editorial on Thursday that Trump’s move against the Brazilian government is “a mafia thing.” It also said Lula’s reaction was correct, a rare feature for the newspaper.Analysts also see Trump’s attempt to interfere in the country’s domestic affairs as a potential backfire for Bolsonaro during his trial and a push for Lula, whose reelection bid was facing unpopularity headwinds this year.Canadians recently elected Mark Carney as prime minister, with his Liberal Party reenergized by Trump’s tariffs and threats to make Canada the 51st U.S. state.“The reaction of a lot of people is that this is a political gift to Lula,” said Andre Pagliarini, a professor of history and international studies at Louisiana State University who is also affiliated with the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.Thomas Traumann, an independent political consultant and former Brazilian minister, called Trump’s move “a game changer” for next year’s election.“Trump put Lula back in the game,” Traumann said. “This gives Lula a narrative, puts Bolsonaro as the guilty part for any economic problems.”
Exceeding the authority
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in May that Trump had exceeded his authority by declaring an emergency to impose tariffs without congressional approval. The Trump administration is appealing that decision, but opponents plan to use his Brazil letter to bolster their case.“This is a brazenly illegal effort by Donald Trump to sacrifice the economy to settle his own personal scores, and it is far outside his legal authority,” said Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden.The Republican administration has argued that their tariffs are now relatively harmless for the U.S. economy, since inflation has trended down in recent months. But many companies stockpiled imports to get ahead of the import taxes, and it’s unclear what happens when their inventories dwindle and consumers consider the risk of higher prices. Most outside economic analyses expect growth to decline.In Brazil, Trump’s interest in Bolsonaro’s trial is expected to weigh over the trial. Media outlets have reported that lawmakers and judges are worried the former president will try to leave Brazil for the U.S. if he is convicted.Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, a son of the former president, moved to the U.S. in March. On Wednesday night, he asked his supporters on X to post “their thank you to President Donald Trump.”InThursday’s interview, Lula said the elder Bolsonaro “should take the responsibility for agreeing with Trump’s taxation to Brazil.”“His son went there to make up Trump’s mind, then he (Trump) writes a letter to speak about a case that is in the hands of the Supreme Court. A case that is not a political trial. What is under investigation is the evidence of the case,” Lula said.
Mauricio Savarese and Josh Boak, Associated Press
President Donald Trump said in a letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%, deepening a rift between two North American countries that have suffered a debilitating blow to their decades-old alliance.The Thursday letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is an aggressive increase to the top 25% tariff rates that Trump first imposed in March after months of threats. Trump’s tariffs were allegedly in an effort to get Canada to crack down on fentanyl smuggling despite the relatively modest trafficking in the drug from that country. Trump has also expressed frustration with a trade deficit with Canada that largely reflects oil purchases by America.“I must mention that the flow of Fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we have with Canada, which has many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter.The higher rates would go into effect Aug. 1, creating a tense series of weeks ahead for the global economy as recent gains in the S&P 500 stock index suggest many investors think Trump will ultimately back down on the increases. But stock market futures were down early Friday in a sign that Trump’s wave of tariff letters may be starting to generate concern among investors.In a social media post, Carney said Canada would continue to work toward a new trade framework with the U.S. and has made “vital progress to stop the scourge of fentanyl.”“Through the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and business,” Carney said.While multiple countries have received tariff letters this week, CanadaAmerica’s second largest trading partner after Mexicohas become something of a foil to Trump. It has imposed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods and pushed back on the president’s taunts of making Canada the 51st state. Mexico has also faced 25% tariffs because of fentanyl, yet it has not faced the same public pressure from the Republican U.S. president.Carney was elected prime minister in April on the argument that Canadians should keep their “elbows up.” He has responded by distancing Canada from its intertwined relationship with the U.S., seeking to strengthen its links with the European Union and the United Kingdom.Hours before Trump’s letter, Carney posted on X a picture of himself with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, saying, “In the face of global trade challenges, the world is turning to reliable economic partners like Canada.” Implied in his statement was that the U.S. has become unreliable because of Trump’s haphazard tariff regime, which has gone through aggressive threats and reversals.When Carney went to the White House in May, the public portion of their meeting was cordial. But Trump said there was nothing the Canadian leader could tell him to remove the tariffs, saying, “Just the way it is.”Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Trump’s latest move will make it more difficult for Canada and the U.S. to reach a trade deal, Beland said.“It doesn’t mean a new trade deal between Canada and the United States is impossible, but it shows how hard it is for the Canadian government to negotiate with a U.S. president who regularly utters threats and doesn’t appear to be a reliable and truthful interlocutor,” he said.Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries. Those form letters became increasingly personal with Canada as well as a Wednesday note that put a 50% tariff on Brazil for the ongoing trial of its former President Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after his 2022 election loss. Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.Trump administration officials have said that Trump was seeking to isolate its geopolitical rival China with the tariffs, but the latest tariffs have undermined that message. Brazil’s largest trading partner is China, not the U.S., and Chinese government officials have framed his import taxes as a form of bullying.“Sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are important principles of the U.N. Charter and basic norms governing international relations,” said Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. “Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion, bullying and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”The letters reflect the inability of Trump to finalize the dozens of trade frameworks that he claimed would be easy to negotiate. Shortly after unveiling his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, a financial market selloff caused Trump to announce a 90-day negotiating period during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods.But Trump has indicated that the 10% tariff rates are largely disappearing as he resets the rates with his letters.“We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News.Trump has announced trade frameworks with the U.K. and Vietnam, as well as a separate deal with China to enable continued trade talks. Trump jacked up import taxes on Chinese goods to as much as 145%, but after talks he has said China faces total tariffs of 55%.In June, Trump said he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue its digital services tax, which would hit U.S. technology companies. A few days later, talks resumed when Carney rescinded the tax.Under the current tariff structure, the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement has protected eligible goods from Trump’s tariffs. But a review of the pact is scheduled for 2026.
Jim Morris contributed to this report from Vancouver, British Columbia.
Josh Boak, Associated Press
Yet another company is reducing its workforce amid a broader shift toward artificial intelligence.
Recruit Holdings, which owns the online jobs platforms Glassdoor and Indeed, has announced that it is laying off 1,300 employees in its HR Technology segment. The decision will impact about 6% of jobs on the teams.
The layoffs are primarily in the job search companies growth, people and sustainability, and research and development teams, according to a memo cited by Reuters and other outlets. Affected employees are primarily U.S.-based but work across several countries.
Fast Company has reached out to Recruit, Indeed, and Glassdoor for comment.
In 2023, Indeed laid off about 2,200 employees15% of its workforcewith another 1,000 jobs cut last year. The current layoff round will see Glassdoors operations integrated into Indeed, with the formers CEO leaving on October 1.
Despite releasing its FY2025 Consolidated Financial Guidance in early May, Recruit stated that the layoffs had been largely incorporated into its HR Technology segment outlook.
Recruit’s CEO, Hisayuki Deko Idekoba, sent a clear message about AI’s role in the layoffs: AI is changing the world, and we must adapt by ensuring our product delivers truly great experiences for job seekers and employers, he said in the memo, according to Bloomberg.
Doing the robot dance
Many companies that are going all-in on generative AI have been simultaneously reducing their workforces.
In February, Meta and Workday laid off about 4,000 people and 1,750 people, respectively, in the name of putting their resources toward AI.
April saw Duolingo announce that it would reduce its use of contractors in cases where AI could do the joba move that months later still attracts negative comments on the companys social media postings.
AI-related layoffs are also visible at companies outside of the tech industry. Business Insider cut about 21% of its workforce in June while stressing its desire for all employees to regularly use Enterprise ChatGPT.
In some cases, these decisions have been met with regret.
Two years ago, Klarna instituted a hiring freeze to focus on utilizing AI. But its CEO, Sebastian Siemiatkowski, has since announced a hiring spree. As cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor when organizing this, what you end up having is lower quality, Siemiatkowski said. Really investing in the quality of the human support is the way of the future for us.
In the early morning hours of high summers holiday, July 4, a Southern summer camp became the site of tragedy: At Camp Mystic in Central Texas, flash flooding from a rapidly rising Guadalupe River claimed the lives of 27 people, many of them young girls. Among them were eight-year-old twin sisters.
As waters rose in the middle of the night, counselors wrote girls’ names on their arms in case the worst-case scenario happened.
Some campers tried to hold hands.
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Some didnt make it.
Its the kind of story that splits your heart open, especially if youre a parent packing your daughters trunk, labeling her socks, and reminding her to write. You let your child go just a little, trusting the world to hold her.
To any parent who sends their child to overnight camp, this is unfathomable, says Toronto-based perinatal and child psychologist Tanya Cotler, Ph.D., who currently has two children at overnight camp. The words I can’t imagine it come to mindand yet we can imagine it, and it is our greatest fear.
One of the most common sentiments weve heard from parents right now is “I cant stop thinking about those girls.” But how do we sit with the pain, without letting it swallow us, and how do we stay soft without hardening when the world feels anything but safe? Here, Cotler walks us through “collective grief” in parenthood, including how to channel it into healing action and support those walking through the deepest pain of all: losing a child.
Two Truths (TT): We’re seeing a lot of moms struggle with the dichotomy of witnessing this ongoing collective tragedy while also trying to be present and joyful with their children. How can we hold both?
Tanya Cotler, Ph.D. (TC): Collective grief is the emotional response that occurs when we experience a tragic event as a shared humanity. We feel sorrow as a community, as a nation, and as a world together, and that is exactly what we would expect. Even though it is so painful, it’s valid and it’s deeply human.
One of the most important things is validating and normalizing what parents are feeling so that they dont feel shame. It’s okay to feel impacted even when you don’t know the victims personally; grief can still find its way in. That seems simple, but it’s actually one of the most important ways to cope: We cope via connection. The pain and anxiety of grief expand and multiply in aloneness. Grieve is a verb, and one of the necessary steps is: What can I do?
TT: Lets follow that thread. What can we do when experiencing collective grief?
TC: We may journal to express sorrow. We might write letterseven if you dont know a grieving parent personallyas a way to release emotions. If you know someone who has been impacted, you can reach out. The power of showing up is that we also heal in the process. We can also connect with someone who understands, or speak to a therapist who can validate how difficult it is to witness all this tragedy in our world.
We should also manage our exposure to what we’re seeing and take breaks from social media and other forms of media. Images are very hard for the mind to unsee, and watching images repeatedly on a screen can increase anxiety; you’re sitting pretty helplessly and passively just consuming.
In aloneness, these feelings grow and expand. In connection, they can settle.
We want to lean into ways to cope with that helplessness and hopefulness; that is the action-based part of grief.
Because grieve is a verb, actions are important, such as donating to relief funds, providing supplies to displaced families, and sending compassionate and loving messages to those who have been impacted. All of that can be immensely helpful, especially at times when we feel potentially helpless and hopeless.
Land of Lovies is a group that helps match children who may have lost beloved lovies with replacements provided by donors. Another group, The Lost Stuffy Project, is trying to connect with every family thats been affected by the flooding in Texas. Losing a transitional object, such as a lovie, can be one of the most emotionally gripping experiences for a child. At an unsafe time, it can make the child feel even more unsafe, like they have lost their anchor. Being matched to help another parent find a lovie is a meaningful experience that can provide a small, tangible way to take action.
TT: How do we grapple with collective grief and the reality that we need to continue to send our children out into the world and teach them that it is a safe place?
TC: This is the space where anxiety lives: between what we can and can’t control, the known and unknown. One of the hardest parts of being human and a parent is learning how to live in the both/and, what we are able to know and what we don’t know, and what we can predict and what we cannot. We must have compassion for how hard it is to exist in this binary.
When we focus on what we can control in grief, it can ease anxiety, and that can help when were sending our children out into the world. Orienting in the present can be helpful. You might say, I am safe now. My children are safe now.
Rituals around routine and reunion can help; when I say goodbye to my child(ren), I say, “I will see you soon. Mommy always comes back.”
Of course, that voice in the back of your mind might be, but that didn’t happen at Mystic, and that’s where we move to grief. Guilt can emerge here, too, specifically the guilt that my child is okay, and these children were not.
Guilt gives us something to controlbut by blaming ourselves, our survivorship, or our children’s, we’re misusing it. Beneath guilt is often helplessness and heartbreak. We might need to allow ourselves to just feel that, without shutting it down, and validate the feeling. Permission to feel (without trying to fix) is one of the most powerful ways to cope. We can channel this into action when we have the space and capacity.
TT: How do we connect with and support those directly impacted by this tragedy?
TC: For parents carrying the most shattering gref of allthose grieving the loss of a childthis is a pain that will forever form the fabric of their being, but they will learn to bend as they break. They will learn to soften around it.
When I support someone through the grief of losing a child, I remind them that I will continue to show up and be with them in their hardest, biggest, and most unbearable feelings.
We learn to live in momentsto help them get their feet out of bed, to help them stand up, or to eat one meal. At first, its how do I get through this minute, this hour, this day?
Most importantly, we let them continue to talk about the person they love and lost, to tell their story, and to be witnessed. When possible, we share our own memories of the person. We say their name. We allow the person to feel felt and known.
We are so scared as humans to say the wrong thing or to sit at the bottom of the ditch with someone who is really in pain. We want to protect the other person, we want to protect ourselves. But this is what those grieving need: They need authentic emotion; they need to be asked again and again how they are. We won’t find words to fix itthat’s why people say, there are no words. Its not words that people need. In the face of unspeakable loss, our presence helps redistribute the weight of grief so it isnt carried alone. We must remember the importance and power of bearing witness: simply being there.
To support the Texas Hill Country and all those affected, see this updated roundup of resources from Shannon Watts, organizer and founder of Moms Demand Action.
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Investors in reigning cryptocurrency champ Bitcoin are having a pretty good week. As of the time of this writing, the crypto is up over 8% this week and over 6% in the last day alone.
The token is now within reach of the psychologically important $120,000 threshold, which would be an all-time high. Here is a possible reason for Bitcoin’s recent all-time highs.
Bitcoins rise to $120,000
As of the time of this writing, BTC is sitting at just above $118,000 per coin after hitting an earlier all-time high of $118,780.
At $118,000, Bitcoin is within striking distance of hitting $120,000 per coin, which would mark the first time in history that Bitcoin has reached that level. That threshold would represent a psychologically important barrier and could serve as a launchpad for Bitcoin to rise further in the months ahead.
Todays all-time high price is also notable because it is a reversal of fortune for the coin, which saw its value plummet to nearly $76,000 in April. Over the past year, the coin had gone even lower, falling to nearly $49,000 in August.
But since its April 2025 lows, Bitcoin has been steadily climbing, and in the past week alone, the coin has jumped nearly 8%. But whats behind its most recent gains?
Institutional demand for Bitcoin is up
Its never possible to say with 100% certainty why Bitcoin rises or falls. So much of Bitcoin trading, like most asset trading, is based on fear or greedpowerful emotions fueled by myriad real-world factors.
However, one of the reasons Bitcoin may be surging this week is due to institutional investors, notes Reuters.
Institutional investors are group entities and differ from what are known as retail investorsindividuals who invest in the stock market. Institutional investors include banks, hedge funds, pension funds, and other organizations that have tremendous buying power.
And as Reuters notes, institutional demand for Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies has been surging lately as the digital tokens gain legitimacy as another arm of the economy, particularly after President Trump signed an executive order in March establishing a strategic cryptocurrency reserve.
Legitimacy increases demand for an asset, and so institutional investors are snapping the tokens up, leading to an increase in their value, based on the assumption that the coins will become a more important part of the financial sector going forward.
As for where Bitcoin goes from hereno one knows for sure. Bitcoin, like most crypto assets, is highly volatile. The price can fluctuate widely over just a few days. Some Bitcoin proponents believe passing the $120,000 threshold could mean that the token is on its way to hitting $150,000.
But whether that happens, or whether Bitcoin falls from here, is anyone’s guess.
Even as AI becomes a common workplace tool, its use in hiring raises serious concerns that employers cant afford to ignore.
Recent research suggests companies are being overwhelmed by AI-generated résumés. LinkedIn reports 11,000 applications per minute submitted through its platform, a 45% increase over the past year. The temptation for hiring managers to rely on off-the-shelf generative AI tools like ChatGPT is strong, but a new study published on Cornell Universitys preprint server arXiv warns that doing so could open companies to claims of bias if a rejected candidate challenges the decision.
The study evaluated several state-of-the-art large language models (LLMs) from tech giants including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Meta, analyzing both their predictive accuracy and fairness using impact ratio analysis across declared gender, race, and intersectional subgroups. These AI systems were tested on around 10,000 real-world job applications, revealing that the off-the-shelf tools most businesses would likely use to sift through résumés show significant bias.
While some LLMs, such as GPT-4o, showed near-perfect gender parity in candidate assessments, they demonstrated racial bias. When both gender and race were considered together, none of the models succeeded in achieving fair hiring outcomes, according to the researchers own evaluations. (The researchers did not respond to Fast Company‘s requests for comment.)
The models impact ratiosa metric that highlights potential disparate impact between groups, critical to fair hiring practicesfell as low as 0.809 for race and 0.773 for intersectional groups. These figures are at least 20% below the threshold typically considered impartial.
The findings offer little comfort to those who study organizational behavior and workplace dynamics. The jobs market is chilly enough at the moment, so inflicting too much inhuman AI on job seekers seems like a cruel blow, says Stefan Stern, visiting professor in management practice at Bayes Business School. (Stern was not involved in the study.) There is a case for efficiency but there should also be humanity, especially if we are still interested in hiring human beings.
Beyond legal risk, relying on AI in hiring can also alienate successful applicants, fostering a sense of distrust that can hurt the organization in the long run. Stern argues that candidates might reconsider joining a company that uses AI to screen them. Why work for a firm that isn’t interested enough in you to get a fellow human to interview and assess you? he asks.
In a world where artificial intelligence is becoming the norm, Stern believes that emotional intelligencethoughtfully applied by hiring managers and leadershipcan significantly improve employee well-being and retention. It can also shape a companys culture and business practices moving forward.
Too much heavy-handed use of AI would be a red flag to me as a job hunter, he says. I want to work for and with other humans, not for and with machines.
When it’s our birthdays, were the ones who get gifts. But when it’s a companys birthday, sometimes they are the ones giving gifts away.
Thats the case with convenience store chain 7-Eleven, which is celebrating its 98th birthday today. The chain, along with its Speedway and Stripes stores, is giving away free Slurpees on what it calls Slurpee Day. Heres what you need to know.
What is Slurpee Day?
Slurpee Day is the name that 7-Eleven gives to its annual birthday celebration, which it holds on July 11 every year. (The seventh month and eleventh dayget it?)
While we think of convenience stores as modern-day conveniences, 7-Eleven has actually been around for nearly a century now. The chain was founded in 1927 as the Southland Ice Company, before becoming known as Tote’m Stores through 1946, after which the chain was bestowed with the name we know it by today.
The Slurpee is, of course, 7-Elevens most iconic offering. It was invented in 1966, making it 59 years old this year. The slushy-type drink is currently sold at 7-Eleven stores as well as at Speedway and Stripes convenience stores, which are also owned by 7-Eleven’s parent company, Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd.
In celebration of Slurpee Day, 7-Eleven gives away free Slurpees to customers.
How to get your free Slurpee on Slurpee Day
All you have to do to get your free Slurpee on Slurpee Day is go to a participating 7-Eleven, Speedway, or Stripes store today, July 11, 2025.
There, youll be able to grab a free small Slurpeeno other purchase necessary.
But today isnt the only day that you can get a free Slurpee
How to get a second free Slurpee
7-Eleven is actually giving people the chance to get another free Slurpee this month.
In order to get a second free Slurpee, youll need to go into a store today and scan your rewards information. Youll then get a coupon for a free Slurpee that you can redeem anytime between July 12 – July 31, 2025.
Full details of 7-Elevens free Slurpee offers can be found here.
7-Eleven parent company stock up 24% over the past year
7-Eleven is owned by Seven & i Holdings Co., Ltd. (OTC Markets OTCPK: SVNDY), based in Tokyo.
The company just reported its first-quarter results on July 10, in which it posted a profit of 65.1 billion yen ($445.19 million). This profit was mainly due to the performance of its overseas locations, particularly those in the United States, notes RetailNews Asia.
SVNDY shares are currently hovering just below $15 as of the time of this writing, with the stock down about 4.7% since the beginning of the year.
However, over the past 12 months, Seven & i Holdings has seen its share price surge by over 24%, according to data from Yahoo Finance.
