This time, the giant schnauzer went the full Monty.After coming close in the last two years, Monty the giant schnauzer won the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show Tuesday night, leaving handler and co-owner Katie Bernardin almost too emotional to speak.“He always tries so hard, and we’re just proud of him,” she told the crowd at Madison Square Garden.The spirited schnauzer bested six other finalists to become the first of his breed tapped as Westminster’s best in show, the most prestigious prize in the U.S. dog show world. The dog won the huge American Kennel Club championship in December, and he’d been a Westminster twice before.A standout because of “everything from his attitude to his structure,” Monty is bold, cocky and fun, according to co-owner Sandy Nordstrom.“He’s just a really cool dog,” she said in an interview before his win, which will be his last. The 5-year-old is retiring from showing.
Katie Bernardin and Monty [Photo: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]
The runner-up was, for the third time, a whippet known as Bourbon. Other finalists included a bichon frisé called Neal, a Skye terrier named Archer, and a shih tzu called Comet who’s been a finalist before.Also in the mix were a German shepherd named Mercedes, who came in second last year, and an English springer spaniel called Freddie.Each dog at Westminster is judged according to how closely it matches the ideal for its breed. Winners get a trophy, ribbons and bragging rights, but no cash prize.During a break between semifinal rounds, security personnel surrounded and ousted someone along the sidelines of the ring. The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which has protested the dog show for years, said on X that a supporter was removed after holding a sign.Westminster says it celebrates all dogs. The show champions that compete also are household pets, and some do therapy work, search-and-rescue or other canine jobs.“A good German shepherd is an all-purpose dog,” said Mercedes’ co-breeder and co-owner Sheree Moses Combs of Wardensville, West Virginia. Some of her pups have become service dogs for wounded veterans, she said.“Dog shows are fun, but that is what our breed is all about,” she said.While Monty got this year’s trophy, other hopefuls also scored points with spectators.During two nights of semifinals, spectators shouted out breeds and names of canine competitors as if they played for one of the pro teams that call the Garden home, the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s New York Rangers.“Love you, Lumpy!” someone yelled to a Pekingese named Lumpy, who earned laughs for his ambling gait.The arena erupted with cheers for Penny the Doberman pinscher and for a golden retriever named Tuffy, a representative of a popular breed that has never won. She also got some recognition from the judge, as did another crowd favorite, Calaco the Xoloitzcuintli. His breed (pronounced shoh-loh-eets-KWEEN’-tlees) are hairless dogs with deep roots in Mexico.A trip to Westminster is a reminder of dogs’ variety, even just among purebreds. While big, “working” dogs had their day at Westminster on Tuesday, so did terriers.First-round competitor Brina, for instance, is a 158-pound (71.6 kilogram) Neapolitan mastiff. The jowly breed was developed to be an imposing guard dog, but Brina’s owner, Yves Belmont, Ph.D., said he also is impressed by its intelligence. He keeps several of the dogs at his Atlanta-area home.“I’ve been struck by this breed since I was 12. They’re so unique,” Belmont said as Brina napped in her crate, equipped with a two-gallon (7.5-liter) water bucket.Meanwhile, Tyra the miniature bull terrier also strutted her stuff in a first-round ring. Formally called GCH CH Rnr’s Top Model, she’s named after fashion model Tyra Banks.The hardy terrier breed is “a big dog in a small package, but they always keep you smiling,” said owner and co-breeder Jessica Harrison of Austin, Texas. Asked where the 2-year-old Tyra falls on the mischief meter, Harrison smiled, “like a nine, for sure.”“You can’t be upset with them because they’re just so cute,” she said as Tyra rolled on her back to get a belly rub from a passerby at the Javits Center, the convention venue that hosted the first-round judging of each breed.Westminster also featured agility and obedience championships, held Saturday. The agility prize went to a border collie named Vanish, and an Australian shepherd called Willie triumphed in obedience.
Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press
Apple renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America on its maps Tuesday after an order by President Donald Trump was made official by the U.S. Geographic Names Information System.The move follows Google, which announced last month that it would make the change once the official listing was updated and wrote in a blog post Sunday that it had begun rolling out the change. In Google’s case, the company said people in the U.S. will see Gulf of America and people in Mexico will see Gulf of Mexico. Everyone else will see both names.After taking office, Trump ordered that the water bordered by the Southern United States, Mexico and Cuba be renamed.The U.S. Geographic Names Information System officially updated the name late Sunday. Microsoft has also made the name change on its Bing maps.The Associated Press, which provides news around the world to multiple audiences, will refer to the Gulf of Mexico by its original name, which it has carried for 400 years, while acknowledging the name Gulf of America.
U.S. inflation accelerated last month as the cost of groceries, gas, and used cars rose, a trend that will likely underscore the Federal Reserve’s resolve to delay any further interest rate cuts.The consumer price index increased 3% in January from a year ago, Wednesday’s report from the Labor Department showed, up from 2.9% the previous month. It has increased from a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4% in September.The figures show that after inflation steadily declined in 2023 and for much of last year, it has remained stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% target for roughly the past six months. Elevated prices created a major political problem for former President Joe Biden. President Donald Trump pledged to reduce prices in last year’s campaign, though most economists worry that his many proposed tariffs could at least temporarily increase costs.Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core consumer prices rose 3.3% in January compared with a year ago, up from 3.2% in December. Economists closely watch core prices because they can provide a better read of inflation’s future path.Inflation also worsened on a monthly basis, with prices jumping 0.5% in January from December, the largest increase since August 2023. Core prices climed 0.4% last month, the most since March 2024.Inflation often jumps in January as many companies raise their prices at the beginning of the year, though the government’s seasonal adjustment process is supposed to filter out those effects.Later Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell will testify before the House Financial Services Committee, where he will likely be asked about inflation and the Fed’s response to it. The Fed raised its benchmark rate in 2022 and 2023 to a two-decade high of 5.3% to combat inflation. With inflation down significantly from its 9.1% peak in June 2022, it cut its rate to about 4.3% in its final three meetings last year.Early Wednesday, Trump said on social media that interest rates should be lowered, “something which would go hand in hand with upcoming Tariffs!!!” Yet the tick up in consumer prices makes it less likely the Fed will cut rates anytime soon.Fed officials are mostly confident that inflation over time will head lower, but they want to see further evidence that it is declining before cutting their key rate any further. The Fed’s rate typically influences other borrowing costs for things like mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards.Inflation’s recent uptick is a major reason the Federal Reserve has paused its interest rate cuts, after implementing three of them last year. On Tuesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said “we do not need to be in a hurry” to implement further reductions in testimony to the Senate Banking Committee.The Trump administration’s tariff policy could lift prices in the coming months. Trump on Monday imposed 25% taxes on steel and aluminum imports, and has pledged to impose more tariffs. Economists at Goldman Sachs forecast that yearly core inflation would fall almost a full percentage point, to 2.3%, by the end of this year, absent any import duties. But they expect tariffs will raise end-of-year inflation to 2.8%.On Tuesday, Fed Chair Powell acknowledged that higher tariffs could lift inflation and limit the central bank’s ability to cut rates, calling it “a possible outcome.”But he emphasized that it would depend on how many imports are hit with tariffs and for how long.“In some cases it doesn’t reach the consumer much, and in some cases it does,” Powell said. “And it really does depend on facts that we we haven’t seen yet.”
Christopher Rugaber, AP Economics Writer
I first learned that my American identity was a matter of public perception rather than personal history about a decade ago. I was at journalism school in New York City and meeting with a career counselor. You should print U.S. citizen at the top of your résumé, she said as soon as I sat down.
I did not understand. I was born and brought up in the United States. At the time, my very short résumé consisted of college in the U.S., two years of federal government service, and one year teaching English in Malaysia under the auspices of a Fulbright grant, which also requires U.S. citizenship.
Look at you, the counselor continued. Its not obvious.
The light started to dawn on me. Ethnically, Im half-Chinese-Indonesian and half-Indian, which is to say Im as brown as a chocolate-chip-cookie. Ive been mistaken for Hispanic, Black, and a dozen varieties of Asian.
Still, I speak English with an American twang, and in Malaysia my students had cooed over how I sounded like Miley Cyrus. (I decided it was a compliment.) Whats more American than being a racial mutt with a valley girl accent?
In the end, my practical side won out. The counselor was an immigrant herself and it was clear that she had my best interests at heart. I decided getting a job was more important than any tender feelings I had about race and identity, and printed U.S. citizen on my résumé right under my name.
It turned out to be good advice. At one of my first job interviews, and editor hemmed and hawed and then came out straight with it. Look, she said. You seem great, but I need to ask. Are you cleared to work in the U.S.?
I pointed to the U.S. citizen under my name.
Oh, she said. I missed that.
Later, I checked with a white friend who was half-French and half-American. Shed grown up in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia, and then completed her undergrad degree in the U.K. Had anyone asked her for her citizenship during job interviews? I asked. Never, she said.
Despite my skin color, or perhaps because of my career counselors advice, I did manage to land a job. On the first day, I brought in my passport and gave it to HR. A few hours later, I received a noteHR had some questions.
I need to see proof of citizenship, the man said. Hed somehow managed to ignore the cover of my passportwhich read United States of Americaand missed the front page with all of my identifying information including birthplace, and skipped to the very middle where my Malaysian visa was buried. Are you Malaysian? he asked.
It’s not just about feelings
You could argue these matters of perception arent important in the large scheme of thingsand for a long time thats what I told myself. So what if my feelings were hurt? I had deeply talented colleagues who were struggling to get hired because they didnt have U.S. citizenship. At the end of the day, HR eventually apologized and I kept the job. I had the birthright and the papers.
Yet, it turns out these questions do matter because they get to the heart of who the government wants to stay and who people are willing to protect. While President Trump is ostensibly only going after people who are illegally in the United States, fundamentally hes asking a question thats been simmering in the background of the American psyche for both Democrats and Republicans: Who is an American? Who deserves access to job opportunities and government benefits?
The answers to the question who belongs in America is complicated. According to new data from Pew Research Center, about 52% of Americans (whoever we are) believe this has to do with where you are born, 79% say it has to do with language (bad news for naturalized citizens like my parents who speak with heavy accents), and 70% say it has to do with culture and traditionwhich is a tricky statement for a colonized country made up of immigrants.
Discourse aside, were already seeing some answers at play.
In the wake of Trumps executive order, which attempts to rescind birthright citizenship from children born in the United States to parents who are not citizens or green card holders, Native Americanswho are indubitably more American than anyone else in the countryare getting harassed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There are also reports of citizens getting swept up in ICE raids: Between 2015 and 2020, over 650 citizens were detained in such raids.
This becomes even more pressing when you consider that Missouri state Senator David Gregory has introduced a bill that would give people a $1,000 reward for turning in illegal aliens.
However, there is no punishment for turning in a legitimate citizen. If this bill should come to pass, the question becomes who seems like they dont belong?
Its tempting to rage (and believe me I have) at the current administration, but there are larger questions all of us need to confront.
Were in a country made up of immigrants, built ostensibly for immigrants, where the population is becoming increasingly browner and race relations are becoming worse, not better, according to survey data from Pew Research. What will it take for us to stop linking American identity to skin color? What will it take for us to treat all Americans equally?
Should Missouris bill come to pass, I doubt people will be turning in white people, although they do make up about 20% of illegal immigrants. There is no way to tell just by looking at someone whether they are an American citizen or legally here, but I do know who will be looked at with suspicion: me and people who look like me.
President Donald Trump’s tariffs on steel imports this week could wreak havoc on American auto manufacturing, industry leaders say. The moves align with the Trump administration’s aggressive global trade agenda and ambitions to strengthen U.S. industry, but they could have an inverse effect.
On March 12, all steel imports will be taxed at a minimum of 25%, the result of two orders the president signed Monday that also include a 25% tariff on aluminum. That could have a serious impact on domestic auto companies including Ford, GM and Stellantis and make these companies’ vehicles more expensive for the nation’s car buyers.
Tariffs on crucial products coming from outside of the U.S. places pressure on domestic sourcing of the materials, experts say. The basic rules of supply and demand could drive up costs.
Steel producers have to find ways to increase capacity, and aluminum and steel might be in short supply in the short term, said Sam Fiorani, analyst at AutoForecast Solutions, which studies the industry. Producing vehicles has a lot of moving parts, and raising the price of what is among the most important components of the vehicle is only going to raise the price of an already expensive product.
The average transaction price for a new vehicle in the U.S. in January was $48,641, according to auto-buying resource Kelley Blue Book a hefty investment for an inflation-sensitive consumer.
Tariffs such as these do nothing to enhance the automotive industry directly, Fiorani said.
To Ford CEO Jim Farley, Trump’s early actions in office which also include 25% tariffs on goods coming from Mexico and Canada, although delayed by a month are already challenging the Dearborn, Michigan, automaker.
The Trump administration has also upended electric vehicle policy put in place under former President Joe Biden, targeted EV charging infrastructure, as well as directed review of vehicle emissions and fuel economy rules all of which could play a role in automaker plans to decarbonize. Already, auto companies have pulled back some electrification plans amid shifts in the market.
Most of the three automakers steel and aluminum already comes from North America, Ford included; CFO Sherry House noted Tuesday during a Wolfe Research conference that 90% of the company’s steel comes from the U.S., and that aluminum is also not that competitive.
Still, Farley said Tuesday during the same conference that So far what were seeing is a lot of cost, and a lot of chaos.”
Farley said: The reality is, though, our suppliers have international sources for aluminum steel. So that price will come through and it may be a speculative part in the market where price would come up because the tariffs are even rumored.
A spokesperson for Ford deferred to Farley’s comments when reached out to for additional comment. A spokesperson for Stellantis declined to comment.
GM did not respond to request for comment before publication.
Were concerned about the downstream effects on consumer products like automobiles, said Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MichAuto, a state auto industry association. The concern whenever you have a scenario like this, and Im not an economist, but I follow this very closely, is that the short-term benefits of higher prices for steel and aluminum for domestic production are outweighed by a decrease in downstream effects.
The auto industry, its a very competitive business,” he added. “You cant change supply chains very quickly and you certainly cant change manufacturing locations very quickly.
Trump also placed tariffs on steel and aluminum in 2018 during his first stint in the White House. Automakers had to revise their financial plans for the year as their outlooks fell as a result, according to Fiorani.
Industries like automotive have built their entire financial plan based on sourcing products where they can; locally, if its possible, globally, if it makes the most sense, he added. Interfering with the natural order of things slows down the progress and raises costs.
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Associated Press reporter Isabella Volmert contributed to this report from Lansing, Mich.
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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.
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Read more of APs climate coverage at http://www.apnews.com/climate-and-environment
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The Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find APs standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
Alexa St. John, Associated Press
It has been a rough 2025 for Tesla investors so far. After the companys stock price (Nasdaq: TSLA) hit an all-time high of over $488 per share in December 2024pushing Elon Musks net worth to north of $400 billionTesla shares have plummeted.
As of yesterdays close, a day that saw TSLA shares dip more than 6% in a single trading session, the stock price has fallen over 18% since the new year alone
But much of 2025s decline has happened since a specific date: January 21, the first trading day after President Donald Trump was sworn into office for a second term and one day after the president signed an order creating the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Since then, Tesla shares have fallen from a post-inauguration Monday high of over $433 per share to below $329 per share as of yesterday’s close, according to data from Yahoo Finance.
So, what is precipitating this stock price fall? Here are some likely possibilities.
Is DOGE harming Teslas brand?
Its hard not to look at the $100 price drop since DOGE was created and started wreaking havoc across federal government agencies and believe there may be some causation.
As a matter of fact, detractors of Elon Muskand those who outright loathe himwould probably be quick to jump to the conclusion that Musks DOGE antics are the reason Teslas stock price is sinking.
This isnt to say these people are wrong. Its very, very difficult to see how Musks DOGE involvement isnt alienating many of the companys more affluent, eco-friendly, liberal progressives who were among Teslas core customers.
However, it is probably too early to proclaim that any such alienation has already materially affected Teslas bottom lineyet. After all, its only been three weeks since DOGE came into creation and its not like Tesla gives a running daily tally on how many cars it sells. So we don’t know if or how much Tesla sales have actually declined since the creation of DOGE.
However, many Tesla investors are likely worried about Musks DOGE involvement, and the negative press the department has received may harm Tesla sales now and into the future.
Worried investors tend to sell stockespecially to lock in any existing gains before the future brings pain to the share price. Given this, it seems reasonable to believe that Teslas declining share price since January 21 is at least somewhat a reflection of investors fears and anxieties over Musk and DOGE tarnishing the companys once-stellar reputation.
Musks involvement in far-right politics in Europe
Another possibility for Teslas recent share price fall may be related to Musks actions outside of the United States. In recent months, Musk has inserted himself into the politics of many European nations, most notably Germany, where he has used his own personal brand to boost the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, proclaiming on his X social media platform in December that Only the AfD can save Germany.
Musks increasing involvement in far-right politics in Europe has caught many by alarm (or, as Bill Gates put it, Musks involvement was insane shit). And there is some evidence that Musks European antics may be harming Tesla sales on the continent.
As the German broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW) reported, Tesla sales plunged in Germany by nearly 60% in January. The Financial Times has reported that Tesla sales are plummeting in other European nations as well, with sales in France down 63% in January versus the same month a year earlier, and Reuters reporting that Tesla registrations were down in Sweden by 44% and in Norway by 38% in January versus the same month a year earlier.
Is Musks association with far-right politics on the continent to blame?
At the very least, it seems that Tesla investors are right to have concerns. When people start labeling your vehicles as swasticars, your brand might have an image issue.
Increased EV competition
Of course, investors could have other reasons to be bearish on Tesla stock. The most obvious is that the company is facing increasing competition around the globe. Long gone are the days when Tesla was the only electric vehicle maker on the market. It now has robust competition both at home and abroad.
That includes Chinaone of Teslas most important markets. Yesterday, a large reason Tesla shares slid over 6% was due to the announcement that Chinese EV maker BYD would integrate DeepSeeks AI into its vehicles to help assist drivers with piloting the cars.
This driver-assisted DeepSeek integration provides BYD with a major advantage over Tesla in China now. Driver-assist technologies cant be integrated into cars in China without regulators’ approval. Now, one of Teslas biggest competitors in the country can provide the popular technology to consumers. As CNBC notes, Teslas driver-assist technology, Full-Self Driving, has yet to receive rollout approval from Chinese regulators.
Rain-parched Southern California finally received some much-needed precipitation recently, offering some relief from the Los Angeles wildfires which displaced more than 150,000 people from their homesand either razed or damaged some 15,000 structures. Of course, not everyone jumped to help. But amid the widespread devastation came what seems like, in our socially and politically fraught times, an unlikely ray of hope: A convergence of communities, of neighbors helping each other in whatever way possible and even heading out to assist complete strangers.
The goodwill and altruism born from this calamity has been a boon to exhausted and overwhelmed firefighters and public resources. But why does it seem to take epic disasters to bring people together in the first place?
Social behavior and trauma
Psychological research provides fascinating insights into that very question. One particularly influential paper published in the American Journal of Orthopsychiatry in 2008 dubs this phenomenon of charity and communal support altruism born of suffering.
Research on altruism has focused on its positive roots, whereas research on the effects of victimization and suffering has focused on aggression and difficulties in functioning, write the study authors. However, anecdotal evidence, case studies, and some empirical research indicate that victimization and suffering can also lead people to care about and help others.
One of the papers authors, prominent psychologist and professor emeritus Ervin Staub at UMass Amherst, has expounded on his findings in the years since, noting the real-world evidence from studies of peoples social behavior following a traumatic event, such as the 2004s devastating earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
In one study, some participants reported that they have suffered because of abuse or violence against them in their families, because of harmful behavior against them as members of a group, or because of natural disasters, Staub wrote in Psychology Today. Months later they expressed more empathy with, and feelings of responsibility for helping people affected by the tsunami in Asia in 2004, and volunteered more to collect donations for them, than people who reported that they had not suffered. They also volunteered more for causes that involved helping people.
Tightening communities
A trio of experts who spoke with Fast Company added further context to the social psychology of collective trauma events, group identity during times of disaster, and community cohesion after mass tragedies which helps explain this sudden impulse toward altruism and empathy.
There are place communities like we had in Altadena, and that’s very meaningful, and it’s not something that everyone has. But there are also these other kinds of communities of identity, you know, like people will say, I belong to the gay community, or I belong to the community around a particular organization, says John Brekke, professor emeritus at the USC School of Social Workand, incidentally, an Altadena resident whose own home was greatly damaged by the recent wildfires.
So, you know, it’s interesting when you see people who all of a sudden come together around this almost community of disaster, in a way, they feel themselves. They can be a part of something by participating in this community of helpers, really, either through giving money or lending time or actually taking people in, and that act of giving at the community level seems to be as meaningful as literally giving to someone that you’re right next to who needs some help.
Theres a neurobiological aspect to this, too, Brekke says, explaining that, it not only feels good from a spiritual point of view, if people are being spiritual, but it also feels good from a psycho-biological perspective, because you get a rush of great stuff into your system when you are being empathic and when you are giving to others. This includes biochemical releases of things like serotonin and oxytocin, which lead to feelings of contentment, well-being, and connection.
Individualism and identity
Unfortunately, whether that feeling of empathy and good will persists after a collective traumatic event like the wildfires is a more complicated question. Some of that has to do with American societal values.
American mainstream society is about rugged individualism, says Jorja Leap, a professor of social welfare and executive director of the UCLA Social Justice Research Partnership. Here you’re an individual, you’re taught. Whether it’s the frontier, whether it’s space travel, whether it’s running for office, we look at individual personality and individual strengths, and we tend to lift that up more than the idea of community, so people are expected to make it on their own. So, while disasters such an earthquake or war may bring people together, there can be an ensuing cynicism, she adds. (Case in point: The ongoing battle over fire insurance and which communities houses will be rebuilt in Los Angeles.)
We may be incredibly altruistic and responsive and then incredibly cynical, and sometimes that cynicism is self-protective. I really believe that cynicism is just cover up for fear, adds Leap.
Another expert, Alison Holman, a professor at the UC Irvine School of Nursing and UCIs School of Psychological Science, has extensive experience researching the effects of individual and collective traumas, including Southern California wildfires. Like USCs Brekke, she believes identity is a key factor that drives empathy and altruism during crisis moments.
What may be happening is that people identify, to some extent, with the people, the victims, she says. We have found in our work that identifying with victims is really something that helps to encourage people to engage in pro-social behavior. So, when people identify with them, meaning, ‘Oh my God, I lived there, I lived in that area,’ or, ‘Oh my God, I’ve lost my home,’ or, ‘Oh my God, I know what it’s like to be threatened by that,’ it may just instigate in people that sense of identification that would make them want to help out.
Thats certainly a phenomenon playing out in Los Angeles at the moment. Whether it leads to lasting change in people and more community engagement after the blaze, and in an era where climate change is expected to lead to ever-cascading calamities, is a more open question.
Nearly a year after Adobe first teased video AI features, the company is finally bringing its new video AI model to market.Today, the company is launching its Firefly Video Model in public beta. The model comes alongside a new Firefly web application, which essentially gathers all of Adobes AI tools, including existing features like Text to Image and Generative Fill, under one roof. Users can access Fireflys web app through two subscription tiersFirefly Standard and Firefly Prowhich retail for $9.99 and $29.99 per month, respectively. [Image: Adobe]What is Adobes new Firefly video model?Firefly Video Model is Adobes answer to existing video models like Open AIs Sora and Metas new Movie Gen. Using the brands new suite of tools, creators can turn a written prompt into a video clip, convert an existing image into a video, and even translate audio and video into multiple different languages.Adobes video AI capabilities are late to market, but thats par for the course for a brand that got into generative AI nearly a year after its main competitors back in 2022. In the past, Adobe has set itself apart in the AI space with stringent IP protections (it only trains Firefly on licensed content and bills its new video model as the industrys first commercially safe video AI) and by making significant improvements to its new features over time. It remains to be seen whether Firefly Video Model will follow a similar upward trajectory. What can it do?[Image: Adobe]Text to VideoFireflys Text to Video feature is most comparable to OpenAIs Sora. Users enter a specific prompt in a text box, which is then converted to a five-second video clip. The feature incorporates Adobes signature easy-to-follow UI with a drop-down menu that allows creatives to tweak aspects of its output like shot size, camera angle, and motion.Image to VideoAdobe is positioning its Image to Video feature as a kind of brainstorming tool for video editors. Its similar to Text to Video, except the user can input an image alongside a written prompt to bring a specific frame to life. In a demo video shared by the company, an editor takes a still frame of an astronaut flipping a switch and asks Image to Video to create a shot of the astronaut unplugging a cord instead. Its an example of a quick edit that could help an editor better convey their projects intended mood to supervisors, she says. [Image: Adobe]Translate VideoTranslate Videoavailable in 20 different languagesis Adobes offering to help creators cut down on translation and dubbing services. Per a press release, With voice, tone, cadence and acoustic match when translating video content into different languages, creators can [spend] less time on dubbing performance and audio mixing.Right now, Firefly Video Model isnt especially groundbreaking, but it will help plenty of Adobe creators streamline their production processes without turning to an outside video AI application, especially when just about every design platform wants to be creatives only platform.In an interview with Fast Company back in September, Adobe CTO Ely Greenfield noted that, for a generative AI tool that produces common stock images to make it into an Adobe product, the result should be acceptable 10/10 times. However, he added, for results with more specificity, getting it right 1/10 times is still a huge savings. It can be a little frustrating in the moment, but if we can give people good content 1/10 times that saves them from going back to reshoot something on deadline; thats incredibly valuable. As Adobe continues to iterate on its Firefly Video Model, that success rate is only bound to go up.
Straws might seem insignificant, inspiring jokes about the plastic vs. paper debate, but the plastic straw has come to symbolize a global pollution crisis over the past decade.
On Monday, President Donald Trump waded into the issue when he signed an executive order to reverse a federal push away from plastic straws, declaring that paper straws dont work and dont last very long. Trump said he thinks its OK to continue using plastic straws, although they’ve have been blamed for polluting oceans and harming marine life.
In 2015, video of a marine biologist pulling a plastic straw out of a turtles nose sparked outrage worldwide and countries and cities started banning them, starting with the Pacific Island nation Vanuatu and Seattle in 2018.
Heres what to know about the larger fight over single-use plastics in the United States:
What happens to plastic straws?
More than 390 million plastic straws are used every day in the United States, most for 30 minutes or less, according to advocacy group Turtle Island Restoration Network.
Plastic straws are usually thrown away after one use, going on to litter beaches and waterways and potentially killing marine animals that mistake them for food.
The straws are not recyclable because they are so small. They take at least 200 years to decompose, the network said.
They break down into incredibly tiny bits of plastic smaller than a fraction of a grain of rice. These microplastics have been found in a wide range of body tissues. Though research is still limited overall, there are growing concerns that microplastics in the body could potentially be linked to heart disease, Alzheimers and dementia, and other problems.
Trump’s executive order claims that paper straws use chemicals that may carry risks to human health are more expensive to produce than plastic straws. Researchers from the University of Antwerp found forever chemicals known as PFAS to be present in paper, bamboo, glass and plastic straws, but not stainless steel ones, according to a 2023 study.
The advocacy group Beyond Plastics said that while plastics are often cheaper than paper products, the cheapest option is to skip the straw.
Judith Enck, a former Environmental Protection Agency regional administrator who now heads up Beyond Plastics, said she hopes that people react to the executive order by committing to using fewer plastic straws and that local and state governments do, too.
Its easy to just kind of almost poke fun of this, ignore it, she said Tuesday. But this is a moment that we as individuals and state and local policymakers can make a statement that they disagree with this executive order and are committed to using less plastic straws. Its not that hard to do.
Several states and cities have banned plastic straws and some restaurants no longer automatically give them to customers.
What is being done globally?
President Joe Biden administrations had committed to phasing out federal purchases of single-use plastics, including straws, from food service operations, events and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035.
The move was a way for the federal government to formally acknowledge the severity of the plastic pollution crisis and the scale of the response required to effectively confront it.
Erin Simon, an expert on plastics and packaging at the World Wildlife Fund, said at the time that it sent a message around the world: If we can make change happen at scale, so can you.
The declaration came in July, just a few months before negotiators met in South Korea to try to finish crafting a treaty to address the global crisis of plastic pollution. Negotiators didnt reach an agreement late last year, but talks resume this year.
Under the Biden administration, the United States at first adopted a position viewed as favoring industry, stating that countries should largely develop their own plans instead of abiding by global rules. China, the United States and Germany are the biggest players in the global plastics trade.
The United States changed its position heading into South Korea. The delegation said it would support having an article in the treaty that addresses supply, or plastic production. More than 100 countries want an ambitious treaty that limits plastic production while tackling cleanup and recycling.
U.S. manufacturers have asked Trump to remain at the negotiating table but revert to the old position that focused on redesigning plastic products, recycling and reuse.
Aren’t other plastics a problem?
The environment is littered with single-use plastic food and beverage containers water bottles, takeout containers, coffee lids, straws and shopping bags.
Every year, the world produces more than 400 million tons of new plastic. About 40% of all plastics are used in packaging, according to the United Nations.
In 2023, Ocean Conservancy volunteers collected more than 61,000 plastic straws and stirrers polluting beaches and waterways in the United States. There were even more cigarette butts, plastic bottles, bottle caps and food wrappers, the nonprofit said.
Most plastic is made from fossil fuels. Negotiators at the United Nations climate talks known as COP28 agreed in 2023 the world must transition away from planet-warming fossil fuels and triple the use of renewable energy.
As pressure to reduce fossil fuels has increased globally, oil and gas companies have been looking more to the plastics side of their business as a market that could grow. Trump strongly supports and gets support from the oil and gas industry.
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Jennifer McDermott, Associated Press
As an introvert, I dread large conferences. I get invited to a number throughout the year, and I usually scramble to find excuses for why I cant attend. Since I have spent much of my career posing as an extrovert, some people are surprised to discover that I really dont enjoy networking at large gatherings. I worry about feeling overwhelmed by the crowds, not remembering peoples names, having to sit alone for meals, drawing a blank and not being able to engage in small talk, and, of course, worried I wont know anyone there. Just thinking through all of this is absolutely exhausting.
Last year, I was invited to speak and attend Transform, a conference focused on driving innovation in the workplace. The same dread took over me as I committed to attend. And after spending a few days in Las Vegas with a few thousand attendees, I think I finally cracked the code for myself on how to approach large conferences as an introvert. So this year, as I prepare to attend again, I have a game plan to get the most out of this conference. Heres my advice on how to navigate and network at large conferences.
Plan your days in advance, including who youll talk to
Now, I prepare for the conference weeks before I even arrive. If possible, I try to stay at the hotel where the conference is taking place. And if not, as close as possible. I take a look at when the conference begins and when it ends, and I study the agenda topics and list of sessions. I take a note of the speakers and who is attending and see if I see any familiar faces. If available, I use the conference app to keep track of the sessions I want to attend and message and connect with people before the conference.
I also check if any colleagues or friends are attending the conference, what days, and coordinate travel and even share Ubers to and from the airport. Last year, I planned to meet a friend who was also attending in the lobby in the mornings and walked to sessions together, and when I was feeling anxious I texted her to grab a coffee or snack. We also walked out of the conference at the end of the day and grabbed a drink. I was happy to have a buddy I could rely on when I was feeling out of place or overwhelmed by the crowds.
Find the super connectors
While large conferences can be intimidating, I also want to push myself to meet new people. I set a goal of meeting at least three new people a day. This can be daunting if you feel uncomfortable walking up to a stranger or breaking into a circle of people and introducing yourself. My plan now is to find the super connectors and have them help me meet new people. I try not to apply expectations on what these introductions could lead to. Some of these new people I have a lovely interaction with and we dont connect again. And some of these new people I hit it off with and we stay in touch post conference.
My friend Dinah Alobeid, a communications executive, is a super connector who knows a variety of people across sectors and industries. She had me grab a coffee with her and then invited me to stand with her and her team at the Greenhouse booth in the exhibitor area. It was an easier way to meet people who came to their booth, as opposed to going around the large area alone and trying to force myself to stop and booth after booth after booth and make small talk (I did do that later, and of course brought my friend Sarah along.)
My friend David Landman, an human resources executive, is also a super connector who seems to make friends wherever he goes. He plugged me into all the social events that were happening. He also found me the very first morning of the conference during a break and introduced me to people. He then got me invited to lunches, happy hours, and dinners so I didnt have to worry about who to meet with and if I would be sitting alone. He even met me in the lobby so we could walk over to evening events together. I felt so much more at ease not having to enter rooms alone where I may not know anyone.
Prioritize time to decompress
Finally, I stopped putting pressure on myself to do every single thing at the conference. Theres so much happening at a large conference like Transform you can want to make the most of it and take advantage of everything being offered. The first year I went, I tried to do it all, and left feeling exhausted and depleted.
Now, I dont pressure myself to attend every single session. I take breaks, I grab a coffee and go and recharge for a few minutes alone. I usually have my journal with me to take notes. I also go back to my hotel room to freshen up or sit in the quiet and recharge before heading back downstairs. I give myself permission to leave when I want to. I also find by doing this, I am much more present and attentive when I am at the conference and one on one conversations.
One evening, I wasnt feeling great and couldnt make it out to dinner plans. My friend Sally Wolf, a wellbeing advisor and keynote speaker, invited me to come to her hotel room, and join her and her friend Danielle Farage, a speaker on Generation Z corporate talent. I was hesitant at first to go, and then felt at ease as soon as I walked into their room. We nibbled on snacks and chatted for over an hour. It was great to connect with conference attendees in a more informal, casual setting.
With preparation and pre-planning, with the help of super connectors, and prioritizing time to decompress, large conferences dont have to be an introvert’s worst nightmare. In fact, now with my plan in place, I am excited to attend Transform and other large conferences this coming year. I am on a mission to learn and open my mind to topics, be present and share my expertise and knowledge, and hopefully make at least one or two new friends along the way.
