A new online scam is exploiting fears surrounding immigration raids.
If your “For You” page on TikTok has recently shown videos of alleged former Target or Walmart employees claiming they were firedor even deportedby Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), its a scam.
These viral clips, which often rack up millions of views, typically feature young people in retail uniforms and carry clickbait captions like ICE deportations at Target and Fired from Walmart. Others make similar claims about popular chains like Taco Bell, Lululemon, McDonalds, and Crumbl Cookies.
However, a recent investigation by the Daily Dot revealed that these videos are part of a coordinated effort to harvest users personal data.
One post reads: Target really had ICE waiting after my shift. They just fired me like I was nothing. The post continues: So heres everything I wasnt supposed to say.
What are the supposed secrets these accounts are exposing? Many feature bizarre or nonsensical claims. One video says: Were forced to listen to Walmart Radio every shift. Most of us hide our AirPods, but if you get caught, youre in big trouble. Everyone knows about the Walmart Groove. Look it up.
@jaydenoughh Target called ICE and got me deported. Yeah you heard that right. TARGET. #target #targetfinds #ice #fyp original sound – jayden
If youre confused, thats the point. The Daily Dot suggests these may be AI-generated hallucinations, possibly inspired by the Walmart Shuffle, a song commissioned by Walmart in 2019.
The scam doesnt stop at fabricated stories; it also involves stolen identities. Creator @mama_mia016, who regularly films her real-life shifts at Target, confirmed to the Daily Dot that shes still employed and not behind the viral video using her likeness.
Upon closer inspection, many of these videos include voice-overs or captions promoting free products, discounts, or gift cards in exchange for completing a customer survey on a separate website.
This is a classic phishing scam. The goal is to extract personal dataemail addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, even payment informationoften under the pretense of charging shipping fees. Victims rarely receive the promised rewards and may instead face identity theft or unauthorized charges.
Theres no evidence to support the employment or deportation claims. Major retailers like Target and Walmart have issued no statements indicating mass firings or collaboration with ICE.
By playing on fears about immigration enforcement, scammers are baiting concerned users with alarming viral content. While TikTok has removed many of the flagged links since the Daily Dots report, new ones continue to appear. (Fast Company has reached out to TikTok for comment.)
If you encounter one of these scams, do not engage and do not click on any links. Report the account, and keep scrolling.
Traditional advertising, as we know it, will be dead by 2030.
A harsh prediction, maybe, but the truth is that todays modern buyer has evolved and so must our industry. Now, more than ever, we are witnessing a signficiant shift from passive exposure to performance-based engagement, from reach to relevance, and from assumptions to intelligence. Traditional marketing and its old model built on impressions, eyeballs, and generalized awareness, is out. Performance marketing is in, as the go-to marketing approach. Heres how well continue to see this evolution take shape.
Move from just a tactic to a mindset
Lets clear up an incorrect assumption: Performance marketing is not a bottom-of-funnel activity focused on lead generation, paid media, or last-click conversions.
Its also not about chasing clicks. Its about driving business outcomes using data to make smarter decisions, engaging accounts with the right message at the right time, and constantly refining the approach based on whats working and whats not. And its doing all of this while still building the brand. When approached this way, performance marketing transforms from a tactic to an operating system and mindset for driving growth by empowering marketers to prove value, accelerate outcomes, and align every effort to business performance.
Prioritize precision and personalization at scale
If youve been in this industry for decades like I have, youll have seen a number of performance marketing versions, e.g. database, direct, and one-to-one marketing. And although the name has changed, the core of performance marketing has not. It has, and always will be, about efficiency and about getting the most return for every dollar spent. However, effiency doesnt necessarily mean automation for automations sake.
In the age of intent data, AI, and multi-channel orchestration, it means smarter targeting, more relevant messaging, and engagement that actually resonates. This is important in todays performance-driven world where relevance is also vital for todays buyer.
When orchestrated and implemented correctly, the highest-performing marketing programs:
Use real-time data to prioritize in-market accounts
Personalize content messaging to real-time behaviors
Reach all buying group members across trusted touchpoints
Measure influence at the account and buying group levelnot just the lead level
When done right, performance marketing allows brands to scale without sacrificing precision and deliver the kind of high-value experiences that build trust and moves business forward. Its how we move from noise to relevanceand from campaigns to conversations.
Remember that brand still matters, but it must perform
In this evolved model, performance marketing isnt about chasing the lowest cost per leadits about driving full-funnel impact.
Brand and performance are no longer separate. Brand creates demand and performance captures it. This is also known as branded response. Every piece of thought leadership, every display impression, every awareness ad must ladder up to a larger objective: building momentum with the right audience. Every communication both builds the brand and elicits a response.
A strong brand strategy helps open doors, but performance marketing ensures those doors lead somewhere. Its not just about being memorable; its about being measurable. Great branded response campaigns can, and should, be evaluated based on their ability to influence pipeline, move buyers through the funnel, and ultimately impact revenue.
The marketers who understand this will be the ones who future-proof their programs. They wont treat brand as a top-of-funnel checkbox, but as a foundational layer that supports and amplifies performance across the entire journey.
Brand done right fuels performance. Performance done right amplifies brand.
Measuring without context is misleading
Were swimming in data, but too often its disconnected from real outcomes. A spike in engagement means nothing if it doesnt translate to progress. A lead isnt a measurement of success if the buying group never converts.
We can no longer afford to celebrate empty signals. Effective marketing requires aligning performance metrics to business outcomes, not just channel-level outputs. True performance marketing moves beyond vanity metrics with attribution models that reflect how buying decisions are made: collaboratively, over time, and across multiple touchpoints.
The future belongs to performance-first marketers
Marketers today are under more pressure than ever to prove their value. But that pressure also presents an opportunity to reframe performance not as a siloed function, but as a strategic lever for growth.
As B2B buying continues to evolve, the marketers who succeed wont be those chasing the lowest cost per lead. Theyll be the ones building intelligent, data-driven programs that connect, convert, and contribute to real business outcomes.
Thats why traditional advertising as we know it wont survive. The future belongs to performance-first strategies that deliver relevance, speed, and ROI in real time. Marketers who embrace this shift wont just survive the next decadetheyll define it.
Lets stop chasing clicks and start delivering outcomes. Real performance marketing is just beginning.
Keith Turco is CEO of Madison Logic.
Live music is booming. According to Goldman Sachs Music in the Air report, the global live music market is estimate to reach $38.2 billion this year and is projected to nearly double by 2035. People crave real-world experiences and theyre willing to pay for them, whether theyre close to home or in faraway cities. Forward-thinking municipal governments are taking notice. If theyre not already, they should be.
For 21st century cities, music isnt just entertainmentits civic infrastructure. When designed intentionally, music venues can drive economic growth, foster social connection, boost local culture, and reflect a citys identity.
More than a stage: The Orions civic role
Doubling as a premier music venue and vital community hub, The Orion Amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama was recently named Billboards 2024 Top East Coast Amphitheater and atop-10 venue in Pollstars 2025 Midyear Worldwide Amphitheater Rankings in tickets sold and gross sales. Since opening, the citys $55 million investment has yielded an estimated $85 million in annual economic impact. Half the venues visitors come from outside the region, filling hotels, restaurants, and local shops.
The Orions ripple effect extends well beyond show nights. The City of Huntsville also invested $45 million in infrastructure and public space around the venue, transforming the MidCity District into a thriving place where people live, work, gather, and experience their favorite artists on stage.
Civic stagecraft: How programming builds community
The Orions calendar goes far beyond marquee names like Stevie Nicks, Billy Strings, Lil Wayne, and Luke Bryan. Events include local artist showcases, sourdough-making workshops, Juneteenth and Disability Pride celebrations, art galleries, book clubs, and a variety of other community-driven events throughout the year. These diverse offerings create a space where everyone sees themselves represented on stage.
Events like the recently held Trap Democracy Festival blend music with civic education, offering fresh ways to engage the community and reimagine what a music event can be.
Local musicians are central to this mission. Each year, 80 to 100 local and regional acts perform across the venues campus during community events like Pupapalooza, the Cigar Box Guitar Festival, and the Taste of Soul Family Festival. Local artists and bands also regularly perform pre- and post-show sets on major concert nights, encouraging attendees to arrive early and extend their experience.
The venue is designed to be a public resourceopen and accessible. Apollo Park, adjacent to the amphitheater, remains open year-round as a gathering space where patrons can spend time before or after a concert, or anytime they wish. As a city-owned property, its important for residents to feel ownership and pride: This is their venue.
Public-private partnership as a culture lab
The Orion Amphitheater is the result of a visionary partnership between Mayor Tommy Battle, tvg Hospitality CEO Ben Lovett (a founding member of Mumford & Sons), and RCP Properties, developers of MidCity District. Huntsvilles collaborative approach exemplifies a new model of artist-informed urban development.
Lovett put it plainly when The Orion opened: The success of the venue will rely heavily on an open relationship with the people of Huntsvilleknowledge, assistance, energy, and passion will drive the venue forward.
So far, that collaborative energy is paying off. Huntsvilles broader investment in the creative economy, anchored by The Orion, has helped generate more than 46,000 new jobs and attract over $7 billion in private investment.
A playbook for other cities
Concert venues are often seen solely as entertainment infrastructure. But when designed with community in mind, they become multifunctional platforms for connection. Cities hoping to replicate Huntsvilles success should build spaces that serve both headliners and hometown heroes.
When cities and developers cocreate through a culture-first lens as a strategy for place-making, the ROI includes stronger identity, deeper engagement, and talent retention.
Huntsvilles model is still evolving, but its already offering a new kind of blueprint for cities seeking inclusive, culture-driven growth. As more communities explore the intersections of space, sound, and story, one truth rings clear. When cities make room for music, they make room for everyone.
In Huntsville, the stage isnt just for performanceits for possibility.
Matt Mandrella is music officer for the City of Huntsville, Alabama.
Declining sales, falling profits, and job cuts have made for a tough first half of the year for the luxury sector. Yet two new initiatives from two of the worlds best-known luxury brands highlight some fundamental principles that must now shape luxurys new direction of travel.
The first is the opening of The Louisa boat-shaped concept shop opened by luxury fashion brand Louis Vuitton.
The outside of the store resembles the main body of a ship wrapped in a metallic monogram with a silvery LV-styled anchor dropping from its front to the ground. The inside is styled to resemble the kind of LV travel trunks once used for transoceanic voyages.
The second is Mystery at the Groomsan immersive escape room-style, mystery game experience launched by Herms at Pier 36 in Manhattan, New York.
For 10 days, visitors took on the role of Herms detectives to solve an equine mystery concerning missing horsesthe horse being a central symbol of the brandas they pass through six themed rooms, each featuring unique Herms pieces.
What these two initiatives have in common says much about the current state of luxury and where luxury is heading.
Decline before renewal
For a while now, luxury has been in decline.
In May, Chanel announced revenues down 4.3% in 2024 and operating profit down 30%. Burberry reported sales down 12%, operating profit down 117%, and plans to slash around 20% of its workforce 1,700 rolesto streamline costs.
Meanwhile, LVMH revealed it will cut its workforce at wine and spirits business Moët Hennessy by 10%1,200 people. And Rolex was one of a number of luxury brands raising its prices due to the soaring price of gold.
A downturn in luxury has been evident for some time now, driven by the changing wants and needs of younger luxury shoppers, luxury brand owners struggle to stay relevant, and the maxing out of traditional brand strategies which typically revolved around exclusivity.
Combined with the negative impact of COVID lockdowns, growth markets for luxury started to slow as they began to mature. For example, after tripling in size from 2017 to 2021, Chinas luxury market fell back significantly when it slowed to 2020 levels in 2024.
What we are now seeing, however, is a shift before a likely renewal.
Luxury is changing, and as its changing, its paving the way for these brands to once more prosper. And the evidence lies in two emerging trends: experience-led luxury and quiet luxury.
Experience-led luxury
The Louis and Mystery at the Grooms are examples of luxury brands reinventing the luxury experience, while tapping into the recent design trend for heritage with a dash of nostalgia.
Traditionally, a luxury brands brand experience was all about exclusivity, price, and craftmanship, with the luxury product a symbol of wealth and success. Increasingly, its about a kind of inclusivityimmersive, visually accessible, and yet still requiring a certain amount of being in the know.
Luxury brand pop-ups such as Dolce & Gabbana sun loungers and Dior-branded buoys at luxury hotels around the world this summer demonstrate brands desire to showcase their brand universe more widely and, by doing so, be seen as more accessible. Meanwhile Estee Lauder collaborated with high-end French patisserie Laduree earlier this year on a limited edition makeup range, offering a tactile and visually immersive experience in stores.
For LV, its playing into the brands heritage by rooting it in contemporary lifestyle and culture. So, The Louis isnt tucked away in a high-end enclave, its at the front plaza of HKRI Taikoo Hui, a shopping mall in central Shanghai.
For Hermsa luxury brand catering to the very wealthy rather than the merely well-offits about showing up across the digital and physical worlds in a joined-up way that expresses both its long-standing craft heritage and brand personality.
Quiet luxury
Once, luxury brands played into peoples desire to peacock by being seen to wear a particular label and do so loudly. Now, this has given way to the opposite: quiet luxury.
Obsession with labels, which peaked in the 1990s, has been replaced by desire for the understated luxury epitomised by The Row, Joseph, and Maison Margielaa brand underpinned with an if you know, you know ethos thats won cult following both east and west. These brands cover the spectrum from high-end avant-garde elegance to everyday essentials crafted with aesthetic care and sensibility.
New luxury subsets have also emerged in related areas such as health, say Sakara Life looking to define luxury wellness, or the Oura smart ring taking a tech-forward approach, and Augustinus Bader aiming for high tech, clean, sustainable luxury.
Meanwhile, quiet luxurys rise looks set to be a long-term trend. Todays Gen Z luxury consumers value experience over product as they perceive luxury as striving more for self-narration than material possessions, one recent study shows.
Tomorrows luxury
Arguably, how best to navigate the blurring of lines, in particular, between what sets different luxury brands apart, and whats luxury and not, is now one of the most interesting issues the luxury sector faces today.
In luxury fashion, fr example, it used to be easy to caricature the different looks and styles of the products from different leading luxury fashion brands and creative directors. Now, the question is how to differentiate most effectively for new ad changing audiences.
For luxury brands, the answer lies in a change in directionfrom being exclusive and product-led to becoming more accessible and experience-driven. In a market currently predicted to deliver revenue in personal luxury goods of just under $500 billion in 2025 while growing annually almost 3% by 2030.
A brands willingness and ability to lean into next-gen luxury consumers desires and lifestyle, craft brand experiences that are emotionally resonant and not just functional, and reimagine their brand heritage into something timely and relevant will dictate tomorrows winners.
Sairah Ashman is global CEO of Wolff Olins.
In an age of convenience, global sourcing, and race-to-the-bottom pricing, Made in the USA has too often become a quaint notiona nostalgic footnote rather than a guiding principle. But for those of us in the business of making things here at home, that label still means something. In fact, it may be more important now than ever before.
I lead Faribault Mill, a historic textile mill founded in 1865 in the town of Faribault, Minnesota. Over the past 160 years, our mill has outfitted pioneers heading west, supplied blankets to American troops, and woven itself into the fabric of American life. And like so many domestic manufacturers, we nearly lost it. By 2009, the mill had shut down. The looms were silent, the workforce gone, and the community left wondering what would come next.
We chose revival. In 2011, a team of believers brought the mill back to lifenot as a museum piece, but as a living, breathing example of what American manufacturing can still be: resilient, modern, and deeply rooted in purpose. Were now one of the last fully vertical textile mills in the United States, managing every step of productionfrom raw wool to finished productall under one roof. It hasnt been easy, but it has been worth it.
Why manufacturing still matters
Theres a fundamental misunderstanding in the way we talk about manufacturing in this country. Too often, its reduced to a numbers game: labor costs, overseas pricing, efficiency. But what we lose in those calculations is what we risk giving upcontrol over our supply chains, the dignity of skilled work, and the ability to build resilience into our communities and economy.
The pandemic was a wake-up call. When we couldnt access basic goods, from masks to semiconductors, we saw firsthand what happens when we outsource too much for too long. That fragility is not just inconvenient. Its dangerous. A nation that cant make its own goods has lost sovereignty over its own future.
Domestic manufacturing is a strategic asset. And if we want to build a stronger, more equitable, more sustainable economy, we need to invest in iturgently and intentionally.
The real value of Made in USA
Manufacturing in America isnt the easy path. It requires more investment, higher labor costs, and deeper operational complexity. But the payoff is far greater than a quarterly return.
At Faribault Mill, every blanket is touched by dozens of skilled artisans: spinning, dyeing, weaving, and finishing. This level of craftsmanship cant be replicated through offshoring. Its not just about quality, its about integrity. Our supply chain is tight, our environmental footprint is smaller, and our jobs are local. Every dollar spent on a Faribault Mill product reverberates through the community, supporting families, trades, and our town.
Weve trained a new generation of textile workers while honoring legacy techniques passed down over decades. And weve created products that are not only beautiful and functional, but meaningful. Whether were collaborating with heritage brands like Coach or cult favorites like Supreme, our goal is the same: to show what American-made can look like when its done with vision and purpose.
Change the conversation
The biggest barrier to a manufacturing revival in this country isnt cost. Its mindset. Weve trained consumers to expect cheap, fast, and disposable goods. Weve defined value by what something costs, not by what it offers, not just in function, but in longevity, in sustainability, and in human impact.
Its time to change that narrative. A Faribault Mill blanket will last for decadesits an heirloom piece. Its raw materials are traceable, and its makers are paid fairly. Thats value. And more and more, consumers are looking for brands that align with those values.
But we need broader actionfrom business leaders willing to reinvest domestically, from policymakers who understand that smart industrial policy is a national advantage, and from consumers who see each purchase as a vote for the kind of economy they want to live in.
A blueprint for the future
Reviving Faribault Mill wasnt just about saving a company. It was about proving a point: that its still possible to make things in America with care, pride, and purpose. Weve invested in new equipment and product lines. Weve built partnerships across industries. And weve done it all while staying rooted in the belief that American manufacturing isnt obsoleteits essential.
We are far from alone. Across the country, a new wave of makers, builders, and manufacturers are reimagining what industry can look like in the 21st century. But momentum isnt enough. If we want this movement to last, we need to embed it in policy, culture, and everyday consumer behavior.
Because at the end of the day, American manufacturing isnt just about economics. Its about identity. Its about knowing that behind every product is a person, a process, a place. Its about rebuilding the kinds of jobs and industries that create real opportunity and long-term resilience.
At Faribault Mill, every blanket we make carries 160 years of historyand a future thats still being written. If you believe in the promise of American manufacturing, youre already part of that story. Now lets write the next chapter together.
Ross Widmoyer is CEO of Faribault Mill.
Amazon is gearing up for a significant restructuring of Wonderythe podcast studio behind popular shows like Scamfluencers, Dr. Death, and Business Warsand it might be a signal that the podcasting industry is shifting to more video-centric formats.
Wondery was founded in 2016 as a studio dedicated to spotlighting long-form, narrative-based podcasts (think stories and formats along the lines of This American Lifes iconic Serial). It was acquired by Amazon in 2021 at the height of the pandemic-induced podcast boom for a reported $300 million. Now, Wonderys brand and existing shows will be shuffled off into larger Amazon products as its CEO Jen Sargent and around 110 employees are let go from the company.
A recent analysis from the analytics firm Grand View Research shows that the global podcasting market was estimated at $30.72 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $131.13 billion by 2030. But while podcasting is still on an upward trajectory, the way that fans consume podcasts is clearly shifting. Today, listeners are turning to podcasts that also include a video component, with popular podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience and Call Her Daddy increasingly relying on repostable video formats.
The podcast landscape has evolved significantly over the past few years, Steve Boom, Amazons vice president of audio, Twitch, and games, wrote in a memo to Wondery staff that was viewed by Fast Company. The rise of video has also blurred the lines on what it means to be a podcast creator.
Bad news for audio-only podcasts
In an initial report on August 4, Bloomberg claimed that Amazon was planning to fully shutter Wondery. However, Amazon has since clarified that it is not closing down the brand and instead plans to keep at least some of its properties afloat under a new structure, but things are changing.
The team responsible for Wondery’s narrative podcast series, including Dr. Death, Business Wars, and American Scandal, will now report to Amazons Audible platform. Meanwhile, celebrity-led podcasts including Dax Shepards Armchair Expert and Jason and Travis Kelces New Heights will join a new organization called Creator Services under the Amazon umbrella.
“This new team will continue to operate our creator-led podcast studio under the Wondery brand, working with a select number of top creators to drive scaled listenership and unlock broader and long-lasting relationships across Amazon,” Boom wrote in the staff memo.
In response to Fast Company‘s request for more details on whether any Wondery shows will be canceled, an Amazon spokesperson shared: “We’re still finalizing content distribution details for specific shows, and will share updates once decisions are made.”
On the reasoning behind the restructuring, the spokesperson added: “The podcast landscape has evolved significantly in the past few years, particularly with the rise of video-forward, creator-led content. These changes reflect that evolution and will streamline how Wondery integrates further into Amazon.”
The video-based podcast evolution is having ripple effects across the entire industry. Currently, YouTube is the number one place that podcasts are consumed, topping 1 billion total podcast views per month this February. This year, Spotify picked up on the trend by leaning hard into its video podcasting arm, taking cues from social media in its UX design. Netflix has also signaled that it may make a move into video podcasting.
Ask any parent and theyll tell you that the laundry list of daily tasks is relentless. Now, some are turning to a new kind of support system: artificial intelligence.
One mom has recently gone viral on TikTok for co-parenting her child with the help of ChatGPT. Lilian Schmidt, a corporate brand strategist based in Zurich, Switzerland, began sharing her AI prompts earlier this year. Since then, shes built a community of over 21,000 followers who swear by her tips for navigating the highs and lows of parenthood.
Schmidt has a partner, but with both working full-time, she found herself increasingly burnt out by the mental load of parenting their three-year-old. So she turned to ChatGPT.
Whether its generating imaginative bedtime stories, creating cleaning schedules, offering advice on sleep regressions, or planning meals based on whats in the fridge, the AI helped her offload the logistics of parentingfreeing her up to simply be present with her daughter. I feel like Im cheating at mom life, she wrote in one post.
@heylilianschmidt If this is your vibe, I wanna be friends! And if you want this kind of life, but dont know how or where to start – COMMENT life and Ill give you 7 of my best ChatGPT prompts to get you started! #livingourbestlife #motheranddaughter #momlifevibes #sahmtok #toddlermoms #chatgpt #chatgptformoms As It Was – Harry Styles
Parental stress, the U.S. Surgeon General warned earlier this year, is a public health crisis. Parents are consistently more likely than other adults to report high levels of stress, so its no surprise that many are seeking creative solutions to manage the load.
ChatGPT literally helped me with breastfeeding, and how to decorate my daughter birthday cake, one commenter wrote under Schmidts video. Chat gpt is carrying the weight of my family at this point, another added.
@heylilianschmidt HERES EXACTLY HOW I GOT HERE This is the version of mom life I used to think was impossible. I took me 3 years to get here, because nothing worked: Waking up before the kids Ruthless declutterring Having a new routine Whatever I tried, the mental load was still there – stressing me out and preventing me from being fully present with my kids and enjoying our little life Until I thought: what if someone (or something) could carry the mental load FOR me? I started playing around with ChatGPT – and it didnt just become a tool. It became my mom assistant, my co-parent, my second brain when mines filled with cotton candy and empty batteries Wanna try and see for yourself? COMMENT prompts to get my free AI Mom Magic Starter Kit with 7 ChatGPT prompts I use every single week to save time, stay sane, and make everyday life feel more magical (or grab it straight from my bio!) Your motherhood gets to feel like this, too #wokeuplikethis #morningroutine #toddlermom #mentalload #chatgpt #chatgptformoms #momhacks inside out theme – Santiago Melo
With 2.5 billion prompts made every day in ChatGPT, according to a recent Axios scoop, each day users are coming up with new ways AI can slot into their daily lives, from therapist, to stylist, to co-parent.
But not everyone is on board with AI-assisted parenting. Is it just me, or is it a problem that women feel relief turning to AI instead of their partners? one commenter asked. Others raised concerns about the environmental cost of AI, and what that might mean for the next generation.
With the White House Rose Garden grass ripped out and replaced with a brand new stone patio, the Mar-a-Lago-ification of the White House has reached a new phase.
After returning to office for a second term, President Donald Trump quickly took to updating White House interiors to better match his maximalist, rococo aesthetic with elements like gold embellishment in the Oval Office and more pictures of himself lining the hallways.
Now, the new Rose Garden patio and other recent and planned outdoor updates represent more permanent updates to the most historically significant home in the United States. Trump isn’t just redecoratinghe’s working to leave his physical mark on the property, and the Rose Garden is just the beginning.
The Rose Garden in July of 2024. [Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images]
Designed during John F. Kennedy’s administration by gardener Rachel Mellon, the Rose Garden has hosted presidential press conferences and the 1971 wedding of Richard Nixon’s daughter Tricia.
August, 2025. [Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images]
According to Trump, though, the space was unusable after it rained.
“We had to do it,” Trump told reporters Sunday. “When we had a press conference, youd sink into the mud.”
The new patio just so happens to resemble the patio at Mar-a-Lago where he holds court. The National Park Service oversaw the Rose Garden’s redesign, and it was paid for by the Trust for the National Mall, a nonpartisan nonprofit.
Work began on the patio on June 11, and one week later, Trump had two jumbo, car dealership-sized flag poles installed on the White House’s North and South lawns. Now that the patio’s done, Trump is turning his attention to his next project: a planned $200 million ballroom inside of the White House. The White House said construction begins next month on the 90,000-square-foot ballroom, which resembles Mar-a-Lago in renderings. Preservationists are worried.
On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order promoting traditional, classic federal civic architecture, but at home, he’s following his own rules. This isn’t a revival of classical architecture as much as it is an attempt to bring the style of South Florida to D.C. Redesigning the landscape was just the first step. No matter how far Trump’s White House renovations end up going, one thing’s for certain: the office won’t look the same after he’s done with it.
Booking your last minute summer getaway? Delta recently revealed to what extent it’s using artificial intelligence to set ticket prices. And while this is just the beginning of the AI revolution in pricing, here’s some insight into how it’s working so far, and how it may expand to other industries in the future.
What has Delta said about AI pricing?
Delta recently made headlinessparking backlash from consumer groups and concern from Congresswhen president Glen Hauenstein revealed in the airline’s latest earnings call that the company is currently using AI for 3% of domestic pricing, with the goal of using it for about 20% by the end of the year.
“So, we’re in heavy testing phase. We like what we see. We like it a lot and we’re continuing to roll it out,” Hauenstein said. “But we’re going to take our time and make sure that the rollout is successful . . . the more data it has and the more cases we give it, the more it learns.”
When Fast Company reached out to Delta about how this might affect consumers, the airline referred to its letter to senators Ruben Gallego, Richard Blumenthal, and Mark Warner, which stated it is not “using, and [does not] intend to use, AI for ‘individualized’ pricing or ‘surveillance’ pricing, leveraging consumer-specific personal data, such as sensitive personal circumstances or prior purchasing activity to set individualized prices . . . There is no fare product Delta has ever used, is testing or plans to use that targets customers with individualized prices based on personal data.”
What AI will likely end up doing, according to ThePointsGuy’s Clint Henderson, is creating a dynamic pricing model on steroids,” pinpointing flight prices with greater accuracy, and a whole lot faster.
What variables go into AI airline flight pricing?
Delta has partnered with Israel-based software startup Fetcherr, which utilizes its Large Market Model (LLM) to decode intricate market behavior and forecast financial trends, coupled with historical and current data.
Fetcherr’s approach encompasses a comprehensive range of factors that influence market dynamics, and its recent white paper lists a few of those variables that go into airline flight pricing, namely: “seat availability, current news, weather conditions, significant events, flight schedules, and even fluctuating oil prices, among others.”
The question on most passengers’ minds is whether working with companies like Fetcherr will lead airlines to use personalized pricing.
Like Delta, Fetcherr told Fast Company its technology has been developed to streamline processes already in place at companies, and “does not allow for individualized or personalized pricing.”
“Our Generative AI system does not and will not use, collect or receive any Personally Identifiable Information (PII) [and] remains steadfast in our commitment to transparency and to our compliance with applicable regulations,” a spokesperson for Fetcherr said in a statement.
Delta isn’t the only airline using AI
In its white paper, Fetcherr said it has also partnered with: Virgin Atlantic, UK; Viva Aerobus, Mexico; West Jet, Canada; and Royal Air Maroc, with a primary focus on optimizing key aspects such as pricing and inventory management.
What’s next for Fetcherr AI after airline pricing?
Looking ahead, Fetcherr said it plans to expand into other industries like hospitality, insurance, commerce, and capital markets, with its models expanding beyond pricing and inventory decisions to more complex challenges, such as making supply chain decisions and engaging in B2B strategic decision making.
Traders in the stock market can decide next week if they feel bullish about Bullish, as the cryptocurrency exchange announced today it plans to raise as much as $629.3 million in its U.S. initial public offering.
The Cayman Islands-based company plans to offer 20.3 million shares for $28 to $31 each when it lists on the New York Stock Exchange. That would mean the company is valued at as much as $4.2 billion, making it the latest digital asset firm to court investors in the stock market.
Bullish has applied for the ticker symbol BLSH, and the IPO is expected to price on Aug. 12. The company launched in 2021 as a spin-off of Block.one, with an initial investment of $10 billion from backers that included Peter Thiel. In 2023, Bullish acquired the crypto media brand CoinDesk.
Crypto goes IPO
Crypto companies have been a hot spot in whats been a pretty slow IPO market this yearand investors have been more than eager to snatch up shares. Circle Internet Group went public in June, and its shares surged nearly 750% above its IPO price in less than a month.
And theres already robust demand for Bullish shares: Funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and ARK Investment Management are separately interested in buying as much as $200 million of shares in aggregate at the IPO price, according to the companys filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Bullish offers an interesting read on how far Wall Street has come to embrace crypto assets. The company, which offers crypto spot trading, margin trading, and derivatives trading, notes in its SEC paperwork that institutional investors account for a significant portion of its customer base.
Tom Farley, who joined Bullish as CEO in 2023, wrote a letter in the SEC filing documenting his own introduction to digital assets, which began while he was president of the New York Stock Exchange. He recalled that his first lesson in crypto happened on a sunny summer day in 2014 while sitting on his porch with a neighbor who was enthusiastic about joining Coinbase, then a blockchain technology startup.
Bullish banks on Trump-era momentum
The continued growth of digital assets, which Bullish says have become established as a mainstream component of the global financial system, will be a major driver of business growth, along with other positive trends that include greater adoption by traditional financial institutions and increasing regulatory clarity. Various steps taken by Donald Trumps administration have helped to invigorate the crypto market, and the president is name-dropped a handful of times in the filing paperwork.
While the successful debut of Circle could bode well for Bullish, investors have already cooled on eToro, which went public in May. While eToro shares are still trading above the $52-per-share IPO price, they have fallen nearly 13% from where the stock began trading.
Of note, the SEC filing shows that Bullish reported a net loss of nearly $349 million in the three months ended March, compared with a profit of almost $105 million in 2024. And in 2022, the company scrapped an attempt to go public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC).
