From a distance they look almost like ordinary sailboats, their sails emblazoned with the red-and-white flag of Denmark.But these 10-meter (30-foot) -long vessels carry no crew and are designed for surveillance.Four uncrewed robotic sailboats, known as “Voyagers,” have been put into service by Denmark’s armed forces for a three-month operational trial.Built by Alameda, California-based company Saildrone, the vessels will patrol Danish and NATO waters in the Baltic and North Seas, where maritime tensions and suspected sabotage have escalated sharply since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.Two of the Voyagers launched Monday from Koge Marina, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the Danish capital, Copenhagen. Powered by wind and solar energy, these sea drones can operate autonomously for months at sea. Saildrone says the vessels carry advanced sensor suitesradar, infrared and optical cameras, sonar and acoustic monitoring.Their launch comes after two others already joined a NATO patrol on June 6.Saildrone founder and CEO Richard Jenkins compared the vessels to a “truck” that carries sensors and uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to give a “full picture of what’s above and below the surface” to about 20 to 30 miles (30 to 50 kilometers) in the open ocean.He said that maritime threats like damage to undersea cables, illegal fishing and the smuggling of people, weapons and drugs are going undetected simply because “no one’s observing it.”Saildrone, he said, is “going to places . . . where we previously didn’t have eyes and ears.”The Danish Defense Ministry says the trial is aimed at boosting surveillance capacity in under-monitored waters, especially around critical undersea infrastructure such as fiber-optic cables and power lines.“The security situation in the Baltic is tense,” said Lt. Gen. Kim Jrgensen, the director of Danish National Armaments at the ministry. “They’re going to cruise Danish waters, and then later they’re going to join up with the two that are on (the) NATO exercise. And then they’ll move from area to area within the Danish waters.”The trial comes as NATO confronts a wave of damage to maritime infrastructureincluding the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline explosions and the rupture of at least 11 undersea cables since late 2023. The most recent incident, in January, severed a fiber-optic link between Latvia and Sweden’s Gotland island.The trial also unfolds against a backdrop of trans-Atlantic frictionwith U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration threatening to seize Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark, a NATO member. Trump has said he wouldn’t rule out military force to take Greenland.Jenkins, the founder of Saildrone, noted that his company had already planned to open its operation in Denmark before Trump was reelected. He didn’t want to comment on the Greenland matter, insisting the company isn’t political.Some of the maritime disruptions have been blamed on Russia’s so-called shadow fleetaging oil tankers operating under opaque ownership to avoid sanctions. One such vessel, the Eagle S, was seized by Finnish police in December for allegedly damaging a power cable between Finland and Estonia with its anchor.Western officials accuse Russia of behind behind a string of hybrid war attacks on land and at sea.Amid these concerns, NATO is moving to build a layered maritime surveillance system combining uncrewed surface vehicles like the Voyagers with traditional naval ships, satellites and seabed sensors.“The challenge is that you basically need to be on the water all the time, and it’s humongously expensive,” said Peter Viggo Jakobsen of the Royal Danish Defense College. “It’s simply too expensive for us to have a warship trailing every single Russian ship, be it a warship or a civilian freighter of some kind.”“We’re trying to put together a layered system that will enable us to keep constant monitoring of potential threats, but at a much cheaper level than before,” he added.
James Brooks, Associated Press
Given the rise of mental health woes, financial strain, and concerns over layoffs, there’s a lot weighing on the modern employee. But one company is hoping to offset the stress with . . . Legos?Deloitte is offering to pay for employees’ Legos to help them connect away their stress. The firm, which already offered well-being items and experiences, updated its employee subsidy program on June 1 to cover the toy. According to internal documents accessed by Business Insider, Deloitte will reimburse employees up to $1,000 for gym memberships and equipment, spa services, gaming consoles, and, now, Legos and puzzles.
The move is getting mixed reactions on social media. On X, comments about the Lego perk ranged from “cheaper than therapy” to lots of laughing emojis to utter confusion. One popular post points out that the company had layoffs to cut costs just prior to announcing the Lego incentive, hinting that maybe the funds could be better allocated to retain employees rather than to add offbeat incentives. “Corporate culture is irrevocably broken and backwards,” the post reads.
One Deloitte employee told Business Insider that the perk was received with a mix of jokes and enthusiasm. “Most of the responses are things like ‘Lego?!?!? Finally!’ or jokes about how they can now rationalize buying the coveted Millennium Falcon Star Wars Lego set,” the employee said. (The set costs $850).
While Legos might be fun, or even therapeutic, employees who are battling against very real modern concerns might need more than building blocks to avoid burnout. And that may be especially true at firms like Deloitte, where the workweek can average 55 hours. Fast Company reached out, but Deloitte declined to comment.
Matthew Owenby, chief strategy officer and head of HR at insurance company Aflac, tells Fast Company that employees today are up against big challenges. “Five years after the COVID-19 pandemic first started a national conversation around mental health [and] employee burnout persists at very high levels,” Owenby says. According to the 2024-2025 Aflac WorkForces Report, more than half of all U.S. employees say they face at least moderate burnout, with nearly a quarter experiencing high burnout.”
That report also points out that nearly half (47%) of respondents said having an employer who respects the importance of time off helps with their work-life balance. Likewise, 51% said more paid time off (PTO) is the most effective way to alleviate burnout. Shockingly, the report did not ask respondents how much Legos impacted their well-being.
Owenby says that addressing the burnout epidemic is not quite as easy as providing a stipend for puzzles and building blocks. Instead he recommends examining employees’ heavy workloads, giving them flexibility and time off. “When asked about the most effective ways to address burnout, employees offered simple and straightforward solutions: giving employees the option to work from home, increasing paid time off, and creating company-sponsored self-care programs,” Owneby said. Again, Legos did not make the list.
Sadly, while workers desperately seem to need PTO, they don’t always feel they can take it. A June 2025 report from LiveCareer showed that one in three workers are worried that taking vacation days will lead to layoffs. Fear of layoffs and job insecurity is at an all-time high, and these concerns are influencing the workforce to deprioritize their overall well-being, Jasmine Escalera, career expert for LiveCareer, said in the report. When employees hesitate to take the PTO theyve earned, it can seriously impact their mental health, productivity, and overall engagement at work.
That’s not to say that hobbies like social time, crafts, or even playing with Legos can’t be helpful. However, when it comes to employee satisfaction, a Lego allowance feels a bit like, well, child’s play. Because unless those Lego sets come with an extra week of vacation and the time to actually play with them, how much good can they really do for employees anyway?
Despite crypto being all the rage (again) in 2025, the announcement yesterday that President Trumps Trump Media & Technology Group Corp. (Nasdaq: DJT) is seeking approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to launch a crypto-based ETF has so far done little to turn around the fortunes of DJT stock, which is currently down over 45% since the beginning of the year.
Heres what you need to know about the Trump Media crypto ETF and the companys latest stock price movement.
What does Trump Media want to launch?
Yesterday, Trump Media & Technology Group, owner of President Trumps Truth Social social media network, announced its intention to launch an exchange-traded fund (ETF) comprising two assets: Bitcoin and Ethereum.
Those two cryptocurrencies are the most popular in the world, so its no surprise that Trump Media would focus on combining them into a single ETF. The fund would allow people to invest in two cryptocurrencies at once by purchasing a single share of the ETF.
Announcing that it has filed its Form S-1 registration statement with the SEC, declaring its intentions to launch the ETF, Trump Media said that the ETF, officially called the Truth Social Bitcoin and Ethereum ETF, B.T., will hold Bitcoin and Ethereum directly.
Bitcoin will make up 75% of the ETFs assets, with Ethereum accounting for 25% of the ETFs assets.
The ETF announcement represents a further expansion of Trump Medias business portfolio, which currently includes the Truth Social social media network, the Truth+ streaming platform, and the FinTech brand Truth.Fi.
Yet if executives at Trump Media were hoping for a stock price boost from the news, theyll be disappointed today. As of the time of this writing, DJT shares are currently up around 1.69% to $18.98. The stock actually sank yesterday when the news was announced.
Investors shrug off the crypto news
Yesterday, on the same day that Trump Media filed its SEC paperwork for the crypto ETF, Trump Media shares closed at $18.67. However, todays modest price rise suggests that investors so far dont seem to think that the potential ETF offering will significantly impact the companys financials.
One reason for this could be that cryptocurrency ETFs are becoming an increasingly crowded market. As noted by Reuters, Morningstar ETF analyst Bryan Armour said that any company newly entering the crowded crypto ETF market will face challenges. The only way to stand out will be through fees or brand, Armour said.
However, another reason could be that many investors still view Truth Socials stock as a belief stocka proxy for Donald Trumps popularity, rather than a company with strong fundamentals behind it.
Whatever the reason, the ETF news so far hasnt turned Trump Medias fortunes around when it comes to the companys share price. As of this writing, DJTs share price has fallen over 11% in the last five trading days alone. Over the past month, DJT shares are down more than 27%. And since the beginning of the year, DJT shares have cratered more than 45%.
What do Trump Media’s financials look like?
On May 9, Trump Media reported its most recent quarterly results, which cover the companys Q1 of fiscal 2025, which ended on March 31. The company reported a net loss of $31.7 million for the quarter.
In other Trump business news, yesterday, the Trump Organization, a separate entity from Trump Media, announced its plans to launch a new cellular network called Trump Mobile and also a new smartphone called the T1 Phone. The move largely baffled industry experts.
Disclosure: Morningstar was founded by Joe Mansueto, owner of Fast Company‘s parent company.
The U.S. economy is mostly in good shape but that isn’t saving Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell from a spell of angst.As the Fed considers its next moves during a two-day meeting this week, most economic data looks solid: Inflation has been steadily fading, while the unemployment rate is still a historically low 4.2%. Yet President Donald Trump’s widespread tariffs may push inflation higher in the coming months, while also possibly slowing growth.With the outlook uncertain, Fed policymakers are expected to keep their key interest rate unchanged on Wednesday at about 4.4%. Officials will also release a set of quarterly economic projections that are expected to show inflation will accelerate later this year, while unemployment my also tick up a bit.The projections may also signal that the Fed will cut its key rate twice later this year, economists say.The prospect of higher inflation would typically lead the Fed to keep rates unchanged or even raise them, while rising unemployment would usually lead the Fed to cut its key rate. With the economy potentially pulling in both directions, Powell and other Fed officials have underscored in recent remarks that they are prepared to wait for clearer signals on which way to move.The Fed is in “an uncomfortable purgatory,” said Diane Swonk, chief economist at accounting giant KPMG. “Without the threat of tariffs, we would be seeing the Fed cut. That’s not where we’re at because of the uncertainty and the threat and the effects (of tariffs) that we don’t know yet.”The Trump White House has sharply ramped up the pressure on Powell to reduce borrowing costs, with Trump himself calling the Fed chair a “numbskull” for not cutting and other officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, also calling for a rate reduction.When the Fed reduces its key short-term rate, it oftenthough not alwaysleads to lower costs for consumer and business borrowing, including for mortgages, auto loans, and credit cards. Yet financial markets also influence the level of longer-term rates and can keep them elevated even if the Fed reduces the shorter-term rate it controls.For example, if investors worry that inflation will remain elevated, they can demand higher interest rates on longer-term Treasury securities, which influence other borrowing costs.Even though Trump has said the economy is doing well, he has also argued that a rate cut would cause the economy to take off “like a rocket.”But Trump has also highlighted another concern: If the Fed doesn’t cut rates, the federal government will have to pay more interest on its huge budget deficits, which are projected to grow even larger under the White House’s proposed tax and budget legislation currently being considered by the Senate.“We’re going to spend $600 billion a year, $600 billion because of one numbskull that sits here (and says), ‘I don’t see enough reason to cut the rates now,'” Trump said last week.Pushing the Fed to cut rates simply to save the government on its interest payments typically raises alarms among economists, because it would threaten the Fed’s congressional mandate to focus on stable prices and maximum employment.Yet the markets haven’t reacted much to Trump’s recent attacks on the Fed, now that the Supreme Court, in a ruling last month, suggested that a president doesn’t have the legal power to fire the Fed chair.Still, with inflation remaining low, so far, despite the imposition of tariffs, the Fed may come under greater pressure in the coming months from economists and investors to cut rates. Policymakers estimate that the interest rate that would neither stimulate the economy nor slow it downknown as the “neutral rate”is about 3%.Meanwhile, inflationaccording to the Fed’s preferred measureis just 2.1%, almost back to the central bank’s 2% target. Such a low reading suggests the Fed’s rate should be closer to neutral, below its current level of 4.4%, because it doesn’t need a high rate to slow inflation.“It’s a reasonable case for the Fed to grapple with,” said Jon Hilsenrath, a visiting scholar at Duke University.Yet according to a survey Hilsenrath conducted for Duke of former Fed officials and staff, they expect the Fed to cut interest rates just once this year. “There’s a risk that inflation moves up and they don’t want to get ahead of themselves,” he said.It’s possible that tariffs may not push up inflation as much as economists have feared. But one reason for that could be that the economy may slow, lifting unemployment and making consumers unwilling to pay higher prices, which would reduce inflation.Economists at Goldman Sachs said in a recent research note that they expect inflation will rise to 3.6% by December, but that the increase will only be temporary.“The main reason we are less worried is that we expect the economy to be weak this year, with . . . a modest rise in the unemployment rate,” Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman, and his colleagues wrote.A noticeable weakening of the economy that slows consumer spending and holds down inflation would likely lead the Fed to quickly cut rates. But they will be more comfortable doing so once they have a better sense of the full impact of tariffs.Michael Gapen, chief U.S. economist at Morgan Stanley, said in a note Monday that the Fed “will need several months to assess the effects of policy changes, believing that ‘later and correct is better than sooner and wrong.'”
Christopher Rugaber, AP Economics Writer
The chase is on among premium credit card issuers.
JPMorgan Chase has announced some big changes to its high-end Chase Sapphire Reserve credit card, which include a hefty new annual fee of $795, up from $550.
The Sapphire Reserve card, which is known for its slate of perks and benefits including travel credits and access to airport lounges, is also getting a counterpart in the Chase Sapphire Reserve for Business card. When the card was first introduced in 2016, the annual fee was $450, so it has increased by more than 75% since then.
Interestingly, customers dont seem to mind: The amount paid in annual fees totaled $6.4 billion in 2022, more than double the $3 billion paid in 2015, according to a 2023 report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
When will the fee increase take effect?
According to Chase, customers still have a few days to sign up for the card at the old rate. If you’re already a Sapphire Preferred member, or if you sign up before Monday, June 23, you can expect the same benefits and fee through October 25 of this year.
Though the fee is increasing significantly, there will be new card designs, and new credits and benefits that arrive along with the revamp.
Specifically, for cardholders who spend at least $75,000 per year on their cards, there will be new perks, such as exclusive online shopping experiences, and status rewards at IHG Hotels, and Southwest Airlines.
Points earnings rates and multipliers are also changing through a new Points Boost program. The new Business card will also have credits for services from ZipRecruiter, Google Workspace, and more.
Its the culmination of five years of investment that weve made across Chase in completely uplifting and repositioning what we mean for premium travelers in the premium-card space, Allison Beer, JPMorgans head of card and connected commerce, told Bloomberg. This is about having the best-in-class travel assets and an end-to-end travel experience.
Premium card issuers up the stakes
Chase’s announcement comes shortly after American Express, one of its chief rivals in the credit card space, teased a forthcoming overhaul to its premium Platinum Card. Details are scarce, but those changes are expected by the end of the year. The Platinum Card currently has a $695 annual fee.
In all, the board is set for Chase and Amex to duke it out with their premium offerings, which might provide some serious perks to customers who can afford them.
Were going to take these cards to a new level,” Amex’s said Howard Grosfield in a statement, “not only in what they offer in travel, dining and lifestyle benefits, but also in how they look and feel, to meet the evolving needs of our customers.
The Senate is expected to approve legislation Tuesday that would regulate a form of cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, the first of what is expected to be a wave of crypto legislation from Congress that the industry hopes will bolster its legitimacy and reassure consumers.The fast-moving legislation, which will be sent to the House for potential revisions, comes on the heels of a 2024 campaign cycle where the crypto industry ranked among the top political spenders in the country, underscoring its growing influence in Washington and beyond.Eighteen Democratic senators have shown support for the legislation as it has advanced, siding with the Republican majority in the 5347 Senate. If passed, it would become the second major bipartisan bill to advance through the Senate this year, following the Laken Riley Act on immigration enforcement in January.Still, most Democrats oppose the bill. They have raised concerns that the measure does little to address President Donald Trump’s personal financial interests in the crypto space.“We weren’t able to include certainly everything we would have wanted, but it was a good bipartisan effort,” said Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., on Monday. She added, “This is an unregulated area that will now be regulated.”Known as the GENIUS Act, the bill would establish guardrails and consumer protections for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency typically pegged to the U.S. dollar. The acronym stands for “Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins.”It’s expected to pass Tuesday, since it only requires a simple majority voteand it already cleared its biggest procedural hurdle last week in a 6830 vote. But the bill has faced more resistance than initially expected.There is a provision in the bill that bans members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. But that prohibition does not extend to the president and his family, even as Trump builds a crypto empire from the White House.Trump hosted a private dinner last month at his golf club with top investors in a Trump-branded meme coin. His family holds a large stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that provides yet another avenue where investors are buying in and enriching the president’s relatives. World Liberty has launched its own stablecoin, USD1.The administration is broadly supportive of crypto’s growth and its integration into the economy. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent last week said the legislation could help push the U.S. stablecoin market beyond $2 trillion by the end of 2028.Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbasethe nation’s largest crypto exchange and a major advocate for the billhas met with Trump and praised his early moves on crypto. This past weekend, Coinbase was among the more prominent brands that sponsored a parade in Washington commemorating the Army’s 250th anniversaryan event that coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday.But the crypto industry emphasizes that they view the legislative effort as bipartisan, pointing to champions on each side of the aisle.“The GENIUS Act will be the most significant digital assets legislation ever to pass the U.S. Senate,” Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott, R-S.C., said ahead of a key vote last week. “It’s the product of months of bipartisan work.”The bill did hit one rough patch in early May, when a bloc of Senate Democrats who had previously supported the bill reversed course and voted to block it from advancing. That prompted new negotiations involving Senate Republicans, Democrats and the White House, which ultimately produced the compromise version expected to win passage Tuesday.“There were many, many changes that were made. And ultimately, it’s a much better deal because we were all at the table,” Alsobrooks said.Still, the bill leaves unresolved concerns over presidential conflicts of interestan issue that remains a source of tension within the Democratic caucus.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has been among the most outspoken as the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, warning that the bill creates a “super highway” for Trump corruption. She has also warned that the bill would allow major technology companies, such as Amazon and Meta, to launch their own stablecoins.If the stablecoin legislation passes the Senate on Tuesday, it still faces several hurdles before reaching the president’s desk. It must clear the narrowly held Republican majority in the House, where lawmakers may try to attach a broader market structure billsweeping legislation that could make passage through the Senate more difficult.Trump has said he wants stablecoin legislation on his desk before Congress breaks for its August recess, now just under 50 days away.
Joey Cappelletti, Mary Clare Jalonick and Alan Suderman, Associated Press
Trolls be warned: influencers are now hiring private investigators to expose their anonymous bullies online.
Australian influencer Indy Clinton, who boasts 2.1 million TikTok followers and was crowned Creator of the Year in 2023, posted a seemingly typical video yesterday of herself dancing in her kitchen. At first glance, it appeared no different from her usual contentuntil viewers read the on-screen text.
How it feels receiving a 64 page report from my PI [private investigator] after an extensive 3 month investigation on all my ladies (mothers) who have continuously bullied, defamed & trolled me and my family for months n moths & even years, the text read. Change is coming. and I will spend my last dollars to make change before I renovate my bathroom, she wrote in the caption, with the hashtag #urnotanonymous.
Clintons comments were soon flooded with support from fellow influencers, many praising her for taking action. Some even asked for the contact details of her private investigator. The trolls, on the other hand, were conspicuously absent. Its literally nothing but crickets in this comment section from all the haters, one commenter wrote. I would pay to see the reaction of those people when they found out that they’re not so anonymous, another added.
On her Instagram Story, Clinton claimed she now knows specific details about her trollsincluding where they live, their Australian Business Numbers, and even the tattoos they got at 18. But what surprised her most: many of the trolls were fellow mothers. (Fast Company has reached out to Clinton for comment.)
@outspoken_the_podcast Indy Clinton has iconically put her trolls on notice The popular TikToker recently hired a private investigator to track down faceless bullies relentlessly defaming her. Indy dropped a series of clues about some the biggest culprits, disturbingly revealing that majority of them are mothers. original sound – Outspoken
If youre wondering who actually has the time or energy to troll influencers online, the scale of the problem may surprise you. Manychat, a leading chat marketing platform, surveyed 974 Americans in May 2025 about online behavior. The results: 61% admitted to making offensive jokes or comments online, and 3 in 5 confessed to spreading rumors. More than 3 in 4 believed their online actions have no real-world consequencesdespite research linking online harassment to anxiety, sleep disruption, and suicidal thoughts.
Fast Company has previously reported on the internets so-called snarking problem, with entire subreddits devoted to obsessively dissectingand critiquinginfluencers every move. The internets promise of anonymity has long made trolls feel untouchable. In fact, 84% of those surveyed said they feel more empowered to speak freely online when anonymous.
But with influencers now taking matters into their own hands, the tide may be turning. Just last week, the anonymous founder of Tattle Lifea British gossip forum often described as the most hate-filled corner of the webwas revealed to be an influencer himself. The unmasking followed a two-year investigation led by Neil and Donna Sands, who successfully sued the site for defamation. The internet is not an anonymous place, they posted on Instagram while sharing the news.
The comments section is awfully quiet right now.
Six of the Group of Seven leaders are trying on the final day of their summit Tuesday to show the wealthy nations’ club still has the clout to shape world events despite the early departure of U.S. President Donald Trump.Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and his counterparts from the U.K., France, Germany, Italy and Japan will be joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO chief Mark Rutte to discuss Russia’s relentless war on its neighbor.World leaders had gathered in Canada with the specific goal of helping to defuse a series of pressure points, only to be disrupted by a showdown over Iran’s nuclear program that could escalate in dangerous and uncontrollable ways. Israel launched an aerial bombardment campaign against Iran on Friday, and Iran has hit back with missiles and drones.Trump left the summit in the Canadian Rocky Mountain resort of Kananaskis a day early late Monday, saying: “I have to be back, very important.” As conflict between Israel and Iran intensified, he declared that Tehran should be evacuated “immediately”while also expressing optimism about a deal to stop the violence.Before leaving, Trump joined the other leaders in issuing a statement saying Iran “can never have a nuclear weapon” and calling for a “de-escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, including a ceasefire in Gaza.” Getting unanimityeven on a short and broadly worded statementwas a modest measure of success for the group.At the summit, Trump warned that Tehran must curb its nuclear program before it’s “too late.” He said Iranian leaders would “like to talk” but they had already had 60 days to reach an agreement on their nuclear ambitions and failed to do so before the Israeli aerial assault began. “They have to make a deal,” he said.Asked what it would take for the U.S. to get involved in the conflict militarily, Trump said Monday morning, “I don’t want to talk about that.”But by Monday afternoon, Trump warned ominously on social media, “Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!” Shortly after that, Trump decided to leave the summit and skip a series of Tuesday meetings that would address the war in Ukraine and trade issues.The sudden departure only heightened the drama of a world that seems on verge of several firestorms. Trump already has imposed severe tariffs on multiple nations that risk a global economic slowdown. There has been little progress on settling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.Trump’s stance on Ukraine puts him fundamentally at odds with the other G7 leaders, who back Ukraine and are clear that Russia is the aggressor in the war.The U.S. president on Monday suggested there would have been no war if G7 members hadn’t expelled Putin from the organization in 2014 for annexing Crimea.Trump on Monday demurred when asked if he supported Russia, saying “I only care about saving lives.”With talks on ending the war at an impasse, Starmer said Britain and other G7 members were slapping new tariffs on Russia in a bid to get it to the ceasefire negotiating table. Zelenskyy is due to attend the summit Tuesday at Carney’s invitation, along with other leaders including Rutte and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Trump declined to join in the sanctions on Russia, saying he would wait until Europe did so first.“When I sanction a country, that costs the U.S. a lot of money, a tremendous amount of money,” he said.Trump had been scheduled before his departure to meet with Zelenskyy and with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.On the Middle East, Merz told reporters that Germany was planning to draw up a final communique proposal on the Israel-Iran conflict that will stress that “Iran must under no circumstances be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons-capable material.”Trump also seemed to put a greater priority on addressing his grievances with other nations’ trade policies than on collaboration with G7 allies. The U.S. president has imposed 50% tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as 25% tariffs on autos. Trump is also charging a 10% tax on imports from most countries, though he could raise rates on July 9, after the 90-day negotiating period set by him would expire.He announced with Starmer that they had signed a trade framework Monday that was previously announced in May, with Trump saying that British trade was “very well protected’ because “I like them, that’s why. That’s their ultimate protection.”
Associated Press writers Will Weissert in Banff, Alberta, and Josh Boak in Calgary, Alberta, contributed to this story.
Rob Gillies and Jill Lawless, Associated Press
ChatGPT maker OpenAI was awarded a $200 million contract to provide the U.S. Defense Department with artificial intelligence tools, the Pentagon said in a statement on Monday.
“Under this award, the performer will develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both war fighting and enterprise domains,” the Pentagon said.
The work will be primarily performed in and near Washington, D.C. with an estimated completion date of July 2026, the Pentagon said.
OpenAI said last week that its annualized revenue run rate surged to $10 billion as of June, positioning the company to hit its full-year target amid booming AI adoption.
OpenAI said in March it would raise up to $40 billion in a new funding round led by SoftBank Group at a $300 billion valuation. OpenAI had 500 million weekly active users as of the end of March.
The White House’s Office of Management and Budget released new guidance in April directing federal agencies to ensure that the government and “the public benefit from a competitive American AI marketplace.”
The guidance had exempted national security and defense systems.
Kanishka Singh, Reuters
The most inaccurately named sale of the year will soon be held againso get your wallets ready.
Amazon has announced that its annual Amazon Prime Day sales event will take place next month from July 8 to 11. Yes, Amazon Prime Day is now four days longtwice as long as in previous years. Heres everything you need to know about the summers biggest shopping event.
Amazon Prime Day is now closer to a week long
Back on July 15, 2015, Amazon held its first Amazon Prime Day. The now-annual event sees millions of items on Amazon go on sale for Prime members. Its a way to reward them for subscribing to Amazons subscription delivery service. The event also acts as a promotion for the service and an incentive to get other Amazon shoppers to subscribe.
The inaugural 2015 Amazon Prime Day was true to its namethe event lasted just one day. It also lasted just one day when it was held the following year in 2016. But from 2017 until last year, Amazon extended Amazon Prime Day into a two-day sales event.
So I know what youre thinking: This year Amazon has stretched Amazon Prime Day to three days, right? Wrong. Amazon has now announced that Amazon Prime Day is now a four-day event. Yep, in Amazons world, one day now equals 96 hours.
From a math perspective, at this point it would just make more sense for Amazon to round up the Amazon Prime Day moniker to Amazon Prime Week instead of keeping the name rounded down.
What are the new dates?
Amazon Prime Day 2025 will kick off in the second week of July. The four-day event begins at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, July 8, and runs until Friday, July 11.
With the summer shopping event returning, for the first time for four days, Prime members have double the time to shop millions of deals with savings on pantry staples and snacks for summer gatherings to home-improvement must-haves, back-to-school supplies, health and personal care finds, family-favorite toys, best-selling books, pet essentials, and even premium and luxury splurges, Amazon said in its announcement.
Does every country have Prime Day?
Amazon will be holding Prime Day in most of the countries in which it operates. However, while some countries will see Prime Day 2025 fall July 8 to 11 this year, other countries will need to wait until later in the year to experience Prime Day.
Amazon says the countries that will have Prime Day from July 8 to 11 include:
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Canada
Colombia
France
Germany
Italy
Ireland
Japan
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Poland
Portugal
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Turkey
United States
United Kingdom
Prime Day 2025 will happen later in the year for additional countries. However, Amazon has not revealed an exact date. The company says Prime members in the following countries can shop Prime Day deals later this summer:
Brazil
Egypt
India
Mexico
Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates
What are the best Amazon Prime Day deals?
Every Amazon Prime Day event sees millions of items go on sale for Prime membersfrom apparel and pet supplies to tech.
But for this years Amazon Prime Day, the company is doing things a little differently. In addition to the regular swath of sale items, Amazon will also be holding time-limited sales during the event. These sales will be on select items and will be announced at midnight PDT on each day of the sales event.
Amazon is calling these time-limited sales Todays Big Deals, and says the items will only remain on sale while supplies last. In other words, this is Amazons way of ensuring that people come back to its website repeatedly during the eventhoping they spend more each time.
Amazon says its inaugural Todays Big Deals items will include products from brands including Samsung, Kiehls, and Levis.
How does Prime Day help Amazon’s bottom line?
While Amazon bills Prime Day as a sales event designed to celebrate and reward its Prime subscribers, the event naturally benefits its own already-deep pockets.
Last year, Amazon announced that its 2024 Prime Day was its biggest ever, with the company selling more than 200 million items during the 48-hour event.
As Prime Day has become more popular, Amazons brick-and-mortar competitors have started to hold their own annual summer sales to coincide with Prime Day. However, many of these retailers, including Target and Walmart, hold their sales for a longer period than Amazon Prime Days historic 48 hours.
Sky Canaves, principal analyst at eMarketer, said in a research note, Amazons competitors had piggybacked off its success by launching their own July sales events, often up to a week long, and their revenues during Prime Day had been growing at a faster rate than Amazons.
Canaves went on to say that this years doubling of the length of Amazon Prime Day will mark a major reversal in that trend.
“With this years expansion to four days, Amazon is shaking up what had become a fairly predictable Prime Day playbook, Canaves said. We expect Amazon to capture 75% of U.S. e-commerce sales during this periodcompared with less than 60% in last years two-day format.
According to eMarketer’s data, Amazon two-day Prime Day sales totaled $8.47 billion last year. The research firm predicts that Amazons four-day sales this year will generate $12.93 billion in sales over the 96-hour event.
How much does Amazon Prime Day cost?
To participate in Amazon Prime Day 2025, youll need to be a current Amazon Prime subscriber during the period from July 8 to 11.
Amazon Prime subscriptions in the United States cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year. Amazon also offers a free 30-day trial for eligible customers. Even if you are a subscriber to Amazon Prime on a free trial offer, youll still be able to take advantage of all the sales Amazon Prime Day offers.
