On Tuesday, Brad Schimel, the Trump-backed candidate in the race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court, lost in decisive fashion to his liberal opponent, Susan Crawford. Other than the candidate himself, the elections biggest loser is Elon Musk, who spent $25 million on Schimels blowout loss, and whose future in bankrolling the Make America Great Again movement is suddenly up in the air.
Musk is not used to this sort of uncertainty. He spent more than a quarter-billion dollars on the 2024 presidential election, a savvy investment that bought him both a de facto Cabinet seat and the obedient silence of Republican politicians who fear that Musk will use his astronomical fortune to finance primary challenges against them the moment they step out of line.
Musk saw the Wisconsin Supreme Court as his next conquesta chance to prove his kingmaker bona fides in an important election for the Republican Party, which he framed in startlingly apocalyptic terms, especially for an off-cycle judicial race in a state where he doesnt live: The result, Musk warned on March 30, could decide the future of America and Western Civilization.
Wisconsin voters, however, did not see things Musks way. (Or, if they did, they did not share his vision for the future.) Crawford won by 10 points, and Schimel called her to concede a few hours after polls closed. A closer look at the numbers reveals the scale of his defeat: Every county shifted in Democrats favor relative to the 2024 election, when Donald Trump won the state by a bit less than one point. Even in deep-red areas where Schimel beat Crawford by margins in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, Crawford still outpaced Vice President Kamala Harriss performance just four months ago, and sometimes by double digits.
Musk has no one to blame but himself. Since November, his antics at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have made him one of the most polarizing political figures in the country: 60% of people have an unfavorable view of Musk, including 46% who say they view him very unfavorably, according to a recent Marquette poll. As it turns out, if you are an unelected plutocrat dismantling the federal government and trying to put hundreds of thousands of people out of a job, and then show up in a new state imploring people to do what you say or else, an appreciable number of them are going to use their votes to tell you to go to hell instead.
Musks carpetbagging in Wisconsin was equal parts confident and cringe. He promoted a Schimel campaign event on X, and tweeted a weird caricature of the candidate dressed as Superman, urging his followers to vote for Superjudge. His PAC hosted a pro-Schimel town hall in Green Bay during which Musk spent more time defending DOGE than he did stumping for Schimel, who opted to campaign elsewhere that night. Musk kicked off the event by bounding onto the stage wearing a bright yellow Packers cheesehead hat, which he promptly autographed and then threw out into the crowd in the style of a band lead singer pandering to concertgoers in a city he can barely remember the name of and never intends to visit again.
Perhaps most audaciously, Musk dusted off a strategy he employed in Pennsylvania during the closing weeks of the 2024 election, which basically involved turning voter registration into something resembling a sweepstakes. This time, he promised to pay Wisconsin voters who signed an online petition condemning activist judges, and to hand out million-dollar checks to a few lucky winners who had cast their ballots early. Musk modified the terms of his offer shortly after making it, perhaps after learning of a state law that makes it illegal to pay people for voting. Instead, he explained, the million-dollar checks would merely go to spokesmen whod agreed to promote his petition.
In a wild coincidence, one recipient, Ekaterina Diestler, works at a company led by well-connected Republicans in the state; the other, Nicholas Jacobs, is the chair of the Wisconsin College Republicans. After Diestler cut a soft-lit promo video in which she explained that she did exactly what Elon Musk told everyone to do: Sign the petition, refer friends and family, vote, and now I have a million dollars, Musks PAC quickly pulled the clip and replaced it with an edited version that omits the word vote.
Thanks largely to Musk, overall spending on Tuesdays election cracked $90 million, which makes it the most expensive state judicial election in U.S. history, roughly doubling the record set in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election two years ago. Musk loomed so large over the race that Crawford was happy to treat it as a referendum on him, earning laughs on the campaign trail by referring to Musk, rather than Schimel, as my opponent.
This strategy paid off: Turnout was nearly 40% higher than it was in 2023, and Schimel underperformed the other Republican on this years ballotBrittany Kinser, who lost the statewide race for school superintendentby 2 points. In other words, Schimel didnt lose this badly just because Democrats showed up to the polls en masse. Schimel lost this badly because people associate him with Elon Musk, and even some voters who are otherwise inclined to vote for Republicans decided they wanted nothing to do with him.
As Crawford celebrated her victory, Musk does what he always does when hes upset: Post. I expected to lose, but there is value to losing a piece for a positional gain, he wrote, which is also how I grieve when my 7-year-old niece hits me with two straight Draw 4 cards to beat me in Uno. Hes since promoted a video from (of course) conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and Trump-adjaent gadfly Roger Stone suggesting that the election was stolen, a time-honored Republican response to election results they do not like.
The open question is whether Musks diminishing influence with voters threatens his positions of power within the Trump administration, and within the Republican Party as the 2026 midterm elections approach. Candidates will want his moneybecause candidates always want moneybut the more they clock him as ballot-box poison, the more likely they are to conclude that taking his money isnt worth the trouble of sharing the stage with him.
It is probably not a coincidence that the morning after Schimels loss, Politico was ready with a report that Musk and Trump, in the proud tradition of amenable breakups everywhere, have mutually decided that hell soon leave the White House and take on a supporting role instead.
The story frames the decision as driven by the statutory 130-day limit on Musks tenure as a special government employee, and acknowledges that hes likely to continue in some sort of informal adviser role. But it also notes a growing number of administration figures who see Musk as a political liability who has served as a rallying point for fractured Democrats.
The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board similarly worried that Musks failure in Wisconsin shows that the Trump-Musk governing style is stirring a backlash that could cost them control of Congress next year. Basically, watching Musk write novelty checks was all fun and games until he became one of the most repellent people on earth.
Schimels loss does not mean that Musks career in politics is all the way over. The first elections after presidential elections often cut against the party in power, and thanks to the U.S. Supreme Courts enduring passion for money in politics, as soon as Musk overcomes the humiliation of blowing $25 million for a double-digit loss, he is as free as ever to throw himself into the next election that piques his interest. But at the very least, Tuesday showed that there are limits to what his money can buyand that if he keeps coming up empty, he could find himself out of political power just as quickly as he bought his way into it.
Ive written before about my love for the Social Security Administrationfrom its origin as a response to senior poverty during the Great Depression, to its elegant design as a direct transfer from current workers to current beneficiaries, to its regular adjustments that have preserved its future.
All of which to say, Im pretty darn attached to the SSA for someone ineligible to receive benefits before the year 2041.
So the recent news about Social Security, from reports of widespread customer service disruptions to Elon Musks claim that only fraudsters complain about delayed benefits, made me worried, angry, and more likely to stress eat all the pretzels and hummus in the house.
As upsetting as all this is, there is still plenty we can do. Whether youre a beneficiary, the child of a beneficiary, or just someone who likes efficiency experts to wield scalpels rather than chainsaws, heres what you need to know about protecting Social Security.
Fraud is not a problem with Social Security
The Trump administration has claimed over and over that there is a rampant fraud problem in the Social Security system. The most recent example (as of this writing) was Musks claim during a tele-rally for a Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate that someone would be arrested the next day for stealing 400,000 Social Security numbers in order to fraudulently claim benefits.
There are many things wrong with that previous sentenceincluding the fact that its really stupid to announce a potential arrest before it has happenedbut lets focus on the fraud claim.
Fraudulently claiming Social Security benefits simply isnt a thing.
Social Security is a remarkably accurate government program, enjoying a payment accuracy rate of 99.7%. Only 0.3% of Social Security benefits are improper payments (which includes both overpayment and underpayment), and the majority of these improper payments are caused by delays or mistakes. The SSA has a 47% recovery rate for overpaymentsand the government aggregates annual improper payment datasets so that any American citizen can take a look at how accurate the SSAs benefit payments are.
The SSA also has rigorous safeguards and protocols in place to stop payments to beneficiaries who have died, including collecting death data, checking that the oldest beneficiaries are using their benefits, and terminating benefits at age 115.
Finally, non-citizens who are eligible to work in the United States receive a Social Security numberand they pay into the Social Security systembut they are not eligible for benefits. This makes non-citizens with Social Security numbers a net financial benefit to the SSA.
When someone claims that Social Security needs an overhaul because of widespread fraud, they dont know what they are talking about.
The Social Security computer system needs to be updated
As much as I love the SSA, I am not blind to its flaws. Specifically, Social Securitys computer systems are written in COBOL, a computer language that was developed in the 1950s and gained widespread use in the 1970s. However, COBOL is now an obsolete computer languagebut the SSA maintains 60 million lines of code in this language to this day. The SSA also relies on COBOL for the code responsible for issuing social security numbers, calculating benefits, and managing payments, according to a report from Wired.
This is clearly unsustainable, as anyone who has ever asked a software engineer about their profession can attest. Computer systems are notoriously flimsy, held together by chewing gum and hope, and every day the SSA continues to hum along on an obsolete coding language is kind of miraculous.
The plan to rewrite this code to modernize the SSAs computer system is a good onebut DOGE wants to accomplish this migration in an irresponsibly short timeframe. A complete migration from COBOL to Java would take several years, but the Department of Government Efficiency is proposing a timeframe of a few months.
While it may be more efficient to burn the current computer system to the ground and build a new one on its ashes, the increased efficiency would be little comfort to the beneficiaries who dont receive payments, receive the wrong payments, or have to wait months for benefits they are entitled to.
Recognize the propaganda
For years, Social Security has been known as the third rail of American politics, since it enjoys bipartisan popularity. No one wants the government to cut payments to Nana and Pop-Pop. (They have the good cookies at their house!)
The only way to touch an untouchable program is to convince the populace that its riddled with problems. Pointing out the real or fabricated problems within a beloved program allows the people in power to dismantle the program in the name of improvement.
This is why we are hearing so much about Social Securitys supposed faults. Musk and his minions claim rampant fraud, dead beneficiaries, and non-citizens receiving fat benefit checks, despite the SSAs incredible 99.7% payment accuracy. The Department of Government Efficiency is correct that the SSAs computer system is based on archaic code and needs updatingbut the most efficient way of handling the update would imperil the benefits of millions of Americans.
What can you do to protect Social Security?
We the people have more power than any politician (or random South African billionaire). In the case of Social Security, pushback from beneficiaries has already delayed a deeply unpopular new identity-proofing requirement. Further complaints about this requirement could delay it even moreor perhaps eliminate it entirely.
With that in mind, contacting your reresentatives by phone and email is a great way to remind our government of how painful it is to touch the third rail.
Sharing the facts about Social Security (possibly by forwarding this article, ahem) is also an important protective measure, because it helps build immunity to misinformation and propaganda.
To protect your personal Social Security benefits, sign up for a my Social Security account if you havent already. From that account, save and print your Social Security Statement, which includes your earnings record. This will ensure you have the correct information about your Social Security earning record and potential benefits in the (unlikely!) event that DOGE actually tries to rewrite the SSA code during a single caffeine-soaked weekend.
Worth fighting for
The Social Security Administration represents the best of American government policy. We wont let it be dissected, dismantled, or demolished without a fight.
Kodiak Brush doesnt mince words when it comes to the state of football helmet design. Most helmets today are designed to win lab tests, not protect players on the field, he tells me over email. Brush, an MIT-trained mechanical engineer and former middle linebacker, is a production engineering manager who leads helmet design at Carlsbad, California-based Light Helmets. His latest creation is the Apache helmet, which, at just 3.5 pounds, is the lightest on the marketand yet it has achieved the highest safety score ever recorded by Virginia Techs independent helmet testing lab.
The Apache is a direct challenge to decades of conventional wisdom about what makes a football helmet safe. Its not just lighter, Brush claims, its smarterleveraging advanced materials, 3D printing, and a player-first philosophy that prioritizes real-world performance over outdated assumptions. And, while the number of total concussions in the NFL decreased 17% in 2024, theres still a lot of work to be done.
[Photo: Light Helmets]
Brushs journey to revolutionize helmet design connects directly with his very core. As a middle linebacker at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he was never the biggest or fastest player on the field, he tells me. I would very rarely get out-leveraged. One of my favorite things to do was meet a pulling guard in the gap, put him on the ground, and ask him, How are you going to let a little guy like me do that to you? His helmet was an extension of his bodya tool he relied on for protection and performance. But it wasnt perfect. The pain points I had with helmets are personal, he says.
After graduating from MIT and working in accident reconstruction and product design, Brush joined Light Helmets with a mission to create a helmet that addressed those pain points while pushing the boundaries of safety technology.
The weight myth
The Apaches most striking feature is its weightor lack thereof. At 3.5 pounds, its up to 40% lighter than many competing helmets. This isnt just about comfort; its about physics. Lower helmet mass means less energy that needs to be mitigated, Brush says. It also reduces neck fatigue, allowing players to control their heads better and for longer.
While people think SUVs beat sedans in crashes, he tells me, your head isnt a car. Its 10% of your body mass, tethered by a neck that must stay engaged. So adding weight to it is never a good idea. Less is better.
[Photo: Light Helmets]
This philosophy runs counter to an industry trend of adding weight to helmets to improve performance in lab tests. Standardized testing protocols like those used by Virginia Tech and the NFL involve striking static head forms with pendulums or pneumatic rams. Heavier helmets tend to score better in these tests because they absorb more energy due to their mass. [Its] lab test gaming, he tells me.
But on the field, where players are dynamic rather than static, heavier helmets can do more harm than good. Increased helmet mass leads to higher energy impacts, Brush says. It makes the game less safe for everyone.
[Photo: Light Helmets]
How it works
Aesthetically, the helmet looks familiar, but certain details make it very different from its typical predecessor. It appears much leaner, and its lines are reminiscent of a trial bike helmetmore aggressive and angled. It also offers a wider field of view. The front of traditional helmets tends to be small and make players feel boxed-in, as if theyre medieval soldiers on the battlefield, but the Apache front is surprisingly open and airy. This is the result of the shock-absorption technologies Brush used.
First, there is its flexible outer shell, made from impact-modified nylon, a material more commonly found in racing helmets than football gear. Unlike traditional rigid shells, it flexes on impact, spreading forces across a larger area and reducing pressure peaks on the skull by nearly 20%.
Inside the shell there is a 3D-printed liner, a thermoplastic polyurethane network of many cylindrical pods with variable stiffness. This means they buckle under impact to absorb energy before returning to their original shape. This design dissipates energy more efficiently than traditional foam liners, which compress linearly and struggle to recover after heavy impacts.
It was developed with K3D, a 3D design and printing technology developed by Kollide, a company that develops impact-resistance technologies through 3D printing to protect humans in motion. Light Helmets simulated thousands of impact scenarios using K3D and rapidly iterated designs in ways that traditional manufacturing cant match. We broke 47 prototypes before we got the liners buckling pattern right, Brush says. But every failure taught us something new.
The company claims that its titanium alloy maskwhich is available only for professional teams at this pointallows it to shave about 40% of the weight of a comparable tradtional face mask, which is usually made with steel. And yet, it has the same hardness and durability of steel.
The helmet comes in two models: the Apache, designed for NFL and college football teams, and the Apache Lightning, designed for youth programs. The key difference between the models is in the interior liner material. The 3.5-pound Apache uses impact-absorbing TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), a durable material thats engineered to absorb impacts and return to its original state after shocks, maintaining flexibility through time, Light Helmets says.
The Apache Lightning uses EPP (expanded polypropylene) foam, an aerospace-grade material known for its ability to efficiently dissipate impact energy, the company claims. Its also lighter, configurable to less than 3 pounds. All the helmets can be custom made, allowing players to choose colors and different mask designs. The Apache is priced from $649 to $849; the Lightning variant sells for $449 to $649.
[Photo: Light Helmets]
Testing realities
Despite its lightweight designwhich Brush admits puts it at a disadvantage in standardized testingthe Apache scored an unprecedented 0.46 on Virginia Techs STAR rating system (lower scores indicate better performance). The testing protocol involves striking helmets at multiple locations and speeds with a pendulum system, then calculating a severity score based on how likely those impacts would result in traumatic brain injuries. Virginia Tech has become the Consumer Reports of helmet testing, Brush says. Their public results drive innovation by holding manufacturers accountable.
Still, he believes theres room for improvement in how helmets are evaluated. Both Virginia Tech and NFL protocols reward heavier helmets without consequence, he says. Light has proposed updates that would normalize scoring for weight or incorporate drop-tower tests where impact energy is proportional to massa change that could fundamentally shift how helmets are designed across the industry.
But the real test of any helmet isnt in the lab. Its on the field, according to Brush. Feedback from players at every level has been overwhelmingly positive. NFL players using the Apache report feeling quicker and more agile compared to when they wore heavier helmets from competitors like Riddell or Vicis. High school athletes have praised its comfort and visibility, noting that it feels more like wearing a cap than carrying extra weight on their heads.
One linebacker told Brush that wearing the Apache was like removing blinders: I can actually see my targets now. Another player described finishing games without the usual neck strain hed come to expect from heavier helmetsa small but significant change that could extend careers over time.
The future
Brush tells me the Apache design is the future of football helmets. He believes that flexible shells like those used in the Apache will become standard within the next decade, as evidence mounts that they mitigate impact energy more effectively than rigid designs. He also predicts greater adoption of additive manufacturing for position-specific liners tailored to individual needsdenser padding for linemen who take head-on hits versus lighter configurations for quarterbacks who need mobility and peripheral vision.
Further down the line, he envisions helmets integrating technologies like impact sensors, communication devices, and even camerasthough he insists these features must not come at the expense of weight reduction or safety.
For now, the Apache seems to already be the future of football helmets. Light Helmets sold 5,000 units in 2024, and its projecting sales of 50,000 helmets with increased production and word spreading across the community. As one AFC North coach remarked: Its not a helmet. Its an unfair advantage.
But for Brush, success isnt measured by sales figures or accoladesits about changing how people think about football safety and avoid traumatic brain injuries. We didnt set out to revolutionize anything, he says simply. We just stopped lying to ourselves about what works.
March might be over but the madness continues into April. The NCAAs 68 Division I men’s college basketball teams have battled it out on the courts in single-elimination play, leaving four teams standing. This year the Final Four have something in common: They all were granted No. 1 seeds on Selection Sunday. Duke, Florida, Auburn, and Houston were all safe bets when filling out a bracket, and they delivered on that promise. Heres what you need to know heading into the remaining competition, and how to tune in.
Do the No. 1 seed teams always make it to the end?
The short answer is no. This is only the second time in history this has happened. The last time was 2008. Oftentimes there are surprise victories in the tournament or an underdog who comes from behind. That was not the case this year.
When and where is the Final Four?
Saturday, April 5, is the big day. First Auburn will face Florida at 6:09 p.m. ET at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Then Duke and Houston will battle it out at 8:49 p.m ET in the same location. This is the first time a Texas team has made the Final Four when the games were being hosted in the Lone Star State. One can speculate that the hometown crowd will be cheering extra hard for the University of Houston.
Players to watch
The Auburn Tigers are counting on forward Johni Broome to help them win their first NCAA men’s basketball title. The forward scared fans after exiting the qualifying game versus Michigan State with an arm injury. He returned to appreciative applause from the crowd and paid them back by making an impressive 3-pointer.Floridas Walter Clayton Jr. also knows a thing or two about 3-pointers. He made two of them to secure the Gators victory over Texas Tech. His team has not seen a Final Four in 11 years, so they have something to prove.In contrast, 2025 will mark Dukes 18th appearance in Final Four play. Freshman Cooper Flagg wants to continue the Blue Devils legacy before potentially heading to the NBA. Houston forward Joseph Tugler knows the best offense is a good defense. He may average just 5.5 points a game but thats because he is too busy making sure the other team doesnt score.
How to tune in
CBS is broadcasting the Final Four. The network did so from 1982 to 2015. Beginning in 2016, it shared the responsibility with TBS, switching off every other year. 2025 belongs to CBS.This means traditional cable subscribers and those with an over-the-air antenna are covered. Those who cut the cord can look to live TV subscriptions such as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, and Fubo. Additionally, Paramount+ subscribers with the Showtime add-on can livestream the local CBS station.
When Trump unveiled his sweeping tariffs last week, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut made the case that they werent about economic policy. Instead, he says, theyre a tool to force businesses (and countries) to pledge loyalty to Trump. We talked to Murphy about Trumps motivations, what Congress should be doing in this moment, and how citizens can make sense of the chaos and make their voices heard. (This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
Can you briefly explain what you think is the real motivation behind the tariffs?
I think there are a lot of signs that point to this as political, not economic policy. First, it makes no sense as economic policy. Economists cannot understand the formula. They can’t understand the strategy. It applies to countries with trade deficits and with trade surpluses. It applies to our friends and our enemies. It doesn’t make sense if you’re trying to read it as economic policy.
Second, Trump has been pretty consistent in using whatever power he has through taxation or spending in order to compel loyalty from institutions that matter to democracies. He’s threatened to cut off funding for higher education and law firms unless they cut deals with him. He’s trying to destroy journalists by denying them access to government buildings unless they use the words that he picks.
And so, it would make sense in that context that he is just using a different tooltariffsto force industries and companies to come bend the knee to him and cut deals with him that benefit him politically. So at some point, I think you have to sort of understand what the central story is. And the central story is not improving people’s lives, it’s not helping the economy, it’s converting our democracy to autocracy.
Do you think it’s possible that he somehow does actually believe that the tariffs are good economic policy, and the fact that he can use them as a tool to pressure businesses and others is a side benefit?
I don’t think he has ever done a hot second of economic analysis on anything. I think everything to him is either a chance at good political messaging or a chance to wield more power. He does not care about good policy. He cares about a good message and power.
So, for a while, the tariffs were a way to message how much he hated China. He was able to outflank Democrats in 2016 (and to a lesser extent in 2020) on the issue of fighting outsourcing. And the tariffs were the way that he communicated his commitment to fighting the Chinese economically. But he never spent any time trying to understand how to implement tariffs or how tariffs work and don’t work. It was all a message, and now it’s also a political tool.
Even before the tariffs, companies have been hesitant to criticize him, though some were more outspoken in the first Trump administration. What is the role that you think companies should be playing right now?
I don’t think that industry is as essential to democracy as journalists, lawyers, or universities. History is replete with moments where industry pretty quickly cowed to emerging autocrats. But there are always heroes in private industry. There are always companies that view economic freedom that comes with democracy as essential to their well-being. So there’s always an opportunity for industry to stand up and play a role when we’re sliding away from democratic norms. That’s less likely if they are all forced to show up at the White House and cut some form of loyalty deal in order to get tariff relief.
Obviously, there’s a lot more going on now than just tariffs. How can Americansnot just businessesgenerally deal with the barrage of attacks on the environment, health agencies, education, and everything else, when so much is happening simultaneously?
I think it’s important to understand that it’s not 10 different narratives. It’s one narrative. It can be hard to understand how everything is connected when the daily blizzard feels overwhelming. But the story is consistent. Trump is trying to create a kleptocratic oligarchy where the very-rich few use government to steal from us. And he’s trying to destroy our democracy because he can’t get away with that thievery if there’s an accountability structure in place. So that’s why I really believe that the tariffs are not about economics but about politics. Because I don’t think Donald Trump wakes up every day thinking about how to make the economy work better for anybody other than his Mar-a-Lago friends. To me, everything that he is proposing is part of that central storyline.
You’ve said that the moment we’re in requires us to break norms and take risks. What more do you think Congress should be doing right now to take back power from Trump?
Historically, when elected leaders try to destroy democracy and become permanent rulers, it’s mass mobilization and courts that stand in their way. I’m not a judge, I don’t command an army. So I’ve got to understand the role that I play. The role that I play is to try to stop as much bad legislation as I can, but also to act in a way that inspires people outside of the building to stand up in a substantive way.
So that’s why I’ve committed to traveling the country and trying to help mobilize people. That’s why I think, internally, we need to take tactical risks on a regular basis, like Cory Booker did the other night with his [record-breaking speech], because that kind of bravery does translate to the public and causes a lot of people to engage in individual acts of political bravery. I argue that we need to be taking exceptional risks and engaging in exceptional tactics inside the building because that translates the kind of urgency to the American public that’s necessary at this moment.
There are a lot of protests happening this weekend. Do you think there’s more that citizens can be doing than going out in the streets?
I think right now our job is to show that those of us who oppose the billionaire takeover and oppose the destruction of our democracy are a majoritarian movement. And once it becomes clear that there is true popular opposition to what’s happening, the space gets more and more limited for Trump to operate in. The Supreme Court, whether we like it or not, is a political body. And Roberts and Kavanaugh and Barrett do look to the public to see if their rulings are going to be in step or far out of step with where the public is.
If we ultimately need to engage in much more serious public action, like civil disobedience, in the case that Trump prompts a five-alarm constitutional crisis, that kind of more risky, specific behavior is easier if everybody knows that they are part of a movement that commands a big majority. I think right now, it’s traditional forms of protest and political action that matter most. It may be that later on down the line, we have to engage in different kinds of action. But the first project is to show that the people are on our side, not on Trmp’s side.
Keeping our inboxes organized often feels like an overwhelming task.
If youre fortunate, yours contains only messages from people you wish to communicate with. Realistically, though, most are cluttered with newsletters, receipts, social media digests, and more. These emails arent necessarily spam, but they complicate the process of quickly sifting through to find the messages we want to see.
This week, Apple introduced a feature to the Mac that aims to help cut through inbox clutter by automatically organizing messages into smart categories. The feature is new in the Mail app in macOS 15.4 and comes several months after Apple debuted the feature on the iPhone in iOS 18.2. Heres how to use it.
As of this week, the new Mail categories features are available on all Macs, iPhones, and iPads that are capable of running the latest operating systems. Thats macOS 15.4, iOS 18.2, and iPadOS 18.2 and later.
The central concept behind Mail categories is that it uses on-device processingmeaning Apple is not reading anythingto sort your emails into five categories:
Primary: Signified by a blue banner, this category displays personal messages to you as well as any messages with time-sensitive information (like a flight change notice).
Transactions: Signified by a green banner, this category displays emails that contain receipts, such as from Amazon, shipping notices, and confirmations.
Updates: Signified by a purple banner, this category contains all your newsletters, social media roundup digests, and more.
Promotions: Signified by a pink banner, this category contains emails that relate to advertisements, such as an email from Target drawing your attention to its upcoming sale.
All Mail: Signified by a black banner, this category shows you every email in your inbox in chronological order, including those from the categories above.
By clicking or tapping on any of the category banners, you will quickly see all the emails that fit into that category displayed in your inbox. This can help decrease the time it takes you to find the email youre looking for and eliminate the need to sort your emails yourself.
As excited as many people are about Apple’s new Mail categories feature, it’s worth noting that Apple isn’t exactly innovating here. Google’s Gmail has offered automatic email categorization for years.
How to use Apples new Mail category feature
The best thing about Apples new Mail category feature on Mac, iPhone, and iPad is that its pretty much automatic. Once you have the email app set up to display categories, Apples email client will do everything.
The new categories feature is part of the Mac’s built-in email client, Mail.
To make sure your Mail app is set up to display categories, do the following:
On your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, select the inbox you want to display categories for.
Now select the three-dots button ().
On Mac, tap Show Mail Categories; and on iPhone and/or iPad, tap Categories.
You will now see a new button bar above your inbox with five buttons, each featuring a unique icon: a person (Primary), a shopping cart (Transactions), a word balloon (Updates), a megaphone (Promotions), and a drawer (All Mail).
Select any of the buttons to quickly see the emails that are sorted into the respective categories.
Easily reassign emails into other categories
Apple also knows that some people may prefer to have emails from certain senders appear in a category other than the one Mail has assigned. Thats why the company also allows users to manually change the category designation for emails from the same sender.
The feature is also available on the iPhone and iPad.
For example, if you would prefer that the emails you receive from your local movie theater be sorted into the Promotions category instead of the Updates category, you can automatically reassign it. Heres how:
On Mac, right-click on the email, select Categorize Sender, and then select the category you desire.
On iPhone and iPad, tap on the email and then tap the three dots () at the top of the email. Select Categorize Sender from the dropdown menu, and then select the category you desire.
One nice thing about the new Mail category feature is that it is not part of Apple Intelligence, which means it is not limited to Macs, iPhones, and iPads that can run Apple Intelligence.
As long as your Mac can run macOS Sequoia and your iPhone and iPad can run iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, respectively, you can take advantage of the new Mail categorization features right now.
Of course, it’s worth noting that not everyone may like the new Mail categorization feature. And if you’re one of them, there’s an easy way to turn it off. Simply go to your inbox and select the three dots button (…). On Mac, click “Show Mail Categories” so the checkmark next to it disappears. On iPhone and iPad, tap “List View” and the Categories feature will be hidden.
A notice to customers dazzled by the low-priced products on Chinese shopping apps: The days of getting trendy clothing, tools, and gag gifts that cost less than lunch delivered to your door in 10 days are probably numbered.
President Donald Trump is ending a little-known but widely used exemption that has allowed as many as 4 million low-value parcelsmost of them originating in Chinato arrive in the U.S. every day tax-free.
An executive order the president signed Wednesday will eliminate the de minimis provision for goods from China and Hong Kong on May 2. The tax exemption, which applies to packages valued at $800 or less, has helped China-founded e-commerce companies like Shein and Temu thrive while cutting into the U.S. retail market.
Shoppers had a full array of product and options of timing, Marshal Cohen, chief retail adviser at market research firm Circana, said. Now theyre going to have a limited array of options and timing: So you can still buy this product, but you may have to wait three or four weeks.
U.S. politicians, law enforcement agencies, and business groups have described the long-standing policy as a trade loophole that gave inexpensive Chinese goods an advantage and served as a portal for illicit drugs and counterfeits to enter the country.
The sweeping tariffs Trump announced on Wednesday also aim to end the duty-free exception for all imported goods worth less than $800, but only when the U.S. government has the personnel in place to process parcels from every country.
What will be the effect on prices and shipping times?
A White House fact sheet said small packages of Chinese products sent through the international postal network will be subject to a duty rate of either 30% of their value or $25 per item, an amount that will increase to $50 per item after June 1.
Commercial carriers such as FedEx and UPS will be required to report shipment details and remit the appropriate duties to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the White House. After Trump’s latest round of tariffs, the tariff rate for Chinese products will be at least 54%.
Supporters of the de minimis exception have argued that its elimination would drive up costs and hurt low-income consumers and small businesses.
The tariff costs threaten to deal a blow to the U.S. operations of companies like Shein and Temu, which rapidly expanded in the U.S. using the de minimis provision to deliver ultra-cheap fast-fashion items from China.
However, it’s unclear what impact the loss of the tax exemption will have on the two online retailers, as well as on American companies like Amazon and Walmart, whose platforms include virtual marketplaces where international sellers offer products.
Shein and Temu already have been building warehouses in the U.S. so they could get orders to U.S. shoppers more quickly. Shein recently opened a fulfillment and logistics hub in the Seattle area. Neither company could be reached for comment Thursday.
Ram Ben Tzion, chief executive officer of the digital vetting platform Publican, said he expected the companies to be forced to rethink their business strategy and possibly explore opting out of the U.S. market.
In an emailed statement to AP, FedEx said it would support its customers to adapt to the new regulatory requirements and said it would be important for shippers to have paperwork completed correctly ahead of pick-up for shipments to move smoothly.
Hilton Beckham, an assistant commissioner of the U.S. CBP, said the federal agency was ready to implement the latest tariffs.
Our automated systems are fully updated to capture, assess, and administer all new duties, and clear guidance will be provided to support uniform enforcement across the nation, Beckham said.
Ben Tzion, of Publican, said he would highly doubt the U.S. government was ready to process the huge number of low-value shipments to be taxed starting next month.
The Hong Kong government said the Hongkong Post would temporarily maintain postal services to the U.S through May 2 but will not collect any so-called tariffs on behalf of the U.S. authorities.
What is the de minimis provision?
Introduced in 1938, the de minimis exception was intended to facilitate the flow of small packages valued at no more than $5, the equivalent of about $109 today. The threshold increased to $200 in 1994 and $800 in 2016. But the rapid rise of cross-border e-commerce, driven by China, has challenged the intent of the decades-old customs exception rule.
Chinese exports of low-value packages soared to $66 billion in 2023, up from $5.3 billion in 2018, according to a February report by the Congressional Research Service. And the U.S. market has been a major destination.
The Chinese government, which sees cross-border e-commerce as a critical part of its foreign trade, has introduced favorable policies, including financial support and infrastructure building, to foster its growth.
Former President Joe Biden proposed a rule last year that said foreign companies cant avoid tariffs simply by shipping goods that they claim to be worth $800 or less. Trump tried in February to end the exception but his initial order was called off within days when it appeared the U.S. was not prepared to process and collect tariffs on the millions of parcels.
U.S. Representative Rosa L. DeLauro, a Democrat from Connecticut, said she was pleased Trump acted a second time to eliminate the rule.
For too long, this customs loophole has let foreign exporters flood our market with cheap goods and helped drug traffickers move fentanyl past our bordersresulting in factory closures, job losses, and deaths, DeLauro said.
An explosion of cheap goods
In 2023, for the first time, more than 1 billion such packages came through U.S. customs, up from 134 million in 2015. By the end of last year, CBP said it was processing about 4 million small shipments a day.
The cheap prices and increasing popularity of Shein and Temu squeezed fast-fashion retailers like Forever 21 and H&M. Forever 21 blamed the tax exemption in part for its decision to file for bankruptcy last month and close its U.S. stores.
We have been unable to find a sustainable path forward, given competition from foreign fast-fashion companies, which have been able to take advantage of the de minimis exemption to undercut our brand on pricing and margin, CFO Brad Sell said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Amazon launched late last year a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel, and other products priced under $20, in an apparent effort to compete with Temu and Shein. Amazon shipped the products to U.S. customers from a warehouse it operates in China, according to documentation the company provided to sellers.
By Anne D’Innocenzio and Didi Tang
Ever since the United States governments unfulfilled promise of giving every newly freed Black American 40 acres and a mule after the Civil War, descendants of the enslaved have repeatedly proposed the idea of redistributing land to redress the nations legacies of slavery.
Land-based reparations are also a form of redress for the territorial theft of colonialism.
Around the world, politicians tend to dismiss calls for such initiatives as wishful thinking at best and discrimination at worst. Or else, they are swatted away as too complex to implement, legally and practically.
Yet our research shows a growing number of municipalities and communities across the U.S. are quietly taking up the charge.
We are geographers who since 2021 have been documenting and analyzing more than 225 examples of reparative programs underway in U.S. cities, states, and regions. Notably, over half of them center land return.
These efforts show how working locally to grapple with the complexity of land-based reparations is a necessary and feasible part of the nations healing process.
The Evanston effect
Evanston, Illinois, launched the countrys first publicly funded housing reparations program in 2019.
In its current form, Evanstons Restorative Housing Program has provided disbursements to more than 200 recipients. All are Black residents of Evanston or direct descendants of residents who experienced housing discrimination between 1919 and 1969. Benefits include down payment assistance and mortgage assistance as well as funds to make home repairs and improvements.
The goal is to redress the harm Evanston caused during these 50-plus years of racial discrimination in public schools, hospitals, buses, and segregated residential zoning. During that same period, banks in Evanston, as in other U.S. cities, also refused to give Black residents mortgages, credit, or insurance for homes in white neighborhoods.
I always said you can keep the mule, program beneficiary Ron Butler told NBC News in 2024. Give me the 40 acres in Evanston.
Reparations that focus on land, housing, and property are about more than making amends for centuries of racial discrimination. They help to restore peoples self-determination, autonomy, and freedom.
Following Evanstons lead, in 2021 a group of 11 U.S. mayors created Mayors Organized for Reparations and Equity, a coalition committed to developing pilot reparations programs. Members include Los Angeles; Austin; and Asheville, North Carolina.
The cities act as sites to generate ideas about how reparation initiatives could be scaled up nationally. Each mayor is advised by committees made up of representatives from local Black-led organizations.
Colonial reparations
In recent years the city of Eureka, in Northern California, has been returning some territory to its Native inhabitants.
Indigenous people often call this process rematriation; its part of a broader effort to restore sovereignty and sacred relationships to their ancestral lands.
In 2019, after years of petitioning by members of the Wiyot people, the Eureka City Council returned 200 acres of Tuluwat Island, a 280-acre island in Humboldt Bay where European settlers in 1860 massacred about 200 Wiyot women and children.
Its a sovereignty issue, a self-governance issue, said Wiyot tribal administrator Michelle Vassel in a November 2023 radio interview.
Minneapoliss sale of city lots to the Red Lake Nation for $1 in 2023 is another example of how city governments can make amends for past Indigenous displacement and removal. Plans to develop the low-cost lots include a cultural center for Red Lake people, an opioid treatment center, and potentially housing.
The Red Lake Reservation once included 3.3 million acres. The 1889 Dawes Act forced the Red Lake Band to cede all but 300,000 acres. The federal government later returned some land, but today the reservation is still only a quarter of its original size.
Reparations are critical to racial equity
These initiatives may sound like a drop in the bucket considering the vast harms committed over centuries of slavery and colonization. Yet they prove that governments can craft targeted, achievable, and meaningful policies to address colonialism and enslavement.
They also tackle a frequent critique of reparations, which is that slavery and colonialism happened centuries ago. Yet their effects continue to harm Black and Native communities generations later. Today, white households in the U.S. have roughly nine times the wealth of typical Black households.
One explanation for this racial disparity is that Black households earn 20% less than their white counterparts. But a more meaningful driver is what scholars call the intergenerational transmission chainthat is, the role that gifts and inheritance play in wealth generation.
Thats why reparations, with both land and money, are so critical to creating racial equity.
Still, reparations programs do raise a host of complex, practical questions. Which kinds of historic racial injustice take priority, and what form should repair take? Who qualifies for the benefits?
The state of Minnesota transferred Upper Sioux Agency State Park back to the Dakota people in 2023 in an effort to make amends for a war and historic slaughter there. [Photo: Tony Webster/Flickr]
Community-based land reparations
Reparations dont have to come from the government.
In recent years, more than a hundred community-based organizations across the U.S. have introduced their own initiatives to redistribute land and wealth to make amends for past injustices.
Makoce Ikikcupi, in the Minnesota River Valley, is a community reparations program led by Dakota peoples. Since 2009, the group has been collecting funds to buy back portions of the Dakota homeland. One revenue source is voluntary contributions from descendants of Europeans who colonized that land. This fundraising strategy is sometimes called real rent or back rent.
The group purchased its first 21-acre parcel of land in 2019, where it is building traditional earth lodges, with plans for several self-sustaining Dakota villages.
We consider our donation . . . back rent, reads the testimony of one monthly contributor, Josina Manu, on the groups web page. He calls the reclamation of Dakota land a vital step towards creating a just world.
Fair compensation for eminent domain
Many communities are also working together to repair the legacies of anti-Black racism.
In the 1960s, the city of Athens, Georgia, used eminent domain to build dormitories for the University of Georgia. Paying below market value, it demolished an entire Black neighborhood called Linnentown.
In early 2021, following petitioning from former Linnentown residents whod lost their homes, the City Council unanimously passed a resolution recognizing their neighborhoods destruction as an act of institutionalized white racism and terrorism resulting in intergenerational Black poverty.
Because Georgia law prohibits government entities from making payments to individuals, a community group stepped in to organize compensation.
The result is Athens Reparations Action, a coalition of churches and community organizations. Formed in 2021, it had raised $120,000 by 2024 to distribute among the 10 families who are Linnentown survivors and descendants.
Backlash
Our research also tracks legal challenges to the reparations initiatives we are studying.
Conservative groups such as Judicial Watch have filed dozens of retaliatory lawsuits against several of them, including Evanstons Restorative Housing Program. A 2024 class action complaint alleges that the program discriminates based on race, violating the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
These legal challenges are part of the broader front of conservative-led assaults on voting rights, affirmative action, and critical race theory. Like reparations, all are efforts to grapple with the U.S.s historical mistreatment of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color.
Attacking those initiatives is an attempt to preserve what scholar Laura Pulido calls white innocence. We expect more of them under a second Trump term already defined by its assault on antidiscrimination policies and programs.
So far, none of President Donald Trumps decrees has targeted reparations specifically. For now, reparations are still legal and constitutionaland possible.
Sara Safransky is an associate professor at the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University.
Elsa Noterman is a senior lecturer in human geography at Queen Mary University of London.
Madeleine Lewis is a doctoral student at the Department of Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
The breakout star of this season of The White Lotus? Aimee Lou Woodand her distinctive real-life smile. I mean, I cant believe the impact my teeth are having, the English actress told Jonathan Ross last month on Ross’s eponymous British chat show. I hope that people dont start, like, filing their teeth so they have gaps.
Too late.
Unfortunately, Wood may have unintentionally reignited a troubling DIY dentistry trend. On TikTok, users are once again taking nail files to their own teeth, with hashtags like #teethfiling and #teethfile, racking up more than 130 posts, according to Screenshot Media.
@nikkysixxbxtch Couldve ended very poorly original sound – elaina
While Woods smile may be the most recent inspiration, this isnt a new phenomenon. Teeth-filing videos have been circulating online for years. Im going to file my teeth down with a nail file because they are not perfect, one TikTok user said in a since-deleted video posted back in 2020. I have some ridges, and were ballin on a budget.
But what might seem like a quick cosmetic fix can cause lasting harm. When you file your nails, your nails grow back, but your teeth dont, Detroit-based dentist Zainab Mackie told the Washington Posts Allyson Chiu, who originally reported on the trend. That outer enamel layer doesnt grow back. ... Once its gone, thats it.
Dental professionals on TikTok have long warned users to step away from the emery boards and see a professional instead. Dont get mad at me when your teeth are more sensitive than a two-year-old crying over spilled milk, because I aint going to help you, orthodontist Benjamin Winters (aka the Bentist) said to his 5.5 million TikTok followers in a video that went viral.
@thebentist @cheneltiara why you do dis to me! PSA: I dont recommend doing this have your dentist check to make sure its safe first! #teeth #braces original sound – The Bentist / Orthodontist
Wood herself has opened up about her struggle to embrace her teeth when she was growing up. The Americans cant believe [my teeth], but theyre all being lovely, she said on the popular chat show. It feels so lovely. A real full-circle moment after being bullied for my teeth, forever.
Maybe theres a lesson in that.
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As someone deeply invested in sustainable mass transit and supply chain automation, I’m also invested in an idea that could change the world of freight transport for us all.
The global supply chain is in flux. Even before new tariffs, the nearshoring trend in North America has created an urgent demand for more innovative and efficient freight solutions.
However, despite automotive advances, transport logistics are riddled with inefficienciesbottlenecks at congested ports, trucks idling for hours at border crossings, and outdated infrastructure struggling to meet modern demands.
But what if we could change that? What if freight could move continuously, seamlessly, and autonomously away from public roads? That’s precisely the vision behind Green Corridors, an emerging technology company tackling some of the most congested trade routes in North America.
A new era for freight mobility
Led by president and CEO Mitch Carlson, Green Corridors is pioneering a transformative approach to freight logistics, combining industrial automation with intelligent infrastructure. Their pilot projects under development include a 60-mile autonomous freight corridor between the Port of Houston and an inland terminal currently in feasibility stage, and a 165-mile corridor between Laredo, Texas, and Monterrey, Mexico in predevelopment stage. These projects will redefine the way goods progress across these critical trade arteries.
The core of the new system is an elevated guideway system where autonomous freight shuttles traverse a dedicated track to transport cargo seamlessly over these highly congested routes. Beyond incremental improvements to trucking or rail, the solution is an entirely new paradigm for freight transport. The implications are massive:
Eliminate congestion: By shifting freight movement away from roadways and onto dedicated guideways running autonomous shuttles, these corridors substantially increase safety, reduce road maintenance costs, and alleviate traffic jams that cost billions of dollars in lost productivity.
Strengthen national security: The system integrates directly with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, ensuring that every shipment is pre-scanned and approved before it crosses the U.S./Mexico border. Compared to today’s manual methods, in which only about 5% of cargo is fully scanned, this would mark a monumental shift in security and efficiency.
Reduce emissions: Freight shuttles vastly reduce emissions from semi-trucks. Likewise, the shuttles run at 30 mph versus 60 and run on rails versus rubber tires, using clean diesel fuel and electric propulsion. A single corridor could cut emissions by up to 75% while maintaining 24/7 operations.
Productivity: The trade routes Green Corridors are targeting are money-losing scenarios for traditional transport. In the proposed new model, truckers are more productive, have a higher quality of life, and able to make more trips per day.
Tailor-made for nearshoring
As nearshoring increases in North American markets, Mexico has overtaken China as the leading U.S. trade partner. This trend is a positive development in many respects; however, the infrastructure challenges of ground transport continue to hinder efficiency.
Laredo, the nation’s No. 1 port of entry, sees 18,500 trucks cross the border daily, often waiting up to eight hours. The high growth of this route, particularly as the U.S. moves further away from reliance on factories in Asia, has made it challenging for Laredo to meet the increasingly higher pressure to remain profitable and predictable for ground transport. Green Corridors removes these inefficiencies and sets a new standard for freight logistics in an era where predictability, security, and efficiency are paramount.
A national and global vision
While the Laredo-Monterrey and Houston projects are first in line, Green Corridors is eyeing a much larger transformation. As it scales, the company plans to target intelligent freight transportation corridors in major port cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York. Ultimately, the solution could scale to anywhere congested corridors are throttling economic productivity.
In its next phase, the company would like to play a primary role in reshaping shipping routes worldwide. For example, Mexico’s proposed Interoceanic Corridor, a 188-mile rail project meant to compete with the Panama Canal, could potentially use the Green Corridors intelligent freight transportation system to create a more efficient alternative instead. Instead of waiting weeks for ships to queue through the canal, companies could seamlessly transport freight from the Pacific to the Gulf of Mexico in hours.
The road ahead
Clearly infrastructure projects of this scale don’t occur overnight, but momentum is building. Green Corridors has already submitted its presidential permit application for the Laredo-Monterrey corridor. If approved, the project could be operational by 2030, according to my interview with Carlson. The company has aligned itself with leading engineering firms (including my own organization, Chang Robotics), financial institutions, and multiple government agencies to ensure a smooth execution.
This type of development is the future of freighta system that operates 24/7, doesn’t clog our highways, and enhances security, while reducing environmental impact. For businesses navigating the complexities of modern supply chains, it offers the path to a more efficient and sustainable future. In an era where logistics disruptions can mean the difference between profit and los, that future can’t come soon enough.
Matthew Chang is the founder and principal engineer of Chang Robotics.
