After a few slow years, M&A is heating up again. Crunchbase counted 537 M&A deals in Q4 2024. Its the strongest quarter in seven years, up 46% year-over-year, much of it driven by an interest in AI.
AI acquisitions hit a record high in Q2 2025. One of them was my company, Kraftful.
Amplitude, a public company, acquired Kraftful to integrate our companys AI-powered user feedback analysis directly into Amplitudes platform, empowering product teams to see what their users did and said, all in one place. Kraftful turns messy, multichannel user feedback into prioritized product insights that will be directly tied to product usage in Amplitude.
Prior to the acquisition, I ran an M&A process involving 10+ potential buyers, from public tech giants to fast-growing private companies, and I learned a ton along the way. Here are eight lessons I learned from selling my company in the middle of an acquisition boom.
1. Startups are bought, not sold
You may have heard this phrase before. I had too. But heres the nuance: Its not that you cant proactively sell your startup. Its that acquisitions driven by an acquirers initial interest usually yield better outcomes, given your situation and the state of the market.
Our process started with inbound interest from a few companies looking to buy Kraftful for strategic reasons. To ensure the best deal, I also connected directly with CEOs, CTOs, and chief product officers at 25+ companies, leading to serious conversations with more than 10 companies. Ultimately, the companies that moved fastest were those who approached us first, because they already had a strong internal motivation to buy.
2. The big decision
Even if an acquisition starts with inbound interest, you still need to evaluate if its strategically right for your company, whether the timing makes sense, and if the opportunity cost of investing time in the process is justified even if the deal falls through.
If the opportunity looks promising, limit early conversations to a defined period to quickly validate genuine interest and viability. Ideally pursue an acquisition well before youre low on runway so you dont lose leverage if things drag out.
Market conditions matter too. When we first started our M&A process, the environment was very different than it is today. Right now, theres an unusually high number of early-stage startups looking to get acquired, which makes securing the best possible outcome tougher.
3. The M&A process
An acquisition usually takes months, though it can be squeezed into days if both parties are motivated, like the recent Windsurf/Cognition deal.
Here are the main steps:
Initial conversations
Initial diligence
Term sheet, typically a letter of intent (LOI)
Deeper diligence
Signing the definitive agreement
(Sometimes) regulatory approval
Once you sign an LOI, youre locked into an exclusivity periodso youll want to explore other options and negotiate key terms before signing an LOI. The more companies you can move to LOI in parallel, the better your outcome because you can explore all your options and use them as leverage during negotiations.
4. Invest in excellent M&A lawyers
I was lucky to have stellar lawyers by my side. They were experienced, fast, pragmatic, and willing to keep redlines minimal.
Choose counsel with relevant M&A experience. For example, being backed by Y Combinator, Kraftful raised on YC SAFEs during multiple funding rounds. SAFE is a standard YC financing instrument, but once you enter an acquisition process, those simple agreements often become a key area of legal complexity if you dont have experience with them. Some of the M&A lawyers I interviewed had never touched a SAFE before. I spent our calls educating them before disqualifying them. Much better to learn that upfront than to risk bad advice mid-deal.
5. Beware of snooping
Yes, youll sign an NDA before acquisition talks. But in practice, little prevents a competitor from copying your product based on what they learn. Watch for red flags like unnecessary digging into the secret sauce of your product.
My main goal in talking with multiple acquirers was to land the best deal. A side benefit was recognizing the types of questions genuine acquirers ask. That helped me spot a competitor fishing for information and to avoid disclosing trade secrets.
6. Experienced acquirers move faster
The more experienced the acquirer, the faster they move. Speed is critical in M&A.I learned this the hard way. One inbound company was highly motivated to acquire us but had never made an acquisition despite being around for 15+ years. During diligence, it became obvious why: They dragged their feet and could not make a decision. Even if they eventually had been able close the deal (unlikely), their slow culture wouldve made post-acquisition life painful for any founder.
7. Dont get emotionally attached until you close
Easier said than done. After spending months in acquisition talksoften at the expense of growing your businessits tempting to feel obligated to sell. Resist that urge.
Throughout our process, I kept reminding myself of two things:
Most acquisitions fall apart before closing: Nothing is certain until the ink is dry.
I was genuinely excited about the company I was still building.
The best way to stay flexible? Keep shipping. Our last major product launch happened during diligence, just before closing. We pushed new features weekly right up until the end.
Staying emotionally detached helped me negotiate from a position of strength. On the flip side, whenever I let myself get too attached, I felt my leverage slip.
8. Use AI to your advantage
I leaned heavily on ChatGPTs advanced reasoning models to educate myself on the M&A process and shape my strategy. I did much legal research myself with AI, then validated it with counsel.
As with any negotiation, the better you understand the playing field, the better your odds. I hope this playbook helps anyone considering M&Aor simply curious about how the process really works.
Yana Welinder is CEO and founder of Kraftful Inc.
Managing brand and reputation in this new AI-driven world is no longer business as usual, it’s a profound recalibration of how information is discovered and consumed.
Earned media is king again, but it needs a content queen. Google’s AI Overviews and tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are replacing traditional search results, synthesizing, and summarizing information rather than linking out.
The SEO playbook is being rewritten for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). If you dont design content for citation and integration into these models, it risks becoming invisible.
THE COMEBACK OF EARNED MEDIA
For years, owned channels and direct-to-consumer communication grew. But in the AI era, the pendulum swings back to earned media. Why? AI models find ‘truth’ in credible, third-party validation.
New research from Muck Rack’s “Generative Pulse” study, analyzing over 1,000,000 links from AI responses, offers compelling evidence:
More than 95% of links cited by AI are from non-paid coverage. Of those, 27% are journalistic content.
When queries imply recency (e.g., What are the most innovative products in restaurant tech?), journalism accounts for nearly half (49%) of cited links.
AI systems prioritize fresh content, especially for topical, opinion-based, or event-driven queries.
Outlet authority matters: High-domain authority outlets like Reuters, Fast Company, Axios, and Bloomberg are frequently cited.
Earning strategic mentions and quotes in top-tier outlets isn’t just about brand visibility; it’s about embedding your expertise directly into the AI’s knowledge base to influence AI-generated answers.
THE CONTENT QUEEN: YOUR INTEGRATED STRATEGY IMPERATIVE
If earned media is king, then robust, AI-optimized owned content is its indispensable queen. Traditional newsrooms face immense pressure, leading to fewer in-depth, high-impact earned coverage opportunities.
Communications leaders must balance the rigor of traditional media with the authenticity and engagement of independent voices, while strengthening their direct storytelling channels. Owned content fuels the AI ecosystem, providing direct, unfiltered context that LLMs easily ingest and attribute.
Here’s how this integrated strategy comes to life:
Engineer for LLM readability: AI models reward precision: Structure content with clear, concise summaries, consistent terminology, and verifiable data. Use explicit questions and answers, bulleted lists, clear subheading, and integrate verifiable data, statistics, and sources
Invest in AI-citable formats: The future isn’t just text, though text is essential for GEO. Ensure all podcasts, webinars, and videos have accurate, keyword-rich transcripts, and detailed show notes. Provide underlying data for charts and graphs in structured formats.
Strategic distribution: It’s not just about traffic; it’s about citations and summary inclusion. Prioritize high-authority, trusted channels known to be heavily scraped or licensed by LLMs, including news wires (AP, Reuters), industry analyst reports (Gartner), reputable encyclopedic sites (Wikipedia), and platforms like LinkedIn, which Google’s AI Overviews link to frequently. Cross-publish on platforms like Reddit, Medium, and Substack to further optimize.
OPTIMIZE YOUR BRAND’S PRESENCE: HOW LLMS SOURCE COMPANY INFORMATION
When an LLM is prompted about a company, its products, or leadership, it draws from authoritative, well-structured sources. Your communications strategy must hyper-focus on seeding accurate, compelling narratives in environments where LLMs are trained and sourced.
For company-specific information, they primarily look for high-quality, high-authority, and well-structured data:
Curated datasets and encyclopedic knowledge: Wikipedia is a primary source for data validation and general knowledge due to its extensive coverage, collaborative editing, and structured, foundational facts.
Major news and media outlets: Tier 1 wire services and major news organizations (e.g., The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal) are frequently scraped and licensed by LLMs as they add recency and have formal writing styles and high Domain Authority (DA).
Established industry-specific publications and journals: These offer expert insights and formal analysis. Trade press is vital.
High-quality corporate websites and official brand pages: Crucial for direct product/service information, official statements, and corporate facts.
To optimize your company’s presence for LLMs, consider these strategies:
Structural clarity: Ensure your website and public documents are structured with clear headings, consistent terminology, and verifiable data.
Amplify executive voices: Our research shows a CEOs reputation directly influences brand trust. Articulate executive perspectives in ways LLMs can attribute, integrate, and share in places they scrape.
Earn strategic mentions and quotes: Shift focus from mentions to earning direct quotes or factual inclusions in high-authority news articles and industry reports. Many LLMs prioritize diverse, multi-source citations. A concise, quotable statement from an expert in a reputable publication is gold.
Double check foundational reference points: Ensure a well-sourced, accurate Wikipedia entry or other reference page about your company, founders, or products.
Proactive monitoring and correction: LLMs are still prone to hallucinations. Regularly audit how your company is described and implement a rapid response protocol to correct AI-generated misinformation.
The dynamic AI environment demands communicators understand what LLMs read, and how they interpret and synthesize brand information. By using intentional content structure, distribution, and third-party validation, you can ensure your company’s narrative is accurately and effectively represented in the AI era.
THE FULL SPECTRUM OF INFLUENCE: BEYOND GEO
AI is no longer an emerging trend; its an operational reality. Those who balance traditional earned media’s rigor with owned content’s authenticity will not only navigate this complex new media world but also help define it.
GEO is a powerful, but not exclusive, lever for influence. While indispensable, it’s not a magic wand. Many audiences don’t primarily use generative AI tools for information discovery, preferring channels like newsletters, direct social media, in-depth podcasts, and YouTube. Human-curated content sources like paywalled Substacks are also not extensively scraped or licesed by large language models.
A modern communications program understands this broader ecosystem and includes a holistic strategy that integrates GEO while doubling down on direct-to-audience engagement. By embracing this approach, you ensure your brand’s message resonates authentically, building trust and influence across all channels where stakeholders seek information.
Tyler Perry is co-CEO of Mission North.
Ive lived in the United States long enough to call it soccer nowbut where I come from, its most definitely football, and it is life.
I grew up 20 minutes from Dens Park, home to Scottish Premier League team Dundee FC (not to be confused with Dundee United). I inherited my fandom from my mother, who sneaked off to matches in her teens without her parents knowing. Back then, few girls followed football, let alone played it. During my high school years, I spent five days a week on the field hockey pitchsomething I loved but wished it could be football.
When I moved to South Florida in the late 90s, I latched onto the short-lived Miami Fusion, then in Boston dabbled in the New England Revolution. Major League Soccer (MLS) was an upstart at the time, fighting for a toehold among the Big Four (NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB) and barely hanging on in some markets.
In Scotland, fandom is an unbreakable bond passed down from generation to generation; here, it felt fleeting. I drifted to other U.S. spectator sports, though I still checked the results for Dundee FC and my dads beloved Tottenham Hotspur every week. I couldnt ignore, though, when the US Womens National Team roared into the spotlight, hosting, and winning the 1999 FIFA Womens World Cup.
The Womens United Soccer Association and Womens Professional Soccer laid the foundation, but it wasnt until 2013 that the National Womens Soccer League (NWSL) took rootemerging as the premier league in the U.S. and now a global powerhouse. The momentum shows no signs of slowing. At the August 2025 UEFA European Womens Championship, there were record-breaking viewership numbers, exceeding 400 million live viewers worldwide and a cumulative audience of over 500 million for all programming.
The accelerating business of womens soccer in this country is buoyed by a level of fan loyalty that, according to new analysis, is the stuff of dreams for brand marketers.
THE LOYALTY PLAYBOOK BRANDS CANT AFFORD TO IGNORE
Paritys latest research shows that womens soccer fans arent just passionatetheyre purchase-driven. They are 58% more likely than other womens sports fans to buy from a brand because of a sponsorship, and two-thirds say a brands investment in womens sports makes them proud to support it.
They also exhibit a high level of trust, with 78% expressing confidence that female athletes believe in the products and services they promote… In an era when trust is the hardest currency to earn, womens soccer fans are essentially handing brands a blank checkf the brand shows up authentically.
And its not just that they support womens soccer. Theyre active in the broader sports ecosystem:
60% also watch womens basketball
43% follow womens volleyball
39% watch womens tennis.
Thats more than crossover appealthats a multiplier effect for brands that know how to build for communities, not just customer segments.
The numbers are climbing on every front: streaming minutes, in-person attendance, social engagement, and sponsorship dollars. In 2025 alone, the NWSL has secured multiple league-level sponsorsAT&T, bobbie, e.l.f. Beauty, Tylenol, and Unwellwith more likely to follow. Whats striking is that fans dont just tolerate brand involvement; they welcome it when its done well, with 60% saying brands still arent doing enough. They see it as investment in something they care about deeply, and they reward it with attention, trust, and spending power.
BUILDING BELONGING, NOT JUST AWARENESS
Too often, sports marketingand marketing in generalis about visibility. More impressions. More eyeballs. More reach. But womens soccer fans are showing that the real key to loyalty is belonging. The brands winning in this space arent the ones plastering logos in the background; theyre the ones collaborating with players, telling authentic stories, and meeting fans in their spaces, both physical and digital.
For example, Modelo launched a fun campaign that sent Angel City FC captain Ali Riley into the stands to interact with fans at the CONCACAF W Gold Cup. Another notable example is Gainbridges 5-year naming rights investment in the USL Super League coupled with naming goalkeeping legend Briana Scurry a brand ambassador. These case studies highlight the opportunity to build long-term loyalty by leading with values first and commerce second.
For every brand chasing Gen Z, trying to resonate with women, or attempting to reach multicultural audiences, the womens soccer community is essentially a ready-made blueprint. But the window for first-mover advantage is closing.
Proof point: the next big stage in pop culture
So, when it comes to soccer in this country, is the future female? Consider this: in Paritys study, 63% of soccer enthusiasts in the U.S. tune in to women’s soccer, with 25% indicating that they only follow the women’s game.
But if the business metrics dont convince you, maybe this will: the next season of Ted Lasso will focus on the womens side of AFC Richmond. Thats not just a creative decisionits part of the cultural movement. Jason Sudeikis, a proud supporter of womens sports, is helping cement womens soccer as a central storyline in global sports culture through this beloved series.
What was once considered niche is now mainstream. And in sports, as in business, the brands that build loyalty early are the ones fansand consumersnever forget.
Leela Srinivasan is the CEO of Parity
Its March 2028 and Dr. Sarah Chen is having her morning coffee in her San Francisco apartment while managing a global education nonprofit that reaches 2.3 million children across 47 countries. Her team? Seven people. Her annual budget? Less than what most traditional nonprofits spend on rent.
Sarah is fictional but the operating model she represents is already emerging in 2025.
AI-native nonprofits, which integrate AI into the design of their programs, infrastructure, and culture from inception, enabling them to work with greater speed, efficiency, and scale, will outperform traditional ones. These organizations are designed to scale like software companies, with AI handling operations, reporting, and service delivery. They’re faster, cheaper, and in many cases, more effective than legacy players.
Every fictional scenario below is grounded in real trends and technologies already in motion.
2026: AI agents collect real-time impact data
It’s January 2026, and the first ever AI-enabled Impact Transparency Report reveals that voice AI systems have been calling beneficiaries of 127 global nonprofits, asking them simple questions: “Did this program actually help you? How? Can you give us an example?”
The results shatter everything we thought about nonprofit effectiveness. The report reveals that organizations that looked identical on papersame budgets, metrics, and glossy annual reportsshow wildly different real-world impact. Programs that report reaching 50,000 people changed only 200 lives. Meanwhile, programs that claim modest numbers created ripple effects across entire communities.
By spring 2026, something unprecedented happens: Funders start asking for real impact data, in real time. Not workshop attendance, not materials distributed, but real change in people’s lives. Something that was too expensive for most nonprofits to track in pre-AI era becomes commonly available because of AI agents.
“Real Impact OS” becomes the nonprofit sector’s equivalent of Google Analyticsexcept instead of tracking website clicks, it tracks if lives are improved. This real-time impact data allows the program to increase funding by 340%.
2027: The intelligence explosion
Meanwhile nonprofits no longer need to employ traditional case workers. Instead, a three-person team can focus entirely on relationships and strategic decisions while AI agents handle intake interviews, skills assessments, job matching, and follow-up support. The per-person cost is now 70% lower than traditional programs, but the success rate is 40% higher.
This is the year organizations start thinking like software companies: build once, deploy everywhere.
By fall 2027, the “AI Native Ventures” incubator in London has launched 200 social impact organizations. Each follows the same playbook: identify a proven intervention, adapt it using AI for local context, launch with minimal human oversight, and scale rapidly.
2028: The tipping point
By January 2028, the transformation becomes undeniable. A major international study shows that “AI-native nonprofits” are achieving 300-500% better cost-effectiveness ratios than traditional organizations.
But the real shift isn’t in the numbers: It’s in how problems get solved.
When a humanitarian crisis hits South Asia in February 2028, the response looks nothing like the chaotic coordination of previous disasters. Within hours, AI systems process satellite imagery, translate emergency information into local dialects, and coordinate resources across 47 aid organizations without coordination meetings
The old model of flying in foreign experts and holding endless coordination meetings becomes as obsolete as sending faxes.
By year-end 2028, something unprecedented happens: Several nonprofits announce they’re changing focus not because they ran out of funding, but because they succeeded.
The “Compound Impact Fund,” launched in 2026, reinvests returns from successful scaling into new challenges. It’s the social sector’s first successful exitorganizations graduating because their work is done.
The new ecosystem
What emerges by 2028 isn’t just more efficient nonprofitsit’s an entirely different ecosystem.
Young people no longer need to choose between tech careers and creating social impact. The artificial distinction between for-profit and nonprofit becomes meaningless when organizations achieve massive scale with tiny budgets.
The old funding modelwhere organizations spent 60% of their time writing grants and 40% doing workreverses. AI handles grant applications, impact reporting, and donor communications. Humans spend their time on strategy, relationships, and breakthrough innovations.
This future is being built today
This transformation isnt waiting for 2028its happening now. And its already being recognized on global stages.
Switzerland-based, Spring ACTs Sophia chatbot supports survivors of domestic violence in 172 countries, offering 24/7, anonymous guidance in more than 20 languages, helping users understand their rights, explore safe options, and securely store evidence without leaving a trace. It recently won the Pro Bono Collaboration Award at the AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva.
In India and beyond, CareNX Innovations Fetosense is reducing maternal and infant mortality with a portable, AI-powered fetal monitoring system that detects distress early in low-resource settings. Deployed in over 2,500 clinics across six countries and credited with a 30% drop in NICU admissions, it earned the AI for People Award at the Summit.
In India, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria, Farmer.Chat is delivering AI-powered, hyper-local agricultural advice via text, voice, and video to over 460,000 smallholder farmersmost of them womenhelping boost yields, adapt to climate shifts, and access markets. The platform was awarded the AI for Prosperity Award at the Summit.
Smart funders are already repositioning. Google committed $30 million through its Generative AI Accelerator this year to help nonprofits worldwide harness AI for their communities, offering $500,000 to over $2 million per organization plus pro bono support and technical training.
Final thoughts
The organizations that will lead this transformation are making decisions today about tomorrow’s capabilities.
They’re not asking, “How can AI help us write better grants?” They’re asking, “How would we redesign our entire theory of change if intelligence was abundant and deployment was instant?”
The transformation is happening with or without your organization. The only question is: Which sie of the revolution will you be on
Jacek Siadkowski is CEO of Tech To The Rescue.
Charlie Kirk, a conservative activist and close ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday at a Utah college event in an act that drew renewed attention to the threat of political violence across the United States.
The death was announced on social media by Trump, who praised the 31-year-old Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, as Great, and even Legendary.
No one understood or had the Heart of the Youth in the United States of America better than Charlie, Trump posted on his Truth Social account.
The suspected shooter has not been arrested, Orem, Utah, Mayor David Young said. A person who was taken into custody by law enforcement at the university where Kirk was speaking was not the suspect, according to a person familiar with the investigation who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans The American Comeback and Prove Me Wrong. A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away. The AP was able to confirm the videos were taken at Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus.
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions for an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years? an audience member asked. Kirk responded, Too many.
The questioner followed up: Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?
Counting or not counting gang violence? Kirk asked.
Then a single shot rang out.
Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to stay in place until police officers could safely escort them off campus. Armed officers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter.
Officers have been seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognize a person of interest.
The event, billed as the first stop on Kirk’s The American Comeback Tour, had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures. The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.
Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit to Utah colleges was sparking controversy. He wrote, Whats going on in Utah?
The shooting drew swift bipartisan condemnation, with Democratic officials joining Trump, who ordered flags lowered to half-staff and issued a presidential proclamation, and Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence.
The attack on Charlie Kirk is disgusting, vile, and reprehensible, Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who last March hosted Kirk on his podcast, posted on X.
The murder of Charlie Kirk breaks my heart. My deepest sympathies are with his wife, two young children, and friends, said Gabrielle Giffords, the former Democratic congresswoman who was wounded in a 2011 shooting in her Arizona district.
Though no motive has been disclosed, the circumstances of the shooting fueled concerns that it was part of a spike of political violence that has cut across the political spectrum. The attacks include the assassination of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband at their house in June, the firebombing of a Colorado parade to demand Hamas release hostages, and a fire set at the house of Pennsylvanias governor, who is Jewish, in April. The most notorious of these events is the shooting of Trump during a campaign rally last year.
Former Utah congressman Jason Chaffetz, a Republican who was at the event, said in an interview on Fox News Channel that he heard one shot and saw Kirk go back.
It seemed like it was a close shot, Chaffetz said, who seemed shaken as he spoke.
He said there was a light police presence at the event and Kirk had some security but not enough.
Utah is one of the safest places on the planet, he said. And so we just dont have these types of things.
Turning Point was founded in suburban Chicago in 2012 by Kirk, then 18, and William Montgomery, a tea party activist, to proselytize on college campuses for low taxes and limited government. It was not an immediate success.
But Kirks zeal for confronting liberals in academia eventually won over an influential set of conservative financiers.
Despite early misgivings, Turning Point enthusiastically backed Trump after he clinched the GOP nomination in 2016. Kirk served as a personal aide to Donald Trump Jr., the presidents eldest son, during the general election campaign.
Soon, Kirk was a regular presence on cable TV, where he leaned into the culture wars and heaped praise on the then-president. Trump and his son were equally effusive and often spoke at Turning Point conferences.By Hannah Schoenbaum, Alanna Durkin Richer, and Mark Sherman
Richer and Sherman reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Nicholas Riccardi in Denver and Michael Biesecker, Brian Slodysko, Lindsay Whitehurst, Michelle L. Price and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.
Another week, another viral sports controversy.
If you havent heard of the Phillies Karen, youre either living under a rock or simply not chronically online.
The saga started when Philadelphia Phillies fan Drew Feltwell attended a game last week with his wife and two children. After fielder Harrison Bader launched a home run into the stands, several fans, including Feltwell, scrambled for the ball.
After successfully securing the home run ball for his young son, Feltwell suddenly found himself on the receiving end of an outburst from a woman in a Phillies jersey, demanding the ball.
The brief exchange, captured on video, quickly went viral. Eventually, Feltwell relented, taking the ball from his sons mitt and passing it to the woman, whom the internet promptly dubbed Phillies Karen.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by NBC Sports Philadelphia (@nbcsphilly)
A recall of frozen fruits and vegetables from a salmonella outbreak has gotten worse, as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced an expanded list of affected foods on Wednesday.
A recall that began in July has expanded, and Chetak LLC Group has added dozens more frozen vegetables and fruit products under its Deep brand to the recall list. The frozen foods are linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 11 people in 10 states, including the hospitalizations of four people.
WHAT PRODUCTS AND BRANDS ARE AFFECTED?
The latest recall affects more than 60 different Deep frozen foods that Chetak said were run on the same equipment as those products that salmonella was detected in previously.
Out of an abundance of caution and given our commitment to public health and safety, Chetak has decided to expand its [voluntary] recall, the company said in a notification to customers.
In July and August, Chetak recalled multiple lots of different frozen foods and urged retailers and consumers not to eat, sell, or serve the products.
In total, Chetak has recalled about 70 products in the past two months after multiple people became sick with salmonella between October 2024 and June 2025. Several of the illnesses were linked to people eating frozen sprouted mat (moth) beans and frozen sprouted moong beans.
Several different lots of the dozens of products are affected and they were sold nationwide at a variety of stores and online.
EXTENT OF THE OUTBREAK
This salmonella outbreak has been going on for nearly a year, as illnesses were reported as early as October 2024. Illnesses have been reported by people in Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and Washington.
Four people have been hospitalized as a result of this outbreak, though no deaths have been reported.
If you feel like youve been hearing a lot about salmonella lately, you have: The frozen foods recall is one of a few that have recently been linked to an outbreak.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today that certain Metabolic Meals home delivery foods were linked to a salmonella outbreak that has sickened 16 people in 10 states.
Last month, the CDC announced that nearly 100 people have become ill in a salmonella outbreak thats been linked to recalled eggs.
SALMONELLA SYMPTOMS
Symptoms of salmonella illness include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps, with illness typically occurring within 12 to 72 hours of eating contaminated food.
Salmonella infections are the most frequently reported cause of food-bourne illness in the U.S., according to the Department of Agriculture. Each year, some 1.4 million people become ill and 400 people die from salmonella infections.
U.S. producer prices unexpectedly fell in August amid a compression in trade services margins and mild increase in the cost of goods, suggesting that domestic businesses were probably absorbing some of the tariffs on imports.
The lack of strong producer price pressures, despite import duties, could also be signaling softening domestic demand against the backdrop of a struggling labor market. The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates next Wednesday, with a quarter-percentage-point reduction fully priced in, after pausing its easing cycle in January because of uncertainty over the impact of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs.
“Inflation barely has a heartbeat at the producer level which shows the tariff effect is not boosting across-the-board price pressures yet,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economistat FWDBONDS. “As time goes on one has to wonder if there are slow-growth reasons and weak economic demand that is keeping inflation in check. There is almost nothing to stop an interest rate cut from coming now.”
The Producer Price Index for final demand dipped 0.1% last month after a downwardly revised 0.7% jump in July, the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the PPI would advance 0.3% after a previously reported 0.9% surge in July.
A 0.2% drop in the prices of services accounted for the fall in the PPI. That followed a 0.7% rebound in July. Services were last month held down by a 1.7% decline in margins for trade services, reflecting a 3.9% decrease in margins for machinery and vehicle wholesaling.
But the cost of services less trade, transportation and warehousing increased 0.3% while prices for transportation and warehousing services shot up 0.9%.
Portfolio management fees increased 2.0%. Airline fares rose 1.0% while the cost of hotel and motel rooms increased 0.9%. Prices for dental services accelerated 0.6%.
Goods prices edged up 0.1% after increasing 0.6% in the prior month. Food prices gained 0.1%, with declines in the costs of eggs and fresh fruits partially offsetting more expensive beef and coffee because of tariffs. Wholesale beef prices surged 6.0% while those for coffee vaulted 6.9%.
Energy prices fell 0.4%. Excluding the volatile food and energy components, producer goods prices rose 0.3% after climbing 0.4% in July, indicating some pass through from tariffs. In the 12 months through August, the PPI increased 2.6% after climbing 3.1% in July.
Economists are expecting price pressures from tariffs to lift consumer inflation in August.
U.S. stocks opened higher. The dollar eased against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury yields fell.
Labor market weakness has raised concerns that the economy was stagnating. The government estimated on Tuesday that the economy likely created 911,000 fewer jobs in the 12 months through March than previously estimated.
That data followed the release last Friday of the monthly employment report, which showed job growth almost stalled in August and the economy shed jobs in June for the first time in four and a half years.
Lucia Mutikani, Reuters
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, expected to be the world’s largest sporting event in recent history, is less than a year awayand the presale ticket draw is now live.
The long-awaited tournament is set to unfold in North America and will be the first World Cup played across three countries, with 16 host cities across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
In addition to making history for its multi-national hosting, this World Cup will also feature an expanded roster, with 48 teams playing instead of the previous 32-team format.
Starting this month, fans are already queuing for a chance to score a ticket and watch their countries and favorite players compete against one another.
How can I buy FIFA World Cup tickets?
World Cup tickets are set to be sold in three phase, with the first phase kicking off on now.
The first phasethe Visa Presale Drawwill run from September 10 through September 19, for valid Visa cardholders.
Opening at 11 a.m. ET, the application period will enter a presale draw for a chance to buy tickets later the month. Successful applicants, who are randomly selected, will be notified starting September 29, who will receive a time and date in October to purchase tickets.
Tickets will be made available for the 104 matches in all 16 cities, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Still, FIFA notes that receiving an allotted buying time does not guarantee tickets will be available.
Phase twothe early ticket drawis set to begin with registration on October 27, going through October 31. Like with the first phase, fans will register to a draw for a chance to buy tickets. Successful draws will be able to purchase a limited amount of tickets starting mid-November.
Phase threethe random selection drawwill work similarly to the previous draws, but will be held once the match set is set, and the 48 countries have been selected.
Who are the host cities?
The 2026 FIFA World Cup matches will be held in the following 16 cities throughout North America, with the inaugural game held in Mexico City and the final match set for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
United States:
Atlanta
Boston
Dallas
Houston
Kansas City
Los Angeles
Miami
New Jersey/New York
Philadelphia
Seattle
San Francisco
Mexico:
Mexico City
Guadalajara
Monterrey
Canada:
Toronto
VAncouver
There’s good news for prospective home buyers and current home owners. Mortgage rates have ticked down in recent weeks. Unsurprisingly, the downtrend has caused the number of mortgage applications to surge, while benefitting current home owners.
According to a Sept. 10 Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) press release, loan applications increased 9.2 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis last week from the week prior. Applications for refinancing were up 12%, too, from the previous week, and were a whopping 34% higher than the same week one year ago.
Joel Kan, MBAs Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist, explained in the release that the dropping interest rates are a sign of a weakened labor market, noting that the 30-year fix rate dropped to 6.49 percent the lowest since last October.
The downward rate movement spurred the strongest week of borrower demand since 2022, with both purchase and refinance applications moving higher. Purchase applications increased to the highest level since July and continued to run more than 20 percent ahead of last years pace.”
Added Kan, The holiday-adjusted refinance index had its strongest week in a year and the average loan size for refinances also increased significantly, since borrowers with large loans are more sensitive to bigger rate moves. Refinance applications accounted for almost 49 percent of all applications last week.
The refreshing numbers come as many prospective home buyers have seemed to accept higher interest rates as a new reality. According to a recent TurboHome-ResiClub Housing Sentiment Survey, in Q1 2025, 41% of homeowners said theyd accept a mortgage rate up to 6.0% on their next purchase. By Q3, the number was up to 52%.
While the new report is certainly good news for those hoping to buy a new home, the 30-year fixed is still 20 basis points higher than it was a year ago. At the time, rates were dropping due to weaker than expected employment numbers.
