Traveling soon? If you’re planning on flying domestically, starting February 1, which is next Sunday, you may have to pay an extra fee at airports across the U.S. if you haven’t yet gotten your TSA-approved Real ID yet, or don’t have another compliant from of ID (see list below).
The program, which the Department of Homeland Security launched in May, requires travelers to have an updated, Real ID-compliant driver’s license, or other approved form of ID, in order to pass through airport security checkpoints and board flights.
If you are one of the estimated 6% of U.S, travelers that still don’t have a Real ID, or another acceptable form of documentation, you may be charged a $45 fee starting next week. If that’s you, TSA recommends passengers verify their identity using the new ConfirmID process, and pay the $45 fee prior to going to the airport. However, you still run the risk that you “may not be allowed through security and may miss your flight.” TSA urges travelers who do not have a Real ID to schedule an appointment at their local DMV to update their ID as soon as possible.
What is the Real ID, again?
As Fast Company previously reported, the Real ID is state-issued drivers license, or learner’s permit, that has been enhanced so it’s federally compliant. It’s marked with a gold or black star in the upper right-hand corner to indicate that it meets the security standards of the REAL ID Act. Those stars vary from state to state. (A California Real ID is marked with a golden bear; while here in Massachusetts, you’ll find a simple gold star.)
I don’t have a Real ID, what else can I use to get through security?
Here are some other TSA-approved forms of ID:
U.S. passport
U.S. passport card
State-issued Enhanced Driver’s License (EDL) or Enhanced ID (EID)
DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
Permanent resident card
Border crossing card
An acceptable photo ID issued by a federally recognized Tribal Nation/Indian Tribe, including Enhanced Tribal Cards (ETCs)
HSPD-12 PIV card
Foreign government-issued passport
Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
U.S. Merchant Mariner Credential
Veteran Health Identification Card (VHIC)
In the early 1980s, the National Basketball Association (NBA) faced a crisis. Television ratings were plummetingthe 1981 NBA finals were among the lowest of all time. Spurred by failing franchises, low game attendance, and declining corporate sponsorships, the leagues cultural relevance in the United States waned. Then in 1984, the league responded with a structural shift that would change the culture of sports for decades to come.
We came together with the collective bargaining agreement where the players and the owners would work together to grow the game and expand the game and the values that we established in the Players Association, says NBA legend and current NBA TV analyst Isiah Thomas. The sacrifice that you had to make was you had to extend yourself to the fan base. You have to extend yourself to the media. You have to give access.
This strategic move set off a basketball renaissance that reconfigured the leagues business for the modern era. Today the NBA, valued at over $160 billion, finds itself at another inflection point. More people are viewing programming on streaming platforms than on traditional television. Toward the end of 2024, the leagues ratings dipped by 19% in its early season. Coming into this current season, the NBA recalibrated its media strategy by entering new partnerships with NBCUniversal and streaming platform Amazon Prime. Within the first month of this season, the NBAs viewership rebounded, drawing more than 60 million viewers.
Now, the NBA is preparing to future-proof itself with its next strategic bet: intentionally designing its global fandom as it moves toward the launch of NBA Europe.
[Photo: NBAE]
Why Now?
As the NBA deepens its push into Europe, the league is testing how to design a global fan experience tailored to the continents growing audience. According to the league, basketball is the fastest-growing sport in Europe, with more than 270 million fans across the continent.
Despite Europeans not having the same level of access to NBA games and content via traditional media, last season was the NBAs most-viewed ever across its social and digital channels in Europe, generating more than one billion views across 11 localized accounts in seven languages. This season, European viewership of league games and content via NBA League Pass increased by over 37% year-over-year.
We see enormous opportunity for basketball in Europe, says Leah MacNab, NBA senior vice president, head of International Strategy & Operations. Despite that momentum, there is a significant gap between the level of interest in basketball and the sports untapped potential for fans, players, teams, cities, and overall commercial development across Europe. We believe a new league in Europeworking in partnership with FIBA [the International Basketball Federation]would benefit fans, players, and the broader basketball ecosystem.
While the NBA has focused on growing the game internationally for four decades, this moment is more deliberate. As the league explores establishing its own European league, it selected Berlin and London as host cities for this years regular season games. Basketball is the fastest-growing sport in these cities and the NBA is the continents most popular league. On January 15 and 18, the Orlando Magic took on the Memphis Grizzlies, matchups that marked the ninety-eighth and ninety-ninth NBA games played in Europe.
The last time the NBA brought a game to London was in 2019, and the leagues approach this year reflects a systems-level strategy aimed at testing experiences, engaging fans, and building a long-term U.K. and European audience.
[Photo: NBAE]
Inside NBA House London
Unlike the 2019 London Game, the NBA made significant investments in transforming Magazine London, a 215,214-square-foot event and cultural venue, into its NBA House experience. According to Laura Pinnell, NBA’s Europe & Middle East vice president, head of Consumer, the NBA House has evolved from a regional activation into a signature component of the leagues Global Games footprint and international fan engagement efforts.
Located just a short walk from the O2 arena, the site for the Orlando Magic versus Memphis Grizzlies matchup, the NBA House pop-up served as part fan zone, part prototype for the league to experiment with how fans experience the NBA beyond the game itself. Going into this three-day, immersive, 17,000 people registered with the league for the experience, with more than 50,000 fans registering for NBA House tickets across Berlin and London.
[Photo: NBAE]
We recognize that most fans globally wont have the opportunity to attend an NBA game in person, explains Pinnell. Free-to-attend activations like NBA House provide accessible ways for fans to immerse themselves in the NBA and feel connected to the league.
As visitors entered Londons NBA House, they were greeted by a lfe-size league logo where they could snap photos. Moving through the venue, they encountered activations split across two main areas: the Creator Studio and the Court. According to Pinnell, the Creator Studio is a new format that debuted at the NBA London Game.
[Photo: NBAE]
Creators have long been an important part of the NBA ecosystem, and their connection with our global fan base has only grown in recent years, says Pinnel. NBA House felt like the perfect setting to bring these worlds together and offer a unique, elevated experience for fans.
Sponsored by Experience Abu Dhabi, the Creator Studio featured several activations that allowed fans to step into the role of an NBA player. These included interactive basketball shooting games, a Foot Lockerbacked activation where fans could film their own tunnel walkstyle entrance, a pop-up NBA Store, and creator-led conversations featuring players from the Orlando Magic among other guests.
[Photo: NBAE]
As fans entered the Court section of the house, they encountered sponsors like Tissot and 23 other brands, plus a range of activations and competitions: a full basketball court hosting clinics led by legends Isiah Thomas and Tony Parker, a three-point contest, and a dunk contest featuring a special appearance by Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant.
The investment that has gone into this, the presence of partners that are in this space, the amount of freebies, competitions and coaching clinics were running, it is a huge investment, says James Sherwood-Smith, a U.K.-based freelance presenter and NBA House London host who works in fan engagement across other sports like football and F1. Its a complete expense whereas other sports have to balance the books, the NBA is looking to make their mark, and in a generation’s time, they can start to think about the monetization of it.
NBA London Game Day
By the third and final day, fans lined up early to access the NBA House hours before the games tipoff. Meanwhile, in the sold-out arena, the energy was palpable.
The NBA views its overseas games as an experiment for how a new fanbase might want to interact with the league. An international game looks like an NBA game in the U.S but feels different because its a novel experience for fans. The NBA team curated local celebrity talent like Premier League star Declan Rice and introduced NBA legends (a mix of American and European former players). In between gameplay, the league hosted fan competitions, crowd engagement activities, and prize giveaways to test how fans respond to various activities and environments. The goal is to create hyper-localized NBA experiences that will deepen fans connections to the league.
So far, it seems to be working. According to Prime, the NBA London Game 2026 viewership was up 90% in comparison to the 2019 London game.
[Photo: NBAE]
NBA Europe Expansion
The NBAs commitment to building its global fandom in the U.K. and Europe through in-person experiences feeds into its larger goal of building a European league.
Currently, the NBA operates as a closed league, meaning it comprises a fixed number of 30 teams each season unless the league approves entry of additional teams. In contrast, many international sports leagues, like professional soccer leagues, operate on an open model. This means teams within an open league can either be promoted to a higher league or relegated to a lower league based on performance.
In partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the NBA envisions a semi-open league or a hybrid approach with its expansion. The NBA Europe League would be comprised of 14 to 16 teams with 10 to 12 permanent franchises and four to six open spots available for any FIBA-affiliated domestic league in Europe to qualify for annually based on merit.
The leagues position is that teams participating in the EuroLeague would not be eligible for participation in NBA Europe simultaneously. To create these teams, the league intends to explore three routes including: existing basketball teams, existing football clubs like those in the Premier League with an interest in expanding to basketball, and ownership groups keen on creating a new team from scratch.
Despite its intentions to complement the current European basketball ecosystem as well as maximize competitive and commercial potential of basketball in Europe, the NBA has drawn criticism from some European stakeholders and policymakers. These critics warn that the NBA could supplant local culture, benefit only commercially successful clubs, and ultimately stifle competition. While current and former NBA players largely support its expansion, some players have a more measured stance.
I think theres a lot of untapped potential, says Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic star and German native. As long as you keep the tradition of European basketball here and not change the structure of how it works and lean into making it a bigger sport, it can only be positive for the U.K. and, and Europe as a whole. Wagner says there are certain aspects of European basketball culture that are important to maintain as an NBA Europe league emerges.
The fan culture, the tradition of the clubs that have made up European basketball and shaped the landscape for a long time, Wagner says. Theyve developed these fan bases over a bunch of years and ave such great history, they should still be intact. That’s a big part of what drives viewership and also why we have great atmospheres and gyms over here. [And] making sure that teams invest in their youth development.
While Wagner emphasizes maintaining European tradition and fan culture, others are optimistic that the NBA will build a league that complements the existing ecosystem.
When there’s tradition, there’s always going to be people who[will] be critical to change, says former Chicago Bulls star and host of travel series NOMAD Joakim Noah. The NBA is great at marketing, great at branding, and I think it’s just a matter of time before it’s welcomed with open arms.
Recent reports indicate that the market may already be opening its arms to the NBA. Following the London matchup, the NBA Commissioner Adam Silver convened a meeting with about 250 people, including potential brand partners Nike and Amazon and funders like KKR, Rothschild, and Blackstone. Representatives from Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, two soccer clubs that also have basketball teams, alongside clubs from Italy, Greece, and Germany were also present, suggesting that these clubs are moving beyond signaling initial interest in potential NBA Europe.
[Photo: NBAE]
Looking Ahead
The league will continue building its global brand beyond Europe with the upcoming 2026 NBA All-Star game, its longstanding global showcase for fans, media, and partners. According to the NBA, this seasons opening-night rosters featured 71 European players, including the leagues top players like Greeces Giannis Antetokounmpo, Serbias Nikola Jokić, Slovenias Luka Dončić, and Frances Victor Wembanyama. These players are part of the starting five for this years All-Star Game, which the league revamped for the first time as a U.S. v. World format.
The new U.S. vs. World All-Star format highlights that the level of international talent in the NBA is at an alltime high, which is driving even greater interest and growth across Europe and around the world, says the NBAs MacNab. This record level of talent and engagement with basketball and the NBA is a key reason why we think a new league in Europe could be the next frontier for basketball on the continent.
As the NBA pushes its international strategy forward, viewership among American and global audiences will evolve alongside it.I do believe that what we are seeing and what the fans want to see, [its] not a coincidence, says NBA Hall of Famer and current NBC analyst Carmelo Anthony. This is NBCs first chance to introduce that side of things earlier than expected. This is the jumpstart to let people know this is what’s to come and get used to seeing this global basketball brand . . . It’s all part of the plan.
America is on the cusp of its first major winter storm of the new year. Dubbed Winter Storm Fern, the storm is expected to begin today and last until at least Monday.
As Fast Company previously reported, the noreaster is expected to affect as many as 230 million Americans as it moves from the Southwest to the Mid-Atlantic states, then continues eastward toward New England.
The storm’s progression over 72 hours is expected to dump snow and ice on significant portions of the country, with major cities including St. Louis, Chicago, Memphis, Nashville, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. expected to receive significant accumulation.
The severity of Winter Storm Fern has led many states to already declare emergencies before the bad weather has even hit. Residents across the country have been stocking up on food for days, as well as buying winter storm supplies like shovels and rock salt.
Airlines are also warning travelers to expect delays and cancellations. Given the potential impact, many U.S. carriers have already said they will waive change fees or fare differences if travelers want to change their travel plans ahead of time.
2 maps show Winter Storm Ferns expected path
The first major winter storm of 2026 wont hit most of America all at once. It is expected to begin in the Southwest on Friday and slowly move northeastward across the country over the following days. Exactly when it hits you depends on where you are along the storm’s projected path.
If you want to see when experts think the storm is most likely to hit your area, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has two excellent sets of maps that show the storm’s current projected path.
[Map: NOAA/NWS/NCEP]
The first map is the agencys National Forecast Chart. This map forecasts the countrys weather for the next three days. While the map will change as new data is aggregated, at the time of this writing, the map shows that today, freezing rain and mixed precipitation will begin in the Southwest, in states including Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Snowfall is expected from Wyoming to western Missouri.
But Saturday and Sunday are the days that most of America will be hit hard, according to the maps. On Saturday, snow, a wintry mix, or freezing rain is expected to occur in states ranging from Arizona to Philadelphia. On Sunday, the storm is expected to cover the remainder of the northeastern United States.
[Map: NOAA/NWS/NCEP]
But just how impactful the winter storm weather will be varies by location. And its predicted impact is shown in another NOAA map, called the Winter Weather Forecasts, which displays the Probabilistic Winter Storm Severity Index (WSSI-P). This index displays a range of winter weather impact probabilities over a geographic area, NOAA states. The impacts are shown via a color-coded system with darker colors signifying a greater chance of impact.
Currently, the Winter Weather Forecasts map shows that Saturday and Sunday will bring a 90% chance or greater of significant impact from the winter storm. On Saturday, the chance of impact is greatest in states including Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. On Sunday, the chance of impact is greatest in states including North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, New York, and more.
In the world of earnings reports and pitch decks, the ultimate goal of our current AI boom is usually called something like artificial general intelligence (AGI), superintelligence, orif you’re really nerdyrecursive self-improving AI. But in the real world, we’re all just looking for the Enterprise computer: a digital assistant you can talk to that doesn’t just fully understand you, but can do things for you instantly.
The last couple of months have seen a lot of progress on this front. While I was at CES, I attended Lenovo’s keynote, which unveiled Qira, an always-on AI that will be built into its devices going forward. As I wrote about at The Media Copilot, the innovation with Qira is that the assistant is now an “orchestrator of agents,” seamlessly passing off the user to other services like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or others, depending on the user’s request.
The reason a device maker like Lenovo can do that is because it doesn’t compete with those servicesQira is a facilitator, not a do-everything AI service. It appears Apple has also finally woken up to that strategy now that it’s announced a multi-year deal to integrate Googles Gemini models into a revamped Siri later this year.
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Apple has colossally overpromised and underdelivered on AI over the past two years, partly because of its reluctance to rely on partners for parts of its AI experience. Now that there’s more clarity on the orchestrator visionand on how AIs talk to each otherit looks like we’re past concerns over empowering competitors.
Assistants evolve into agents
Into all this come agentic tools like Claude Code and Claude Coworker. The buzz around these tools in the AI world has been insane, and a big part of the reason is they can do much more than code and build websites. They are effectively agents, able to take instructions, turn them into plans, and then execute on them, often with minimal guidance from the user. Whether it lives in the OS (Qira/Siri) or in a desktop app (Cowork), the effect is the same: decision-making moves closer to the interface people actually use.
Several people on X say the experience using Coworker is closer to working with a colleague rather than prompting an AI. But there are new worries, too: Anthropic is warning users about safety riskslike unclear instructions leading to file deletionbecause thats what happens when the model can act, not just talk.
All this is pointing in the same direction. Sometime soon, it seems likely that a significant and growing amount of device interactions will be essentially telling agents what to do. No apps, no browserjust the answer, output, or outcome you were looking for. It’s the Enterprise computer, just not on the bridge of a starship but in millions of pockets worldwide.
There are huge implications for the media, brands, and other content providers. In my Qira piece, I talked about how the battle for context is going to play out in the information space in the coming year, but agent-based work will also have an effect on information-based work itself, especially journalism. Embedding an agentessentially a decision-making computerinto your workspace is potentially a huge accelerant, but it poses difficult questions around attribution, access, and how it treats sensitive data.
Auditability in the agent era
Sounds serious, and there’s a simple solution to those concerns: don’t use it. But that’s not a strategy. Like any tool, those who learn it, use it, and master it will have an advantage over those who don’t. As agentic work grows in popularity, the workplaces that figure out how to implement it safely and securely will have the best chance of success.
The media is particularly challenged, though, since information is their business. We’ve already seen this play out with regard to hallucinations. The propensity of AI systems to make things up out of the blue continues to persist, and it keeps many newsrooms from adopting AI, at least in any way that touches content.
The danger of a workplace agent is more insidious. The AI isn’t creating content per se, but it is making decisions such as what information sources to use, what services to help with a task, and what company knowledge to apply to any specific request. But if an agent is going to make decisions in a newsroom, it cant be a black box.
Even without the AI making a mistake per se, the question of how the AI makes its decisions matters. Look at the corollary in search: When Google made a deal with Reddit, which led to Reddit appearing at the top of many more search results. That unquestionably had an influence on where people got their information, especially since Google is an effective monopoly on search.
Well, a device or workplace agent will have a similar monopoly. How an agent goes down a tree of decisions can’t be a black box. Certainly, steering workers toward sanctioned services and company software is an obvious first step. Following style guides and company policy in the actions it takes is another. But it’s in the parts of workflows that aren’t covered by that where things get strange. This isn’t just about getting informationit’s about the context it relies on when taing action.
The need for AI governance
While actions need to be seamless to the user, there needs to be an auditable paper trail for them. How the agent gets context from the web, and from which services, should be clear and traceable. When asked, in plain language, why it took a specific action, there should be a rabbit hole the user can go down if they wish, along with a method to correct any problems in its thinking (including bias). Disclaimers won’t cut it on agentstraining how to both use them and audit your own use, should be standard.
In other words, governance matters. Agents like Qira and Claude Coworker might deliver on the dream of true AI assistants. But the potential they promise to unlock requires an equal amount of deference. If AI has shown anything over the past few years, it’s that it can do incredible things, but it can’t be trusted to always get it right. For organizations to truly advance into the agent era, they’ll need to adopt an old adage: trust, but verify.
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The Trump administration just redesigned the official White House website. Its new aesthetic might best be described as a personal action hero reel for the president.
[Screen Capture: whitehouse.gov]
The updated website design rolled out on January 22 in the wake of a broader relaunch of government sites by the new National Design Studio. It replaces the old homepagewhich featured a banner image of Trump, the bolded phrase America is Back, and headshots of the first lady and vice presidentwith a decidedly more cinematic design.
Now, when people visit whitehouse.gov, theyre immediately greeted with a wall of videos, including shots of Trump sporting his own Make America Great Again merch, saluting military personnel, and taking off in a helicopter. Every shot is bathed in a warm, fuzzy filter, making the whole page feel like a retro-inspired movie trailer.
[Screenshot: whitehouse.gov]
This design direction is part of a familiar playbook thats come to define how the second Trump administration shows up online. On the surface, it touts a glossy, airbrushed version of the U.S., pulling from Americana aesthetics popularized in film and art. Underneath, though, is the ever-present subtext of Trumps ideal vision for America.
One big movie trailer
With the new whitehouse.gov design, the Trump administration has sidelined a previously held ethos of communicating specific administrative goals in favor of evoking an emotional response from the viewer.
[Screenshot: whitehouse.gov]
Historically, the official White House web page has maintained a consistent structure between presidencies. From Bush in 2008 to Obama in 2015, Biden in 2022, and even Trump himself in 2018, opening the web page would lead to a photo of the president, paired with a rundown of his current key objectives and a selection of top news stories.
[Screenshot: whitehouse.gov]
Today, the entire home screen fills with a looping, 30-second highlight reel of Trump. Beneath this reel is a short statement lauding the second Trump administrations successes, followed by five sections (each dedicated to an objective like Secure the Border and Make America Healthy Again).
To read more about the administrations current aims, users have to click on one of these subsections or navigate to a separate header bar at the top of the page, which links out to additional resources, like a news, gallery, and livestream page.
[Screenshot: whitehouse.gov]
The cumulative effect of these choices is that opening the whitehouse.gov page now feels less like getting a snapshot of the current administrations goals, and more like watching five different advertisements at once. And, like any advertisement, these video clips are clearly designed to make the viewer feel something. From close-up shots of a man in a cowboy hat to wide views of a billowing American flag and a grainy clip of farmers at a Trump rally, each compilation leans on recognizable Americana aesthetics to generate a sense of patriotism.
Interspersed between feel-good shots of the president signing bills and shaking hands with children, the site includes clips of border patrol agents handling lengths of barbed wire, military helicopters taking off, and ICE agents gearing up and climbing into armored vehicles. The redesign comes just weeks after an ICE agent shot and killed Minnesota resident Renee Nicole Good, leading to ongoing tension and protests across the state.
In terms of connecting with its intendd audience, this website design is undoubtedly effective. It plays into the ways that people are already consuming content onlinethrough short, enticing bursts of videoto tell a glamorized story about the current administration. The same can be said for most of the recently revamped government websites: they trade an emphasis on clearly communicating information for scaffolding Trump’s vision for America’s future.
Ultimately, the aesthetic strength of this design is also its biggest shortcoming. At a time when the president should be building solidarity with his citizens, he’s instead designing a website that serves as a reminder that his government isn’t meant for everyone.
A reader asks:
Two years ago, I began managing Craig, who had been doing the same tasks day in and day out for a decade. He hadnt adapted to new technology, best practices, or industry trends. My first order of business was to coach him and challenge him to grow and learn. For more than a year, we built up a great trajectory. People saw how much his work improved and commented on it frequently, and said he seemed revitalized in many ways. His progress gave me a lot of hope that he could become good at the modern demands of his role.
Then about six months ago, Craig suddenly reverted to his old patterns. It was as if the prior year of progress got completely wiped out. Only this time around, he hasnt been able to step up the way he did last year even though we both know hes fully capable, having done this all before.
Recently, he has started calling in sick the day after receiving even the mildest negative feedback. If a project goes off the rails or has to be delayed, we work on the problem until its solved and later debrief about what went wrong. During the debriefs, I let Craig take the lead and I ask open-ended questions. Im careful to keep it factual and focused on learning for next time. He assesses his work honestly and takes appropriate responsibility for missteps. Then the very next morning, he calls in sick. When he does return to work, hes quiet and withdrawn for a couple of days. This has happened three times in the past two months.
I should be clear that the missteps are not disasters. Theres no drama. Nobody is angry and nobody points fingers. Ive let a lot of these things go that I would have otherwise corrected. The problems I do raise are things with an impact on other teams: missed deadlines, not completing something he had committed to, etc.
He says all the right things about wanting to improve, but unlike last year, it just hasnt happened. And now Im at a loss as to how to help him if he is going to be incapable of coming to work after mistakes. Its getting to the point where Im afraid to say anything to him at all. How do I help Craig out of the tailspin or time vortex that has consumed him?
Green responds:
This is one of the biggest problems with people who dont handle feedback well: People stop giving it to them. And thats bad for their team (which isnt getting the performance it needs) and bad for the manager (who isnt doing their job) and bad for the person themself, because theyre not hearing what they need to do to improve and if the problems are serious enough that they could eventually lose their job, theyre not getting clear messages that things could reach that point.
So youve got to talk to him about whats going on. In doing that, your measure of success shouldnt be Craig gets out of his tailspin, starts taking feedback well, and resumes his previous level of performance. If that happens, good! But it might not happen, and that wont mean you failed; you dont have that amount of control over another person. Instead, your measure of success should be I clearly articulate to Craig what Im seeing, explain what needs to change, and offer the support thats within my ability to offer. From there, its up to him.
When you talk to him, just name what youre seeing. For example: Last year, you worked hard to raise your level of performance and really impressed me and others. About six months ago, that seemed to change. Im not seeing those improvements anymore, and youve been missing deadlines and letting projects fall through the cracks. I know you can do this work well because Ive seen you do it, and were at the point where my concerns are serious ones. What do you think is going on?
And then see what he says. Maybe youll find out hes dealing with something in his personal life thats consuming his focus, or maybe the level of focus required for those improvements wasnt sustainable, or who knows what. But give him the chance to hear your concerns and share his perspective.
As part of that conversation, theres room to say, Please tell me if Im misinterpreting, but I get the sense that critical feedback on your work has been difficult for you. Youve often called in sick the next day and seemed withdrawn for a few days after that. I realize that pattern could be a coincidence, but am I right in thinking youre having a tough time with it? and also, I do need to be able to talk with you about your work without it meaning you cant come in the next day. Is there something I can do differently on my side that will make those conversations go more easily?
But ultimately, youre going to have to figure out what performance standards you need Craig to meet in order to stay in his job. And the kindest thing you can do for him is to spell those out for him very clearly.
Jeff Haden
This article originally appeared on Fast Company‘s sister publication, Inc.
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Minnesota continues to be the beating heart of nationwide anti-ICE movements with The Day of Truth and Freedom. Today, January 23, hundreds of businesses across the state are closing their doors in protest after community groups, faith-based organizations, and unions came together to call for an economic blackout.
Minnesotans are coming together in moral reflection and action to stand together against the actions of the federal government against the state of Minnesota, a declaration reads on the organizing website, ICE Out of MN.
The day-long protest follows a series of tragedies that stem from the Department of Homeland Securitys January 6 deployment of 2,000 officers to Minneapolis. One day later, an ICE officer shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, and just this past Tuesday, ICE detained five-year-old Liam Ramos and his father in their driveway. The family has an active asylum case and had no order of deportation, yet the father and son are now in a Texas detention center.
What is the Day of Truth and Freedom?
According to ICE Out of MNs statement: The ICE surge that cost the life of Renee Nicole Good is violating the Constitutional and human rights of Americans and our neighbors. It is time to suspend the normal order of business to demand immediate cessation of ICE actions in MN, accountability for federal agents who have caused loss of life and abuse to Minnesota residents and call for Congress to immediately intervene.
The Day of Truth and Freedom’s demands are as follows:
ICE must leave Minnesota now.
The officer who killed Renee Good must be held legally accountable.
No additional federal funding for ICE in the upcoming Congressional budget and ICE should be investigated for human and Constitutional violations of Americans and our neighbors.
Minnesota and national companies should cease economic relations with ICE and refuse ICE entry or using their property for staging grounds.
Minnesota-based publication Bring Me The News has an ever-evolving list of all the businessesfrom bookstores to cafesthat are closed on Friday.
The list also includes businesses that will remain open, but are taking action, such as donating some or all of their profits to organizations like the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota and the recently launched Immigrant Rapid Response Fund.
How individuals are participating in the Minnesota economic blackout
Organizers are further calling for individuals living in Minnesota to not work (unless involved in emergency services), go to school, or do any shopping for the day, instead focusing on community, conscience, and collective action.
The Day of Truth and Freedom also includes a march at 2 p.m. CT from the Commons downtown, and a 3 p.m. CT rally at the Target Center. Interested participants can reserve a free rally ticket on the ICE Out of MN website.
Anyone who lives outside of Minnesota can take part in solidarity through a scheduled event or by organizing one. The ICE Out for Good website hosts a growing database of events taking place, provides a space to create an event, and has an event-planning toolkit.
ICE Out for Good also encourages individuals to push businesses to speak out against ICE, such as Minneapolis-based Target, Delta, Home Depot, and more. It offers links to contact these businesses, alongside ones to reach members of Congress.
Organizations that support anti-ICE activism
The Day of Truth and Freedom movement isnt specifically asking for donations, but anyone who is inclined to support the cause can donate to organizations including:
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Immigrant Rapid Response Fund
National Immigrant Justice Center
American Civil Liberties Union
Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee
Organized Communities Against Deportations
Amica Center for Immigrant Rights
In a hypothetical nuclear war involving Russia, China and the United States, the island of Greenland would be in the middle of Armageddon.The strategic importance of the Arctic territory under the flight paths that nuclear-armed missiles from China and Russia could take on their way to incinerating targets in the United States, and vice versa is one of the reasons U.S. President Donald Trump has cited in his disruptive campaign to wrest control of Greenland from Denmark, alarming Greenlanders and longtime allies in Europe alike.Trump has argued that U.S. ownership of Greenland is vital for his “Golden Dome” a multibillion dollar missile defense system that he says will be operational before his term ends in 2029.“Because of The Golden Dome, and Modern Day Weapons Systems, both Offensive and Defensive, the need to ACQUIRE is especially important,” Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday.That ushered in another roller-coaster week involving the semiautonomous Danish territory, where Trump again pushed for U.S. ownership before seemingly backing off, announcing Wednesday the “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security that’s unlikely to be the final word.Here’s a closer look at Greenland’s position at a crossroads for nuclear defense.
ICBM flight paths
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, or ICBMs, that nuclear adversaries would fire at each other if it ever came to that tend to take the shortest direct route, on a ballistic trajectory into space and down again, from their silos or launchers to targets. The shortest flight paths from China or Russia to the United States and the other way would take many of them over the Arctic region.Russian Topol-M missiles fired, for example, from the Tatishchevo silo complex southeast of Moscow would fly high over Greenland, if targeted at the U.S. ICBM force of 400 Minuteman III missiles, housed at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota, the Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana and the Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.Chinese Dong Feng-31 missiles, if fired from new silo fields that the U.S. Defense Department says have been built in China, also could overfly Greenland should they be targeted at the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.“If there is a war, much of the action will take place on that piece of ice. Think of it: those missiles would be flying right over the center,” Trump said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Pituffik Space Base
An array of farseeing early warning radars act as the Pentagon’s eyes against any missile attack. The northernmost of them is in Greenland, at the Pituffik Space Base. Pronounced “bee-doo-FEEK,” it used to be called Thule Air Base, but was renamed in 2023 using the remote location’s Greenlandic name, recognizing the Indigenous community that was forcibly displaced by the U.S. outpost’s construction in 1951.Its location above the Arctic Circle, and roughly halfway between Washington and Moscow, enables it to peer with its radar over the Arctic region, into Russia and at potential flight paths of U.S.-targeted Chinese missiles.“That gives the United States more time to think about what to do,” said Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based analyst who specializes in Russia’s nuclear arsenal. “Greenland is a good location for that.”The two-sided, solid-state AN/FPS-132 radar is designed to quickly detect and track ballistic missile launches, including from submarines, to help inform the U.S. commander in chief’s response and provide data for interceptors to try and destroy warheads.The radar beams out for nearly 5,550 kilometers (3,450 miles) in a 240-degree arc and, even at its furthest range, can detect objects no larger than a small car, the U.S. Air Force says.
Expert sees holes in Trump’s arguments
Pitching the “Golden Dome” in Davos, Trump said that the U.S. needs ownership of Greenland to defend it.“You can’t defend it on a lease,” he said.But defense specialists struggle to comprehend that logic given that the U.S. has operated at Pituffik for decades without owning Greenland.French nuclear defense specialist Etienne Marcuz points out that Trump has never spoken of also needing to take control of the United Kingdom even though it, like Greenland, also plays an important role in U.S. missile defense.An early warning radar operated by the U.K.’s Royal Air Force at Fylingdales, in northern England, serves both the U.K. and U.S governments, scanning for missiles from Russia and elsewhere and northward to the polar region. The unit’s motto is “Vigilamus” Latin for “We are watching.”Trump’s envisioned multilayered “Golden Dome” could include space-based sensors to detect missiles. They could reduce the U.S. need for its Greenland-based radar station, said Marcuz, a former nuclear defense worker for France’s Defense Ministry, now with the Foundation for Strategic Research think tank in Paris.“Trump’s argument that Greenland is vital for the Golden Dome and therefore that it has to be invaded, well, acquired is false for several reasons,” Marcuz said.“One of them is that there is, for example, a radar in the United Kingdom, and to my knowledge there is no question of invading the U.K. And, above all, there are new sensors that are already being tested, in the process of being deployed, which will in fact reduce Greenland’s importance.”
‘Golden Dome’ interceptors
Because of its location, Greenland could be a useful place to station “Golden Dome” interceptors to try to destroy warheads before they reach the continental U.S.The “highly complex system can only work at its maximum potential and efficiency if this Land is included in it,” Trump wrote in his post last weekend.But the U.S. already has access to Greenland under a 1951 defense agreement. Before Trump ratcheted up the heat on the territory and Denmark, its owner, their governments likely would have readily accepted any American military request for an expanded footprint there, experts say. It used to have multiple bases and installations, but later abandoned them, leaving just Pituffik.“Denmark was the most compliant ally of the United States,” Marcuz said. “Now, it’s very different. I don’t know whether authorization would be granted, but in any case, before, the answer was ‘Yes.'”
John Leicester, Associated Press
Shares in Intel Corporation (Nasdaq: INTC) are plunging in pre-market trading this morning. The stock price fall comes after the chipmaker reported its Q4 2025 earnings after the closing bell yesterday. But its Intels forecast, rather than its latest results, that seems to be driving the stock price’s fall. Heres what you need to know.
Intel reports Q4 earnings
Yesterday, Intel reported its Q4 2025 and full fiscal 2025 results. For its full fiscal 2025, the company reported $52.9 billion in revenue. That compares with the $53.1 billion in revenue the company brought in during its fiscal 2024.
But what investors were mainly interested in were the companys Q4 2025 results and its Q1 2026 forecastthe quarter Intel is now operating in.
For Intels Q4 2025, the company reported revenue of $13.7 billion. That was down about 4% from the $14.3 billion the company reported in the same quarter a year earlier. The companys Non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) were 15 cents. That was an increase from the 13 cents Non-GAAP EPS the company achieved in its Q4 a year earlier.
As noted by CNBC, Intels EPS of 15 cents and revenue of $13.7 billion both beat LSEG estimates, which were 8 cents and $13.4 billion, respectively.
However, despite these beats, Intel shares fell sharply, with the stock down more than 13% in pre-market trading as of the time of this writing.
Intel unable to meet AI data center demand
There are two primary reasons for Intels pre-market share price plunge this morning. The first is its Q1 revenue and adjusted EPS forecast. The company said it expects revenue during its first quarter to reach between $11.7 billion and $12.7 billion. It said its adjusted EPS is expected to come in flat.
As CNBC notes, Intel’s Q1 revenue forecast range is mostly below the $12.51 billion analysts were expecting. The companys adjusted EPS of 0 cents is also below the 5 cents analysts were expecting.
But what has spooked investors the most is the comments Intel made about the demand for its server chips that are used in AI data centers. The good news is that the demand for these chips is extraordinarily high. The bad news, Intel announced, is that the company is unable to meet this demand.
As Reuters notes, Intel decides years ahead of time on its manufacturing output, and the company was caught off guard by the AI data center boom. That means Intel is essentially leaving money on the table because it is unable to supply all the chips its customers are demanding.
If theres a bright side to Intels forecast, its that the company expects its Q1 supply to be at the lowest level, before improving in Q2 and later.
INTC stock plunges after earnings
After Intels disappointing Q1 forecast, shares in the company sank after hours yesterday and remain highly depressed as of the time of this writing.
Currently, INTC shares are down more than 13.6% in pre-market trading to $46.92 per share. Yet while investors are clearly disappointed in Intels Q1 forecast and the companys current inability to meet customer demand, its still worth noting that Intel shares have had a terrific run as of late.
As of yesterdays close, before todays pre-market price drop, INTC shares have seen their price surge by a staggering 47% since the year began. Over the past twelve months, INTC shares have jumped more than 148% as of yesterdays close.
What investors will be looking for now is signs that Intel can boost its manufacturing capacity to meet customer demand and thus fully take advantage of the AI boom engulfing the economy.
TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American entity, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the United States that has been in discussion for years on the platform now used by more than 200 million Americans.The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake and the Emirati investment firm MGX to form the new TikTok U.S. joint venture. The new version will operate under “defined safeguards that protect national security through comprehensive data protections, algorithm security, content moderation and software assurances for U.S. users,” the company said in a statement Thursday. American TikTok users can continue using the same app.President Donald Trump praised the deal in a Truth Social post, thanking Chinese leader Xi Jinping specifically “for working with us and, ultimately, approving the Deal.” Trump add that he hopes “that long into the future I will be remembered by those who use and love TikTok.”Adam Presser, who previously worked as TikTok’s head of operations and trust and safety, will lead the new venture as its CEO. He will work alongside a seven-member, majority-American board of directors that includes TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew.The deal ends years of uncertainty about the fate of the popular video-sharing platform in the United States. After wide bipartisan majorities in Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed a law that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if it did not find a new owner in the place of China’s ByteDance, the platform was set to go dark on the law’s January 2025 deadline. For a several hours, it did. But on his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to keep it running while his administration sought an agreement for the sale of the company.“China’s position on TikTok has been consistent and clear,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing, said Friday about the TikTok deal and Trump’s Truth Social post, echoing an earlier statement from the Chinese embassy in Washington.Apart from an emphasis on data protection, with U.S. user data being stored locally in a system run by Oracle, the joint venture will also focus on TikTok’s algorithm. The content recommendation formula, which feeds users specific videos tailored to their preferences and interests, will be retrained, tested and updated on U.S. user data, the company said in its announcement.The algorithm has been a central issue in the security debate over TikTok. China previously maintained the algorithm must remain under Chinese control by law. But the U.S. regulation passed with bipartisan support said any divestment of TikTok must mean the platform cuts ties specifically the algorithm with ByteDance. Under the terms of this deal, ByteDance would license the algorithm to the U.S. entity for retraining.The law prohibits “any cooperation with respect to the operation of a content recommendation algorithm” between ByteDance and a new potential American ownership group, so it is unclear how ByteDance’s continued involvement in this arrangement will play out.“Who controls TikTok in the U.S. has a lot of sway over what Americans see on the app,” said Anupam Chander, a professor of law and technology at Georgetown University.Oracle, Silver Lake and MGX are the three managing investors, each holding a 15% share. Other investors include the investment firm of Michael Dell, the billionaire founder of Dell Technologies. ByteDance retains 19.9% of the joint venture.
Associated Press writers Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong and Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.
Kaitlyn Huamani, AP Technology Reporter
