As cities continue to expand and infrastructure projects grow more ambitious, the construction sector is facing a crippling problem: There arent enough workers.The U.S. alone will need to attract around half a million construction workers in 2025 to meet anticipated demand for construction services, according to the trade association Associated Builders and Contractors. In fact, the construction industry in the United States has faced a significant shortage since the Great Recession of 2008 when it lost 30% of its workforce.In response, several states have launched apprenticeships and beefed up community college programs to attract people to skilled trade occupations. Others have been busy building another kind of workforce: construction robots. Over the past decade, dozens of construction robots have cropped up on the market. Hilti Jaibot can drill on ceilings. Hadrian X can lay bricks. Okibo can plaster and paint walls. These construction robots werent developed to replace humansrather to perform tasks that are considered dangerous or repetitive.[Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/ IIT]The hurdle to broader adoption so far has been that many of these robots can only perform a limited number of very specific tasks. But that could soon change: Researchers at the Italian Institute of Technology have designed what they claim to be the worlds most modular construction robot, referring to the customizability of its component parts. Dubbed Concert, it can perform a wide array of tasks, including drilling, spraying insulation, sanding, and transporting 400-pound payloads.[Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/ IIT]Named for its ability to be composed or assembled for different scenarios, Concert consists of a mobile base and a modular arm that looks a bit like a Mars rover. The base is equipped with wheels that can be changed to fit the terrain, while the robotic arm can be outfitted with various tools depending on the task to be performed. Researchers tested Concert in Poland, and hope it will be available to the market within the next two to three years.[Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/ IIT]Why its so hard to build a construction robotWhen it comes to automation, the construction industry lags behind others. In fact, construction robots specifically only begun to crop up over the past 10 years or so, according to Nikolaos Tsagarakis, a tenured senior scientist and coordinator of the Concert project who has studied robotics for 30 years.One of the biggest challenges is that construction sites are complex, unpredictable, and decentralized. Unlike, say, a manufacturing facility, where operations tend to be fixed, construction sites can vary wildly from one to the next. This makes it much more challenging for the robot, says Tsagarakis, noting that for a robot to be useful and efficient at a construction site, it must be able to adapt and have some degree of autonomy.Another challenge is the array of tasks that are performed at a construction site. When companies develop a robot specifically for one task, they provide efficient and safer alternatives for humans, but these alternatives are not sustainable for construction companies in the long run. The largest construction companies in the world need systems that are multipurpose, says Tsagarakis.[Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/ IIT]How researchers design a robot that worksTo understand what construction companies really need, the researchers developed Concert in collaboration with Budimex, one of the largest construction companies in Poland. The team also worked with research partners in Austria and Germany.Thanks to a $3 million grant from the EU, the team spent three years developing the robot in a lab. Then, they tested it at a hospital construction site in Krakow, Poland. They performed one test in the winter and one in the summer, with both tests lasting 10 days each. During these field tests, the team validated four use cases: drilling on walls and ceilings of up to 3.5 meters high; spraying insulation (which is highly toxic to humans and must be performed while clad in protective suits); wall sanding (which is a very repetitive job); and assisting people when transporting heavy materials.To operate utonomously, the team equipped Concert with a series of sensors like laser scanners, 3D cameras, and ultrasonic sensors. These allow the robot to perceive its surroundings, avoid obstacles, and interact with humans. It can also respond to basic voice commands like lift or follow me though its reaction time remains slow for now. In the tests, the robot was able to move from the construction sites parking lot to an assigned location on the site completely on its own, where it drilled a hole with an accuracy of 1mm.The team faced a number of challenges during the testing phase of the construction robots, which they have since been working on addressing. Critically, Concert struggled to perform in extreme temperatures (both too cold and too hot). They also had to adjust the user interface they had developed so workers with no technical background could use it more easily. Tsagarakis maintains that these challenges are part of the process and that the robot will be optimized and reliable when it eventually hits the market. (The EU funding has ended, and the team is now busy raising funds and spin off into a startup.)[Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia/ IIT]Why construction robots might be coworkers, not co-optersTsagarakis acknowledges that theres a fear that robots replace the need for humans and therefore cut jobs, but he believes that humans will remain crucial to the industry. Much like the steam engine, electricity, and even AI, he says that construction robots will simply eliminate some jobs and create others.By bringing robots into the equation, companies could help convince the next generation of workers that construction isnt as tedious or dangerous as it once was. Whether thats enough to rebuild the workforce remains to be seen, but if robots like Concert succeed, the future of construction might not be about choosing between humans and machinesbut about finding new ways for them to build together.
Hanna Hickman worked as an attorney in the private sector for 15 years before making a deliberate pivot. Even though it meant taking a pay cut, she wanted to work for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and help fight banks and other companies that were taking advantage of consumers.
Her colleagues, from other lawyers to young software engineers who could have easily taken Big Tech jobs, had the same motivations. Theyre professionals who could be making and were making quite a bit more money in the private sector, Hickman says. But they chose to take their time and talent and bring it to the bureau and fight for consumers.
And now, nearly 200 of those CFPB employees have had their jobs terminated, Hickman included. The remaining employees have been placed on indefinite administrative leave.
Since CFPB opened in 2011, the agency says its provided consumers with more than $21 billion in relief, from refunds to canceled debt. It capped credit-card late fees and bank-overdraft fees. It banned medical debt from credit reports. The agency’s budget is a tiny 100th of 1% of total federal spending. Nonetheless, earlier this month, more than 10% of its workforce were fired by the Trump administration while Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rifled through the agency’s data. (It’s worth noting that Musk is trying to start a financial product that would likely be regulated by CFPB.)
Congress created the agency after the mortgage crisis of 2008. One of the causes of the financial meltdown was the fact that no agency was focused on regulating consumer financial products and services, including mortgages; fraudulent marketing of mortgages helped lead to the collapse. Different banking regulators had all these different pieces of authority, but it wasnt centralized in one place, says Hickman, who served as senior litigation counsel for CFPB’s enforcement division. A big part of what contributed to the financial crisis is that the people who were regulating the soundness of banks didnt have eyes on the consumer-facing conduct. By pulling enforcement into one agency, Congress wanted to help prevent another financial crisisand better protect consumers in general.
The agency has done a wide range of work. In a case that wrapped up at the end of last year, for example, the agency started sending $1.8 billion in refund checks to more than four million consumers who had been harmed by credit repair companies that charged them hundreds of dollars but didnt actually help repair their credit. In another case, the agency fined Citi for intentionally discriminating against Armenian Americans. CFPB also required TransUnion to pay consumers who were misled when they tried to freeze their credit and it didnt work.
When CFPB workers were fired on February 11 and 13, 38 cases were underway against financial companies that broke the law. With the remaining staff ordered to stop all work by Russell Vought, the Trump-appointed acting director (and a Project 2025 architect), “those companies can just keep doing what they were doing,” Hickman says.
Lawsuits are underway now to try to bring back fired staff and restart work. A union for federal workers is suing over the terminations, which shouldn’t be legally permissible without cause. Hickman had been in her position for less than two years, meaning she was a “probationary” employee and had fewer job protections, but still should only have been fired for performance under a specific procedure that didn’t happen. First, every probationary employee was fired; two days later, long-term employees were also fired.
Another lawsuit is trying to stop the dismantling of CFPB itself. Because the agency was created by Congress, the president doesn’t have the authority to shut it down. What’s happening now to CFPBand many other federal agenciesis unprecedented.
“We are out at the edges of constitutional law right now,” says Hickman. A temporary restraining order is in place that’s supposed to stop further destruction of federal agencies, with a hearing set for March 3. But the Trump administration seems to be ignoring it.
“What’s particularly shocking is that in the meantime, they seem to be just proceeding right along,” she says. “They have canceled the lease on the building. They are prying the signage off the walls. They are proceeding with the dismantling of the agency.”
The lawsuits over the firings will take time, but the lawyers have no intentions of giving up. “Elon Musk and the president picked the wrong bunch of lawyers to mess with,” Hickman said in an interview with ABC News.
“Consumer watchdogs are a talented and tough group of people,” she told Fast Company, “and we know just how few options consumers have to get help when banks and large companies break the law. This is why youre seeing not just CFPB workers but also our union, other legal-services organizations, and state AGs stepping up to fight for CFPB. We know firsthand how important it is, how much everyday people will suffer, and how the markets will break down if the CFPB isnt there to do its work.”
Lore isnt just for games like The Elder Scrolls or films like The Lord of the Ringsonline, it has evolved into something entirely new.
The Old English word made the shortlist for Oxford University Presss’ 2024 Word of the Year (though it ultimately lost to brain rot). Oxford defines lore as a body of (supposed) facts, background information, and anecdotes relating to someone or something, regarded as knowledge or required for full understanding or informed discussion of the subject in question. Historically, the term has been tied to teaching and knowledge-sharing, with roots stretching back nearly a thousand years.
Today, however, lore has evolved into internet slang for the dramaticand sometimes traumaticdetails that define a persons identity. When your mum casually drops lore like it’s nothing serious but it’s genuinely some of the most insane stuff youve ever heard, reads one post on TikTok. Me the second I get to college when i get to lore drop my whole life to my new roommate, reads another.
@nathaniellmack original sound –
For some reason, the Account Planning Group of Canada offers a handy breakdown of the concept on TikTok. In the video, a Gen Z creator explains three key uses of lore: having lore (possessing a mysterious or intriguing backstory), dropping lore (revealing a previously unknown life event), and dad lorethe joke that fathers will casually reveal insane anecdotes from their past, leaving their children struck by how little they truly know about them.
@apgcanada Watch until the end to learn how to use lore in your next meeting! Have you heard all 3 of these uses of lore before? #lore #genz #strategy #marketing son original – APG Canada
Social media thrives on oversharing, and TikTok has made personal storytelling more common than ever. Influencers seamlessly incorporate lore drops into get ready with me videos, using their makeup routines as a backdrop for revealing deeply personal stories. A 2022 survey found that one in three Gen Z young adults has shared their mental health struggles on social media. When a potential TikTok ban loomed in late January, creators rushed to disclose their most closely held lorefearing they might never get another chance.
Its a word of the heart and not the head, Peter Sokolowski, Merriam-Websters editor at large, told The Wall Street Journals Ashley Wong. Lore conveys emotion somehow, in that organic way, and thats just a beautiful kind of repossession of this word.
But, as one TikTok user pointed out, the trend has a darker side: When you realize the lore you dropped actually happened and isnt a funny little treat to share with the group & it has altered your personality and perspective forever and you wont ever be the same.
You may have heard about the “Feb 28 Economic Blackout,” a movement that’s gathered momentum on social media in recent weeks.
If you’re wondering about what it is: The so-called economic blackout is a nationwide boycott set to take place on Friday, asking all Americans not to buy anything for 24 hours to combat skyrocketing prices across the nation and corporate greed.
The protests are aimed at rising prices of just about everything, from housing and gas to food (best illustrated by the staggering cost of eggs, which now average $5.57 a dozen in the Midwest and $8.85 in California, according to commodities data from Expana). The soaring prices are the result of a combination of inflation, overall higher living costs, and our sluggish economy.
Like with the recent Reddit-born Not My Presidents Day protests against the Trump administration, the internet and social media are playing a major role in getting people to mobilize.
In this case, the protests reflect the sentiment of many social media users who are frustrated that major corporations are making huge profits while slashing DEI efforts, as many Americans are increasingly struggling just to get by. That sentiment was furthered by a recent study that found “greedflation” caused more than half of last years inflation surge as corporate profits remain at all-time highs, according to Fortune.
“Send a message to giant companies ripping us off,” posted one Bluesky user. “Don’t shop online, in big box stores. . . . Just one day will send a powerful message. Think they’ll miss our DEI dollars? Don’t spend. Then, let them know why.”
Here’s what to know about the blackout.
Who is behind the economic blackout?
The boycott is being sponsored by grassroots organization The People’s Union USA. According to the organization, it’s aimed at restoring “fairness, economic justice and real systemic change” through “government accountability and corporate reform,” and is not affiliated with any particular political party.
“For our entire lives, they have told us we have no choice . . . that we have to accept these insane prices, the corporate greed, the billionaire tax breaks, all while we struggle to just to get by,” founder John Schwarz, who is reportedly a 57-year-old dad originally from Queens, New York, wrote in an Instagram post. “February 28, the 24-hour economic blackout: no Amazon, no Walmart, no fast food, no gas, not a single unnecessary dollar spent . . . for one day, we are going to finally turn the tables.”
When does the economic blackout begin?
The boycott starts Thursday, February 27 at midnight, and runs through Friday, February 28 at midnight.
What retail is included in the blackout?
The People’s Union USA website recommends people “do not shop online, or in-store, No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy.” It’s also asking people not to spend money on fast food, gas, or major retailers, or to use credit or debit cards for non-essential spending. For essential purchases like food, medicine, or emergency supplies, the organization’s website suggests buying it at a small local business rather than a major chain store.
As the Los Angeles area stares down the long recovery process from recent wildfires that burned thousands of homes, one architecture firm is trying to help by giving away one of its residential designs. New York-based Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture is donating all the architectural plans, sections, and 3D models of a fire-resistant home, potentially saving homeowners tens of thousands of dollars in design fees.
“We were archiving unbuilt projects around the time of the Los Angeles fires, and we came across this idea that we had for a house on a coastal area,” says Enrico Bonetti, the firm’s cofounder. “We loved the floor plans and then we realized that the design, the typology, and the materials would work very well in a fire-prone area.”
[Image: Bonetti Kozerski Architecture]
Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture is known for its high-end work, including the headquarters of Pace Gallery in New York, the interiors of actress Angelina Jolie’s fashion house Atelier Jolie, as well as several yachts and private homes. Rather than let this home’s unbuilt design languish in its archive, the firm decided they’d offer it up for anyone to use, for free. “We felt that we could make a small contribution to the people who lost their homes by donating this project to them,” Bonetti says.
[Image: Bonetti Kozerski Architecture]
The free house plan is a simple but modern design, covering 3,700 square feet, with a rectangular floorplan that’s mostly open on the ground floor, with three bedrooms on the second floor. Large windows along the length of the house stretch from the floor to near the roofline, and wide picture windows punctuate one end. The design features several fire-resistant design elements, including metal cladding, masonry walls, and an eave-less roof that eliminates one of the common places falling embers can spread wildfires.
This pro bono design is one of many efforts, large and small, being made by the architecture and design community to assist in L.A.’s rebuilding. Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia recently announced that his prefabricated housing startup Samara would be donating $15 million worth of homes to fire victims. Ad hoc groups of designers in L.A. are also pooling resources and sharing expertise to accelerate the rebuilding process.
[Image: Bonetti Kozerski Architecture]
Granted, free plans for a house are not a house, and the cost to build will be high, particularly in the fire-damaged L.A. region. But when architectural plans can account for 10% of a home’s cost or more, Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture’s donation represents tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of dollars a potential client doesn’t have to spend.
Interested homeowners in the fire-affected area will be able to download the free house plans from the architects’ website. They would then need to find their own general contractor to take the next steps.
The architects say the project is ready to build, but can also be tweaked to fit the needs of different sites or the spatial demands of the end users who might want less than 3,700 square feetor perhaps much more. “This plan could be adaptable but it’s a very space efficient starting point,” Bonetti says.
When Connor Hovey began talking to his co-workers at Trader Joes in Louisville about forming a union, he knew it wouldnt be easy. What he didnt expect was that the campaign would transform from a marathon into a race without a finish line.
Two years after Hovey and his co-workers won a union election in Louisville, their fight for union representation remains in limbo. The grocery chain with a progressive reputation filed six objections with the National Labor Relations Board after workers voted 48 to 36 to join Trader Joes United, an independent union. Every objection was tossed twicefirst by an NLRB hearing officer and later by a regional director. But last month, the workers path to certification stalled again when President Donald Trump abruptly fired Gwynne Wilcox, a Biden appointee, leaving the board unable to rule on the companys final appeal.
The boards paralysis has prevented thousands of workers like Hovey from seeking redress from an agency whose very mission is to enforce worker rights, while providing employers with new opportunities to stall disputes. At the same time, the lack of a functioning arbiter of labor relations has left workers and their advocates wondering if the time has come to employ more confrontational tactics in labor disputes.
It became clear the NLRB was already underfunded, understaffed, and overworked, said Hovey. Now [with the freeze] we may not have a decision on our election for several more years.
Catherine Creighton is a former National Labor Relations Board attorney now at Cornell Universitys School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Without a functioning board, she said, You can organize, but if the employer doesnt agree to recognize the union or bargain, theres nothing you can do about it. For workers, theres nowhere you can go.
Trumps firing of Wilcox, whose term was not due to expire until 2028, represented an extraordinary assertion of executive power over an independent agency; on the same day, Trump fired two commissioners on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, leaving that agency, too, without a working quorum. (Wilcox has since filed a lawsuit contesting her firing, arguing that it violated some of the very labor laws she previously enforced.) The freeze at the National Labor Relations Board comes while attorneys for Elon Musks SpaceX and Jeff Bezos Amazon, which are both facing labor complaints, argue in federal court that the NLRB is unconstitutional, in part because it impedes executive power. Attorneys for Trader Joes have also asserted, in NLRB proceedings, the unconstitutionality of the NLRB.
Spokespersons for the National Labor Relations Board did not respond to queries about the number of cases currently frozen at the board, though last year the board issued 372 decisions. Amazon has at least eight cases pending at the board, including an appeal of a judges decision ordering a new election at a 6,100-employee warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, due to numerous labor law violations the company committed during a 2022 campaign. In January, the NLRB reported that the board was hearing 62 separate cases in which administrative law judges had determined Starbucks had broken labor laws. Along with contesting the Louisville election, Trader Joes is appealing a judges finding that the company threatened workers and froze wages at two unionized stores.
The lack of a functioning board will exacerbate the backlog of cases at the NLRB, said Caren Sencer, a labor lawyer with Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld who represents multiple unions whose cases are now stalled at the National Labor Relations Board. It already felt indefinite, she said about the slow pace of NLRB proceedings. Now it actually is.
The current NLRB paralysis affects cases that have reached the board, not those at lower levels. But it does provide new motivation for employers to appeal lower-level cases, since they know that without a quorum the case will eventually stall out. The lack of a quorum can also open up new avenues for objections. This happened recently in Philadelphia, where, for the first time, Whole Foods workers voted to unionize on Jan. 27, the same day Trump fired Wilcox. Attorneys for Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon, filed objections to the results, asserting among their complaints that the election wasnt viable without a quorum at the board.
For Creighton, of Cornell University, the lack of a quorum renews an age-old debate among labor: Is it worth trying to organize within the slow-moving NLRB? Why go into enemy territory? she asked. It was the only game in town, but now its nothing. She said that workers and unions, faced with a nonfunctioning or hostile board, may increasingly choose tactics like strikes to get what they want. In her departing statement, former National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, a staunchly pro-labor figure, hinted as much, writing that if the agency doesnt protect workers rights, she expects workers will take matters into their own hands.
Hovey, the Trader Joes worker in Louisville, has come to a similar conclusion after several years of union organizing. Its important to recognize that direct action is the only way to receive the benefits youre looking for. You cant depend on a government agency.
Gabriel Thompson, Capital and Main
This piece was originally published by Capital & Main, which reports from California on economic, political, and social issues.
Ben Sweeny, the salesman-turned-comedian behind that online persona Corporate Sween, says that bosses should waterboard their employees.
Some companies drown their employees with boring surveys and useless questionnaires, he proclaims in a satirical video posted to LinkedIn a few months ago. I drown my employees with two to three gallons of water, an incline table, and a hand towel.
Though the clip may seem racy for LinkedIn, a social network thats earned a reputation as a reliable if buttoned-up venue for job networking, it has to date earned over 5,000 views and has reached over 7,000 unique members. And for Sweeny, its success is no surprise: Why shouldn’t job hunters appreciate a little slice of comedy?
Theres no reason for comedians not to post on LinkedIn, Sweeny tells Fast Company. Comedians want to perform on every stage they can, and LinkedIn is another stage.
Sweeny is not alone in that sentiment: Online and stand-up comics have begun to flock to LinkedIn to expand their reach. (In fact, Sweeny says hes noticed his LinkedIn usage growing substantially among his comedy peers and says it may reach a point where it becomes inundating.)
While LinkedIn doesnt have data on comedy specifically, the platform has seen a general surge in video: The job networking site says video creation is up 36% this year, growing twice as fast as any other post format.
Humor is part of how we connect at work and helps us develop bonds, says LinkedIn editor-in-chief Dan Roth. For leaders, humor helps you show that you also make mistakes and dont take yourself too seriously. So, we think humor has to be a part of LinkedIn.
However, Roth adds that LinkedIn pushes for the humor to focus on developing workplace bonds, rather than just corporate memes or viral videos.
For many of the online comics, LinkedIn is more than just a new platform; it can also be a powerful networking tool for creators navigating their career. A number of comics tell Fast Company theyve had brands reach out to them on the platform for collaborations and sponsorshipsa large source of income for any full-time content creator.
One newcomer in LinkedIns expanding comedy scene, Boston-based stand-up comic Joe Fenti, says LinkedIn isnt just the best platform for workplace based jokes; its also inherently the funniest platform because of its super serious, buttoned-up default.
LinkedIn is very devoid of fun, Fenti says. Everyone puts on this very professional face, and they forget that you can laugh and have fun. People take the platform too seriously when it’s just a bunch of showboating, gloating, and bragging.
After finding success on other social platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Fenti started posting his content onto LinkedIn a little over a month ago. His material often riffs on familiar corporate situations, like a boss hemming and hawing over the color background of a PowerPoint slide deck. He says half his LinkedIn posts pop off and the other half dont really get noticed.
Fenti enjoys adding humor to the platform where sometimes all he sees is someone saying theyre humble and grateful for a new job or position. Why cant we just talk like human beings? he asks.
Both Fenti and Sweeny have long focused on workplace humor, even before joining the work-based social media platform. Thats because their career background is corporate, rather than strictly comedic. Sweeny may have performed improv and stand-up in college, but he worked in sales before turning to comedy full time. Fenti similarly began his postgrad career as a consultant before pivoting to professional humor.
These comedians dont always create material specifically for LinkedIn; rather, the platform fits the humor they already produce. The Venn diagram between videos that Fenti posts on TikTok and LinkedIn is almost a circle, he says.
The LinkedIn comic Your Average Finance Bro (and who declined to share his real name) says he sometimes turns his preexisting jokes into text-based posts on LinkedIn. Oftentimes, those posts perform better than his videos.
Different comedians take different approaches to LinkedIn, says Your Average Finance Bro. Some people post content that traditionally would not be accepted on LinkedIn. My approach is more creating something you could send your coworker as a joke, and you could message each other and be like: thats funny.
Sweeny, for his part, likes to play the villain on social media by spoofing corporate bosses. Those characters can evoke big (sometimes shocked) reactions from online audiences. Sweeny says the best audience is those who dont get the joke. In response to those cartoonishly evil boss videos, Sweeny says that every once in a while a commenter will get really offended.
People on LinkedIn can get really passionate about work, Sweeny says. So from my perspective, it’s obvious that I’m kidding. But I have people that comment all upset and tell me I shouldnt be treating employees that way. And thats the funniest thing I could ask for.
One of the most effective factors in containing the spread of HIV has been the widespread availability of preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP). A PrEP regimenwhich has grown to include daily pills or injections every few monthscan decrease the chances of HIV infection by up to 99%. To build on those gains, in 2021, the federal government, under the Affordable Care Act, mandated that health insurers fully cover PrEP, as well as clinical visits and the labs required every three months.
But an upcoming hearing before the Supreme Court could upend that mandate. The casebrought by six individuals and two companiesis focused on whether mandating coverage of PrEP violates the religious freedom of certain business owners. Braidwood Management, one of the companies, is arguing PrEP coverage facilitates and encourages homosexual behavior, intravenous drug use, and sexual activity outside of marriage between one man and one woman,” according to the organization’s petition to the Supreme Court.
HIV doesnt just impact the LGBTQ community, says Kate Steinle, chief clinical cfficer at Folx Health, a healthcare provider focused on the queer community. Removing this coverage [would] affect so many people.
There are currently 1.2 million people in the United States with HIV. While HIV infection rates have decreased over 75% since the mid-1980s, in 2022 there were at over 31,000 new cases of HIV infection in the US. About 20% of the new cases are women, 83% of whom were infected during sex with men.
Without insurance coverage, generic PrEP could cost up to $60 a month, not including lab-work and clinical visits. At Folx Health, cash prices for an initial visit to get PrEP costs $159, follow-up visits cost $79 each, and labs run $97 a year.
If you have good insurance, the out-of-pocket costs might not prevent you from getting PrEP, says Edwin Corbin-Gutierrez, a senior program advisor at NASTAD, a nonprofit that represents public health officials focused on HIV and hepatitis. However, it can be a big burden for some people and the biggest impact will be on lower income people and the most marginalized.
A 2024 study found that a small price increase from $0 to $10 a month for PrEP would double the rate of people who dont use PrEP. The study also found that the rate of new HIV infections among people who dont have a PrEP prescription was double or triple the rate of new HIV infections for people who use PrEP.
Companies who sell PrEP are now scrambling to come up with a plan that protects public health should coverage fall through. Were in wait and see mode, says Daphne Chen, cofounder of TBD Health, a telehealth company that offers PrEP and sexual health services. Were hopeful that the government doesnt want an HIV epidemic on its hands.
Both TBD Health and Nurx, another telehealth company that prescribes PrEP and treats other health conditions, have said that theyll work to keep costs as low as possible and to partner with nonprofits to help fund people who won’t be able to pay for PrEP without insurance. Nurx says approximately 15% to 20% of its patients are not using insurance to pay for PrEP.
This comes at a really unfortunate time when were making great strides in the fight against HIV, says Neil Parikh, chief medical officer at Thirty Madison, Nurxs parent company. Well do whatever we can to make this affordable and connect patients to assistance programs.
However, its not always as simple as wanting to make healthcare accessible. Blue Cross Blue Shield filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court in which it argued that if some insurers drop PrEP and other preventative service coverage, other insurers will feel pressured to follow suit in the interest of keeping costs down and remaining competitive.
Preventative care isnt just a health policy issue, its a business issue, says Elizabeth Kaplan, director of health care access at the Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation at Harvard Law School. According to a 2021 study, the cost of treating HIV can range from $400,000 to $1 million per person over the course of their life.
Kaplan also points out theres a new treatment for PrEP on the horizon: an injection that can last for six months (some existing injections last for three months at a time). This could further reduce HIV transmission rates for had to reach people facing housing insecurity or addiction issues who may struggle with PrEP in the form of a daily pill, or with the three-month testing requirement.
Kaplan adds that a ruling that ends required coverage of PrEP doesn’t have to spell the end of it. “Companies can still choose to cover PrEP without copays, she says. We urge them to do so. Its the right thing to do.
When it comes to how optimistic we are as a country, the glass is more than half full. According to a recent Marist Institute for Public Opinion poll, 56% of Americans feel optimistic about 2025, while 43% are pessimistic. You may feel like optimism and pessimism is an inborn personality trait, but which side you fall on is actually a choice.
While it sounds surprising, Sumit Paul-Choudhury, author of The Bright Side: How Optimists Change the World and How You Can Be One, consciously decided to be an optimist after the death of his first wife. It was initially black humor, he explains. I was saying, Things are really grim right now, but I’ve decided that they’re going to be better, and I’m going to act as though they’re going to be better.
Unknowingly, Paul-Choudhury started doing things that nurture and direct optimism, and it worked. It was moving me towards a brighter future than the one I had at the moment, he says. I realized I’d always been an optimist. I’d always tended to assume that things would work out well for me, but I thought of it as a personality trait that didn’t really mean anything. I came to the conclusion that optimism is quite powerful in the way that I was responding to my situation.
Why Optimism is Important
Humans as well as the animal kingdom are set by default to be optimistic. Paul-Choudhury says there are evolutionary arguments as to why optimism is important. The most compelling is because we don’t always have the information we need.
We need something to prompt us to act, he says. Doing nothing from an evolutionary sense is not usually a path to success. You’re more likely to find solutions to your problems or new opportunities if you act.
There are varying levels of optimism, though, and people who are more optimistic are likely to search for ideas that will change the world, says Paul-Choudhury. They are more likely to persevere in trying to realize those ideas, he says. Optimists tend to cope better with setbacks. They tend to be a bit more tenacious in pursuit of whatever the goal is.
Optimists also have social clout. Youre going to hang out with somebody who tells you that things are good or are going to get better, rather than someone who’s going to say the opposite, says Paul-Choudhury. That means that optimists can also accrue considerable social and economic power.
The combination of a readiness for new ideas, the drive to pursue them, and the ability to draw others to your cause adds up to a formula for creating change, says Paul-Choudhury.
How to Become More Optimistic
Optimism can be learned, says Paul-Choudhury. One step is looking at how you frame failure. An optimist, for example, explains away failure by citing temporary external factors unrelated to their own ability or personality and reasons that are not likely to be repeated. A pessimist, on the other hand, will point to their own aptitude and determine they have failed before they even began.
For example, Paul-Choudhury failed his driving test and chalked it up to a technicality and the persnickety personality of the inspector. A friend also failed her test, but she took a pessimistic stance, deciding that she was a bad driver.
Another way to cultivate optimism is to practice a best-possible-self exercise, invented by Laura King, a professor of psychology at the University of Missouri. Spend 15 minutes a day writing about the version of you in the future where everything has gone right. Then spend five minutes imagining the future.
Paul-Choudhury realized he had inadvertently stumbled upon this approach during his period of mourning. He wrote daily blog posts, describing a better future and attempting to explain what had happened. They were all informed by the desire to work out who I could be now that such a large part of my life had suddenly been rendered irrelevant, he says, adding that he continues to use this exercise when he feels hes at a crossroads and needs a reminder to be optimistic.
The downsides of optimism
Too much optimism, however, can backfire, and Paul-Choudhury offers some cautions. You can become overconfident about goals that are not achievable, for example. You can become very selective about your use of information. Overconfidence can also skew your judgment, because it’s strongly tied up with the human urge to pay attention to information that suits your worldview.
If things are not going right, you may not notice, because you’re too busy collecting the pieces of information that tell you that they’re going well, says Paul-Choudhury.
And being overly optimistic can prompt you to pick too many goals, because you see opportunity everywhere. Thats called goal conflict, says Paul-Choudhury. You don’t pick one thing to focus on and stick with, or you try to do too many things at once. That usually leads to an inability to manage all or any one of them.
A healthy level of optimism can better your life. Once you’re conscious that you are optimistic, direct it to the things that you want to change. Being able to always find the bright side can be a welcome safe harbor when life brings you a storm.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
Books offer a compelling, slower alternative to the onslaught of negative news. With terrific new free tools, its increasingly easy to access print, digital, and audio books. Read on for my favorite book sites and apps.
The heavy-hitters
Libby lends out free e-books and audiobooks through libraries in 78 countries. It works for 90% of U.S. libraries. You can search for and check out nearly anything, instantly, for free, on any device.
Audiobooks: Check out and listen to audiobooks at any speed. You may not need to pay for an Audible subscription.
Definitions: Click on any word in an e-book youre reading in Libby for its definition or to see where else that name or phrase appears.
Highlight: Save memorable passages for your notes.
Multiple cards: You can use multiple library cards within a single Libby account. That helps you check which library has the shortest waiting list for a book in high demand. (See where you can get non-resident library cards).
Limitation: Libby is digital-onlyyou cant use it for physical books. That requires a separate app or site, like the NYPL app in New York.
Kanopy provides free access to top-notch feature films and documentaries. I log in with my library card. Watch on the Web, iOS or Android, or on a SmartTV app like Google TV, Roku, or Amazon Fire TV.
Limitation: libraries limit the number of videos you can watch monthly.
Hoopla is an alternative to Libby that works with 3,900 library systems in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Like Libby it hosts audiobooks and e-books, but also bundles in comics, movies, TV shows, magazines, and music.
Use Hoopla to read, watch or listen from the Web or on a mobile device. I recently discovered its free Bingepasses, which allow instant access to a collection of magazines or videos for a week.
World Cat tells you which of 10,000 global libraries near you have a particular book. It works in multiple languages. Search for books in print, e-book, braille, audio, or other formats.
Find your next read
Most Recommended Books shows you a list of smart people. Pick an expert or celeb you like and see which books they recommend, along with brief quotes on why they like each book. Check Goodbooks.io and ReadThisTwice for more expert/celeb book picks.
Whichbooks World Map offers a creative way to find a book about any part of the world. Select a country and see books set in that region.
Where to find book recs is a nice list from a Writing About Reading post. I also like the eclectic recommendations in the New York Times Read Like the Wind newsletter.
BookClubs lets you find a book group near you or organize your own.
Fable hosts book clubs & communities for sharing what youre reading.
Find free and cheap books
Project Gutenberg has more than 75,000 free e-books and audiobooks. No registration required. See the top 100 list for free reading inspiration.
The Internet Archive has searchable e-books and a free library collection.
Bookbub is handy for bargain hunters. It shows discounted and free e-books. Available as a newsletter or check the site for deals.
Support Independent booksellers
Alibris has 200 million titles from indy booksellers around the world.
Powells is the worlds largest independent bookstore.
Bookfinder lets you search online to find any book at the cheapest price.
Indiebound helps you find a nearby real-world indy bookstore.
Abebooks has great deals from independents. Check its bargain books + collections. Caveat: Amazon has owned it since 2008.
Tertulia is a well-designed online co-op bookshop owned by readers.
Make your own book list
Listy is free. Its easy to look up & add books, and later export your list. (See my prior post about it).
LibraryThing is free and easy for cataloging books & tracking reading.
Free Notion book tracking template lets you customize a collection page.
Free Airtable book list template & my Airtable exmple: 30 authors I like.
Find great childrens books
Sora is a digital library for kids. Schools make e-books and audiobooks available on the app. It works well with graphic novels, picture books, as well as comic books and textbooks. (We also use Libby for kids books).
Epic is another popular kids e-book app. Its fun to use, but be aware that it leans into gamification and extrinsic motivationusing points and streaks to entice kids to repeatedly open the app.
Kanopy has a great kids section with video versions of books by Eric Carle, Mo Willems and other great authors to spark an interest in reading. It also has math and science lessons.
This article is republished with permission from Wonder Tools, a newsletter that helps you discover the most useful sites and apps. Subscribe here.
