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A jovial President Donald Trump held a warm and friendly meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the White House, packed with plenty of handshakes and back pats. He brushed aside questions about Saudi Arabias human rights record, praised the prince for his statesmanship and announced hundreds of billions of dollars in new Saudi investment in the United States. The White House rolled out plenty of pomp for the Saudi royal on Tuesday, dispatching fighter jets that the two leaders watched from a red carpet, parading out an honor guard on horseback and giving a lavish dinner in the East Room. In a sitdown in the Oval Office that took place just seven years after Prince Mohammad was implicated by U.S. intelligence agencies in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump and the prince took numerous questions from reporters one of whom was repeatedly insulted by Trump on everything from commerce to the sale of advanced F-35 fighter jets to Riyadh. Here is a look at some of the takeaways from the visit: Movement on military cooperation Trump had previewed his decision to sell F-35s on Sunday but formalized it before the prince on Tuesday when he said the approval was complete and that Israels fears about maintaining its qualitative military edge in the Middle East would be addressed. Details of the deal were not immediately clear, but some in the Pentagon and other agencies have opposed the sale because of the potential for advanced technology being shared with China, which also has close ties with Saudi Arabia. As far as Im concerned, I think they are both at a level where they should get top of the line, Trump said of Saudi Arabia and Israel, which already has F-35s. Israels aware and theyre going to be very happy. Israeli officials have suggested that they would not be opposed to Saudi Arabia getting F-35s as long as Saudi Arabia normalizes relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords framework. The Saudis have said they would join the Abraham Accords but only after there is a credible and guaranteed path to Palestinian statehood, a position Prince Mohammad repeated in the meeting. We want to be part of the Abraham Accords, but we want also to be sure that we secure a clear path of two-state solution, he said. Were going to work on that to be sure that we come prepared for the situation as soon as possible to have that. Trump also said the U.S. and Saudi Arabia would complete a broader agreement on military and security issues during the visit and that the U.S. would proceed with a civilian nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia, about which Israel also has raised concerns. The two nations also signed a deal that calls for the Saudis to purchase nearly 300 tanks from the U.S. At the dinner Tuesday night, Trump announced he was designating Saudi Arabia as a major non-NATO ally, a largely symbolic move that gives foreign partners some defense, trade and security cooperation benefits. Khashoggi’s killing gets swept aside Tuesdays meeting was the first White House visit for the crown prince since Khashoggi, a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2018. U.S. intelligence said Prince Mohammad likely approved the slaying. In a remarkable scene in the Oval Office, the prince, nicknamed MBS, faced questions from reporters, something not typical for the de facto head of the absolute monarchy where dissent is criminalized. He was asked about Khashoggi’s slaying along with the role that Saudi citizens played in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. Trump, however, lashed out at the reporter for the line of questioning. Trump called Khashoggi, a Saudi pro-democracy activist, extremely controversial and said a lot of people didnt like that gentleman that youre talking about. Whether you like him or didnt like him, things happen, but he (the crown prince) knew nothing about it and we can leave it at that. Prince Mohammad, who has denied involvement in Khashoggi’s killing, replied that his government had taken action. Its been painful for us in Saudi Arabia, he said. We did all the right steps of investigation, etc., in Saudi Arabia, and weve improved our system to be sure that nothing happens like that again. And its painful, and it was a huge mistake. Trump also commended the Saudi leader for strides made by the kingdom on human rights without providing any specific detail but presumably referring to reforms relating to womens rights. Whats he done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else, Trump said. Lots of pomp and circumstance Trump greeted Prince Mohammed at the White Houses South Lawn entrance with a handshake and arm slung over the prince’s shoulder. Trump literally rolled out the red carpet for the Saudi leader, with a military band on hand and a flyover by U.S. military planes, before showing the crown prince his decorations along the White House Colonnade. We have a extremely respected man in the Oval Office today, Trump said at the top of meeting, calling the prince a friend of mine for a very long time. Trump also castigated his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for greeting Prince Mohammed with a fist bump during his 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia. When you get out of the plane and you get the future king and a man who is one of the most respected people in the world you shake his hand, you dont give him a fist bump, right? Trump said. Trump doesnt give a fist bump. I grab that hand and he did just that. At the dinner Tuesday night, the tuxedo-clad president and first lady Melania Trump welcomed the crown prince back on the red carpet again, before feting him at a dinner attended by tech titans such as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Apple CEO Tim Cook, along with golfer Bryson DeChambeau and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo. They dined on a pistachio-crusted rack of lamb, followed by a couverture mousse pear for dessert. Vast but vague commercial and economic deals Prince Mohammad told Trump that his country would be increasing its financial commitments to the U.S. from $600 billion, which ws announced during the presidents trip to Riyadh in May, to $1 trillion. Details of those deals were not immediately clear but are expected to include investments in a variety of American businesses, including artificial Intelligence, as well as the purchase of jet engines and other equipment. Matthew Lee, AP diplomatic writer Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.
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E-Commerce
Time slows. The mind chatter quietens. Outside distractions dial down to a hum. You are at one with the task at hand. Congratulations, youve reached flow state. Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi coined the term to describe a state of complete immersion in an activity, one in which focus comes naturally and youre in the zone. Think of the hours flying by as a painter gets lost in their art. Or when youre juggling three browser tabs, the caffeine hits, and suddenly, your fingers start flying across the keyboard. Well, over on TikTok, a new trend has the internet sharing the hyper-specific ways they genuinely enter their “flow statethe more chaotic, the better. One example: When the iced latte, Zyn & Adderall hit at the same time and I genuinely reach flow state, a TikTok user wrote, blinking and looking around the room with full alertness, punctuated by slurping coffee through a straw. When I have a drink for hydration, a drink for caffeine, and a drink for fun & genuinely reach a flow state, another wrote, triple-fisting beverages while standing in front of a laptop. Another added, When youre matching socks and genuinely reach flow state. Boom. While the trend takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to the psychological phenomenon, it is a real, if elusive, feeling. Csíkszentmihályi explains that flow happens when our abilities line up just right with the task in front of us. Too easy, and we get bored. Too hard, and we get stressed. Flow occurs in the sweet spot where were both completely absorbed and able to enjoy the process. Theres this focus that, once it becomes intense, leads to a sense of ecstasy, a sense of clarity: you know exactly what you want to do from one moment to the other; you get immediate feedback, Csikszentmihalyi said in a 2004 TED Talk. You know that what you need to do is possible to do, even though difficult, and sense of time disappears, you forget yourself, you feel part of something larger. Research shows that entering the flow state can boost performance in activities such as sports or music, and also improve both creativity and well-being. Csíkszentmihályi went as far as to call it the secret to happiness, with research showing those who regularly experience flow appear to be less susceptible to depression. With Gen Z locking in” from now until the end of the year, now is as good a time as ever to practice getting in the zone, blocking out all distractions, and checking off some goals before 2026. Or, as one TikTok user suggested: When Im eating the wings and fries at the same time while also getting water and I genuinely reach flow state.
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E-Commerce
Tyson Foods has agreed to stop making claims about reaching net zero or selling climate-smart beef for at least five years, part of a settlement from a lawsuit brought against it by the nonprofit Environmental Working Group (EWG). EWG sued Tyson in 2024 over false or misleading marketing claims. The lawsuit, filed in D.C. Superior Court, alleged that Tyson misled customers through materials that said the companys industrial meat production operations will reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and also claims that it produces climate-smart beef. Beef is one of the worst climate offenders when it comes to proteins. It is responsible for eight to 10 times the carbon emissions as chicken and up to 50 times those of beans. Climate experts highlight beefs immense land and water use, deforestation, and the methane emissions from cattle as top environmental impacts. In the United States, agriculture at large accounts for about 10% of greenhouse gas emissions. About half of that comes from livestock, with cattle specifically making up 35% of agriculture emissions. “No plan” to achieve net zero goals In 2023, Tyson launched a Climate-Smart Beef Program.” It advertised that its Brazen Beef products were part of that program, and that they came from animals raised with emissions reduction practices in mind, per the lawsuit. On its Brazen Beef website, Tyson had said that its emissions were already down 10% (the website is no longer available). But EWG says that Tyson never defined what exactly climate-smart beef is, what baseline it is using for comparison, or how it is measuring any alleged [greenhouse gass] reductions, the lawsuit reads. The lawsuit also alleged that Tyson has no plan to achieve its net zero goals. In the settlement, announced this week, Tyson agreed to no longer make those environmental claims for five years. Tyson also cannot introduce new environmental claims unless they are supported by expert analysis and verified facts, per the nonprofit. The five-year restriction is meaningful because it prevents Tyson from turning around and re-introducing these claims without doing the hard work to substantiate them, Caroline Leary, general counsel and chief operating officer at EWG, says via email. Five years is a substantial window for a company of Tysons size to either make real, measurable progress on reducing its emissions, or for it to reconsider the accuracy of the claims it makes to consumers, she adds. In a statement, a Tyson spokesperson says the settlement does not represent any admission of wrongdoing by the company. Tyson Foods has a long-held core value to serve as stewards of the land, animals and resources entrusted to our care, the spokesperson added. Spin and bones The Tyson settlement comes in the same month as a separate settlement between the New York attorney generals office and JBS USA, part of the worlds largest meat company. In that settlement, JBS also agreed to stop making unsubstantiated claims about reaching net-zero emissions. JBS USA will also pay $1.1 million for agriculture programs to help New York farmers reduce emissions and become more climate resilient. The settlements highlight both the environmental impact of meat companies and also their intense marketing practices. A 2024 report found that meat and dairy companies are failing to address these impacts, and none have net-zero targets that meet UN standards. The industries spend more on advertising than on climate solutions, the report found. EWG, which was represented by the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Earthjustice, Edelson PC, andFarmSTAND in the suit, called the settlement a significant victory and says it will continue to review climate claims across the meat industry. Our hope is that this settlement raises the bar for the entire industry, and that companies like Tyson will take a fresh look at what substantiation actually requires, Leary says. If Tyson or any other company chooses to resume climate claims without the evidence to back them up, we will be prepared to take appropriate action. Consumers deserve truth in advertising, now and in the future.
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E-Commerce
Starting a new job can be exhilarating and stressful at the same time. You are excited to meet new people, take on new responsibilities, and grow. You also want to demonstrate to your new employer that they made the right choice by hiring you. So, how do you put your best foot forward? Perhaps the most important thing to remember about that impression is that how you do things is more important than what you accomplish in those first few weeks. You are helping your new colleagues to get to know what it is like to work with you. This approach is valuable whether youre entering the organization near the bottom or the top of the org chart. Listen first When you first start with a new company, you dont know what you dont know. Even if you have lots of experience in similar industries, you are still entering an organization with its own history, people, and ways of doing things. In addition, you are stepping into conversations that have been going on for a long time. Of course, youre going to want to immediately demonstrate your value to others, and it will seem like the best way to do that is to make suggestions. Start by listening: How do people talk to each other? What is the best way to build on other peoples ideas? Which people in the organization have the respect of others? Who seems to have influence in meetings and behind the scenes? The best way to answer all of these questions is to listen. When you go into meetings with the intent to impress and say things, then you listen long enough to figure out what youre going to say next. When you enter meetings to learn, then you listen a lot and miss less of the subtlety of the discussion going on around you. Be curious When you get hired, you want other people to respect the knowledge and skills youre bringing to your new team. As a result, you may not want to admit ignorance. Instead, you should be a sponge. Assume you know very little and that you are there to learn from others rather than to spread your knowledge and wisdom. Ask a lot of questions of other people. When you hear a phrase or acronym that is new to you, stop the conversation and ask for clarification. When someone moves forward with a particular plan or a decision gets made, ask why it was done? Clarify that youre asking why to understand the criteria and values people are using to reach decisions. Ask your new team members whether there are documents you can read to understand how current projects have reached the point where they are. Attend as many briefings on projects as you can. Monitor communication channels like Slack to see how projects get discussed. Admit mistakes Of course, youre going to make mistakes. That is inevitable. It is particularly likely early on. Youre going to misunderstand an instruction, or try something and get it wrong. That doesnt mean you should blunder about. If you are asked to do something and youre not completely sure you understand the request, get clarification. It is better to be walked through the steps of a new task than to move forward with it and do it badly so that you or someone else has to redo it. No matter how carefully you clarify, though, youll do some things wrong. It is crucial that you tell a supervisor or other colleague as soon as you recognize that you have made a mistake. Ask for help and find out what you can do to correct any problems that arise. You might think that admitting a mistake will immediately tag you as someone who is not trustworthy. The paradox is that when you admit a mistake quickly, you are letting the people around you know that you are paying attention to the outcomes of your actions and that you are going to let others know as soon as something goes wrong. As a result, admitting mistakes quickly is likely to gain you trustas long as you dont make the same mistakes repeatedly. Be trainable and correctable When you first start in a new role, you probably feel a little apprehensive. You want to prove that you belong. When someone offers you some information or advice, you might want to demonstrate your prowess by telling others when you already know something you have been told. Resist that urge. Instead, thank people for the advice they give and for taking you under their wing. You want everyone around you to know that you can be taught and trained. Even new executives have a lot to learn. Youd like everyone in the organization to feel like they have a vested interest and a role to play in your success. In addition, if youre in a leadership role, you should also clarify to everyone that you dont want their deference. You are likely to say things that reflect that you are new to the organization (and have blind spots). Encourage people to correct things you say that are wrong and to push back on ideas they disagree with. Start early to create an atmosphere of productive disagreement and constructive criticism. If someone does offer you a critique of a position, accept it gracefully even if you disagree with it. Thank them for the feedback and take it seriously, even if you still think what you said originally is correct. After all, people are watching what you do as a guide toward how to treat you. If you dismiss well-intentioned feedback, you will probably dissuade other people from offering suggestions in the future.
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E-Commerce
The flight disruptions during the record government shutdown that ended last week inspired a rare act of bipartisanship in Washington on Tuesday, when congressional representatives from both parties introduced legislation that would allow air traffic controllers to get paid during future shutdowns. The bill proposes funding salaries, operating expenses, and other Federal Aviation Administration programs by tapping into a little-used fund with $2.6 billion that was created to reimburse airlines if the government commandeers their planes and they are damaged. The bill’s sponsors, which include four of the top Republicans and Democrats on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, hope that relying on the fund might make their bill more attractive than other proposals because it would limit the potential cost of doling out paychecks. U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri, the GOP chairman of the committee, said in a statement that the bill would help keep the traveling public safe during future shutdowns. The other sponsors include Democratic U.S. Reps. Rick Larsen of Washington and Andre Carson of Indiana, along with Republican U.S. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas, who leads the aviation subcommittee. We all saw that the system can be vulnerable when Congress cant get its job done, Graves said. This bill guarantees that controllers, who have one of the most high-pressure jobs in the nation, will get paid during any future funding lapses and that air traffic control, aviation safety, and the traveling public will never again be negatively impacted by shutdowns. The bills introduction comes ahead of a scheduled hearing Wednesday by a Senate subcommittee to examine the impacts of the 43-day shutdown on aviation. But it’s not clear whether this bill or any similar proposals that have been floating around Congress since the 2019 shutdown will have a chance to get approved before the next government funding deadline at the end of January. Nearly all the other proposals, including one from U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, would rely on the aviation trust fund that collects money from fees the airlines pay, and the Congressional Budget Office has given those bills a much higher price tag. Fixes have been proposed, but none approved Over the years, lawmakers have tried a handful of fixes for a long-term solution to keep air traffic controllers and other essential aviation workers paid during funding lapses. The proposals often gained bipartisan attention, especially after the 35-day shutdown that ended in 2019 during President Donald Trumps first term, but none made it over the finish line. Moran’s bill, known as the Aviation Funding Stability Act, for example, is a recurring proposal in Congress that would allow the FAA to tap into the Airport and Airway Trust Fund. Lawmakers in both chambers have reintroduced versions of it over the years, including in 2019 and 2021. The legislation resurfaced in March when Moran, the Republican chairman of the Senate subcommittee on Aviation, Space, and Innovation, put it forward. It came up again in September, weeks before the shutdown began, when Carson and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, also a Democrat, introduced it in the House. The new bill introduced Tuesday would cut off the money if the insurance fund dips below $1 billion. But Transportation Committee staffers estimate that would still provide enough funding to keep FAA operating for four to six weeks. Air traffic controllers stretched thin during shutdown The issue gets so much attention because of all the flight delays and cancellations that happen during a shutdown as more air traffic controllers call out of work. The existing shortage of controllers is so severe that just a few absences in an airport tower or other FAA radar facilities can cause problems. The controllers and the FAA technicians who maintain the equipment they rely on are expected to continue working without pay during a shutdown to keep flights operating. But as the shutdown dragged on this fall, more controllers began calling out of work, citing the financial pressures and the need to take on side jobs. The delays got so bad during the latest shutdown that the government ordered airlines to cut some of their flights at 40 busy airports nationwide, in what the FAA said was an unprecedented but necessary move to relieve pressure on the system and controllers. Thousands of flights were canceled before the FAA lifted the order entirely and airlines were able to resume normal operations Monday. Why the insurance fund was created The fund that the bill introduced Tuesday would use was created years ago to pay for claims an airline might file if the government uses one of its planes for a military operation or other use. But that’s not common anymore. The last time a claim was made was after Americas withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The fund has continued to grow as it collects interest. For a time, it was also used for an insurance fund at a time when airlines were having trouble getting any insurance coverage after 9/11. For years, airlines paid into the fund regularly to get coverage from the government. But by the early 2010s, the insurance market for airlines had stabilized. Congress let the insurance program expire at the end of 2014. Josh Funk and Rio Yamat, AP transportation and airlines writers
Category:
E-Commerce
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