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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.
Category:
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.
Category:
E-Commerce
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