It's been ten months since NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams traveled to the International Space Station on board Boeing's issues-riddled Starliner spacecraft.After years of delays, Starliner finally launched from Space Launch Complex-41 at NASA's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 5, 2024, following three separate scrubs and the discovery of several helium leaks.Things didn't improve once the capsule reached space. Docking procedures with the ISS proved harrowing due to reaction-control thruster malfunctions.And according to a new Ars Technica interview with the two astronauts, the situation was even more terrifying than was reported at the time."I don't know that we can come back to Earth at that point," Wilmore told Ars' Eric Berger. "I don't know if we can. And matter of fact, I'm thinking we probably can't."News that NASA had actively bent flight rules to allow Starliner to continue attempting to dock with the station despite multiple thrusters failing highlights the real danger Wilmore and Williams were in, and how close they were to simply turning around.It's a damning new revelation, especially considering how much of a disaster Boeing's Starliner project has already been. The aerospace giant has poured billions of dollars into the project and has yet to complete a single, successful crewed mission to and from the station.While the pair said the launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas rocket went more smoothly than anticipated, things started to go haywire when reaction control system thrusters started failing one by one, making docking procedures a lot more difficult.During briefings preceding the launch, Wilmore had already been made aware that thruster issues could land them in a "situation where we're in space and can't control it," as he told Ars.While trying to dock with the ISS, Wilmore recounted that the crew became single fault tolerant, meaning that the mission was one failing thruster away from losing full control of the capsule's movement."We're single fault tolerant, and I'm thinking, 'Wow, we're supposed to leave the space station,'" Wilmore told Ars. "Because I know the flight rules."However, heated conversations back at NASA's headquarters led to the space agency deciding it was still worth the risk, waiving flight rules about the loss of thrusters."I did not know that the flight directors were already in discussions about waiving the flight rule because we've lost two thrusters," the astronaut added. "We didn't know why. [The flight rules] just dropped.""We're already past the point where we were supposed to leave, and now we're zero-fault tolerant and I'm manual control," Wilmore recalled. "And, oh my, the control is sluggish. Compared to the first day, it is not the same spacecraft. Am I able to maintain control? I am. But it is not the same.""There was a lot of unsaid communication, like, 'Hey, this is a very precarious situation we're in,'" Williams added. "I think both of us overwhelmingly felt like it would be really nice to dock to that space station that's right in front of us."All told, four out of the 28 reaction control system thrusters failed. Two of them came back online after NASA remotely reset the system.The pair returned on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule earlier this month after being stranded on board the space station for nine months. Their original mission was meant to last a mere week.NASA is still working to get Starliner which returned without the pair on board in September back off the ground. In an update last week, the agency revealed that NASA and Boeing are "making progress toward crew certification of the companys CST-100 Starliner," with teams "working to resolve Starliners in-flight anomalies and preparing for propulsion system testing in the months ahead."When or if the plagued spacecraft will again attempt to journey to the space station remains unclear. According to NASAs Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich, the next flight likely won't happen before late 2025 or "early next year."More on Starliner: NASA Is Investigating Boeing Starliner's "In-Flight Anomalies"Share This Article

A quarter century after its inception and less than a year after its "full-throated" defense of artificial intelligence in writing the nonprofit behind the annual National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) challenge is closing its doors.Kilby Blades, a romance author serving as NaNoWriMo's interim executive director, announced in a video and in emails posted to social media that the nonprofit,which challenged participants to crank out a draft for a novel every November,would be shuttering because, essentially, it's out of money.In the nearly 30-minute-long video, Blades explained in detail the money problems that the competition which spawned the bestselling "Water For Elephants" and incorporated into a nonprofit six years ago has suffered, which sound both stark and legitimate.Though the interim director did address prior allegations of abuse and grooming regarding the nonprofit's forums, she failed to mention the most recent elephant in the room: that last year, the group changed its policies to allow those who participated in its annual creative writing challenge to use AI generators.Beyond just allowing the use of AI, NaNoWriMo also claimed that merely criticizing the technology which has put untold numbers of writers and other workers out of a job, threatens to do so with many more, and goes against the challenge's founding ethos of inspiring people to do the work of writing is tantamount to ableism."We believe that to categorically condemn AI would be to ignore classist and ableist issues surrounding the use of the technology," the nonprofit's 2024 statement reads, "and that questions around the use of AI tie to questions around privilege."Unsurprisingly, that messaging attracted immense criticism. In the wake of its release, professionals who had been affiliated with the decades-spanning competition publicly denounced it."Never use my name in your promo again," tweeted Daniel Jos Older, a New York Times bestselling young adult author and former NaNoWriMo board member, last September. "In fact never say my name at all and never email me again. Thanks."Maureen Johnson, another ex-board member and YA author, warned fellow writers on her way out the door about what the AI decision could mean."I would also encourage writers to beware," Johnson wrote in an Instagram post, "your work on [NaNoWriMo's] platform is almost certainly going to be used to train AI."In the wake of the closure news, the usual usual suspects pointed to the grooming allegations leveled at NaNoWriMo accusations that were, it's worth noting, thoroughly investigated and handled by the nonprofit.Literary types, however, saw the AI writing on the wall."So many people worked so hard to make NaNoWriMo what it was," children and YA author Maggie Tokuda-Hall posted on Bluesky, "and it was all squandered to prop up a plagiarism machine, truly betraying everything NaNo represented: the limitless creativity of normal people.""NaNoWriMo belongs to the writers, not some shit traitorous organization," another user declared. "Always has, always will."Indeed, for all that it became in its final years, NaNoWriMo was once a staple in the creative writing blogosphere and a way for those who didn't attend the Iowa Writers' Workshop to make names for themselves. Pedigree was never a factor for the challenge's winners, who all won upon writing at least 50,000 words during the month of November and who were only required to register for verification purposes.Obviously, the organization got mighty lost along the way, but it's still sad to see NaNoWriMo go and it feels like a harbinger of things to come.More on AI writing: LA Times Uses AI to Provide "Different Views" on the KKKShare This Article

$5 billion. According to one recent survey, thats how much the fast food industry spends onadvertising in a single year. No wonder these chains feel so ubiquitous. Their marketing is everywhere; on billboards, onwebsites, and especially on broadcast and cable (and even some streaming) television.If you interact in the world in any way, it is inescapable.Because these companies spend so much, they can afford to get the best of the best advertisersmoney can buy; the creme de la Creamsicle, if you will. Even still, Madison Avenues best and brightest are not perfect, and throughout the fast food worlds history,they haveproduced somegenuinely bizarre commercials,including some that really push the boundaries of good taste, both in and out of their restaurants. Below, youll find 15 of the absolute worst. Theyre fun to watch but maybe not on a full stomach.McDonalds - The Original Ronald McDonaldAt this point, Ronald McDonald is instantly recognizable to generations of fast food patrons around the world. When he was first introduced in the early 1960s, Ronald McDonald was a weird-looking dude with a tray of food on his head. As if the O.G. Ronald wasntquirkyenough, hows this for some mind-boggling trivia: The original Ronald McDonald from these early ads was portrayed by Willard Scott, who went on to national fame as the weatherman on NBCsToday for decades. And you thought he was clowning around with those Smuckers segments.Kentucky Fried Chicken - Lie Detector TestColonel Sanders himself appears in this ad, strapped to a lie detector, while a group of women try touncover the secret to his proprietary spice blend. Even under interrogation, the Colonel refuses to yield his chicken information, and the whole thing ends with an unseen narrator unleashing an evil laugh. Is this an ad for fried chicken or a deleted scene fromThe Prisoner?McDonalds - Waste BasketsEventually, Ronald McDonald becamethe figurehead of a whole McDonaldlandfilled with oddball creatures like Birdie, the Hamburglar, and of course Grimace. Notevery McDonaldland resident became a famous character, though. In this genuinely nightmarish spot, Ronald McDonald introduces a couple of children to a pair of sentient garbage pails, encouraging them to feed the waste baskets... cause theyre hungry too! Uh, okay Ronald. Watch the kid closest to the baskets as theydance closer and closer. He looks worried thathes gonna be fed to the waste baskets.Burger King - Wheres Herb?Oddball pitchmen became all the rage in the early 1980s, thanks to ads like Wendys Wheres the Beef? and Dunkin Donuts Fred the Baker,with his perpetual refrain of Time to make the donuts! Burger King tried to carve out their own niche in that space with ... uh ... Herb. Who was ... a guy ... named Herb. In early ads, he was unseen but described as the one man alive who had never eaten a Burger King burger. That was followed by commercialslike the absurd one above, that had a whole musical ode to this rando named Herb.Then Burger King doubled down with further ads that offered discounts to anyone who tolda BK cashier Im notHerb. (If by some sad chance youwere actually named Herb, youwere instructedto say Im not the Herb youre looking for.) Later ads introduced a dweeby goofball with thinning hair and huge glasses, along with a contest where if you spotted Herb in your local Burger King you could win a cash prize. None of this boosted Burger King sales among non-Herbs; in fact, profits dropped while the Herb campaign was runningand thechain wound upjumping ship to a new advertising company.Rax - Mr. DeliciousOnce upon a time, hundreds of Rax restaurants dotted the United States. The chain sold a variety of foods roast beef primarily, but at various pointsit also offered things like pizza, tacos, and even adinner bar, which is like a pasta buffet but way wayclassier. Today, only a handful of Rax remain, a state of affairs that was exacerbated by their infamous Mr. D ads, in which a milquetoast animated pitchman promoted the restaurant in the most boring way imaginable.In one ad Mr. D complained he was a little overextended so it was a bonus that Raxs food was so cheap.In another, Mr. Dtalksexplains that heloves the drive-thru window because he just had some rather delicate surgery and it allows him to pick up his combo and drive ever so slowly over the speed bump.For some inexplicable reason, this did not boost sales.McDonalds - The Tooth FairyIn another truly odd McDonalds spot of yesteryear, Ronald McDonald reminisces aboutlosing his first tooth when he (in full clown costume) was visited by the Tooth Fairy, and received his first pair of big red shoes. Then Ronalds closet full of big red shoes springs to life and starts singing. Then the Tooth Fairy appears and asks adult Ronald if needs any socks and undies.Far be it from me to question the ad wizards who came up with this thing but ... like ... what does any of this have to do with food? Theres no mention of hamburgers or Happy Meals.Imagine presenting this commercial to a person who just stepped out of a fallout shelter for 50 years. If you asked them what was this ad promoting, do you think they could guess it? Theyd probably think this was for big red shoes! Or maybe better tooth care.Quiznos - Toasty TorpedoQuiznos is hardly the only fast food chain tolard its ads with shameless sexual innuendo. In this case, though, it just makes sense, Because, really, when you think about it, whats sexier thanshoving aphallic sandwich into a hot oven? Am I right, my dudes? High five!Thats not a rhetorical question that is the actual content of this commercial, with a sentient toasting oven speaking to a Quiznos employee and instructing him Put it in me, Scott (Its talking about a sandwich here, at least I thinkit is?) If there was any question what was going on, the oven then instructs poor Scott to repeat its instructions back, but to make it sexy. I just want to say everyone here at ScreenCrush wishes Scott a speedy recovery for all those second-degree burns on his dong.Burger King - Eat Like a SnakeCall me crazy, but Ive always thought a food commercial should makethe viewerwant to eat the food, not send them run screaming away from their television in horror.Yet that is the vibe of this Burger King ad, in which a man eats a Whopper like a snake, slithering on the floor and then distending his jaw to swallow the large sandwich whole.Whatever you do, do not attempt to make any of this make sense. That way lies madness.Quiznos - SpongmonkeysWhen Quiznos first burst onto the sandwich market, the fact that they toasted their subs helped garner them an enormous number of sales, and their early ads all focused on that one facet of their business. Then Quiznos competitors copied their gimmick, and the novelty of toasted subs began to wear off. So theircommercials needed another hook.The quest to find one led, as it inevitably does, to the Spongmonkeys, who were an online creation of animatorJoel Veitch, who had previously made a popular YouTube video with the strange, singing critters. He then created one just for Quiznos, with special lyrics about the glory of the shops warm sandwiches and pepper bar. Although the campaign did not last long, in recent years the sheer insanity of the spot has gone viral; a single 2019 tweet about the ad (with the text millennials dont own homes because this quiznos commercial put a hex on us as children) has been liked over 100,000 times. And it doesnt even have a pepper bar!McDonalds - The Dead DadREAD MORE: Americas #1 Fast Food Chain Is Closing StoresMcDonalds has had plenty of good and memorable commercials through the years; sometimesthe jingles from those oldadswill earworm their way back into my head out of nowhere because they were so darn catchy. (If reciting old McDonalds slogans is something youre interested in, what you want is what you get at ScreenCrush today.) This example from the U.K., though, ismemorable for all the wrong reasons. In it, a wayward teen asks his mother to tell him about hislate father, a trip down memory lane that culminates in a trip to Mickey Ds for aFilet-O-Fish sandwich. And wouldnt you know it? That was his dead dads favorite too.I sort of get what they were going for here; they want you to associate with family and traditions and bringing people closer together. Those are all reasonable ambitions for a fast-food commercial. But doing it in a way so heavily focused on death and absent fathers ... it doesnt exactly makemewant to eat a Filet-O-Fish, thats all Im saying.KFC - Colonel RoboCopDuring the late 2010s, KFCcast onecelebrity after another as the new version of the chains venerable mascot, Colonel Sanders.And they kept getting stranger and stranger; Darrell Hammond begat Norm Macdonald begat Billy Zane begat Rob Lowe begat Reba McEntire begat ... RoboCop? And not just any RoboCop; KFC actually brought back originalRoboCopstarPeter Weller to play the character in the ad. The results were trulybaffling. Whilemade by stoned people too.Burger King - Pok Ball RecallOof. In 1999, Burger King launched a major tie-in campaign forPokmon: The First Moviethat includes miniature toys that came packaged inside plastic containers that looked likePok Ball. Thats nothing new forPokmontoy, but for some reason, the shape and size of these specific Pok Balls was such that if a small child placed it overtheir nose and mouth they could suffocate and die. Burger King issued a voluntary recall, which they supported with ads like this one. Obviously this is not the sort ofcommercial you want associated with your fast food restaurant.Talk about a nightmare.Arby's - Italian BeefEveryone loves an anthropomorphic food mascot.Theyre cute, theyre funny, sometimes theygigglewhen you poke them in the belly. A good food mascot can mean a huge boost in sales. In 2003, Arbys tried their, uh, hand at creating their own mascot when they introduced a sentient oven mitt to their commercials. This one armed, no handed mittwas designed to hype the oven-roasted nature of Arbys beef (you gotta cook it in an oven, and you need a mitt for that, you see). Perhaps the whole oven mitt / oven roasted thing went over peoples heads; perhaps peoplecouldnt stop thinking about what would happen ifyouput the living oven mitt onyour hand and scorched him with a hot roasting pan. Either way, he vanished from Arbys advertising within a couple of years.KFC - Chicken CorsageSomehow this is not an April Fools joke, even though it debuted in April of 2014: A KFC chicken corsage you can wear just in time for prom. Apparently this campaign was amassive hit, and the florist that partnered with KFC to create this decorative item sold out of corsages, so that shows what I know about good advertising. All I know is Ive been trying to attach this chicken drumstick to mywatchfor the last 20 minutes andthe hot grease keeps burning my arm.Jack in the Box - Try My BowlsLook, Im not going to shame anyone who wants to try Jack in the Boxs bowls. You want to put Jacks bowls in your mouth? Go for it. You want to eat Jacks bowls? Dont let me stop you. Do youlike the intense aromawafting from Jacks bowls? Im genuinely happy for you. For me, these sorts of shamelessdouble entendresalways come across as kind of sad. Soa whole ad built around how the word bowls sounds a little like the word balls is a miss for me.Thats right, it does notbowl me over.Burger King - Moldy WhopperThis is another one where the concept makes sense on paper. You want to get across the idea that the Whopper doesnt contain preservatives, so you showit literally falling apart and growing mold through the use of time-lapse photography. In practice,youre just staring ata moldy cheeseburger, a sight thats more likely tomake you nauseous than hungry. Again, this is promoting an important element of a fast food item, andon some level,it iswell-executed. Its just so well-executed that it makes me want to go clean outthe expired food in the back of myfridge, not jump in my car and head to BK.Get our free mobile app90s Foods We Wish They Still MadeThese foods, drinks, and snacks from the 90s were all so great. Sadly, theyve all been discontinued.

All jobs B2B Sales Development Representative Posted A few minutes agoGenSales Marketing Group, established in 2002 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, specializes in B2B lead generation and appointment setting services. With over 20 years of experience, our company utilizes a dedicated U.S.-based sales agent model and a patented multi-touch sales approach to deliver qualified leads across various industries, including technology, healthcare, manufacturing, and more. Apply now Remote B2B Outbound Sales Development Representative - Appointment Setter100% Remote Flexible Full or Part-Time Hours for Skilled Cold Calling ProfessionalsNote: Applicants must have a MINIMUM of 3 years of experience in B2B (Business to Business) OUTBOUND SALES cold calling/appointment setting to be considered.This is NOT a customer service role.Pay: $18 - $20 per hour guaranteed + bonuses for every successful appointment set.Position Type: Independent Contractor (1099)Military Friendly: Veterans are encouraged to apply!About Us:At GenSales Marketing Group, we've been a leading U.S.-based lead generation company since 2002, with high ratings on Glassdoor and Google. Our Remote Sales Development Representatives (SDRs) specialize in B2B outbound prospecting, and we're looking for driven individuals who are eager to go above and beyond the typical appointment setter role. If you're a "hunter" with a passion for success and constantly striving to be your best, we want you on our team.Visit us at: www.gensales.comDo You Love:Setting your own scheduleWorking on exciting projects with a variety of clientsGetting paid for training and conference callsBalancing independent work with being part of a collaborative teamGenerating valuable leads and securing appointments for clientsWhat Youll Be Doing:Making outbound cold calls to a wide range of businessesScheduling appointments with key decision-makers on behalf of our clientsEffectively managing and updating leads in our CRM platformOrganizing your day to meet your calling targetsNavigating phone trees and automated systems to connect with decision-makersCollaborating regularly with internal teams regarding scripts, lists, and campaignsAre You:Proactive and goal-orientedAn exceptional communicator with a direct, clear, and prompt mannerFriendly, but also direct, factual, and persuasiveA strong listener who values feedback and coachingHighly driven with a determination to connect with decision-makersWell-organized with strong time management skills, ensuring efficiency and focusRequired Qualifications:Proven experience in B2B outbound cold calling and appointment setting with decision-makers (C-Level, VP-Level, Director-Level)Strong listening skills and openness to coaching and feedbackAvailability to work a minimum of 25 hours per week (Monday - Thursday) during standard U.S. business hoursExcellent verbal and written communication skillsAbility to work independently, while staying organized and efficientA quiet home office setup free of distractionsStrong multitasking and time management skillsProficient in using computers, managing multiple applications, and troubleshooting independentlyExperience with cloud-based CRM and VoIP dialing software; familiarity with VanillaSoft, VS Connect, Zoom, and Slack is a plusEquipment Requirements:Desktop or laptop (Chromebooks are not compatible)Operating system: Windows 11 or above, or macOS 11 (Big Sur) or aboveWired USB headset2+ monitors preferredReliable, hard-wired high-speed internet connection (no Wi-Fi, mobile hotspots, or cellular data)Must meet specific download and upload speed requirements to be considered for the roleIdeal Candidates:B2B inside sales representatives, business development specialists, and remote/virtual telemarketing professionals with outbound sales experience are encouraged to apply.Were looking for professionals who are passionate about sales and eager to contribute to our growing team. If youre ready to take on exciting challenges and be rewarded for your success, apply today!GenSales SDR Testimonials:I've been at GenSales for over 7 years and across the board management is the best. The owner of the company always closes a meeting by telling up how much he appreciates us and the work we do; it's not just lip service but a genuine attitude of how much he values our work and our contributions. JeanieWorking in the industry for over twenty years I can assure you that Gen Sales is number one in the industry. GenSales cares about the employees and the clients in terms of success and results. If you are looking for a work-from-home job that offers growth and success, then GenSales is the one. CathyI have worked for many companies as an appointment setter since 2011. I sincerely say this is the best company to work for. They understand the needs of their employees and David and his account managers make you feel like you are a part of the family. They believe we are an extension of our clients and it is important for us to be professional and responsive to their needs. BarbApply NowLet's start your dream job Apply now GenSales Marketing Group View company Jobs posted: 1 Related Jobs Remote Sales and Marketing jobs

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April 2, 20258 min readTrumps Tariffs Are Expected to Undermine the Clean Energy TransitionNew Trump administration tariff son imported goods could exacerbate a shortage of parts used by the energy industryPresident Donald Trump delivers remarks on auto tariffs and other topics on March 26, 2025 at the White House. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | Its tariff day in America.What form the new levies take remains to be seen, but this much is clear: President Donald Trumps drive to impose tariffs on a broad range of imported products represents a new world order, one where America increasingly looks inward to make the goods it needs.That kind of transformation would almost certainly affect the global transition to green energy. One possible outcome: China might be forced to branch out and find new markets for its clean energy technology, accelerating their adoption. But major downsides are just as likely, analysts said, even as they acknowledged it is too early to predict the unintended consequences that could result from Trump's moves.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.It just seems like where we are headed is totally uncharted, said Noah Kaufman, a climate economist at Columbia Universitys Center on Global Energy Policy who served in former President Joe Bidens administration. I feel very ill equipped to predict what the consequences could be.Trump has labeled Wednesday Liberation Day, arguing tariffs are needed to drive investment in domestic manufacturing after decades of outsourcing U.S. industries and jobs. Many energy analysts say the move threatens to raise prices for electricity, automobiles and gasoline.Guessing the tariffs form has become something of a Washington parlor game. One source with knowledge of the administrations thinking said the president is gravitating toward a flat universal rate on a broad range of imports. But Trump also has publicly flirted with imposing reciprocal tariffs on America's largest trading partners.Theyre reciprocal, Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday night. Whatever they charge us, we charge them, but were being nicer than they are.Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, told reporters Tuesday that the president had made his decision and would announce it at a Rose Garden press conference Wednesday.However they look, the new tariffs amount to the latest in a series of new duties Trump has imposed or threatened to impose on foreign goods since taking office in January.Twenty-five percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports are scheduled to take effect Wednesday after Trump last month postponed their implementation. They follow on the heels of a new 25 percent duty placed on foreign automobiles last week and a 25 percent levy on imports of steel and aluminum established in February.Trump sought to impose tariffs on foreign goods in his first term, many of which Biden kept in place as he looked to counter Chinas manufacturing dominance. But the duties proposed by Trump since he returned to the White House go far beyond that, upending the global economic integration the United States has championed for decades.The global approach has bled over into climate efforts and the energy transition. Americas booming solar industry, for instance, has largely been supplied by Chinese panel makers operating in southeast Asia.Predicting the impact of this round of Trumps tariffs is difficult because they deliver a hammer blow to both traditional energy industries, such as oil and gas, and relatively new ones, like renewables.When the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas released its quarterly survey of oil and gas industry executives last week, the word "uncertainty" was mentioned 13 times. That's the most since the first quarter of 2020 when Covid-19 began spreading around the world, according to an analysis by the American Petroleum Institute.The administrations tariffs immediately increased the cost of our casing and tubing by 25 percent, one executive told the bank.It was a similar story in the manufacturing sector, which contracted in March, according to a monthly survey released Monday by the Institute for Supply Management. Companies reported higher prices, fewer new orders and declining employment in large part due to uncertainties over the tariff environment.Energy industry already dealing with shortagesTariffs stand to exacerbate shortages of key components used by the energy industry, analysts said.A shortage of electrical components such as transformers, circuit breakers and switchgear has persisted for 54 consecutive months, according to ISM. And that's hampered efforts to keep up with rising electricity demand from data centers.Some utilities responded by sourcing equipment from overseas a strategy that looks increasingly risky, Wood Mackenzie wrote in a January analysis of the potential impact on tariffs.Transformer manufacturing might not seem like a big deal in the context of containing runaway carbon dioxide emissions or satisfying the energy demands of technology companies. But shortages of key electrical components have slowed the integration of renewables and other new power plants on the grid, limiting the number of data centers that can plug in, analysts said.This isn't a thing which is just good for renewables, bad for fossil fuels, or good for fossil fuels, bad for renewables, said Antoine Vagneur-Jones, head of trade and supply chains at BloombergNEF. It's a period of massive uncertainty, and that's difficult for businesses to navigate wherever you're sitting.The United States free trade agreement with Mexico meant that companies from a range of industries set up shop south of the border in an attempt to access the worlds largest economy while benefiting from lower labor costs.The U.S. imported $31.3 billion worth of wire and cable in 2024, and 52 percent came from Mexico, according to Ken Roberts, the chief executive of WorldCity, a data-tracking firm. Another $29.2 billion worth of power supplies and transformers came in last year, with 21 percent coming from Mexico and 13 percent from China. And $13.3 billion worth of electric motors and generators were imported, with 32 percent coming from Mexico and 13 percent coming from China.Automakers like General Motors, Honda and Ford, meanwhile, have spent decades building an interconnected supply chain that stretches across North America.The vehicles they assemble in the United States typically contain a large number of parts from Mexico, Canada and other countries, and they also build vehicles in Mexico and Canada with parts from the United States. Some American automakers most popular electric vehicles are assembled in Mexico, including Ford Mustang Mach-E, Chevrolets Equinox and Hondas Prologue.Trumps plan runs the risk of creating a spiral, where Mexico and other countries impose their own tariffs, prompting tit-for-tat responses, said Enrique Milln-Meja, a senior fellow for economic development at the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.That's where, in reality, a trade war starts, and that's when everybody loses, he said.Trump and his allies say that tariffs are needed to reverse decades of outsourcing that decimated manufacturing communities across much of the United States. They contend new duties on imports will force companies to invest in U.S. manufacturing facilities in order to access the worlds largest economy. And they argue the approach is already bearing fruit.As evidence, the White House has touted investments such as Hyundais plan to invest $21 billion in U.S. automobile factories and Schneider Electrics plan to spend $700 million on expanding its U.S. operations. Schneider Electric, a French company, is one of the worlds largest makers of equipment for the power sector.When I think about what is the vision of the Trump trade and tariff agenda, it's bringing back American manufacturing, creating jobs and passing the tax policy that primarily benefits working class people, said Nick Iacovella, who worked as an aide to Secretary of State Marco Rubio when he was in the Senate and now serves as executive vice president at the Coalition for a Prosperous America.Tariffs would raise revenue to pay for the extension of Trumps tax cuts, Iacovella said. He expressed hope the president would impose a universal rate on imports rather than adopting a reciprocal approach.A reciprocal tariff strategy that is primarily focused on other countries lowering their trade barriers and prioritizing market access that's essentially a free trade agreement, he said. You know, we've done this policy for like three decades. It doesn't work.U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican who serves as chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), said tariffs are needed to counteract years of unfair trade practices in China.There's nothing normal about our trade relationship with China, Moolenaar told an industry summit in Washington on Tuesday. They will subsidize, they will steal technology IP, they have all sorts of unfair trade practices. And so we need to recognize that, just acknowledge that, and then reset the relationship so there's a very different expectation, and I think that's what President Trump's tariffs are going to do, is to force this negotiation to reset this trading relationship.China may seek new buyers for clean energy techSome of Trump's actions could rebound in ways that could benefit the transition to clean energy.China, whose economy increasingly depends on the production of clean energy technology, will be motivated to find new markets as its shut out of others by tariffs, sparking a solar boom in Pakistan or a jump in EV sales in Brazil, analysts said.A growing share of Chinese exports of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and EVs are going to countries the World Bank classifies as lower or middle income, said Vagneur-Jones, the analyst from BloombergNEF.So you start to see these sort of knock-on effects, and then you could conceivably see a world where the energy transition starts to accelerate slightly in some of those poorer countries where it was seemingly more of a rich country thing, he added.But most analysts took a dimmer view, saying it would take companies years to readjust their supply chains and push up prices on energy, automobiles and consumer goods.Tariffs could add 15 percent to the average cost of vehicles, and companies will have no choice but to raise prices, said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at Telemetry Insight, a research firm that tracks the auto industry. The higher prices could drive down sales and lead to factory closures and layoffs.You cant just move production from one factory to another in a matter of weeks, he said in an interview. Youre talking years of pain before you potentially get to a positive place.In the utility industry, it will take years for manufacturers to bring new factories online needed to make equipment such as transformers and circuit breakers, said Rob Gramlich, president of Grid Strategies, a Washington D.C.-based consulting firm.Expecting companies to bring enough manufacturing capacity online to keep up with growing electricity demand projections is just not a reasonable timeframe to plan more facilities, he said. I think the tariffs are mostly just raising the cost to U.S. utilities and then their rate payers.Even sectors that have traditionally viewed tariffs as a means of bolstering domestic manufacturing are feeling uncertain. U.S. solar manufacturers have been pushing for targeted tariffs combined with tax credits and other incentives like those contained in the Biden administrations Inflation Reduction Act.The U.S. has boosted its production of solar modules since the IRA went into effect, growing from 14.5 gigawatts of production in 2023 to 50 GW in early 2025, according to a Wood Mackenzie report conducted for the Solar Energy Industries Association.But those modules are still mostly made with imported components. Whether it will be cheaper to import entire solar modules rather than individual components likely will depend on the size of the tariffs and how theyre implemented. It also hinges on whether Congress maintains tax incentives for domestic manufacturers under the IRA.Tariffs can be a part of the solution set, but they're not necessarily dependable enough that you can invest against them, said Michael Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America Coalition, which advocates for policies that support a U.S.-based solar supply chain.Dan Anthony, president of Trade Partnership Worldwide, a trade and economic research firm, said the tariff impact on U.S. solar panel production, ultimately would depend on how high the new levies are and if American producers face higher costs for imported materials.Higher costs for imported finished panels dont help production if U.S. costs rise just as much due to tariffs on imports, he wrote in an email.Even if the final cost of U.S.-produced panels doesnt rise as much as imported ones, he added, Americans may still choose to install fewer solar panels due to higher costs for the panels themselves or other purchases, such as cars, that are affected by tariffs.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2025. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

April 2, 20253 min readShingles Vaccination May Help Protect People from Alzheimers DiseaseA natural experiment in Wales showed that a shingles vaccine might lower the risk of developing dementiaBy Rachel Nuwer edited by Tanya Lewis Arman Zhenikeyev/Getty ImagesIn 2013 public health officials in Wales faced a conundrum: they had just received a new vaccine for shingles, but the supply was not large enough to vaccinate all of the older people in the country. As a fix, the officials set a cutoff date based on data that suggested the vaccine was more effective in those younger than age 80: anyone born before September 2, 1933, was ineligible for the vaccine, and anyone born on or after that date was eligible for at least one year.This unusual public health policy inadvertently created a real-world experiment that has provided the strongest evidence to date that the shingles vaccine appears to have a protective effect against Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. According to findings published this week in Nature, people who received the vaccine were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared with those who remained unvaccinated.This study really shows that there seems to be a causal, protective effect of shingles vaccination preventing or delaying dementia, says Pascal Geldsetzer, an assistant professor of medicine at Stanford University and senior author of the study. We are really looking, here, at cause and effectnot just correlation.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.Evidence has been building for years that certain viruses might contribute to some cases of dementia and that vaccinations against these viruses could lower that risk. Most previous research was conducted on cells or laboratory animals, though, or consisted of observational studies that compared people who chose to get vaccinated with those who did not in a given population. Such observational studies have fundamental limitations because researchers cannot easily control for other relevant behavioral differences, such as diet and physical activity levels, between the two groups.The beautiful data provided by the vaccination program in Wales get around this limitation, Geldsetzer says, because the only difference between those who were and were not vaccinated was a slight difference in when they were born. Birthdays were thus equivalent to a coin flip used to assign participants to one group or another in a randomized trial.For the new study, the researchers compared people whose 80th birthday fell within a week of the vaccine cutoffeither just missing it or just making it. Virtually none of those who had a birthday in the week prior to the cutoff received the shingles vaccine, while 47 percent of those who were eligible opted to get vaccinated.The researchers compared the health outcomes of both groups over the next seven years and found that one in eight people in total went on to be diagnosed with dementia. Those who received the shingles vaccine because they were eligible, however, were 20 percent less likely to develop dementia than those who didnt receive it because they were ineligible. All other factors that the researchers examinedincluding education level, rates of other vaccinations or diagnoses with common diseaseswere the same between the two groups.The findings suggest that the shingles virus might play a role in causing at least a subset of dementia cases, Geldsetzer says, and the vaccine may protect against that. Alternatively, it could be that certain vaccines, such as the one for shingles, lead to a broader immune system activation that lowers the risk of dementia developing.Geldsetzer and his colleagues now hope to raise funds to conclusively test these possibilities through a randomized controlled trial. If the findings hold up, they will be of huge importance for helping researchers better understand the underlying drivers of Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia, he says. That would also suggest that vaccinations for shingles and certain other viral diseases could be an affordable and effective public health measure to delay or prevent dementia from developing in some people in the first place.This is a well-done study that provides novel evidence that the live-attenuated [shingles] vaccine might reduce risk of dementia, says Alberto Ascherio, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who was not involved in the research. The implications, he adds, go well beyond the particulars of this particular vaccine. It will be important to expand future research broadly on the potential role of infections and vaccinations in determining dementia risk, Ascherio says.

While the Switch 2 is backwards compatible with original Switch games - and some are even receiving an upgrade - there are still a number of games with compatibility issues on the new console, including Fortnite. Read more

One thing's clear. The Switch 2 is launching into a very complex environment. Just a look at today's Nintendo Direct, or rather the comments scrolling on the side of the IGN feed over on YouTube. Someone wants a proper 3D Donkey Kong game. Someone else wants Waluigi in Smash. Someone wants Jet Set Radio - I promise that one was not me - someone else wants a full-blown sequel to Twilight Princess.Actually, looking at the Nintendo Direct itself, you can see a bit of that complexity. You'll be able to play Elden Ring and Cyberpunk 2077 on the Switch 2. Surely the kind of thing you might lead with, or at least put right near the start? Yes, sure, but then you'd bring up the uncomfortable reality of a world that already has the Steam Deck in it. Best bury this stuff a little, before it serves as a reminder that Nintendo's no longer the only bunch out there that have the full video game experience you can enjoy while sat on the bus.I registered all these thoughts watching today's Direct, just as I registered the thoughts at certain moments that this really didn't feel like a classic Nintendo console unveiling. Aren't the other guys the ones who spend time talking about HDR visuals? Is it Nintendo to spend that much time talking about SD cards or the new fan? That third-party reel towards the end was one DoorDash namecheck away from being a Geoff Keighley production. Is Nintendo losing its nerve - or, with a console that is in so many ways so similar to its last console, did it just not have that much new to say right now? Image credit: NintendoOn balance, I don't think that's the case. I think the really big thing was up-front after the Mario Kart World reveal - in a way, it was a part of the Mario Kart World reveal, but we'll get to that in a moment. It's the C Button, which, yes, does sound like the kind of thing you say when you're trying to swear in the presence of children. It's what the C Button does. It's chat. It's audio and video chat. But it's all done in a very Nintendo way.By which I mean Nintendo's looked at a part of the world very closely, and has delivered a solution in a distinctly Nintendo manner. I'm not sure that I personally would have understood the area they are working in if I didn't have an eleven-year-old child, because I'm 46 and, like many people post-Covid, deeply eager to never log onto another video conference ever again. But I share a house with someone who uses technology - and games - in a very different way. Someone who sees video chats and online chat of all kinds as part of their everyday reality. This is who Nintendo is thinking of.To put it another way, I've long realised that my daughter relates to games in a very different way to me. To her, and her school friends, games are social spaces, an extension of the playground chat. They chat at school. They chat on the bus home from school. And then they get home and they continue to chat in Fortnite or Among Us or Minecraft. Are they chatting about the games? Sometimes, but most often they're just chatting about anything. These games are part of the way they socialise, a bit like the FaceTime skincare routine chats they'll go on to have later in the evening. Image credit: NintendoThis is what that C Button is all about. You're playing games together, so chat makes sense. But even if you're playing different games, or just watching one of you play a game, it still makes sense for this kind of player. The C Button is basically the party line from Mean Girls - it just happens that people are much more likely to communicate through consoles than landlines in 2025.I love the fact that you don't have to play the same games as each other in Nintendo's GameChat. It seems to speak to the way focus shifts when you're chatting with friends - what are you doing? What about you lot? What are you doing now? - and it speaks to the simple joy of just being together regardless of what you're actually up to. Image credit: NintendoFold in Mario Kart World, though, and it becomes even more interesting. When I heard that you'd be able to go off road and explore in Mario Kart World, I thought: fun, but a bit weird. What's everyone else you're playing with going to be doing? Turns out they'll be doing their own stuff, connected to you but not connected via GameChat. The Switch 2 is weaponising aimless free time, in the same way that Twitch or Discord does.I know none of this is new, and despite the example I've used of my daughter and her friends, none of this is unique to school kids and Gens Z and Alpha. All kinds of people use games as spaces to meet up in. But it's fascinating to see Nintendo get in on the act - Nintendo who often arrives late, having cooked up very distinct ideas. Maybe Nintendo hasn't lost its nerve after all.