We may earn a commission from links on this page.I own way too much stuff, but I'm always working on decluttering and streamlining what I have. Ironically, my quest to organize the items I do decide to keep often entails buying something newand one recent purchase has been truly beneficial. It's time to talk about how tiered storage has changed my organizing life.How I use tiered storage to organize everythingI've previous written about how much I love acrylic organizers for storing stuff like makeup, since they keep all the tiny objects in order and easy to reach. I've ordered so many of them, my shopping apps have picked up on my proclivities, and a few weeks ago, one of them offered up something different: tiered, acrylic mini-shelving units. The algorithm always knows what I want, even before I do, and it wasn't wrong this time. I dutifully added to cart. When the little units came, I set about reorganizing my perfume shelf to test them out. I ended up loving the resultand buying more. Now, I can see everything in my cabinet without taking anything out, and reach in without knocking anything over. Credit: Lindsey Ellefson What I really like about tiered storage shelvesand why I believe you should add some of your ownis that they helps me follow the Organizational Triangle rules I'm always writing about. Specifically, the rules advise that all similar items must be stored together, and everything must have a place. Typically that means using containers to group items into categories. That works fine in some cases, but for oft-used but varied things like makeup, perfume, and accessories, I like to be able to see what I have while I'm getting ready. Yanking open a storage container and rifling through it is less than ideal. Tiered storage not only allows me to keep everything out on a shelf and grouped together, but makes them easy to see and access. Prior to picking these little stacked shelves up, I had a lot of perfumes lined up precariously on small boxes to create my own tiered effect. It wasn't exactly a stable setup, and it resulted in me breaking a beloved, nowhere-near-empty bottle of Glossier You. (RIP.) These sturdier, use-specific shelves will prevent me from making that mistake again. My favorite tiered storage ideasI used my first round of tiered organizers to manage the delicate glass bottles of my perfume collection, but there are a lot of uses you can put these to. They're great for organizing spices in a cabinet, displaying sentimental items or collections of knick-knacks, managing office supplies littering a desk, or even storing condiments in the fridge. Anything that you have an abundance of and don't want to rifle through when you only need to grab one is a candidate for tiered storage. Because they make use of otherwise-wasted vertical space, these shelves provide better organization in a relatively small footprint, so feel free to get creative.Another advantage of tiered shelving is that it's generally not very expensive. Consider this three-tiered riser stand for $6.99: HENABLE Large Acrylic Display Risers $6.99 at Amazon $8.73 Save $1.74 Shop Now Shop Now $6.99 at Amazon $8.73 Save $1.74 You can get one with four tiers for $12.99. If you want something more stylish than clear acrylic, you have loads of options: Round, black, circular platforms arranged in a tiered circle with storage space for larger items in the middle ($16.90)A wooden, four-tiered stand that would look perfect in a kitchen ($16.99)A decorative, artistic stand with three tiered platforms ($14.99)A clear and black acrylic stand with circular levels to add some dimension (two for $22.99)Whatever you choose, you'll definitely appreciate being able to actually see (and use) al the stuff you've bought to put on them.

Meta might not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of generative AI, but they are a big part of the current artificial intelligence race. The company has its own AI model, Llama, has added "Meta AI" to all of its big productswhether you like it or not (you don't). Meta even wants you to try making your own AI bot. It's safe to say the company is all-in on AI.But even for a company so committed to AI, this latest story is simply bizarre. It turns out the company has been experimenting with AI-generated user accounts on its platforms since 2023. The Instagram versions of these pages are currently going viral, but they're also available on Facebook. The accounts are verified, and each is equipped with a unique personality, but they're completely fraudulent. Each is entirely made up, with posts of AI-generated images. It's all very weird, but also not all that newthe profiles were created more than a year ago, and appear to have largely been abandoned. And now that the profiles are getting a lot of online backlash, Meta is actively deleting their content.Meta's AI users are an off-putting bunchIt's not hard to see why the internet has embraced hating these fake people. Take "Liv" (username "himamaliv"), who purports to be a "proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller." Liv is, of course, not real, nor is the life she posts about on her Instagram. But that doesn't stop Liv: The creator has posts about raising strong girls, ice skating with her family, and "soaking up all the sun and fun" with "the kiddos." Each post sports a corresponding imagethe beach post shows children playing in the sand, while the ice skating post shows skaters on an ice rinkbut all of these images are AI generated. To Meta's credit, each picture sports a Meta AI watermark to denote the image isn't actually real, but it doesn't make these posts any less creepy. Why is an AI-generated "mother" posting an AI-generated image of her "kids" playing at the "beach?" Who benefitted from the AI-generated coat drive she is proud to have spearheaded? Credit: Jake Peterson In her second oldest post, from Sept. 26, 2023, she says "My backyard is my happy place...I've thrown so many birthday parties, cookouts, and girls nights in this space that I've lost count. Forever grateful for the life I live," complete with an AI-generated image of a picnic spread. The thing is, Liv has not thrown birthday parties, cookouts, or girls nights in this space. This space doesn't exist. The life Liv is so grateful to live doesn't exist. Liv is following 18 accounts at the time of writing. Thirteen of them appear to be similar AI-generated pages. For example, there's Becca (dogloverbecca), who posts AI-generated dog content; Brian (hellograndpabiran), who advertises himself as "everybody's grandpa;" and Alvin the Alien (greetingsalvin), who is, um, an alien. But not all the posts are AI-generated. Some of them have videos posted to their accounts as well, and while AI-generated video can certainly be convincing these days, I don't think these videos are AI generatedat least, not all of them. Carter, the AI dating coach, had a cooking video from January 2024 that appeared very much to be real, but it seems Meta nuked all the content. Still, who posted them? To what end? These accounts are not new, but are newly going viralThe oddest thing is, these posts and pages are not new. Liv's latest post, for example, is from March 8, 2024, as are most of the posts from these AI bots. (Carter appears to have posted as recently as June.) For the most part, their profiles are abandoned, although verification badges are still affixed to each. That said, as I'm writing this, Meta appears to be deleting the content on each of the Instagram pages. The Facebook counterparts appear to still be live, but I imagine they'll be gone soon, too. Credit: Jake Peterson The pages are actually tied to AI chatbots Meta developed back in 2023, when it was really kicking its AI programs into gear. The headlines then focused mostly a roster of celebrity AI chatbots, which let you chat with "TomBrady," "Kendall Jenner," and "Paris Hilton." But among these list of non-celebrity chatbots Meta rolled out were names like Liv, Brian, and Alvin the Alien. You can still chat with them if you like: visit Liv's profile, and you can start up a conversation. But just like with any other AI chatbot, you probably won't get very far. It's not totally clear why these accounts are going viral now, a year and a half after Meta initially rolled them out. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because they really are that bad. The accounts are weird, and there are so many layers to their weirdness: The personalities Meta developed are off-putting (and borderline offensive); the posts themselves are creepy (who wants to see AI photos of fake people's kids, complete with a story about their day at the beach?); and the fact that they're verified defeats the purpose of verification altogether. In short, the accounts might be from 2023, but they reflect a raging resentment of AI slop in 2025. As Jason Koebler of 404media writes on Bluesky: The currently viral Meta AI profiles are old and are already inactive because they were such a colossal failure and were indistinguishable from AI spam. This 'inevitable' future Zuckerberg is trying to shove down our throats is being completely rejectedwww.404media.co/metas-ai-pro...[image or embed] Jason Koebler (@jasonkoebler.bsky.social) January 3, 2025 at 12:12 PM

SonyBe it for the Walkman portables and Trinitron TVs of old or the PlayStation consoles, Alpha cameras and superlative headphones of the twenty-first century, Sony has long been a mainstay at CES. But for the past couple of years at the world's biggest electronics trade show, Sony has opted to focus on a different field: Automotive. The Afeela electric vehicle dominated Sony's 2023 and 2024 CES press conferences, and we know that trend will continue for 2025, with an appearance at the Sony event (and a followup press conference) already confirmed.What to expect at Sony's CES 2025 press conferenceThe Afeela is the first product from Sony Honda Mobility, a joint venture between the Japanese electronics and transportation giants. After a surprise rollout at CES 2023, the Sony CES presser teed up additional details on the EV's LiDAR-heavy sensor array and AI-enhanced cabin tech (the latter coming with an assist from Microsoft) at CES 2024. If the car's previously announced scheduling waypoints preorders in 2025 ahead of 2026 availability remain intact, we're hoping to hear which of the Afeela's concept car niceties will actually make the cut once it enters the streets of the real world.Of course, it won't be all Afeela all the time in Vegas. Expect Sony to spend time talking up its imaging, gaming or maybe even its movie studio division. And with any luck, we'll get more info on the company's XR headset, which was shown off at the 2024 show, only to never be seen again. CES 2025 would be the perfect place to show off a meaty update of a possible competitor to the Apple Vision Pro.Sony's CES 2025 livestreamYou can watch the Sony CES press conference as it happens below. The feed will start Monday, January 6 at 8:00PM ET.The separate Afeela press conference will take place on Tuesday, January 7 at 4:30PM PT, and will be streamed on YouTube as well.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/sony-ces-2025-press-conference-watch-it-here-monday-at-8pm-et-212207358.html?src=rss

Meta has nuked a bunch of its AI-generated profiles from Facebook Instagram, the company confirmed, after the AI characters prompted widespread outrage and ridicule from users on social media.The AI-generated profiles, which were labeled as AI managed by Meta, launched in September of 2023, rolling out alongside the companys celebrity-branded AI chatbots (also discontinued). Meta doesnt seem to have updated any of these profiles for several months, and the pages seem to have been largely unnoticed until this week, following an interview published by the Financial Times with Metas VP of Generative AI, Connor Hayes.In the interview, Hayes spoke about the companys goal to eventually fill its services with AI-generated profiles that can interact with people and function kind of in the same way that accounts do. Those comments brought attention to the extant fMeta-created AI profiles and, well, users were not exactly impressed with what they found.With handles like hellograndpabrian, a supposed retired textile businessman who is always learning and datingwithCarter, an AI dating coach, the chatbots were meant to showcase unique interests and personalities for users to chat with. On Instagram, their profiles also featured AI-generated posts that, as 404 Media noted, looked a lot like the AI spam thats become prevalent in many corners of Facebook.MetaAn AI persona called Liv sparked particular outrage. The Instagram profile identified Liv as a proud Black queer momma of 2 & truth-teller. Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah posted a series of screenshots in which she interrogated Liv about how Meta trained the AI, with Liv sharing that it was created by a predominantly white team. Independent journalist Mady Castigan posted another conversation in which Liv said that its creators had been inspired in part by Sophia Vergaras character from Modern Family, a character that is neither queer nor Black.There is confusion: the recent Financial Times article was about our vision for AI characters existing on our platforms over time, not announcing any new product, a spokesperson told Engadget. The accounts referenced are from a test we launched at Connect in 2023. These were managed by humans and were part of an early experiment we did with AI characters."Beyond sparking ridicule for their responses and attempts to appropriate marginalized identities, users found the AI profiles were impossible to block, for reasons unknown. Rather than fix the issue, Meta's solution was to kill the experiment entirely. "We identified the bug that was impacting the ability for people to block those AIs," a spokesperson said, "and are removing those accounts to fix the issue.While this trial run has gone up in flames, the company doesnt seem to be abandoning its plans to bring more AI-generated characters to its apps. Earlier this year, the company teased AI clones of human creators capable of holding lifelike video calls. Creators can already train their own chatbots to respond to followers on their behalf. Meta also began experimenting with inserting its own AI-generated imagery into users Facebook feeds.In an interview last year, Hayes told me that Meta likely will become more proactive about surfacing AI-generated content over time, comparing it to the shift from showing recommended content instead of posts from people you follow.In the beginning of social apps the corpus of stuff that you could see on a given day was sort of constrained by who you followed or were friends with. And over the last like, five or six years, a lot of apps ourselves included have moved to, you know, relax that constraint and start recommending content from accounts you don't follow.I think probably the next leap that's going to happen there is relaxing the constraint of what humans can create, and actually getting to feeds of content that are a combination of things that, you know, humans have created, but also that are entirely machine generated.It may still be awhile before Meta fully realizes that vision. But if the reaction to its early experimentations is any indication, the company still has a lot of work to do to convince people AI personas are worth interacting with in the first place.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/meta-sends-its-ai-generated-profiles-to-hell-where-they-belong-204758789.html?src=rss

Time to get into the habit of writing "2025" instead of 2024, and the year may have just begun, but the Engadget team is already working hard for CES 2025. This weekend, many from the Engadget team will be flying to Las Vegas, where well be covering techs biggest annual conference. We've scoured our bursting inboxes, full of pitches from companies that are planning to be there, and meticulously filled out copious spreadsheets with upcoming launches and appointments for briefings and demos.Based on our experience, as well as observation of recent industry trends, its fairly easy to make educated predictions about what we might see in a few days. Over the years, the focus of the conference has spanned areas like TVs, cars, smart home products and personal health, with a smattering of laptops and accessories thrown in. At CES 2025, we expect to see AI get even more pervasive in all areas of the show floor. But we are also likely to get the usual slew of new processors and subsequent laptops, as well as all manner of wearables, trackers, bathroom appliances and massage chairs. Oh, the massage chairs.What we already know is comingThere's already a lot we know is coming, just by a cursory glance at the lineup published by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA). In addition to numerous panels and talks, there will be keynotes by NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang, Delta CEO Ed Bastian as well as C-suite executives from companies like Panasonic, SiriusXM, Waymo and Volvo group. We've also seen that Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X (Twitter), will be interviewed by journalist Catherine Herridge at a keynote on January 7, while Snap CEO Evan Spiegel will be speaking about the "future goals of the platform" on January 8.Some companies didn't even wait till January to make their news known. LG, for example, continues its annual tradition of sharing its upcoming CES launches weeks ahead of the show by unveiling the 2025 refresh for its QNED evo line of LCD TVs. The company has continued to release more information, including announcing its 45-inch UltraGear bendable OLED gaming monitor alongside a line of curved OLED screens.In fact, here's a little list of all the other CES 2025 things LG has already shared so far:LGs new projector looks like a stand fanLG updates its Gram laptop line ahead of CES 2025LG slapped a 27-inch touchscreen on its latest microwaveHyundai Mobis, meanwhile, has said it will be giving us a look at its "Holographic Windshield Display," something it's claiming is a world's first. Hyundai Mobis even shared a picture of what its booth at CES 2025 will look like, in case pictures of convention center booths get you excited.Hyundai MobisIf youre already looking ahead to 2025 and are studiously researching what might be coming in January, heres a taste of what our team expects to see at the show.New video cards from AMD and NVIDIATheres no doubt 2025 is going to be a momentous year for PC gamers. NVIDIA is expected to debut its long-awaited RTX 5000 video cards at CES, while AMD CEO Lisa Su has confirmed well see next-generation RDNA 4 GPUs early next year. Of the two companies, AMD could use the upgrade more. Its last batch of Radeon 7000 cards were decent mid-range performers, but they lagged far behind NVIDIAs hardware when it came to ray tracing, and AMDs FSR 3 upscaling also couldnt compete with NVIDIAs AI-powered DLSS 3."In addition to a strong increase in gaming performance, RDNA 4 delivers significantly higher ray-tracing performance and adds new AI capabilities, AMD CEO Lisa Su said in an October earnings call.As for NVIDIAs new hardware, a rumor from the leaker OneRaichu (via DigitalTrends) suggested that the RTX 5090 could be up to 70 percent faster than the RTX 4090. (Thats a GPU that I previously described as having unholy power.) They also note that other high level cards could see 30 to 40 percent performance bumps. Those gains might be enough to tempt wealthy RTX 4090 owners to upgrade, but RTX 4070 and 4080 owners might want to skip this generation. For NVIDIA holdouts with RTX 3000 and earlier GPUs, though, next year may be the perfect time to upgrade. Devindra Hardawar, senior reporterAI PCs round 2Last year, I predicted that AI PCs would dominate CES, and that mostly turned out to be true. As 2024 rolled on, we saw even more powerful NPUs in chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm. Microsoft also doubled down on AI PCs with its Copilot+ initiative, which gave a big marketing push for artificial intelligence features and premium specifications (like having at least 16GB of RAM).Expect more of the same going into CES 2025, alongside even more AI being stuffed into every category of product imaginable. This year, in particular, PC makers are likely to gear up to take advantage of Windows 10 support ending next year. Instead of just upgrading your old computer to Windows 11, the likes of Dell and HP would rather you buy a whole new AI PC with the new OS pre-installed.While 2024 was a year of endless AI PC hype, 2025 might end up being a year of reckoning. Microsofts long-delayed Recall feature is slowly trickling out to more users, but its already showing some glaring security holes, like failing to scrub social security and credit card numbers from screenshots. Weve also been mostly underwhelmed with Apple Intelligences image generation capabilities. PC makers have been eager to talk up the potential of AI-powered features until now, but in 2025 theyll have to actually prove they can live up to their fantastical claims. D.H.Earbuds that follow Apples lead on hearing healthIm fully aware not every audio company has the ability to build out a clinical-grade hearing test and hearing aid features in their apps. However, Apples recent update for the AirPods Pro 2 should inspire the competition to offer some form of hearing health tools on their flagship products. Jabra was probably the best equipped to do this since parent company GN has extensive hearing aid experience. Sadly, the company announced earlier this year that it wouldnt make earbuds anymore.Samsung and Google could probably integrate something like what Apple made for the AirPods, given both companies existing health platforms. If they did, those announcements are unlikely to be made at CES, as both companies prefer to host their own standalone hardware events throughout the year.That leaves Sennheiser as the biggest audio company that consistently launches earbuds and headphones at CES. Last year, it showcased multiple new models, including one with heart-rate tracking for workouts. Plus, it already offers hearing assistance with dedicated devices like the true wireless Conversation Clear Plus. Those earbuds are more hearing focused than for general content consumption, so it would be great to see Sennheiser bring some features from that product to its flagship Momentum line of earbuds. Perhaps a Momentum True Wireless 4 Pro or Plus is in the cards, but the current model is just nine months old.Of course, theres plenty of room for other companies to innovate here, and there will be no shortage of new earbuds in Vegas next month. We also tend to see a ton of assistive devices and technology launch at CES, from major accessibility companies like OrCam and all manner of smaller brands. I just hope some of the new tech includes more general hearing tools on the models most people will want to use. Billy Steele, senior editorVehicle electrification goes sky highAs the growth of electric cars nears 10 percent of new models sold in the US, its easy to forget that wheeled vehicles arent the only kind of transportation seeing the shift to battery-powered propulsion. Flying taxis have been a mainstay of CES for the past few years, with concept vehicles from brands as large as Hyundai dotting the show floor in Vegas.Granted, these contraptions look more like giant drones with cockpits than anything the Jetsons ever dreamed up. But with companies like Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation pledging to actually launch eVTOL services (electric vertical take-off and landing) in 2025, the era of air taxis may have landed for real this time. Sam Rutherford, senior reporterTurning more phones into satellite phonesSince Apple introduced Emergency SOS via Satellite on the iPhone 14 in 2022, we've seen a serious uptick in development in satellite communications. Not only did Apple expand its feature to allow for non-emergency communications, component makers like Qualcomm, too, tried to bring similar capabilities to Android devices. Snapdragon Satellite was announced at CES 2023, as a project between Qualcomm and Iridium, but the initiative did not gain popularity with smartphone companies, and was ultimately ended in November that same year.Since then, Google launched satellite calling in Pixel 9 phones, while SpaceX's Starlink satellite texting service has gone live in New Zealand via telco One NZ. In the US, T-Mobile opened up beta signups for its Starlink-powered satellite cell service this year. The skies are getting more crowded, too, with AT&T and partner AST SpaceMobile launching five satellites in September, as well as Amazon's Project Kuiper looking to boost its satellite internet network with space lasers.This year, Garmin launched the inReach Messenger Plus, which it describes as an "SOS Satellite Communicator with Photo and Voice messaging." Though satellite hotspots like that have been around for years from companies like Iridium and GlobalSat, they've historically cost $800 to $1,000, and haven't had the ability to send much more than a few lines of text. Garmin's product may be an indicator of things to come not only are we likely to see major phone makers embed satellite communication capability into future handsets, but in the interim we're probably going to get a bunch of hotspots so we'll never lose connectivity, not matter how far off the grid we get. And I wouldn't be surprised if CES 2025 is rife with devices that let us tap into satellites to get help and talk to others. Cherlynn Low, deputy editorExpanded dialog improvement features on soundbarsWhen it comes to the main aspects of soundbars, there really isnt a ton of innovation from year to year. Heck, Samsungs biggest update last year was the addition of HDMI 2.1 support to its flagship model, which shouldve been there already. Companies have also been focused on the transition to cable-free everything, whether thats wireless Dolby Atmos or wireless transmission boxes. Audio enhancement features are a place where companies can really rise above the fray, and tools like Sonos TV Audio Swap and Boses Personal Surround Sound are great examples of this. A key area nearly every company can improve is dialog boost, a feature that raises the volume or separates spoken word from background noise and music for better clarity.Sonos made a huge leap in this regard on the Arc Ultra, offering two additional settings for its so-called Speech Enhancement. Previously, this was just an all-or-nothing toggle, which is how most companies handle their versions of this tool. Not only is the Sonos update customizable to a degree, its also just better, thanks in part to the redesigned architecture of its new premium soundbar. This is an obvious area where other companies can improve.LG and Samsung typically announce new soundbars at CES, and there are plenty of smaller companies that will debut some too. Id love to see all of them take dialog enhancements a step further and at the very least give multiple options for how its applied. LG has been using AI Sound Pro from its TVs since 2021 and Samsung offers something called Adaptive Sound on its home theater speakers. I would expect them both to generally improve the quality of their features, but Im hoping theyll expand the capabilities too. B.S.Update, December 17 2024, 12:40PM ET: This story has been updated to include the companies and CEOs that will be making keynotes at the show.Update, December 20 2024, 11:55AM ET: This story has been updated to include LG and Hyundai Mobis' announcements ahead of CES 2025.Update, December 25 2024, 10:00AM ET: This story has been updated to include a prediction about satellite communication devices being everywhere at CES 2025.Update, December 30 2024, 12:00PM ET: This story has been updated to include a section titled "What we already know is coming," that contains newer information about appearances by X CEO Linda Yaccarino and Snap CEO Evan Spiegel, as well as updates on LG's UltraGear line. The intro was also updated to be more accurate about the time of year since we first published this piece.Update, January 3 2025, 3:20PM ET: This story has been updated to include a list of announcements by LG, as well as to edit the intro so it is not outdated and reflects that we have, indeed, entered a new year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ces-2025-the-new-tech-were-expecting-to-see-from-samsung-nvidia-lg-and-more-in-las-vegas-200052148.html?src=rss

The VPN removal orders appear to be the first enactment of the controversial 2022 India's data retention law. Here's what we know so far.

Windows 11s rumored dynamic wallpapers look seriously smart but theyll never brighten your desktop sadly.

LG adds to its lifestyle AV portfolio

U.S. Steel (NYSE: X) stock was down more than 5% in midday trading Friday, after President Joe Biden blocked a nearly $15 billion takeover bid by Japans Nippon Steel (NISTF), arguing foreign ownership over one of Americas largest steel producers posed a threat to national security.U.S. Steels stock plunged more than 7% in the late morning following the announcement.The move by Biden marks a bold use of executive authority in the final days of his presidency.A strong domestically owned and operated steel industry represents an essential national security priority and is critical for resilient supply chains, Biden said in a statement. That is because steel powers our country: our infrastructure, our auto industry, and our defense industrial base.Biden added that U.S. steel companies have faced unfair trade practices as foreign companies dumped steel on global markets at artificially low prices, leading to job losses and factory closures in America, and said it was his responsibility to block foreign ownership of this vital American company.Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel jointly condemned the decision, saying the move reflects a clear violation of due process and the law and was meant to support Bidens political agenda. Biden had previously promised to prevent the acquisition.Meanwhile, United Steelworkers International President David McCall praised the move, calling Nippon a serial trade cheater that for decades worked to undermine our domestic industry by dumping its products into our market.The botched deal puts a spotlight on trade tariffs and policies of protectionism, likely to be important issues in the next four years during President Trumps second term. Trump, who also said he would block Japans Nippon Steel from buying U.S. Steel, has pledged to slap a 10% to 20% tariff on all imports, with a 60% to 100% tariff on imports from China, which experts say could greatly drive up prices in the U.S.Pittsburgh-based U.S. Steel, the nations second-largest steel manufacturer, now employs a reported 21,803 workers, which is a fraction of its former workforce, a fact that highlights the American steel industrys longtime struggle.

U.S. new-car sales in 2024 continued to rise from their pandemic lows, bolstered by replenished inventories and higher incentives, analysts estimated.Sales are expected to top 15.8 million, the highest level since 2019, with General Motors defending its 2023 sales crown, they said.Its been a volatile year for the new-vehicle market, but it is expected to finish on a high note, said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive.Those strong sales have been supported by what GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson called a remarkably resilient consumer. The Detroit automakers sales are near 2.7 million for the year, Cox analysts estimated.Automakers will report their final sales tallies throughout the day on Friday.It was a good year for most major automakers, except for Jeep-maker Stellantis and electric vehicle giant Tesla which did not notch year-over-year sales gains like the others.Stellantis had a particularly rocky 2024, with sales of its popular Ram, Jeep, and Dodge brands all decreasing, third-quarter company reports show. The French-Italian automaker grappled with fallout from an aggressive pricing strategy that ultimately led to former CEO Carlos Tavaress abrupt departure.Tesla has faced slowing sales as its lineup grows stale, and competition in China intensifies, eating into an important market for the company run by Elon Musk.U.S. sales of electric vehicles are expected to approach 1.3 million, or about 8% of all new vehicles purchased, Cox said. Buyers willingness to go electric crept up slightly from 2023, when U.S. drivers bought 1.2 million EVs, comprising 7.6% of all sales, Cox said.Customers may have flocked to these battery-powered models more in the fourth quarter as they scrambled to take advantage of EV tax credits, which could disappear under Republican President-elect Donald Trump.The Trump administrations plans would likely affect auto sales in 2025 and beyond, if the incoming president makes good on plans to roll back Democratic President Joe Bidens EV policies, as well as increase tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada.EASING STICKER SHOCKShoppers found more vehicle discounts this winter, J.D. Power found. The average incentive spend per vehicle is expected to grow 30.7% from December 2023 to December 2024, on track to reach $3,442, the firm found.That holiday shopping energy will likely carry into the new year, analysts said.As the positive trends of 2024 continue into 2025, improved overall inventory and greater availability of affordable vehicles are expected to sustain sales momentum, Thomas King, president of the data and analytics division at J.D. Power, said in a statement.Cox analysts expect new-vehicle sales to grow about 3% in 2025.Nora Eckert, Reuters