The Eureka E20 Plus is a self-emptying robot vacuum that delivers great value for the money, even if it omits some popular features.

Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNETSamsung Unpacked took place earlier this week, where the company shared the latest news on its smartphone releases and AI endeavors. Oh, and there was one more thing.As expected, Samsung launched its newest flagship smartphones: Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The hardware has remained mostly unchanged, with thinner and lighter form factors across the board, an upgraded chipset, and some fresh coats of paint. For the more significant improvements, you'll want to look at the software.Also: Best Samsung Galaxy S25 deals: $200 gift cards and free offers at T-Mobile and VerizonSamsung kicked things up a notch with its latest AI offerings in One UI 7, with a focus on making people's everyday interactions with their phones as seamless as possible. Some highlights include a new personal data engine, multi-app commands, and a Now Brief feature that anticipates your needs and packages them neatly for you.If you missed the live event and want to catch up on all the news, I've gathered all the products and features announced at Unpacked below. 1. Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25+ Prakhar Khanna/ZDNET Like past January Unpacked events, Samsung released three new Galaxy S models, with the base models getting some subtle but meaningful upgrades, including a thinner and lighter design.Other changes include the introduction of new colors, including Icyblue, Navy, Mint, Silver Shadow, as well as online-only exclusive colors like Blueblack, Coralred, and Pinkgold. The vibrance of the Coralred colorway stands out amongst the rest of the lineup's more muted finishes, and made a splash among reporters at Unpacked.Also:I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S25 - and the AI features were surprisingly polishedAt the heart of the devices is the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elitefor Galaxy. According to Samsung, the chipset will be dramatically different than the variants found on competing Android phones.For example, Samsung claims it delivers a performance boost of 40% in NPU, 37% in CPU, and 30% in GPU compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Beyond AI, the chipset will help provide a smoother experience when gaming, equipped with Vulkan Engine, a high-performing graphics platform, and improved Ray Tracing. Other specs remain the same as last year's model, such as its 6.2-inch and 6.7-inch display, 4,000mAh and 4,900mAh batteries,120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate, 50 MP main lens, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10 MP telephoto, and a 12MP selfie camera.Also: Best One UI 7 features coming to Samsung Galaxy S25 models (and older phones, too)Despite the camera hardware remaining the same, the software upgrades should significantly improve the experience. For example, 10-bit HDR recording is now applied by default, allowing users to capture better detail, and a new Galaxy Virtual Aperture, integrated into the Expert RAW app, gives users better depth-of-field control, similar to when using a DSLR. Galaxy S25+ and S25 Ultra also feature advanced AI image processing with ProScaler, which, like Samsung TVs, uses AI to digitally enhance the resolution of videos. Just know that the phones need to be set to QHD+ resolution to take advantage of the feature.Pricing for the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus starts at $799 and $999, respectively. That's the same as past years' retail price, which is good to see, provided you're getting improvements -- some in hardware and more in software. Show more 2. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Kerry Wan/ZDNET The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra received several design upgrades, the most obvious being its rounded edges, a departure from the typical Ultra design that makes it akin to other flagship phones on the market, such as, dare I say, the iPhone.Like the rest of the line, the S25 Ultra is lighter and slimmer, weighing 218 grams compared to the S24 Ultra's 232 grams, and measuring 8.2mm compared to 8.6mm. Despite its leaner form factor, it is more durable than ever, featuring a new Corning Gorilla Armor 2, which provides advanced drop protection and scratch resistance.Also:Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra vs iPhone 16 Pro Max: Which phone should you buy?The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 6.9-inch AMOLED display and a similar anti-reflection coating as the S24 Ultra, which is great to see.Another notable hardware upgrade is its 50MP ultrawide camera sensor, an upgrade from the S24 Ultra's 12MP, allowing users to capture more details in landscape and macro photos.The rest of the cameras remain the same as the Galaxy S24 Ultra's, with a 200MP main lens, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, a 50MP telephoto with 5X optical zoom, and a 12MP selfie camera. The phone also retains the same 5,000mAh battery capacity and embedded S Pen, though the latter no longer supports wireless air gestures.The Galaxy S25 Ultra is available in Titanium Silverblue, Titanium Whitesilver, Titanium Gray, and Titanium Black, and online-exclusive colors Titanium Pinkgold, Titanium Jetblack, and Titanium Jadegreen. It starts at $1,299, the same as last year, with 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM. Show more 3. AI upgrades Kerry Wan/ZDNET Undoubtedly, the star of the show was the S25 lineup's AI upgrades, which Samsung claimed: "Set a new standard towards a true AI companion with our most natural and context-aware mobile experiences ever created."As the description implies, AI was sprinkled nearly everywhere in the devices, from your more typical photo-editing and generating to more advanced, personalized features, such as personalized agents and LLMs, all meant to optimize how users use their phones daily.Also:I tried Samsung's new Galaxy AI features - these 3 made Apple Intelligence look badSince there are so many features, both made available through One UI 7 and Galaxy AI, here's the run-down of them all, along with a brief description of each.AI Select: AI Select is similar to Google's Circle to Search feature, except that when you select things on your screen, instead of searching the web, it provides you with actions you can take on your phone. For example, if you select a date on your screen, with AI select, your phone could suggest adding the date to your calendar, and when selected, does it for you.Circle to Search updates: Although Circle to Search is not new, it got some updates to make it more efficient. It can recognize phone numbers, emails, and URLs on the screen, and allow you to visit said links or click the number to make a call. It's also multimodal, allowing you to use Circle to Search to search audio, which can identify the name of a song you're hearing.Cross-app action: Using natural language, you can now simply ask Gemini to perform actions across multiple apps, with a prompt such as, "Search for the upcoming Warriors game and add to calendar."AI Photo Search: If you need to find a photo, you can use a natural language prompt through search through your library.Settings Search: Similar to above, you can now use natural language to figure out where a setting on your phone is. A command may look something like, "Help me make my text bigger."Also:Every Samsung Galaxy S25 model compared: Which phone should you buy?Personal Data Engine: Think of your Personal Data Engine as a personal LLM that you design from the ground up. The more you use your device, the more it learns from you from your everyday usage. The data is stored on the device, and not on the cloud for extra security, so if you lose the phone, it's lost forever. This information can provide tailored experiences for you such as the new Now Brief feature.Now Brief: This feature can give you suggestions accessible via your Now Bar on the lock screen, anticipating your needs. For example, based on your routines and habits, it may suggest driving mode or navigation.Audio eraser:This feature gives users more control over audio in videos, allowing you to adjust different audio elements in your videos, such as voices, wind, noises, and more. For example, if you want the background noise to be quieter, you can lower it, or you can make the forefront noise louder.Improved Generative Edit:This feature, which removes unwanted elements from your photographs, can now also remove shadows as well, making the edit more seamless. Show more 4. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET While we didn't see a new pair of smart glasses or ring at the end of the show this year, the company did tease a new product -- one that's arguably even more significant.Also: Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge first look: Specs and features, release date, price, moreThe Galaxy S25 Edge is what the company is calling it, and from the teasers and seconds-long sizzle reel we got at the end of the presentation, there's one obvious takeaway: it'ssuperthin. So thin that the phone will only feature two cameras, and not three like the rest of the Galaxy S25 lineup.According to Bloomberg'sMark Gurman, the S25 Edge will launch in the first half of this year, with pricing expected to be below the S25 Ultra's $1,299. Show more 5. Project Moohan XR headset Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET Samsung finally showcased its mixed reality headset, pictured above, to the public. Its form factor is similar to that of the Apple Vision Pro, resembling ski goggles, with a smooth, curved front, and head strap that sits at the back of the user's head.Also: Here's the Android XR headset that Google and Samsung are releasing in 2025The headset, codenamed Project Moohan and announced in December, is a collaboration with Google and Qualcomm. It will run on Android XR, its operating system for XR devices. Samsung says there's no official timeline in terms of when we'll see the device in the market, but the hardware making an appearance at Unpacked is promising. Show more When is Samsung Unpacked? Samsung Unpacked took place on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The event started at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET and was live-streamed for everyone to watch.The physical event, reserved for media, super fans, and industry experts, occured in San Jose, California. Show more Samsung Unpacked

Samsung just changed the gameCopyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.Samsung really wants to lure iPhone users over to the other side. If youre an iPhone user who may be due for an upgrade, its new lure teases, heres a list of 25 reasons to make the switch to Samsung this time around. It is 25 because this is all about the Galaxy S25. And while the new phone is the closest Android contender to iPhones security and privacy we have seen, theres one major risk that home and business iPhone users need to understand before they switch.Has Samsungs Galaxy S25 really seized Apple's privacy crown with new measures, having made privacy the main focus for users, as one new report suggests. It has certainly pushed the AI envelope much further than iPhone 16, even with new updates promised with iOS 18.3 and beyond. Samsung is pushing compelling consumer offers as well as special offers, volume pricing, bulk trade-in opportunities and free shipping for business buyers.But the Galaxy S25 has also cemented an issue I have raised before one at the heart of the AI offerings that have quickly become the predominant differentiator across flagships. Samsung and Google have never been more aligned than with the launch of the Galaxy S25. Despite Samsungs Galaxy AI hard-sell over the last year, its Google that is powering the most significant AI advances on the new device. And when it comes to security and privacy, that really matters.Last year when Apple first touted its groundbreaking private cloud compute (PCC), I commented that Samsung phones carry Gemini as well that means the offerings are not fully under its control. And that is the difference the company needs to address as it responds to Apple... Theres nothing to suggest an answer to Apples PCC is waiting in the wings. That was before any detail on the Galaxy S25, which has gone further to mix the Google and Samsung AI offerings.MORE FOR YOUAt that time, Samsung was fully in its hybrid AI mode. Sensitive AI tasks were device only, other more complex tasks relied on Galaxy AI in the cloud. And then Apple did two things to move the needle. First, its PCC offering was a game-changer when it comes to provable levels of cloud AI security, with Apples end-to-end control protecting and anonymizing user data. Apple also set a new bar for transparency when prompts trigger off-device, third-party activity.Samsung has moved since then, and on-device privacy is emphasized with the new Galaxy S25. The phones Personal Data Engine combines and processes your primary data and provides tailored suggestions. It encrypts this data and saves it on your device with Knox Vault, making it inaccessible to anyone else, while users can decide where to process data for select features, either on your device or in the cloud.Its notable that Samsungs 25 reasons to switch lists out these new security features. And that includes a nod to business users grappling with new AI threats. You can provide your team with game-changing AI features while maintaining control, it says. With Samsung Account for Business, you can enable and disable specific Galaxy AI features across one phone or your entire device fleet from an easy-to-use management system.In addition, there is Samsungs own password manager, a privacy dashboard to monitor which apps can access your camera, mic, location and contacts, and Private Share a secure file-sharing technology built on the blockchain [which] lets you set time limits and expiration dates on shared files, with no screenshots or reshares allowed. Plus of course, the usual multiyear security updates, biometric device security and theft protection.But the point on AI data leakage still holds. In my view, Apple has set a bar with PCC that Samsung in particular should address. And theres another challenge given the new level of on-device collaboration with Google and Gemini, which rightly or wrongly is always going to raise eyebrows when it comes to data security versus Apples ecosystem.Last week, I reported on a new report from Harmonic Security that warned of the significant risks related to data security that comes from using Generative AI in the workplace. Organizations risk losing their competitive edge if they expose sensitive data. Yet at the same time, they also risk losing out if they don't adopt GenAl and fall behind.Like it or not, this is the next big thing that will dominate device security. Its a user playground today, but that wont last. Were on the cusp of a wake-up call when the reality of fairly open LLMs being tasked with producing competitive assessments and corporate strategy decks fully hits home. And in a world where we see headlines such as opting out of Gmail's Gemini AI summaries is a mess here's how to do it, we think, its not hard to see the problem thats about to hit.Switching your phone brand of choice isnt as difficult as you might think or as time-consuming as it used to be, Samsung tells iPhone users. Free services like Samsung Smart Switch handle all the leg work, and virtually all top business and consumer apps support both major platforms. As a result, replacing an iPhone with a Samsung Galaxy device is just as seamless as upgrading from an older Galaxy device to the newest Galaxy S25 Seriesor Galaxy Z Fold6.Samsungs Galaxy S25 is a great device, and it does genuinely raise the bar on smartphone AI. But for home and business users, the fact this is a device thats all about AI has come too soon for its buyers to fully understand how to stay AI-safe, or even the questions they should ask. All that should be factored in to any decision to switch.

02 September 2022, Berlin: Resting loungers at Vabali Spa Berlin are seen before opening. (to dpa ... [+] "Saunas fight against high energy prices") Photo: Christoph Soeder/dpa (Photo by Christoph Soeder/picture alliance via Getty Images)dpa/picture alliance via Getty ImagesSystems go live. We talk about the stage when software application development projects push to live production status as if it were some kind of tangible assembly line in a factory somewhere, which in virtual terms it kind of really is. Enterprise applications running in live production ingest their raw ingredients (data), process the information streams through various stages of manufacture (normalization, analytics, AI engines and so on) and then churn out a finished product, which is often neatly packaged up for the user interface through various levels of abstraction to make consumption easier.What Is Non-Production Data?Because theres so much focus on live production systems, we sometimes forget about the data that exists in non-production environments. These information resources may include testing and prototyping datasets, they might encompass unstructured information that exists in the murky waters of the so-called data lake, they may come from source data repositories that are not part of working applications yet still form an essential information aquifer to feed IT services higher up and they could include data that belongs to recently decommissioned applications, or those that are sunsetting and about to earn their retirement in the annals of legacy software.From a data security, privacy and information management perspective, these seemingly unloved piles of information are still important from a compliance and governance perspective, so how should we get our house in order?Non-production data may sprawl from place to place with little visibility or control over whats happening. According to David Wells, head of product for data compliance at enterprise DevOps solutions company Perforce,Imagine a source dataset and a target dataset, where the source contains unaltered data and the target has been transformed into a more secure version of the former. Data engineers will typically alter actual data using techniques such as anonymization, bucketization (replacing a range of values with a single one), differential privacy or altering data outliers. To some extent, this prevents linkage attacks that might allow someone to connect data in the target set to the source dataset but the risk is not entirely eliminated, explained Wells.MORE FOR YOUArent there quick fixes for this kind of situation out there by now? Sure, he agrees, use of synthetic data is one solution but even though it is randomly generated, it usually still maintains the aggregate patterns of the original dataset. All of which means that a malicious attack can still be mounted by successfully reidentifying some of the source data if it is also publicly available (such as a list of home addresses).The Developer ChallengeDevelopers working with non-production data realities face similar obstacles, said Perforces Wells. Datasets typically need linkages between similar pieces of data. So when using test data, replacing the last two digits of a five-digit zip code without changing an address could cause an address validation function to fail, or altering a cars vehicle identification number might turn a Subaru into a Cadillac. Furthermore, the problem grows as more pieces of data are re-related (such as age and date of birth).In addition, we must also remember that actual (i.e. live production) data often poses permutations that were not considered by software developers or data engineers at any level, especially when new software version releases are put into play because actual data has patterns that will stress and strain processing in unexpected ways. When that data moves from a state of production to non-production, there are architectural implications for information compliance and safety that - really - we should have been thinking about in the pre-production stage.Data patterns also matter to testers and there is often a need to be far more realistic than many data processing toolsets will allow. All of this means that if and when any of these information streams ends up languishing as non-production data, due care and consideration are still required.The Bigger They AreFurthermore, the greater the scale, the harder the situation becomes, clarified Wells. Test data needs to be transformed or generated consistently to maintain referential integrity. While managing this may be relatively achievable on a small scale, as soon as larger apps are involved, it becomes increasingly expensive, complex and time-consuming. This gets exacerbated as systems begin having different representations for the same domain of data (for example, system A puts a persons name in full in one field and system B uses the first and last name separately). Yet, for security to be effective, teams must address a minimum of 18-20 sensitive customer fields.So, whats the answer he asks? First, we clearly need to take a more proactive rather than reactive or defensive approach to protecting data in non-production environments so that we move to a mindset that focuses on prevention rather than cure.Techniques like static data masking can automatically discover sensitive data and replace it with fictitious, production-like, fully functional data with consistent referentiality across development, testing and analytics teams, highlighted Wells. This addresses challenges in protecting both test data and analytic data by permanently anonymizing sensitive information in non-production environments. This ensures compliance with privacy regulations while maintaining data usability for testing or analytics.The Perforce compliance lead provides us with an example i.e. take a bank that wants to provide anonymized production-like data for analytics without violating GDPR.. using a masking tool like Delphix, it can:Automate sensitive data discovery across Oracle and SQL databases.Apply masking policies to anonymize personally identifiable information, ensuring referential integrity between testing and analytics environments.Use the products hyperscale architecture to deliver masked datasets within hours rather than days, reducing development cycle times while ensuring compliance.Masking can also help tackle scale by masking sensitive data at scale across complex, multi-terabyte datasets using automated discovery and masking. Multi-threaded processing helps mask large datasets rapidly without impacting downstream operations, while support for heterogeneous environments (database, files, cloud and on-premises locations) provides comprehensive, consistent coverage.Beyond masking, other data protective measures include data loss prevention, data encryption and strict access control. However, these all have their pros and cons, heeded Wells. Similarly, audits complement prevention, but vulnerabilities may not be found until after a problem is created. In reality, non-production data protection strategies may use a combination of techniques and tools. For example, an organisation might use data loss protection together with strict access control and adding masking can ensure that the sensitive data is irreversibly masked and cannot be re-identified.Cultural Shift To Security-FirstListening to the Perforce compliance team talk about the need to lock down not just data, but all data, other data and, oh, those bits of data too, it becomes clear that we need to move towards a security-first culture where data protection is baked in from the start of non-production processes.We talk about zero trust design and we extoll the virtues of baked-in security provisioning for todays increasingly mission-critical and life-critical data resources and repositories, but there is obviously a more rounded data lifecycle going on inside enterprises across all verticals that demands data management practices that are both holistic and rather more agnostic in terms of their application.

Commemorating the 80th anniversary of Auschwitzs liberation, an installation in New York tells the tragic story of the teenage girl and diarist, featuring a precisely scaled re-creation of the Amsterdam annex in which the Franks hid from the Nazis.

Trump and others have floated sending US special operations forces to Mexico to combat cartels.Experts told Business Insider that intervention in Mexico could create instability.SOF missions like foreign internal defense could be prudent, but only to augment nonmilitary approaches.Trump world is kicking around the idea of sending special operations forces into Mexico to combat drug cartels. There's a risk these operations could make things worse, experts said.While designating Mexican cartels as "foreign terrorist organizations" on Monday, President Donald Trump was asked by reporters whether he would consider sending US special operations personnel to Mexico."Could happen," the president said, noting that "stranger things have happened."Experts on the cartels and warfare said that sending any military troops into Mexico risks stirring instability, which could then spill over the border into US territory."I don't think that the American people have the stomach for what's going to happen if we start messing around down there," a senior active-duty special operator told Business Insider, speaking on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media."Just throwing any military mechanism at this problem for the purpose of just killing cartel leaders is not going to change anything," he said. "It's only going to make things worse." US Army Green Berets prepare to breach and enter a building as part of Close Quarter Battle training. US Army/Staff Sgt. Thomas Mort Trump floated the idea of military intervention in Mexico in his first term, but his team now appears to be considering the idea more seriously."How much should we invade Mexico?" a transition team member told Rolling Stone in November 2024 for a report on Trump's musings about combating cartels in Mexico. "That is the question."Trump's new national security advisor, Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, has pushed the idea of using special operators. And Trump's "border czar," Tom Homan, has said that special operations forces could be used to take the cartels out, or "take them off the face of the Earth."Direct action raids hard-hitting missions US special operations is known for and which Trump appears inclined to pursue on Mexican soil would bring disastrous consequences, especially if conducted without an invitation from Mexico, the operator and other experts BI spoke with warned. But other, less kinetic missions, like training foreign troops or improving foreign internal defense, could prove worthwhile, they said.Such missions have long been the bread and butter of forces like the Army's Green Berets. With Trump's formal designation of cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, those kinds of missions could augment other government efforts to more effectively stem the flow of drugs into the US, sources told BI.An idea that keeps coming upThe idea of using special operators to combat cartels in Mexico has gained traction among leading Republicans, particularly military veterans. Before Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a former naval officer, ended his bid for the White House, he told CNN that if elected president, he would deploy US special operations forces into Mexico "on day one."In 2023, Waltz, then a congressional representative from Florida, and Dan Crenshaw, a Texas congressman and former Navy SEAL, introduced new Authorization of Military Force legislation aimed at Mexican cartels. Such legislation is notably not often quickly reversed both of the AUMFs that allowed the Global War on Terror to balloon in scope are still in place.Wanting to send special operations forces into Mexico is understandable, said Bruce Hoffman, a senior fellow for counterterrorism and homeland security at the Council on Foreign Relations. Other measures have failed to curb the flow of drugs into the US, though some of the efforts at home appear to be working, as deaths from fentanyl overdoses are finally on the decline. A member of US Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Europe (NSWTU-E) provides cover during a raid with foreign special operations forces. U.S. Army Photo by Sgt. Patrik Orcutt But special operations is much smaller than conventional military forces, he said, and isn't designed to solve every problem that might warrant military intervention."Despite the public imagination, SOF is not on a regular basis engaged in the kinds of operations that people often imagine, that are depicted in Hollywood," Hoffman said."They're engaged in less glamorous things like training indigenous forces, gathering intelligence, psychological operations, [and] civil affairs," he said.Bolstering Mexico's internal defenses could be a worthwhile endeavor, the active-duty special operator told BI, but prioritizing military intervention over non-violent approaches, like empowering the State and Treasury departments to apply pressure on the financial institutions used by cartels, would be foolhardy.The dangers of getting it wrongViolence against cartels could trigger a humanitarian crisis and spur more immigration to the US, said Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, a professor at George Mason University who has extensively studied cartels.Mexican civilians caught in the crossfire would likely flee communities, which could create a refugee crisis, she said. "They are going to apply for asylum in a desperate situation," she said, calling the idea of immediate military intervention illogical. It's not as simple as killing top leaders either. Complicating the grip cartels have on Mexican society is their seemingly infinite complexity, she said."We're not talking about businesses that operate vertically, like El Chapo and El Mayo, and all these guys that provide orders to everyone," she said, referring to two infamous drug kingpins. Most cartels operate with less centralized command structures and are splintered into smaller cells. Some of these focus on drug movements and production, while others focus on kidnapping, extortion, and human smuggling.If the goal is to limit the reach of the cartels and the violence and the destruction that comes with them, "you are going to get the exact opposite effect" if you start killing leaders, said Carolyn Gallaher, a professor at American University who studies cartels, in an interview with BI.Top leaders can be easily replaced by others zealously vying for power, creating an even more complex battlefield for American troops and Mexican civilians."When you start fighting an army that is not behaving like a regular military, you are basically in the middle of civilian life," Gallaher said. "And you don't have an accurate way to differentiate between civilian and soldier." Coalition and Anti-Terror Forces fire mortar rounds on an overseas live-fire range. US Army/Sgt. Brandon White Doug Livermore, vice president of the Special Operations Association of America and a senior Green Beret officer in the National Guard who has written about narcoterrorism, said special operations is just one tool in the vast US government toolbox, and can't be the main effort."A military approach by itself will not be sufficient. It will not solve the problem," Livermore told BI.He suggested a broader approach involving US special operations-provided intelligence or efforts to bolster internal security. However, Livermore said rampant corruption in Mexico's government agenciescould complicate these efforts.He also recommended a closer examination and targeting of China's role in the US drug crisis, pointing to the supply of chemical and financial support to cartels.It's unclear what endstates the Trump administration desires to achieve to define success, said the SOF operator. Lacking such parameters could lead to another quagmire. It seems likely, however, that any effective operation to dismantle them will take years, he said."It's not done in a short amount of time; it takes consistent effort and partnership," the operator said. "It's going to take a generation or two; it's not going to be done in four years."

Wildfires have devastated California in early 2025, and climate change may be to blame.Real-estate analyst Ivy Zelman warned of rising property insurance costs last summer.Here are five other states that homeowners could flee as climate risk rises.Six months ago, Ivy Zelman made a bold, unpopular call, as she's done throughout her career.The venerated real-estate analyst and founder of research firm Zelman & Associates said there was a looming threat to property values that only a few of her counterparts were talking about.Climate change, which some have dismissed as merely a boogeyman, would become an increasingly big headache for homeowners, Zelman had told Business Insider. Her thesis was that rising global temperatures, which are correlated with natural disasters like floods and fires, would cause home insurance prices to soar over time, which would weigh on property values.Those who agree with this thinking, like analyst David Burt of "The Big Short" fame, warned that this dynamic could cause property prices in certain markets to fall up to 60% in extreme cases.Though they'd love to be proven wrong, Zelman and Burt seem to be onto something.Devastating wildfires have ravaged California in January, killing dozens and displacing thousands, and scientists say climate change is partially to blame. This could go down as the costliest natural disaster in US history. And those whose homes haven't gone up in smoke may face exorbitant insurance cost increases assuming insurers are willing to cover them at all.In a recent interview, Zelman refused to take a victory lap but is still concerned about this trend."I never want to be someone to say, 'Oh, I was right,'" she told Business Insider. "I just think we all have to be realistic. How many times it's the definition of insanity how many times are people going to be evacuated, and then, 'Wow, we were lucky our house didn't burn down,' and they then say, 'OK, well, let's just go back home, and we're OK.'"Zelman continued: "I think it's got to [get] some people to rethink whether they want to keep doing this."The California exodus could continue due to high insurance prices, climate risksCalifornia had the second-largest outbound moving rate among US states last year, according to data from Atlas Van Lines, and Zelman thinks that could only accelerate after the fire crisis."Bigger picture, does the state of California have more outbound migration because people are concerned about getting their home insured?" Zelman asked rhetorically. Atlas Van Lines Insurance companies are reconsidering whether homes in high-risk markets are worth insuring. If the risks of insuring a home against fires, earthquakes, and floods outweigh what they can charge, they may decide it's not profitable to stay in markets like California."It's very preliminary, but the insurance industry is in complete turmoil," Zelman said. "And part of that has been driven by the commissioners not allowing premiums to rise fast enough to accommodate the risk."If insurance costs surge by thousands of dollars per year to account for climate risk, prospective homebuyers could take note and make lower offers, driving prices down over time, as Burt pointed out. And that assumes buyers are still comfortable with living in California long term."One gentleman friend, who we've been friends with forever, reached out and said, 'I was near the evacuation site, but I fortunately didn't have to evacuate. But I'm actually wondering, should I just sell and get the hell out of here? I'm worried about home values going down,'" Zelman said.In the near term, Zelman said California homeowners like her friend shouldn't fret. Ironically, she said property values could surge in the next year since tons of home supply just got wiped out.But in the coming years, Zelman suspects that buyers will gravitate toward cities that may be warm but have less risk of natural disasters, like Phoenix or Las Vegas. And those looking to get distance from Los Angeles but stay nearby could go south to Newport Beach or Orange County.5 states that could have long-term climate riskCalifornia isn't the only state with housing markets at risk from natural disasters that may be influenced, at least in part, by climate change.Property values could also come under pressure in a handful of Sun Belt states, Zelman said. Elevated risks of hurricanes and uncomfortably high temperatures could eventually reduce demand for homes in the region that Zelman's colleagues had jokingly called the "Sun Melt."Although the Sun Belt was home to some of the hottest housing markets last year, Zelman noted that existing home listings have risen rapidly in Florida and Texas, and to a lesser extent in North and South Carolina, and Tennessee. Those states each saw neutral to positive net migration flows in 2024, and new-home construction rates suggest that they're still in demand. In fact, the South is the only US region that has more inventory now than before the pandemic.However, rising rates of homeowners looking to move could be an ominous sign. If there was a major uptick in existing listings, Zelman said it could put prices under pressure. At the very least, she thinks owners in those states should keep an eye on this trend in the coming years. Zelman & Associates "The reason why home prices are under pressure is because there's more competition, whether it be builders opening more communities, or we have existing home sellers that are trying to move inventory," Zelman said. "I think that suggests that there is going to be more a need for people to either reduce their asking price or for builders to provide incentives."Lower home prices may seem like a blessing for buyers who've been frozen out of what was the least affordable housing market in four decades, Zelman & Associates found.But new buyers could get stuck with declining long-term home equity values unless the factors spooking homeowners and affecting prices, including climate-related headaches, don't go away."I don't anticipate that '25 is going to really be the only year that we're going to see pressure in these markets," Zelman said. "Maybe the pressure abates. But I think that it could be where I would tell a Business Insider reader, 'Well, if you buy in '25, it could go lower in '26.'"Those looking to move may want to consider the more affordable Midwest region, Zelman said, reiterating a point that the Cleveland resident made last summer.

Greenland is the worlds largest non-continental island, and it takes up space rent-free in President Donald Trumps head.Since 2019, Trump has floated the idea of the US acquiring Greenland, a sovereign Danish territory, in the name of American national security and economic interests. The idea was short-lived when Trump first raised it, but returned with force late last year. Trumps proposal took on a more urgent tone when, in a January 7 news conference at Mar-a-Lago, he declined to rule out the idea of using military force to seize control of Greenland.Even more recently, according to the Financial Times, Trump reportedly spoke with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a horrendous call where he threatened tariffs. The intent was very clear. They want it. The Danes are now in crisis mode, one European official told the Financial Times.The renewed fervor behind Trumps push to acquire Greenland is driven, at least in part, by its clear geopolitical significance. Greenland rests amid major shipping routes that have become increasingly important as its ice sheet melts and new trade routes emerge, and it sits above major deposits of oil, gas, and rare earth minerals that are essential to everyday technologies.Greenland is also at the forefront of an ongoing Arctic power struggle as Russia and China increase their trade, mining, and military presence in the region.Unsurprisingly, leaders in Denmark and Greenland which has its own parliament and prime minister, separate from Denmark have pushed back strongly against US expansionism and rejected Trumps overtures.Were not for sale and were not a commodity, Naaja H. Nathanielsen, Greenlands minister of Business, Trade, Mineral Resources, Justice, and Gender Equality, told Vox. We have a great many friends in the US, so we are an American ally. But we are not Americans and do not wish to be Americans. We want to be Greenlanders.Nathanielsen spoke with Today, Explained host Noel King about Greenlands increasing strategic importance, how Greenlanders view Trumps rhetoric, and what America could actually do to work with the country.Below is an excerpt of their conversation, edited for length and clarity. Theres much more in the full podcast, so listen to Today, Explained wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Pandora, and Spotify.Noel KingI am imagining that many of our listeners will not have ever been to Greenland. Can you tell me a bit about what its like?Naaja H. NathanielsenWell, I think many people who come here are surprised by two things. One thing is, of course, the beauty of the nature. Everything is vast and huge, the mountains, the fjords and all that. But another thing, I think, that struck a lot of people is its quite modern. I think oftentimes you think of Greenland as something where a few people live and theres not a lot of activity, but our cities look like many others. It will be recognizable for many people.Noel KingAnd what kind of people are Greenlanders?Naaja H. NathanielsenWe are Inuit. We are Indigenous people. So we consist of I think 90 percent of the population, most people here, are Greenlanders with Inuit roots. We do have a lot of people from the Nordic countries and from Asia as well. But primarily the population is made up by Inuit.Noel KingSo we have a beautiful country with very modern cities. If someone were planning a visit and wanted to know what was really important, what should they know?Naaja H. NathanielsenWell, they should know that Greenland is a modern democracy, that we have our own government, our own parliament. We have a mineral sector. We have tourism. We have a fishing industry. So these are our primary revenues. And also, you should know that the Greenlandic culture is very vibrant and rich, even though were only 55,000 people. So theres a lot of music, a lot of plays, a lot of cultural activity, which is quite impressive for such a small population.Noel KingWe were reminded in the first half of our show that Donald Trump has actually been talking about Greenland in provocative ways since 2019. Can I ask what you thought when you first heard him single your country out?Naaja H. NathanielsenWell, in the beginning, I think we were kind of surprised about the offer to buy Greenland, and we have been trying to figure out what is that about, what is the story behind that.Noel KingAnd what do you understand is the story behind that?Naaja H. NathanielsenWe understand that its a measure of national security for the Americans. And to some extent, we understand very much that Greenland is part of the interest sphere of the US when it comes to national security. That is why we have a military base in Greenland. And we do understand that this is important for the monitoring of the Arctic as well. So we do agree with the military presence in Greenland. We do agree with the ideas of expanding the monitoring of the Arctic. So to some extent we agree to what is being said, but that does not follow that we want to be Americans. It just follows that we understand that Greenland has an importance for the US in terms of national security.Noel KingYou are a government minister, and I understand that diplomacy is something that is very important here. But I sort of put the shoe on the other foot and I think, as an American, if another country was talking about buying the United States, I personally would be a bit offended, to be perfectly honest with you.Naaja H. NathanielsenYes, but we are offended. And I think what you also need to understand, as Inuit we take things calmly. I mean, it doesnt help the situation by panicking. So were not panicking, but were trying to understand what is this about and trying to work with it. The US is a very big country compared to Greenland. Were only very few thousand people. So, of course, when the US says something, we need to take it seriously. And we understand that sometimes politicians talk a big game and have to deliver a message that is maybe more meant for an audience within the country. So Im just saying, we are in the receiving end and we do not like the rhetoric. We dont appreciate it. But we want to work with the message being sent. We want to figure out how can we talk about this in a sensible manner.Noel KingSure. And being important in a strategic sense, in an economic sense, is never really a bad thing. Often its a very, very good thing for a country. Naaja H. NathanielsenWell, depending.Noel KingFair enough! Which other countries have expressed interest in acquiring Greenland?Naaja H. NathanielsenI think no other country has had an interest in acquiring Greenland. But we do feel that theres more emphasis on the Greenlandic minerals, for instance, these past couple of years, on a very sad backdrop due to the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine and the pandemic that showed faulty supply chains. Theres been a focus on where could we find minerals and mine them in a country that is responsible in terms of environment and governance. And Greenland is a good fit in that way. So we have been seeing a spurt of interest. Thats not the same as [saying that] that has really shown itself in a lot of investments from outside. We are still lacking investment into the mineral sector, for instance.Noel KingSo perhaps the message to President Trump is: We would actually welcome American investment.Naaja H. NathanielsenWe would welcome American investment. We actually made a deal with the former Trump administration in 2019, where we together explored some of our potentials and had some projects together. And we have been trying for some time to get the Biden administration to prolong or expand that agreement. So we are interested in doing business with the States. Of course, that doesnt mean we want to be Americans, but we do want to work with the States in a business sense.Noel KingDonald Trump has said a handful of provocative things about Greenland, but perhaps one of the most provocative, at least from where I sit in the United States, is that he wouldnt rule out military force in trying to acquire Greenland. First, I guess, does that kind of talk make you nervous? And second, how is the nation responding to something like that?Naaja H. NathanielsenWell, of course this makes people nervous. We have kids that listen to the media and they say, What is going on? Is the States going to come and occupy us? So its very unfortunate rhetoric. So this has caused my government to really try to convey to the public: Do not panic, were trying to work through this and figure out what is it about. Because no, I dont think that our ally would occupy us. Of course not. I dont expect that from an ally. We are part of the Western alliance. We are part of NATO. We are a friend of the US. We are a democracy and so is the US. What we are trying to do is look beyond the rhetoric and see how can we work together after such a statement.Noel KingI do hear you saying something that I think is very important, which is that Donald Trump does talk a lot. And we learned in his first four years in office that sometimes hes very serious and sometimes hes actually just talking. He is talking at times to distract from other things that hes doing. Sometimes hes just sort of speaking extemporaneously and things slip out. I think its fair and factual to say both of those things. Is there any sense that you have that perhaps this is not all that serious?Naaja H. NathanielsenI think there has been a genuine interest in Greenland for some time in America. So I think its a fair assessment that he should be taken seriously about his desire to expand cooperation with Greenland in some form or other. I think that has to be taken quite seriously. And its not only one person, as I understand it. As I see it, its a couple of people, a group of people who have an interest in Greenland. And you can see that also there has been a bill proposed about acquiring Greenland. So I think this is not just one person saying something. Of course, you always need to take your president serious when he says something, and we do too. Thats the name of the game. But I get a sense that there is something more than just talk.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More:

President Donald Trump promised to set in motion his plan for mass deportations starting on his first day in office. But while he has begun to lay the legal groundwork to carry out the policy, its not clear that deportations are ramping up just yet and they may not for a while.Trump issued a flurry of executive orders designed to enable mass deportations during his first week in office. Those include directives to expand the use of fast-tracked deportations; decrease the number of immigrants apprehended at the border and released into the US; emphasize cooperation between federal immigration officers and local law enforcement; crack down on sanctuary cities and states that refuse to cooperate; and target cartels and members of international criminal gangs now designated as terrorist organizations.The Trump administration also revoked policy guidance that barred immigration arrests at sensitive locations such as schools and churches, and it is looking into prosecuting state and local officials in sanctuary cities and states.Trump officials are suggesting these actions have already resulted in a spike in deportations. They have made a point of highlighting charters of new deportation flights and their plans for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in major cities, including Newark, New Jersey, and another that was reportedly postponed in Chicago. Deportation flights have begun, Trump press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X. President Trump is sending a strong and clear message to the entire world: if you illegally enter the United States of America, you will face severe consequences.But according to experts, its not clear that the number of deportations is actually greater than normal so far.So far, ICE hasnt done anything unusual, said Csar Cuauhtmoc Garca Hernndez, a professor at the Ohio State University College of Law and author of several books on US immigration enforcement, including Welcome the Wretched.The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.So, how can we know when mass deportations have started in earnest or whether they will at all?How Trumps deportations measure up so farDespite claiming that he would preside over record deportations during his first term, deportations under Trump never surpassed those under former President Barack Obama, who was dubbed the deporter-in-chief. Obama deported about 2.9 million people during his first term and 1.9 million in his second, including about 400,000 in a single year. That far outpaced Trumps 1.5 million deportations and Joe Bidens 1.49 million. In his second term, its not clear whether Trump is significantly picking up the pace just yet. Biden deported an average of around 700 people a day in fiscal year 2024, and after raids on Thursday, ICE announced it had deported 538 people.These kinds of raids may be the symbolic beginning of mass deportations. But Trump would have to sustain them and expand them in the long run to reach his stated goal of deporting millions and millions. About 11 million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the US. The Trump administration is looking to first prioritize the approximately 1.4 million of them who have final orders of removal, essentially the final step in legal proceedings before deportation.If all that ICE accomplishes is a series of splashy operations that take a lot of resources but come intermittently, then it will be a sign that the administration is better equipped to scare migrants than arrest and deport them in numbers that substantially exceed what the agency accomplished under Presidents Biden and Obama, Garca Hernndez said.What we can expect going forwardActually implementing Trumps plans for mass deportations will require a large-scale and costly mobilization of government and law enforcement. That will not happen overnight. Were not going to see a significant increase in actual deportations this year, even with the Trump administrations best efforts, simply for logistical and financial reasons, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor of immigration law practice at Cornell Law School. There will be some increase in actual deportations this year, but its not going to be millions of people.The law enforcement capacity needed to both secure the border and carry out mass raids in the interior of the US right now does not exist. Getting ICE, detention facilities, and immigration courts staffed to the levels Trumps plan would need would require massive investment. That money would have to be approved by Congress, which already green lit another very expensive immigration bill in the last week and may be reluctant to drop more funds on the issue. However, Sean Ross, deputy chief of staff for Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), told Axios that she would be pushing for increased ICE funding via the budget reconciliation process and future appropriations bills. Another hurdle is finding immigrants, which may require cooperation with local law enforcement that sanctuary cities have been so far unwilling to provide. Even those that ICE rounds up might not be deported immediately. Trump has tried to expand whats called expedited removal so that anyone who has entered the US within the last two years can deported without a hearing before an immigration judge. But people who did not arrive in the US recently are entitled to such hearings, and the immigration court backlog currently stands at about 3.5 million cases. It could take years to deport people who are newly arrested and added to that backlog. These practical challenges will make it difficult for Trump to quickly implement his campaign vision for mass deportations. But the reality of it may not matter so much as how the public perceives his agenda.What hes trying to do is have a public relations campaign that sows fear and chaos among immigrant communities and assures his base that he is doing everything that he can to have increased immigration enforcement, Yale-Loehr said.Youve read 1 article in the last monthHere at Vox, we're unwavering in our commitment to covering the issues that matter most to you threats to democracy, immigration, reproductive rights, the environment, and the rising polarization across this country.Our mission is to provide clear, accessible journalism that empowers you to stay informed and engaged in shaping our world. By becoming a Vox Member, you directly strengthen our ability to deliver in-depth, independent reporting that drives meaningful change.We rely on readers like you join us.Swati SharmaVox Editor-in-ChiefSee More: Politics

By Thomas Maxwell Published January 25, 2025 | Comments (0) | Early data suggests Meta's controversial policy changes have not impacted usage. Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Metas recent right-wing tilt prompted plenty of people to declare they were ditching the companys apps, but according to a new report, the Mark Zuckerberg-led company is still doing just fine. Citing data from Apptopia and other analytics firms, Business Insider reports that engagement on Metas core apps is similar now to what it was before the company announced it would replace third-party fact-checkers with community notes and roll back its DEI initiatives. Meta has more than 3 billion daily active users globally across its platforms, which include Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. It is hard to break free from network effectsif all your friends and family all use WhatsApp, its not so simple to ditch the app. And for businesses, Meta has the most effective ad targeting apparatus in the world, perhaps only rivaling Google. X, formerly Twitter, saw a big decline in advertising spending after it lifted content restrictions, in part because its user base was small and it was never a great place to advertise in the first place, so it was easy for businesses to shift spending elsewhere. Moreover, the U.S. population is not even a sixth of Metas overall userbaseFacebook remains quite popular outside the U.S., despite sentiment here that it is dead. Its political maneuverings in the U.S. may not be relevant to people in other parts of the world. Though advertisers typically spend more money reaching users in America than anywhere else, the massive global userbase certainly helps insulate it. And it seems Meta saw an increase in spending on in-app purchases after the policy changes: After looking at the download and revenue data for Metas social apps, I was unable to detect any substantial or out-of-the-ordinary decline, Randy Nelson, the head of insights at App Figures, told BI. In fact, in some cases there were increases, he said. App Figures comparison of the 13 days before and after Metas announcement to end fact-checking shows that US in-app purchases on Metas platforms grew to $1.9 million for Facebook and $3 million for Instagram, representing increases of 5% and 3%, respectively. It helps that TikToks fate in the U.S. remains in limbo:Apptopia data found that Facebooks daily active users, which had been down about 2% year-over-year for most of January, began showing year-over-year growth on January 18, as speculation intensified ahead of a Supreme Court decision on TikTok. Instagram saw an even stronger rebound, with DAUs rising on January 18 and continuing to grow above the previous years numbers on both January 19 and 20. Ever since President Trump won reelection in November, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been on a full-court press to win over the administration following an acrimonious relationship during his first term. Republicans have attacked Meta for allegedly censoring conservative voices, even though conservative-leaning content has long dominated on Facebook. But Zuckerberg is a consummate businessman and does not want to spend four years being retaliated against, so he, along with other tech executives, have done everything they can to show allegiance to the White House. He notoriously did not like being in the business of fact-checking and moderating content anyway, implementing a pseudo-independent Oversight Council years ago to take over some of the responsibility. Trumps presidency gives him an easy out. It is important to keep in mind that Meta is not getting rid of content moderation altogether. It will still remove content over bullying, harassment, and other conduct that violates its policies. And fact-checking, whatever you think of it, seems to have been ineffective at swaying users opinions as they came to distrust or simply ignore the labels. But it seems certain Meta apps will become more of a cesspool than they already are, as fact-checking is replaced with crowdsourced notes (which can be slow to propagate) and users are permitted to write things they could not in the past, such as that homosexuality is a mental illness and all undocumented immigrants are criminals.It may be too early to say whether or not users will leave Meta apps en-masse, but be skeptical.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Lucas Ropek Published January 22, 2025 By Matthew Gault Published January 14, 2025 By Kyle Barr Published January 14, 2025 By Thomas Maxwell Published January 13, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published January 10, 2025 By AJ Dellinger Published January 9, 2025