Crypto criminals can’t hide The single largest cryptocurrency heist in history took place one day in late February, when hackers exploited system vulnerabilities in Bybit, a Dubai-based crypto exchange, siphoning off a whopping $1.5 billion in digital assets within minutes. Bybit’s security team immediately launched an investigation that would eventually involve the FBI and several blockchain intelligence companies. Among those involved from the beginning were the experts at TRM Labs, a San Francisco-based company of around 300 that analyzes the blockchain networks which power cryptocurrency transactions to investigate—and prevent—fraud and financial crimes. “Literally from the first minutes, we were involved,”  says Ari Redbord, the company’s global head of policy, “working with Bybit and law enforcement partners like the FBI to track and trace funds.” The attack was soon attributed to a North Korean state-sponsored hacker organization commonly known as Lazarus Group. Lazarus has been blamed for a series of high-profile cybercrimes in recent years, including the 2014 hack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, the 2016 digital heist from the Bangladeshi central bank and, more recently, billions of dollars in digital currency thefts. TRM was among the first to attribute the Bybit attack after detecting an overlap between the blockchain resources used here and those used in Lazarus’s previous thefts. Since then, the company has harnessed its expertise in tracking crypto to keep law enforcement abreast of where the stolen funds are headed, following them from blockchain to blockchain and through clever concealment mechanisms. “We were very much built for an investigation like this,” Redbord says. Today, TRM’s investigators probe cryptocurrency thefts, ransomware attacks, and phishing scams. They help investigate other crimes that involve digital currencies, from child pornography to drug trafficking. The company’s free, public platform Chainabuse, launched in 2022, helps people report fraud, hacking, blackmail, and other crypto-related crimes. Clients in the cryptocurrency and finance industries harness the company’s software and data about blockchain transactions to identify funds associated with criminal activity and to flag suspicious transactions. Law enforcement agencies around the world enlist TRM’s tools—and sometimes even the company’s own investigators. Demand for such investigators is growing. TRM—which stands for Token Relationship Management—has raised about $150 million in total funding to date, from notable backers that include the venture arms of PayPal, American Express, and Citi, as well as Goldman Sachs. The investment bank led TRM’s most recent, late-stage funding round, which closed in January for an undisclosed amount, according to the research firm PitchBook. Meanwhile, the crypto ecosystem is likely to experience positive growth throughout 2025, according to a recent analysis by PitchBook. So too will crypto crimes: Illicit operations took $40 billion worth of crypto last year, according to Chainalysis, another blockchain security company—far more than the roughly $10 billion in venture capital funding that flowed into the above-board crypto sector in the same span, and more even than crypto’s 2022 VC funding peak of $29.8 billion. Roles like TRM’s will become more urgent if the government continues to abdicate its regulatory duties. Last month, the Trump administration shuttered a Justice Department unit that targeted crypto-related crimes. Yet crypto sits at the nexus of so many of the president’s domestic interests—fentanyl, counterterrorism, border security, and fraud. For TRM and rivals like Chainalysis and Elliptic, all of which have already won millions of dollars in federal contracts, the future is bright. From NFTs to crypto fraud One paradox of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and other cryptocurrency systems is that while they’re widely thought to provide anonymity, with users exchanging funds based not on real names and physical addresses, but on so-called digital addresses—unique and lengthy strings of alphanumeric characters that serve as a given account’s sole identifier—the records of those transactions are still public. A common ledger logs every payment, tying each transaction to those that came before, all the way back to the tokens’ minting. And once information becomes known about one transaction and the people or organizations behind the addresses involved, it becomes possible to trace those funds back and forth through time and from address to address. That allows clever observers to follow the money and deduce where funds came from, who other counterparties may be, and which transactions likely involved some of the same parties, like how investigators might piece together who used an anonymous burner phone based on the numbers they called. It’s a limitation to anonymity that Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto alluded to in the groundbreaking paper describing cryptocurrency’s underpinnings. And it’s one that computer scientist Sarah Meiklejohn and colleagues at the University of California San Diego showed to be a reality in a widely cited 2013 paper that demonstrated concretely how Bitcoins could be grouped by likely common owner—and how those owners could sometimes be identified from a database of known addresses. And that database, Meiklejohn and colleagues showed, could be assembled by a determined researcher simply doing ordinary business on the blockchain and recording the addresses used by the various vendors, exchanges, and other parties they transact with. While not the first company to run with Meiklejohn’s ideas on tracking the transfer of cryptocurrencies—rival Chainalysis, for one, launched in 2014—TRM offered the first-ever platform compatible with the Ethereum blockchain, widely used both for its own currency and assets like non-fungible tokens, or NFTs. At the time, “all of these blockchain intelligence companies had built their entire data architecture on the Bitcoin blockchain,” Redbord says, “because Bitcoin was entirely synonymous with cryptocurrency, and vice versa.” TRM began in 2018 as CEO Esteban Castaño and CTO Rahul Raina’s effort to capitalize on NFTs’ trendiness. After demoing an easy-to-use analytics tool they’d built to help understand NFT market movement to a friend with his own blockchain-based startup, Castaño and Raina decided to pivot. Their creation could be its own product with wide appeal—the same blockchains which track NFTs also manage cryptocurrencies—Castaño says that while “nobody had ever gotten excited about any of the other NFT applications we were building,” this was different. Describing their friend and his employees’ reactions, he says, “it was the first time they’d seen on-chain activity visualized in a way they could understand.” Talking to potential customers soon revealed a critical use case beyond basic customer analytics: understanding the flow of funds on the blockchain to avoid unwittingly participating in money laundering. A now-pivoted TRM publicly launched in 2019 with a tool it planned to sell to blockchain businesses looking to comply with anti-money-laundering regulations. But a more proactive use case soon arose that suggested even bigger opportunities. A friend reached out to say he’d fallen victim to a cryptocurrency hack and wanted to know if TRM could help find the missing money. With the company’s tool, “we could see in clear daylight where the money was,” Castaño says. “So we got in touch with the Secret Service, we got in touch with the FBI, and that was the initial pull into that market.” By the time TRM Labs emerged from Y Combinator, in 2019, fighting and preventing fraud and other crime had become its primary focus. ‘They’re threat hunters’ Many TRM senior leaders and investigators honed their expertise over years in law enforcement, working at police agencies across the world. Redbord, the global policy head, served for more than a decade as a U.S. federal prosecutor and spent two years working on money laundering and national security at the Treasury Department before joining the company. Chris Janczewski, head of global investigations, previously served as a special agent at IRS Criminal Investigations, where he was instrumental in recovering cryptocurrency stolen in the infamous 2016 hack on the Bitfinex exchange; in the time between theft and recovery, the digital coins’ value had ballooned to $3.6 billion, making it the largest federal government seizure in history. The laptop Janczewski used in the investigation is now in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. “They’re threat hunters,” Redbord says of TRM’s investigators. “Our terror financing expert is out there communicating on password-protected Telegram channels with mujahideen, who will send him a crypto address. He’ll take that address and label it terror financing, and then we use AI and machine learning to build on that attribution.” With investigators around the globe, the company is able to track illicit funds around the clock. “Things like Bybit, you can’t have just one investigator doing that,” says TRM senior investigator Jonno Newman. Being based in Australia, in a time zone close to that of North Korea, made it easy for Newman to help out in the early days of the still-ongoing Bybit investigation. It also helped that he had previously led TRM’s investigation into an earlier hack attributed to North Korea, in 2023, where more than $100 million in cryptocurrency was reported stolen from thousands of blockchain addresses on the digital coin storage tool Atomic Wallet. Then, Newman says, the hackers began obfuscating the stolen funds’ origins and ultimate destination, shuffling their plunder between different virtual addresses and cryptocurrencies. They relied on so-called mixers, which hold and combine coins from multiple sources before disbursing them to new addresses, and cross-chain bridges, which let users convert funds from one cryptocurrency to another. Hackers would later use a similar playbook in moving the Bybit funds. As a result of TRM’s automated fund tracker across bridges, a service it has offered since 2022—an industry first, CEO Castaño says—investigators were able to closely monitor where the Atomic Wallet funds headed, tipping off law enforcement as needed about opportunities to freeze or seize them. “It was early mornings and late nights trying to keep up with the laundering process.” says Newman of the investigation. The former head of South Australia Police’s cybercrime training and prevention unit and author of a recent children’s book about the crypto world, he says “it becomes this almost cat-and-mouse game about where they are going to go next.” TRM’s products at least make the game playable. “When you’re following the money, it used to be that you would reach a dead end when the money went to a different blockchain,” Castaño says. “But with TRM, tracing across blockchains is seamless.” Cautious optimism for blockchain security Not everyone believes TRM’s tech can fully deliver on its promise, at least from a legal perspective. J.W. Verret, an associate professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School who has testified as an expert witness in crypto-related matters, cautions that most testimony based on blockchain forensics tools should be viewed as potentially fallible, “They are useful for developing leads at the start of an investigation,” he says, but can be overly relied on like “the long history of junk forensic science—handwriting analysis, bitemark analysis, stuff that’s all kind of later proven to be unreliable.” For its part, Verret says, TRM Labs offers tools that are less prone than some of its competitors to false positives because the company is more careful about how it establishes associations between blockchain addresses and criminal activity. Meanwhile, last September, TRM announced the creation of the T3 Financial Crime Unit, a partnership with the organizations behind the Tron blockchain and Tether stablecoins to combat the use of those technologies for money laundering. By January, TRM said the partnership had helped freeze more than $100 million in USDT—Tether’s stablecoin pegged in value to the U.S. dollar—found to be tied to criminal activity. That figure has since more than doubled, with the total now including nearly $9 million linked to the massive Bybit heist. “In the seven months since launch, T3 has worked with law enforcement to freeze over $200 million linked to illicit activity ranging from terror financing to money laundering to fraud,” Castaño says. “And when you think about how much crime is financially motivated, adding a $200 million expense to criminals’ balance sheet is a huge win for deterring crime.” But even as TRM jockeys for pole position in a competitive industry, cybercriminals continue to develop new methods of stealing and hiding funds through complex blockchain machinations, often by taking advantage of crypto efficiency gains that make it easier to move more money faster. That will only continue as criminals deploy AI to automate scams and potentially even money laundering—and investigators use new AI and machine learning techniques, along with ever-growing blockchain datasets, to track them more efficiently and coordinate with law enforcement to stop them and seize their funds. And since blockchain ledgers last forever, crypto criminals are risking more than perhaps they realize, according to Castaño. “You’re betting not only that TRM and law enforcement won’t be able to identify your illicit activity today, but that we won’t be able to do it in the future,” he says. “Because the record is permanent.” And that’s the most powerful advantage investigators possess.

If you’re an ice cream fan, there’s some bad news: One of America’s most beloved ice cream brands may soon see hundreds of its in-store retail locations vanish just as summer is beginning. Thrifty Ice Cream counters, which are found in hundreds of Rite Aid locations in California and other states, are facing an uncertain future thanks to the pharmacy chain’s most recent bankruptcy proceedings. Here’s what you need to know. What is Thrifty Ice Cream? Thrifty Ice Cream is an ice cream brand that is owned by the Rite Aid pharmacy chain. The brand was originally founded in 1940 in Los Angeles, where it was sold from soda fountain counters inside the Thrifty Drug Store chain. The brand is iconic in Los Angeles and throughout California, where its cylindrical ice cream scoops are a summer staple for people who want to cool down with a sweet treat. As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2018, until 1975, a scoop of Thrifty’s ice cream cost as little as five cents, and today scoops cost just a few dollars.   In 1996, the Rite Aid pharmacy chain bought Thrifty PayLess Inc., the then-owner of the Thrifty pharmacy store and Thrifty ice cream, for $2.3 billion. After the acquisition, Rite Aid operated over 500 Thrifty Ice Cream counters inside its pharmacies, mainly in California. But now it is likely these Thrifty Ice Cream counter stores-within-a-store are closing. What will happen to Thrifty Ice Cream? Over the past several days, reports have emerged indicating that up to 500 Thrifty Ice Cream stores may close. When these reports mention “stores” closing, they are referring to the Thrifty Ice Cream counters found in Rite Aid pharmacy locations. Rite Aid is currently undergoing its second bankruptcy in as many years, and the pharmacy chain has already announced plans to close hundreds of locations. It’s important to note that this bankruptcy will mark the end of Rite Aid. All of its stores will either close or be sold to other owners. Locations that that ultimately remain open will no longer be Rite Aid stores. (For example, pharmacy giant CVS has said it will take over 64 physical Rite Aid stores in Washington, Idaho, and Oregon.) In 2018, the Los Angeles Times reported that Rite Aid operated more than 500 Thrifty Ice Cream stations; however, the pharmacy chain has significantly reduced its footprint since then, having gone through its first bankruptcy in 2023. Meanwhile, Thrifty Ice Cream’s online store locator tool appears to be only partially functional as of the time of this writing, so the exact number of locations the brand has is unknown. Fast Company has reached out to Rite Aid for clarity on how many Thrifty Ice Cream counters are still in operation and what their fate will be amid the bankruptcy process. But just because Rite Aid is closing locations and filing for bankruptcy, that doesn’t mean Thrifty Ice Cream is necessarily done for good. After selling off most of its pharmacy assets this month, Rite Aid is expected to hold an auction in June to sell its remaining assets, including the Thrifty brand and the Thrifty Ice Cream factory in El Monte, California. It’s possible that a buyer could swoop in to scoop up the Thrifty Ice Cream brand. If so, any buyer may continue to operate Thrifty Ice Cream stores. The counters in the closing Rite Aid stores would no longer be an option, but a new buyer would be free to open Thrifty Ice Cream individual stores, or form partnerships with other pharmacies or retailers to run Thrifty Ice Cream counters in their stores. Thrifty Ice Cream also currently sells its ice cream at retailers including Vons and Albertsons. A buyer may choose to keep the brand alive through retail outlet sales alone. But for now, all this is just conjecture. We likely won’t know the future of Thrifty Ice Cream until Rite Aid’s bankruptcy is completed, or until next month’s auction.

Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design (GSD) dean joined Alan Garber, the university’s president, in condemning the federal government earlier this week after it moved to block the university from being able to admit international students. GSD has a higher proportion of international students compared to the rest of the University’s student body, and Dean Sarah M. Whiting said international students are an integral part of the school. “I join President Garber in condemning the government’s illegal action against our school, and in affirming the immense value our international students bring to the GSD community,” Dean Sarah M. Whiting said in a note shared online Saturday. Whiting, who’s also a Josep Lluis Sert professor of architecture, said GSD is “one of the most international schools at Harvard” and that the school’s international makeup “goes back to the founding of the GSD.” Nearly a third of Harvard GSD students are international, which is higher than the 14% of international students who make up of the general student body at large, according to Peterson’s, an educational services company. Six of the school’s eight class of 2025 commencement marshals who represent their disciples at graduation are from outside the U.S. Whiting added that its international student body “is part of our DNA—our student body, our faculty, our staff, and the discipline and practice of design all thrive on this internationalism. The extraordinary breadth of experience and perspectives that the international members of our community provide is essential to who we are.” The school offers programs through its departments of architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning and design, design studies, and design engineering. A spokesperson from the school declined to comment for this piece. A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from rescinding Harvard’s ability to admit international students on Friday after the Department of Homeland Security revoked its Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certification for admitting foreign students. Now, Trump is attempting to go after the university in other ways, including calls to redirect grants from the university to trade schools and no longer scheduling student visa appointments. Trump said Wednesday Harvard should have a cap of about 15% on international students and accused the university of being antisemitic and a “disaster.” Garber, the university president, told NPR Wednesday that Harvard should “stand firm” to its “commitment to the good of the nation” in the face of Trump’s retaliation over the private university’s policies around admissions, DEI programs, hiring, and international students.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, unemployment rates have not shifted much in recent years. The current unemployment rate is reported as being 4.2%—just a slight increase from the 4% it hovered around between 2022 and 2024. But according to a new report, another measure of unemployment is much higher, and steadily growing. The April report, which comes from the Ludwig Institute for Shared Economic Prosperity (LISEP), a nonprofit that produces original economic research, documents what it calls the “true rate” of unemployment. That rate refers to “functional unemployment,” which takes into account those who are job-seeking yet unable to find work, as well as those with full-time jobs but whose earnings put them below the poverty line (under $25,000/year). The functional unemployment rate has risen for three consecutive months and is currently 24.4%. That means about one in four U.S. adults are considered functionally unemployed.  LISEP Chair Gene Ludwig said in a press release that the outlook on the trend shows “little signs of improvement” amid lack of an “influx of dependable, good-paying jobs.” The report showed the functional unemployment rate rising 1.4% among Black workers to 26.7%. It decreased slightly for white workers, moving from 23.1% to 23%. While the rate for men increased (by 1.2%) bringing the total to 20%, women narrowed the gender gap. Women’s true unemployment rate dipped 0.8 percentage points to 28.6%. While it’s no secret that the federal government has been steadily shedding jobs, there haven’t been major increases in the unemployment rate. However, the new findings paint a grim picture of how many U.S. workers are struggling to find employment and a livable income. Meanwhile, wage increases haven’t kept up with a rising cost of living, not to mention the cost to raise a child, which has ticked up 25% in the past two years alone. “Amid an already uncertain economic outlook, the rise in functional unemployment is a concerning development,” Ludwig explains. “This uncertainty comes at a price, and unfortunately, the low- and middle-income wage earners ultimately end up paying the bill.”

A potentially devastating new round of tariffs looming over the European Union’s trade relationship with the U.S. will be pushed back for at least a month as negotiations continue.  President Trump on Friday announced plans for a 50% tariff on EU goods, expressing frustration with the 27-country bloc and repeating his talking points about the trade deficit between the U.S. and the EU. After a call over the weekend with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Trump agreed to a new deadline of July 9 to give the U.S. and EU time to hash out a deal.  “I agreed to the extension—July 9, 2025—it was my privilege to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “The Commission President said that talks will begin rapidly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump’s cooperative comments were a tone shift from his Friday mood toward the bloc, when he described the talks as “going nowhere” and slammed the EU for being difficult to deal with. Von der Leyen reiterated that the EU needs until July to sort out the details of a new trade deal—and to talk its way out of Trump’s threatened 50% tariff, which would devastate existing trade norms between the global powers. “The EU and U.S. share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship,” Von der Leyen said on X. “Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively.” On Friday, Trump also rounded on Apple, threatening to implement a 25% tariff if the Cupertino, California-based iPhone maker doesn’t bring its manufacturing stateside. The passing attack was enough to prompt a dip in Apple’s shares as investors fretted over the high price tag of a hypothetical U.S.-made iPhone and the logistic impossibility of the company relocating its vast production operation, which is largely based in China. The fresh trade threats against the EU are just the latest turn on Trump’s trade roller-coaster ride, which has thrown global alliances into chaos, upended markets, and raised a new round of red flags that U.S. consumers may again be facing higher prices on everyday goods.

A year ago, I started reading again. I say “again” because, like the countless friends and colleagues I’ve spoken to who have also found themselves swept up in the reading renaissance that’s currently reshaping the book industry—the U.S. market is projected to grow from $40.5 billion in 2024 to $51.5 billion by 2030, with audiobooks and ebooks seeing explosive growth—I’d lost the habit somewhere between the demands of a growing career and the chaos of early parenthood.  For too long, reading was relegated to vacations—and even then, I’d be lucky to get through a full book. But last year, something shifted. Twelve months later, I’ve read over 100 books and listened to countless more on audio. I sleep better, stress less, have a better work/life balance, and—for the first time in years—have an actual hobby that’s purely for my personal enjoyment.  Small but strategic changes How’d I do it? Call it a perfect storm: I stumbled into the world of BookTok, finally succumbed to the siren call of the Kindle, and I made a few small but strategic lifestyle changes that opened up a whole new world of reading. Below, I’ve included five of the tactics that helped me make reading a priority (read the other ten on my Substack, Two Truths). My method won’t apply to every person or be conducive to every career: I’m primarily a stay-at-home parent of two young kids who works part-time in the margins of my “free” time as a writer. But it’s my hope that some of what worked for me will help you find more free time, too—whether it’s to read one book, 100 books, or do something else entirely.  1. I typically read three different books at once. This might sound chaotic, but hear me out. Here’s how I break down my three-book method . . . One book is on my Kindle, which travels with me everywhere so I can fill any spare moments (waiting at the doctor’s office, sitting in the school pick-up lot, or standing in line at the grocery store) by sneaking in a few pages. This is also what I read at nighttime when my kids’ bedtime books are done and I’m waiting for them to doze off—the tablet’s screen has a dark mode that doesn’t disturb them, and it’s a nice way to wind down my day. One is a hard copy, either something from the library, or something I want to annotate (I appreciate the aesthetic nostalgia of highlighters and sticky tabs). This is how I read most of my nonfiction, which I prefer to hold in my hand. Since these books are often for work, research, or self-improvement, I often read them in the morning (more on that below), during naptime, or while both kids are playing independently. One is an audiobook, which I listen to while I’m driving or doing work around my home. I regularly find myself cleaning out closets or reorganizing the pantry just so I have an excuse to keep listening to a book. I typically reserve my audiobooks for easier-to-follow, lighthearted reads.That way, if I get distracted and miss something, I won’t be completely lost. 2. I stopped watching unintentional TV. There was a time when I’d end the day by crashing on the couch and searching for something to watch before inevitably ending up on The Office (. . . again). Now, I only watch TV when I truly want to invest my time into a series, and I really cannot stress enough how much time this opened up for me in the evening. 3. I wake up early and read before the kids wake. I never thought I’d say this (I’ve never been a morning person), but having young kids trained my body to wake up at 5 a.m. These days, they usually sleep until 6—but if the house is still quiet when I wake, I take the chance to read a few pages of my book before the day begins. It’s a peaceful ritual that keeps me off my phone—and away from notifications and mindless scrolling—until I’m ready to address whatever’s waiting. 4. I keep a running list in my Notes app with every book I’ve read, plus a few emojis or keywords to represent how I felt about it. This helps me remember what I loved or didn’t love about a book, which is crucial when someone asks me for a reading recommendation. I also like the sense of accomplishment that comes from scrolling through my list. 5. I chose to prioritize reading, and then built boundaries around it. Bottom line: I could certainly be doing a host of other things during the extra time I’ve dug out of my days and nights; the unpacked boxes that have been sitting in my basement since our move two years ago would probably like a word. Maybe I’m missing out on some great series or films that I would have stumbled upon, and I could always tackle my overflowing inbox in that open hour at 5 a.m. But for me, reading offers a pretty effortless and accessible escape from the news, noise, and inevitable dilemmas that pop up daily—and those moments of peace are priceless.

What if there were a battery that could release energy while trapping carbon dioxide? This isn’t science fiction; it’s the promise of lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO₂) batteries, which are currently a hot research topic. Li-CO₂ batteries could be a two-in-one solution to the current problems of storing renewable energy and taking carbon emissions out of the air. They absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into a white powder called lithium carbonate while discharging energy. These batteries could have profound implications for cutting emissions from vehicles and industry—and might even enable long-duration missions on Mars, where the atmosphere is 95% CO₂. To make these batteries commercially viable, researchers have mainly been wrestling with problems related to recharging them. Now, our team at the University of Surrey has come up with a promising way forward. So how close are these “CO₂-breathing” batteries to becoming a practical reality? Like many great scientific breakthroughs, Li-CO₂ batteries were a happy accident. Slightly over a decade ago, a U.S.-French team of researchers were trying to address problems with lithium air batteries, another frontier energy-storage technology. Whereas today’s lithium-ion batteries generate power by moving and storing lithium ions within electrodes, lithium air batteries work by creating a chemical reaction between lithium and oxygen. The problem has been the “air” part, since even the tiny (0.04%) volume of CO₂ that’s found in air is enough to disrupt this careful chemistry, producing unwanted lithium carbonate (Li₂CO₃). As many battery scientists will tell you, the presence of Li₂CO₃ can also be a real pain in regular lithium-ion batteries, causing unhelpful side reactions and electrical resistance. Nonetheless the scientists noticed something interesting about this CO₂ contamination: It improved the battery’s amount of charge. From this point on, work began on intentionally adding CO₂ gas to batteries to take advantage of this, and the lithium-CO₂ battery was born. How it works Their great potential relates to the chemical reaction at the positive side of the battery, where small holes are cut in the casing to allow CO₂ gas in. There it dissolves in the liquid electrolyte (which allows the charge to move between the two electrodes) and reacts with lithium that has already been dissolved there. During this reaction, it’s believed that four electrons are exchanged between lithium ions and carbon dioxide. This electron transfer determines the theoretical charge that can be stored in the battery. In a normal lithium-ion battery, the positive electrode exchanges just one electron per reaction. (In lithium air batteries, it’s two to four electrons.) The greater exchange of electrons in the lithium-carbon dioxide battery, combined with the high voltage of the reaction, explains their potential to greatly outperform today’s lithium-ion batteries. However, the technology has a few issues. The batteries don’t last very long. Commercial lithium-ion packs routinely survive 1,000 to 10,000 charging cycles; most LiCO₂ prototypes fade after fewer than 100. They’re also difficult to recharge. This requires breaking down the lithium carbonate to release lithium and CO₂, which can be energy intensive. This energy requirement is a little like a hill that must be cycled up before the reaction can coast, and is known as overpotential. You can reduce this requirement by printing the right catalyst material on the porous positive electrode. Yet these catalysts are typically expensive and rare noble metals, such as ruthenium and platinum, making for a significant barrier to commercial viability. Our team has found an alternative catalyst, caesium phosphomolybdate, which is far cheaper and easy to manufacture at room temperature. This material made the batteries stable for 107 cycles, while also storing 2.5 times as much charge as a lithium ion. And we significantly reduced the energy cost involved in breaking down lithium carbonate, for an overpotential of 0.67 volts, which is only about double what would be necessary in a commercial product. Our research team is now working to further reduce the cost of this technology by developing a catalyst that replaces caesium, since it’s the phosphomolybdate that is key. This could make the system more economically viable and scalable for widespread deployment. We also plan to study how the battery charges and discharges in real time. This will provide a clearer understanding of the internal mechanisms at work, helping to optimize performance and durability. A major focus of upcoming tests will be to evaluate how the battery performs under different CO₂ pressures. So far, the system has only been tested under idealized conditions (1 bar). If it can work at 0.1 bar of pressure, it will be feasible for car exhausts and gas boiler flues, meaning you could capture CO₂ while you drive or heat your home. Demonstrating that this works will be an important confirmation of commercial viability, albeit we would expect the battery’s charge capacity to reduce at this pressure. By our rough calculations, 1kg of catalyst could absorb around 18.5kg of CO₂. Since a car driving 100 miles emits around 18kg to 20kg of CO₂, that means such a battery could potentially offset a day’s drive. If the batteries work at 0.006 bar, the pressure on the Martian atmosphere, they could power anything from an exploration rover to a colony. At 0.0004 bar, Earth’s ambient air pressure, they could capture CO₂ from our atmosphere and store power anywhere. In all cases, the key question will be how it affects the battery’s charge capacity. Meanwhile, to improve the battery’s number of recharge cycles, we need to address the fact that the electrolyte dries out. We’re currently investigating solutions, which probably involve developing casings that only CO₂ can move into. As for reducing the energy required for the catalyst to work, it’s likely to require optimizing the battery’s geometry to maximize the reaction rate—and to introduce a flow of CO₂, comparable to how fuel cells work (typically by feeding in hydrogen and oxygen). If this continued work can push the battery’s cycle life above 1,000 cycles, cut overpotential below 0.3 V, and replace scarce elements entirely, commercial Li-CO₂ packs could become reality. Our experiments will determine just how versatile and far-reaching the battery’s applications might be, from carbon capture on Earth to powering missions on Mars. Daniel Commandeur is a Surrey Future Fellow at the School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering at the University of Surrey. Mahsa Masoudi is a PhD researcher of chemical engineering at the University of Surrey. Siddharth Gadkari is a lecturer in chemical process engineering at the University of Surrey. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Technology can be a double-edged sword. The right amount can fuel productivity, but too much can become a time waste. As with most things, the key is striking a healthy balance. Unfortunately, the deck is stacked against you. Apps and websites are designed to grab and hold your attention. So, how do successful people resist? “High-achievers use technology as a tool, not a distraction,” says Sachin Puri, chief growth officer at the web-hosting provider Liquid Web. “They make productivity apps their first priority, plan for intentional screen time, and select platforms intentionally. They may spend lots of time on screens, but they set boundaries where they need to, so that technology enhances their performance, rather than slowing it down.” To determine how high-achievers leverage tech, Liquid Web surveyed six-figure earners who excel in their careers to discover the habits and strategies they use to maximize productivity and minimize time wasting. Here’s what they found: They Are Intentional with Screen Time High-achievers spend an average of seven hours a day on their computers, which is a good chunk of time. However, they are primarily focused on activities that fall under the “productivity” umbrella, choosing sites that enhance and not hinder their career growth.  On average, they also limit phone use to three hours per day on things that could be deemed entertainment. This seems to suggest that they believe all work and no play can make a person dull. “High-achievers spend significant time on their screens but with clear intent,” says Puri. “This contrasts sharply with average Americans, who spend 23% more time on their phones.” They Go Tech-free (Sometimes) Forty-four percent of these high-achievers take daily tech breaks to better manage screen time and boost focus and well-being. While this is still the minority, it is a higher number than average Americans, 38% of whom take daily tech-free breaks.  “They use these breaks with intention, viewing them as a way to reset focus and maintain productivity rather than escape from work,” says Puri. “Instead of stepping away aimlessly, they use this time strategically to enhance their performance and mental clarity.” Tech breaks happen both during and outside work hours, depending on individual routines. For example, some high-performers may take short breaks during the day to sustain productivity, while others may choose to unplug in the evening or on weekends to separate work from personal life. “Regardless of timing, the key is using breaks strategically to maintain performance,” says Puri.  They Choose Tools for Productivity High-achievers also select their tech tools with an eye on efficiency, the survey discovered. For example, two thirds rely on calendar and scheduling tools, and 40% use AI chatbots to stay ahead of deadlines, optimize workflows, automate repetitive tasks, assist with brainstorming new ideas, and summarize lengthy pieces of information. “Compared to average Americans, successful individuals were 32% more likely to use calendar and scheduling tools and 11% more likely to rely on AI chatbots to optimize their workflows,” says Puri. “These tools have enabled them to maintain focus, manage time effectively, and achieve their goals more efficiently.” They Focus Their Social Media Habits Finally, high-achievers are mindful of social media. For example, 49% avoid TikTok entirely. Instead, they gravitate toward sites that offer a career-related benefit. Nearly 40% use Reddit as their most popular platform for learning and engagement. Successful people are also much more engaged on LinkedIn. Only 17% of high-achievers said they don’t use the professional networking site, compared to 38% of average Americans who aren’t engaged there. “Many high-achievers don’t give up on screens altogether—they just shift their focus,” says Puri. “Their social media habits show it, with many opting for interactive, discussion-based apps such as Reddit over passive scroll-based apps such as TikTok.” The lesson here is that screen time isn’t always a time suck. It’s where your attention goes that can help or hinder your success. 

Mark Whaling and a crew raced up and down a hill in a tanker truck as they battled a wildfire in Los Angeles County, scrambling to get water from a street hydrant in time to stay ahead of flames moving up a ridge. A helicopter flew in to drop water, but it had to fly a long distance to refill—and a fire that might have been stopped went on to destroy homes. As they fought that early 2000s blaze, Whaling says, he spotted a sealed, million-gallon water tank nearby that firefighters had no way of accessing. He thought that was ridiculous. “We don’t tell fire engines, ‘Protect the city and go find your own water.’ We put fire hydrants every 600 feet all around cities,” said Whaling, who has since retired from the county fire department. “But when it comes to the helicopters, we weren’t supporting them as robustly as we should.” His frustration sparked an idea: the Heli-Hydrant, a relatively small, open tank that can be rapidly filled with water, enabling helicopters to fill up faster for urban fires rather than flying to sometimes distant lakes or ponds. As wildfires become more frequent, Whaling’s invention is getting the attention of officials eager to boost preparedness. First used for the 2020 Blue Ridge Fire in Yorba Linda, 10 Heli-Hydrants have been built across Southern California and 16 more are in progress, according to Whaling. Helicopters are essential for firefighting. They can drop 1,000 gallons (about 3,785 liters) of water at once—some much more. That is far more than hoses can get on a fire all at once, and can be the best way to attack fires that are difficult for ground crews to reach. But pilots sometimes have to fly a long way to scoop up water. And in drought-prone areas, natural sources can sometimes dry up or diminish, so they’re hard to draw from. In Southern California’s Riverside County, helicopters have had to fly up to 10 miles (about 16 kilometers) to find water, eating critical time from battling fires. An innovative solution On a remote plot in the Southern California town of Cabazon, contractor Glenn Chavez stood on a ladder and peered into an empty Heli-Hydrant. A radio in hand, he clicked a button to activate the system and watched as water roared into the tank. In about six minutes, it filled with 8,500 gallons (32,176 liters). Chavez, a general contractor, was testing the Cabazon Water District’s latest investment—a second Heli-Hydrant that local officials are counting on to help protect the town. At $300,000, it cost slightly less than the average price of a single home in Cabazon. “Living in a beautiful desert community, you’re going to have risks of fire,” said Michael Pollack, the district’s general manager. “And to have these Heli-Hydrants is a major advantage. People will have a little bit of comfort knowing that they have another tool for fighting fires in their community.” Pilots can remotely activate the tanks from half a mile away, with the tank typically filling quickly from a city’s water system. Helicopters can fill up in less than a minute. Once it’s activated, solar panels and backup batteries ensure the system can still be used during power outages. And at night, lights from the tank and a tower nearby guide pilots toward it. In November, fire responders in San Diego put the product to the test when the 48-acre Garden Fire in Fallbrook, a community known for its avocado groves, prompted evacuation orders and warnings. Helicopters tapped the tank nearly 40 times. Pilot Ben Brown said its proximity to the fire saved not just time but fuel. “They’re great for when you don’t have other water sources,” he said. “The more dip sites, especially in some of the more arid environments in the county, the better.” But they don’t always help Heli-Hydrants have raised some concerns about their placement in urban areas where houses, buildings, and power lines can be obstacles to flight and they might have to squeeze into tighter spaces. In those cases, firefighters may choose to fly farther to a natural source that gives the helicopter more room, said Warren Voth, a deputy pilot with the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. A pilot’s goal is to always to face the wind while entering and exiting an area, for safety, and they need room to accomplish that. In some cases, the municipal systems needed to fill Heli-Hydrants could go empty during major fires. As the Palisades Fire in Los Angeles burned, three 1-million gallon tanks that helped pressurize city hydrants in the Pacific Palisades ran dry as demand soared and burning pipes leaked water. Other times, helicopters just can’t access them. When winds are fierce, flying is nearly impossible; hurricane-force winds that supercharged the Los Angeles infernos initially grounded firefighting aircraft. When multiple helicopters respond to large blazes, they can’t all use the Heli-Hydrant. And smoke can make it hard to see it. Portable water tanks can accomplish some of the things that Heli-Hydrants do, but can require time, people, and equipment to set up. A Heli-Hydrant gives one community hope Areas where wildland vegetation intersects with human development have always been vulnerable to fires, but more people are living in them today, and climate change is creating conditions that can make these regions drier and more flammable. Jake Wiley has seen intensifying wildfires devastate his community. Two blazes—in 2007 and 2017—collectively scorched more than 400 structures in San Diego. The last one forced Wiley, now general manager for the Rainbow Municipal Water District, to evacuate. That fire also prompted local agencies to install a Heli-Hydrant—and when the Garden Fire erupted in November, it played a big role helping firefighters protect homes. “It seems like when you’ve seen the worst, you haven’t yet,” Wiley said. “Anything we can do helps.” The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment. —By Dorany Pineda and Brittany Peterson, Associated Press

Visit just about any downtown on a weekend and you will likely happen upon a farmers market. Or, you might grab lunch from a food truck outside a local brewpub or winery. Very likely, there is a community-shared kitchen or food entrepreneur incubator initiative behind the scenes to support this growing foodie ecosystem. As rural America gains younger residents, and grows more diverse and increasingly digitally connected, these dynamics are driving a renaissance in craft foods. One food entrepreneur incubator, Hope & Main Kitchen, operates out of a school that sat vacant for over 10 years in the small Rhode Island town of Warren. Its business incubation program, with over 300 graduates to date, gives food and beverage entrepreneurs a way to test, scale and develop their products before investing in their own facilities. Its markets also give entrepreneurs a place to test their products on the public and buyers for stores, while providing the community with local goods. Food has been central to culture, community and social connections for millennia. But food channels, social media food influencers and craft brews have paved the way for a renaissance of regional beverage and food industry startups across America. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Hope & Main: Culinary Incubator (@hopemain) In my work in agriculture economics, I see connections between this boom in food and agriculture innovation and the inflow of young residents who are helping revitalize rural America and reinvigorate its Main Streets. Why entrepreneurs are embracing rural life An analysis of 2023 U.S. Census Bureau data found that more people have been moving to small towns and rural counties in recent years, and that the bulk of that population growth is driven by 25- to 44-year-olds. This represents a stark contrast to the 2000s, when 90% of the growth for younger demographics was concentrated in the largest metro areas. The COVID-19 pandemic and the shift to remote work options it created, along with rising housing prices, were catalysts for the change, but other interesting dynamics may also be at play. One is social connectedness. Sociologists have long believed that the community fabric of rural America contributes to economic efficiency, productive business activity, growth of communities and population health. Maps show that rural areas of the U.S. with higher social capital—those with strong networks and relationships among residents—are some of the strongest draws for younger households today. Another important dynamic for both rural communities and their new young residents is entrepreneurship, including food entrepreneurship. Rural food startups may be leveraging the social capital aligned with the legacy of agriculture in rural America, resulting in a renewed interest in craft and local foods. This includes a renaissance in foods made with local ingredients or linked to regional cultures and tastes. According to data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. local sales of edible farm products increased 33% from 2017 to 2022, reaching $14.2 billion. The new ‘AgriCulture’ A 2020 study I was involved in, led by agriculture economist Sarah Low, found a positive relationship between the availability of farm-based local and organic foods and complementary food startups. The study termed this new dynamic “AgriCulture.” We found a tendency for these dynamics to occur in areas with higher natural amenities, such as hiking trails and streams, along with transportation and broadband infrastructure attractive to digital natives. The same dynamic drawing young people to the outdoors offers digital natives a way to experience far-reaching regions of the country and, in some cases, move there. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Home Farm U-Pick & Events (@homefarmfamily) A thriving food and beverage scene can be a pull for those who want to live in a vibrant community, or the new settlers and their diverse tastes may be what get food entrepreneurs started. Many urban necessities, such as shopping, can be done online, but eating and food shopping are local daily necessities. Governments can help rural food havens thrive When my colleagues and I talk to community leaders interested in attracting new industries and young families, or who seek to build community through revitalized downtowns and public spaces, the topic of food commonly arises. We encourage them to think about ways they can help draw food entrepreneurs: Can they increase local growers’ and producers’ access to food markets? Would creating shared kitchens help support food trucks and small businesses? Does their area have a local advantage, such as a seashore, hiking trails or cultural heritage, that they can market in connection with local food? West Reading Farmer's Market Daniel Price of the Daily Loaf helps a customer pick out bread. [Photo By Susan L. Angstadt/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images] Several federal, state and local economic development programs are framing strategies to bolster any momentum occurring at the crossroads of rural, social connections, resiliency, food and entrepreneurship. For example, a recent study from a collaboration of shared kitchen experts found that there were over 600 shared-use food facilities across the U.S. in 2020, and over 20% were in rural areas. In a survey of owners, the report found that 50% of respondents identified assisting early-growth businesses as their primary goal. View this post on Instagram A post shared by FEAST & FETTLE (@feastandfettle) The USDA Regional Food Business Centers, one of which I am fortunate to co-lead, have been bolstering the networking and technical assistance to support these types of rural food economy efforts. Many rural counties are still facing shrinking workforces, commonly because of lagging legacy industries with declining employment, such as mining. However, recent data and studies suggest that in rural areas with strong social capital, community support and outdoor opportunities, younger populations are growing, and their food interests are helping boost rural economies. Dawn Thilmany is a professor of agricultural economics at Colorado State University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Conferences can be great for creating energy and fueling motivation. I recently attended a creative living workshop led by Elizabeth Gilbert at Canyon Ranch in Tucson, Arizona. I left feeling ready to take on the world.  Unfortunately, that feeling can fade when you log off the computer, step off the plane, or simply reenter normal life. For me, my feeling of confidence toward more creative projects started to dwindle and imposter syndrome reentered my internal dialogue. “Inspirational environments trigger a dopamine response that temporarily alters our baseline state, creating what neuroscientists call a peak state,” says Andrew Hogue, co-CEO of the nervous system wellness app Neurofit. “But this physiological shift has evolved to be temporary. Your nervous system naturally regulates back to its usual set point once you return to everyday life.” While it’s natural for the excitement to wane, there are things you can do to relight the fire. Here are five ways to keep the energy going: Start Small Resist the urge to overhaul yourself with everything you just learned immediately, say Corry Frazier and Melissa Pepin, entrepreneur business coaches at The Business Reboot. Instead, give yourself time to sit with these fresh ideas and see what resonates. “What aligns best with you?” asks Frazier. “Think of it like waiting 24 hours before making a big purchase—if it still feels like the right move after some reflection, then it’s worth pursuing.” Darcy Eikenberg, author of Red Cape Rescue: Save Your Career Without Leaving Your Job, recommends reserving an extra day after the conference for reflection. “Too often we rush back into our daily lives, losing both the energy and the value of the new learning we’ve had,” she says. “Instead, think about this extra day as the way to make sure your investment in the conference pays off. . . . Review your goals and reassess where you are and where you want to go.” But Don’t Wait Too Long While you should be mindful of your next step, it’s also smart to take advantage of your heightened motivation before life takes over. Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad, a career strategist, recommends blocking one hour the week after to act on your biggest takeaway—the idea that “hit you like a lightning bolt.”  “Capture that insight, then break it down into micro-actions,” she says. “Instead of ‘I need to build my personal brand,’ reframe it into three doable steps, such as ‘update my LinkedIn bio, post one thought leadership piece, reach out to a potential mentor.’” Share What You Learned  One of the best ways to reinforce what you learned and remember how you felt is to share your experience publicly, such as posting on LinkedIn or another social media platform, says Eikenberg.  “Writing about a conference also allows you to show appreciation for key speakers or even the organizers, all who value knowing how their event helped,” she says.  Shanna Hocking, author of One Bold Move a Day: Meaningful Actions Women Can Take to Fulfill Their Leadership and Career Potential, recommends keeping the information fresh by bringing it back to your coworkers.  “Teach what you learned to others, which extends the learning for you and your team,” she says. Measure Your Actions Results build momentum that can fuel excitement, says Pepin. “You won’t always feel the same high you did right after the retreat, and relying on a feeling to sustain is unrealistic,” she says. “Instead, commit to showing up consistently, again and again, because, in the end, discipline and persistence truly elevate your success. Williams-Lindo recommends creating a 90-day challenge. “Real transformation happens in the trenches, not just in the moment,” she explains. “Assign yourself a 90-day implementation goal—whether it’s launching that side hustle, refining your leadership style, or mastering AI tools for work.” Create Environmental Triggers Finally, consider your physical environment, which has a powerful influence on your physiology, says Hogue. To take advantage of this, choose one specific object from the conference and place it in your primary workspace.  “[It] can help you remember the physiological feelings associated with your inspired state,” he says. “Additionally, if there were any specific scents, songs, or sounds associated with the event, these are also a very powerful way to access the associated memories.” Hocking also recommends keeping visual reminders of the retreat or conference nearby. “Display your notes, a quote, or a visual by your desk so your learning and commitment are front of mind,” she says. At the end of the Creative Living retreat, Gilbert asked us to review our notes and circle five sentences or phrases that held the greatest meaning. Then we combined them into a five-line piece of “motivational poetry.” This is now pinned to the bulletin board in my workspace. Sustainable motivation over time comes from working with your body, says Hogue. “By doing so, you can maintain your inspiration long after that latest conference or event has passed,” he says.

Polaroid’s new collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA) is designed to make your retro photos look like colorful works of pop art—and it feels like a flashback to 2014. The partnership includes two exclusive items: an $130 Polaroid camera and a separate $22 set of eight custom film frames. The camera itself is an analog instant camera—specifically, Polaroid’s Now Generation 3 model—rendered in a bright blue housing, complete with the “MoMA” wordmark in a lighter blue across the front. Included with the device are three neon, MoMA branded wrist straps to customize the look.  [Photo: Polaroid] Where the collaboration really shines is with its custom Polaroid film frames. The MoMA and Polaroid teams have designed 12 unique frames, each in high-octane color combinations like turquoise and bright red or lemon yellow and blue. Six of the frames feature the MoMA logo, while the other six come pre-captioned with quotes from artists including Carmen Herrera, Betye Saar, Meret Oppenheim, and Milton Glaser. You might receive a quote like, “I am interested in restless ideas,” by An-My Lê, or “If one truly loves nature, one finds beauty everywhere,” by Vincent Van Gogh. [Photo: Polaroid] It’s a cute, if corny, concept that feels like it would’ve gone instantly viral in Tumblr’s heyday of quote posting and aesthetic collages. According to a press release, the collab is intended to “capture the ethos of those who dared to see the world differently and invite today’s creatives to do the same.” For anyone who’s interested in the camera but not the inspiring quotes, the device is also compatible with regular Polaroid i-Type film. This new collection is one of several recent collaborations that Polaroid has produced based on design and art icons, including an Eames-inspired Now Generation 2 camera and another Now Generation 2 that’s fully decked out in imagery from Jean-Michel Basquiat’s artwork Boy and Dog in a Johnnypump.

The temperatures are heating up and school’s almost out for the summer. Before we fully dive into the warmer months and vacations, we get a mini-break in the form of Memorial Day weekend—a preview of coming attractions—but it requires some planning ahead because today (Monday May 26, 2025) is a federal holiday. Let’s take a look at a brief history of the day and what business and services will be closed to observe it. A brief history of Memorial Day Memorial Day has its roots in the aftermath of the Civil War. On May 30, 1868, John A. Logan, commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, declared the first national observance of Declaration Day, Memorial Day’s predecessor, on which flowers were placed on Union soldiers’ graves. Even before this declaration, there were many similar Confederate customs. Many cities on both sides claim to be the originators of the holiday. As more battles were fought, the holiday evolved beyond a single conflict to honor and mourn all service members who lost their lives in the line of battle. It became an official federal holiday in 1971 after a 1968 law, the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, was enacted by Congress. This moved the holiday from May 30 to the last Monday in May, giving many traditional American workers a three-day weekend. Memorial Day vs. Veterans Day Many mix up or confuse Memorial Day and Veterans Day. The former celebrates service members who have died in the line of battle. The latter takes place in November and celebrates all American veterans. Are banks open on Memorial Day? No. Major money transactions that require going inside a bank are going to have to wait as these institutions are closed on federal holidays. Are ATMs open on Memorial Day? Yes. Luckily, for simpler deposits and withdrawals, automated teller machines located outside of the branch are available. Is the post office open on Memorial Day? No. You won’t be able to run into a post office on Memorial Day as the United States Postal Service (USPS) is not open for business. Buy stamps and send big packages ahead of time. Is mail delivered on Memorial Day? No. Bills and postcards will be delayed a day, as postal mail is not delivered on Memorial Day. Are FedEx and UPS operating on Memorial Day? According to the 2025 FedEx holiday schedule, only FedEx Custom Critical services will be available. FedEx Office will have a modified schedule while FedEx, FedEx Freight, and FedEx Logistics are closed. According to the 2025 UPS holiday schedule, only UPS Express Critical services are available. Limited UPS store locations will be open. UPS Forwarding, UPS Domestic Ground, Air, and International are all closed for the holiday. Is the stock market open on Memorial Day? No. You will have to buy and sell another day. The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the Nasdaq exchange are closed. Are schools open on Memorial Day? No. Students and teachers typically get the day off for Memorial Day. That being said, it is a good practice to double check your own school’s calendar to verify this. Are restaurants open on Memorial Day? Yes. Most restaurants are open and hoping to take advantage of the three-day weekend revenue. This includes fast food chains such as McDonald’s and sit-down chains such as Applebee’s. For smaller mom-and-pop-type places, it’s best to double check that they didn’t take the day off. Are pharmacies open on Memorial Day? Typically, yes. Most Walgreens and CVS locations will be open, but they may have modified hours. Be sure to check your local location ahead of time, especially if you need your medication in a pinch. Moreover, independent pharmacies may be closed. Are stores and groceries open on Memorial Day? For the most part, yes. Big-box retailers like Walmart and Target are open on Memorial Day, according to a roundup from USA Today. If you need a last-minute bottle of ketchup or mustard for your hamburgers and hot dogs, you are covered. Trader Joe’s, Kroger, and many more have your back. The majority of large supermarket chains will be open for all your family barbecue needs. Costco, however, will be closed, so buy in bulk ahead of time.

A few years ago, a sales executive I worked with found himself in a difficult position. His company was under review for a potential buyout, and his director asked him to present a version of the company’s story that, while technically true, left out critical details. The omission would make the company look healthier than it was, protecting its valuation and the leadership team’s positions post-acquisition. He knew this wasn’t an outright lie, but it didn’t feel honest either. Was this just strategic messaging or something more ethically concerning? And how could he navigate this without jeopardizing his reputation or future at the company? A third path He chose a third path. Instead of outright refusal, which might have been career-limiting, he started by asking clarifying questions. What was the real outcome that the leadership team wanted? Was there a way to tell a fuller, more balanced story that acknowledged challenges while highlighting future opportunities? In the end, he was able to get leadership buy-in to reframe the story to focus on how the company had learned from its struggles and was taking steps to improve. It wasn’t a spin. It was honest, forward-looking, and hopeful. The CEO praised the approach, and the executive maintained his integrity without derailing his career. The Institute of Business Ethics found in a study that one in three employees felt pressured to compromise the business’s ethical standards. Many comply out of fear—worried they’ll face retaliation, be labeled “difficult,” or lose opportunities. But there are ways to push back without risking your career. UNDERSTAND BEFORE OBJECTING When confronted with a questionable request, most people respond in one of two ways: They comply out of fear or they push back immediately, putting their job security at risk. There’s a better first step: Push to understand. Not all uncomfortable requests are unethical. Some are simply poorly communicated or misaligned with your values.  Clarify: Start by seeking to fully understand the request. You may find the issue is one of discomfort rather than unethical intent. Question: Explore the outcomes they want and whether the request achieves those goals in the best way. Asking thoughtful questions often makes leaders rethink their approach on their own. Redirect: If appropriate, propose a solution that meets the same business objectives without compromising integrity. For example, rather than omitting challenges, highlight how those challenges spurred innovation or improved future outcomes. These conversations can reveal that the person making the request is open to alternatives, they just hadn’t thought of them yet. UNETHICAL VERSUS ILLEGAL If you’ve clarified, questioned, and still feel uncomfortable, it’s important to assess whether the request is merely unethical or actually illegal. That distinction determines your next move. If the request is illegal, you will want to tread carefully. If you feel psychologically safe, it can be helpful to start communicating via email to keep a digital trail (although it is possible that your manager will cover their trail by refusing to engage on email). Further, if your company has an HR department, you can share the request with them along with expressing your discomfort. One friend who works in compliance found himself in this exact situation. His manager asked him to manipulate data, a clear violation of regulations. He responded by email, explicitly stating why the request was illegal and citing the relevant regulatory code. He was never asked to do it again. Sometimes, simply stating the facts is the most powerful shield you have. However, if the request is unethical but not necessarily illegal, your next move should be a personal decision that minimizes future regret. REGRET MINIMIZATION FRAMEWORK If you’re facing this kind of dilemma, it’s already a bad situation. There’s no playbook that guarantees success or protection. Sometimes, doing everything “right” still results in backlash or career limitations.  This is why I recommend applying what’s called the “regret minimization framework. Ask yourself: If I look back on this 10 years from now, will I regret how I handled it? This is the core of the regret minimization framework, a decision-making tool made famous by Jeff Bezos. It doesn’t promise a perfect outcome. But it helps you act in a way that minimizes long-term regret, even if it leads to short-term discomfort. When you apply this framework, you’re not just considering whether you’ll keep your job next month. You’re asking which version of yourself—today’s self or your future self—you want to protect more. Do you want to be someone who went along to keep the peace? Or someone who held the line when it mattered? This doesn’t mean you have to become a whistleblower or burn bridges. It simply means choosing the actions that leave you at peace with yourself, knowing you did what you could with the power and information you had at the time.

The Coca-Cola Co. just announced its newest limited-time soda, and it’s a combination of Sprite and tea that was initially floated by a team of interns six years ago. Sprite + Tea just hit shelves earlier across the U.S. and Canada, and is expected to remain on the market through October. The soda is available in both regular and zero-sugar varieties, and, according to a press release, it “blends the crisp, lemon-lime refreshment of Sprite with the classically refreshing flavor of tea.” The new product arrives just a month after Coca-Cola announced better-than-anticipated first-quarter 2025 financial results, logging a 2% year-over-year revenue decline but maintaining its growth forecasts for 2025, unlike rival PepsiCo. For years now, Coca-Cola has been experimenting with new, unexpected flavor combinations designed to attract younger consumers, ranging from Spiced Coke to last summer’s Sprite Chill and the ever-popular seasonal rerelease Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry. Most recently, the company introduced Orange Cream Coke, citing “growing demand among millennials and Gen Z-ers for fun, unexpected tastes and sensory experiences” as the inspiration behind the nostalgic flavor. [Photo: Coca-Cola] Unlike these other flavor plays from the company, Sprite + Tea might already be familiar to many fans. That’s because before it became an official product, the soda started as an idea floated by Coca-Cola interns that later became a viral DIY TikTok trend. TikTok saw it first In an interview with Ad Age, Coca-Cola Co. senior creative director A.P. Chaney explained that Sprite + Tea first landed on executives’ radars back in 2019, when a group of interns pitched a combination of the two beverages.  “It was an R&D project, and interns were asked to come up with different innovations and marketing ideas for different brands, and Sprite + Tea was an ideation of that,” Chaney told Ad Age. From there, the idea seems to have sat on the back burner until summer 2023, when a DIY Sprite tea started popping up on TikTok. In an initial TikTok by Malaysian chef Hisham Raus, Raus is shown steeping Lipton tea bags in a regular bottle of Sprite and enjoying the concoction with a slice of lemon. The video, which has since racked up 19.8 million views and 1.3 million likes, has spawned dozens of copycat videos across platforms like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. Food influencer @shophocho7798 re-created the concept in a YouTube video with 3.7 million views, calling the result “literally a carbonated Arnold Palmer.” In another YouTube short with 8.3 million views, creator Jordan Howlett declared the hack “delicious” and encouraged his 4.4 million subscribers to give it a try. “When [the trend] blew up on TikTok with millions of views, it was a gut check that we were on the right track,” Chaney said in the company’s press release. While it’s unlikely that Coca-Cola is actually using the tea bag hack to mass-produce Sprite + Tea, the release does note that Coca-Cola’s North American R&D team “completed several rounds of consumer testing to fine-tune the formula for the amber-colored sparkling beverage.”  For Coca-Cola, Sprite seems to be a reliable base for flavor remixes: In 2024, the limited-time Sprite Chill became the company’s best-selling drink innovation, and Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry has returned several times as a holiday fan favorite since 2013. Meanwhile, the recent Spiced Coke experiment was phased out after just six months when it failed to land with customers.  TikTok is already flooded with videos of fans trying Sprite + Tea, with some reviews commending the drink’s “strong tea flavor,” while others recommend that viewers stick with the DIY version.

No Mow May encourages homeowners to stash the lawn mower each spring and let flowers and grass grow for pollinators and water retention. And if your neighbor’s lawn already looks like a wildflower field most of the time, it could be more intentional than passersby might assume.The movement has expanded to “Let It Bloom June” and the fall version: “Leave the leaves.” Conservation and horticulture groups say year-round low-mowing while selectively leaving native plants to grow can save huge amounts of drinking water and lead to lasting and impactful ecological changes.When Amanda Beltramini Healan moved into her Nashville ranch house in 2016, the yard had been manicured for sale: a walnut tree, roses from a home improvement store and short grass. So she experimented, first with a 10-by-10-foot patch where she dug up the grass and sowed native seeds. Then she planted goldenrods in the culvert near the street, and let more of her yard grow tall without mowing.Local authorities apparently didn’t appreciate her natural look: “I got a letter from the city saying that I had to mow it,” she said.But then, a friend told her about No Mow Month signs, provided by the Cumberland River Compact, a local water conservation nonprofit. Soon she was signaling to the city that she’s no derelict, but a participant in an international movement.These days, every month is No Mow May in parts of her property. While she keeps the growth shorter near the culvert and street, her backyard is filled with native grasses and plants up to her knees or waist. There’s a decomposing tree trunk where scores of skinks and bugs live, birds nest under her carport and she regularly finds fawns sleeping in the safety of the high grasses.“I have a lot of insects and bugs and that’s protein, so the birds and the bird’s nests are everywhere. Cardinals and wrens and cowbirds and robins,” she said. “I wake up to them, especially during spring migration right now. It’s just a cacophony in the morning and in the evening, especially when the mulberries come in.”The movement is popularized by groups such as Plantlife, a conservation organization based in England.American lawns, based on English and French traditions, are increasingly seen as a wasteful monoculture that encourages an overuse of pesticides, fertilizer and water. Outdoor spraying and irrigation account for over 30% of a U.S. household’s total water consumption, and can be twice that in drier climates, according to the EPA.Some criticize No Mow campaigns as a fad that could invite invasive plants to spread unchecked without helping pollinators much, if only done for a month.A guide outlining No Mow pros, cons and limitations, written by consumer horticulture extension specialist Aaron Steil at Iowa State University, says reducing mowing to every two weeks and replacing turf with plants that pollinate all year long can offer more benefits without risking a citation or complaints.The No Mow effort does encourage people to think more about biodiversity in their yards, and many local nature organizations advise provide guidance on picking noninvasive plants that fit each region’s climate and precipitation levels.Reducing mowing encourages longer-rooted native grasses and flowers to grow, which breaks up compacted soil and improves drainage, “meaning that when it rains, more water is going to be captured and stored in lawns versus being generated as a runoff and entering into our stormwater system,” said Jason Sprouls, urban waters program manager for the Cumberland River Compact.Beltramini Healan isn’t just letting just anything grow — she learned which plants are invasive, non-native or not beneficial to the ecosystem and carefully prunes and weeds so the keepers have room to thrive.Nashville homeowner Brandon Griffith said he was just tired of mowing when he decided years ago wait and see what comes up. Then he consciously added flowering plants to attract bees and bugs. Now he sees so many insects and pollinators all over his garden that the neighbors’ kids come over to look for butterflies.It’s about giving them the time “to come out of their larva or their egg stage and be able to grow,” said Griffith. He said he’s never heard a complaint — in fact, some of his neighbors also stopped mowing for a month each spring. His four-year-old son catches lizards, digs for worms and hunts for bugs in the yard.“I just enjoy coming out and walking around,” said Griffith. “And looking at it, it’s kind of peaceful. It’s kinda relaxing.”__This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Amanda Beltramini Healan’s name and to correct that Aaron Steil works at Iowa State University, not the University of Iowa. —Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press

Hello and welcome to Modern CEO! I’m Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures. Each week this newsletter explores inclusive approaches to leadership drawn from conversations with executives and entrepreneurs, and from the pages of Inc. and Fast Company. If you received this newsletter from a friend, you can sign up to get it yourself every Monday morning. Summer officially starts in a few weeks, but I’ve already ordered and preordered the books that will keep me company on airplanes and trips to the beach. The first Modern CEO reading list was heavy on buzzworthy titles. Last year’s edition was a bit more dutiful, highlighting three works that explored the complexities of capitalism. This year, I’m diving into the lives of the ultrarich, whose impact on culture, society, and policy continues to rise. The Haves and the Have-Yachts: Dispatches on the Ultrarich by Evan Osnos Thanks in part to social media, consumption—of luxury goods, five-star resorts, rare wines, and the like—is increasingly conspicuous. One place where the ultrarich can avoid prying eyes? Aboard their superyachts. As Evan Osnos, a staff writer and podcast host at The New Yorker, writes of such floating mansions: “These shrines to excess capital exist in a conditional state of visibility: they are meant to be unmistakable to a slender stratum of society—and all but unseen by everyone else.” Osnos’s collection of essays promises to shed light on the excesses but also on how the rich amass and keep their wealth and the power that it affords. Personal History: A Memoir by Katharine Graham and Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein One of the biggest business stories of the year—Warren Buffett’s announcement that he will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway—and the ongoing struggles of The Washington Post under Jeff Bezos (a superyacht owner), are prompting me to reread two great books on my bookshelf. Personal History is Graham’s candid memoir of the personal and professional hurdles she had to overcome en route to becoming CEO of The Washington Post Company and one of the most admired executives in media. Lowenstein’s masterful portrait of Buffett is part biography, part investing tutorial. Graham and Buffett were longtime friends, and Lowenstein seems to credit Graham with leavening some of Buffett’s thrifty instincts. Stories of Buffett’s frugality—his primary residence is a home he bought in Omaha in 1958 for $31,500—will surely be a good palate cleanser after the Osnos book. Empire of AI: Dreams and Nightmares in Sam Altman’s OpenAI by Karen Hao Hao, an Atlantic contributor, is one of the leading journalists covering artificial intelligence (AI), and her book promises to be an unflinching look at the potential and perils of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s ambitions for generative AI, which seem to mirror the “move fast and break things” ethos of many tech companies. Luckily for readers, Hao seems willing to explore the unintended consequences of unfettered AI expansion, including the environmental impacts of water- and energy-hungry data centers. So Far Gone by Jess Walter Walter’s latest book—my one fiction pick—has many of the things I love in novel: a road trip, multigenerational conflict, and a gruff former journalist as the protagonist. In So Far Gone, Rhys Kinnick sets off to rescue his daughter and grandchildren from a radical militia group. It’s a world Walter knows well: As a journalist for the Spokane, Washington Spokesman-Review, Walter covered the 1992 standoff at Ruby Ridge in Northern Idaho, which is credited with fueling the anti-government militia movement. Challenging stuff, but an early review from Ann Patchett confirms why I love Walter’s writing: “Jess Walter managed to build such a warm, funny, loving novel out of so many horrible parts.” What are you reading this summer? What’s on your summer reading list? Please send the name, author, and a sentence or two about why you’d recommend it to modern leaders to stephaniemehta@mansueto.com. I’ll publish a bonus newsletter with reader suggestions before the official start of summer. Read more: summer reading roundup 24 books to read this summer, according to The Atlantic The Economist’s latest “beach friendly” reads The 15 books USA Today says you should read this summer

“Embrace the suck.” One of the first things you learn as a Marine is to “embrace the suck.” Not because it sounds tough—but because it’s how strength is forged. In today’s world, where ease is glorified, we need to remember this truth: real strength comes from struggle. Before I became a leadership coach and positive psychology expert, I was a United States Marine Corps officer. I learned quickly that discomfort isn’t a barrier to success—it’s the path to it. And that truth still guides everything I do. You don’t build strength by avoiding discomfort. You build it by seeking it. We live in a world where ease is glorified—but that pursuit is costing us our edge. Discomfort might feel inconvenient in the moment, but it’s the only thing that builds real confidence, grit, and growth. Earning the Title of United States Marine At 18, I flew from Minnesota to San Diego to begin Naval ROTC—excited, nervous, and wearing an outfit I thought would impress: hot pink polka-dot shorts, matching pumps, and a fresh manicure. Within hours, a senior candidate looked me over and said: “You’ll never make it as a Marine.” Part of me believed him. I struggled. I couldn’t keep up on the runs. I felt out of place. The only other female candidate quit. I was alone—and barely hanging on. But I didn’t quit. I showed up, failed, kept going. And three years later, I graduated from Officer Candidate School as my university’s top finisher. That experience taught me something that’s more relevant today than ever—especially in a world of uncertainty, pressure, and burnout: seek discomfort day after day, and it will transform you. You don’t feel strong at the start. But with each mile, each decision, and each refusal to quit—you build it. That’s what grit looks like. And eventually, it changes who you are. What the Science Says About Discomfort Positive psychology research backs this up. Studies show that well-being doesn’t come from avoiding struggle—but from pursuing meaning, engagement, and accomplishment, all of which require effort and discomfort. Research also confirms that grit—not talent—is what sets high achievers apart. And neuroscience reveals that repeated effort under challenge helps the brain adapt and grow stronger. The Marine Corps taught me that long before I had the science to prove it. Everyday Acts of Discomfort You don’t need a battlefield to build strength. Some of the most powerful moments of growth happen in everyday life: Telling the truth when silence feels safer Asking for help when you’d rather pretend you’ve got it handled Speaking up when your heart is pounding Applying for that stretch assignment even though it’s scary These aren’t dramatic, but they are defining. They might not earn you medals—but they build something more important: A life you respect. A mind that doesn’t fold under pressure. The kind of grit that’s becoming far too rare. Each time you lean into discomfort instead of away from it, you expand what you believe you’re capable of. You sharpen your edge. You build mental muscle. The Power of Reps Marines don’t build confidence from motivational speeches. We build it through reps. Cold. Muddy. Repetitive. Uncomfortable. But that’s exactly the point: strength isn’t forged in a single defining moment. It’s built through small, repeated acts—day after day, rep after rep. It’s just like building a muscle. You don’t get stronger by doing what’s easy. You get stronger by lifting a little more weight, pushing through one more rep, and showing up when it would be easier not to. If you can’t do something today, that doesn’t mean you never will. It just means you haven’t put in enough reps—yet. Each time you choose discomfort instead of ease, you’re training your mind like you’d train your body. That’s how growth works—physically, mentally, and emotionally. This is what Marines mean when we say, “Embrace the suck.” You don’t avoid the hard stuff. You face it, over and over again—until one day, what used to feel impossible starts to feel like strength. That’s also what grit is. Psychologist Angela Duckworth defines grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals.” Not talent. Not luck. Just the ability to keep going—especially when it’s hard, especially when it’s slow. And that’s good news. Because it means anyone can build it.You just have to do the reps. Four Ways to Start Building Strength Today Choose a Meaningful Challenge: What’s one uncomfortable thing you’ve been avoiding—but know could lead to something great? Don’t wait for fear to vanish. Let it guide you. Start Small, Start Now: Don’t wait until you feel ready. Take one action today—send the email, speak up, take the first step. Confidence grows from action. Expect Discomfort: Growth comes with struggle. When it feels hard, that’s not failure—it’s progress. That discomfort is where strength is built. Celebrate the Effort: Don’t wait for a finish line to feel proud. Acknowledge your consistency and courage. Most people stop when it’s hard. You won’t. A Final Thought The Marine Corps taught me to run toward the hard things—not because I was fearless, but because growth lives on the other side of challenge. So the next time you’re tempted to take the easy route, ask yourself: Is this my rep today? Is this where I get stronger? If the answer is yes—lean in. Do the hard thing. Because comfort doesn’t build character. Challenge does.

Five years ago, George Floyd was murdered by a Minneapolis police officer after Floyd was suspected of using a counterfeit $20 bill. His death ignited a series of protests in the United States that gave new energy to the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, and which seemed—at the time—to reshape society, online and offline. As the protests that were born out of Floyd’s death reached their zenith in June 2020, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote a poignant message: “To members of our Black community: I stand with you. Your lives matter. Black lives matter.” Zuckerberg also pledged that Meta would revise its content policies to tamp down on hate speech. At the same time, platforms like Twitter—now X—took the unprecedented step of limiting the reach of posts by then-sitting U.S. president Donald Trump, after he warned protestors in Minneapolis responding to Floyd’s death that “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Reddit updated its hate speech policy; TikTok had to apologize that its algorithm inadvertently suppressed BLM content. Five years on from Floyd’s death, a lot has changed, including social media’s tolerance for hate speech, incitement to violence, and racism. “Given the rollback of a lot of DEI friendly policies, I’d say we can tell how performative those approaches were,” says Carolina Are, a researcher at the Center for Digital Citizens at Northumbria University. “Platforms are private companies, not public institutions despite their overshare of online civil space, so they will always seek to protect their bottom line,” says tèmítópé lasade-anderson, executive director at Glitch, a charity focused on digital rights. The end of DEI Perhaps one of the most obvious examples of that backsliding was Meta terminating its major diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs for hiring, training and picking suppliers in response to a “changing” approach to DEI within the United States. That change happened in January, as soon as Donald Trump took office as president. The ease with which those programs were rolled back hints at how firmly the statements made immediately after Floyd’s death were held within tech organizations. “Companies of all stripes are conspicuously scaling back DEI programs for employees, and platforms are no exception,” says Daphne Keller., director of the program on platform regulation at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center. Keller says that change isn’t just trying to reflect the political winds. “The Trump administration has made it clear that companies risk having multi-million dollar mergers blocked or government contracts terminated if they do not eliminate efforts to diversify hiring, training, and promotion,” she says. It’s in that light—tech companies being threatened with losing out on cash—that the decisions are being made, Keller reckons. Meta did not respond to a request to comment for this story. The “free speech” platform In Elon Musk’s case, after he took over X, the company adopt new policies to allow more leeway for, Musk claimed, people to say things that could be offensive, but not illegal, while simultaneously. cracking down on the ability to say other words, such as cisgender. Hate speech and racist tweets rose by nearly half in the period after Elon Musk took over Twitter, according to a February 2025 study by researchers at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering. Neither Musk nor X’s press office responded to a request for this story. “In general I’d say platforms have been aligning with anti-DEI initiatives, showing that their pro-BLM stances were entirely performative,” says Are. Whether that’s totally fair is uncertain. Roy Austin, a civil rights attorney of three decades standing who was hired as vice president for civil rights at Meta around six months after Floyd’s death, left the company in March 2025. His parting message was largely positive about his time at the company, while acknowledging “the complexity and challenges of our work.” (Austin declined to speak for this story.) Meta’s January winding back of its policies was roundly criticized by some of the same civil rights organizations who the social network had often called on to advise Meta on its decision-making. The platform had shown a “cynical disregard” for the diversity of its user base, the letter, organized by the nonprofit Common Cause, read. Yet Meta’s latest transparency report shows that hate speech has dropped on Facebook, from the average user encountering around 10 posts containing it for every 10,000 they saw, to around two today. That data stops, however, before the big change in January took place. What it looks like five years on from BLM protestors chanting “No justice, no peace” on streets around the United States will have to wait for the company’s next transparency report. 

It was a fun moment to be online. When the news broke on May 8 that Pope Francis’s successor would be the first-ever American to hold the sacred position—and a Chicagoan, no less—social media erupted with celebration and Windy City-specific memes. Within days, some of those memes had morphed into t-shirts for sale. As the conversation around Pope Leo XIV quickly spread to his environmentalist leanings and political opinions, though, the wellspring of unauthorized merchandise spread far beyond novelty shirts that read “Da Pope.” What has flourished in the days since is a broader pope economy that spans clothing, memorabilia, food, tourism, and more—both in the U.S. and in Rome. Demand in both places appears largely driven by Americans. Stateside fervor for pope merchandise is not without precedent, of course. A pontifical cottage industry sprang up around Pope Francis’s 2015 visit to Philadelphia, for instance. Along with t-shirts commemorating the event, Philly streets were flooded with plush pope dolls, life-sized cardboard cutouts, and other pope swag. There was even pope cheese, a mozzarella ball shaped like the bishop of Rome. Considering this level of entrepreneurial excitement marked the occasion of a sitting pope merely visiting the U.S., it’s no wonder so many people have found creative ways to capitalize on an American ascending to the papacy. No business like pope business The scope of the pope-based merch empire is already vast. It has a devotional side, with various faith-based online retailers lining up to sell prayer cards, framed portraits, and an insta-book called When the White Smoke Clears: A Guide to Pope Leo XIV’s Early Days, which currently has a June 30 release date.  Topps offered a limited-release Pope Leo-themed trading card for four days in May, and reportedly sold 133,535 units at $8.99 a pop. (Though the cards are part of a special Topps collection marking significant moments in sports and culture, Pope trading cards date back to the early 1900s.) The Pope Leo cards are now being listed at up to $199 on eBay. For those who would like something a little more three-dimensional, the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum recently put on presale two separate iterations of Pope Leo for $30 each. There’s also piping hot content on the way: Castletown Media’s forthcoming documentary, Pope Leo XVI: A Pontiff’s Path, which is expected to reside on an upcoming faith-based streaming service called CREDO. Perhaps some of the many viewers who made 2025 Oscar nominee Conclave a massive hit on streaming during Pope Leo’s election will be among the first to tune in. Unsurprisingly, Chicago has become the white-hot epicenter for stateside Popemania. The merch frenzy includes custom White Sox jerseys, in the wake of Pope Leo’s brother dispelling rumors of Cubs fandom and archival video footage confirming his Sox bona fides. The Chicago sports shop Grandstand claimed to Sports Illustrated that their Sox jerseys with the Pope’s name on it are outselling those of any other player on the team. The Sox’s home, Rate Field, took the team’s papal love public, installing a mural of him at the stadium.  Beloved Chi-town restaurant chain Portillo’s also named a new sandwich  The Leo, which it describes as “divinely seasoned Italian Beef, baptized in gravy.” Meanwhile, in Evanston, Bennison’s Bakery is offering limited edition cookies that bear Pope Leo’s likeness.  Chicago may eventually become an even bigger tourist destination for the faithful. The owner of Pope Leo’s now-decrepit childhood church—St. Mary of the Assumption, on Chicago’s south side—is reportedly in talks to convert the space into a place of worship for local congregations, with a food pantry named after the new pope. (The Chicago suburb in which he grew up intends to either purchase his childhood home that was up for sale, or obtain it through eminent domain, and allow it “to be viewed and visited by the public as a historic site.”) A lot of the papal tourism, however, is currently taking place in Rome. When in Rome Americans already account for the largest segment of tourist visits to Rome, with a record 2.5 million arriving in 2024 alone, according to The Guardian. Now that an American will occupy the Chair of St. Peter in Vatican City, though, vendors and various service providers are preparing for a full-on religious tourist invasion. Tour companies are reporting an increase in bookings for pilgrimages, especially from Americans. The owner of Atlante Star, a hotel in Rome known for its impressive view over St Peter’s Basilica, told The Guardian ahead of Pope Leo’s inaugural service on May 18 that the hotel was “mostly full with people from North America, and not just pilgrims.” And as in Chicago, culinary business owners near the Vatican, including gelato makers and brewers, are offering pope-themed confections to entice American visitors. Within two days of Pope Leo XIV’s election, posters, magnets and other small items featuring him have gone on sale in Rome pic.twitter.com/LfVJWXiYLE— Reuters (@Reuters) May 10, 2025 Out on the streets of Rome, some vendors began to sell posters and trinkets bearing the new pope’s name and image within 48 hours of his election. No official Pope Leo XIV holy cards or rosaries have gone on sale yet in the Vatican gift shop, though, nor are any available at many of the other souvenir shops throughout the city, which are reportedly waiting for “the authorization of the dicastery,” a department within the administrative body of the Holy See, to be able to sell merch celebrating the new pope. Waiting seems like a wise move—and not just because it will give all remaining official Pope Francis merch a chance to sell out. Divine copyright protection The Vatican, it turns out, has a long history of legally protecting the pope’s image. Back in 2009, toward the end of Pope Benedict XVI’s tenure, the Holy See essentially declared a divine copyright. Citing a “great increase of affection and esteem for the person of the Holy Father” as contributing to broader use the Pontiff’s name and image, the Vatican emphasized that “it alone has the right to ensure the respect due to the Successors of Peter,” and therefore, to protect the Pope from unauthorized uses of his name, image, or any related symbols. Perhaps inspired by all the papal ephemera Pope Francis and his handlers would have seen during the 2015 trip to the U.S., the Vatican went on the offensive two years later. In 2017, it hired global law firm Baker McKenzie to protect the rights to its intellectual property. (Representatives for Baker McKenzie did not respond to Fast Company’s request for comment on the work it may have done, or continues to do, for the Catholic Church.) It’s unclear how long it will take for the Vatican to authorize official Pope Leo XIV merch. According to Italian news organization Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associata, it could be as soon as a matter of weeks. In the meantime, the enterprising souls selling trinkets and sandwiches with the pope’s name appear to be taking advantage of a Wild West moment of slow trademark enforcement. In the long haul, those “Da Pope” shirts made in America fall under the parody allowance in the fair use doctrine, but the online merch store with the audacious URL officialpopeleoxiv.com seems destined for litigation. (The operator of the site did not respond to a request for comment, but WHOIS Domain Lookup shows that it went live on May 9 and operates out of Reykjavik.) Retailers selling rosaries decorated with Pope Leo’s face, and supposedly blessed by him, may be able to operate unimpeded for the moment. If any folks operating unauthorized shops are religious, though, a much greater punishment than litigation could serve as a deterrent.