Have a Happy, Safe and Enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday!

University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment (UMCSENT)

The Federal Reserve - St. Louis

View an index of the results of the University of Michigan's monthly Survey of Consumers, which is used to estimate future spending and saving. University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment, University of Michigan: Consumer Sentiment [UMCSENT], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank. Access Latest Report

USA Facts Website

USAFacts.org – Steve Balmer, Founder and Former Apple CEO

USAFacts is not-for-profit and nonpartisan. When former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer retired from tech to focus on philanthropy, he searched for solid, reliable, impartial numbers to understand what the US government does with tax dollars to help determine the best way to make an impact. How is the money spent? Who is served? What are the outcomes?

Those numbers weren’t readily available. So, he assembled a small team of economists, writers, and researchers to help comb through government data. Their eye-opening report laid the foundation for USAFacts. Today USAFacts reports are provided free as a resource for the American public and US government alike. Access Website

Tracking Regulatory Changes in the Second Trump Administration

Brookings Institution

As the Trump administration returns to office for a second term with renewed deregulatory ambitions, the executive branch and its agencies are implementing significant policy changes. The Brookings Center on Regulation and Markets Regulatory Tracker (“Reg Tracker”) provides background information and status updates on a curated selection of significant regulatory and deregulatory changes made by the Trump administration.This tracker allows you to monitor a curated selection of new, delayed, and repealed rules, notable guidance and policy revocations, executive actions, and important court battles across key policy areas such as environmental, health, labor, and more.

The Reg Tracker focuses on major regulatory changes implemented under the current Trump administration. Entries we tracked during the Biden administration and during President Trump’s first term can be accessed through the “Biden” or “Trump Term 1” archive checkboxes, respectively. Track Changes

Sodium-ion Battery Maker Natron Energy Shuts Down, Halts $1.4B Factory Plans

Manufacturing Dive - Nathan Owens, Reporter

The North Carolina plant would have expanded the company’s capacity 40 times over. Its facilities in Michigan and California have also closed.

Dive Brief:

• Sodium-ion battery manufacturer Natron Energy has ceased operations, according to its website, halting plans for a giant factory in Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
• The Santa Clara, California-based company did not immediately respond to requests for comment about what happened. The Raleigh News & Observer reported that Natron had unresolved funding issues, and investor Sherwood Partners is expected to sell the assets.
• This comes about a year after the battery maker said it would build a gigafactory in northeastern North Carolina with an investment of $1.4 billion, creating more than 1,000 jobs for the area. Read Article

Despite Surge in AI Adoption, Sales Teams Say the Tech is Failing Them

HR Dive - Carolyn Crist

Organizations called “AI Leapers” appear to have widespread breakdowns in execution, effectiveness and alignment, the report found.

Although workplace adoption of artificial intelligence tools is accelerating, only 28% of sales and revenue leaders say it improves revenue-driving sales performance, according to a Sept. 9 report from Highspot, an AI-based platform for go-to-market performance. Read Article

Suzy Welch Says Gen Z and Millennials are Burnt Out Because Older Generations Worked Just as Hard, But They ‘Had Hope’

Fortune - Dave Smith

A generational divide over workplace burnout has less to do with work intensity and more to do with diminished expectations for career rewards, according to business author and New York University professor Suzy Welch. The 66-year-old from Portland earned her MBA as a Baker Scholar from Harvard Business School and spent seven years as a management consultant at Bain & Co. before joining Harvard Business Review in 2001, serving as editor-in-chief. Speaking on the July 24 episode of the Masters of Scale podcast, Welch argued younger workers face the same demanding schedules as previous generations, but lack the fundamental belief that hard work will lead to meaningful advancement.

Welch said this insight emerged from a conversation she had with a 25-year-old freelance worker who asked Welch to create more content about worker fatigue among young people because her friends were “just so burnt out.” When Welch told this worker she used to work “seven days a week” at that age and loved the work—and would’ve done more of it if she could—the young woman offered a striking rebuttal: “But you had hope.”

“And I did have hope. We all did have hope,” Welch told Masters of Scale host Jeff Berman. “We believed that if you worked hard you were rewarded for it. And so this is the disconnect.” Read Article

Cavalier Tool Relies On 'People, Process, Equipment'

Plastics Machinery and Manufacturing - Ron Shinn

The Canadian mold maker with a worldwide presence is marking its 50th anniversary.

Cavalier Tool & Manufacturing, based in Windsor, Ont., builds 300 injection molds annually for presses up to 4,400 tons.

A defined process with upfront feasibility studies and simulations makes Cavalier 20 to 30 percent faster than most competitors. Read Article

ISM Report: Manufacturing PMI Increases 0.4 Points to 49.1% in September

IndustryWeek - Anna Smith

Five out of 16 manufacturing industries reported growth last month.

The ISM (Institute of Supply Management) Manufacturing PMI registered 49.1% last month, making September the seventh consecutive month of contraction. This figure is 0.4 points higher than August’s figure of 48.7%.

“Of the five subindexes that directly factor into the Manufacturing PMI, two (production and supplier deliveries) are in expansion territory, the same number as in August,” says Susan Spence, chair of the ISM’s manufacturing business survey committee. Anything lower than 50% represents contraction.

"The consecutive increases in the ISM manufacturing index are a positive sign, but a sustainable push above the 50 threshold is still some way off," says Oxford Economics Senior Economist Matthew Martin. Read Article

Cleveland-Cliffs Executives See ‘Significant Rebound’ in Steel Demand

IndustryWeek - Geert De Lombaerde

Growth from automotive customers is leading the way and CFO Celso Goncalves told analysts “the signs of a real recovery are forming.” Leaders also have signed deals to sell eight properties for a total of $425 million.

Leaders of steel manufacturer Cleveland-Cliffs Inc. said Oct. 20 they are seeing “a significant rebound in domestic steel demand” now that tariffs have been in place for several months. And they say the automotive industry is in the lead and likely to bring with the construction and broader manufacturing sectors.

Speaking after they reported Cleveland-Cliffs’ third-quarter results, Chairman, President and CEO Lourenco Goncalves and CFO Celso Goncalves said the tariffs and other trade measures put in place this year by the Trump administration have started to change user behavior. Read Article

How Rare is the U.S. Government's New Stake in a Major Nevada Lithium Company?

The Nevadan Indeppendent - Eric Neugeboren, Mini Racker

The Trump administration likely wants to show its commitment to a domestic lithium market, but experts are concerned about the duration of such a deal.

The suddenly fraught future of the Thacker Pass lithium mine cleared an unexpected hurdle on Tuesday, after the Trump administration agreed to release the first part of a loan critical to the Nevada project’s development in exchange for the U.S. government taking a stake in the effort.

Under the deal with Lithium Americas, the U.S. government will receive a 5 percent stake in the company and a 5 percent stake in the Thacker Pass project itself in exchange for the government releasing the initial $435 million of a $2.23 billion loan that the parties agreed to last year. Read Article

Manufacturing Saw 313K Job Separations in August: BLS

HR Dive - Sara Samora, Reporter

The government shutdown prevented the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics from releasing September’s jobs report, though ADP’s research found the industry lost 2,000 jobs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics was unable to release the jobs situation report last week, but the agency published its openings and labor turnover survey results before the government shutdown of nonessential services that began on Oct. 1.

Manufacturing separations in August totaled 313,000, down approximately 6.3% compared to August 2024, per a BLS report released on Sept 30.

While August’s separations, which include quits, layoffs and discharges, decreased year over year, it was about a 2.3% increase month over month. Job openings for August dipped about 12.4% YoY to 409,000, while hires rose barely 1% to 305,000 compared to the same period last year. Read Article

Nearly All Automakers Report Q3 Sales Gains

WardsAuto - Larry Avila, Editor

The exceptions include Volkswagen, which saw sales fall, and Audi, which remained flat.

Nearly every major automaker reported sales increases in the third quarter compared to the same period a year ago.

General Motors and Ford reported strong electric vehicle sales, with GM crediting a rush of buyers taking advantage of an expiring federal tax credit for EV purchases. The tax credit expired Sept. 30.

Meanwhile, the auto industry continues adjusting to U.S. tariff policy and global trade wars. Read Article

US Manufacturing Needs Pro-Growth Policy and Time

IndustryWeek - Paul McCarthy

Four foundational reforms are essential to reshoring industry.



Key Highlights

• U.S. manufacturing needs stable pro-growth policies in place to be competitive.
• Permanent R&D tax incentives, trade certainty, regulatory streamlining and workforce training are essential for reshoring and strengthening U.S. manufacturing.
• Shifts in production take time, and policy should include realistic expectations on how long manufacturing investments will take to execute. Read Article

Weak Consumer Sentiment Persists Amid Job Anxiety: UMichigan Survey

CFO Dive - Jim Tyson, Senior Reporter

“We need to be prepared for the possibility that the softening in the labor market will become something worse,” Federal Reserve Governor Michael Barr said.

Dive Brief:

• Consumer sentiment this month persisted at the lowest level since May on worries about high prices and the dimming outlook for the labor market, the University of Michigan said Friday.
• An index of consumer sentiment dipped to 55 in October from 55.1 last month as respondents expressed a gloomier view on future personal finances and buying conditions for durable goods, the university found in a survey concluded on October 6.
• “Pocketbook issues like high prices and weakening job prospects remain at the forefront of consumers’ minds,” Joanne Hsu, director of the university’s surveys of consumers, said in a statement. “Consumers do not expect meaningful improvement in these factors.” Read Article

Whirlpool to Invest $300M in Ohio Plants

Manufacturing Dive - Shefali Kapadia, Contributor

The investment will go to the world’s largest washing machine plant, as well as another that produces dryers. About 80% of appliances Whirlpool sells in the U.S. are made domestically.

Dive Brief:

• Whirlpool plans to invest $300 million in two of its laundry manufacturing facilities in Ohio, the company announced Wednesday.
• The Michigan-based manufacturer expects the investment to create up to 600 new jobs at its operations in Clyde and Marion, Ohio. The Clyde facility is the largest washing machine plant in the world, according to Whirlpool, and the Marion factory produces dryers.
• The investment will receive financial assistance from economic development agency JobsOhio along with tax credits from the State of Ohio, according to the company. Read Article

Airbus Inaugurates New A320 Final Assembly Line in Mobile

Assembly - Jennifer Pierce

MOBILE, AL—Airbus officially inaugurated a new A320 Family Final Assembly Line (FAL) at its Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley campus, marking a major expansion of its U.S. manufacturing operations and a defining moment for Alabama’s growing aerospace industry.

The expansion doubles Airbus’ A320 production capacity in the U.S., supporting the company’s global goal of building 75 single-aisle aircraft per month by 2027. It adds 1,000 new jobs and includes more than 1 million square feet of additional hangars, paint shops, logistics areas, and a new welcome center.

“This second A320 production line in the U.S. marks another major milestone in our global industrial growth strategy,” said Christian Scherer, CEO of Airbus Commercial Aircraft. “With this launch, Mobile’s production capacity for the A320 Family is effectively doubled.” Read Article

CPA’s Jeff Ferry Teaches the Next Generation How to Rebuild American Industry

Coalition for a Prosperous America - Kenneth Rapoza

CPA’s chief economist emeritus, Jeff Ferry, has gone back to school in his semi-retirement years. This time, though, it was a speaking gig at the University of Florida’s new Semiconductor Institute in Gainesville. The school is looking to attract top STEM students, and be an incubator for tech talent in hopes to bring tech start ups and advanced microchip manufacturers to the area.

“I was asked by the Institute leadership to present and show the engineering students a different view of economics than they had been given when (the school) invited an economics professor to lecture,” said Ferry. Read Article

DOE Cancels More Than $700M in Battery, Manufacturing Projects

Area Development - E&E News/Politico, Christa Marshall

The nixed grants appear to be the first the Department of Energy has confirmed from a list that outlines $20 billion in potential cuts.

The Department of Energy has canceled more than $700 million in battery and manufacturing awards, advancing the Trump administration’s efforts to nix Biden-era energy projects.

DOE told POLITICO’s E&E News on Friday that it canceled the five grants during the second week of October. The cuts appear to be the first that DOE has confirmed from a list of targeted projects circulating among lobbyists. Until now, it was unclear if DOE planned to move forward with scrapping any of the more than $20 billion in awards on the list.

The $700 million covers grants that the Biden administration awarded to battery companies Ascend Elements, American Battery Technology Co., Anovion and ICL Specialty Products, as well as a glass manufacturer LuxWall, according to DOE. Read Article

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The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) Special Financial Assistance Applications Under Review

PBGC is a federal agency created by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to protect pension benefits in both single-employer and multiemployer private sector pension plans - the kind that typically pay a set monthly amount at retirement. If your plan ends (this is called "plan termination") without sufficient money to pay all benefits, PBGC's insurance programs will pay for the benefit provided by your pension plan, up to the limits set by law.



The agency’s two insurance programs are legally separate and operationally and financially independent. The Single-Employer Insurance Program is financed by insurance premiums, investment income, and assets and recoveries from failed single-employer plans. The Multiemployer Insurance Program is financed by insurance premiums. Special financial assistance for financially troubled multiemployer plans is financed by general taxpayer money. See Report  

Companies Favor Targeted IT Strategies Over ‘Big-bang’ Projects

CFO.com - David McCann, Contributing Editor

Instead of years-long implementations, the focus has shifted to smaller deployments that can be halted if they’re failing.

You don’t need to be an old hand to have worked in an environment where IT’s primary focus was system governance, often operating as a cost center.

Over the past several years, IT has re-emerged as something quite different. As Grant Thornton wrote in a recent research report, the function is now “an agile enabler of opportunity,” helping eliminate lost opportunity costs through fit-for-purpose technology. Read Article

FASB Finalizes Narrow Software Accounting Update

CFO Dive - Maura Webber Sadovi, Senior Editor

The targeted new guidance detailing how companies should capitalize certain software costs is effective for annual reporting periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2027.

Dive Brief:

• The Financial Accounting Standards Board Thursday published long-anticipated new guidance on how companies must account for internal-use software costs, with the new rules coming roughly one year after the FASB proposed the guidance on the project that grew out of a 2021 agenda consultation. The new rules are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after Dec. 15, 2027.
• The amendment to what is formally known as codification Subtopic 350-40—Goodwill and Other—Internal-Use Software, applies to computer software which is developed or purchased for the organization reporting it. The update guides companies to capitalize software costs in cases where an internal project is both deemed likely to be completed and also is authorized and has funding committed by management.
• The changes aim to make the guidance in those scenarios easier to follow by removing previous guidance’s references to project stages. “The new ASU addresses changes in software development methods, increasing the operability of the recognition guidance for improved financial reporting,” FASB Chair Richard R. Jones said in a statement in the release. Read Article

CFOs Adjust to Private Equity’s Growing Influence

CFO.com - Dan Niepow, Reporter

As private equity firms buy up businesses across many industries, finance chiefs are navigating a more complicated leadership structure.

The odds are increasing that you may end up working under private equity ownership.

Across several industries, PE firms are scooping up more and more businesses. Consider accounting firms, where many CFOs have gotten their start: From 2020 through September 2025, there have been at least 90 private equity-related transactions and firm mergers, according to CPA Trendlines Research. Fifty-two of those occurred in 2025 alone, demonstrating PE’s quickly growing influence in the space. Read Article

Senate Report on Silicon Valley Bank Rips KPMG, Reveals CFO Role

CFO Dive - Maura Webber Sadovi, Senior Editor

The Senate subcommittee’s report stems from a 28-month investigation that reviewed nearly 100 hours of briefings and interviews with auditors and regulators.

A 292-page report from the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations’ minority staff released this week criticizes Big Four firm KPMG for the clean, “unqualified” audit opinions it issued to Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank and First Republic Bank prior to their collapse in 2023.

The report also reveals details about behind-the-scenes discussions between the auditor and SVB’s CFO and another bank executive in the fraught days leading up to the March 2023 bank run — shedding light on the close ties between the auditor and the bank. Read Article

How H-1B Visa Changes Could Impact American Businesses and Workers

PBS News Hour – With William Brangham, Jackson Hudgins

The Trump administration moved forward today with its overhaul of H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. The president is proposing a $100,000 fee for anyone applying for the visa. The plan is sparking concern as employees and companies that rely on the workers race to understand the consequences. William Brangham has two perspectives on the plan from Justin Wolfers and Ronil Hira. See Interview and Read Transcript

KFF: Family Health Insurance Premiums Now Cost More Than a New Toyota Corolla Hybrid

HR Dive - Ginger Christ, Editor

Employer premiums are expected to rise more sharply next year, the firm’s survey found.

Dive Brief:

• Family premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance are up 6%, or $1,408, compared to last year, according to KFF’s 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey. That’s in keeping with the 7% increases recoded by the organization over each of the two previous years.
• On average, family premiums were $26,993 this year, or higher than the cost of a new Toyota Corolla Hybrid, as KFF President and CEO Drew Altman put it in a column Wednesday. Of that, workers contribute about $6,850 annually, and employers cover the rest, per the survey.
• “That’s not a four-alarm fire for those of us who remember years of double-digit premium increases. Still, up is up and the absolute numbers are daunting for employers and employees,” Altman wrote. Read Article

New Jersey CFO Stole Nearly $2M From Low-income Housing Complex, Prosecutor Says

CFO.com - Dan Niepow, Reporter

John O’Donnell has been sentenced to seven years in New Jersey prison for the crime.

A former CFO is set to spend seven years in New Jersey prison for taking almost $2 million from the low-income residential property where he used to work.

Raymond Santiago, the prosecutor in Monmouth County, New Jersey, announced the sentencing of John O’Donnell on Tuesday. Read Article

‘Mega Bankruptcies’ Jump as Tariffs, Policy Changes Add New Pressure

CFO Dive - Maura Webber Sadovi, Senior Editor

Chapter 7 and 11 filings by companies with over $1 billion in assets rose 33% YoY in the 12 months ended in June, according to Cornerstone Research.

Dive Brief:

• The total number of “mega bankruptcies” filed by corporations with assets valued at more than $1 billion rose about 33% to 32 for the 12 months ended in June compared to 24 in the year-earlier period, according to a report released this week by Cornerstone Research, a San Francisco-based economic and financial consulting firm.  
• The rise in the largest corporate bankruptcies is above the 2005-2024 annual average of 23 and comes as inflation, high interest rates, and lingering impacts from COVID-19 continue to be cited as top drivers of distress by filers, with policy changes and an uncertain regulatory landscape emerging as fresh causes of distress cited by firms, the report states.
• “A number of companies already have weak balance sheets from the prior three years or so under high inflation and interest rates,” Matt Osborn, one of the co-authors of the report and a principal at Cornerstone, said in an interview Thursday. “Additional uncertainty regarding the regulatory landscape is more recently layered on top of that so companies that are already weakened by general macroeconomic headwinds are also now citing policy uncertainty.” Read Article

A New, 'Quiet' Tax Provision Benefits Manufacturers

IndustryWeek - Kara Scroggs

Qualified Production Property (QPP) allows companies that build their own plants to immediately deduct expenses.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act generated considerable attention for extending 100% bonus depreciation for new assets, but manufacturing executives should focus on a quieter provision that could prove far more transformative: Qualified Production Property (QPP).

This new section creates an entirely distinct property class eligible for immediate 100% expensing—but only for companies willing to own and build their manufacturing facilities from the ground up or acquire existing property that has not been used as a manufacturing facility since 2021.

While bonus depreciation affects all qualifying personal property, QPP specifically targets manufacturing, production and refining activities with a clear message: America wants to incentivize domestic manufacturing growth, not just equipment purchases. Read Article

CFPB’s Decrease of Oversight of Debt Collectors Will Harm Consumers

Better Markets

WASHINGTON, D.C. Amanda Fischer, Policy Director and COO of Better Markets, issued the following statement in connection with today’s filing of a comment letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB or Bureau) on whether the CFPB should reduce the number of nonbank companies it supervises in the consumer debt collection market.

“Debt collectors hound one in five Americans with a credit report. Hundreds of thousands of consumers have gone to the CFPB to file complaints about threatening contact, failure to honor requests to cease contact, and collectors calling about debts the consumer doesn’t even owe. The explosion of artificial intelligence in debt collection is only making these problems worse, exposing consumers to messages using voice cloning and deepfakes, algorithmic targeting, data privacy concerns and new and invasive ways to track customer patterns and movements. Read Article

CFOs Confident in Their Own Companies But Not in the Economy

CFO.com - Dan Niepow

Deloitte’s latest CFO Signals survey shows a surge in finance chiefs’ confidence in their own businesses’ future amid more muted feelings on the economy at large.

Just ahead of market fluctuations amid another U.S. government shutdown, CFOs were apparently feeling pretty good about their own companies’ prospects.

That’s according to the latest CFO Signals survey conducted by Deloitte between Sept. 3 and Sept. 17. The quarterly survey calculates North American finance chiefs’ sentiments on the economy through a series of questions about current and future business conditions. In the third-quarter edition, Deloitte researchers tabulated an overall “CFO confidence score” of 5.7 out of 10, which they described as “solidly in medium territory.” Read Article

Hedge Fund Manager Charged with Hiding Multimillion-dollar Losses from Investors: Trial Balance

CFO.com - Lauren Muskett, Senior Editor and Dan Niepow, Reporter

Prophecy Asset Management and CEO Jeffrey Spotts are alleged to have concocted fake documents and “sham transactions” to conceal massive fund losses.

Part 1 — The head of a New York hedge fund advising firm faces SEC charges

A New York hedge fund advisory and its CEO have been charged with concealing hundreds of millions of dollars of losses from investors.

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced the charges against Prophecy Asset Management on Sept. 29. Read Article

Caught on Camera Crypto Scam

MS News - ABC News

One woman was captured on police body camera as authorities say an alleged scammer pressured her into giving up her life savings at a Bitcoin ATM. See Video Report

Deloitte AI Debacle Seen as Wake-up Call for Corporate Finance

CFO Dive - Alexei Alexis, Reporter

The Australian government says Deloitte Australia agreed to refund part of a $290,000 payment for a report that contained AI-generated errors.

Big Four accounting and consulting firm Deloitte’s Australian arm has come under public scrutiny after reports that it produced a document for the Australian government that was full of artificial intelligence-generated errors.

The incident involving one of the biggest names in the corporate finance world should serve as a wake-up call for anyone in the profession using AI tools without proper safeguards, experts say. Read Article

80% of Americans Fear Medical Bills Could Derail Their Financial Goals

Human Resource Executive - Alan Goforth

Four in five Americans worry that an unexpected medical expense could derail their financial goals, while more than a quarter of this group say that a bill of less than $1,000 would cause financial hardship. Younger generations are especially anxious, with nearly 90% of Gen Z and millennials saying an unplanned medical cost would disrupt their financial plans, compared to just 56% of baby boomers.

“Americans’ health and wealth needs are inextricably connected,” says Stephanie Shields, head of Equitable’s employee benefits business. “An unplanned visit to the hospital can put a person’s long-term financial security at risk, especially if they need to tap into retirement savings to cover a costly medical bill.” Read Article

Auto Affordability Still the Top Hurdle

Wards Auto - Alysha Webb

With the average new-car loan rate hovering around 9.3%, affordability remains the greatest sales barrier. Dealers must navigate rising prices and widening credit gaps to keep sales strong.

If you’re a dealer trying to help a customer obtain a loan at a less-than-astronomical rate, there’s a straightforward way for a consumer to boost their chances of getting a better rate: improve their credit score.

While that path may not be open to all, the good news is that credit is generally available to even to subprime borrowers, but it will cost them. Read Article

House Bill Would Codify Trump’s Order to Allow Cryptocurrency in 401(k) Plans

HR Dive - Ginger Christ, Editor

The Retirement Investment Choice Act is meant to “democratiz[e] access to alternative investments for 401(k) investors.”

Dive Brief:

• U.S. Rep. Troy Downing, R-Mont., introduced a bill Tuesday that would codify an executive order by President Donald Trump to reduce regulatory barriers to allow investments in private equity, real estate and cryptocurrency in 401(k) retirement plans.
• The Retirement Investment Choice Act is meant to “democratiz[e] access to alternative investments for 401(k) investors,” according to a Downing press release.
• “Alternative investments hold the transformative potential to supercharge the financial security of countless Americans saving for retirement,” Downing said in a statement. “I applaud President Trump for his leadership to democratize finance and am proud to be leading the effort in Congress to codify his EO and enshrine this move for generations to come.” Read Article

Quarterly Reporting Cadence Can Push CFOs to ‘Suboptimal’ Decisions

CFO Dive - Grace Noto, Editor

A return to semi- or biannual reporting could give CFOs more decision-making runway and free up resources to be put back into the business, Zuora COFO Todd McElhatton said.

Zuora’s Todd McElhatton sees the argument that a potential return to six-month reporting periods would hamper investor access to information as an unfounded one: “Frankly, I don’t buy that,” McElhatton, the software company’s chief operating and financial officer, told CFO Dive in an interview.

In September, President Donald Trump returned to a push he had made in his first term to shift to six-month reporting periods — ditching the quarterly reports which have been mandated by the Securities and Exchange Commission since 1970, CFO Dive previously reported. Read Article

Hillenbrand Selling to Private Equity Firm in $3.8B Deal

Manufacturing Dive - Shefali Kapadia, Contributor

The transaction will make the industrial equipment manufacturer a privately held company. Hillenbrand has spent the last few years adjusting its portfolio to focus on plastics, food and recycling.

Dive Brief:

• Industrial equipment manufacturer Hillenbrand has agreed to be acquired by investment firm Lone Star Funds. The deal is valued at $32 per share, which equates to a total value around $3.8 billion.
• “The Board carefully reviewed a range of potential strategic alternatives, including interest from a number of parties, and determined that this transaction is in the best interest of Hillenbrand and its shareholders,” Chairperson Helen Cornell said in a release noting the board unanimously approved the transaction.
• The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q1 2026. Once completed, Hillenbrand will shift from a publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange to a privately held company. Read Article

Without Data Centers, GDP Growth Was 0.1% in the First Half of 2025, Harvard Economist Says

Area Development - Fortune, Nick Lichtenberg, Business Editor

U.S. GDP growth in the first half of 2025 was almost entirely driven by investment in data centers and information processing technology, according to Harvard economist Jason Furman. Excluding these technology-related categories, Furman calculated in a Sept. 27 post on X.com GDP growth would have been just 0.1% on an annualized basis, a near standstill that underlines the increasingly pivotal role of high-tech infrastructure in shaping macroeconomic outcomes.

Furman’s findings, shared online and echoed by financial analysts including Robert Armstrong of the Financial Times‘ Unhedged (the same writer who coined the term “TACO trade’), echo several months of observations on the remarkable surge in data-center infrastructure. In August, Renaissance Macro Research estimated, to date in 2025, the dollar value contributed to GDP growth by AI data-center buildout had surpassed U.S. consumer spending for the first time ever. That’s remarkable considering consumer spending is two-thirds of GDP. Read Article

CEO View on Economy Sours Amid Stubborn Inflation: Conference Board

CFO Dive - Jim Tyson, Senior Reporter

The economy slowed to 1.9% growth during the third quarter, according to Conference Board estimates, compared with 3.8% during Q2.

Dive Brief:

• The outlook of CEOs soured this quarter on concerns that the economy will slow in the face of stubborn inflation, the Conference Board and Business Council found in a survey.
• During the next 12 to 18 months, 64% of CEOs anticipate a mild economic slowdown and a slight increase in price pressures, according to survey results. Thirty-eight percent of CEOs predict economic conditions will worsen in the next six months compared with 30% during the third quarter.
• “CEOs’ expectations for the economy turned from neutral to pessimistic,” Stephanie Guichard, senior economist for global indicators at the Conference Board, said in a statement. “Geopolitical instability and cyber risks continued to dominate top business risks impacting CEOs’ industries,” she said. Read Article

Labor Day 2025: The Great Crash (of the Economists)

Institute for New Economic Thinking - James K. Galbraith

Contrary to what many economic models suggest, salaries aren’t constantly recalibrated based on skills or technology. They follow the economy and politics—and common sense: hire when needed, promote from within, and slow hiring when budgets tighten.

Professor Lawrence Katz, of Harvard, is co-author with Professor Claudia Goldin, also of Harvard, of a book that defines the modern mainstream theory of labor markets. Entitled The Race Between Education and Technology, the Goldin-Katz book tells how supply and demand determine the relative wage of skilled labor. Put simply, when science and technology surge ahead, skilled wages and salaries rise, increasing inequality. When education catches up, wage differentials decline. This is a paradox of education: it is necessary to get ahead, but if too many pursue it, the advantage fades away. Read Article

I Asked ChatGPT What Would Happen If Billionaires Paid Taxes at the Same Rate as the Upper Middle Class

GoBankingRates - Jordan Rosenfeld, Molly Sullivan Edited

There are many questions that don’t have simple answers, either because they’re too complex or they’re hypothetical. One such question is what it might mean for billionaires to pay taxes at the same rate as the upper middle class, whose income starts, on average, at around $168,000, depending on where you live.

ChatGPT may not be an oracle, but it can analyze information and offer trends and patterns, so I asked it what would happen if billionaires were required to pay anywhere near as much as the upper middle class. Here’s what it said. Read Article

When CEO Pay Exploded (update)

NPR Planet Money - Jacob Goldstein, Stacey Vanek Smith, Nick Fountain, Alex Goldmark, Willa Rubin

It’s no secret that CEOs get paid a ton – and a ton more than the average worker. More than a hundred times than what their average employee makes.

But it wasn’t always this way. So, how did this gap get so vast? And why?

On today’s episode … we go back to a specific moment when the way CEOs were paid got changed. It involves Bill Clinton's campaign promises, and Silicon Valley workers taking to the streets to protest an accounting rule. And of course, Dodd Frank. Hear Podcast

Here's What Happens When Private Equity Buys Homes in Your Neighborhood

NPR Planet Money - Alex Mayyasi

Daniel Erb became a corporate landlord kind of by accident. It started in 2020, when he received his first bonus as an investment banker. It was more money than he was used to. He wanted to invest in real estate, so he called his cousin, a research analyst at BlackRock, for advice.

As they talked over options, his cousin showed him a striking chart of the number of "housing starts" in the U.S. since 1950 (basically the number of new houses and apartments built each year). It showed that the last 10 years had the fewest starts since the 1960s, even though the U.S. population was now much larger. Read Article

Why Drug Prices Keep Rising

Institute for New Economic Thinking - Interview Featuring Öner Tulum, Executive Director of Research, The Academic-Industry Research Network

Why are life-saving drugs so expensive—especially when taxpayers already fund much of the science behind them?

Öner Tulum, co-founder of the Academic-Industry Research Network, explains how pharmaceutical companies prioritize shareholders over patients, driving drug prices higher while access suffers. He traces how publicly funded research feeds the drug pipeline, yet profits are captured by executives and Wall Street.

Tulum argues that innovation isn’t just about discovering new therapies—it’s about making them affordable and accessible. Without transparency, fair pricing, and a system that rewards patients and taxpayers, innovation loses its purpose.

This interview exposes the growing risks of financialized pharma: inequality, lack of access, and an industry more focused on stock prices than human health. See Interview

Is the American Dream Still Alive?

Statista - Anna Fleck,

U.S. adults are losing faith in the American Dream. At least, that’s what a poll by ABC News and Ipsos says, conducted in early January 2024. Where an average of 50 percent of U.S. adults aged 18 and up said they believe the American dream still holds true in 2010, that figure had nearly halved to just 27 percent by last year. Meanwhile, 18 percent of respondents in 2024 said it never held true, up from just four percent in 2010.

Young adults have seen the biggest drop in belief (-35 p.p.). Where 18 to 29 year olds had been the most hopeful about the idea that anyone can make it in America if they work hard enough, now the group has the highest share of nonbelievers, or at least skeptics. The age bracket of 30 to 64 year olds have become similarly disenchanted, while adults aged 65 and older were more likely to still believe the American dream holds true at 41 percent. According to the poll, around one in two U.S. adults today (52 percent) think that the American dream is a heyday of the past - that it once held true but no longer does. Read Article

Unemployment Nears 4-Year High as Job Growth Stalls

Statista - Felix Richter

After the sharp rebound from the pandemic, when businesses rapidly rehired and demand for workers exceeded supply by unprecedented margins, the U.S. labor market has gradually cooled. Job growth, which averaged several hundred thousand new positions per month between 2021 and 2023 and around 170,000 added jobs per month in 2024, has nearly come to a standstill, as the economy adjusted to tepid consumer spending, tighter financial conditions and a high degree of macroeconomic uncertainty.

Faced with tariff uncertainty and nagging recession fears, employers became increasingly cautious about adding staff, and while unemployment is still relatively low, it has gradually crept upwards over the past two years, reaching the highest rate since October 2021 in August. Following a steep downward revision of employment gains in May and June, job growth has nearly dried up halfway through 2025, with the three-month moving average of job additions falling from 232,000 in January to just 29,000 in August. Read Article

The AI Bubble and the U.S. Economy: How Long Do “Hallucinations” Last?

Institute for New Economic Thinking - Servaas Storm

This paper argues that (i) we have reached “peak GenAI” in terms of current Large Language Models (LLMs); scaling (building more data centers and using more chips) will not take us further to the goal of “Artificial General Intelligence” (AGI); returns are diminishing rapidly; (ii) the AI-LLM industry and the larger U.S. economy are experiencing a speculative bubble, which is about to burst.

The U.S. is undergoing an extraordinary AI-fueled economic boom: The stock market is soaring thanks to exceptionally high valuations of AI-related tech firms, which are fueling economic growth by the hundreds of billions of U.S. dollars they are spending on data centers and other AI infrastructure. The AI investment boom is based on the belief that AI will make workers and firms significantly more productive, which will in turn boost corporate profits to unprecedented levels. But the summer of 2025 did not bring good news for enthusiasts of generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) who were all hyped up by the inflated promise of the likes of OpenAI’s Sam Altman that “Artificial General Intelligence” (AGI), the holy grail of current AI research, would be right around the corner.

Let us more closely consider the hype. Read Article

Service Sector Falters Amid Weak Hiring, Business Activity: ISM Survey

CFO Dive - Jim Tyson, Senior Reporter

A softening labor market and stalling service sector are just two trends in an economy that has recently sent signals of strength as well as weakness.

Dive Brief:

• The U.S. service sector faltered last month as companies put off hiring and business activity slumped to a level signaling contraction for the first time since May 2022, the Institute for Supply Management said Friday.
• A gauge of new orders fell but remained in expansion territory, while a measure for the backlog of orders declined less in September than in August, the ISM found in a survey of purchasing managers. Seven service industries reported contraction, while 10 reported expansion, two fewer than in August, the ISM said.
• Survey respondents described “moderate or weak growth,” Steve Miller, chair of the services business survey committee at the ISM, said in a statement. “Employment continues to be in contraction territory, thanks to a combination of delayed hiring efforts and difficulty finding qualified staff,” he said. Read Article

Bretton Woods: A System That Can’t Be Fixed—But Can Be Made Fairer and More Effective

Institute for New Economic Thinking - Biagio Bossone

The IMF and World Bank can no longer function as instruments that discipline some member countries while deferring to others. Their challenge is to transform the exercise of power among member countries into a framework of mutual respect and cooperation.

When Jakob Vestergaard and Robert Wade argued in their recent INET working Paper that the World Bank’s shareholding reform was “stuck,” they described more than an administrative failure. The deeper problem, shared by both the Bank and the IMF, is structural.

At its core lies what I have elsewhere called the Fundamental Asymmetry: the mismatch between nationally anchored policymaking and globally transmitted risks. Read Article

Time Bomb: How Uninsured Stablecoins and Crypto Derivatives Threaten Financial and Economic Stability

Institute for New Economic Thinking - Arthur E. Wilmarth

The GENIUS Act is a disastrous law that poses grave and unacceptable threats to our financial and economic future. Congress must remove those threats by (1) repealing the GENIUS Act and passing legislation that requires all stablecoin providers to be FDIC-insured banks, and (2) adopting legislation that requires all crypto derivatives to comply with the rules governing non-digital derivatives under Title VII of the Dodd-Frank Act.

On July 18, 2025, the President Trump signed into law the ‘‘Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act” (GENIUS Act). The GENIUS Act – despite its Orwellian sobriquet – is a profoundly misguided law that creates enormous dangers for our financial system, economy, and society. The GENIUS Act authorizes nonbanks to issue uninsured stablecoins to the public without the essential safeguards provided by federal deposit insurance and the prudential regulations governing FDIC-insured banks. In addition, the GENIUS Act gives federal and state regulators broad authority to allow nonbank stablecoin issuers to sell highly-leveraged crypto derivatives and other speculative crypto investments to the public. Read Article

INET Warned Over 2 Years Ago: Spending by the Wealthy Is Distorting the Economy

Institute for New Economic Thinking - Lynn Parramore

The idea is finally catching on, but many still miss how deeply it’s driving inflation, masking wage losses, and complicating recovery.

Lately, you’ve probably seen headlines highlighting what some call a surprising truth: the richest Americans — who’ve enjoyed years of income and wealth growth — are the ones keeping the economy afloat with their spending. Meanwhile, most people struggle to keep up with rising costs.

For example, the New York Times recently announced: “Wealthy Americans Are Spending. People With Less Are Struggling.” Read Article

No, America is Not Too Economically Successful to Need Reform

Coalition for a Prosperous America - Marc Fasteau & Ian Fletcher; Marc Fasteau and Ian Fletcher are authors of Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries (Cambridge University Press 2024), a widely praised book on industrial policies in US and world history and the need for US industrial policies today.

A popular argument has emerged (examples of which you can read here, here, here, here, and here) that America’s economy is so large and doing so well that we don’t need to change course — that our wealth and growth rates prove we’ve already found the right formula. On the surface, America looks like an unrivaled success story. Yet beneath the headline numbers lies an economy increasingly dependent on foreign production, hollowed out in critical industries, and unable to provide secure, high-wage work for many of its citizens.

This argument is a major obstacle to the US adopting the kind of comprehensive industrial policy that it actually needs, the kind we sketched out in our book Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High Value Industries. So it’s worth analyzing why it isn’t true – if the relevant statistics are interpreted correctly. Read Article

Why the Wealthy Are Thriving as Most Americans Fall Behind

PBS Newshour –Paul Solman, Economics Correspondent

The markets have climbed higher despite continuing concerns around the shutdown, tariffs and inflation. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq have set records more than 30 times this year and other data suggest the economy is chugging at a steady clip. But for the majority of Americans, this economy is landing very differently right now, and it's hardly good times. See Video Report

Economic Documentaries for Our Time

Born Poor

PBS Frontline - Jezza Neumann, Lauren Mucciolo

More than a decade ago, the Emmy-nominated documentary Poor Kids explored poverty in the United States as it’s rarely seen: through the eyes of children.

Born Poor tells the stories of the same children, now grown, chronicling their lives from childhood to the present day. The 90-minute documentary follows Kaylie, Johnny and Brittany across three chapters of their lives as they grow from kids to teenagers to adults, trying to pursue their dreams while dealing with an economy where they face more obstacles than opportunities — and trying to overcome the grinding poverty that shaped their childhoods. See Video

The World’s Real-Time Billionaires List - Today’s Winners and Losers: Reflects Changes Since 5pm EST of Prior Trading Day

Forbes

Forbes' Real-Time Billionaires rankings tracks the daily ups and downs of the world’s richest people. The wealth-tracking platform provides ongoing updates on the net worth and ranking of each individual confirmed by Forbes to be a billionaire. The value of individuals’ public holdings are updated every 5 minutes when respective stock markets are open (there will be a 15-minute delay for stock prices). Individuals whose fortunes are significantly tied to private companies will have their net worths updated once a day. In cases where an individual owns a stake in a private company that accounts for 20% or more of his or her net worth, the value of the company will be adjusted according to an industry- or region-specific market index provided by our partners at FactSet Research Systems when available. A rotating cast of the five biggest winners and losers throughout the day is featured at the top of the page, followed by the complete list of billionaires ranked in order of net worth. Visit List

The Classroom

Inequality Media- Robert Rich, Former US Labor Secretary

My name is Robert Reich. I’m a former secretary of labor and UC Berkeley professor of public policy. I designed this course to give students — and now, you — a deeper understanding of why inequalities of income and wealth have widened significantly over the last 40 years in the United States, and their consequences.

Even though this isn’t a real classroom and I’m not with you in person, I hope you find this both enjoyable and challenging. Don’t expect to learn by just watching and listening, though. I want you to be an active learner — which means answering questions I pose and putting various puzzle pieces together. I’m not going to tell you what to think. I’m going to try to provoke you into thinking harder and more deeply. Watch Video Classroom Series

How CIA Deployment Gives Trump No “Limitations' on Venezuela Action

BBC World News - Bernd Debusmann

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged that he has authorised the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela - a highly unusual admission of what is normally a highly sensitive and tightly guarded state secret.

The authorisation - more typically known as a presidential finding - could give the agency broad leeway to conduct operations in the region, including lethal strikes against suspected drug traffickers or broader operations aimed at destabilising or toppling the regime of Nicolás Maduro. Read Article

Trump Says US Will Not 'Waste Our Time' Helping Argentina if Milei Loses

BBC World News - Ione Wells, South America Correspondent

Trump: US won't 'waste our time' with Argentina if Javier Milei loses election

President Donald Trump has acknowledged that a $20bn (£15bn) US lifeline to help calm Argentina's currency crisis is an attempt to sway legislative elections this month in the South American nation.

Welcoming Argentina's libertarian leader Javier Milei to the White House, Trump warned that the US would not "waste our time" with helping Argentina if Milei's party did not prevail. Read Article

'We Are All Terrified', Say Locals in Path of Hurricane Melissa

BBC News - Jessica Rawnsley and Gabriela Pomeroy

Residents and holidaymakers have described their terror as Hurricane Melissa pummelled Jamaica, the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean nation in modern history.

Locals and tourists told the BBC how they hunkered down as the storm ripped roofs off buildings and cut power to about a third of the country's 2.8 million people.

"The doors are being blown off by the wind," said Kabien, a mother-of-three who runs a beauty salon in the town of Santa Cruz. Read Article

Life in Germany: Free Universities and Paid Vacations

DeutscheWelle - Elizabeth Grenier

DW's Berlin Fresh and The Washington Post Universe's TikTok teams collaborate to explore the perks of living in Berlin and Germany.

Considering a move to Europe?

The German capital has long been an attractive destination for young Americans wanting to try a new life abroad. Now even more of them are flocking to Berlin as they seek an alternative to living in the US under the Trump administration.

Washington Post Universe TikTok host Carmella Boykin teamed up with DW's Berlin Fresh to explore the perks of living in Germany. Read Article

Macron Puts Lecornu Back as France's Prime Minister Just Days After He Quit

NPR - The Associated Press

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday re-appointed Sebastien Lecornu as prime minister, just days after his resignation, asking him to try again to form a government and produce a budget in a bid to end the country's political deadlock.

Lecornu's re-appointment followed days of intense negotiations and came less than a week after he resigned amid infighting in his freshly named government. France is struggling with mounting economic challenges and ballooning debt, and the political crisis is aggravating its troubles and raising alarm across the European Union. Read Article

Georgia: Police Fire Tear Gas at Anti-government Protesters

DeutscheWelle - Emmy Sasipornkarn with AFP, Reuters

Georgian police on Saturday fired tear gas at anti-government protesters to force them away from the presidential palace in the capital, Tbilisi.

Waving Georgian and EU flags, tens of thousands flooded Tbilisi's Freedom Square, heeding the opposition's call to protest local elections. Read Article

Czech Republic: 'Trumpist' Ex-PM Babis Wins Elections

DeutscheWelle - Jon Shelton with AFP, dpa

Billionaire Andrej Babis wants to cut aid to Ukraine, and now he is the projected winner of the Czech parliamentary elections. Though he didn't win a majority, Babis said he aims to form a one-party government.

As voters in the Czech Republic wrapped up a second day of voting in the country's parliamentary election, a familiar face looks set to return to power.

With over 90% of votes counted the right-wing populist party ANO of billionaire former Prime Minister Andrej Babis, a self-described "Trumpist" who opposes continued military assistance for Ukraine, had garnered 36% of the vote.

Calling the result "historic," Babis said after the election that he hopes to form a one-party Cabinet, despite not having won an absolute majority of the vote. Read Article

AfD Meets MAGA: What's Behind the Far-right Alliance?

DeutscheWelle PoliticsEurope -Nina Haase

Germany's AfD is knocking on Washington's door—and Trump's team is answering. Over the last few months,

AfD politicians have met with US officials, including Vice President JD Vance, and received open support from Trump allies during Germany's election. In this episode, we ask: Why is the AfD seeking US backing? Where do the AfD and the MAGA movement align—and where do they clash? See Video Report

How Chinese Rare-earth Mining Threatens the Mekong River

DeutshceWelle - David Hutt

Rare-earth mining in Myanmar is polluting the Mekong River with toxic metals, threatening ecosystems, food security, and water supplies across mainland Southeast Asia.

Ecologists are warning that mainland Southeast Asia faces a looming ecological disaster unless urgent steps are taken to address the rare-earth mining boom in war-torn Myanmar.

According to Global Witness, a London-based watchdog, Myanmar has become the world's largest source of heavy rare-earth elements. These minerals are essential for manufacturing high-tech products like wind turbines, electric vehicles and medical devices. Read Article

Why is Malaysia Banning More Books?

DeutscheWelle - Zsombor Peter in Bangkok

From thrillers to romance novels, more books have been banned by Malaysia's government so far in 2025 than in the past six years combined.

Malaysia has seen a surge in book bans this year in what some publishers, academics, and rights groups are calling a dangerous slide toward repression and conservative Islamic dogma.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has banned 24 books this year as of October, more than all the books it banned in the past six years combined, and the most in any single year since 2017.

This year's banned titles include thrillers and romance novels, a collection of poems titled "Masturbation," non-fiction books about Islam, and guides on puberty for pre-teens. Read Article

Sanae Takaichi: What to Expect from Japan's New 'Iron Lady'

DeutscheWelle - Martin Fritz in Tokyo

Arch-conservative Sanae Takaichi is poised to become Japan's first female prime minister — but challenging political realities may push the nationalist leader toward a more pragmatic approach.

Japan's embattled ruling party now has a new leader, Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative, who is poised to become the country's first female prime minister.

Her victory in the Liberal Democratic Party's (LDP) leadership election came after she secured a majority in a runoff vote against Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi. Read Article 

India is Forcibly Deporting Muslims, Including Its Own Citizens, After Kashmir Violence

NPR News - Omkar Khandekar

MUMBAI, India — For the past decade, Mustafa Kamal Sheikh set up a makeshift stall opposite a police station in a working-class suburb of Mumbai. His speciality was jhalmuri, a fiery snack made of puffed rice and spices. The cops often came down for a bite and small talk.

One day in June, two officers came to his house and asked for his ID. He showed them four, including a card that identified him as a voter in Indian elections. Kamal says the constables accused him of forging them and detained him. He denies the accusation. Read Article

Gen Z Protests: Why Are Asia's Youth So Angry?

DeutscheWelle - David Hutt

Young people across South and Southeast Asia have grown up online, frustrated and impatient with their leaders. As jobs dry up and inequality widens, their protests are shaking even the most entrenched political systems.

Over the past two months, Gen Z-led demonstrations have convulsed parts of South and Southeast Asia — from Kathmandu to Jakarta, from Dili to Manila. 

While Nepalese demonstrations brought down the country's government, the most recent youth-led protests across Southeast Asia have been less cataclysmic, although they have forced the authorities to make rare concessions on tackling elite perks and corruption. Read Article

Afghanistan: What's at Stake as Taliban Cut Internet?

DeutscheWelle - Waslat Hasrat-Nazimi | Hussain Sirat

The Taliban have shut down fiber-optic internet across several Afghan provinces to "prevent immorality." Experts warn of serious consequences for trade and girls' access to education.

Concerns are growing in Afghanistan over tightening Taliban restrictions on fiber-optic internet access.

The war-torn nation's northern Balkh province confirmed a fiber-optic internet shutdown on Tuesday after Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada imposed a complete ban on the technology.

There are reports of severe disruption in other parts of the country, including the northern provinces of Kunduz, Badakhshan, Baghlan and Takhar. Read Article

More Than 80% of Eastern Congo Health Facilities Out of Medicine, Red Cross Says

PBS News

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Over 200 health facilities in eastern Congo are experiencing shortages of medicines as a result of fighting in the region and a lack of humanitarian funding, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Wednesday.

The Red Cross said it assessed 240 health centers and clinics in North and South Kivu, two provinces where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels made an unprecedented advance earlier this year, further deepening one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Read Article

US Announces it Will Allow Qatar to Build an Air Force Facility in Idaho

CNN - Natasha Bertrand

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the US will allow Qatar to build an Air Force facility at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, which will host Qatari F-15 fighter jets and pilots who will train alongside US troops.

“The location will host a contingent of Qatari F-15s and pilots to enhance our combined training, increase the lethality, interoperability,” Hegseth said during a meeting with his Qatari counterpart Saoud bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the Pentagon. “It’s just another example of our partnership. And I hope you know, Your Excellency, that you can count on us.” Read Article

"One thing is certain... nothing is certain!"

The rate of change affecting work, the worker, management and the educational institutions that service all three has been accelerating - made worse by the unexpected Covid-19 pandemic. The economy, the consumer, supply chains and operational strategies have all been disrupted in the short-term, casting doubt on the long-term.

Rapid adaptation is the key to survivability, sustainability and growth. Sometimes an experienced outside advisor can help facilitate needed improvements to take the worry out of change and the fear out of growth.

Frank J. Gibson Management and Workforce Excellence Advisor

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Affiliated with Proactive Technologies, Inc.® for projects outside the United States

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• Experienced with governmental, IDB, GIZ and economic development agency sponsored projects;

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"Improve constantly and forever the system of production and service, to improve quality and productivity, and thus constantly decrease costs".

.                                                              W. Edwards Deming

American engineer, statistician,

professor, author, lecturer, and

management consultant

1900 - 1993

“Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

Richard Branson

English business magnate who co-founded the Virgin Group

1950 - 

"There is a] false notion that democracy means that ‘my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."

 Isaac Asimov

American writer and biochemist

1920–1992

USMCA Tracker

Brookings Institution

A newly updated USMCA tracker by Joshua Meltzer and Dozie Ezi-Ashi highlights recent data on trade and related measures. See Data Charts

Reshoring Sees Downturn

Material Handling & Logistics

Kearney report says that after two strong reshoring years, "companies aren’t walking away from reshoring: they’re pausing to reassess."

Reshoring has decreased according to a recent report, The 2025 Reshoring Index: The great reality check, from Kearney. The finding was in contrast to sharp increases between 2021 and 2023.

"This year, we saw a downturn—proof that positive thinking is less effective as a market driver than the basic law of supply and demand—forcing us to confront a hard truth," the report said. "While CEOs are more committed than ever to reshoring, the domestic manufacturing ecosystem is still playing catch-up, so the next phase will require not just capital, but coordination."

Kearney report says that after two strong reshoring years, "companies aren’t walking away from reshoring: they’re pausing to reassess." Read Article

Business Contracts with Tariff Clauses Proliferate

CFO Dive - Alexei Alexis, Reporter

Companies are using tariff-specific language to hedge against uncertainty in areas such as pricing and delivery timelines, contract management firm Agiloft said.

Dive Brief:

• About nine in 10 companies now include tariff-related clauses in some of their contracts as they scramble to mitigate the potential risks of global trade disruption, according to survey results released Tuesday by contract management firm Agiloft.
• Including tariff-specific language has become a way to “hedge against uncertainty” in pricing, sourcing, delivery timelines and compliance requirements, according to the report.
• “This indicates the reality that tariffs are no longer isolated or short-term: they are persistent and unpredictable enough to warrant consistent contractual safeguards,” the report said. Read Article

China Now Producing Dozens of Drugs Below Market Price – Dumping Them Globally is Next Move

Coalition for a Prosperous America - Kenneth Rapoza

China Now Producing Dozens of Drugs Below Market Price – Dumping Them Globally is Next Move



As proof that no company can match China on price, Chinese producers of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and the key starting materials (KSMs) used to make them are slashing prices by up to 50%. Not even low-cost India – one of the largest importers of Chinese KSMs – can compete at those levels.

If the U.S. wants to preserve a pharmaceutical industry that isn’t almost entirely dependent on China, as it is today, then tariffs, quotas, and targeted industrial policies are essential. Without them, China’s grip on pharmaceuticals and the broader, more advanced, biotechnology market will surely tighten. Read Article

The Inconvenient Truth of Trump’s Tariff Plan on US Supply Chains

IndustryWeek - Christopher S. Tang

Trump’s tariff plan has created unintended consequences that undermine the very sectors it aimed to protect.

Key Highlights

• President Trump's tariffs have increased costs and disrupted global supply chains, leading to inflation and economic uncertainty.
• Major companies like Apple and John Deere are shifting sourcing and manufacturing strategies to mitigate tariff impacts, including reshoring and diversification.
• But retaliatory tariffs from countries like China have significantly reduced demand for U.S. exports, especially in agriculture, causing economic strain across multiple sectors.
• Policy shifts towards reshoring and automation aim to reduce dependency on foreign supply chains, but also highlight the need for a balanced, strategic trade approach. Read Article

Supreme Court Urged to Block Trump’s Tariffs Ahead of November Hearing

Supply Chain Dive - Antone Gonsalves, Reporter

Small businesses and states suing the president claimed levies implemented under a 1977 emergency powers act amounted to a $3 trillion tax increase on Americans.

Seven businesses and a dozen states urged the Supreme Court on Monday to strike down President Donald Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose broad tariffs, calling it illegal and an unprecedented tax burden on companies.

The Supreme Court agreed last month to an expedited hearing on the legality of Trump’s tariffs, following an appellate court ruling that they were illegal. The court has scheduled oral arguments for Nov. 5. Read Article

Tariff Front-loading Buoyed Manufacturing in H1, But Costs Are Ahead: OECD

Packaging Dive - Katie Pyzyk, Senior Reporter

“The impacts of higher tariff rates are yet to be fully felt in the US economy,” according to a report from OECD, a global policy forum.

Public frenzy over the Trump administration’s tariffs may have cooled with various trade deal announcements. But the full cost implications from tariffs are still to come, according to a report the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development released Tuesday. The intergovernmental group projects that U.S. and global economies will slow in the coming months, in large part due to tariffs. Read Article

Is China Circumventing US Tariffs via Mexico and Canada?

Brookings Institute - Joshua P. Meltzer and Maricarmen Barron Esper

The United States’ high tariffs on Chinese imports have incentivized China to find alternate entries to the American market via Canada and Mexico.



This paper analyzes the extent to which China has circumvented U.S. tariffs via three pathways: transshipment, supply chain integration, and foreign direct investment.



Given that many of the circumvention pathways are legal, the authors recommend the U.S., Canada, and Mexico work together to better align their trade and investment policies with respect to China. Read Article

Germany Thrived in the First China Shock. But the Next One Could Prove Catastrophic.

NPR Planet Money - Greg Rosalsky

BERLIN — On a cloudy day in mid-September, I biked across Germany's capital to meet up with Oliver Richtberg, a representative of the VDMA, at his organization's annual political conference. The VDMA is an industry association (whose name is a German acronym that translates to Association of German Mechanical and Plant Engineering). It represents thousands of German companies that manufacture industrial machines and equipment. The companies are a big part of what Germans call the "Mittelstand," which are small and medium-sized manufacturers that are widely considered to be "the heart of the German economy."

The VDMA has real political clout, and their annual conference, "the German Mechanical Engineering Summit," has become a must-go-to event for German leaders. Just the day before, Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, had spoken there. Before he gave his speech, Merz listened as the president of the VDMA said their companies are "angry and disappointed" over the miserable state of the German manufacturing industry. Read Article

US Widens Reach of Export Blacklist to Cover Subsidiaries

IndustryWeek - Agence France-Presse

The Department of Commerce's notice said the latest shift aims to "address diversion concerns," such as the formation of new foreign companies to evade restrictions.

The United States is widening the reach of its trade blacklist, making it harder for subsidiaries and affiliates of certain companies to access American products -- a move set to hit Chinese businesses, among others.

The change relates to parties on the so-called "entity list" that face restrictions obtaining U.S. items and technologies without government authorization.

Under the new rule, subsidiaries that are at least 50% owned by one or more listed entities will also be automatically subject to the list's restrictions. Read Article

Trump Considers $10 Billion Bailout for Farmers as Tariffs Disrupt the Market

PBS News Hour - Liz Landers, Karina Cuevas, Mary Fecteau, Jackson Hudgins

President Trump is said to be preparing a bailout package of at least $10 billion that could provide relief to farmers facing the financial pain of tariffs on China. To discuss what this means for farmers and for the heartland, Liz Landers spoke with Aaron Lehman. He is the President of the Iowa Farmers Union, representing growers in the second-largest soybean-producing state in the country. See Video and Read the Full Transcript

To Move or Not to Move? Manufacturers Hesitant to Nearshore Before USMCA Review

Manufacturing Dive - Shefali Kapadia, Contributor

While some companies are using regional supply chains or leaning on tariff exemptions by maximizing compliance, others are frozen in place.

As the United States solicits feedback on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of the deal’s review next year, manufacturers are mulling how they can minimize their exposure to tariffs.

Cross-border trade in North America has already gone through a series of changes, first with the scrapping of the North American Free Trade Agreement for USMCA in 2020, then with 25% tariffs placed on imports from Canada and Mexico earlier this year. A tariff exemption was granted for USMCA-compliant goods, although levies on non-qualifying imports from Canada now face a 35% duty. Read Article

What Tools Does Trump Have to Impose Tariffs?

Supply Chain Dive - Philip Neuffer, Senior Editor

Use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act will soon face Supreme Court review. Here are other mechanisms the president can use to hike duties.

President Donald Trump’s aggressive implementation of country-specific tariffs will face Supreme Court scrutiny next month.

At stake will be Trump’s broad use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to enact sweeping levies. Two federal courts have already ruled such actions illegal, leading the Trump administration to file appeals, including a request for the Supreme Court to consider the cases. The high court is scheduled to hear arguments in November. Read Article

Reframing Higher Education

Community College Daily News - Sunem Beaton-Garcia and Katherine Frank

As leaders of institutions committed to preparing the next generation of skilled professionals, we find ourselves aligned as regional partners at a decisive moment in the evolution of American higher education. We acknowledge that higher education is changing, that this is a good thing, and that we are uniquely positioned to reframe what higher education means in a 21st-century economy.

In place of perceived rigid educational silos, a more dynamic ecosystem is emerging. One where credentials are increasingly stackable, learning is lifelong and value is measured not solely by credit hours earned but by competencies gained and career opportunities unlocked at different points in time, and is flexible to learners. Read Article

From Intern to Employee at International Motors

IndustryWeek - Anna Smith

A partnership between employers and San Antonio’s economic development agency is building both a talent pipeline for manufacturers and opportunities for young people.

Anthony Degollado was a senior in high school when he was introduced to the career possibilities of manufacturing. When he toured the International Motors plant in San Antonio, Texas, with his forensic-science class, it was like a door opened that he didn’t even know existed. He had no post-graduation plans, so when he learned that International Motors was looking for interns for a paid, three-week program, he jumped at the chance to apply.

“I definitely didn’t have that many options available at that time,” Degollado said. “That was definitely the biggest opportunity that was available to me.” Read Article

The New American Workforce?

Community College Daily News

Apprenticeships in mechatronics and other high-tech fields are common in countries like Germany.

In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order for a plan to “reach and surpass one million new active apprentices” annually. The initiative calls for a rapid expansion of training programs and introduction of registered apprenticeships into industries that have not traditionally used them.

Trump’s vision for apprenticeships faces several hurdles, including cost and the long-term commitment required from employers. This work is challenging for small- and mid-sized businesses that are more focused on day-to-day operations than building a talent pipeline. Read Article

Enrollments Are Up, But Can Students Afford to Stay?

Community College Daily News - Matthew J. Mayhew

College enrollment has finally recovered, thanks in large part to the surge in enrollment at community colleges. Two-year career and technical education (CTE) programs are feeling this growth acutely with some of the largest enrollment increases of any sector in higher education.

How are the students fueling higher education’s recovery faring financially? Compared to their peers at four-year universities, two-year community college students have higher financial need. They are more likely to come from low-income households with less financial support from family, and they often face gaps in financial aid packages. The result is a risky balancing act: many community college students work long hours, take on debt and sacrifice essentials like food just to stay enrolled. Read Article

Manufacturing Day 2025: A Skilled Workforce Should Be the Nation's First Priority

IndustryWeek - Harry Moser

lt's time to provide pathways for more of our youth to obtain the technical skills necessary for today's job market.

Key Highlights

• U.S. educational pathways favor college degrees over technical training, resulting in fewer engineers and apprentices compared to global competitors like Germany and China.
• Expanding apprenticeships and technical certifications and publicizing reshoring success stories can attract more youth to manufacturing careers and improve workforce quality.
• Certificate and license training pays off, yet most government funding goes to financial aid for college education, not technical trianing. Read Article

How to Avoid Past Edtech Pitfalls as We Begin Using AI to Scale Impact in Education

Brookings Institution - Brad Olsen and Molly Curtiss Wyss

In a way, we’ve been down this road before.

Digital revolution? The internet, social media, email, and personal computers have been with us for over a generation. How has that turned out? Their legacy is a mixed bag, we’d say.

Scaling edtech to improve education? Governments and organizations have attempted to scale technology to improve education (edtech) for decades. Time and again we’ve heard edtech presented as a surefire way to close education gaps in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Our own back-of-the-envelope evaluation, however, suggests that sustained impact from scaling edtech in LMICs is low. That’s partly about scaling being difficult in general and partly about edtech not fulfilling its promises. Read Article

State-Led, Federal Impact

Work Shift - Elyse Ashburn and Colleen Connolly

A new apprenticeship project, backed by the Labor Department, aims to create more consistent standards across states for training, must-have skills, and what counts as a high-impact job. Also, confusion persists around the federal move to bar undocumented students from college career and technical education. Read Article

The Skills ‘Chess’ Game: How Unum is Redeploying Talent in Real Time

Human Resource Executive - Jill Barth

Many companies today face a familiar skills and talent management challenge: Some divisions are overwhelmed, while others have excess capacity. The traditional response? Hire for the busy areas, potentially lay off from the quiet ones and hope the market stabilizes.

But forward-thinking organizations are discovering a more strategic approach—one that uses skills data to treat their workforce like players in a dynamic chess game.

“You can move [employees with needed skills] like on a chess board so that you maximize productivity, you maximize innovation, you maximize creativity—so that you can drive your business strategy forward,” says Kimberly Bowen, senior vice president of talent and inclusion at employee benefits provider Unum, describing her company’s approach to skills-based workforce management. Read Article

FTC Drops Biden-era Noncompete Ban But Promises Continued Enforcement

HR Dive - Ryan Golden, Senior Reporter

Industries “plagued by thickets of noncompete agreements” will soon see warning letters from the agency, its chairman said Friday.

Dive Brief:

• A 3-1 majority of the Federal Trade Commission agreed to dismiss the agency’s appeals in two separate legal challenges of its 2024 ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts, FTC confirmed in a press release Friday.
• In a statement, FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson said the ban’s “illegality was patently obvious” and “would never survive judicial review,” adding that it constituted a waste of the agency’s funding. Ferguson was one of two Republican commissioners who voted against the FTC’s ban when it was initially up for approval.
• FTC will continue enforcement efforts against unlawful noncompetes, Ferguson said, adding that the commission invited the public to submit information on the scope, prevalence and effects of noncompetes. “And in the coming days, firms in industries plagued by thickets of noncompete agreements will receive warning letters from me, urging them to consider abandoning those agreements as the Commission prepares investigations and enforcement actions,” he said. Read Article

Community-Building Is at the Heart of a Metal Company's Success

IndustryWeek - Ashleigh Walters

Peters' Heat Treating in Meadville, Pennsylvania, reaps the benefits of forging connections with schools, industry and its own employees.

When people think of manufacturing, the word "community" might not immediately jump to mind. But Andy and Diana Wilkosz, co-owners of Peters’ Heat Treating, see community at the very heart of everything they do.

“It’s the little things,” says Diana, the company’s vice president of administration and chief marketing officer. “Sponsoring a team member’s kid’s basketball team or handing down kids’ golf clubs to a coworker — these are the moments that make us feel like family.”

The second-generation family-owned company, which has 85 employees and is located in Meadville, Pennsylvania (“Tool City”), provides thermal process and surface treating solutions for the aerospace and defense industries. Read Article

Top Talent Quitting Due to Stalled Career Growth, Survey Shows

HR Dive Learning - Carolyn Crist

As leaders focus on hiring challenges, they may miss the talent crisis inside their organizations, Workday said.

Top performers are leaving their roles amid stalled career mobility, with promotions down in 10 of 11 industries and internal hiring down by 8%, according to a Sept. 9 report from Workday.

Experienced employees also reported anxiety and disconnection due to artificial intelligence in the workplace — and unclear strategies for the future.

“AI may be rewriting the rules of work, but it cannot replace the value of engaged, motivated people,” Ashley Goldsmith, chief people officer at Workday, said in a statement. Read Article

Slow Down to Speed up: Leadership's Power of the Pause

IndustryWeek - Katie Anderson

In a world addicted to speed, the pause creates space for reflection, learning, and real transformation.

In our fast-paced world, especially during times of crisis or economic challenges, it’s easy to get swept up in the mindset that everything must happen now.

How often do you find yourself racing from meeting to meeting, jumping between tasks, rarely giving yourself—or your team members—a moment to breathe, let alone reflect?

If you are like most leaders, this is what most days look like. Yet as I’ve written before in IndustryWeek, it’s easy to get caught up in so much doing that we lose sight of our true intention as leaders. In all this action and urgency, you may be overlooking one of the most powerful leadership tools you have: the pause. Read Article

What the U.S. Can Learn from Apprenticeship Degrees Abroad

Econsult Solutions, Inc. - Jesse McCree, Senior Advisor

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of joining colleagues from across the world in Oxford, England, for the annual convening of the International Center for Apprenticeship Degrees (ICAD). ICAD and Reach University welcomed 140 leaders from across the globe, spanning policy, post-secondary, philanthropy, employers, and K-12. The topic on our minds? Transforming the world of work and learning, primarily through the burgeoning model of the “apprenticeship degree” – a testament to how college and career readiness does not have to be a dichotomy for workers and learners of the 21st century. Read Article

Reskilling vs. Replacement: Making the Case for Investing in People

'Human Resource Executive'- Mary Faulkner, principal with IA, working with clients to help them get "unstuck" and move toward their ideal outcomes. Prior to joining IA, she spent nearly 20 years as an HR leader.

It’s nearly impossible to attend an industry conference, sit through a vendor pitch or read a white paper without hearing the same refrain: Artificial intelligence is going to reshape work, and employees will need to be reskilled or upskilled to stay relevant. The message is delivered with urgency, sometimes even with alarm. Consulting firms warn that those who don’t act quickly will be left behind. Technology providers position their tools as essential to building the “AI-ready workforce.” Leaders declare that people are the most important asset in this new era.

On its face, the argument makes sense. We are firmly in a period of rapid technological change, and employees will need different skills to succeed in roles that look nothing like their job descriptions from even three years ago. Continuous learning and development should be the logical answer. But the reality on the ground tells a different story. Read Article

October

It Seems Fear of New Private Equity Owners Cause Local Leadership to Forego Deliberate Worker Training

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Endlessly Scrambling to Find New-Hires Who Could, and Should, Stay but Don't. There Is a Better Way.

by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Reshoring Manufacturing Would Be Great, But Can We All Agree that “the U.S. Lacks Skilled Workers” Isn’t a Credible Excuse Not To?

by Frank Gibson, Workforce Development Advisor and President of the North-Central Ohio Employer-Based Worker Training Partnership

Perfect Example of “Penny-Wise but Pound-Foolish” – DOGE Attempts to “Cut Waste, Fraud and Abuse”

by Proactive Technologies, Inc.® - Staff

Five Most Important Ways Employers Can Reclaim and Retain Worker Value With Structured On-The-Job Training

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

September

Estimating the Costs Associated With Skipping Processed-Based Structured On-The-Job Training

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

How Start-Ups and Joint Ventures Can Benefit From Structured On-The-Job Training

by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Classes Alone Will Not Close the "Skills Gap," But Structured On-the-Job Training Can...Every Time!

Proactive Technologies, Inc.® - Staff

Maximizing Worker Capacity Maximizes Shareholder Value…If Done Right

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Worker Compliance With Quality Initiatives; Avoid Worker Quality Audit Without Worker Training/Certification

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

August

Quality Policies and Process Sheets Are No Replacement for Worker Training

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Your “Resident Expert” May Not Be an Expert Trainer, But Easily Could Be

by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Two Common, Unfortunate Mistakes: The Importance of Setting Up Separate Accounts When Receiving Training Grant Funds

by Frank Gibson, Workforce Development Advisor and President of the North-Central Ohio Employer-Based Worker Training Partnership

Is Entrepreneurism in America Still a Revered Thing?

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc..®

July

Eroding Organizational Capacity: The “Unstructured, Haphazard and Ad Hoc Process-based Training Effect”

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Employers Say Fewer Jobs Require Degrees. What is Their Plan to Make Up the Difference?

by Stacey Lett, Director of Operations – Eastern U.S. – Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

Large-Scale Worker Training Projects Are Right for Small and Mid-size Employers

by Dr. Dave Just, formally Dean of Corporate and Continuing Education at Community Colleges in MA, OH, PA, SC. Currently President of K&D Consulting 

It’s Past Time to Be Honest with Students and Workers About the Future of Work in America and America’s Future

by Dean Prigelmeier, President of Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

See more articles on the Proactive Technologies , Inc. website

Structured on-the-job training attracts and engages employers in workforce development partnerships...some projects sustainable for more than 18 years!

This creates a steady need for your related technical instruction, services and a pathway for employment.

These partnerships:

• enhance your institution's opportunity to market your products and services to incumbent workers;
• allow your organization to include structured on-the-job training as a capstone to preemployment preparation;
• document a trainee-to worker's increasing value to the employer - the key to retention - rather than leaving it to chance;
• properly aligns workforce development resources and maximizes the impact and results; allows you to engage an employer's facility, equipment and staff in the training process;
• provides the best, sustainable infrastructure for apprenticeships and internships that last!
• is a win for the trainee, win for the worker, win for the employer, win for the institution and win for the community!

This approach has continued to prove itself since 1988, and does not compete with your school's or agency's products and services; it adds to your efforts the clear, tangible, measurable advantage that employers seek.

Proactive Technologies has continued to partner with community colleges, universities, workforce development agencies and training providers with its "hybrid approach" to worker training. Introduce the power of the PROTECH^©®system of managed human resource development™ to your clients!

There's nothing to lose by contacting us to learn more

www.proactivetechnologiesinc.com

Copyright © 2015 - 2025

Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

To supplement onsite PROTECH^©®system of managed human resource development™ classes, these regularly scheduled webinars are available to the registered staff of clients:

• Structured On-The-Job Training Instructor Certification

• Structured On-The Job Training Checklist Administrator Certification

• Management Structured On-The-Job Training Project Support Briefing

• Integrating Support for Plant-Wide ISO/AS/IATF and Nadcap Quality and Safety Systems with PROTECH Workforce Development System

• Supporting "Pay-For-Value" Systems

• Promoting Continuous Process Improvement While Implementing the PROTECH Accelerated Transfer of Expertise System™

• PROTECH Onsite Lead Trainer and System Administrator Certification

Contact US to attend one of these seminars and we will send you an e-reservation. Include your client ID, name and user ID number and which webinar you would like to attend.

Copyright © 2019-2025

Proactive Technologies, Inc.®

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 

Lean 101: Making Sense of Standardization

IndustryWeek - David Rizzardo

Employees new to continuous improvement may confuse consistency with rigidity.

Key Highlights

• On the face of it, standardization and improvement may be viewed as extreme opposites.
• We look at the benefits of standardization.
• Some standardization benefits are specific to lean.
• Breaking down processes helps improve processes.
• Standardization doesn't mean "unchanging." Updating the standards is key. Read Article

Hertz Deployed an AI Vehicle Scanner. Then Came the CX Meltdown.

Automotive Dive - Michael Brady

The technology was supposed to improve the vehicle damage inspection process. What went wrong?

Hertz, the global rental car giant, raised customers’ hackles after it deployed an AI system to scan vehicles for damage and bill them automatically.

Adam Foley, an AI and automation consultant and founder of Foley Digital Advisory, was one of those customers. When Foley picked up his rental car from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, he noticed high-resolution cameras but thought they were for internal maintenance.

He never expected to receive a bill for vehicle damage without speaking to a human but received an automated text message and email informing him that Hertz had found damage, along with $350 in charges. Read Article

FAA Restores Some of Boeing’s Safety Inspection Authorities

Manufacturing Dive - Sara Samora, Reporter

The Federal Aviation Administration also proposed fines exceeding $3.1 million against the plane manufacturer for safety violations that occurred between September 2023 and February 2024.

Dive Brief:

• The Federal Aviation Administration announced last week that it will allow Boeing limited authorization to issue airworthiness certificates for some of its 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner plane models, effective Sept. 29.
• An airworthiness certification denotes that the commercial or cargo aircraft is safe to fly, according to the FAA website. The agency revoked the company’s 737 authority in 2019, following two crashes that resulted in the deaths of 346 people, as well as the 787 in 2022 due to production quality issues, according to the press release.
• Additionally, the FAA proposed to issue fines of over $3.1 million against Boeing for safety violations that occurred from September 2023 through February 2024. The company has 30 days after receiving the agency’s penalty letters to respond, according to the Sept. 12 press release. Boeing did not reply to multiple requests for comment on the FAA’s decision and penalty proposal. Read Article

Automotive Recalls

Chrysler Recalls Almost 164,000 Jeep Vehicles Over Door Trim Issue

CBS News MoneyWatch – Mary Cunningham, Aimee Picchi

Chrysler is recalling 163,735 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer SUVs because trim on the driver and passenger doors may detach while the vehicle is in motion, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Wednesday. Read Article

BMW Tells Nearly 200,000 Vehicle Owners to Park Outside Because Their Cars Could Short Circuit and Catch Fire

CNN - Nic F. Anderson

Owners of nearly 200,000 BMWs should not park in the garage because the vehicles could short circuit and catch fire, according to a recall notice Read Article

Toyota Recalls 94K EVs for Windshield Defogger Malfunctions

Automotive Dive - Eric Walz, Reporter

Among the problems are electrical compressor failures that can lead to condensation build-up on the windows and reduced visibility. Toyota Motor North America has recalled over 94,000 electric vehicles for HVAC system faults, including some electrical compressor failures, causing the defroster and defogger system to become inoperative, which can lead to condensation on the windows and reduced visibility, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Read Article

Ford Recalls More Than 355K F-Series Trucks for Blank Instrument Cluster Displays

Wardsautom.com - Eric Walz, Reporter

The automaker has issued 109 recalls since the start of the year, extending to over 7.8 million vehicles.

Dive Brief:

• Ford Motor Co. has recalled over 355,000 F-Series trucks for instrument panel cluster displays that may fail at startup due to a software error, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• The recalled trucks include the 2025 F-150 and 2025-2026 model year F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 Super Duty pickups. All of the recalled vehicles are estimated to have the defect.
• Dealers will update the instrument panel cluster software, free of charge, and are expected to mail notification letters to vehicle owners on Sept. 2. Ford directed dealers to repair any affected vehicles brought in for service even if the customer had not received a letter. Read Article

GM Recalls Nearly 600K SUVs, Pickups over Engine Failures

Wardsauto.com - Eric Walz, Reporter

Over the past several years, the automaker identified more than 28,000 field complaints and incidents in the U.S. market potentially related to 6.2L V8 engine issues.

Dive Brief:

• General Motors has recalled up to 597,630 SUVs and pickups equipped with 6.2L V8 engines due to a manufacturing defect involving the connecting rod and/or crankshaft that can lead to catastrophic engine failure, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• The recall follows a January investigation opened by the NHTSA after the agency received 39 reports of engine failures in GM vehicles, as well as three prior investigations by the automaker, which identified over 28,000 complaints potentially related to the issue.
• The recalled vehicles include the 2021-2024 Chevy Suburban, Tahoe and Silverado 1500 pickup; GMC Yukon and Yukon XL and Sierra 1500 pickup; and Cadillac Escalade and Escalade ESV models. Read Article

Nissan Recalls Nearly 444K Vehicles for Engine Failures

Wardsauto.com - Eric Walz, Reporter

The powerplants may have manufacturing defects that can lead to failure, according to the NHTSA.

Dive Brief:

• Nissan North America has recalled nearly 444,000 vehicles due to a manufacturing defect “in specific engine bearings or supporting engine components” that could lead to damage and/or engine failures, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
• The recalled vehicles are equipped with 1.5L 3-cylinder or 2.0L 4-cylinder engines that feature the automaker’s variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) technology. The models include the 2021-2024 Rogue SUV; 2019-2020 Altima sedan; 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50 crossover; and 2022 Infiniti QX55 crossover coupe.
• Dealers will inspect the engine oil pans of the vehicles for signs of metal debris, and repair or replace the engine as necessary if debris is present, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed Aug. 25. Read Article



Toyota Recalls Nearly 400,000 Tundras and Sequoias Due to Malfunctioning Rearview Camera

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Toyota is recalling nearly 400,000 vehicles because the rearview camera may not display when backing up, increasing the risk of a crash, federal traffic safety regulators said.

Included in the recall are 2022-2025 Toyota Tundras and Tundra hybrids and 2023-2025 Sequoia hybrids. The number of automobiles in the recall total 393,838, with the non-hybrid Tundra making up more than half of them. Read Article

Tesla Recalls Certain 2026 Model Y Electric Vehicles Over Lighting Issue

Autoevolution - Mircea Panait

Tesla has identified an issue affecting Model Y vehicles produced for the US market between February 6, 2025 and July 26, 2025. In the subject vehicles, a wiring defect may result in reverse lights that may fail to switch on when in reverse.



The root cause? According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a loss of continuity in the rear lamp circuit is to blame for the recall condition. Tesla points the finger at an improperly seated terminal pin or connector. WeWire, Lear EEDS and Interiors, and Rebo Lighting & Electronics are listed as the suppliers of the subject wiring harness and rear lamps. Read Article

Misused & Misunderstood: Common GD&T and Datum Pitfalls on Engineering Prints

Quality Magazine - Dustin Smith

Whether you’re new to GD&T or a seasoned pro, identifying these issues early can improve communication, streamline inspection, and ultimately result in better parts.

Even the most well-intentioned engineering drawings can fall victim to geometric dimensioning and tolerancing(GD&T) errors that ripple across the entire manufacturing process. From confusion on the shop floor to rejected parts and production delays, small mistakes in GD&T can have big consequences. While GD&T is designed to provide clarity and control, misusing its principles often leads to the exact opposite: uncertainty, inconsistency, and increased costs. Read Article

$3 a Day: A New Poverty Line Has Shifted the World Bank’s Data on Extreme Poverty. What Whanged, and Why?

Our World in Data - Joe Hasell, Bertha Rohenkohl, and Pablo Arriagada

In June 2025, the World Bank increased its extreme poverty estimates by 125 million people. This doesn’t mean the world has gotten poorer: it reflects a new, higher International Poverty Line of $3 a day, up from $2.15.

To track progress towards ending extreme poverty by 2030, the United Nations relies on the World Bank to estimate the share of people living below a certain threshold, called the International Poverty Line (IPL).

In June 2025, the World Bank announced a major change to this line, raising it significantly, from $2.15 to $3 per day.

This increase partly reflects inflation — a consequence of the World Bank using international dollars at 2021 prices, updated from 2017 prices. Read Article

The U.S. Confirms Its First Human Case of New World Screwworm. What Is It?

NPR All Things Considered - Rachel Treisman

New World screwworm larva, like the one pictured, will hatch and feed on the flesh of living animals, typically cattle. Cases in humans are rare but can be fatal.

The U.S. has confirmed its first human case of the New World screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite whose northward creep from South America has put the country's cattle industry on high alert in recent months.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in coordination with the Maryland Department of Health, confirmed the case on Aug. 4 in a patient who had returned from travel to El Salvador, Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson Andrew Nixon told NPR on Monday. Read and Hear Article

In a First, Google Has Released Data on How Much Energy an AI Prompt Uses

Area Development - Casey Crownhart, MIT Technology Review

It’s the most transparent estimate yet from one of the big AI companies, and a long-awaited peek behind the curtain for researchers.

Google has just released a technical report detailing how much energy its Gemini apps use for each query. In total, the median prompt—one that falls in the middle of the range of energy demand—consumes 0.24 watt-hours of electricity, the equivalent of running a standard microwave for about one second. The company also provided average estimates for the water consumption and carbon emissions associated with a text prompt to Gemini.

It’s the most transparent estimate yet from a Big Tech company with a popular AI product, and the report includes detailed information about how the company calculated its final estimate. As AI has become more widely adopted, there’s been a growing effort to understand its energy use. But public efforts to directly measure the energy used by AI have been hampered by a lack of full access to the operations of a major tech company. Read Article

Archaeologists Found a Secret Stash of Gold Coins That Rewrite the History of War

Popular Mechanics - Tim Newcomb

The buried treasure reveals the financial strategies behind ancient battles.



Gold coins buried in a small pot and dated to the fifth century B.C. were discovered in modern-day Turkey.

Archaeologists believe that the coins—based on their location underneath a Helensitic house—were meant to pay off mercenaries.

Fighting between the Persian and Athenian armies in the ancient Greek city of Notion could explain the existence of these coins and the fact that they were still buried.

Mercenary armies weren’t cheap in the Greek city of Notion during the fifth century B.C.—especially with the Persian and Athenian fighters waging a front-line battle in the area. Getting a little extra muscle in the conflict likely required having a bit of spare cash on hand, and archaeologists recently uncovered some of that loot in the form of a hoard of gold coins, which they found buried in a small pot in western Turkey. Read Article

EPA To Stop GHG Reporting for Oil, Gas and Other Large Emitters