Google is indexing conversations with ChatGPT that users have sent to friends, families, or colleaguesturning private exchanges intended for small groups into search results visible to millions.
A basic Google site search using part of the link created when someone proactively clicks Share on ChatGPT can uncover conversations where people reveal deeply personal details, including struggles with addiction, experiences of physical abuse, or serious mental health issuessometimes even fears that AI models are spying on them. While the users identities arent shown by ChatGPT, some potentially identify themselves by sharing highly specific personal information during the chats.
A user might click Share to send their conversation to a close friend over WhatsApp or to save the URL for future reference. It’s unlikely they would expect that doing so could make it appear in Google search results, accessible to anyone. Its unclear whether those affected realize their conversations with the bot are now publicly accessible after they click the Share button, presumably thinking theyre doing so to a small audience.
Nearly 4,500 conversations come up in results for the Google site search, though many dont include personal details or identifying information. This is likely not the full count, as Google may not index all conversations. (Because of the personal nature of the conversations, some of which divulge highly personal information including users names, locations, and personal circumstances, Fast Company is choosing not to link to, or describe in significant detail, the conversations with the chatbot.)
The finding is particularly concerning given that nearly half of Americans in a survey say theyve used large language models for psychological support in the last year. Three-quarters of respondends sought help with anxiety, two in three looked for advice on personal issues, and nearly six in 10 wanted help with depression. But unlike the conversations between you and your real-life therapist, transcripts of conversations with the likes of ChatGPT can turn up in a simple Google search.
Google indexes any content available on the open web and site owners are able to remove pages from search results. ChatGPT’s shared links are not intended to appear in search by default and must be manually made discoverable by users, who are also warned not to share sensitive information and can delete shared links at any time. (Both Google and OpenAI declined Fast Companys requests for comment.)
One user described in detail their sex life and unhappiness living in a foreign country, claiming they were suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and seeking support. They went into precise details about their family history and interpersonal relationships with friends and family members.
Another conversation discusses the prevalence of psychopathic behaviors in children and at what age they can show, while another user discloses they are a survivor of psychological programming and are looking to deprogram themselves to mitigate the trauma they felt.
I’m just shocked, says Carissa Veliz, an AI ethicist at the University of Oxford. As a privacy scholar, I’m very aware that that data is not private, but of course, not private can mean many things, and that Google is logging in these extremely sensitive conversations is just astonishing.
Similar concerns have been raised with competing chatbots, including those run by Meta, which began sharing user queries with its AI systems in a public feed visible within its AI apps. Critics then said user literacy was not high enough to recognize the dangers of sharing private information publiclysomething that later proved to be correct as personal details surfaced on the social feed. At the time, online safety experts highlighted worries about the disparity between how users think app functionalities work, and how the companies running the apps actually make them work.
Veliz fears that this is an indication of the approach were going to see big tech taking when it comes to privacy. It’s also further confirmation that this company, OpenAI, is not trustworthy, that they don’t take privacy seriously, no matter what they say, she says. What matters is what they do.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned earlier this month that users shouldnt share their most personal details with ChatGPT because OpenAI could be required to produce that if compelled legally to do so by a court. I think thats very screwed up, he added. The conversation, with podcaster Theo Von, didnt discuss users conversations being willingly opened up for indexing by OpenAI.
People expect they can use tools like ChatGPT completely privately, says Rachel Tobac, a cybersecurity analyst and CEO of SocialProof Security, but the reality is that many users arent fully grasping that these platforms have features that could unintentionally leak their most private questions, stories, and fears.
More than five years after launching a mobile-order and pick-up-only store format, Starbucks is abandoning the conceptand it signals a larger strategy for the coffee chain.
Starbucks, which announced its sixth consecutive quarter of falling same-store sales on its earnings call Tuesday, opened its first mobile-only location in Manhattans Penn Plaza in 2019. The store concept centered on a speedy, transactional experience that required consumers to place orders and make payments in advance on their phones. These locations did not have any seating to encourage latte drinkers to stick around.
In retrospect, the concept foreshadowed an era of mobile-first, quick-service restaurant designs in response to changing consumer habits due to the pandemic and the following economic inflation, and that’s often meant a de-emphasis on dining rooms. Chipotle’s digital-only restaurant and Chick-fil-A’s all-mobile pickup restaurant are two such examples.
The idea behind the Starbucks mobile-only stores was well timed to the rise of contactless, takeout, and delivery fast-food options, but as Starbucks seeks to chart a comeback, the model no longer fits its strategy as it emphasizes its café experience.
“We found this format to be overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand,” Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol said on the earnings call.
Between 80 and 90 of these locations will close by next year, while some may be converted to traditional coffeehouses with seating. That doesn’t mean Starbucks is moving away from mobile ordering, which accounts for 31% of transactions. However, where the coffee shop has a physical presence, it wants to offer a setting in which guests can feel welcome. Niccol said a forthcoming prototype of a new small-footprint café will have a drive-through, room for 32 seats, and about 30% lower building costs.
As Starbucks has brought back details like handwritten notes on coffee cups and an updated barista dress code, and it plans future store uplifts, a mobile-only storefront isn’t the brand experience the company is after anymore. It’s not just about the coffee; it’s about the coffee shop.
A cryptocurrency working group formed by President Donald Trump is set to release a report on Wednesday that is expected to outline the administration’s stances on tokenization and market-defining crypto legislation, among other issues critically important to the digital asset industry.
Shortly after taking office in January, Trump ordered the creation of a crypto working group tasked with proposing new regulations, making good on his campaign promise to overhaul U.S. crypto policy.
Wednesday’s report is a culmination of the task force’s work so far and its first public findings. In line with Trump’s January executive order, it will lay out what rules and laws should be enacted to advance the policy goals of the pro-crypto White House.
Those include making sure that the Securities and Exchange Commission has a framework in place for firms to offer blockchain-based stocks and bonds, according to one person familiar with the discussions. The report is also expected to discuss the administration’s wish list for legislation Congress is currently debating to create broad regulatory guidelines for cryptocurrency, according to a second person familiar with the report.
The working group led by Trump official Bo Hines is composed of several administration officials including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, SEC Chair Paul Atkins and Director of the Office of Management and Budget Russell Vought.
The White House, Treasury Department and the SEC did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.
“While there have been regulatory regimes in place that have maybe been piecemeal or have allowed the industry to grow in certain ways, the recommendations that we expect to see in the report will be a good roadmap for how to build out crypto as a continued important part of the economy going forward,” said Rebecca Rettig, chief legal officer at crypto firm Jito Labs.
On the campaign trail, Trump courted crypto cash by pledging to be a “crypto president” and promote the adoption of digital assets. That is in stark contrast to former President Joe Biden’s regulators which, in a bid to protect Americans from fraud and money laundering, cracked down on the industry. The Biden administration sued exchanges Coinbase, Binance and dozens more, alleging they were flouting U.S. laws. Trump’s SEC has since dropped those cases.
Tokenization, stablecoins, market structure
Industry participants will be looking closely at what the report says about tokenization, the process of turning financial assetssuch as bank deposits, stocks, bonds, funds and even real estateinto crypto assets.
Crypto firms and others have been increasingly discussing the prospect of tokenizing securities as a new way to facilitate trading. Coinbase recently told Reuters it was seeking a U.S. green light from the SEC to offer blockchain-based stocks. The SEC has yet to weigh in publicly on that request.
Wednesday’s report is expected to recognize the need for the SEC to develop a framework for tokenization, according to a source familiar with the discussions, but the details of the language were not immediately clear.
The report will also lay out what the White House would like to see from market structure legislation working its way through Congress, according to a separate person with knowledge of the report. The House of Representatives passed a bill called the Clarity Act earlier this month that would create a formal regulatory regime for crypto, and the U.S. Senate is considering its own version of the measure.
Earlier this month, Trump signed into law a bill to create federal rules for stablecoins, a type of cryptocurrency pegged to the U.S. dollar. That move was hailed as a major win for the digital asset industry, and the White House has said it wants Congress to pass market structure legislation next, which would have far wider repercussions for the industry.
The crypto sector has for years argued that existing U.S. regulations are inappropriate for cryptocurrencies and has called for Congress and regulators to write new ones that clarify when a crypto token is a security, commodity or falls into another category, like stablecoins.
The president’s support for the crypto industry has sparked conflict-of-interest concerns, which at times have threatened to derail congressional crypto legislation. Trump’s family has launched cryptocurrency meme coins, and the president also holds a stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto platform. The White House has denied that any conflicts of interest are present.
Hannah Lang, Reuters
U.S. stock indexes are drifting on Wednesday after the Federal Reserve decided to keep interest rates where they are, a move that could upset President Donald Trump but that Wall Street was widely expecting.
The S&P 500 was edging up by 0.2% in afternoon trading, coming off its first loss after setting all-time highs for six successive days. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 25 points, or 0.1%, as of 2:05 p.m. ET, and the Nasdaq composite was adding 0.4%.
In the bond market, Treasury yields gave back some of their gains from the morning, when a report suggested the U.S. economys growth was much stronger during the spring than economists expected. It grew at a 3% annual rate, according to an advance estimate, a full percentage point more than forecast. But underlying trends beneath the surface may be more discouraging.
Cutting through the noise of the swings in imports, the economy is still chugging along, but it is showing signs of sputtering, said Brian Jacobsen, chief economist at Annex Wealth Management.
The data reinforced the dilemma facing Fed officials as they voted Wednesday on what to do with interest rates. They could have lowered rates, which would give a boost to the economy as Trump has been angrily calling for. But lower rates could also give inflation more fuel when Trumps tariffs may be set to increase prices for U.S. households.
Trump on Wednesday announced a 25% tariff on imports coming from India, along with an additional tax because of India’s purchases of Russian oil, beginning on August 1. Thats when stiff tariffs Trump has proposed for many other countries are also scheduled to kick in, unless they reach trade deals that lower the rates.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell has been insisting that he wants to see more data about how tariffs are affecting inflation and the economy before the central bank makes its next move, and he will speak shortly to offer more details about the decision.
Two officials on the Fed committee did dissent in Wednesday’s vote, an indication that Powell may face increasing pressure to cut rates soon. Much of Wall Street expects the Fed to resume lowering rates in September. It’s been on hold this year after rates were cut several times late last year.
The yield on the two-year U.S. Treasury note edged up to 3.87%, from 3.86% late Tuesday. It tends to closely follow expectations for what the Fed will do with its overnight interest rate.
The 10-year Treasury, which also takes into account longer-term expectations for the economy and inflation, was holding at 4.34%.
On Wall Street, stocks were mixed as most big U.S. companies continue to report profits for the spring that were bigger than analysts expected.
Humana rose 10.3% after the insurer and healthcare giant reported stronger results for the spring than expected. It also raised its forecasts for profit and revenue over the full year.
Video-game maker Electronic Arts climbed 7% after likewise topping Wall Street’s expectations. The company said it saw better-than-expected contributions from EA Sports and other games, and it will reveal its new Battlefield game on Thursday.
Companies are under pressure to deliver solid profit growth. They need to in order to justify the big jumps in their stock prices during recent months, which have caused some critics to say the broad U.S. stock market looks too expensive.
Trane Technologies, whose stock came into the day with a 27.5% gain for the year so far, tumbled even though it reported a stronger-than-expected profit for the latest quarter. The heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning company’s revenue came up short of analysts’ estimates, as did its forecast for profit in the current quarter. It dropped 8%.
Starbucks swung between gains and losses after it reported a weaker profit than analysts expected, as it tries to turn around its operations. The company is hoping to boost its performance through improved store operations and new products, including a cold foam protein drink. Its stock was most recently up 0.4%.
Palo Alto Networks fell 4.4% after saying it would buy CyberArk, an identity-security company, for $25 billion in cash and stock. CyberArk shares added 1.4%.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia. Hong Kongs Hang Seng fell 1.4%, and South Koreas Kospi rose 0.7%, in two of the bigger moves.
By Stan Choe, AP business writer
AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed.
The Federal Reserve left its key short-term interest rate unchanged for the fifth time this year, brushing off repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a cut.
The Feds decision Wednesday leaves its key short-term rate at about 4.3%, where it has stood after the central bank made three cuts last year. Chair Jerome Powell has said the Fed would likely have cut rates already if not for Trumps sweeping tariffs. Powell and other Fed officials say they want to see how Trumps duties on imports will impact inflation and the broader economy. So far the duties have lifted costs of some goods, such as appliances, furniture, and toys, and overall inflation has risen a bit, though less than many economists had expected.
There were some signs of splits in the Feds ranks: Governors Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman voted to reduce borrowing costs, while 9 officials, including Powell, favored standing pat. It is the first time in more than three decades that two of the seven Washington-based governors have dissented. One official, Governor Adriana Kugler, was absent and didnt vote.
The choice to hold off on a rate cut will almost certainly result in further conflict between the Fed and White House, as Trump has repeatedly demanded that the central bank reduce borrowing costs as part of his effort to assert control over one of the few remaining independent federal agencies.
Trump argues that because the U.S. economy is doing well, rates should be lowered. But unlike a blue-chip company that usually pays lower rates than a troubled start-up, the Fed adjusts rates to either slow or speed growth, and would be more likely to keep them high if the economy is strong to prevent an inflationary outbreak.
Earlier Wednesday, the government said the economy expanded at a healthy 3% annual rate in the second quarter, though that figure followed a negative reading for the first three months of the year, when the economy shrank 0.5% at an annual rate. Most economists averaged the two figures to get a growth rate of about 1.2% for the first half of this year.
Some of the disagreement likely reflects jockeying to replace Powell, whose term ends in May 2026. Waller, in particular, has been mentioned as a potential future Fed chair.
Bowman, meanwhile, last dissented in September 2024, when the Fed cut its key rate by a half-point. She said she preferred a quarter-point cut instead, and cited the fact that inflation was still above 2.5% as a reason for caution.
Waller also said earlier this month that he favored cutting rates, but for very different reasons than Trump has cited: Waller thinks that growth and hiring are slowing, and that the Fed should reduce borrowing costs to forestall a weaker economy and a rise in unemployment.
There are other camps on the Feds 19-member rate-setting committee (only 12 of the 19 actually vote on rate decisions). In June, seven members signaled that they supported leaving rates unchanged through the end of this year, while two suggested they preferred a single rate cut this year. The other half supported more reductions, with eight officials backing two cuts, and two widely thought to be Waller and Bowman supporting three reductions.
The dissents could be a preview of what might happen after Powell steps down, if President Donald Trump appoints a replacement who pushes for the much lower interest rates the White House desires. Other Fed officials could push back if a future chair sought to cut rates by more than economic conditions would otherwise support.
Overall, the committees quarterly forecasts in June suggested the Fed would cut twice this year. There are only three more Fed policy meetings in September, October, and December and some economists forecast that a cut will occur in September. Wall Street investors also expect cuts in September and December, according to futures pricing.
When the Fed cuts its rate, it often but not always results in lower borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.
Some economists agree with Waller’s concerns about the job market. Excluding government hiring, the economy added just 74,000 jobs in June, with most of those gains occurring in health care.
We are in a much slower job hiring backdrop than most people appreciate, said Tom Porcelli, chief U.S. economist at PGIM Fixed Income.
Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase, said in a note to clients this week if the pair were to dissent, it would say more about auditioning for the Fed chair appointment than about economic conditions.
The Fed’s two-day meeting comes after a week of extraordinary interactions with the Trump White House, which has accused Powell of mismanaging an extensive, $2.5 billion renovation of two office buildings. Trump suggested two weeks ago that the rising cost for the project could be a firing offense but has since backed off that characterization.
Notably, Trump argues that the Fed should cut because the economy is doing very well, which is a different viewpoint than nearly all economists, who say that a healthy, growing economy doesn’t need rate cuts.
If your economy is hot, you’re supposed to have higher short-term rates, Porcelli said.
Christopher Rugaber, AP economics writer
The barriers between legacy financial institutions and cryptocurrency upstarts continue to crumble.
JPMorgan Chase and Coinbase announced a new partnership on Wednesday that will make it easier for the banking giants customers to buy cryptocurrency. The first fruit of the deal will arrive this fall, allowing Coinbase users to buy digital currencies using a Chase credit card.
A new bridge between banks and blockchain
Next year, Chase will begin allowing customers to leverage their Chase Ultimate Rewards points to buy cryptocurrency through Coinbasea first for a major credit card rewards program. Through the program, 100 Chase Ultimate Rewards points can be redeemed for $1 toward USDC, a so-called stablecoin pegged to the price of the U.S. dollar that serves as a connection point between volatile cryptocurrencies and the U.S. dollar. From there, Chase customers will be able to move their redeemed rewards points between Coinbases crypto offerings, which include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and a wide selection of more obscure altcoins.
This partnership marks a significant step forward in empowering our customers to take control of their financial futures, Melissa Feldsher, JPMorgan Chase’s head of payments and lending innovations, said in a press release announcing the partnership. The partnership, she added, would allow its loyalty program members to use their money and rewards in new and exciting ways. Chase customers will also be able to connect their bank accounts directly to their Coinbase wallets sometime in 2026.
JPMorgan and Coinbase characterized the new features as the first phase of a strategic collaboration that will deepen over time. We believe crypto is for everyone, and are excited to be working with JPMorgan to expand access, lower barriers to entry, and onboard the next wave of users into crypto, Coinbase wrote in a blog announcement. As the most trusted bridge from traditional finance to crypto, were always looking for more seamless options for customers to get into crypto and make economic freedom a reality for millions of Americans.
Running of the bulls
JPMorgans decision to integrate deeply with Coinbase is yet another sign that big banks have overcome their jitters around crypto and are opting to plunge in. While critics still view cryptocurrencies as risky speculative investments that lack even the few safeguards present in the traditional stock market, that view is again unpopular in 2025.
With President Trump back in office and cashing in himself, another crypto hype cycle is in full swing. Earlier this month, Trumps social media company said that it had purchased roughly $2 billion in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies that it plans to use as a strategic investment. The current climate has yet again sent Bitcoin to the moon, with the leading cryptocurrency hitting a fresh all-time high north of $120,000 this month and any concerns about crypto exchange FTXs spectacular collapse just a few short years ago long forgotten.
The gospel according to fitness influencers: drink three liters of water per day, get a minimum of eight hours of sleep, and walk at least 10,000 steps per day.
From the hot girl walk, to wearing weighted vests and arm weights on said walk, to those taking it oneor 5,000steps further and marching up to 15,000 or even 25,000 steps a day, these once-simple strolls have morphed into full-blown social media trends. When did something as basic as going for a walk become so intimidating?
@alexrose_ My top podcast recommendations for the wellness or health / beauty / pop culture girlies who want to increase their step goals and not get bored out of their minds #walkingforfatloss #podcastreccomendations #podcastsforyour20s #10ksteps original sound – Lex
While mostly sage advice, if youve been struggling to hit the gold standard of 10,000 steps a day (which roughly equates to five miles) or found yourself doing laps around the block to get those final few hundred under your belt, just know that unofficial target isnt actually based in science.
The 10,000 steps-a-day walking target originated as a 1960s marketing slogan by Japanese company Yamasa to sell pedometers. It has since become accepted wisdom, promoted heavily by the online fitness community.
That is until new scientific analysis in The Lancet Public Health officially confirmed that this aspirational goal, while by no means harmful, isnt the magic number its promoted to be, and even thousands fewer steps a day could still yield big health rewards.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 160,000 adults to examine how step counts were linked with the risk of developing a number of health conditions. They discovered the overall mortality for people walking 7,000 steps was 47% lower than for those who walked only 2,000. Walking this amount daily also reduced the risk of health problems including death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as incidence of type 2 diabetes and dementia.
But after 7,000 steps, as the step count increased, the payoff rate slowed. The overall mortality for people notching 10,000 steps was 48%just a 1% increase from 7,000compared with 2,000.
Now, thats not to say you should give up on your 10,000-step goal, or worse, cut back on the steps you are already doing. Hitting 10,000 steps was found to be better than 7,000 for some health conditions, such as reducing the risk of depression. Also, those clocking in 12,000 steps a day saw their overall mortality drop 55% compared with 2,000.
But pushing for a minimum of 5,000 to 7,000a more practical target for those who are currently inactivewill make the biggest difference for the least amount of effort.
While 10,000 may still be the gold standard, just know that you are still reaping the health benefits if you only make it to 9,999.
Europe’s economy barely grew in the April-June quarter as frantic earlier efforts to ship goods ahead of new U.S. tariffs went into reverse and output fell for the continent’s biggest economy, Germany.
Gross domestic product grew an anemic 0.1% compared to the previous quarter in the 20 countries that use the euro currency, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Wednesday. Growth was 1.4% over the same quarter a year ago.
And prospects are mediocre for the coming months, given the 15% tariff, or import tax, imposed on European goods in the U.S. under the EU-U.S. trade deal announced Sunday. The higher tariff will burden European exports with higher costs to either be passed on to U.S. consumers or swallowed in the form of lower profits.
The economy sagged after stronger than expected 0.6% growth in the first quarter, a figure inflated by companies trying to move product ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s additional tariff onslaught that was announced April 2, two days after the first quarter ended.
Output fell 0.1% in Germany and Italy, while growth of 0.3% in France was boosted by a rise in auto and aircraft inventories while domestic demand was otherwise stagnant. That left Spain as the only strong performer among the four largest eurozone economies at 0.7%
With the 15% U.S. universal tariff likely to subtract around 0.2% from the regions GDP, growth is likely to remain weak in the rest of this year, said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.
Germany’s economy remains roughly the same size as it was before the pandemic six years ago, as its export-dominated business sector struggles with multiple issues including stronger competition from China, a lack of skilled workers, higher energy prices, lagging infrastructure investment, and burdensome regulation and bureaucracy.
Economist Palmas said that Germany “is likely to be hit harder than other major economies by tariffs and continue to struggle this year” before increased government spending from the new government under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, aimed at making up the infrastructure gap, starts to boost the economy in 2026.
On Wednesday, Germanys Cabinet approved a draft 2026 budget that foresees a second consecutive year of record government investment in priorities such as modernizing transport infrastructure, building homes, security and digitization. Spending is set to rise to 126.7 billion euros ($146.2 billion) next year from 115.7 billion euros in 2025.
Our top priority is to secure jobs and ensure new economic strength, Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said.
David McHugh, AP business writer
Geir Moulson contributed to this report.
Chinas top leaders have pledged to help companies slammed by higher U.S. tariffs but held back on major moves after trade talks with the U.S. this week kept businesses and planners in limbo.
At their summer economic planning meeting, the powerful Politburo of the ruling Communist Party pledged to stabilize foreign trade and investment.
We must assist foreign trade enterprises that have been severely impacted, strengthen financing support, and promote the integrated development of domestic and foreign trade, the official Xinhua News Agency said in reporting the closed door meeting. It mentioned export tax rebates and free trade pilot zones but gave no other specifics.
The inconclusive outcome of two days of trade talks in Stockholm, Sweden, leaves open the question of higher tariffs on Chinese exports to the United States.
Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng said the two sides had agreed to work on extending a deadline for higher tariffs. The U.S. side said the extension was discussed, but not decided.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters after the talks that President Donald Trump would decide whether to extend the Aug. 12 deadline for reaching an agreement or to let tariffs that have been paused for 90 days to boomerang back to a higher level.
We haven’t given the sign-off, Bessent said, though he emphasized that the talks had been very constructive.
China remains one of the biggest challenges for the Trump administration after it has struck deals over elevated tariff rates with other key trading partners including Britain, Japan and the European Union.
Many analysts had expected that the Stockholm talks would result in an extension of current tariff levels, which currently stand at a U.S. tariff of 30% on Chinese goods and a Chinese tariff of 10% on U.S. products, far lower than the triple-digit percentage rates raised in April.
The truce in the tariffs war to allow time for talks, agreed on in early May to allow time for negotiations, allowed exporters and other traders to ramp up shipments in hopes of beating any higher tariffs that might follow.
The meeting headed by Chinese leader Xi Jinping mostly reiterated Beijing’s priorities for the year, including a need to unleash domestic demand which has lagged, leading to a surge of exports by industries unable to find growth at home. It also stressed the need to promote jobs and prevent a large scale relapse into poverty.
The economy has demonstrated strong vitality and resilience, the Xinhua report said. But it acknowledged many risks and challenges. That includes reining in brutal competition that has led to damaging price wars among automakers and some other manufacturers and managing excess capacity in some industries, it said.
China’s economy expanded at a 5.2% annual pace in April-June, slowing slightly from the previous quarter. But analysts have said actual growth may have been significantly slower.
Even with the hiatus in higher tariffs, companies are feeling a pinch. Industrial profits in China fell 1.8% in the first half of the year and 4.3% in June, according to data released earlier this week.
It’s unclear what level of tariffs might eventually be imposed on Chinese exports to the United States.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said Thursday that Beijing hopes the U.S. side would follow through on the important consensus reached between Trump and Xi in a phone call to promote stable relations between the world’s two largest economies.
But Guo reiterated China’s stance on its U.S. objections to its purchases of oil and gas from Russia, which Bessent raised during the talks in Stockholm, threatening more tariffs.
China will take reasonable measures to ensure energy security in accordance with its national interests, Guo said. There are no winners in a tariff war. Coercion and pressure will not solve the problem. China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interests.
Elaine Kurtenbach, AP business writer
Its hot. Everyone is sweating, and anyone who chooses to venture into the world armed with nothing but natural deodorant knows theyre playing a risky game.
But online, the backlash against natural deodorant has begun.
When someone tells you their deodorant is natural (but you already knew), TikToker Mads Mitch posted back in May. The comments section was split: Some natural-deodorant defenders loyally stood by their favorites, while others pointed out they probably didnt have goodor honestfriends.
@mad_mitch This is satire!!!!!! Im sure you smell lovely!!! pls dont take this seriously thank u original sound – mads mitch
For those self-aware enough to know they stink, many have switched back to the hard stuff. I legitimately smelled like onion, one TikTok user said of her natural deodorant journey. Another hopped on the Hoziers Yell trend, writing: Going back to my clinical strength 72 hour secret after a year of convincing myself I didn’t smell while using a million different natural deodorants.
@gabriellembeauregard Miss me with that woowoo deodorant for real #naturaldeoderant #secretclinicalstrength Northern Attitude – Noah Kahan & Hozier
The natural deodorant waveBig Stinky, as some have called itwent mainstream in recent years after countless articles detailing the supposedly harmful effects of antiperspirants gained traction. Because antiperspirants stop odor by physically clogging pores with ingredients like aluminum chlorohydrate or aluminum zirconium, these ingredients were quickly labeled toxic by natural beauty advocates. Some even claimed they could lead to Alzheimers disease or cancer.
Aluminum-free options soon flooded the market, from Salt & Stones popular Santal & Vetiver scent to Wilds refillable sticks. Formulated with natural ingredients like baking soda, shea, and coconut oil, they promised to keep wearers both smelling fresh and toxin-free. The only downside? Most of the time, they dont work.
Now, a growing number of people are making the switch back to the tried-and-true: Degree, Secret, Dove, andbetter yetmens deodorants (which, for some reason, always seem to work better) and encouraging others to join them.
While former natural-deodorant wearers will be relieved to no longer walk around with their elbows glued to their sides, theres more good news: science has found no definitive evidence that regular deodorants or antiperspirants are any worse for your health than natural deodorants.
Ultimately, the deodorant you choose to wear is a matter of personal preference. Just make sure youre considerate of those around you.
