While the talk about the future of Social Security might be part of the political white noise to people just entering the workforce, for people at the other end, it’s becoming an existential crisis.
As the Social Security Administration greatly reduces its staff and changes benefit claims requirements, there has been a growing fear that the safety net for seniors could be about to vanish or be considerably weakened. (Those fears escalated in February, when Elon Musk described Social Security as a Ponzi scheme to podcaster Joe Rogan.) While Donald Trump has vowed not to reduce benefits, his push to cut government spending has raised concerns he could revise that promise.
That’s leading a growing number of people to begin claiming benefits earlier than planned. The number of pending Social Security claims for retirement, survivor, and health insurance benefits was 580,887 in March, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. That’s notably higher than the 500,527 who filed in 2023.
The number of calls to the agency since the beginning of October has been 19% higher than they were a year ago. And traffic to the website is higher as well. A March Gallup poll found that more than 75% of Americans worried about the fate of Social Security either a great or fair deal.
If you, a parent, or a friend are nearing the point in which taking your Social Security benefits early is an option, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Is Social Security in danger of being eliminated?
There has been no talk from the Trump administration about doing away with Social Securityand Trump has said he will not cut benefits. That said, current projections have the Social Security Trust Funds, which are used to pay current benefits, running out of money in 2041.
Should that happen, it won’t mean benefits will disappear, however. A study by the Social Security Trustees found the agency would still be able to pay 83% of scheduled benefits from incoming payrolls should the funds be depleted. The study looked as far ahead as 2098, when it said the SSA would still be able to cover 73% of scheduled benefits if the funds are depleted as early as 2035.
How early can I claim Social Security benefits?
The earliest you can claim retirement benefits from the Social Security Administration is the age of 62. You can start the application process for that up to four months in advance.
Can I continue to work while claiming Social Security benefits?
You can, but that complicates things. You’ll face an earnings limitand if you exceed that, it will impact your benefit amount. If you are under full retirement age, the SSA deducts $1 from your benefit payments for every $2 you earn above the annual limit.
Early claims also lower that number. The earnings limit for people who have not reached their full retirement age (which varies depending on the year you were born) in 2025 is $23,400. But the earnings limit for people reaching full retirement age in 2025 is $62,160.
How much does claiming Social Security benefits early impact what I receive?
It really comes down to how early you decide to claim benefits. While you can file for those at 62, doing so will reduce your benefit to 70% of the maximum amount. Waiting a year takes that up to 75%. And if you wait until 64, you can get 80% of the benefit. If you hold out until the age of 67 you will get the full benefit. (Waiting until 70 yields even greater benefits for most people, unlocking a “delayed retirement” credit, which could be as much as 16% higher than the amount you would have received at 67.)
To put that in real world dollar amounts: If you retire at age 67 in 2025, your maximum benefit would be $4,018 a month. However, if you retire at age 62, your maximum benefit would be $2,831 a month. (People who wait until 70 would see a maximum benefit of $5,108 a month.)
Does claiming Social Security benefits early impact future cost-of-living adjustments?
It does. Taking your Social Security benefits early means you will get lower cost-of-living adjustments to your Social Security payments in subsequent years. Those are calculated each year to help adjust SSA payments for inflation.
Can I change my mind after I begin collecting benefits?
You can, but you don’t have a big window to do so. You can withdraw your original application within 12 months of the date of your first payment, but you can only do that one time. If you do that, you will be responsible for returning every dollar you received in that time as well.
What’s the impact on my spouse if I claim Social Security benefits early?
Spouses can receive benefits based on their partner’s retirement benefit, generally 50%. But if you claim your benefits early, that not only reduces the size of your monthly check, but also that of your spouse by between 30% and 35%.
Given all the downsides, when should someone claim Social Security benefits early?
The SSA, in a March 28 meeting, said, Fearmongering has driven people to claim benefits earlier, The Wall Street Journal reports. There are, however, some legitimate reasons to claim benefits early. If, for example, someone is in poor health, the income from Social Security can go a long way to offset medical expenses. And if you’re in a dual-income family and you’re the lower wage earner, claiming early while your spouse waits to file could be a strategic choice that gets Social Security income flowing into your house, with more to come a few years later.
The winner of this year’s West Virginia Coal Festival teen beauty pageant walks among the ruins of a community abandoned 70 years ago and imagines the rusted remains of coal tipples and processing plants coming back to life.
Ava Johnson knows West Virginia coal will not ever be what it once was. But as she makes her way along overgrown railroad tracks near the abandoned Kay Moor mine in the New River Gorge National Park looking for spikes for her collection, the 16-year-old history buff says she has heard people talking with hope about the future of an industry that has brought good-paying jobs to her state for the better part of two centuries.
You cant appreciate being a true West Virginian unless you realize that people risk their lives every single day to make ours better, she said.
Much of that renewed sense of hope is based on the actions of President Donald Trump, who earlier this month issued new executive orders aimed at reviving an energy source that has long been flagged by scientists as the world’s most polluting fossil fuel, one that directly contributes to the warming of the planet.
Trump, who has pledged since his first run for the presidency in 2016 to save coal, issued orders to allow mining on federal land and to loosen some emissions standards meant to curb coals environmental impact.
All those plants that have been closed are going to be opened, if they’re modern enough, Trump said at the signing ceremony. (or) theyll be ripped down and brand-new ones will be built.
The news was met with enthusiasm in West Virginia, where residents like Johnson say the coal industry is misunderstood and that they are tired of feeling unheard by their fellow Americans. But others do not think Trump will be able to fulfill promises he has made to some of his most loyal constituents.
Trump and his allies are spinning a false narrative,” said Tyson Slocum, who teaches energy and climate policy at the University of Maryland Honors College and is the energy program director for the nonprofit Public Citizen. He said market forces have shifted away from coal in ways that cannot be reversed, an opinion widely shared among economists.
Theres nothing that Trump can do thats going to materially impact the domestic coal market, Slocum said in a telephone interview. The energy markets, the steel markets, have fundamentally changed. And learning how to adapt and how to provide the real solutions to the concerns and fears in coal communities would be a more effective strategy than promising them a return that isnt going to happen.
At a coal exposition, renewed optimism
That was not the prevailing mood at a recent coal exposition in Charleston, attended by Johnson and many others who found encouragement in the Republican president’s words, even if some expressed skepticism about his ability to make coal great again.
For years, our industry has felt like its been a little bit of a whipping boy, like a political, sacrificial pawn, said Steven Tate of Viacore, a company that makes an apparatus that helps mine operators limit the amount of coal dust in a mine. We feel like were finally starting to get the recognition that our industry deserves.
Some said Trump’s orders demonstrated respect for workers who gave their lives in the mines 21,000 in West Virginia, the most out of any state and for a resource that helped build America.
Trump stood his ground all the way through,” said Jimbo Clendenin, a retired mine equipment specialist whose grandson started working in coal mining three years ago. “He said he was for coal. And a lot of people even a couple of them here in West Virginia said, I just think he said that to get into office.
“Now, nobodys got any doubt. Hes for coal.
In recent decades, the Democratic Partys aggressive push toward clean energy led to the installation of more renewable energy and the conversion of coal-fired plants to be fueled by cheaper and cleaner-burning natural gas.
In 2016, Trump seized on the issue, promising to end what he described as Democratic President Barack Obamas war on coal and to save miners jobs. It helped in West Virginia, where a majority of voters in every county supported Trump in three presidential elections.
Trump did not bring the industry back during his first term. In West Virginia, which employs the most miners of any state, the number of coal jobs fell from 11,561 at the start of his presidency to 11,418 at the end of 2020, perhaps slowing coals steep decline but not stopping it.
Slocum said Trump can defang the federal Environmental Protection Agency and deregulate mining, but he cannot save coal.
It’s not the EPA, its not Democrats that declared this war on coal, Slocum said. It was capitalism and natural gas. And being honest about the reasons for coals decline is the least we can do for coal-dependent communities instead of lying to them, which the Trump administration is doing. Sometimes people want to believe a lie, because its easier than facing a hard truth.
A steady decline in jobs
In 2009, the EPA found that planet-warming greenhouse gases put public health and welfare in danger, a determination that new EPA chief Lee Zeldin has urged Trump to reconsider. Scientists oppose Zeldins push, and Slocum said the endangerment finding and the need to move away from coal dependence is not a theoretical debate. It is a factual, scientific one, albeit one that does not occur within the current Trump administration.
Still, there is no doubt that the culture of coal is woven into the fabric of West Virginia. A miner can be a coal industry worker, but also a sports team mascot, an image emblazoned on the state flag or the name of a breakfast sandwich at Tudors Biscuit World.
In the 1950s, more than 130,000 West Virginians worked in the industry, which then had a population of around 2 million. Production peaked in 2008, a year before Johnson was born. But by then, the number of coal workers had dropped to 25,000, mostly due to mechanization.
Heather Clay, who runs West Virginia Coal Festivals beauty pageant and social media, said loing coal jobs often six-figure incomes was especially significant in a state with one of the nations highest poverty rates.
Its so much more than what people outside of West Virginia understand, she said. Theyre always saying, Shut down coal, Shut down coal. So you want to shut down our economy? You want to shut down our families? You want to shut down our way of life? And it has, for a lot of people.
Innovation, not elimination
Trump and coal industry advocates say keeping coal in the U.S. energy portfolio is essential for maintaining the power grid, servicing growing demand from innovations like artificial intelligence centers and keeping America energy-independent.
But John Deskins, director of the West Virginia University Bureau of Business and Economic Research, said it would take a significant shift in the underlying economics for it to make financial sense for utilities to build new coal-fired plants.
Natural gas is cleaner and cheaper, he said, and its the direction most utilities are moving in. Earlier this year, First Energy announced plans to convert its two remaining coal-fired power plants to natural gas.
Johnson wears the sash and crown from her pageant victory over a black dress and sneakers as she traipses through the ruins of the abandoned Kay Moor mine. She talks enthusiastically about the industry’s past, but also, occasionally, about what she thinks could be a brighter future for coal in West Virginia because of what Trump has done.
I think that it will positively impact not just the industry,” she said, but people’s lives.
Leah Willingham and John Raby, Associated Press
As pressure grows to get artificial colors out of the U.S. food supply, the shift may well start at Abby Tampows laboratory desk.
On an April afternoon, the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye, each a slightly different ruby hue. Her task? To match the synthetic shade used for years in a commercial bottled raspberry vinaigrettebut by using only natural ingredients.
With this red, it needs a little more orange, Tampow said, mixing a slurry of purplish black carrot juice with a bit of beta-carotene, an orange-red color made from algae.
Tampow is part of the team at Sensient Technologies Corp., one of the worlds largest dyemakers, that is rushing to help the salad dressing manufactureralong with thousands of other American businessesmeet demands to overhaul colors used to brighten products from cereals to sports drinks.
Most of our customers have decided that this is finally the time when theyre going to make that switch to a natural color, said Dave Gebhardt, Sensients senior technical director. He joined a recent tour of the Sensient Colors factory in a north St. Louis neighborhood.
Last week, U.S. health officials announced plans to persuade food companies to voluntarily eliminate petroleum-based artificial dyes by the end of 2026.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called them poisonous compounds that endanger childrens health and development, citing limited evidence of potential health risks.
The federal push follows a flurry of state laws and a January decision to ban the artificial dye known as Red 3found in cakes, candies and some medicationsbecause of cancer risks in lab animals. Social media influencers and ordinary consumers have ramped up calls for artificial colors to be removed from foods.
A change to natural colors may not be fast
The FDA allows about three dozen color additives, including eight remaining synthetic dyes. But making the change from the petroleum-based dyes to colors derived from vegetables, fruits, flowers and even insects wont be easy, fast, or cheap, said Monica Giusti, an Ohio State University food color expert.
Study after study has shown that if all companies were to remove synthetic colors from their formulations, the supply of the natural alternatives would not be enough, Giusti said. We are not really ready.
It can take six months to a year to convert a single product from a synthetic dye to a natural one. And it could require three to four years to build up the supply of botanical products necessary for an industrywide shift, Sensient officials said.
Its not like theres 150 million pounds of beet juice sitting around waiting on the off chance the whole market may convert, said Paul Manning, the company’s chief executive. Tens of millions of pounds of these products need to be grown, pulled out of the ground, extracted.
To make natural dyes, Sensient works with farmers and producers around the world to harvest the raw materials, which typically arrive at the plant as bulk concentrates. Theyre processed and blended into liquids, granules, or powders and then sent to food companies to be added to final products.
Natural dyes are harder to make and use than artificial colors. They are less consistent in color, less stable and subject to changes related to acidity, heat, and light, Manning said. Blue is especially difficult. There aren’t many natural sources of the color, and those that exist can be hard to maintain during processing.
Also, a natural color costs about 10 times more to make than the synthetic version, Manning estimated.
How do you get that same vividness, that same performance, that same level of safety in that product as you would in a synthetic product? he said. Theres a lot of complexity associated with that.
The insects that could make Barbie pink naturally
Companies have long used the Red 3 synthetic dye to create what Sensient officials describe as the Barbie pink.
To create that color with a natural source might require the use of cochineal, an insect about the size of a peppercorn.
The female insects release a vibrant red pigment, carminic acid, in their bodies and eggs. The bugs live only on prickly pear cactuses in Peru and elsewhere. About 70,000 cochineal insects are needed to produce 1 kilogram, about 2.2 pounds, of dye.
It’s interesting how the most exotic colors are found in the most exotic places, said Norb Nobrega, who travels the world scouting new hues for Sensient.
Artificial dyes are used widely in U.S. foods. About 1 in 5 food products in the U.S. contains added colors, whether natural or synthetic, Manning estimated. Many contain multiple colors.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires a sample of each batch of synthetic colors to be submitted for testing and certification. Color additives derived from plant, animal or mineral sources are exempt, but have been evaluated by the agency.
Health advocates have long called for the removal of artificial dyes from foods, citing mixed studies indicating they can cause neurobehavioral problems, including hyperactivity and attention issues, in some children.
The FDA says that the approved dyes are safe when used according to regulations and that most children have no adverse effects when consuming foods containing color additives.
But critics note that added colors are a key component of ultraprocessed foods, which account for more than 70% of the U.S. diet and have been associated with a host of chronic health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
I am all for getting artificial food dyes out of the food supply, said Marion Nestle, a food policy expert. They are strictly cosmetic, have no health or safety purpose, are markers of ultraprocessed foods and may be harmful to some children.
The cautionary tale of Trix cereal
Color is powerful driver of consumer behavior and changes can backfire, Giusti noted. In 2016, food giant General Mills removed artificial dyes from Trix cereal after requests from consumers, switching to natural sources including turmeric, strawberries and radishes.
But the cereal lost its neon colors, resulting in more muted huesand a consumer backlash. Trix fans said they missed the bright colors and familiar taste of the cereal. In 2017, the company switched back.
When its a product you already love, thatyoure used to consuming, and it changes slightly, then it may not really be the same experience, Giusti said. Announcing a regulatory change is one step, but then the implementation is another thing.
Kennedy, the health secretary, said U.S. officials have an understanding with food companies to phase out artificial colors. Industry officials told The Associated Press that there is no formal agreement.
However, several companies have said they plan to accelerate a shift to natural colors in some of their products.
PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said most of its products are already free of artificial colors, and that its Lays and Tostitos brands will phase them out by the end of this year. He said the company plans to phase out artificial colorsor at least offer consumers a natural alternativeover the next few years.
Representatives for General Mills said theyre committed to continuing the conversation with the administration. WK Kellogg officials said they are reformulating cereals used in the nations school lunch programs to eliminate the artificial dyes and will halt any new products containing them starting next January.
Sensient officials wouldnt confirm which companies are seeking help making the switch, but they said theyre ready for the surge.
Now that theres a date, theres the timeline, Manning said. It certainly requires action.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jonel Aleccia, AP health writer
Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.
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Zillow economists use an economic model known as the Zillow Market Heat Index to gauge the competitiveness of housing markets across the country. This model looks at key indicatorsincluding home price changes, inventory levels, and days on marketto generate a score showing whether a housing market favors sellers or buyers.
Higher scores point to hotter, seller-friendly metro housing markets. Lower scores signal cooler markets where buyers hold more negotiating power.
According to Zillow, a score of 70 or above means it’s a “strong sellers market,” and a score from 55 to 69 is “sellers market.” A score from 44 to 55 indicates a “neutral market.” Meanwhile, a score from 28 to 44 is a “buyers market” and 27 or below is a “strong buyers market.”
Nationally, Zillow rates the U.S. housing market at 55 in its February 2025 reading, published in March 2025.
That said, Zillows reading varies significantly across the county.
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Among the 250 largest metro area housing markets, these 10 are the hottest markets, where sellers have the most power:
Rochester, NY: 185 rating
Buffalo, NY: 128
Syracuse, NY: 102
Hartford, CT: 99
Charleston, WV: 97
Albany, NY: 95
Manchester, NH: 92
Ann Arbor, MI: 92
Poughkeepsie, NY: 91
Boston, MA: 89
And these are the 10 coldest markets, where buyers have the most power:
Jackson, TN: 16 rating
Gulfport, MS: 24
Brownsville, TX: 26
Macon, GA: 26
Daphne, AL: 27
Beaumont, TX: 28
Naples, FL: 28
Cape Coral, FL: 30
Panama City, FL: 30
Punta Gorda, FL: 32
Directionally, I believe Zillow has correctly identified many regional housing markets where buyers have gained the most powerparticularly around the Gulfas well as markets where sellers have maintained (relatively speaking) somewhat of a grip, including large portions of the Northeast and Midwest.
Based on my personal housing analysis, I consider Southwest Florida the weakest/softest chunk of the U.S. housing market, followed by Texas markets around Austin and San Antonio.
What did this Zillow analysis look like back in spring 2022 at the climax of the pandemic housing boom? Below is Zillows March 2022 readingpublished in April 2022.
A Texas judge earlier this month threw out a federal rule that would have capped credit card late fees at $8.
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau finalized the rule last year as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to do away with what it called junk fees. It was paused by the courts before it could take effect.
At the time, the CFPB estimated that American families would have saved more than $10 billion in late fees annually had the fees been capped at $8, significantly less than the $32 average.
Banks and industry groups argued that the rule didn’t allow card issuers to charge fees high enough to deter late payments and discourage repeat violations.
The Texas judge’s ruling earlier this month came a day after a collection of major industry groups and the CFPB under President Donald Trump announced that they had reached an agreement to throw out the rule.
Here’s what to know about credit card late fees:
What is the average credit card late fee?
The average late fee for major issuers has steadily ticked up since the 2010s, going from $23 at the end of 2010 to $32 in 2022, according to the CFPB. WalletHub, which tracks financial data, found the average late fee in 2025 to be $30.50, with the maximum $41.
A September 2023 Consumer Reports study estimated that 1 in 5 American adults, or about 52 million people, paid a credit card late fee in the previous year. People with lower incomes pay proportionately bigger fees, according to the CFPB, with the highest burden falling on communities of color and those living paycheck to paycheck.
How can consumers avoid the fees?
Enrolling in auto-pay for your credit cards can help you avoid making late payments, and there are some credit cards that don’t charge late fees at all (though it’s important to note that these cards may have other fee or penalty structures, or higher interest rates.)
Citi Simplicity and the Apple card do not currently charge late fees, and Discover offers a card that will automatically waive the first late fee.
It’s also possible to appeal credit card late fees charged by your credit card company by calling them directly. The companies will often reverse the fees, especially if it’s your first late payment.
You may also want to consider making payments on your credit card balances during the month. That means you’ll have paid more of the balance by the time the amount comes due, and keeping your balance low relative to your credit limit can improve your credit score.
If you’re having trouble making ends meet, you can ask your credit issuers about hardship programs. These are typically available to people affected by job loss, illness or medical conditions, natural disasters, or other emergencies.
What was the CFPB credit card late fee cap rule about?
Concerned that credit card companies were building a business model based on high penalties, Congress passed the Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009 (CARD Act), which banned the companies from charging excessive late fees and established clearer disclosures and consumer protections.
In 2010, the Federal Reserve Board of Governors voted to issue a regulation implementing the CARD Act, which said that banks could only charge fees to recover costs associated with late payment.
However, the rule included an immunity provision that let some banks charge $25 for the first late payment and $35 for subsequent late payments, adjusted for inflation each year. Those amounts subsequently grew to $30 and $41.
After a review of market data, the CFPB finalized a rule that would have capped late fees at $8 and ended automatic inflation adjustments. Based on records analyzed by the CFPB, a late fee of $8 would be sufficient for card issuers, on average, to cover collection costs incurred as a result of late payments.
How have banking groups responded to the court decision?
Industry groups, including the Consumer Bankers Association, American Bankers Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and others, said they welcomed the court’s decision eliminating the cap.
The groups said that the rule would have led to higher interest rates and reduced credit access for card holders. The groups also said the rule would have reduced important incentives for consumers to manage their finances.
The CFPB has estimated that banks bring in roughly $14 billion in credit card late fees a year.
How have consumer advocates responded?
Horacio Méndez, president and CEO of Woodstock Institute, an organization for advancing economic equity, called the ruling a devastating blow.
By tossing out the CFPBs common-sense rule to cap these predatory late fees some as high as $41 a federal judge is putting corporations over the lives of everyday consumers,” he said. The CFPBs rule was borne out of clear evidence: the credit card industry was using inflated late fees as a profit engine, forcing families with the least financial cushion to pay.
Méndez said that while consumers have come to expect fees for services, those fees needn’t be punitive to be effective.
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The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism.
Cora Lewis, Associated Press
Energy drink company Celsius Holdings announced today that its subsidiary brand, Alani Nu, has notched more than $1 billion in sales over the past 52 weeksrepresenting a head-turning 72.4% year-over-year sales increase. The companys impressive success demonstrates that the functional beverage craze may not be merely a passing fad for consumers.
Celsius Holdings, which also owns the popular energy drink Celsius, officially acquired Alani Nu last month for $1.8 billion. The brand was originally founded by entrepreneur Katy Schneider and husband Haydn Schneider in 2018, and has since found a growing audience of Gen Z and millennial consumers looking for a low-calorie, zero-sugar energy drink option.
According to a press release, Alani Nus $1 billion milestone has been fueled by accelerated brand growth, strong and unique innovation, and a growing female energy drink consumer segment seeking better-for-you, functional beverages that fit their health and wellness lifestyles.
As of this writing, Celsius Holdings stock is up slightly by 0.16% since market open.
What Alani Nu’s success says about the future of “functional beverages”
Over the past several months, functional beverages, or drinks that offer some kind of mood or health boost (in the case of Alani Nu and Celsius, that would be the added jolt of caffeine), have gained popularity in the mainstream beverage market.
A study by Nielsen IQ last spring found that sales of functional beverages grew by 54% between March 2020 and March 2024 to $9.2 billion, accounting for 10% of the total nonalcoholic beverage market in the U.S.
Subcategories of this market, including energy drinks and sports beverages, are similarly trending up. Experts across the beverage industry largely attribute this trend to a rising interest in health and wellness among Gen Z and millennial consumers, who are increasingly choosing to ditch alcoholic beverages in favor of more healthy drinks that can offer one or more benefits.
In the past year, new brands like the DTC sports beverage company Magna and influencer Alex Coopers electrolyte drink brand Unwell have emerged to capitalize on this widening consumer base. Meanwhile, existing brands like Mio, Bodyarmor, and Liquid I.V. have all introduced refreshed looks to emphasize their functional features.
Alani Nu, which has positioned itself as a health and wellness brand for women since its founding, was uniquely prepared to capitalize on this trend as it emerged. The energy drink comes with 200 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce can (the equivalent of about two cups of coffee) and is vegan, sugar-free, gluten-free, and low-calorie.
The brands $1 billion milestone shows that, more than a year after the initial hype around functional beverages first began, the sector has taken root as a more permanent beverage categoryone that’s both attracting a new generation of consumers and causing beverage giants to rethink how they market their products.
Chinese robotaxi technology company Pony AI Inc. (Nasdaq: PONY) was up a whopping 55% on Mondayyes, you read that rightafter Chief Technology Officer Lou Tiancheng told the Wall Street Journal it can now build its autonomous driving system for 70% less and is on the road to profitability.
Pony AI makes the technology that allows cars to become autonomous, or self-driving, not the cars itself, but it partners with companies to make the cars. It also operates a fleet of robotaxis in China.
Last week, Pony AI also received positive feedback after it unveiled three new driverless vehicles at the Shanghai Auto Show, which were co-developed with Chinese state-owned automakers BAIC Motor and Guangzhou Automobile Group, as well as Toyota.
And that’s not all. Also last week, Pony AI announced a partnership with Chinese tech firm Tencent, which would see Pony AI’s autonomous ride-hailing services integrated into Tencent Maps as well as the popular social platform, WeChat.
Analysts estimate the company has slashed its bill-of-materials, or BOM (all the materials, components, sub-assemblies, and instructions needed to manufacture a product) costs for its robotaxis from $137,217 to just $41,165.
Cheaper production could enable Pony AI to achieve single-unit breakeven, or the point at which it makes a profit each time a new robotaxi is added to its fleet, according to the WSJ. Some analysts think it could reach that coveted goal by the end of 2025, but that the company likely wouldn’t turn a profit until at least 2030, when it hits 50,000 robotaxis.
The key is software optimization, Lou told the WSJ. For example, our software performance has tripled under the same computing power.
It’s worth noting that Pony AI, which focuses on developing and deploying autonomous driving technology, including robotaxi services, has yet to turn a profit, and in fact posted a loss last quarter, which was its first reporting since going public last year.
If all goes well, Pony plans to to start production of its robotaxis mid-year, with the goal to expand from 300 vehicles to 1,000 at the end of 2025, per the WSJ.
U.S. stocks are drifting Monday ahead of potential flashpoints looming later in the week that could bring more sharp swings for financial markets.
The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in morning trading, coming off a winning week in its whipsaw ride thats been rattling investors for weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 145 points, or 0.4%, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.
The relatively calm trading offers a respite following historic swings that have come as hopes rise and fall that President Donald Trump may back down on his tariffs, which investors expect would otherwise cause a recession. The S&P 500 has roughly halved its drop that had taken it nearly 20% below its record set earlier this year.
This upcoming week will feature earnings reports from some of Wall Streets most influential companies, including Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft. Their performances carry huge sway over the market because theyve inflated to become the biggest by far in terms of size.
Outside of Big Tech, executives from Caterpillar, Exxon Mobil, and McDonalds may also offer clues about how theyre seeing economic conditions play out. Several companies across industries have recently been slashing their estimates for upcoming profit or pulling their forecasts completely because of uncertainty about what will happen with Trumps tariffs.
We heard more plans to mitigate tariff impacts than in prior months and than during 2018 from U.S. companies, including preordering, shifting production, and increasing prices for their own products, according to Bank of America strategist Savita Subramanian. But she also said in a report that she’s seeing some indications of a pause: no hiring/no firing, no new projects/no cancellations etc.
A fear is that Trumps on-again-off-again tariffs may be pushing households and businesses to alter their spending and freeze plans for long-term investment because of how quickly conditions can change, seemingly by the hour.
Dominos Pizza was flipping between small losses and gains after it reported weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The pizza chains CEO, Russell Weiner, called the global economic environment challenging, and its stock was most recently up 0.7%
DoorDash added 1.2% after Deliveroo, the food delivery service based in London, said it heard from DoorDash about a possible cash offer to take over the company.
So far, economic reports have mostly seemed to show the U.S. economy is still growing, though at a weaker pace. On Wednesday, economists expect a report to show that U.S. economic growth slowed to a 0.8% annual rate in the first three months of this year, down from a 2.4% rate at the end of last year.
But most reports Wall Street has received so far have focused on data from before Trumps Liberation Day on April 2, when he announced tariffs that could affect imports from countries worldwide. That could raise the stakes for upcoming reports on the U.S. job market, including Fridays, which will show how many workers employers hired during all of April.
Economists expect it to show a slowdown in hiring down to 125,000 from 228,000 in March.
The most jarring economic data recently have come from surveys showing U.S. consumers becoming much more pessimistic about the economys future because of tariffs. The Conference Boards latest reading on consumer confidence will arrive on Tuesday.
In the bond market, Treasury yields held relatively steady. Theyve calmed since an unsettling, unusual rise rise in yields earlier this month rattled both Wall Street and the U.S. government. That rise had suggested investors worldwide may have been losing faith in the U.S. bond markets reputation as a safe place to park cash.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.25% from 4.29% late Friday.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed across Europe and Asia. The CAC 40 in Paris rose 0.8%, but stocks slipped 0.2% in Shanghai.
Stan Choe, AP business writer
AP Writers Jiang Junzhe and Matt Ott contributed.
Iran and the United States will hold talks Saturday in Oman, their third round of negotiations over Tehrans rapidly advancing nuclear program.
The talks follow a first round held in Muscat, Oman, where the two sides spoke face to face. They then met again in Rome last weekend before this scheduled meeting again in Muscat.
Trump has imposed new sanctions on Iran as part of his maximum pressure campaign targeting the country. He has repeatedly suggested military action against Iran remained a possibility, while emphasizing he still believed a new deal could be reached by writing a letter to Irans 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to jump start these talks.
Khamenei has warned Iran would respond to any attack with an attack of its own.
Heres what to know about the letter, Irans nuclear program and the tensions that have stalked relations between Tehran and Washington since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Why did Trump write the letter?
Trump dispatched the letter to Khamenei on March 5, then gave a television interview the next day in which he acknowledged sending it. He said: Ive written them a letter saying, I hope youre going to negotiate because if we have to go in militarily, its going to be a terrible thing.
Since returning to the White House, the president has been pushing for talks while ratcheting up sanctions and suggesting a military strike by Israel or the U.S. could target Iranian nuclear sites.
A previous letter from Trump during his first term drew an angry retort from the supreme leader.
But Trumps letters to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in his first term led to face-to-face meetings, though no deals to limit Pyongyangs atomic bombs and a missile program capable of reaching the continental U.S.
How did the first round go?
Oman, a sultanate on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, hosted the first round of talks between Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff. The two men met face to face after indirect talks and immediately agreed to this second round in Rome.
Witkoff later made a television appearance in which he suggested 3.67% enrichment for Iran could be something the countries could agree on. But thats exactly the terms set by the 2015 nuclear deal struck under U.S. President Barack Obama, from which Trump unilaterally withdrew America.
Witkoff hours later issued a statement underlining something: A deal with Iran will only be completed if it is a Trump deal. Araghchi and Iranian officials have latched onto Witkoffs comments in recent days as a sign that America was sending it mixed signals about the negotiations.
Yet the Rome talks ended up with the two sides agreeing to starting expert-level talks this Saturday. Analysts described that as a positive sign, though much likely remains to be agreed before reaching a tentative deal.
Why does Irans nuclear program worry the West?
Iran has insisted for decades that its nuclear program is peaceful. However, its officials increasingly threaten to pursue a nuclear weapon. Iran now enriches uranium to near weapons-grade levels of 60%, the only country in the world without a nuclear weapons program to do so.
Under the original 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67% purity and to maintain a uranium stockpile of 300 kilograms (661 pounds). The last report by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Irans program put its stockpile at 8,294.4 kilograms (18,286 pounds) as it enriches a fraction of it to 60% purity.
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.
Ali Larijani, an adviser to Irans supreme leader, has warned in a televised interview that his country has the capability to build nuclear weapons, but it is not pursuing it and has no problem with the International Atomic Energy Agencys inspections. However, he said if the U.S. or Israel were to attack Iran over the issue, the country would have no choice but to move toward nuclear weapon development.
If you make a mistake regarding Irans nuclear issue, you will force Iran to take that path, because it must defend itself, he said.
Why are relations so bad between Iran and the U.S.?
Iran was once one of the U.S.s top allies in the Mideast under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who purchased American military weapons and allowed CIA technicians to run secret listening posts monitoring the neighboring Soviet Union. The CIA had fomented a 1953 coup that cemented the shahs rule.
But in January 1979, the shah, fatally ill with cancer, fled Iran as mass demonstrations swelled against his rule. The Islamic Revolution followed, led by Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and created Irans theocratic government.
Later that year, university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, seeking the shahs extradition and sparking the 444-day hostage crisis that saw diplomatic relations between Iran and the U.S. severed. The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s saw the U.S. back Saddam Hussein. The Tanker War during that conflict saw the U.S. launch a one-day assault that crippled Iran at sea, while the U.S. later shot down an Iranian commercial airliner that the American military said it mistook for a warplane.
Iran and the U.S. have see-sawed between enmity and grudging diplomacy in the years since, with relations peaking when Tehran made the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. But Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking tensions in the Mideast that persist today.
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The Associated Press receives support for nuclear security coverage from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Outrider Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Jon Gambrell, Associated Press
Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat contributed to this report.
Weve all been there: the windowless conference room, the stale coffee, the flip charts, the obligatory icebreaker, followed by hours of sticky notes and talk of disruption that feels, ironically, deeply uninspired.
This is the traditional corporate offsite: a manufactured attempt at connection and creativity staged inside four beige walls.
But heres the truth that most leaders wont say out loud: If your strategy session couldve been an email, your offsite isnt working.
In a world demanding fresh thinking, deep alignment, and courageous reinvention, we dont need more sticky notes; we need more perspective, pause, and place.
Its time to rethink the offsite. It is not a retreat from work, but a return to what makes work matter.
The traditional offsite is designed for control: a fixed agenda, predictable outputs, and highly curated team-building exercises.
But innovation is inherently unpredictable. Creativity doesnt follow a schedule, and a breakthrough doesnt happen when people feel boxed inliterally or figuratively.
A recent Steelcase study found that only 13% of employees strongly agree that their workplace helps them be creative. Imagine taking that same creative tension and relocating it to a stuffy hotel ballroom with bad lighting and bad air quality. Its not just uninspiring, its counterproductive.
The Power of Perspective, Pause, and Place
If you want to unlock real innovation, you need to get out of the roomliterally.
I have taken executive teams hiking in the mountains, walking through sculpture parks, sketching beside rivers, and sharing stories under open skies.
What happens in those moments isnt just memorable; its transformative. Creativity doesnt thrive in confinement; it thrives in movement, reflection, and meaningful environments. Heres what shifts when you leave the room:
Perspective expands: On a recent mountain trail, one of my clients looked out over the valley and said, I finally see my business differently. Nature helps leaders zoom out, see patterns, and reconnect to what really matters.
Dialogue deepens: Walking side-by-side fosters vulnerability in a way boardroom chairs never will. One CFO told me after a trail walk, Thats the first time I have really talked to my team, not just with them.
Energy resets: Changing physical environments resets our mental state. The body moves, the mind loosens, and new insights begin to emerge, often without even trying.
Ask yourself: What would happen if your team had space to think, not just speak? To feel instead of just perform?
Nature, Narrative, and Nonlinear Thinking
Before you overhaul your next offsite, pause and consider what actually fuels creativity and connection in teams.
Its not tighter agendas or better breakout sessions. Its the deeper human elements that corporate playbooks often overlook. It’s the environments that stir the senses, stories that build shared meaning, and a space that honors the messy, magical process of emergence.
At the heart of powerful offsites are three essential elements most corporate agendas ignore:
Nature. Nature doesnt just reduce stressit rewires our thinking. A Stanford study found that even a 90-minute walk in nature can reduce rumination and improve problem-solving. But beyond the science, nature reminds us: Not everything must be engineered. Some things must be experienced. What might your team discover if they swapped Wi-Fi for tree lines?
Narrative. The best breakthroughs dont start with strategy decks; they start with stories. When leaders share pivotal life moments or team origin stories, new insights emerge. The strategy becomes personal, and the mission gets real. Instead of starting with goals, ask each person to share a moment that shaped how they lead. Watch what opens up.
Nonlinear Thinking. Great ideas dont arrive on demand. They bubble up in white space (or maybe it should be called green space). Thats why I build in unstructured time during offsites, not as filler, but as fertile ground. One leader told me their breakthrough idea came during a quiet solo hour by the water. Innovation needs space to breathe.
A New Offsite Design Philosophy
Forget the PowerPoint marathons. The new offsite design should be immersive instead of performative, meaningful instead of efficient, and designed for discovery, not just alignment.
Whether you are hiking a coastal trail or sitting around a campfire, the goal isnt to force productivity. Its to create the conditions where insight naturally emerges. I call this strategic restoration, a practice of slowing down, stepping back, and reconnecting with what matters most.
You dont need to summit a mountain. Just start here:
Change the Environment. Ditch the hotel ballroom and book a retreat center near water, a creative space, or even a local museum. One client who held their offsite in a botanical garden said, We got more creative in two hours than we usually do in two days.
Design for Emotion, Not Just Execution. Begin with personal storytelling. Build in moments of awesunrise meditations, guided journaling, even shared silence. Whats the emotional tone we want this offsite to create, and why does it matter?
Include Movement and Mindfulness. Use walking meetings, breathing practices, or a simple quiet space. Movement regulates the nervous system, and stillness amplifies clarity. If you are feeling bold, schedule unplugged windows with no devices, just presence.
Trust Emergence. Dont overfill the schedule. Leave space for what you cant plan. Thats where breakthroughs hide.
In a world addicted to speed, the leaders who pause are the ones who leap forward. In a culture obsessed with performance, the companies that reconnect with purpose are the ones that endure.
So no, your next innovation breakthrough probably wont come from a hotel ballroom with cold sandwiches and tired team-building games. It might come from a hike or a story told around a fire.
Because when you design for renewal, reflection, and reconnection, strategy becomes more than a plan. It becomes a shared vision that feels alive.
