PR in the Philippines

This article is part of The D.C. Brief, TIME’s politics newsletter. Sign up to get stories like this sent to your inbox. More than 130 individuals recently gathered in a virtual meeting space in Springfield, Ohio. Their objective? To address the entirely avoidable predicament that Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and their supporters have created. Despite pleas from various individuals, including the Republican Governor, to cease, the former President and his running mate have continued to spread false claims accusing Springfield's Haitian community of stealing pets for consumption. This is why numerous local social service professionals convened last week—to solidify a plan to ensure that Springfield's Haitian population, potentially as large as 20,000, not only survives this crisis but emerges stronger on the other side. “When we come together, we know what we’re working for,” Kerry Lee Pedraza, the executive director of the local United Way chapter, tells me. “We’re working to make this a more inclusive, unified community.” She won’t say it. I will: Trump and his lies are doing the opposite. It has been two weeks since Trump utilized a nationally televised debate with Vice President Kamala Harris to spread the fabricated and thoroughly discredited rumor that, in Springfield, “they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats.” He and fellow Republicans have since intensified the malicious myth, acknowledging that they might be mistaken—to be clear: they absolutely are—but perceive the falsehood as a means to elevate a discussion about immigration. The suffering they have inflicted on Haitians in the process appears to be of minimal concern. For voters driven by anti-immigrant frustrations, the fabricated story is merely a convenient tool to advance the conversation. The entire city of Springfield has been shaken by this crisis. A community that had long welcomed tourists drawn to the state's solitary Frank Lloyd Wright prairie-style residence is now grappling with an influx of white supremacists and conspiracy theorists. Ohio State Highway Patrol officers are still deployed on the streets at the behest of the Governor, and City Hall is subject to cyclical lockdowns. Public schools that had been closed due to bomb threats have reopened but remain heavily guarded. Some universities have transitioned to fully remote learning as a precautionary measure. Absenteeism and truancy are impacting non-Haitians more significantly than anyone else. However, it was not lost on anyone at the Haitian Coalition summit last week that things had fundamentally changed most dramatically for Springfield's Haitians—whose population reaches as high as 20,000 according to some estimates, many of whom are refugees who arrived after the pandemic. It is impossible to overlook the sudden absence of Haitians in local grocery stores, as many are still choosing to go to work and little else. But it is also noticeable in the surge in demand for English As a Second Language classes and increased interest in hiring Haitian Creole translators for pre-K programs to expedite the language development of Springfield's youngest residents. Working largely behind the scenes, the local United Way has emerged as an unexpected leader of a coalition of social service organizations collaborating with the Haitian community. Pedraza presented me with a detailed and ambitious plan to bolster services for Haitians in the area amidst this crisis: additional translators for young children, language tutors for adults, and even driving lessons for newcomers in light of the current panic's catalyst being a fatal accident involving a Haitian driver.  Pedraza recalled observing more than 45 Haitians in attendance at a recent ESL class she audited. Given the substantial waiting list, United Way is actively seeking to raise funds to launch another 10 weekly classes to alleviate the workload of the volunteer instructors currently leading approximately 15 sessions. Guiding the community through this crisis is Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who resides nearby at his family farm in Cedarville, and has made a conscious effort in recent times to spend more public time in the town than usual. DeWine, city officials, and law enforcement have all repeatedly stated that the GOP's portrayal of Springfield as a proxy for Port-au-Prince where Haitians are hunting dogs, cats, and geese for meat is completely false.  Still, in a New York Times op-ed published on Sept. 20, DeWine treated Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, with a soft touch. “Their verbal attacks against these Haitians—who are legally present in the United States—dilute and cloud what should be a winning argument about the border,” DeWine wrote. While no one will accuse DeWine of being overly cautious when it comes to standing up to his party—the man criticized Mitt Romney in 2012 for his seemingly anti-immigrant rhetoric—it was a moment when he reaffirmed his support for a ticket spreading lies about his hometown. After the debate, Trump claimed he was planning a rally in Springfield, a promise that for many in the community felt more like a threat. As of now, no such event has been announced.  For individuals like Pedraza, any outsiders seeking to capitalize on a manufactured crisis would not be welcome. “I think there are more of us who are saying, please stay away,” she says. “It is a wonderful town, and we love to have people come and visit. But unless you’re coming here to visit and to do something meaningful and productive, then we don’t need you here in our town.” When the locally born head of the local United Way, who has dedicated four decades to working in civic groups, advises you to stay away, it might be wise to listen. Make sense of what matters in Washington. .

Marcellus Williams was executed by the state of Missouri on Tuesday, Sept. 24, despite concerns citing his potential innocence. Williams died by lethal injection shortly after 6 p.m. at a Missouri state prison in Bonne Terre, St. Francois County. He was 55 years old. Following his death, there has been widespread condemnation, particularly given the execution was not supported by the prosecution nor the victim’s family. Williams was convicted and sentenced to death in 2001 for the 1998 murder of Felicia Gayle, a social worker and well-known St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter, who was killed in her home. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office requested the execution be called off due to concerns regarding the trial’s jury selection (the vast majority of the jury was white) and potential racial bias—Williams was Black, while Gayle was white. Additionally, DNA evidence did not link Williams to the murder. “Even for those who disagree on the death penalty, when there is a shadow of a doubt of any defendant’s guilt, the irreversible punishment of execution should not be an option,” St. Louis County’s Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell stated, according to the . Governor of Missouri Mike Parson and the Missouri state Supreme Court denied and rejected all appeals, including clemency pleas from Williams’ lawyers, members of the victim’s family, and the prosecution, as well as letters from from and the . On Sept. 24, the U.S. Supreme Court Following Williams’ execution there has been a public outcry due to the doubts surrounding his conviction, especially since it was reported in August that a new development showed that the knife used in the murder was believed to have been by DNA from a prosecutor and investigator working on the case. Williams’ poetry and writings have been shared widely on social media. One document, which has been corroborated by publications such as  , shows Williams’ handwritten “final statement” before his death, which reads, “All Praise Be to Allah in Every Situation!!!”  Marcellus Williams’ last statement reads: “All Praise Be To Allah In Every Situation!!!” — philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) Many have also shared his poetry, which had been featured in multiple online journals and the . In the lead up to, and in the aftermath of Williams’ death, many advocates also have pointed to his story as not an isolated moment—but as indicative of a greater narrative of racial injustice in the criminal justice system. If you’re enraged about Marcellus Williams (you absolutely should be), you need to make sure that you’re viewing this violent, racist injustice, not as an isolated incident, but as part of pattern of systemic violence and racism.— GNCordova (@GNCordova) Various criminal justice advocates and politicians are also calling for the end of the death penalty, including Representative , Missouri Representative Cori Bush, and CEO of the NAACP. “The state of Missouri and our nation’s legal system failed Marcellus Williams, and as long as we uphold the death penalty, we continue to perpetuate this depravity,” Bush said in a statement on Tuesday night after Williams’ execution.

You’re standing in line at the grocery store or waiting for an elevator. You have no more than a minute to kill. And yet, before you’ve even processed what you’re doing, you’ve pulled out your phone and have begun to mindlessly scroll through TikTok or Instagram. Sound familiar? It does to Adrian Ward, an associate professor at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin who studies people’s relationships to technology. “It’s not even an urge,” he says. “There’s no intention.” In his experience, checking your phone is often automatic. Research suggests plenty of people do the same thing. Maxi Heitmayer, a teaching fellow who studies human-computer interaction at the London School of Economics and Political Science, found in that only 11% of people’s smartphone checks were in response to a notification. The other 89% of the time, they checked their phones totally unprompted, often without thinking through why they were doing it. The call of your phone Why? Heitmayer thinks that, in our ultra plugged-in world, we’re so used to constant stimulation that we feel uncomfortable when we’re not doing anything, even for just a few seconds.  Phones are so good at relieving such discomfort that Shiri Melumad, an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, calls them “.” Much as a child totes around a toy or blanket to feel safe, adults draw comfort from the constant, familiar presence of their phones, Melumad says. You may lean on your digital pacifier deliberately—when you’re alone at a party and feeling awkward, say—or simply because you’ve become accustomed to always having something to occupy your brain. Ward, meanwhile, calls smartphones a “supernormal stimulus,” or something “beyond anything [we] evolved to deal with or make decisions about.” Our brains are hardwired to seek out rewards like knowledge, entertainment, and social connection, all of which were much harder to find before we had tiny computers at our fingertips, Ward says. Now that we do, our phones are basically 24/7 all-you-can-eat buffets for our brains, endlessly and easily serving up the things they want. Of course our minds can’t help but gorge themselves. Never mind that some studies suggest , and , can actually increase boredom; reaching for the phone gives us something to do, and a feeling that that “something” is more rewarding than whatever is happening to us in the real world. “Unless what you’re doing right here, right now, is the most interesting thing you could possibly be doing, your phone at some level”—perhaps not even a conscious one—”represents a better alternative,” Ward says. Is that a bad thing?  The answer is complex, Melumad says. “It’s a little bit alarmist to say that smartphones are addictive and they’re [all] bad,” she says. Smartphones can certainly connect us to troubling content, whether we seek it out or not, and there are valid arguments about the , Melumad says. But some aspects of smartphone use can also be beneficial. It’s not necessarily problematic to self-soothe by texting a friend or watching a funny TikTok video after a stressful work day, for instance. A quick phone check probably isn’t doing your brain any real harm, Heitmayer agrees. But to Ward, it’s also worth considering how all those little checks add up. Over time, constant scrolling could have a negative effect on your job performance, , sleep, and possibly even physical safety, if you’re doing things like checking your phone while you walk or drive. There’s also a mental-health element to consider. Although , many believe that heavy smartphone and social-media use harms psychological well-being. Even beyond that, Heitmayer says, people tend to beat themselves up about their screen time. , about 60% of U.S. adults, and 80% of those under 30, said they were on their phones “too much.” When you give into your urges and check your phone, then feel guilty about it, “the feeling of failure adds insult to injury,” Heitmayer says.  How to keep your phone-checking habit in check If you want to break the habit of constant checking, you’ll have to work at it. The more you’ve trained your brain to expect , the harder it will be to kick the compulsion. But it is possible. Part of that process—as you can probably guess—is getting used to being without your phone. , including , have found that simply having your phone near you, even if it’s not buzzing or lighting up with a notification, is enough to distract you and give you the itch to check. You don’t have to quit cold turkey, Ward says. (In fact, some this kind of abrupt digital detox can trigger anxiety.) To ease in, start going without your phone for set periods of time, like when you’re working on an important project or want to give all of your attention to your friend or partner. Over time, as you get used to being without your device, it may get easier to resist that constant pull to check. You may even find that you want to leave your phone behind more and more often, Ward says. Building awareness is also helpful. Melumad recommends paying attention to how different kinds of smartphone use make you feel. Reading a news article on your phone, for example, may bring up different feelings than . If you catch yourself swiping through TikTok videos without even absorbing the content, take a moment to ask yourself what’s driving your behavior, suggests Katy Tam, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto Scarborough who researches boredom and digital media. Do you actually want to be on TikTok, or are you just putting off a less-fun task? Tam is one of the researchers who has found that smartphone usage can increase boredom—which may be handy to remember if you’re trying to cut back on your screen time. Shifting your mindset to think of phone usage not as a salve, but as a crutch, may make it easier to cut back. Sometimes, Tam says, “it’s our behavior that makes us feel bored.”

Every year from September 15th to October 15th, businesses, charities, politicians, and media outlets celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This yearly event doesn't come close to acknowledging the significant influence Latinos have on our society all year round. The numbers are undeniable and astonishing: 63 million Latinos comprise 19.7% of the U.S. population and hold a collective buying power of $3.6 trillion, equivalent to the world's 5th largest economy. The power of sports is a dominant force in our culture. Sports bring people together, inspire communities, and boost economic growth. Yet, the massive impact Latinos have on this industry's success is often overlooked. Until recently, I served as the CEO of the Arizona Coyotes NHL franchise, the only Latino to lead a major professional sports team. That's right, across the five major professional men's leagues (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS), with a total of 153 teams, I was the only Hispanic CEO. (The only exception is InterMiami CF, the soccer club owned and led by David Beckham.) While this unique position was a source of pride, it also highlighted a disheartening reality. Despite overwhelming data emphasizing the importance of this demographic and the business imperative for diverse leadership, no Latino executive was leading any of these influential organizations – and that remains true today. Collaborating with my business partner Pedro Guerrero, we recently conducted a proprietary research study on Latino fandom. The findings revealed that Latino fans represent the fastest-growing segment across all leagues. They are notably younger (72% are Gen Z or Millennial, compared to 50% of overall sports fans). Latinos over-index on digital consumption (38% more likely to use TikTok for sports news) and are crucial to the commercialization of sports (39% more likely to recommend a brand sponsoring a sport they follow). So, how can organizations capitalize on the growing influence of Latino fans? Here are six strategic imperatives for building genuine connections and driving growth: Creation not translation Companies often settle for the bare minimum, simply translating advertisements, press releases, or social media posts into Spanish. The market responds to companies that conduct thorough research and develop a unique Latino strategy that is deeply rooted in culture and not just language. Ongoing not episodic The Latino community demands a sustained dialogue, not just a one-time event during Hispanic Heritage Month. These efforts should not be limited to events or campaigns but rather integrated into the core of the entire business strategy. Household not individual Latinos often live in multi-generational households, so companies should connect with all members of the family, including abuela, the primary breadwinner, and the younger generations. Culture not language U.S. Latinos today use English, Spanish, and even Spanglish. The successful approach is to leverage cultural connections and communicate with each sub-segment with sensitivity and nuance. Partner not solo For brands new to this market, it's advisable to collaborate with external voices that command inherent trust, including non-profit organizations, influencers, athletes, or media outlets. Insights not stereotypes Instead of relying on outdated tropes or clichés, such as folkloric music or food that only resonate with one country of origin, winning organizations analyze data and develop a genuine connection to what they do best. It's undeniable that Latinos are shaping our American culture, and they are the primary drivers of growth in the sports industry. For any organization looking to secure long-term success, focusing on Latino fans is a smart place to start.

A viral post circulating on social media platforms like Facebook, Threads, and particularly Instagram, reads “Goodbye Meta AI.” More than 500,000 users have shared this post, believing it will prevent Meta from using their personal information. The message claims that Meta, as a public entity, requires all members to post a similar statement, and failing to do so implies consent to the use of their data and photos. The post, often shared as an Instagram screenshot or copied and pasted on Facebook and Threads, has even been shared by celebrities such as actress Julianne Moore and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. However, Meta is now labeling these posts as "false" information on its platforms, linking to an article titled “" by Facebook third-party fact-checking partner Lead Stories. According to Lead Stories, the spread of the “Goodbye Meta AI” copypasta—a widely shared chunk of text—began in early September. Former American Idol contestant and drag queen Ada Vox warned her followers on on Sept. 7 to stop sharing the message, saying: “Hackers use posts like that to target gullible and vulnerable people to find the easiest profiles to get into. … You are only putting a target on your back for hackers by sharing and making those ridiculous posts. The people at the highest risk for this are the older generation, so if you see them posting that, let them know.” This isn't the first time such a privacy hoax has been spread. In May, a similar copypasta claiming to prevent Meta from using personal data was debunked by fact-checking website , which stated that Facebook users can't “retroactively negate the privacy or copyright terms they agreed to when they signed up” or alter new privacy terms “simply by posting a contrary legal notice on their account.”  As for truly preventing Meta from scraping your data to train its generative artificial intelligence models, the matter is more complex. Earlier this year, Meta sent notifications to informing them that it planned to use their content for AI development and allowing them to opt out. However, due to Europe's strict tech regulations. In other regions like Australia, India, and the U.S., users weren't notified of any changes, and the duration of Meta's data scraping for AI training remains unclear. According to a Meta last September, the company utilizes “publicly shared posts from Instagram and Facebook—including photos and text” to train its models, but not “private posts” or “the content of your private messages with friends.” A Meta spokesperson MIT Technology Review in June that users who wish to minimize the risk of their content being scraped can make their accounts private. Meta did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment.

On the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists abducted our loved ones and 245 others. Carmel was visiting her parents at Kibbutz Be’eri. Almog, Alexander, Eden, Hersh, and Ori were celebrating peace and freedom at the Nova Music Festival. These six individuals were taken to Gaza, several with critical injuries. They endured harsh conditions for 328 days before being fatally shot on Aug. 29. Israeli forces found their emaciated remains in a tunnel buried under a Gazan child's bedroom. The tunnel was extremely narrow and lacked oxygen, light, and basic sanitation. Their Hamas captors executed our loved ones at close range, left the tunnel, and sealed the entrance. Alexander, a tall man, lost significant weight during captivity. Hersh and Eden were also severely emaciated. Hamas is directly responsible for the abduction, torture, and murder of our loved ones. However, many others failed to intervene and save them. Israeli decision-makers had opportunities to negotiate settlements but chose not to. While these choices will have lasting consequences, countless others could have done more to save our loved ones. Those who remain passive will become complicit in future tragedies if they allow malicious forces to prevail over the inaction of those in power. We urge immediate action: 101 hostages are still suffering in Gaza, and time is running out. Empty words will not spare them the same fate as Almog, Alexander, Carmel, Eden, Hersh, and Ori. Decisive action is needed now. For 328 days, we met with politicians, diplomats, business leaders, celebrities, and others with power. They made promises, expressed sympathy, and offered support. Many were present at meetings with religious leaders, ambassadors, former presidents, and first ladies. Leaders of major companies pledged their support until our loved ones returned home alive. We participated in meetings in Davos, Washington, Moscow, London, Sofia, Budapest, and Geneva. Celebrities met with us discreetly but requested anonymity for fear of losing followers. Humanitarian aid organizations, including the International Red Cross and the World Health Organization, expressed a desire to intervene but claimed inability. Muslim clerics assured us, wrongly, that our loved ones would be safe because harming hostages violated Islamic principles. However, they, along with many other religious leaders, remained publicly silent. Numerous individuals in power assured us that the hostages would survive and their return was imminent. Some acknowledged their suffering but believed they would not die. Two hundred fifty-one hostages from 39 countries were abducted on Oct. 7. Why did the presidents, prime ministers, and foreign ministers of those nations never stand together and demand their release? Why are the names of the 101 remaining hostages not widely reported? Where is the global outcry for their release? Why isn't there condemnation from religious leaders of all faiths involved? Where is the economic and diplomatic pressure on Hamas and its supporters? Why are NATO member countries and U.S. non-NATO allies still operating with favored status despite failing to save lives, including American citizens? Why has the United States, the world's most powerful nation, not effectively used its leverage to secure the hostages' release and bring an end to the conflict? Global actors are watching, learning, and planning. The implications for global security extend beyond Israel and Gaza. Humanity's future is at stake. It's time to use the power you have to do better. Almog, Alexander, Carmel, Eden, Hersh, and Ori are gone. In their memory, we urge you: Take action now to bring home their 101 brothers and sisters still in Gaza. As Rabbi Hillel famously said in ancient Jewish law, “If not now, WHEN?”