Wild re-sign veteran wing Marcus Johansson to 1-year, $800,000 contract to avoid free agency
Johansson had 11 goals and 23 assists in 72 games for the Wild during the 2024-25 regular season, bouncing between the second and third lines. He was sixth on the team in points.
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Gizmodo
a minute ago
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Google Neutralizes Its Rivals… For Now
For over two decades, 'Google it' has been the default way to find answers online. Now that dominance is being tested by a new wave of AI tools like OpenAI's ChatGPT and upstarts such as Perplexity, which deliver conversational answers instead of a list of links. These disruptors are being cast as a mortal threat to Google Search, long the undisputed king of the internet. But on Wednesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai delivered a powerful counter-narrative, armed with staggering new data that suggests the AI 'threat' is actually making its core product stronger than ever. The story Google is telling is not one of defense, but of offense. Far from cannibalizing its search business, AI is encouraging people to search more, ask new kinds of questions, and engage more deeply with the platform. 'We see AI powering an expansion in how people are searching for and accessing information, unlocking completely new kinds of questions you can ask Google,' Pichai said in remarks for the company's Q2 earnings call. 'Overall queries and commercial queries on Search continued to grow year over year. And our new AI experiences significantly contributed to this increase in usage.' Pichai revealed that the company's new AI features are now driving 'over 10% more queries globally' for the types of searches that show them, a clear sign that AI is expanding the pie, not just slicing it differently. At the heart of Google's strategy is a two-pronged approach designed to serve both casual users and power users simultaneously. The first approach is AI Overviews, the AI-generated summaries that now appear at the top of many search results. This feature has been rolled out at a massive scale, now serving, Pichai claims, over 2 billion monthly users across more than 200 countries and territories. It's the mainstream integration designed to make everyday search faster and more efficient for the masses. The second axis is AI Mode, an end-to-end conversational search experience for more complex and nuanced questions. While still rolling out, this power-user tool has already attracted, the CEO says, over 100 million monthly active users in the U.S. and India. This is Google's direct answer to the advanced capabilities of its new competitors—ChatGPT and Perplexity— offering a space for deeper exploration within Google ecosystem. Is This the End of Google As We Know It? According to Google, this evolution of search is resonating most strongly with the users who will define the next decade of the internet: young people. Pichai emphasized that the growth in new search behaviors, particularly multimodal search—using tools like Google Lens or Circle to Search to ask questions with images—was 'most pronounced among younger users.' By integrating AI in a way that feels intuitive and powerful to a generation that has grown up with visual communication, Google wants to make sure it stays relevant. The ultimate validation of this strategy lies in the numbers. In a direct rebuttal to fears that AI would kill its golden goose, Alphabet reported $54.19 billion in second-quarter search revenue, up 12% year-over-year. The AI-powered experience is proving to be not just engaging, but highly lucrative. Chief Business Officer Philipp Schindler noted during the earnings' call with analysts that advertisers using the company's new AI-powered tools are seeing tangible benefits, with AI Max campaigns delivering '14% more conversions' on average. This proves that a more complex, AI-driven search experience can be even more valuable for advertisers, he claimed. OpenAI's ChatGPT and smaller players like Perplexity AI are winning early adopters who prefer direct, conversational responses over Google's traditional list of blue links. These platforms summarize and synthesize information instantly, bypassing the need to click through multiple sites. This shift threatens Google's core business model: search advertising. A shift from traditional search to AI-generated answers could reshape how people consume information online. Instead of clicking through multiple sources, users may rely on a single AI response, potentially concentrating power in fewer platforms and reducing traffic to independent publishers. For Google, the challenge is to evolve fast enough to keep its users while preserving the revenue streams that make up the bulk of its business. 'We'll focus on the organic experience for the near term,' Pichai told analysts. Google is not simply adding AI to its old search box to keep competitors at bay. It's building an entirely new information engine, one designed to answer questions people never even thought to ask. The AI race has forced Google to evolve fast, and it could make Search more indispensable, and more profitable, than ever. Google wants to stay the gatekeeper of how we access information.
CNET
a minute ago
- CNET
Mortgage Predictions: With Fed Cuts on Hold, Where Do Rates Go From Here?
Buyers should keep an eye on the possibility of rate cuts in the next few months. Tharon Green/CNET The average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage seems poised to hold near 6.75% for the rest of the year. Yet significant economic uncertainties could still push rates up or down in the coming months. Housing market experts consistently point to two major influences: the economic ramifications of the Trump administration's policies and the Federal Reserve's pace of interest rate cuts. On July 29-30, the Fed plans to keep borrowing rates the same at its fifth monetary policy meeting this year. Though markets currently expect a Fed cut in September, that's not a guarantee given ongoing political and economic instability. "Even a September move may require more definitive evidence that the economy is cooling," said Odeta Kushi, deputy chief economist at First American Financial Corporation. "For the housing market, it means the rate-cutting cycle many were hoping would ignite the 2025 homebuying season is still on hold." Although the central bank doesn't directly dictate mortgage rates, its policy decisions indirectly influence consumer borrowing costs, including for mortgages, over the long term. Mortgage rates, which are primarily tied to 10-year Treasury yields in the bond market, are also sensitive to other factors, including investor sentiment. Ultimately, it's unlikely that mortgage rates will shift significantly outside the 6.5% to 7% range unless the economy slows significantly or unemployment increases sharply. The problems afflicting the housing market will take time to solve. Apart from steep mortgage rates, high home prices and limited inventory have all but barred buyers from purchasing and owners from refinancing or selling. CNET How are tariffs affecting the Fed and mortgage rates? Following signs of slowing inflation in late 2024, the Fed implemented three interest rate cuts but has since adopted a more cautious wait-and-see approach this year. Policymakers have held interest rates steady amid market fluctuations, a stance it's expected to uphold at its Federal Open Market Committee meeting next week Today's complex economic picture presents a challenge for the Fed, which is tasked with maintaining maximum employment and containing inflation. The president has claimed that prices are low and the Fed should cut rates immediately. But tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, are widely expected to drive up prices. We're already starting to see the effects: In June, inflation ticked up to 2.7%. While lower than markets expected, price growth is still well above the Fed's annual target rate of 2%. As a result, experts say the central bank has good reason to keep rate cuts on pause. "Increased uncertainty about the inflation picture lessens the chances of a cut in rates by the Fed," said Keith Gumbinger, vice president at "Greater inflation would argue against cutting rates, absent any significant deterioration in labor conditions." Fewer interest rate cuts combined with the recently passed budget bill, which is expected to significantly boost government debt deficits, are likely to keep upward pressure on longer-term bond yields and mortgage rates. But Kushi notes that "any changes, delays or confirmations around tariffs could swing investor sentiment and move yields." What would cause mortgage rates to fall? While most forecasts have average 30-year fixed mortgage rates holding above 6.5% through the end of the year, that could always change. The most recent jobs report appeared steady on the surface, yet several underlying indicators, including a rise in jobless claims, point to a weakening labor market. "Small businesses, which are often more vulnerable to shifts in trade policy and borrowing costs, are also dialing back hiring plans amid tariff concerns," Kushi said. If these trends eventually translate into higher unemployment, it would likely prompt the central bank to reduce borrowing costs. A weaker labor market would also drive bond yields and mortgage rates down. But if cheaper mortgages come as a result of an economic downturn, with households facing job losses, tighter budgets and financial instability, it could also keep buyers locked out What's happening in today's housing market? Affordability challenges have kept the housing market frozen for several years. Even as the long-standing housing shortage eases in several local markets and gives those buyers improved negotiating power, the rest remain locked out by steep home prices. Home sales fell to a nine-month low in June as the national median existing-home price jumped to a new high of $435,300. Plus, with recession risks still on the horizon, people who are nervous about finances will be more reluctant to take on mortgage loan debt. Prospective buyers waiting for mortgage rates to drop may soon have to adjust to the "higher for longer" rate environment. While market forces are out of your control, there are ways to make buying a home slightly more affordable. Last year, nearly half of all homebuyers secured a mortgage rate below 5%, according to Zillow. Here are some proven strategies that can help you save up to 1.5% on your mortgage rate. 💰 Build your credit score. Your credit score will help determine whether you qualify for a mortgage and at what interest rate. A credit score of 740 or higher will help you qualify for a lower rate. 💰 Save for a bigger down payment. A larger down payment allows you to take out a smaller mortgage and get a lower interest rate from your lender. 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Travel + Leisure
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This New Program Lets You Skip TSA and Customs for Connecting Flights—What to Know
Traveling internationally from Texas just got easier to manage. That's thanks to American Airlines, which became the first carrier in the United States this week to allow travelers flying into the country from London to skip the time-consuming process of having to pick up their luggage and re-check it in order to go through customs when continuing onto another U.S. destination. The pilot program is being conducted at American's hub of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with flights from London Heathrow Airport (LHR), according to the airline. Best of all, travelers will be able to clear U.S. Customs right at their arrival gate. David Seymour, the chief operating officer at American, called the program "game-changing" and said it was "one of the most forward-thinking enhancements we can bring to international travel—and importantly, to our customers—as it delivers a level of convenience and time-savings that's never been available before to customers connecting from international flights." In the U.S., the new program—dubbed One Stop Security—is being managed by the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA). American said it was expected to significantly shorten connection times and make it easier for bags to make it to their final destinations. "It really is a commonsense security approach for us to streamline security from abroad to the United States," TSA Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl said in an interview with FOX News . "It really underscores and piggybacks onto the president's and the administration's golden age of travel. With the new process, if a passenger was flying from LHR to Seattle, for example, with a stop first in Dallas, their bag would be checked all the way through to their final destination. Previously, they would have needed to first pick up their luggage at international baggage claim, go through customs, and then re-check it for the connecting domestic flight. The program has previously been in a testing phase, and was expected to be deployed to additional airports in the future. Travelers looking to speed up the connection process even more should consider flying to the U.S. from an international "preclearance" airport. As the name suggests, passengers at these terminals first clear U.S. Customs before boarding the aircraft and simply walk off the plane when they arrive in the country as travelers on any other domestic flight would. Preclearance is offered in several countries, including in Canada, across the Caribbean, in the United Arab Emirates, and in Ireland, including at the Dublin Airport.
