Today’s Big Story

Quiet Cracking

Worker disengagement has a new name

It’s a troubling experience. And you might be experiencing it without even knowing there’s a term for it. Like the “quiet quitting” and “quiet vacationing” trends before it, “quiet cracking” gets at worker insecurity fueled by the current economy. If lately you’ve been feeling less motivated, unproductive or like it’s a struggle to drag yourself to work every day—you might be experiencing it.

Some describe this term as a gradual burnout that can sneak up without you realizing it. Think of a plate with some cracks in it—the plate is intact until one day it finally shatters. That’s what’s happening to many employees who are sinking into an unhappy hole at work. This workplace epidemic is affecting many, as more than half of employees have experienced quiet cracking at some point in their careers, according to data from a recent TalentLMS survey.

The researchers found that those employees experiencing quiet cracking are 29% less likely to receive training, 47% more likely to say managers don't listen and 68% less likely to feel valued. Forbes says this creates a vicious cycle that limits career growth opportunities. What makes it dangerous is its subtlety. You're meeting basic requirements but no longer going above and beyond. You're present but not engaged, contributing but not leading.

And it’s not just younger members of the workforce who feel disengaged, either. A 2025 report from Gallup included nearly identical findings, indicating that 52% of employees in North America were “not engaged” in their jobs, and 17% were “actively disengaged.” The same report indicated that disruptions caused by the pandemic—rather than the expectations of any one age group—were a major factor. “It’s not just an entry- to mid-level phenomenon; I don’t think that’s the case at all,” Wayne Hochwarter, a senior professor at Florida State University’s College of Business told The Hill. “I think it’s pretty pervasive at all levels.”

Trump’s Tariffs Snap Into Effect

The duties, which the president announced last week, took effect for about 90 countries just after midnight

After months of delays and extensions, President Donald Trump’s comprehensive and sweeping tariffs slate took effect overnight, shifting his global trade reset into high gear. Most imports into the United States will now face a baseline 10% duty, with the overall average effective tariff rate rising to more than 17%—the highest since 1935, during the Great Depression—thanks to higher duties on some of the biggest U.S. trading partners, according to the nonpartisan Yale Budget Lab think tank.

Trump and his economic advisers have celebrated the considerably higher tariffs that have already gone into effect, correctly noting that they have raised more than $100 billion in tax revenue without leading to catastrophic inflation or a recession, as some economists had feared. But now, goods from nations with which the U.S. does hundreds of billions of dollars of trade, such as India, Switzerland and South Africa, will see new taxes of up to 39%, with India’s rate set to jump to 50% in three weeks. These significantly more aggressive tariffs could exacerbate budding economic problems, including rising inflation and slowing job growth, that are just now becoming more apparent.

A growing number of businesses have warned recently that they may no longer be able to stomach the rising costs of key foreign components. But the president disagrees. “THE ONLY THING THAT CAN STOP AMERICA’S GREATNESS WOULD BE A RADICAL LEFT COURT THAT WANTS TO SEE OUR COUNTRY FAIL,” Trump wrote in capital letters on social media, referencing an ongoing case in the U.S. court of appeals which is considering whether he exceeded his authority in imposing the “reciprocal” tariffs.

Great Barrier Reef Suffers Worst Coral Decline on Record

The word's largest coral reef was devastated by worst bleaching on record, new report finds

Parts of Australia’s iconic Great Barrier Reef, famed for its stunning colors and biodiversity, suffered the biggest decline of coral on record last year after a marine heatwave bleached vast swathes of hard coral, a new report has found.

The reef had its worst summer on record in 2024 when the world underwent a rare global mass coral bleaching event impacting dozens of countries. Surging water temperatures combined with an El Niño weather pattern caused stressed corals to expel algae and lose their color. The analysis released on Wednesday now shows the reef lost between a quarter and a third of its hard coral cover across three main regions, according to the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). In some areas, particularly hard-hit reefs lost up to 70% of their living coral.

The change underscores a new level of volatility on the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the report said. AIMS warns the habitat may reach a tipping point where coral cannot recover fast enough between catastrophic events and faces a “volatile” future. Often dubbed the world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef is a nearly 133,000-square-mile expanse of tropical corals that houses a stunning array of biodiversity. But repeated bleaching events—when coral gets stressed and turns white because the water it lives in is too hot—are turning vast swaths of once-vibrant coral white.

Hawaii’s New Tourism Tax

It’s the first tax of its kind to offset climate change costs

If you’re planning a Hawaii vacation soon, expect a new tax coming your way. That’s because Hawaii just became the first state to impose a so-called “Green Fee” or “green tax” for tourists. The fee, designed to help protect Hawaii’s natural ecosystem from the impacts of climate change, will raise the state’s transient accommodations tax (TAT) for nightly lodging. It will apply to hotel stays, cruise ship cabins, and short-term rentals.

The extra charge—averaging about $2 per visitor per day—is projected to raise an estimated $100 million a year to address what the state says is about half a billion dollars in critical funding needed to protect Hawaii’s environment. And unlike other state programs, the money generated won’t go into a dedicated special fund. Instead, the legislature will reevaluate priorities each year to decide where the money should go based on the greatest environmental need.

According to Robb Report, Hawaii’s approach contrasts with typical tourist taxes that often fund infrastructure or marketing. Instead, the new levy places sustainability at the center of travel economics, part of a growing global trend that includes destinations like Venice and Bhutan, where tourism fees are increasingly used as tools for conservation and crowd control.

The Long Read

As researchers work to make death optional, investors see a chance for huge returns. But has the human body already reached its limits?

Actions matter.